Kamisama no Memochou:Volume 1 Chapter 2

Chapter 2

But after a week, when December starts, I was still a member of the Gardening Club, that was because Ayaka captured me after school every day for club activities. Why must she keep bothering me? I don’t know even I thought until my head bursts.

As I did not have any knowledge about gardening, I still had to stick to the railings, looking at the streets in a daze as usual. That day, the brilliant blue skies trailed across the horizon. There were only two or three clouds in the skies like stickers stuck onto the sky, dazzling anyone who dares to stare at it for a long period of time.

I always wanted to ask Ayaka: Why did you say all those things that day when we were on the way back home from the ramen shop? However, as I could not think of suitable things to ask, I could only continue looking at the view opposite to the railings.

“Really, you should really give me a hand!”

Ayaka said while puffing out her cheeks and holding a pair of scissors used for pruning.

“…… I don’t even know what to do, and the flowers have already been watered.”

“Then help me to use the ampoule on the trees, one for each plant.”

Ayaka handed the ampoule fertilizer to me. The ampoule was like a small bottle of soy sauce which comes with sumptuous bento, just that soy sauce is not filled inside, but a yellowish green liquid.

“Opening an ampoule is quite hard! If the opening is too big, the fertilizer would spill out too quickly, the ones that I open are actually with professional-level skill.”

Ayaka said triumphantly while using her scissors to cut off a little of the the tip of the ampoule.

“I’ll be in charge of cutting while you’ll be in charge of sticking it into the pot.”

“I hate work.”

I mumbled complaints while turning the ampoule over to stick it into the pot.

“You probably don’t hate work, but only couldn’t imagine yourself working!”

“Why is your Highness so sharp about these things?” I got flustered and accidentally blurted out honorifics .

“Because my brother have said such things before. He said that he doesn’t know why we must work if we want to live, so he left school halfway through high school. He didn’t even find a job, and just went here and there without an objective.”

Don’t know why we have to work if we want to live… Indeed, I feel so too. If such a day would come upon me, would I really accept the fact that I need to work in order to continue living? Or would I become one of the guys behind ‘Hanamura Ramen Shop’?

I shivered, denying the horrendous imagination of my future, and shifted my attention to sticking the ampoules into the pots. It was already past flowering season, many dry leaves and braches could be found lying on the ground, so now is the time to prepare for the next flowering season.

“If I misunderstood, I apologize now to you first. But I think that you and my brother, probably have an illness that is worse than hating work.”

“Eh?” So this is an illness?

“For instance, some people hate to eat carrots or celeries when they are little, but they could eat them when they grow up! But if I tell you to eat boots or diamonds, that can’t be achieved for eternity. This isn’t a problem of liking or hating, they can’t eat them even if they grow up.”

“Do you mean to say: ‘I cannot imagine myself eating carrots or celeries,’ huh?”

“Exactly.”

“Your analogy makes me feel down.”

“Cheer up!” Ayaka patted my back. Oh please, the person who made me feel down was you!

“The people at ‘Hanamaru’ seems to like Fujishima-kun a lot, probably because you guys have the same aura, probably! Tetsu-senpai told me take you there again.”

“I have already decided never to go there again.” If I continue to go, I would definitely become one of them sooner or later.

“Please go! Everyone’s waiting for you!”

Which quality in me do they admire? I almost never spoke to others willingly, my social skills is quite poor!

“You are not as introverted as armadillidium like you thought!”

“Really?” I didn’t say that I’m like an armadillidium.

“That’s right, and you keep talking to yourself.”

I accidentally stuck the ampoule onto my shoes.

“Do…… Do I often talk to myself?”

“Oh yes, I think that’s why you could communicate with them. Are you okay? You look terrible!”

I probably couldn’t function anymore.

“But if you don’t speak your mind, nobody would understand you!”

“I always forget how to communicate.” I answered randomly. But when I think about it, things are indeed so. Ayaka stared at me for awhile, and sighed.

“Then you should practice! Right?”

