Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume34 Chapter8

One Pair

Part 1 ===

Passing the tall gate, you come across a curving tree-lined path.

Although all the leaves have fallen, I know that these trees are gingko.

Even though this is my first time here, I feel nostalgic. Yes. I’ve been here many times already, through his writing.

Look. Just as I remembered, there was a white statue of Mary at the fork in the road. Students stop here to pray.

And so Nako too took off her gloves and put her numb hands together.

Staring at the face of Mary in the bitterly cold air.

“Do you know something?”

It’s too early for students to go to school, it’s early in the morning.

This is Lillian Girls’ Academy.

The only one listening to Nako was Maria-sama.

**

“Anyway, I’m glad they found a substitute teacher”.

After introducing to the high school teachers a new teacher at a simple morning staff meeting, the dignified female teacher in her fifties, who introduced me, said the following as soon as she opened her mouth:

“I took over as the homeroom teacher for the class, but the classes… We couldn’t have them self-study all the time, so we had to scrape together Japanese language teachers who were free during the time and make do. We didn’t just get help from teachers for grades one through three, but we also called for help from middle school teachers”.

“Fu-fu-fu-fu”, her lips stretched out to the sides with her mouth closed.

(…… Kanegon)

“What a perfect nickname”, Nako thought, admiring the namer’s sense. Her real name was Kanetaka-sensei, so she had to be careful not to accidentally call her Kanegon.

“Ah. Take that attendance book with you. Homeroom is coming up”.

She was told to get used to school life under this person’s guidance for a while outside class time. Her title was assistant homeroom teacher for the second year wisteria class of high school.

As she walked down the hallway, Nako’s ears picked up a beautiful sound.

“A hymn……?”

I stopped and listened. The melody sounded like angels flying around. It seemed to be broadcast over the school’s internal radio. I see, this is the morning worship. It was a little different from what I had imagined.

“What’s wrong?”

Kanegon, who was ahead of me, looked back.

“Nothing”.

With that answer, Nako jogged a little to catch up.

Even when they arrived in front of the second year wisteria class, Kanegon didn’t go in. It seemed that she was concerned that going in now, the unfamiliar Nako’s presence would distract the students.

The refreshing singing voices of young girls overflowed from the classroom into the hallway.

“It will be a sudden announcement and the timing is a bit off, right? It seems it was difficult to find a replacement. The position was vacant for about a month”.

To kill time while waiting, Kanegon opened her mouth. It seemed that she hadn’t yet finished talking.

“Why was that? As far as I can tell, any woman capable of teaching Japanese would have sufficed”.

That was the only condition I was asked in advance. Neither my age nor my background were asked.

“That’s not true. It was originally a school attended by many members of nobility. There is still a strict screening process for teachers, and a tendency to hire people who have someone’s recommendation”.

Indeed, the reason why Nako, who had no teaching experience, was hired was probably due to the recommendation of her great-aunt, who is a member of the alumni association of the school. She was probably trying to make up for her previous mistake by using her last trump card….

“Shimizu-sensei, where have you been so far?”

“Eh? Ah, yes”.

It took me a second to remember that Shimizu-sensei was none other than myself. I’m still not used to being called “sensei”. Even at my alma mater, where I went to get my teaching license, I ended my internship without ever getting used to it.

“After graduating from university I went straight to graduate school”.

Nako answered. It’s the same as a transfer student. I had no choice but to accept that newcomers are always going to cause interest.

“You like studying, huh?”

“No. I just stayed there because I couldn’t find a job. I got a job here this time, so I quit after less than a year”.

“Oh dear. So humble”.

The music ended and a prayer could be heard from the radio.

“In any case. I welcome Shimizu-sensei”.

The morning service would probably conclude soon, as Kanegon placed her finger on the classroom door.

“Women are good, after all”.

Those words strangely stuck in Nako’s mind.

“Shimizu Nako” was written vertically on the blackboard in large letters with chalk, with “Shimizu Naka” next to it in hiragana. After Kanegon introduced her as the new assistant teacher, she was asked to give a brief self-introduction, and after wiping her glasses that had fogged up from room temperature, she stepped forward to the podium.

“My name is Shimizu Nako. I teach classical Japanese”.

After the words “classical Japanese”, a murmur arose. At the same time, several lips moved without making much noise, saying “Hida-sensei”, which Nako did not miss.

In the second year high school class, most of the students still had a youthful look on their faces. Perhaps it was because of the classical uniform of the sailor-collared one-piece dress, or perhaps because they didn’t have any unusual hairstyles or makeup, but everyone gave off a uniformly pure and tidy impression. As expected from a school that was formerly for members of nobility, it still hadn’t lost its dignity.

“First of all, I want to remember everyone’s names, so I’ll take attendance”.

Nako opened the black attendance book, which had “Second Year wisteria Class” written on it in a white sign pen. The first page after the thick cover had the name of the teacher written horizontally.

Above Kanegon’s name, “Kanetaka Shigeko”, another name has been crossed out with two lines.

“Hida Kazuya”.

Nako gently touched the name with her finger, being careful not to be seen by anyone.

Finally, I have reached this point.

**

It was about a month ago that Hida Kazuya disappeared. Nako found out about it from a phone call from her aunt. She was sitting at her kotatsu table at home reading a thick book she had borrowed from the university library to use as material for her thesis when the phone rang loudly.

“I haven’t been able to contact Kazuya for about two weeks. Do you know anything?” That’s how she started. Kazuya was Nako’s cousin, the same age as her.

