Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko:Volume6 Chapter5

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Chapter 5 - Attraction Romanticist

“Hoshinaka.”

“Niwa-chi.”

“Yoshino.”

“Maekawa.”

“Jeff.”

“Paula.”

“The space old man.”

“That kid from back then? You’re all grown up!”

But more than anything, we were all frozen in shock at the “person we each brought along”.

As the second half of the encounter progressed, the understanding of each person became less and less clear as the conversation carried on.

A middle-aged man and a high school boy. A pair of high school girls. An ordinary man and woman. And finally… a spore group? Perhaps it was rude to describe humanoid creatures as fungi, but they both emitted something that ordinary people didn’t, so it couldn’t be helped. Erio, with only her face sticking out from under the futon, and a young man who also emitted white particles from his hair. I shouldn’t be the one to say this, but both of them were ridiculously beautiful.

Their two figures had their little fingers tied together with a pale blue thread. The scene truly made them seem like inhabitants of another world following unique customs or cultures. One might call them mystical twin pagodas.

But more than anything, we were all frozen in shock at the “person we each brought along”. At least I was completely stunned by the sudden appearance of that girl, Hoshinaka Koumi, whom I hadn’t seen over the last two years, as if to say, “How the hell did you plant all that foreshadowing?” What kind of causal connection led her to show up like this, linked to Maekawa-san by a little finger? Her hairstyle was the same, and her slightly youthful face hadn’t changed much, making me almost feel like I’d gone back to middle school. But Erio’s light blue hair, standing beside me, brought me back to reality. Who would have thought Erio’s particles would come in handy like this?

As soon as I calmed down a little, I averted my eyes from Hoshinaka and observed the reactions of those around me. Because I was a coward.

Erio, as usual, stared with her usual blank expression at the lovey-dovey middle-aged man, as if we were digging our own graves. The middle-aged man had narrowed his eyes as if he found meeting her gaze somewhat dazzling. Was he a relative of hers? No, otherwise I would have known him too.

Maekawa-san was gazing at the boy accompanying Ryuushi-san. Maekawa-san looked down at him, as if testing him, and the boy looked up at her awkwardly. Sensing the boy’s hesitation, a smile gradually forms on Maekawa-san’s lips, as if she found the situation amusing. She adapted quickly.

Ryuushi-san pointed to the handsome young man who was connected to Erio, looking more surprised than astonished. The young man responded to Ryuushi-san with a gentle smile, saying, “Hey there!” It appeared that Ryuushi-san pulled out a good ace from her social circle. Seems like she knew more men than women… Humm, I shouldn’t make light of her.

“It’s been a while since we snuck into the base. You still haven’t returned to space?”

…Space? Erio reacted to the word and peered at the face of the beautiful boy she was connected to.

“Well, there were various circumstances. I couldn’t go home by myself.”

The pretty boy brushed it off with a theatrical laugh, ha ha ha. And that guy! He’s the third person fitting the equation: hair that emits light = good looks = comes from outer space! Erio, Yashiro, pretty boy!

Actually, the hair colour of that pretty boy was similar to Yashiro’s. Their faces didn’t bear any resemblance at all, though.

“Are you an alien?”

Erio asked the pretty boy in a flat tone. The boy’s previously confident smile faltered slightly, revealing his bewilderment at Erio’s question. How unexpected, I thought. I would have assumed he would accept it naturally.

Come to think of it, Yashiro also seemed to have a strange reaction when she first met Erio.

“You… how can I ask this… Who are you?

“E-Erio, Touwa.”

Are you introducing yourself English style because you’re dealing with an alien? Because English is an Earth language?

The handsome young man gave a wry smile, realising his questions wouldn’t go the way he intended, and bowed to Erio, saying, “Nice to meet you.” His English pronunciation seemed to be like that of a typical Japanese boy.

…So, did the time come to stop running away from my situation and face it? Hoshinaka. Why was she here?

If only she could have sent a letter beforehand or built up the groundwork a bit more carefully.

Hoshinaka was frozen, just like me. She wasn’t even blinking. But then, she tilted her head and moved her lips:

“Who are you? You look like Niwa-chi?”

“Who else but me?”

Didn’t she study modern Japanese in high school? She hasn’t made any progress since middle school.

Then, as if suddenly relieved by my reply, the tension in Hoshinaka’s entire body eased. Standing next to the tall Maekawa-san made her look even younger, and it reminded me of the first time we met.

“Woow, it’s Niwa-chi’s voice. It’s his real voice. How many years has it been?”

“What would not be my real voice? A synthesised one?”

“Like one that protects privacy? Yeah, there have been a lot of rumours going around in the neighbourhood about that person doing it someday.”

“Wow, you’re really Hoshinaka!” That vibe. And it was the same kind of closeness we had before we changed classes. It felt so heavy now.

My state of mind had almost reverted back not only to before I transferred schools, but before I even entered the third year of middle school.

“So, why are you here?”

“I have a friend from a club in this school, and she invited me to the school festival.”

“Hmm. It’s a small world, isn’t it?”

I came to understand the word Attraction in a much more concrete way than its dictionary definition suggested.

I need to keep my distance. So that the memories arriving with the tide don’t swallow my entire beach.

Our relationship was already beyond repair by the time we were in the third year of middle school, so there was no way anything could start now.

“Niwa-kun, anyway, Niwa-kun!”

“Yes?”

Ryuushi-san raised her hand and called out to me. And it seemed she really just called out to me; there were no further matters to discuss. “Screen-out is important, I told ya,” she muttered, taking a big stride as she stepped forward.

“Chibababa!”

As she made a sound that felt like sparks flying, Ryuushi-san stepped between Hoshinaka and me. It was a sound effect that sounded like a combination of a certain light novel and the name of a prefecture famous for peanuts. And as usual, in contrast to her enthusiasm, there was absolutely no impact from it.

Hoshinaka’s gaze went right over Ryuushi-san’s head and seemed to be asking me, “Who’s that girl?” With a slight smile, I sent over the answer, “A wonderful friend,” but I wasn’t sure Hoshinaka received it.

“Well, well, well, I don’t really understand what’s going on, but it’s annoying to just stand around in front of the entrance. Let’s go inside and enjoy the concert first, and then we can worry about it like young people do.”

The calmest of the eight, the middle-aged man, took charge and ushered us into the gymnasium. It was true that we were probably being a nuisance by chatting near the crowded entrance, like a bunch of delinquents gathered in the parking lot of a rural convenience store. We were definitely blocking the flow of people heading into the gymnasium. We exchanged glances, nodded slightly, and decided to just get moving. We couldn’t keep playing along with the tricks of Attraction any longer.

As we walked, Erio called out to the middle-aged man. Her voice was friendly and full of energy.

“Hey old man, are you doing well?”

“Somehow. And you? Still doing your special training in the public park every day?… Probably not; you’re no longer at that age. But your outfit certainly looks like you’re training for something.”

When the middle-aged man pointed it out, Erio choked and let out a yelp. The fact that he didn’t know that Erio had a habit of wrapping in futons meant that he must have met her before she became like that and didn’t live in this town.

“This is, uh, fashion.”

“Hoh? I believe that outfit would be more comfortable in winter, though.”

That was not the point! That eccentric middle-aged man was a bit out of touch with reality. No wonder Erio knew him and acted all friendly towards him. Birds of a feather flock together.

“Is that cat doing well? Or did it pass away already? It must be old by now.”

“Hmm, next time I’ll ask.”

“Ah, next time then.”

The old man nodded with a silent smile, as if realising that this “next time” would never come. I didn’t say anything and just watched the exchange out of the corner of my eye. Then, a long, imposing presence approached me. It was Maekawa-san.

Maekawa-san bent down, pointing to Hoshinaka, and whispered in my ear:

“From what I’m hearing, Ribon-chan was your girlfriend from before your previous life before you transferred schools?”

Ribon-chan? She means Hoshinaka, right? But she didn’t tie her hair with a ribbon, though?

“What have you been hearing? What about you, Maekawa-san? Is that person your boyfriend?”

I pointed back at the boy walking with Ryuushi-san. The boy seemed to hear me and choked. Next to him, Ryuushi-san was clashing with Hoshinaka. Not with a gentle bachichichi, but a loud chibababa.

“Transfer student, what kind of relationship were you hoping for?”

“Ah, I’ll keep quiet. It’s best left unsaid.”

“Oh, so you’re running away?”

She said it with such a happy expression. Why was that? Maekawa-san and the boy exchanged glances, but she didn’t seem intent in trying to say anything more. Especially Maekawa-san. The boy, on the other hand, seemed to have something he wanted to say. But the tall girl smiled as if toying with his mood, fixing her gaze straight ahead.

“Who is this ‘Niwa-chi’?”