*

Finally, I still could not refuse her, and could only follow Ayaka to the ramen shop. That day, there weren’t anyone behind ‘Hanamaru’ ’s kitchen door. Although it was already evening, there weren’t any customers there.

“So you’re here again, Narumi?”

A surprised expression appeared on Min-san’s face, and she said while cutting cabbages and glared at me. As I saw just now, she wore a vest while her breast was covered up with a sarashi, her appearance looked as if people could easily take advantage of her.

“Forget it, I thought that you would turn out like that the last time we met.”

“Turn out how?”

“It’s still not too late!” Min-san just said that. What does she mean by not too late?

“If you just practice your speaking skills, you probably would not become a NEET.”

After saying that, Ayaka went into the kitchen and wore an apron. I sighed, and sat on the gas tank. Say whatever you want!

“Oh yeah, do you want to work part time here too, Fujishima-kun?”

Min-san replied immediately: “Narumi looks like he doesn’t know how to do anything, the shop doesn’t need this type of people.”

Discouraged, I took a spoon and stirred my coffee ice cream, Min-san took a bowl and poked her head out of the kitchen.

“That’s right, there’s still something that you could do.”

“What is is?”

“Take this to Alice.”

It was Japanese styled Dan Dan Noodles filled with vegetables, but this time some noodles could be seen in the sea of vegetables.

“The last time you delivered it, Alice ate them all. Before that, she usually doesn’t finish them, so please help today too. If there’s anything left in the bowl, I’ll hit you!”

*

“What is this? I ordered Dan Dan Noodles, but without noodles, carrots, mushrooms or meat.”

Alice puffed out her cheeks, eyeing the food in the bowl in displeasure.

That day, the air-conditioning is also very cold in the detective agency, but Alice was just wearing pajamas with teddy bears on it. Won’t she be cold like this?

“But there’s obviously noodles, meat and other stuff in it! Please tell me a reason for me to eat this.”

“Min-san is worried that you will have malnutrition.”

“Oh, so there’s a standard for malnutrition? Then please enlighten me about this standard of yours. Let’s make this clear, I who lived for ten over years only on Dr. Pepper wouldn’t listen to unreasonable reasons, and don’t try to use some bad excuse to convince me, I will utterly destroy your points.”

I sighed. Although I wasn’t sure if Alice was a detective or not, but this little girl really has a lot to say. I’ve already known that I couldn’t convince her, so I quickly used the secret technique that Min-san taught me.

“Min-san said that you can’t have ice cream if you don’t finish them.”

Alice’s froze, and her lips started to tremble.

“…… So, so despicable…… According to Act 222 of the penal code, this can already be said as a threat, and also violates the Competition law for refusing to sell.”

The teary-eyed Alice waved her hands, and listed out one after another suspicious laws. As I found it interesting, I temporarily watched Alice’s actions silently.

She probably gave up, huh? Alice took her chopsticks while pouting.

“Get me some Dr. Pepper! Three cans!”

“Do you want to drink them after eating?”

“I want to eat while drinking! How could carrots and meat be eaten directly?”

Alice, who was holding a dark red can in one hand while eating Dan Dan Noodles teary-eyed was really worth watching.

“Stop scrutinizing me!”

Alice swiftly drank the first can of Dr. Pepper, picked up the empty can and threw it at me, I could only hold in my laughter while turning my back to her. But Alice is really a picky eater! Is she really from Earth?

“What do you do when eating nutrition lunch at school? Didn’t you get scolded?”

I suddenly thought about this and asked Alice.

Alice was silent for awhile, and then answered me:

“I have never been to a school.”

“Eh?”

Although I know what is a nutrition lunch, I have never entered any educational institutions from birth.”

I didn’t think that Alice would have a normal life, but I never would have thought that she haven’t even went to primary school.

“According to Tetsu-senpai, the NEETs who haven’t even graduated from primary school is the highest level of them all. Hmph, I am completely uninterested in these rankings.”

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