Although they both left their hometowns and now lived in the same city of Tokyo, Nako and Kazuya hadn’t seen each other for over a year. Although they are not related, they exchanged letters frequently, so Nako thought she had a general idea of what was going on between them. With the receiver still between her shoulder and ear, Nako took out the most recent letter from the small box. It described his struggles at his still unfamiliar all-girls school, as usual.

“Have you tried calling the school?”

“He hasn’t come”, her aunt replied anxiously.

“What about Kazuya’s landlord?”

“I called and asked”.

Apparently, the answer was that he hadn’t said anything about being away for a long time. However, before aunt called, the landlord had noticed something was wrong, as newspapers had piled up at the front door of the apartment. As a result, the landlord had used a spare key to get inside and confirmed that Kazuya was no longer there. Nako breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the worst-case scenario of him having died in the house without anyone knowing had been avoided.

“Got it. I will go to auntie Sasai’s house tomorrow and ask her. So don’t cry. I’ll consult with auntie about whether to report it to the police or not”.

After calming her down, she hung up the phone. Auntie Sasai was her aunt’s aunt. In other words, she was Nako’s great-aunt, and was well-known in the political and financial worlds, so it would not be an exaggeration to say she was the boss of the family. It was only thanks to her connections that Kazuya, a fresh graduate, was hired as a new teacher at the Lillian Girls’ Academy. So, it was entirely possible that Kazuya had consulted her about something before disappearing.

“You’re talking about Kazuya, right? To be honest, I am also bothered by this”.

Great-aunt Sasai said this to Nako, who came to visit her. She had a clearly disgusted look on her face. As Kazuya’s guarantor, she must have heard all sorts of words from the school.

“Aunt-sama, do you not know where he is?”

“Who knows?”

“There have been neither a consultation nor communication”, she said with a sullen look on her face.

“I should have chosen Nako. But you said you wanted to stay at the university. And Kazuya volunteered”.

“That matter is already….”

“Not anymore. If Nako had become the Lillian teacher back then, this wouldn’t have happened. How will you take responsibility for this?”

“Responsibility?”

I had a bad feeling.

“Kazuya’s replacement teacher is urgently needed”.

Just as I though. My great-aunt grinned.

“There are plenty of people who could become a teacher at the prestigious Lillian Girl’s Academy, not just me”.

“Maybe, But this time I have to find and deliver the teacher myself, because…… you understand?”

My great-aunt must repay the damages of recommending Kazuya as soon as possible.

“What I need is a female teacher who can teach Japanese. You’re the only one I have left. Quit graduate school”.

“Let me think it over”.

Nako left with that reply. However, she had almost intended to refuse. She said “let me think it over”, because she thought she wouldn’t be let go unless she said so.

When she got back to her apartment, she found a postcard in her mailbox.

On the back was a photo of Gaudi buildings, and on the front half of the address space was Nako’s address and name. Next to that, on the remaining half of the space, it said, “I’m in Spain now. Kazuya”.

It was written in one line.

“Kazuya……?”

That postcard gave Nako a start.

Next thing I knew, I was calling my great aunt and saying, “I’ll do it”.

**

“When your name is called, please raise your hand and respond. Aikawa Akimi-san”.

Nako called out as she opened the attendance book.

“Here”.

A lively voice came somewhere from the middle.

“Itou Masako-san”.

“Here”.

This time, it was in the back right. The seats don’t seem to be related to the attendance list.

I have never attended an all-girls school in my life. It feels awkward that the first student in attendance is a girl, and that all the classrooms are occupied by girls. Etou Haruka-san. Ogata Mitsuko-san. Perhaps they were raised well, or perhaps they were just trying to be nice to the new teacher, but they all obediently raised their hands. Not a single student heckled me.

Among them, if there was a student who was still and resting her chin on her hand as if she were asleep, she would stand out whether she liked it or not. She was in the third seat from the front by the window. She was looking down, so her expression was hard to make out.

I was worried, but I continued taking attendance.

“Kuga Kohaku-san”.

“Here”.

The fourth girl from the front on the corridor side raised her hand. She was a beautiful girl with beautiful features.

Her semi-long, wavy black hair is parted in the middle, and her forehead is exposed, emphasizing her large, dark eyes with long eyelashes. Her skin is as smooth as a doll’s, and her lips are red, even though she is not wearing any lipstick—. She is only 16 or 17 years old, and although her face still has a hint of innocence, she already has a kind of sensuality about her.

Swaying the urge to keep staring, Nako called out the next name.

“Kuga Meiu-san”.

I tilted my head at the similar name. Then, a hand rose from the opposite side of Kuga Kohaku. And yet, there was a face exactly like Kuga Kohaku’s.

“Kuga Meiu-san?”

“Here”.

It was the student who had been looking down just a moment ago.

“Are you two…… twins?”

“That’s right”.

They both answered in unison. Their faces were exactly the same, like reflections in a mirror. Their voices were also the same.

“Kobayashi Yasue-san”.

Nako continued.

“Saitou Eiko-san”.

Even after reaching the “Sa” row and even after finishing the “Ta” row, Nako couldn’t help but be concerned about Kuga Kohaku and Kuga Meiu. The two of them looked bored and averted their gazes, but they still seemed to be interested in her. To the right is Meiu. To the left is Kohaku. The two of them were observing Nako from both sides like a pair of eyes. Was it just Nako’s imagination?

**

“Kuga Kohaku and Kuga Meiu?”

After homeroom, when they returned to the staff room, Kanegon asked Nako about what she had said, “What about them?”

“Nothing. I just found it unusual to have sisters in the same class”.

“Ah”.