Ryuushi-san was confronting Hoshinaka. Hoshinaka, finding it amusing, responded with a disdainful look.

“Who is this ‘Niwa-kun’?”

Me.

As I stepped through the gymnasium doors, the area around the shoe lockers was bustling with activity. The cultural festival committee members were all gathered there, directing traffic and giving instructions. They were handing out plastic bags to the arriving students, apparently telling them to put their shoes in them. I found that kind of lack of sophistication, common to schools in the countryside, strangely endearing. I received a plastic bag from one of the committee members.

As I was crouching down to take off my shoes, Erio came running alongside me, dragging Jeff along (it was the name by which Ryuushi-san called the pretty boy). Ah, she was barefoot again. She called me out “Cousin”, raised her right hand slightly, then turned her face away as if remembering something, and began whistling… Hahaaaan. A mischievous thought crossed my mind.

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t be coming to the school festival?”

She apparently completely forgot her declaration until she greeted everyone. What an idiot.

“Y-you’re mistaking me for someone else. I’m not Erio, mofumofu.”

When I pointed it out, she buried her face in her futon mid-sentence. The surrounding students were staring at her face, so maybe she was a little too slow to hide it. Smakin was a well-known figure in town, so it was probably pointless anyway. Well, Jeff, who was tied to Erio by the little finger, will probably take the lead.

Erio pulled his face away, and my eyes met Jeff’s. Jeff seemed younger, but he formed a warm, reassuring smile that seemed to say, “Don’t worry.” It was a smile that didn’t seem like it went through the proper procedures. It seemed even more artificial than Erio’s or Yashiro’s.

“I don’t know that girl very well. We just trespassed here together.”

“Is that so?”

Thanks for being considerate, youngster. But that introduction just made me even more curious.

“What about Erio? You don’t seem to know her, so how did you bring her here?”

Jeff smiled meaningfully, keeping an eye on Erio, who was protesting being treated like an object he had brought along.

“Ah, I followed the predictions of a girl in a spacesuit and met this light blue girl.”

“…Another premonition, huh?”

I wished someone could put together a special programme to thoroughly investigate that guy. I wouldn’t do it because it would be too much trouble.

I finished taking off my shoes and stood up, shaking the plastic bag containing my shoes as if to shake off people’s stares. Our group certainly attracted attention. We had a tall girl, someone wearing something sparkly, and someone wrapped in a futon.

I was well aware that I was also attracting attention from being paired with that middle-aged man, so I couldn’t help but let out a self-deprecating laugh… Right here, right now, all at once.

In a sense, we were an all-star lineup heading to the main event of the day: the concert.

…But, well, you know.

Let’s just assume that us meeting here was the work of today’s protagonist: Attraction.

How many times would this kind of thing happen if we held a school festival a hundred times, Hoshinaka?

I was impressed by how the makeshift concert venue, which was actually the gymnasium, had a surprisingly authentic feel to it. To be honest, it was my first time attending this kind of concert, so I didn’t really know what kind of event to expect. That was why I couldn’t help but look around at the interior out of curiosity.

The windows were covered with blackout curtains to block out the light, and the number of lights on was limited, making the room dim. Only the stage was brightly and excessively lit. The stage, usually only used by the principal or students during cleaning time, was crammed with what looks like musical equipment. As someone whose only musical experience was playing the recorder at school, all I could understand was that it was just there. A woman was already sitting on a piano stool. For some reason she was wearing a purple yukata. Was she related to Princess Kaguya? On the wall surrounding the stage was a sign with the school name and “27th Cultural Festival”. In the corner it said in small letters, “Produced by the Art Club Ghost Members”. A prank by Maekawa-san?

“This morning I was chased here by some weird kid, but this time it was voluntary, huh? Yes, yes.”

Jeff muttered to himself, looking up at the stage in the gymnasium. Oh, right, he was chased around by the newspaper club members this morning. I never imagined then that he was acquainted with Ryuushi-san.

Strings were stretched across the left and right sides of the gymnasium, dividing the space from the front to the centre. This area, directly beneath the stage, seemed to be reserved as a special seating area for those who had tied their little fingers together. Students and guests who came alone were seated in the side areas, where it was difficult to see the stage, or in the space far at the back. So, the eight of us headed straight from the entrance to our special seats. Leaving aside the other three groups, was it really alright for me and the middle-aged man to just walk in so openly? The middle-aged man and I exchanged glances, consulted with each other with our eyes, and decided to let the three groups go ahead and sneak in at the back. This was the biggest event of the school festival, so it would be a shame to just turn around and go home now. Besides, Ryuushi-san, Maekawa-san, Erio, and even Hoshinaka were going to the special seats, so it would be lonely for me to be the only one going to the general seating area. It was disheartening to be tied to the middle-aged man, and it was true that this could become a memory that I would not want dug up in the future. Why did it have to come to this?

“But Erio, do you have any interest in concerts?”

“FaiFam not FeFio mofumofu.”

The girl walking ahead insisted, “I’m not Erio,” and twisted her upper body, wrapped in a blanket, back and forth. I tried to grab the hair sticking out from under the futon. She jumped up and then spun her head around wildly, trying to shake my hand off. “Mmmph”, and because she moved so violently while I was grabbing her hair, it seemed to hurt her even more, so I stopped immediately. As a relative, I was genuinely worried about this girl’s future.

“Hmm, was she like this before?”

The middle-aged man tilted his head. Hearing this, Erio groaned, “Ugh”, and poked her head out from under the futon. She turned around and gave the middle-aged man an embarrassed look. I let go of her hair.

“Have you perhaps given up on becoming an astronaut?”

The middle-aged man asked. An astronaut? Was that Erio’s dream? Probably from a long time ago.

“……Sorry”

“No need to apologise.”

The middle-aged man laughed without a care in the world. Erio averted his gaze and looked at me. I wished she wouldn’t look at me with such pleading eyes when I wasn’t even involved. I had no words to say. I just lowered my chin vaguely in silence.

Erio walked with her back to the camera for a while but eventually turned back to face forward.

It was then that I finally opened my tightly pressed lips and let out a deep sigh. Our procession of eight was almost over. The arena seats in the gymnasium were already filled with the people with their little fingers tied together, and the S seats on the side of the stage were completely taken over. At best, we’d be able to watch from the A seats. Just as I was thinking this, the people in the S seats started to murmur. One person turned around, then another, and so on, as if in a chain reaction or infection, they turned their backs to the stage and focused on the entrance side. Then they moved to the side, clearing the way for us in the centre. To be more accurate, they moved aside.

It wasn’t that the particles released by the spore group had the same effect as the former vice-shogun’s inrou… Rather, it seemed that everyone backed off because Erio’s face was infamous in a bad way around the school. Maekawa-san and Hoshinaka, who were walking at the front, didn’t pay any attention to the reactions of those around them and secured the best spot, directly below the platform.

Ryuushi-san followed suit, and Jeff didn’t hesitate either. The middle-aged man and I were always reserved, so we didn’t shorten our stride any further. Only Erio was exposed to multiple gazes, and she tended to look down nervously. Moreover, when she noticed the gazes and shook her head from side to side, every single one of them conspicuously averted their eyes. Each time, Erio would almost look down again. Gently supporting her hunched back, Erio and I also stood up in the S seats.

Once the crowds settled down, we secured our spots. Amidst the excitement reminiscent of the moment just before a cherry blossom viewing party begins, I noticed the surrounding noise was unusually high. Was this normal, right before a concert? In the outcast seats to the side, boys, jealous of couples with their little fingers intertwined, stretched out their hands like ghosts and hurled abuse. The boys and girls were somewhat clustered together, and there didn’t seem to be any sign of them blending together evenly. It was almost as if there were several chunks of ice rolling around. Ah, there were Nakajima and Hanazawa-san.

On the right, the most eye-catching things were those in a card costume. The stupid couple had apparently entered dressed exactly as they were. I was used to seeing Maekawa-san, so I didn’t find it particularly strange (serious case), but the people around me were taken aback by the motionless and upright hanpen.

As I was looking around, Ryuushi-san came over to me, shouting “Orwaaa!” dramatically spinning around with the guy named Yoshino. Then, after checking alternately that Erio was standing to my left and the middle-aged man to my right, she raised her hand and said, “Here’s a sneaky suggestion from Ryuuko-san!” “Sorry, I meant cheeky!” she corrected immediately. A bold change of direction.

“I think we just need to change who we’re tying our threads with!”

“Even once inside, the school festival committee members warned me at the shoe lockers not to exchange anything.”

Of course, if two guys showed up together, they’d be worried about that. And who was going to take turns tying the knot with this middle-aged man? Was Yoshino, who was standing next to Ryuushi-san with a gloomy expression, trying to look back at Maekawa-san? It didn’t seem like he was regretting anything, but rather that he was just unilaterally struggling with awkwardness.