Kanegon nodded as she put a textbook on the desk. She is a math teacher.

“Identical twins do tend to look alike, but those two are probably even more similar than others. Apparently, in middle school they started switching places when taking classes and exams. No, it’s just a rumor. The teachers couldn’t tell them apart, so no action could be taken against them if they denied it”.

I see. If you can’t tell them apart, you might as well just put them together. At the very least, it would be impossible for either of them to take the same test twice.

“A while ago, when they had different hairstyles, it was easy to tell them apart”.

Another female teacher who had been listening to the conversation interjected.

“Different hairstyles?”

Nako turned her head in that direction. Just before the first period started, teachers were busily coming and going in the staff room.

“That’s right. Both of them used to have long, curly hair that reached down to their waists. So, what kind of change of heart did they have? Kohaku cut her hair to its current length, down to her shoulders. After about a week, Meiu cut hers as well, and they became indistinguishable again”.

What would it be like to have another person look just like you? Nako tried putting herself in their shoes and thought that she would try distinguishing herself from the other person as much as possible.

Kohaku tried it. But Meiu didn’t allow it. Could that be the case?

“Anyway”.

Kanegon cleared her throat.

“Try not to get involved with these two too much. That’s fine, right, Shimizu-sensei?”

It sounded more like a command than a warning.

“Um……”

“You are a teacher after all. Showing interest to select students is not a good idea”.

“Was that the whole reason?” Nako wondered.

It felt that if the conversation had not been about the Kuga sisters, she wouldn’t have been so strict.

“I don’t know what you’ve heard from the principal, but don’t talk about your predecessor. The students have finally settled down. Don’t upset them”.

That seemed pretty tough.

**

That evening, Kazuya’s mother came to Tokyo, so Nako accompanied her to Kazuya’s apartment at her request.

As she had requested through the landlord, the newspaper deliveries had been stopped, so at first glance it did not seem like an abandoned room. There just was a little bit of a mail pile-up in the mailbox.

“Nako-chan, shall we?”

After being shown the postcard Nako had received from Kazuya, the aunt regained some composure and opened the door with the spare key, asking,

“What do you think?”

“The state of the room. Has anything changed?”

“I’m not sure”.

There was nothing unusual about it, it was her first time there. Nako had nothing to compare it to.

“It pisses me off”.

Aunt opened the window to let out the stuffy air.

“I wonder if that boy just wandered out”.

In the one-room apartment, pajamas were lying carelessly on the bed, as if they had been taken off just that morning.

The fridge contained a bottle of milk that had long since expired, five cans of beer, and some overripe tomatoes. There was a mug placed upside down in the drainer over the sink.

“Just to hang out?”

While bringing his passport along? Nako had no idea.

“There is no diary”.

Aunt muttered, searching through the desk drawers.

“Was Kazuya keeping a diary?”

“Yes, since kindergarten”.

Was that the reason he was so enthusiastic about exchanging letters? Even though we exchanged letters frequently, I had never heard of such a thing before.

“But if it’s a diary, wouldn’t he hide it somewhere secret and not in a drawer or something?”

Nako said. After all, a diary is among things that you don’t want people to see.

“Oh, even when living alone?”

“That’s true”.

Certainly, that’s true. Had Kazuya just slipped out with the intention of returning home soon, I don’t think he would have hidden or taken the diary.

Nako thought that it would be best not to mess around with it too much while he is away, but aunt didn’t seem to want to stop looking for Kazuya. Perhaps her goal in coming here was to find the diary all along. She thought there might be a clue to his disappearance written in it.

“I found a letter from Nako-chan”.

“Look”, her aunt said, handing Nako a stack of letters. Of course, she recognized them. The envelopes that Nako always uses have Kazuya’s address written in Nako’s handwriting. They were letters that were mailed within the past year or so. They were neatly stacked and ordered in postmark date and bound together with a rubber band.

These were letters she had written herself. There was no need to check the contents again. When she handed them back to her aunt to have them returned to their original place, Nako noticed something strange.

“The most recent one is missing”.

The letter that should be at the top is gone. She sent it more than a month ago, so it should have arrived a long time ago.

Just to be sure, she checked the mail that had piled up in the mailbox, but they were all direct mail or direct debit statements.

“So, Kazuya must have taken it”.

Nako tilted her head at her aunt’s words.

What for? Because he needed something with Nako’s address on it so that he could send a letter to her while traveling?

In the end, we never found the diary.

Aunt gave up and took Kazuya’s accumulated laundry and went back to her house where uncle was waiting for her.

**

Two weeks have passed since Nako became a teacher at Lillian Girls’ Academy.

I’ve finally gotten used to teaching people, and I’m able to stray from the book and chat with them freely.

Teaching was fun. She did preliminary research based on the textbook, printed and distributed materials, and created short tests to gauge the students’ understanding. It was only after this experience that Nako began to feel that maybe she was suited to being a teacher.

However, when she stood at the podium in the second year wisteria class classroom, she felt more nervous than in other classes. It was the same during homeroom. Kuga Kohaku and Kuga Meiu were there. That alone made her heart flutter for some reason.

After school, Nako would often walk around the school grounds.

She started by looking around the staff room, and gradually expanded her scope. Luckily, she was a new teacher, so even if she wondered into a place she didn’t belong, the staff and students treated her with kindness. She was trying to get used to this school as quickly as possible, that’s how everyone saw her.

That day Nako was in the schoolyard as darkness fell. She walked past the tall trees behind the school building, counting them as she went. Were they all cherry blossoms? If so, the sight of them blooming in profusion in the spring would surely be a spectacular sight.

Suddenly, Nako noticed two shadows walking in front of her. She could tell even from a distance. They were undoubtedly Kuga Kohaku and Kuga Meiu.

For a moment she considered turning back. But curiosity got the better of her. Where were they going? Nako followed them.

Before long, Kohaku and Meiu disappeared into the shadows of the incinerator. No smoke was coming out of the incinerator’s chimney. It didn’t seem like they were there to burn anything.

Approaching the incinerator, she noticed a low fence on the other side.

There the backs of Kohaku and Meiu could be seen.

Their breath was white. But they weren’t wearing coats. The two of them were leaning against a fence that was barely chest-high, made of two thin boards strung across a stake, peering inside.

It’s four-and-a-half-tatami, or maybe even larger. At first glance, it looks empty, but after a closer look, it’s clear that’s not the case.

There was a big hole there, and inside it was a pile of dead plants.

Kohaku and Meiu slowly turned around. They smiled as if it was natural that Nako would be there.

“Gokigenyou. Shimizu-sensei”.

“Ah, that’s”.

Nako panicked. So she blurted out an excuse she normally wouldn’t make: she was walking around so she could fit in at school a little better.

“Yeah”.

“I guess so”.

The two of them chattered as if they were one. It was true that even under close inspection there was no difference between them at all. But for Nako there was no need to clarify which one is which at the moment.

Nako stood in front of the fence next to Kohaku and Meiu.

“This is where we make compost”.

Fallen leaves are collected and decomposed by microorganisms to create nutritious soil. At the elementary school that Nako attended, this was done behind the gymnasium.

“Kuga-san, why are you two here?”

Maybe they’re in the gardening club or something. However, before the answer came, Nako was asked yet again.

“What kind of teacher are you?”

“Eh?”

“We often see you strolling around the campus after school. Are you looking for something?”

"Like I said..."

So that I could fit in at the school, even if just a little. She wondered if she had to say that again. However, the two of them looked away, as if they had no interest in such words.

“For example”.

“Maybe Hida-sensei’s corpse?”

The two of them looked away and turned their gaze towards Nako at the same time.

“Eh?!”

Nako was so surprised by the unexpected words that she forgot to even attempt to hide her feelings. All she could do was stare back at Kohaku and Meiu with her eyes wide open.

That’s right. Nako was looking for Kazuya.

A postcard from Kazuya arrived from Spain. It was the best proof that Kazuya was doing well. In fact, Nako had shown the postcard to her aunt to reassure her. However, it was because of that postcard that Nako had come here.

Was that postcard actually written and mailed by Kazuya himself?

The handwriting was very similar to Kazuya’s. The content wasn’t long enough to cause suspicion. However, that’s exactly why Nako felt something was off.

Why didn’t Kazuya mention anything about why he disappeared?

If he thought Nako would be worried about him and wanted to let her know that he was doing well, he should have made an international phone call to his parents before sending the postcard to Nako. However, Kazuya has not contacted his family or relatives since that one postcard.

Somewhere in her heart, Nako wondered if Kazuya was already dead. It made more sense than him abandoning his job and traveling abroad without giving any reason.

Then one of the Kuga sisters let out a choking laugh.

“I’m just kidding. What a cute teacher”.

The other one laughed as well.

“Didn’t Hida-sensei just disappear? Why would there be a dead body at the school?”

Kohaku and Meiu chuckled, as if it couldn’t be any funnier, even though they were the ones who started it. Watching them, Nako regained some composure.

“Yeah. Funny, isn’t it”.

It was ridiculous. The idea that Kazuya’s corpse was around here somewhere. The idea that she was being manipulated by girls 6 years younger than her.

“But how did you girls know?”

Even though the idea of a corpse was a silly delusion, there was still something to it. At the very least, Kohaku and Meiu knew that Nako was acquainted with Kazuya.

“Why, you ask”.

They looked at each other as if the answer was written on the other’s face.

“We knew it from a glance”.

“That’s right, Sensei. It was shining brightly”.

She was a new teacher. It would not be strange for her to be nervous and excited, Nako thought. Kohaku and Meiu must have very keen intuition.

“Who is Shimizu-sensei to Hida-sensei?”

One of them asked.

“Cousin”.

There was no need to hide it now. Nako answered honestly.

“Hmm. Is that all?”

“Is that all, you ask?”

“Don’t you love Hida-sensei? – Meiu wondered that, you know”.

“Don’t make fun of adults”.

Nako got enraged at the word “love” and raised her voice. However, the two remained unfazed and looked at each other in bewilderment.

“Does it matter if you are an adult or a child?”

Meiu said. That is, if it was Kohaku who spoke earlier.

“Right”.

I couldn’t argue. The moment I lost my temper at what a child said, I felt like I had no right to loudly assert my adulthood. It was a bit pretentious to think I was qualified to be a teacher.

Nako looked down at the fallen leaves in front of her. She wanted to hide her distraught memories in them.

“Apparently ginkgo nuts are not suitable”.

Meiu uttered, suddenly.

“What?”

“That’s why the fallen leaves from the ginkgo trees can’t be put in here”.

“There are so many,” Kohaku said, looking into the distance. Although it was not visible from here due to the buildings and trees, her gaze seemed to be directed at the ginkgo trees lining the path that continued from the school gate. Indeed, if all those ginkgo leaves fall every year, there must be a considerable amount. It would certainly be a waste not to use them as leaf mold.

However.

“It’s a solitary plant, so it can’t be helped”.

Nako put her thoughts into words.

“Solitary?”

They both asked back at the same time.