“Niwa-chi, you’re popular with the ladies. After you moved, did you feel like becoming a different person?”

Having apparently overheard our exchange, Hoshinaka started teasing me. Leaving aside Ryuushi-san, who was reacting with an overly sensitive “What?!”, for the moment there was one thing that bothered me about what she had just said.

“You knew I moved here?”

“Hmm, I thought you’d always stay in our hometown. I only came here because a friend from the brass band invited me. So, this is a really big coincidence. It’s as amazing as me solving a puzzle in under three minutes.”

Was it a matter of luck rather than skill? Certainly, I’ve seen Hoshinaka fiddling with puzzles, but I don’t recall ever witnessing her solve them. It was just like our relationship back in middle school.

“What’s that girl to you?!”

Ryuushi-san started questioning me about my relationship with Hoshinaka in a way that sounded strangely familiar. I exchanged glances with Hoshinaka, and we both gave each other wry smiles. I mean…

“How’s your boyfriend Takimoto-kun?” is what I wanted to ask her. I thought it would probably cheer me a little, like burning the last bit of firewood.

“The moon, perhaps?”

I doubt anyone but the people involved would understand the meaning of it, but that was the only way I could express it.

“Moon. Poee…saan!”

Suddenly, Ryuushi-san raised both hands. She also spread her legs slightly and struck a pose that seemed to represent the letter X with her whole body. Yoshino was forced to join, although with only one hand, and rose his arm listlessly. The resulting image gave the impression that the puppets were moving around so energetically that the puppeteers were exhausted. So, what about it?

“What do you think from a solar system perspective?!”

I didn’t understand what was going on anymore. I turned to the side, at a loss for words, and heard someone muttering beside me. Erio was expressionlessly mimicking me, saying, “What’s going on?” I stared at her, and she flinched slightly, saying, “W-what’s going on?”

“But more importantly, let’s talk about the concert.”

Ryuushi-san bumped her shoulder bone against my upper arm as she proudly opened the school festival pamphlet. I believe it was Ryuushi-san who brought up the subject. And it was Ryuushi-san who brought up the next topic as well. I convinced myself that it was fine if it were just an overwrite and looked at the pamphlet.

It didn’t really matter, but the pamphlet was blocking my view of Hoshinaka’s face. But Maekawa-san’s face was sticking out from above. She turned around and gave me a troubled smile.

“The setlist for today’s concert is confirmed to be ‘Tokaido Melos’, ‘At the End of Star Dust’, ‘StaRMan’s Children’, ‘When the Storm Comes, the Bucket Maker Goes Bankrupt’, and ‘Attraction Romanticist’.”

“Hmm, it feels a bit strange when English titles suddenly start appearing.”

“Really? Miship Ryuuko… sounds cool.”

“When you’re singing, do you clap or something? Or is it called a clap?”

I listened to various things without really paying attention and asked a question. Ryuushi-san’s eyes had been wandering as she imagined Miship, but her attention returned to the pamphlet.

“It is the case for songs like that. But the beginning is a little different, I think.”

Hmm, I stared intently at the part of the song with the lyrics. Meanwhile, I spoke to Erio in a low voice so that the middle-aged man next to me and Ryuushi-san diagonally in front of me wouldn’t hear.

“By the way, Erio.”

“Yeah?”

Erio, who had been idly staring at the lyric sheet, looked up. I hesitated, wondering if it was okay for me to speak. Shouldn’t her mother, Meme-san, be the one to tell it to her? But somehow, I had a feeling that Eliott-san would disappear again after the school festival was over. And the school festival was almost over, with only the concert remaining and closing time fast approaching. Now was the only time to tell her.

Since I didn’t even know where Meme-san would be at that crucial moment, then I was the only one who could tell her.

“Your father is here today.”

Consciously trying to appear indifferent, I told Erio about his father’s presence.

It seemed like Meme-san had met him beforehand, and perhaps Erio had too. That’s what I was thinking, but her dazed expression made me realise that it was probably not the case. Erio’s lips opened and closed with a lifeless, bloodless movement.

“Where?”

“Well, in school.”

Erio’s head shook violently from side to side in a panic. Was he denying it, or was he searching for him?

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

I’d like to say something like, “Even I don’t know everything”… but it wasn’t the right mood for it. Erio’s face went pale, and she immediately pulled her head back under the covers. Even when I poked her from the side, she only moved slightly and didn’t break her reclusive state.

A bitter feeling wells up in my back teeth, making me wonder if I should have told her.

Standing silently beside her created an uncomfortable atmosphere. My heart and lungs craved fresh air.

And then there was a certain physiological phenomenon that came with nervousness. Come to think of it, I always wanted to go and leave school events or exams.

We raised our hands, which were so close we could almost clasp them together, to get the middle-aged man’s attention. He immediately turned to look at me and asked, “What is it?” His eyes narrowed in puzzlement.

“Is it okay to unfasten the thread to go to the toilet?”

If even that was not permitted, then a mixed-gender toilet festival would have to be held. It would probably be more lively than a concert, at least for a moment. The middle-aged man made a thoughtful gesture and observed his surroundings.

“I think it should be fine. It’s dimly lit inside, so it would be hard to notice if it doesn’t last long.”

“Right. Well, I’m off then.”

Before Ryuushi-san and Maekawa-san noticed, I untied the thread and quickly made my way away. I jogged against the flow of people, heading for the restrooms near the entrance of the gymnasium. As I ran, the noise gradually subsided with each step I took away from the stage. It felt like being swallowed by the noisy mouths of living creatures and sliding into their silent stomachs. In another thirty minutes, it would be far noisier than it was now.

I had never been to a place like that before, so I couldn’t imagine what kind of environment it was.

Just as I was about to enter the restroom, feeling a mix of fear and curiosity, I was stopped.

“Makoto, come here.”

“Yes?”

A faint voice, almost drowned out by the murmurs of noise in the gymnasium, called out to me. I turned to face it.

In the corner of the shoe rack by the entrance, Tamura-san was almost completely blended into the shadow cast by the stairs. She was crouching down, her right hand to her ear. She seemed to be beckoning me over, so I approached to see what she wanted.

As I got closer, Tamura-san flashed a mischievous smile that reminded me of Meme-san. She gestured for me to crouch down. When I crouched down to be at eye level with Tamura-san, she leaned her face towards me.

“Be quiet and listen carefully.”

She whispered that warning in my ear, then pointed with a trembling hand to the stairs right in front of us, beside the entrance.

Without any suspicion, I simply followed its direction with my eyes.

“……Ah.”

Two figures stood on the stair landing.

One of them bathed in light, shining with a divine brilliance, its light blue colour awe-inspiring.

The other was a deep indigo, almost swallowed by the shadow of the railing. In both cases, their hair colour was the deciding factor in the overall impression.

“How about this as a birthday present?”

A present? Did he bring some kind of gift?

“Erio’s birthday isn’t today, though. But you know how old she is, don’t you?”

“I’m not a detective for nothing; I looked into it. Since her birthday doesn’t coincide with the school festival, it can’t be helped. Well, it happens every year, so it’s fine, right?”

At least the purple woman who was looking at the light blue guy was someone I knew. Neither of them seemed to pay much attention to their surroundings and didn’t seem to notice me or Tamura-san. All I could hear from the light blue person was his voice, particles, and shadow, while the purple woman was hidden by the staircase. I couldn’t see any change in their expressions.

“But you have some unusual connections. How do you know that singer?”

“A few years ago, I was asked to help find a lost dog, and that’s how we met. My colleague happened to be busy with another job at the time, so I was able to help… I guess this too is a sign of Attraction.”

“Hmm, so that’s why you came to this school today?”

Was Eliott the one who invited the singer? So, while calling him the mastermind in the shadows might sound bad, was Eliott-san plotting something? But if he weren’t, he wouldn’t be here, would he?

“Do you think Erio will be happy?”

“She might resent you even more. She’s quite shy, after all.”

“Is that so? I thought that since she’s your daughter, she would have grown up to be a more assertive person.”

“You’re her father, yet you don’t know anything about her. Neither do I, for that matter.”

“That’s true,” agreed Tamura-san, nodding slightly. There was no anger on her face. Rather, a warmth reminiscent of watching a heartwarming children’s quarrel oozed from her deeply etched wrinkles.

“And she’s not just my daughter; she’s yours too.”

“Is that so? I don’t like standing out either.”

“Then go dye your hair jet black right now.”

“Hahaha, you’re as dignified as ever, never cracking a joke.”

True, up to this point, Meme-san hasn’t shown her usual self. She was speaking in a simple, low, and subdued voice, befitting her age. Maybe that was her true nature? Was it because she had special feelings for Eliott-san?