“Yes. Ginkgo trees have been on earth since ancient times, and they managed to survive the harsh ice age, but there are no more friends left”.

Although they knew that ginkgo trees are not suitable for compost, they didn’t seem to know much about them as a plant. When I told them that ginkgo trees are also called duck legs because the shape of their leaves resemble a duck’s foot, both Meiu and Kohaku burst out laughing.

“The leaves can be used as medicine. And, you know, if you use them as bookmarks, they protect your books from insects”.

“Then I want to cure all the ailments of the world with Lillian’s ginkgo leaves”.

“I want to protect all the books of the world”.

Looking at them, they were definitely second-year high school students. They even started talking about going to the ginkgo tree-lined street to look for fallen leaves that had slipped through the broom.

As they held hands and were about to run off, they looked back at Nako as if they had just remembered something and said,

“We’ll help you”.

“Eh?”

My heart skipped a beat. By now, Kohaku and Meiu’s heads were filled with ginkgo leaves.

“We liked the teacher. So”.

“What exactly do you mean by help?”

I was worried they might be planning on digging the whole place up to find Kazuya’s corpse, but it wasn’t such a specific suggestion.

“We mean that we will support you until you get an answer you are satisfied with”.

“We’ve been attending this school since kindergarten, so we know a lot about it. It wouldn’t hurt to have us on your side”.

That was certainly true. For Nako, who was mostly in the dark about the school’s matters, the offer was a welcome surprise.

But then, what is this relief?

I can’t help but feel that by getting closer to Kohaku and Meiu, I will be one step closer to discovering the truth about Kazuya.

So it’s okay.

Could it be that I wish for an ending where I search for Kazuya but can’t find him?

I don’t understand.

But it was too late. Nako had already invited the girls who were either angels or demons in.

As the sun set and it became completely dark, Nako started walking alone towards the school building.

Kohaku and Meiu weren’t there anymore.

That’s right.

Right now, they are probably running down the Ginkgo tree-lined path past the statue of Maria-sama, laughing.

Part 2

While they said they would help, the behavior of Kohaku and Meiu confused Nako more often than not.

“Our father works in England. That’s why we don’t live together”.

That day the “cooperation” started with those words.

While Nako was walking around the school grounds, before she knew it, the girls were already walking by her side. The school building’s hallways, the courtyard, or the reading room of the library, the location was different each time. In any case, when no one was around, they would join up. When a class ended, during breaks, they never came to the staff room to talk to her.

By the way. Today, after the rain stopped, we were walking around the sports field track. There was a light rain starting and stopping ever since the afternoon, so even the sports clubs that usually had activities outside shut themselves in the gymnasium.

“I see. Your dad is busy, isn’t he”.

School is a place where many children are looked after. And it’s not rare for them to have a complicated family background, so it’s not surprising that some children have only one parent these days. Not overreacting, Nako brushed off Kohaku’s words.

“But actually, he’s in Japan. He lives in Tokyo. Daddy has a different family, so he can’t be with us. Mommy also died, and it’s hard to go meet him while worrying about what his other wife might think”.

“…………”

Thereupon, Nako gave up on trying to settle the topic with an “I see”. However, what would be suitable to say in this situation, she had no idea at all.

As if reading what was inside Nako’s heart, Meiu said,

“We didn’t say that to be pitied”.

Kohaku continued,

“That’s right. In mother’s place we have our grandma, we have a big house, and we live a comfortable life with the money daddy sends us”.

“And that leads to our main point”, they both laughed.

“In order to convince us that he lives abroad, daddy constantly sends us letters. But, from England”.

“Through a friend that lives in England. That’s why the stamp is England’s and a postmark from a London post office is also put on it. Pretty thorough, don’t you think?”

Upon hearing “letter from abroad” keywords, Nako stopped in place.

“Could Hida-sensei be in Japan, mhm?”

Nako had told Kohaku and Meiu about the postcard. Because she didn’t see the point in concealing it or lying about it to them.

I surely wanted to see their reaction.

Without showing them the actual item, just telling them the fact that a postcard arrived.

At that time, the girls answered, without any surprise, “well, no matter how much we search, we can’t find Hida-sensei’s corpse”, and laughed, as if amazed. Though, that was why Nako didn’t say to stop their “cooperation”. Nako understood that the “acceptance” hadn’t yet come.

“Not necessarily”.

The two also stopped, and looked at Nako.

“We’re not saying that Hida-sensei is in Japan. But, we are thinking that we don’t know whether he is in Spain or not”.

“I get it. It would have been better if the postcard also included the news that happened on the day it was dated”.

Kohaku’s eyes, Meiu’s eyes, they said that the postcard can’t be trusted.

That’s right.

For example, give Kazuya a pictured postcard, and have him address it and write an inoffensive message on it. Then, if later someone else added a date to it and posted it from Spain, he wouldn’t have to also really be there.

If we go further down this line of thinking, ultimately, Kazuya wouldn’t even need to still be in this world by that point.

If before dying he had written several postcards similar to the one that Nako had originally received from Spain, until they ran out, he could wear the guise of still being alive.

But, who the heck would do that? For what purpose could anyone possibly need to do this?

I don’t understand.

Nako had no idea why someone would need to make her believe that Kazuya was still alive, nor who that someone could be.

Stupid. Doesn’t this assume that Kazuya is already dead?

It’s always like that. When talking with them, I’m dragged into some labyrinth, whereupon they let go of my hand.

Yesterday I was taken to the basement of the middle school building. The day before that I was closed in the greenhouse. They also whispered me the name of the teacher that kept the keys to the shelves with poisonous substances in the science classroom and that didn’t get along with Kazuya.