That made me wonder what her usual attitude was like… No, she’s Meme-san after all.

“That girl, Erio. She looks a lot like you when you were seventeen.”

“Her hair colour is just like her dad’s, though.”

“Yeah, that’s true. It’s the hair colour I inherited from my father.”

“Where’s your father from?”

“That’s a secret.”

His tone was playful. It didn’t seem like Meme-san was serious when she asking that question, but it really piqued my interest. The question “where” itself could be interpreted in two ways: “which region of Earth” or “which planet”. The fact that the question about Eliott’s family could be interpreted in two ways was very intriguing. It almost sparked a debate in my mind about whether or not aliens exist.

“So, what are you going to do? Are you going home now?”

“No, stay here a little longer… Ah, I’ll leave town by the end of today. Don’t worry.”

“There is nothing I should worry about. I never feel anxious when you’re around.”

“That’s a lie. You’re worried that your daughter Erio will be angry when she meets me.”

“It’s not so much that she gets angry, than her being troubled. I don’t know how she’ll take it, and besides…”

“Besides?”

“Right now, there’s a kid living with us who’s kind of like a father figure.”

“Ahahaha,” Meme-san said, holding her stomach in laughter, as if she found it truly hilarious.

Huh, was she talking about me? I asked Tamura-san for her opinion. She gave me a look that meant, “Who else, you idiot?”

“Was that the kid who was next to Erio a moment ago?”

“Yeah. The one that’s not sparkly.”

“Ah, that composed kid?”

“It’s the first time I’ve heard the word ‘plain’ described in this manner.”

Huh, was she talking about me? Was I plain? I looked at Tamura-san’s face again, seeking her opinion. “Just like Shouji,” she replied dismissively. At least it seems like Meme-san considered me a plain guy.

I wasn’t hurt, but I really felt how Ryuushi-san felt. Was I the only one with no redeeming features?

“I was wondering whether he was your man or Erio’s boyfriend.”

“Both.”

Hey, you big liar.

“How impressive… So, are you alright?”

“Alright?”

“I get the feeling that even without a father, your family is stable with just you and Erio.”

“What, you didn’t actually return with the intention of living with me?”

“If you and Erio were going through a rough patch, I might have considered that.”

“You idiot, go away!”

“Haha, I’ll do that.”

Eliott-san’s shadow moved. The top-heavy shadow wriggled and adjusted its shape to resemble a human form.

Eliott-san’s shadow moved.

“Thank you for today. You’re just like I remember you from before, and it was fun talking to you.”

“You look exactly the same as before; I’m jealous…and scared.”

“Haha. I’ll watch Erio from the second floor. This way I won’t run into her.”

“Alright. If you’ve decided not to meet with her, then that’s fine.”

“Want to watch the concert together?”

“Sorry, but I want to meet with Erio.”

Meme-san also moved from the middle of the stairs. She turned around and put her foot on the lower steps. If I stayed in front of the shoe rack like this, Meme-san would probably spot me as she came down. Tamura-san remained in the same position and showed no sign of moving. If I run away, Tamura-san will probably tell her, “Makoto was there too.”

“…Ah, Meme.”

Eliott-san’s voice, now so ethereal that he cast no shadow on the wall, echoed from the stair landing. His distinctive high-pitched tone seemed to descend from the sky, like the sound of dripping water from the edge of a cavern.

“What?”

Meme-san stopped walking and answered somewhat brusquely. Then Eliott said:

“What would you do if I asked to hold you in my arms right here?”

“I’ll shout ‘That’s sexual harassment’ and go along with it.”

“Come on,” said Meme-san, spreading her arms wide. Eliott’s wry smile seemed to spread in stages, like descending a staircase.

“Actually, I was planning to hug you, apologize, and say, ‘I’m sorry for suddenly disappearing.’”

“Wow, you’re such an idiot.”

Meme-san muttered in exasperation and smiled. Eliott-san seemed pleased, and his demeanour shifted upward. The sound of footsteps climbing a step of the stairs faintly echoed above our heads.

“Eliott.”

This time, it was Meme-san who called out to him. The various sounds associated with Eliott-san’s movements were interrupted.

“Yeah?”

“I’m always grateful that you gave me Erio.”

“……Kay”

A short, soft, affirmative response. He sounded exactly like his daughter, as if he knew her habits.

“You’re welcome.”

With that one sentence, the conversation seemed to have come to a complete end, and they started moving at the same time.

Eliott-san went up, and Meme-san went down.

As Meme-san quickly reached the bottom of the stairs and was about to enter the gymnasium, she stared at Tamura-san and me. Her eyes widened for just a moment, as if forcing her eyelids open. She put her hand to her chin and looked around at us, nodding, “Hum, hum.” With my suspicious behaviour and Tamura-san still in a listening position facing the stairs, there was no way we could deny it.

“You were listening?”

“What an idiot; obviously we were eavesdropping.”

It wasn’t even a defiant response, but a response delivered with an attitude that seemed to brandish common sense. Tamura-san was so reliable. It didn’t look as if she had thick skin, but her nerves were incredibly strong. She didn’t show the slightest bit of remorse.

“I guess you were.”

Even Meme-san readily agreed. Then she looked at me. With her usual gentle smile.

“But don’t worry, Meme-chin is devoted to Mako-kun.”

“Meme-san came charging at me, with her arms outstretched to the sides, clearly indicating her intention not to let me escape!”

I was so flustered that I unintentionally started narrating this!

“Enough of the kids’ games; let’s tie our threads of adulthood, Makko-kuuuun.”

“What thread of adulthood are you talking about?!” I’ll keep it a secret that my heart fluttered a little at the mention of that phrase!

“Fushurururu”

“Stop spitting webs from your mouth!”

She was a real female spider. I narrowly avoided the Meme-san’s attack and escaped to the toilets.

“Huh? You want to hug Meme-tan right here?”

“Someone else said that!”

“Then Meme-chin will give Mako-kun a big hug!”

“Don’t follow me into the men’s restroom!”

Where did that serious conversation from ten seconds ago disappear?! She digests things way too easily!

She could instantly reverse the image she projected to those around her and be both an adult and a child.

The fact that I was thinking in the back of my mind that this was typical of Meme-san probably meant that I was beyond saving.

Imagining Eliott-san and Meme-san embracing made me feel… not bad at all. It didn’t make me feel uneasy.

After we finished cleaning up after the school festival, the eight of us, plus Meme-san, all ended up joining a celebratory get-together that felt more like a group date, which mainly gave me a stomach ache, but that’s another story.

I ran around the empty men’s restroom with my 40-year-old aunt as the clock ticked by.

A concert that was a “birthday present” for Erio was about to begin.

Perhaps the reason it didn’t start exactly at 2:00 was because the gymnasium clock was running a little faster.

Around three minutes past the hour, all the lights except on the stage were turned off, and sunlight was blocked by blackout curtains. Having returned from the restroom, I dutifully retied the thread on my little finger with the middle-aged man and quietly waited for the concert to begin in the space swirling with heat and tension. I wasn’t sure if I could call them friends, but the other six of us also began silently watching the stage after the clock struck 1:50.

Only Erio had her face buried in the futon, occasionally mumbling softly “mofu mofu”. I deliberately ignored her.

“Kyaa! Eri-tan!” It seems some people in the general seating area have misunderstood who she was cheering for, or rather, didn’t that Jorougumo say she had someone to tie her web to?… Oh, right, maybe it was the person watching her daughter from the second floor? Whether it was by chance or intention was unclear, but in the end, she may have been turned down and had to settle into the general seating area. Carrying Tamura-san on her back, all by herself.

“Ifofo.”

“What did you say? It’s too noisy in the venue; I can’t hear you.”

It wasn’t really a matter of pronunciation, though. Erio, as if wary of something, first stuck her eyes out from under her futon. After glancing left and right, she exposed his mouth as well.

It was reminiscent of the action taken by submarines in mangas when they check the sea surface before surfacing.

“Cousin, have you met Dad?”

She asked with earnest eyes. I nodded, taking in the unique smell, the scent of the people inside the venue.

“We just passed each other for a split second. I couldn’t have a look at him for more than a second.”

“But you’ve seen Dad more than I ever did.”

“…I guess.”

The difference between zero and a number with a decimal point. “Never” and “have”. What did Erio think about that difference? Just as I was about to glance at her profile to see if I could glean any clues, I heard a popping sound.

My back and my knees straightened involuntarily. Others did the same, pushing aside the murmuring and raising their heads.

The music began abruptly. A woman with her head bowed began to press the keys of the piano that was already on the stage with meticulous movements. It was a gentle prelude, like musical notes flowing through a calm stream. The sounds continued one after another. As if thin films were being stretched over the ears one after the other, giving a feeling of uneasiness.