While she did have doubts about this kind of cooperation, she couldn’t reject them. When school would end, she would even wait for them to show up.

“Kyaa~”

On a branch above their heads a wild bird flew off, shaking it. Kohaku and Meiu were wide-eyed, the bird, as big as a pigeon, flapped its wings chasing them non-stop. And Nako was observing the two the entire time.

The raindrops falling on their heads sparkled like pearls ornating their hair, enhancing their beauty more and more.

"**"

One morning, as soon as Nako came to school, senior teacher Kanegon took her to the corner of the staff room.

“There is a problem. Shimizu-sensei”.

“Yes?”

She usually arrived 15 minutes later than Nako. It seems she had something to talk about this day, so she hurried up and waited for Nako. There still were almost none of the other staff members.

“It’s Kuga Kohaku and Meiu. Yesterday after school ended, you went to the courtyard together with them, correct?”

“Yes”.

Nako nodded meekly.

A teacher and students. However, she didn’t think there was anything to be a reason for condemnation in walking together. Not only with walking with Kohaku and Meiu, but even, for example, with joining students in eating bento in the classroom during the lunch break, or joining in on the recreational activities to warm up the body.

“Didn’t I say not to get involved with these two? I said that for your own sake, you know”.

Kanegon was speaking on and on with blood in her eyes. I understood that she was serious, but I didn’t want to be told not to get involved without being given detailed reasons as to why, so I couldn’t just swallow it up with an “okay, understood”.

“My class doesn’t have a class today, that’s perfect. This morning and after classes I will host the homeroom alone. And you, please, calm down”.

Kanegon left me those words, took the second year’s wisteria class’ attendance book and walked out of the staff room.

“…………”

There was still a lot of time before homeroom. Being exposed to the cold air of the hallway, she will probably cool down and come back sooner, right?

Before that, Nako walked up to the only other female teacher. The one that told her about the case of Kohaku and Meiu’s hairstyles a while back. Her name was Hatano.

There still were almost no people in the staff room, and she was unnaturally holding and reading a textbook in front of her face. It was obvious she was straining her ears to listen in on the conversation between Nako and Kanegon.

“Did something happen?”

Nako enquired. The thing about getting involved with Kohaku and Meiu, why would warning about it be for Nako’s sake? Maybe she knows.

“No. Nothing that I know of”.

She spun on the chair once, turning her back. Nako chased after, peering into her face.

“Please tell me”.

Nako did not give up, it was the only way to make Hatano-sensei open her mouth.

“Kanetaka-sensei is very pleased with you. That’s why”.

“That’s why?”

“She doesn’t want you to be made to repeat the fate of your predecessor, right?”

Predecessor. Upon hearing that word, Nako’s heart started beating faster. The one called her predecessor was none other than Kazuya.

“What fate? Didn’t he just stop showing up one day? Did something happen before that?”

“That is the extent of what will come out from my mouth”.

Hatano-sensei stood up from her seat, escaping. At that very moment several teachers had entered the staff room with idle chatter, so Nako too decided to not press for more.

"**"

She was told that she didn’t have to attend homeroom in the morning or after classes, so after her sixth period class Nako put on her only coat and ran out of the school. Great aunt Sasai’s house was two bus stops away.

During lunch break she placed a request to pay her a visit after school ended. Nako could not help feeling that she would have heard something about this.

“Before Kazuya disappeared, did something happen?”

“What is it? You have such a scary face”.

Nako broached the subject as soon as she stepped through the front door, and her great aunt was speaking as if poking fun at her. She seemed to have guessed what Nako’s business was. Asking Nako to “just sit down, please”, she led her to the living room, where Nako dejectedly sat herself down on the sofa.

“A few days before aunt said that she was worried about Kazuya. Surely he wouldn’t just skip work, so could he be missing? The school put the blame on the aunt, because she is the guarantor. I can’t help but think that something else took place”.

“Did you hear something about Kazuya?”

“No”.

Nako shook her head sideways.

“But, I have a feeling”.

“I see”.

Great aunt took out a pack of cigarettes, took one out and lit it with a lighter. After unhurriedly smoking half of it, she exhaled smoke and spoke.

“He wouldn’t just skip work or anything of the sort, Kazuya resigned”.

“Eh?”

Nako could not believe her ears.

“Just before he disappeared, a scandal rose up. Well, all sorts of things happened, but somehow it was all to be resolved with voluntary resignation. Kazuya only said he would come back to pick up the forms the next day, and that’s where we are now”.

“That’s…”

He had reasons to disappear. Is that correct? However, as expected, I couldn’t believe it. It felt like I was listening to some different person’s story.

“That’s why. I wondered if he committed suicide somewhere, of course, I was worried. Since that was the case, they had no need to publicly declare that he was going to resign, so they kept it under wraps and quietly brought in a successor. But, he just traveled abroad. Really, he has no consideration for others”.

“What scandal?”

When I asked the question, great aunt took another smoke of the cigarette and then roughly pressed it into the ash tray, putting out its light with a soggy sound.

“It seemed to be molestation of students”.

“No way”.

Nako smiled without thinking. However, great aunt had a serious expression on her face.

“It was a student from his class who lodged a complaint to the head teacher of the year. Kazuya also confessed to that”.

“……I can’t believe it”.

“Feeling up the body, kissing, it seemed to be something like that. In the family he always held himself like a serious young man, but ended up as a foolish one”.

Great aunt’s story turned out to be nothing but unpleasant to Nako. Even though, she did gain an understanding.