Ryuushi-san, who was sitting diagonally in front of me, exclaimed with sparkling eyes, “It’s ‘StaRMan’s Children’!” Then, from the side of the stage, behind the curtain, a young woman appeared with long strides, making no sound whatsoever. She emerged swinging her arms widely. It was the dog-loving woman I met during the school festival. As soon as some of the audience saw her, a huge round of applause erupted. And like a shockwave spreading from the epicentre, the wave of applause enveloped the entire gymnasium. Our applause, tied together with thread between our little fingers, could only be done one at a time: clap, clap, clap with gaps in between, making us sound like toy cymbals being struck.

I see, so that’s why she was being chased by fans: because she was a singer. The way they were chasing her seemed a bit more frightening, so I half-seriously imagined that she had tried to dine and dash. But was there really a need to run away from her fans?

She appeared in casual attire, looking as if she were about to start a street performance.

Nijou Owari, also known as the “Dog Person”, walked to the centre of the stage and performed a swift, right-angle bow completely devoid of any respect or emotion. Her hair swung down with each movement. Then, halfway through raising her head, she suddenly began singing at full volume, slamming the sound into the microphone.

The entire venue was taken by surprise, and for a moment, the air seemed to distort, as if overwhelmed by the sheer volume of her voice. Nijou Owari’s singing began its invasion, as if thrusting her tongue into that distortion without hesitation. Where in her small physique could she contain such lungs? Her intense singing voice, making full use of her lung capacity, seemed to travel along the walls of the dimly lit gymnasium, creating the illusion that the lyrics were being sharply etched into the air.

The accompaniment was a calm piano tone, but the rough singing style didn’t match it at all. Was this song intentionally designed to create such disharmony, or was it something unique to this venue?

Judging from the reaction of Ryuushi-san, a fan of hers, she seemed somewhat taken aback and far from being ecstatic. Apparently, this wasn’t the way she was supposed to sing. Nijou Owari’s passionate singing continued, giving the strong impression that she was freely pouring out her feelings. The audience was bewildered by the combination of the smooth, carpet-like accompaniment and her singing voice, which sounded like she was slamming a basketball, and there was no sense of dynamism among them. Their heads were pressed down by the waves of sound, and there was an atmosphere of bewilderment. If only one person would take the lead and get into the music, the place would start to move. That was why everyone was searching for that “someone”. Everyone was still carrying the atmosphere and position they had in the classroom, and the sense of participating in a concert was still weak. The person who took on the role of breaking this spreading stagnation would smash into the cold surface of our hearts.

Someone was clapping loudly, their hands thrust out from the general seating area. A guest with deep indigo hair that seemed to blend into the dim light swayed. It was Meme-san. She continued clapping alone to the piano accompaniment. The surrounding students were hesitant, taken aback by Meme-san’s “music”. Ignoring her surroundings, Meme-san glanced towards the second floor of the gymnasium. Was it just my imagination, or could I hear faint clapping coming from the second floor?

Erio was next. She clapped her hand, which was sticking out from under the futon, hard against Jeff’s hand, which was clasped with her little finger. The first clap was a chaotic mess that was completely out of sync with the music. But after clapping a few more times, Jeff used his clasped hand to keep the rhythm just right. The adjustments were made with the precision of tuning an instrument, and the clapping of Meme-san, Erio, and someone upstairs came together.

Strangely, the inclusion of those refined handclaps shifted the direction of the disharmony between the piano and the vocals. What was merely a voice resting on the foundation of the piano becomes glued together by the handclaps, transforming into “art”. The coherent music processes the raw, unrefined vocals into a staircase leading to greater heights. And it is on that staircase that we, the audience, finally placed our feet. A march of handclaps. Following the lead of the march, everyone raised both hands. With each clap, the sound rises as if flicking a staircase of sound with your fingers, pushing back the waves that were previously only being given to us, just right onto the stage. Before I knew it, I too was clapping in a unique rhythm, working together with the middle-aged man. His embarrassed yet not entirely displeased expression as we looked at each other was like a mirror image of my own.

Satisfied with the audience’s reaction, Nijou Owari’s singing style gained a sense of dynamism. She stepped forward, stomping on the stage floor, and poured her passion into the song with a force that seemed to turn inside out from her gut. Her unique voice soared, leaving one to debate whether they wanted to listen to it again and again or cherish this one and only song as a precious memory. As if wishing for it to go beyond us, pierce through the gymnasium, and reach as far as it could.

A high-pitched voice cutting through the wind, attracting not only the people but even the birds soaring through the sky.

The lyrics were somewhat negative and evoked a sense of decadence, and yet Nijou Owari herself was cheerful. The image of continuing to sprint at full speed backwards had definitely taken over a part of my brain.

Nijou Owari kept our energy going until the very end and finished singing her first song. I felt a long sense of fulfilment, as if the minute hand of the clock had already completed a full rotation, but in reality, it wasn’t even 2:10 yet.

While catching her breath, Nijou Owari waved and said, “Thaaanks!” This was her natural voice.

She unhesitatingly expanded her own world, or rather, her territory. My first impression of the singer Nijou Owari, both in terms of her music and personality, was summed up in that refreshingly uninhibited nature.

Amidst the applause that erupted in response, Nijou Owari bowed respectfully this time. The middle-aged man and I had grown tired of applauding, so we simply watched the stage in appreciation. Nijou Owari’s head rose again.

“Hello, I’m Nijou Owari! Standing on the stage and looking down at a space full of high school students younger than me, I feel like punching the wall a little! Wa ha ha!”

She laughed it off herself before the audience could even force a smile. The audience laughter echoed a few beats later. Was this her style of performance, or rather, was that way of talking going to continue like this? If so, she’s an eccentric one.

I thought I heard a voice from the general seating area, perhaps a 40-year-old, agreeing with me, saying, “Absolutely right!”, but I pretended not to hear it. “Meme-chin, seventeen!” Shut up and behave yourself.

I exchanged glances with Erio. Erio, whose face had been expressionless due to her worries about his father, had slightly softened.

Her mom was the same as always. She answered with just a movement of her lips, “Right.”

“Everyone, thanks for gathering here today based on your teenage desires! I wonder how many of you here don’t know me? Six years ago, only about three people on Earth knew my name! That would be Daddy, Mommy, and me!”

She laughed heartily, “Gah ha ha ha”, hands on her hips, in a self-deprecating way. I liked the song, but I couldn’t keep up with her attitude. When I looked at Ryuushi-san’s profile to evaluate her opinion, which represented the general fans, and she found it hilarious. Apparently, she had always been this kind of person. For me, one single person as frank as Meme was enough.

Unable to look directly at her, I averted my eyes and saw a small part of what looked like a dog’s nose peeking out from behind the dark curtain where Nijou Owari had emerged. Could it be that round dog? If so, that person really did love dogs.

“When you think about it, it’s hard to believe that someone would call out to me when I was just singing in front of the station and that there were so many people who would listen! I guess ‘it feels like a dream’ and ‘it doesn’t feel real’ mean the same thing, right?”

As Nijou Owari paced around the stage, she sang to herself. In between, I glanced back to the second floor. It was more crowded than a public swimming pool in summer, and a light blue figure was standing at the front, looking down at us. If she turned around, she could see her father. I hesitated about whether I should tell Erio.

“If we were together, which one would be more like me?”

This is unreal! shouted the crowd in unison. The middle-aged man, Erio, and I were left behind and remained silent.

“Right?! What does it say about my way of life that I would get such an immediate answer?!”

As she returned to the centre, Nijou Owari let out a loud laugh into the microphone. It was unbearably loud.

“Next up, I’ll be playing ‘Attraction Romanticist’!”

She shouted one of the song titles Ryuushi-san had mentioned earlier. In response, the crowd rose to their knees in excitement. A jumping, almost screaming, cheer erupted. Was it one of Nijou Owari’s signature songs? Or would it be like this no matter what song she played? “It’s my favourite song!” Ryuushi-san exclaimed, pointing happily at the stage and smiling at me. “Oh, really?” I replied, and we both turned our faces towards the stage.

“But before that… I heard that the theme of this school festival is Attraction!”

As she walked to the front of the stage, Nijou Owari changed her tone of voice. She suddenly started acting like a strangely cheerful female reporter, which was very suspicious. Fans didn’t seem to mind, though.

“In keeping with the song I’m about to sing, ‘Attraction Romanticist,’ I tried doing this too!”

Nijou Owari raised the back of her right hand to eye level, as if showing off a ring. The audience leaned forward as a whole, trying to understand what it meant. A murmur arose from the front row, close to the stage, and it didn’t take long for the sound to spread throughout the gymnasium.

Those of us in the premium seats were completely unaware of such rumours and focused on Nijou Owari’s “little finger” performance.”

She had tied a thread to the little finger of his right hand. It was plain white and unadorned, looking like any ordinary piece of thread you could find anywhere. It certainly didn’t look like the thread made by the art club and distributed today.

Apparently, she tied her hair in the style to match the theme of our school’s festival.

“Ah,” said Erio softly. She then looked down at her left hand as if to check it. “What’s the matter?” I followed with my eyes, and there, for some reason, was a pure white thread dangling idly from Erio’s left little finger.

Despite the fact that her right pinky finger was connected to Jeff’s finger by a light blue thread, he still doesn’t seem to mind.

“Why?”

Erio tilted his head. That’s what I want to know.

“I couldn’t get any thread, so I tried tying some thread scraps from my shirt!”

She then recounted the story of the thread in a self-deprecating manner. Laughter swept through the area like a whirlwind. But Erio and I were too disturbed to laugh, realising that we were tied to the same thread as the person who was getting the most attention on stage.

“And if there’s anyone who hasn’t yet tied a thread with anyone and has been given a blank white thread, why don’t we tie it together on stage? Singing alone can be boring, so let’s sing a duet!”

In response to that call and fan service, the entire venue erupted like the surface of a boiling pot. The commotion in the general seating area, in particular, was extraordinary, like the world had been turned upside down. Everyone checked the thread around their little finger, unable to hide their disappointment. The boil subsided, and a low murmur lingered in the venue.

“Anyone?! No one?! With so many people gathered here, you can’t tell me no one is lucky!”

Nijou Owari specifically called out to us in the VIP seats. Normally, if there was any possibility, it would be to the people in the general seating area. Well, since Erio was tying the white thread, she was looking in the right place… Ah, I see. Including her disingenuously cheerful attitude, I understood Nijou Owari’s true intentions. In short, she wasn’t inviting just anyone at random on stage.

“Oh? Oh, oh, oh? Hey, you there! The one wrapped in a futon, don’t turn your face away!”

In an extremely deliberate manner, Nijou Owari strained her eyes from the stage and pointed at Erio. In the dimly lit space, there was no way she could see the white thread on her left hand, which she wasn’t even holding up. If she could see it, what would her eyesight be like, and how well would her eyes adapt to darkness? Sensing that Erio was about to pull her face into the futon, I grabbed the hair on top of her head to stop her. Nijou Owari beckoned to Erio.

“Come on up! You’re the one I’ll tie my little finger with!”

Even from the general seating area, some people began to realise that the person Nijou Owari was inviting was Touwa Erio. The murmurs and murmurs reverted to the excitement that had been there before Nijou Owari’s song began, making the atmosphere in the hall uncomfortable. Sensing this, Erio looked up at me with a worried expression.

What should I do? How, and with whom, should I “cooperate”?

“Argh, grrr, grrr! Grrrrr!” Ryuushi-san seems to be envious of Erio. Her emotions were running high, and it sounded like she was chanting a spell. Erio recoiled in surprise at her tone. “Uh, uh.”

“Go on, Touwa-san! You never get to go up on the stage except at graduation ceremonies! If this was Ryuuko-san’s history, it would be a legendary event!”

Is that the direction you’re going in to persuade her? Erio shook her head vigorously.

“But I don’t know any. I don’t know any songs at all.”

“’Attraction Romanticist’ was playing on the school’s loudspeakers all day. I’m sure you vaguely remember what kind of song it is.”

Maekawa-san approached Erio, offering a helping hand, or rather, blocking Erio’s escape route and egging her on. Hoshinaka, next to her, was wide-eyed, wondering, “What’s wrong with this kid?” Meanwhile, Erio thrashed about in agony.

“But, but I don’t know the lyrics!”

“Heh heh,” Maekawa-san chuckled, as if she had anticipated this. She then took several folded papers from an envelope she was carrying under her arm and used them to fan her face.

“I anticipated something like this might happen, so I have cue cards with the lyrics ready here.”

“Do you live your life expecting anything and everything to happen?”

Maekawa-san was truly formidable. Despite having absolutely no survival skills, she was incredibly well-prepared. Or maybe Eliott-san approached her to cooperate with him? Her smug expression suddenly changed to a smile.

She came running over, leaned her face close to my ear, and whispered the truth:

“I’m totally lying. The truth is, I was entrusted to do this by Touwa’s father.”

“By Eliott-san?”

Maekawa-san nodded slightly… I guess it served as a forceful Attraction. The concert itself.

But now the stage was set, Erio.

“C-cousin.”

So why are you clinging to me? Don’t tug at my sleeve with those teary eyes. You’re not seriously asking me to go on stage with you or in your place, are you? That would be going way too far with overprotectiveness.

I had realised, of course. This was Erio’s belated “birthday present.”

I see, Erio would probably hate it… But.

I gently placed my hand on the back of Erio’s head, as if to encourage her. The smooth feel of her hair was cool and comforting, like touching the surface of a small pond.

“You didn’t participate in last year’s school festival, did you?”

“N-no”

“Then go and enjoy yourself to make up for last year.”

I gently nudged the back of her head with my middle finger. Erio took a step forward, but still turned around. Still not enough of a push, what a stubborn girl. I mean, she might need some guts, I guess.

After all, she was going up on stage in front of students who were mostly hostile.

“Besides, this is an opportunity. It might be your last chance.”

“W-what?”

“This is a golden opportunity for the entire student body to pay attention to what you have to say. Go ahead and say what you want to say.”

Apologize.

Or claim once again that she is an alien.

Do as you please, Touwa Erio. This is a present for you, so your freedom is guaranteed.

“In that case, I guess I’m no good.”

Jeff quickly untied the thread on his little finger connecting him and Erio and waved goodbye. Jeff, the middle-aged man, and I all pushed Erio’s back through the futon. Erio almost stumbled but managed to regain her balance and turned around, looking for someone her. The middle-aged man responded with a smile and encouragement.

“Isn’t the stage a little bit closer to outer space than this floor?”

This must be the middle-aged man’s way of showing support for Erio. But it was a rather disorganized cheer. I thought at this point Meme-san might shout “Eri-taaaan!”, but my aunt, standing in the general seating area, watched her daughter with a solemn expression. When our eyes met, she nodded as if to say, “Please take care of her”.

“Give her a lift part of the way.”

The middle-aged man urged me… Well, I guess I have to fulfill my responsibilities since I was the one to recommended it.

I stood beside Erio, placing my hand on her back. Then we started walking together. Erio seemed to understand something when she was with me, and her legs began to move again. Steadily, steadily.

“If Niwa-chi is backing her, maybe I’ll switch sides. Go, go, go!” Hoshinaka.

“I believe that Touwa’s courage will change the world!” - Maekawa-san.

“Well, I have no connection to it whatsoever… but if everyone’s talking about it, why don’t you give it a try?” Yoshino.

“I think the guys watching from space are looking forward to it too,” Jeff.

Cheering at the speed of a series finale, Erio and I gradually moved forward. As we approached the stage, she looked up at me once more, even though she seemed to have given up resisting the flow.

“While you’re at it, tell your father whatever you want. He’s probably here.”

“…Kay”

Slowly, she tucked her chin in, almost trembling, and exhaled. It took her about the same amount of time to lift her head.

“Watch me, Cousin.”

“…Okay. Become a youthful woman.”

Thus, I gave her a push and sent her off.

Thus, I gave her a push and sent her off.

As my hand left her back, all sorts of memories flooded back into my mind.

The day we launched a plastic bottle rocket in the ocean.

The day I hit a home run on the riverbank.

The day I was happily rocked on the bus on the way back from a trip around town.

And then, in that instant, together with Erio, we flew through the air on a bicycle.

These are the Youth Points I’ve collected since coming to this town.

I’ll give you everything I’ve been saving up.

Use it all up on stage.

And so, Touwa Erio took a strong step forward, walking heavily towards the side staircase leading to the platform, as if trying to shake off the lingering gazes. I stopped and watched Erio go. I narrowed my eyes, as if reluctantly saying goodbye to something dazzling, something that was now out of reach… I felt like a bride’s father. As I thought about that, I scratched the back of my neck.

I retraced the path Erio had walked, heading back to where everyone was waiting.

I stopped walking and turned around to see Erio, who had just gone up onto the stage, throwing off her futon as if it were a coat. The futon’s fabric, her hair, and her skin rubbed against each other, and particles scattered in a trail. She threw the discarded futon forcefully towards me, and with nothing left to hide her, Touwa Erio gazed into the distance. Her legs were trembling slightly. Her legs were trembling slightly.

“Welcome!”