The reason why great aunt was so obsessive about Kazuya’s successor being a woman.

“Who lodged the complaint?”

Nako leaned forward. Could it be a student she takes care of during her lessons? Could it possibly be someone from the second year wisteria group?

“What good will knowing do you?”

“I will hear out your side of the story. Why would Kazuya do something like that, there must be some kind of mistake!”

In my agitation I stood up, great-aunt only adjusted her glasses, seemingly telling me to sit back down. When I kept standing in spite of that, she quietly called out my name, “Nako”.

“I can talk with you about this, calmly, but I can’t tell you which student it was”.

Those words brought her to her senses. Indeed, Nako was very angry at the moment. It wasn’t the attitude of someone looking for an honest conversation.

I will put off getting angry and collecting my thoughts. Nothing can be started without first gathering information.

“I’m sorry for losing my composure”.

Bowing once and sitting herself back down on the sofa, she reopened the conversation.

“Even if the student exaggerated when recounting the events, or it was a misunderstanding, Kazuya was still careless”.

“But”.

“You could say that, to some extent, the student was just bad luck. Her father is a famous member of the parliament whose name anyone would recognize. The school also received huge donations from him. That’s why no one spoke up to defend Kazuya”.

“So that’s how it is”.

If that’s the case, maybe Kazuya admitted to committing the crime without actually committing it. However, it’s completely absurd that Lillian students would be treated differently depending on who their parent is.

“If you understand, please don’t get involved”.

Why is it that great-aunt is saying the same thing as Kanegon.

“I’m going back”.

Nako stood up from her seat. It was already a long visit, and it didn’t seem like she would be able to get any more information from great-aunt.

“Where to?”

“To school. I have some things left to do”.

After leaving great-aunt’s house, Nako ran back to school. The home room ended a while ago, and the cleaning must also have concluded already. From the tennis court she heard a nice “sukoon” sound of a ball bouncing.

Without entering the school building, Nako ran full speed to the back of the school. It’s the reverse of what usually takes place. Nako was searching for Kohaku and Meiu.

She once asked them about it. How were they able to find her so quickly? They tilted their heads, seemingly in confusion, and replied, “somehow”.

At that moment Nako understood that “somehow”. With something like conviction that they would be there, Nako rushed over.

"**"

Deep in thought while running, she saw a figure of a person at the side of the fence making leaf compost.

However, instead of the usual pair, only one figure could be seen.

But, she didn’t pay it any mind. Even if the two weren’t together, one would suffice. Nako calmed her breath and approached. The girl was standing to the inside side of the fence and looking down at the large quantities of leaves laid in the square hole in the ground.

She didn’t notice it last time she was here, but there is a gate in one part of the fence for going in and out. Nako opened it and came in.

“Which one?”

I asked with my back facing her.

“What is?”

I didn’t know whether this girl was Kohaku or Meiu, I turned around and asked again.

“Which one was Kazuya’s lover?”

“You’re asking about a lover?”

She exhaled through her nose with laughter. However, Nako was not laughing.

“He is not the kind of person who would try to force a girl to do something against her will”.

I had a sudden realization after listening to what great-aunt told me. I can say it with certainty. The student that lodged the molestation complaint, was it Kohaku or was it Meiu? Which one?

That’s right. With which one of them was he mutually in love with? And then, when the relationship was discovered, Kazuya took all the blame.

“Without being told that it’s okay, he kissed, wouldn’t you call that forcing oneself onto another?”

The word “kissed” momentarily blew her top. However, she told herself that she could not get worked up now, and continued the conversation.

“Was it with you? Or was it, perhaps, the other one?”

However, the girl did not answer Nako’s question.

“That’s the kind of person sensei’s beloved Hida-sensei is. Men are such dirty and selfish beings. All talk, no sincerity at all”.

She just kept going on about what she wanted to say, but Nako patiently and firmly asked.

“So, which one are you? Kohaku-san? Or Meiu-san?”

“Shimizu-sensei, I love the likes of sensei. If you don’t know something, just honestly say you don’t know, right? That’s why I can’t help but want to tell you”.

This girl, that could be either Kohaku or Meiu, stood facing Nako head on, locked her arms behind her back and pressed her body firmly against Nako’s.

“I love you. Meiu and you are different. Not just as one of the twins, I am in love with you the individual. That’s what he said to me here while embracing me like this”.

“Eh……?”

Nako’s heart was beating quickly. Was it because it felt like it was Kazuya who was embracing her and whispering sweet things to her, or was she feeling passion for this beautiful girl herself, she didn’t know.

I didn’t know. But I didn’t want her to notice how fast my heart was beating. And yet, why couldn’t I shake her off and separate her from my chest?

“The person that reported being sexually harassed, was it you?”

Nako barely managed to put those words together.

Did she hand over as a molester the man that spoke to her of love, this girl? No, it could have been the other one. These two are so similar that it’s impossible to tell them apart.

“Hida-sensei seemed to think that Meiu complained to the other teachers. A little trick to destroy the relationship between Kohaku and Sensei, he said”.

“Was he wrong?”

Upon hearing Nako’s words the girl chuckled.

“It’s the same either way”.

“The same?”

Perhaps to her Kohaku and Meiu were the same. However, regardless of how she viewed them, the matter of who filed the complaint must have been of great importance to Kazuya. Depending on the answer the whole world could be flipped upside down.

“Here he embraced me thusly and spoke those words to me. I have to resign from school. We can’t meet anymore. So, why don’t we go together? If you stay with Meiu like this, you will be ruined”.

“So why didn’t you go together?”

Didn’t Kohaku try changing her hairstyle to differentiate herself from Meiu? Supposing separation from Meiu is what Kohaku desired, Kazuya, her lover, could be the one to get her away from this world.

“I don’t get it. Why?”

Nako’s murmurs spoken over the shoulder were met with a little strained laugh.

“There’s no way that would work”.

She let go of Nako’s body, and almost at the same time a different voice came from behind her.

“That’s right. She is Meiu, she”.

“Eh”.

Turning around, there she was, it’s unclear for how long now, Meiu, no, that’s Kohaku, stood there by herself.

The one that just appeared referred to the one that was already there as Meiu.

However, from what I have just heard, Kazuya was in love with Kohaku. And Meiu said that Kazuya was embracing her.

“That means-”

Kohaku slowly came over and stood next to Meiu.

“…… I got it. Kazuya confused the two of you, didn’t he?”

Nako cautiously confirmed, and the two of them nodded.

“Right. And after talking such a big talk. But he only told us apart by the hairstyle”.

What that was done for, I didn’t know. But Meiu appeared in front of Kazuya after cutting her hair the same way as Kohaku’s. Kazuya didn’t know Meiu cut her hair that way. That’s why he thought that Meiu was Kohaku and ended up suggesting they run away together.

“My goodness……”

With that, he betrayed Kohaku.

Kazuya, while going on about “you two are different”, turned out to be much worse than the people who gave up from the outset, unable to distinguish between the two. It’s hard to imagine the despair Kohaku must have felt when she saw her lover embracing someone who had the exact same face as her. With that, couldn’t one say that Meiu was treated as the same?

“So?”

Nako asked the two.

“What happened to Kazuya?”

After giving them all those expectations, Kazuya had torn their pride to shreds. What happened after that?

“Did you kill him?”

“We did not kill him. But…”

“Just like that,” Kohaku said, as she pushed Nako in the shoulders with all her might.

“Ah”.

It was a surprise attack. Her fall was broken by the leaves she fell with her back squarely on top of, and when she stood up, she saw she was on top of the leaf compost. Before she knew it, she was surrounded by damp fallen leaves.

“Shimizu-sensei loved Hida-sensei, right? So I only did the same thing as on that day for you”.

“On that day?”

She must be talking about the day that Kazuya disappeared, right?

Meiu came first, and just as the two of them were embracing, Kohaku appeared. Is what Nako just experienced mirroring what Kazuya went through on that day?

“Where is Kazuya?”

Nako stood up from the leaves she fell onto, looking up at the two standing at the edge of the hole. Both her hair and her coat were covered in soil and leaves, but she didn’t care.

“We do not know”.

“We only saw him falling there”.

A cold stare was returned.

“No way”.

Nako frantically began shoveling the leaves from under her feet with her bare hands. Kazuya fell here. And after that, what happened? No way he could still be under —.

As she was desperately digging, she heard a loud laughter from above her head.

“What a lovely sensei”.

“You really are magnificent”.

Leaving her with those words, the two turned their backs to her.

“Wait”.

Nako, after crawling out of the hole for making compost, desperately chased after them. From the pain in her right leg she concluded that she twisted it when she fell, so she couldn’t run. As if to make fun of that, Kohaku and Meiu ran away flapping like butterflies. It was as if they were teasing her, urging her to come to them.

Having advanced down the ginkgo tree lined path, the two came in front of the statue of Maria-sama , stopped, and turned around.

They smiled sweetly at the Nako who had been chasing them.

Be they angels or demons, she didn’t care.

They were so beautiful, Nako could do nothing but just stand there.

"**"

“Okay, I will take attendance now. Aikawa Kimi-san”.

Having opened the attendance book, Nako called out.

“Here”.

From the middle row, a lively voice responded.

“Itou Masako-san”.

“Here”.

The voice to my right, a little faint. Seems to be having a slight cold.

The cold is spreading. There are five empty desks this morning. The students wearing masks also stand out.

Nako, who had sprained her right ankle, was scolded by being called “careless” and having “bad health management” the next day, Kanegon was also down with the cold. That’s why, unexpectedly, Nako, the assistant homeroom teacher for the second year wisteria class of high school, lead the homeroom like she used to.

A few days had passed. Even though Nako’s leg had healed, she seized her after school walks around the school grounds. Of course she didn’t even get close to that place where the leaf compost was collected.

“Ogata Mitsuko-san”.

Thinking about it, it was a hole shallow enough for Nako, a woman of an average build and height, to slip out of very quickly. Even if Kazuya, who is fairly tall, were to fall down there, there is no way he wouldn’t be able to get out on his own. Even for a moment, why would she even consider the possibility of his dead body being buried there?

“Kayama Sachiyo-san”.

But, supposing.

What if it wasn’t just a simple push?

It would be impossible for one high school girl, but two of them could handle one adult male… No, there is no way.

But lately, whether he lived or died, Nako realized that she has become indifferent.

“Kinoshita Rie-san”.

Yesterday, another postcard came from Kazuya. I think this one was from Egypt. However, more importantly, he didn’t write a single word.

But if Kazuya is alive and well, I can kind of understand that too.

Nako won’t speak to anyone about that day. She didn’t write about Kohaku and Meiu in a diary or a notepad either.

That’s why, even if I were to die tomorrow, my feelings for them would remain a secret from everyone, right?

If anyone knows what’s going on inside my heart, it’s Maria-sama that watches over us.

“Kuga Kohaku-san”.

Today Nako also continued taking attendance as if nothing happened.

“Kuga Meiu-san”.

From both sides of the classroom, it felt as if a pair of jewels were staring at me.

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