Nijou Owari greeted her and welcomed Erio. For a moment, the murmuring of the students in the gymnasium subsided as if they all held their breath. There wasn’t even the sound of receding waves; it was as if the sea itself had disappeared. In the silent space, like a school at night, Erio was the centre of attention. Nijou Owari handed her the microphone. “Here you go.” Erio took the microphone and bowed.

Gripping it tightly, Erio looked around at the heads of everyone in the audience. Then she opens her lips.

“…Um…Hmm?”

“What do you intend to do with the switch off?”

Nijou Owari reached out from the side and adjusted the microphone. Erio bowed again. Was she doing ok?

It was probably similar to the feeling of watching a daughter’s school play.

“Go ahead, introduce yourself.”

“Err!”

This time, she held the microphone too close to her mouth, and an unpleasant noise got mixed in. The audience instinctively covered their ears with their hands. Perhaps frightened by their reaction, Erio tried to dash off the stage. But Nijou Owari grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and wouldn’t let her go. Her escape thwarted, Erio gave up and tried a third time.

“Err, I’m Touwa Erio.”

This time it came out normally. The audience fell silent, and rather than waiting for Erio’s next words, they seemed bewildered, wondering why she was even there.

“I think some people haven’t seen me in a while. As for me, um, I attended this school until last year.”

“You mean, up until last year, or rather, only last year?”

Ryuushi-san muttered to herself. For Ryuushi-san, it was a perfectly accurate and normal retort.

“A lot happened last year, and I ended up dropping out of school. I think some people might remember me.”

Erio continued speaking, her words mumbled and broken apart. Far from any kind of innocence, her pronunciation and her assertions were weak and tinged with a hint of pain. I couldn’t take my eyes off Erio as she spoke, almost rubbing her voice against the microphone. Fine, light blue particles seemed to float around Erio, protecting her from my gaze. They shone even brighter in the darkness surrounding her and the strong light shining on the stage.

“I said a lot of weird things. I did a lot of weird things. I know that’s why people got angry at me and hated me. That’s well and good, but…”

Her last words were delivered in a hurried manner, as if she were about to stumble. With that momentum, Erio leaned slightly forward, opening her mouth wide as if to swallow the microphone whole, and then froze for a moment. She seemed to have held her breath during that time, as when she closed and then opened her mouth again, her breathing was ragged. Then, in a voice that was hard and dull like a flowing stream of water, a voice that would resonate if struck, she offered a sincere apology. To the entire student body.

“I’m sorry for causing trouble and for being late in apologising. That’s what I wanted to say.”

She bowed deeply, her waist bent sharply, and lowered her head towards us. There was no applause, praise, or insults directed at her solemnly bowed head. The venue remained silent, and everyone watched in breathless silence as the tips of his hair, a mystical colour, seemed about to touch the floor.

After a long time had passed, Erio finally lifted his head and mumbled the following:

“Also, if Dad is here… oh, uh, never mind.”

She hesitated, then cut off her words and handed the microphone back to Nijou Owari. I think she probably couldn’t find what she wanted to say.

Erio had zero knowledge about his father. It was difficult to create something out of nothing on the spur of the moment.

Nijou Owari, who took the microphone, leaned in to look at Erio’s downcast face.

“Are you done?”

Erio nodded repeatedly, her eyes slightly downcast.

“That was a lacklustre mic performance, wasn’t it?”

She almost dashed away. But Nijou Owari had anticipated this and was holding onto Erio’s clothes.

“But you got your point across. It was a clear and easy-to-understand argument. It’s interesting in its own way and not as roundabout as I am.”

Perhaps supporting her in her own way, Nijou Owari commented, a smug look on her face. Erio stopped running and stared blankly at the venue, towards where I was. Then Nijou Owari took Erio’s left pinky finger and skilfully tied it to a piece of thread on her own pinky finger.

“Ah,” Erio responded briefly. Nijou Owari called out to the back of the curtain and, through a relay of people, got another microphone and handed it to Erio. Still surprised with her mouth slightly open, Erio grabbed it unconsciously. Then, Nijou Owari let out a loud voice as if she had been waiting for this moment. Through the microphone, her rich voice, which had spread many times over, ran a line through the venue:

“So, once again, I declare it! Here I go, ‘Attraction Romanticist’!”

Like instantly boiling cold water, Nijou Owari announced the start of the second song. The audience’s excitement surged for a brief moment, as if a dying fish came back to life. However, the question of how to react to Touwa Erio standing beside the singer brought confusion to the venue, and it seems that they cannot simply reach their peak of joy.

In that atmosphere, the piano accompaniment resumed. The prelude was slightly faster in tempo than the first song.

“Shall we get ready too?”

Maekawa-san beckons us over. Following her instructions, we jogged over to her.

Let’s all work together so that Erio can see the gift from the alien (the wind person).

Maekawa-san, the tallest of us all, held up the cue cards with the lyrics as high as she could, and Ryuushi-san, I, and the middle-aged man attached to me supported her. It was like supporting a basket for a ball toss at a school sports day, but what was this lump? Seven men and women were pressed together in the crucible of heat in the concert hall, creating a stiflingly hot object. Rather than the pleasant scent of the girls, the smell of sweat, associated with the heat, wafted from beside us.

That was great! But there was no way I’d think that, since I wasn’t a scent fetishist.

I didn’t really know why, but it was great anyway! That was the kind of attitude I was still at.

“Waa!”

“Ah, we’re already hearing Maekawa-san’s usual weak scream! Her eyes are spinning around like in a manga!”

“We need to support her even more! We need to share the positive energy of everyone on Earth!”

It was like a dream on stage, but here it was just an extension of everyday life. Maybe I made a mistake in casting. I regretted not holding up the cue cards beforehand. But it was too late. Even my regrets were an ongoing process. The intro was abruptly cut off for a moment, and then Nijou Owari slapped Erio on the back.

They both stood at the front of the stage, gripping their microphones again. Erio looked down at Nijou Owari’s dignified profile and the lyric cue cards, the culmination of our collective efforts, and tentatively moved his lips.

“……Ah.”

The beginning of the song, the small sigh Erio let out, and my own breathing all came together.

This time, the song began with a steady, gradual approach. There was no intensity, but it didn’t feel particularly calm either. It was as if the singer were moving forward with her head bowed, following an unavoidable current. It was a solemn singing voice, as if accompanying gravity or fate. The very first line of the lyrics began with a description of despair at the invisible force of Attraction. Nijou Owari sang it with genuine regret.

Unable to take her eyes off her cue cards, Erio often looked down, humming as if reciting poetry. Nijou Owari’s singing voice is overwhelming, making it almost impossible to hear. Erio seemed aware of it and glanced at her profile, but Nijou Owari showed no hesitation or consideration, not even glancing at the singer beside her.

While singing, she appeared to have no interest in anything other than her own song. With each word she put to the music, she compressed and sent out an intensity that felt as if she were spitting up blood. That fierce energy enveloped the entire venue, drawing from Erio all of the audience’s attention towards herself. She took it all away.

With the fear, disgust, and anger from those around him removed, Erio’s voice gradually gained a sense of clarity. Her previously unstable bare feet were firmly planted on the stage floor, and her restless shoulders rose to an even height. The image of Touwa Erio, the shopkeeper at Tamura Store, now able to confidently say “Welcome!”, emerged on the stage. The density of the light blue particles increased in response to this transformation.

Maekawa-san was barely able to reach out, so it was the middle-aged man’s job to stretch and turn the pages of the cue cards. The cue cards were turned one after another to keep up with the lyrics written in extra-large letters. The lyric sheets were turned with the smoothness of an apple rolling down a spiral staircase.

“I weigh up what Attraction has bestowed in abundance against what it has stripped away entirely.” The moment she reached that line in the lyrics, Erio began to sing with great emotion, as if she felt the song was about her.

Every time Erio sang, particles seemed to follow the instrument-like melody. Light blue particles swirl around as if sprinklers were spraying from the ceiling, raining down deeply beneath us. It was undoubtedly an illusion caused by my overactive mind, and surely no one else could see it. But just as that light blue glow wasn’t a mirage, the audience’s eyes became restless, as if drawn to something floating in the air.

Gradually, the melody of the song brightened, and the tension in Nijou Owari’s face began to ease. It wasn’t the freedom illuminated by the sunlight streaming in, but rather the liberated life of a canned good that had accidentally fallen from a conveyor belt and rolled onto the floor. “There was nothing I could do, there was nothing I could do; I couldn’t meet it, I couldn’t give it. Take that, Attraction!” Nijou Owari shouted, and Erio took her eyes off the lyrics cue and stretched out the end of the word as far as she could towards the gymnasium ceiling.

The windowpane behind the dark curtain vibrated violently. But it wasn’t just the glass that trembled. The screams made our skin tremble too. The flesh of our cheeks twitched, and our upper arms burnt with something akin to impatience. We gradually forgot that we were supporting Maekawa-san, or rather, our hearing became so heightened that our sense of touch was numb, and we were desperately trying to withstand the headwind of sound and particles coming from the stage.

It would be a waste to just listen in silence. Their voices make us feel that way so strongly. I wasn’t a fan, and this was the first time I ever heard her music. Yet, if it moved me this much, surely others would be too.

As if to confirm my feelings, a song of music rose from the audience seats.

The first to clap along to the music was that girl from the newspaper club.

She clapped her hands, making a sound like someone taking a picture. Her expression was stiff, somewhat sulky, and dismissive, yet she gave a tremendous round of applause. As if she had been waiting for that applause, Meme-san, sitting in the general seating area, the complete opposite side of the stage, joined in. It must not have worked the first time. Meme-san must have wanted this.

Their applause came from both sides, rhythmically urging us on. As it went back and forth like a game of catch, it pulled the arms of the audience members upward one after another. The number of people clapping in response increased exponentially, and from one corner to the other, each person began to contribute their own musical contribution. I remained clinging to Maekawa-san’s torso, my lips curling into a smile as the sound intensified.

The piano accompaniment and vocals, which had flowed and disappeared in a one-way manner, and the light blue particles, were held back by the sound of applause, intensifying their lingering resonance as if remaining within a round circle. The echoing tones clung to our ears, and the particles emitted by Erio adhered to our skin. I was overwhelmed by the fantastical scene, like snow falling in the lingering summer heat, and the light of the world seemed to blur faintly. The sound absorbed the particles one after another, burying us in the light blue realm.

“If you’re told there’s no Attraction between you and your beloved, then sprinkle salt on the threads of fate.” Nijou Owari hummed these radical lyrics, full of such intent, and Erio followed suit. What was Erio thinking about the audience’s reaction? How did she feel about this moment, when her song, everything she was involved with, was being accepted by the entire student body? At the very least, I was happy that Erio was on stage. Erio was on a stage that ordinary people like us could never reach, no matter how many years or even decades it took.

This time was special. She has been given sixteen years’ worth of birthday presents from her father all at once. But one day, Erio felt she would be able to reach that place with her own psychic powers. Her singing voice made her believe that so strongly.

All sorts of things were brought to me, a mere spectator. But it was the two of them on stage who would tell that story, and all we could do was accept them, our hearts trembling, our heads burning with excitement, and pray.

The melody also filtered out its brightness, leaving only a faint light behind. It shifted to a tone that sang of something somehow sacred, something unique. A prayer. It was then that I realised this song was a prayer to Attraction from the very beginning. Changing its form, changing its heart, it sang of countless thoughts about the serendipity of this world.

Attraction, those who believed in its connection, and those who continued to connect.

Everyone was a romanticist.

Nijou Owari’s songs tied together our ordinary common sense and perceptions of the world and carried them up onto the stage. The audience received the sensations, including a new facet of the world, as a stimulus, and released what welled up from their hearts with applause and rhythm. I was no exception.

I was grateful to Attraction for allowing me to be here.

In this world drawn together by romanticist Attraction, we were living such wonderful lives.

For several seconds after the song ended, Nijou Owari and Erio remained silent on the stage. The piano stopped, and the audience stood still. The lingering echoes of their voices seemed to go on forever, the sound never ceasing.

Breaking through that atmosphere, Nijou Owari shouted her thanks in a bright voice like the sun turned inside out.

“Thank you very much!”

Nijou Owari gave her greeting, and the applause and cheers escalated as if a catalyst had been thrown in. Erio looked so exhausted she seemed about to collapse, but she smiled contentedly. I felt like I caught her eye, so I gave her a thumbs-up in return. At the same time, the cue card team, led by Maekawa-san, also disbanded.

“Let’s go to the next one! You too, don’t slump and get ready!”

“I don’t know any other songs.”

“I don’t have any cue cards,” Maekawa-san said, making an X with both arms. But Nijou Owari didn’t stop.

“Then just lip-sync!”

She forcefully linked her elbow and arm with Erio’s and declared, “I’m not letting you get away!” Laughter erupted, and as if sensing the mood, the piano accompaniment began. Erio’s escape time was wasted, and she groaned, “Aaaww.”

She put her arm around Erio’s shoulder and shouted in a casual, drunken tone, like someone singing karaoke.

“Next up is one of my signature songs from my street-performing days! Every time I meet someone…”

Was this the scene Eliott-san wanted to see?

As I wondered about this, I turned around and looked up to the second floor, only to find that Eliott-san’s figure, who had been clinging to the front, had disappeared. But the moment I had a vision of light blue fragments floating in that space, I broke free from the old man and started running towards the outside of the gymnasium. I didn’t even understand why I did it.

I pushed my way through the crowd, like a blind dash through a deep, blue, dark forest. The song faded into the distance. The threads of my dreams unravelled, and the slightly lukewarm reality of the afternoon reconstructed the world. The light blue particles that rained down on me and clung to me were also about to dissipate, their fleeting glow coming to an end. Before that could happen, I fled the venue. Without even bothering to put on my shoes, I left the gymnasium in my socks. I pushed open the door and stepped outside.

The creaking of the door seemed to announce my return from another world. Touwa Erio, who seemed to be shrouded in illusion, and her father, Eliott-san. The light blue particles were still floating beside the gymnasium. I continued running as if guided by them and finally caught sight of their backs by the school gate.

I tried to speak, but my breathing became erratic. I choked spectacularly. To my embarrassment, Eliott-san seemed to notice my choked voice and stopped walking, turning around. “Oh my,” he replied matter-of-factly.

He didn’t seem surprised that I had followed him. Without any preamble, he started a conversation:

“You look like Shouji-kun.”

“That’s because I’m his son.”

I answered, breathing heavily, hands on my knees. This might be the first time I’ve been able to introduce myself so forcefully. “I see,” Eliott-san said, his eyes narrowing as he smiled. He chuckled, covering his mouth as if unable to contain something, and his shoulders were shaking. It was a laugh that really annoyed me.

“Do you need something from me?”

“Well, honestly, I don’t really have anything to say, but…”

I felt like I had to go after him. In Erio’s place.

“Someday…”

“Humm?”

“Someday, meet Erio and give her a father that isn’t a zero.”

It didn’t matter if it was negative or positive. Just make sure Erio doesn’t remain at zero forever.

If you just start moving even a little, you’ll eventually reach something.

That’s what human superpowers are all about, right, Hoshimiya Yashiro?

“I promise.”

Eliott-san nodded in agreement and then returned the favour.

“Please take good care of Erio. It’s a little premature, but you can call me ‘father-in-law’ if you like.”

“I don’t want to call Meme-san mother-in-law, so I’ll pass.”

When I declined, Eliott-san’s face broke into the biggest smile of the day. He then headed towards the bicycle parking area. He pulled out his bicycle, which was parked at the far right of the prefabricated shed, kicked up the kickstand (which wasn’t even locked), and immediately rode off. He gave me a small wave as he passed in front of me.

“Being a father must be tough.”

With those words, the man who had abandoned his father ran off… Good grief.

Eliott-san straddled his legendary-coloured bicycle and sped off outside the school grounds. There were no aliens in the basket, and his figure pedalling with all his might was so focused that if I chased after him, I would surely reach him.

That person is also from Earth, wasn’t he? He couldn’t fly, he only possessed ordinary superpowers.

I watched him from the road until he was completely out of sight, and then I returned to the school. After walking a short distance, I could soon hear some of the sounds leaking from the gymnasium, and a smile spread across my face.

With no one around, I looked around at the deserted food stall, and then the ground beneath my feet gave way.

I slumped down, back pressed against the school gate. I put her hand to my forehead and ruffled my bangs.

As Erio’s voice gradually weakened in my ears, yet continued to echo, my heart was stirred, and I took a deep breath of fresh air ahead of everyone else in the venue. It mixed with the heat I’d brought out of the gymnasium, creating a pleasant tension and warmth. Not a refreshing feeling, but a profound sense of accomplishment enveloped me.

Imagining Erio’s lip-syncing, I parted my lips too. I had no words. Thoughts without words, atoms of the heart scattered into the air. Celebrating that colourless, transparent, and unshining thing, I hummed my own song.

This year’s school festival would be born, begin, and continue to exert its Attraction pull all the way to the very end within that building.

In that lingering feeling, I narrowed my eyes, hoping to witness the moment when the light blue particles rose from themselves and returned to the sky under the dazzling light. From deep within my lukewarm eyeballs, I produced particles of human light.

That light resembles the moonlight that once shone between her and me.

Ah, but…

The moon was so close tonight.

It filled my heart with something completely opposite.

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• Entrusted all my Youth Points to Erio. −10

Total current Youth Points: ±0

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