CH 86

Unexpected Encounter

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

It was the rainy season, and the air was somewhat chilly. One day on a holiday, in the pouring rain, Tsugumi was standing alone in a garden where hydrangeas were beautifully changing colors.

The garden was filled with blue hydrangeas, but there was one place where red hydrangeas grew in clusters. The vivid colors of the flowers looked as if they were made of blood.

“Beautiful, isn’t it? Actually, there is a special fertilizer used only under those red hydrangeas.”

As Tsugumi gazed at the red flowers, he heard these words from behind him.

“Uh, you wouldn’t tell me it’s a corpse, would you?”

“Haha. It’s not like we’re talking about under the cherry tree. –The correct answer is shells. The shells contain a component that prevents the hydrangeas here from turning blue. Isn’t that neat?”

“It’s a little creepy, though. –So, what in the world is the reason you called me all the way down here today, Mebuki-senpai?”

When Tsugumi said this in dismay, Mebuki laughed mischievously and said.

“Well, I just have a little favor to ask you.”

Then Tsugumi began to walk along the garden path, following behind Mebuki, who was happily discussing her recent activities. Apparently, she was as busy as ever.

At the end of the hydrangea path, an opulent antique-style building could be seen. Judging from its size, it might be a hotel or something.

On the glass-walled café terrace next to the hotel, people with good taste were enjoying their time in their own way. The luxurious atmosphere made him feel a little self-conscious.

As Tsugumi thought about this, Mebuki suddenly took his right hand and led the way. She then pulled his hand as if leading the way and walked to the hotel entrance.

“…By any chance, is this the place?”

When he asked this question, she nodded her head as if it was natural.

“Yeah? That’s right, but what’s wrong?”

“No, It looks like a luxury place. …I’m wearing normal clothes, won’t they refuse to let me in?”

When Tsugumi asked her that in a reserved manner, Mebuki looked puzzled and then began to giggle.

“Don’t worry. This place is not that prestigious, and it’s owned by one of our affiliates. I have reserved a private room in advance, so there is nothing to worry about.”

With a casual, celebrity-like remark, Mebuki steps toward the entrance of the hotel.

…What kind of unreasonable thing is this ‘little favor’ that you prepare this place so far?

Tsugumi sensed a hint of trouble, but he was dealing with a senior colleague to whom he owed a lot. He was not going to turn down the offer without asking. Thus, Tsugumi decided to step into a coffee shop in the hotel.

◆◆◆

“Foreign student, is it?”

“Yes, that’s right. A few days ago, I received a call from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that a distant relative of mine has suddenly decided to go to Japan to study. It will be for about three years, and we are going to take care of her during that time. It’s partly to keep an eye on her, but she’s still my relative, after all. I want to help her as much as I can.”

While listening to Mebuki’s story, Tsugumi was poking the chocolate cake he had ordered. It was very rich and tasty, probably because it was made in a place like this. However, it was scary that the price wasn’t listed on the menu.

–But a foreign exchange student, huh. She had a lot of guts to come all the way to Japan.

Japan was currently closed off from the rest of the world, but that did not mean that it had completely cut off all ties with foreign countries. There were some cases where foreign students were accepted, although they were very few. But they were limited to those who had a solid background, like Mebuki’s distant relatives.

However, even so, the public was still not kind to foreigners. Even though it was in the name of studying abroad, she probably would be treated harshly by many people.

“But why are you asking me? I don’t think there’s anything I can do.”

“About that, Tsugumi-kun. –Because this child is transferring to your class. She’s the same age as you in your grade. Get along with her if possible.”

“…Are you insane?”

With a scrunched-up face, Tsugumi asked back.

Though he wasn’t proud to say it, the class Tsugumi belonged to, Class F of the third grade, was a class of proven troublemakers. It seemed crazy to admit a foreign exchange student, who in many ways was a delicate being, into such a place.

“Don’t say such terrible things. I really wanted to take care of her at my university, you know?　But she was begging me to go to high school with kids her own age. Considering the alternatives and the commute, my alma mater was the only choice.”

“But that doesn’t mean you have to go out of your way to choose my class…”

When Tsugumi said anxiously, Meibuki chuckled and opened her mouth to speak.

“From Tsugumi-kun’s perspective, class F may be a troublesome class, but that class is quite comfortable for an ‘outlier’ like me. At least the kids in F class in my generation didn’t look at people with weird-colored glasses. That was enough for me.”

When Mebuki said this and smiled gently at him, Tsugumi couldn’t say anything.

It was true that Class F got involved in strange experiments, pranks they didn’t understand, and fought over trivial things, but there had never been anything that Tsugumi couldn’t handle himself – he had never been ridiculed for having no memories of his childhood or for not having parents.

It was easy to forget this because of the stronger impression of being inconvenienced, but those important aspects of being a person were fairly decent.

“…Well, if I tell them in advance that she is a relative of Mebuki-senpai, they won’t get involved in a strange way.”

“I think so, too. But, you see, in Tsugumi-kun’s class, there is that, right? That’s the only thing I’m worried about.”

When Mebuki said “that”, only one person popped into Tsugumi’s mind.

“Ah, I see, there’s that guy Yukitaka. …Ah-, don’t tell me, this ‘little favor’ is…”

“Hahaha, thank goodness you’re quick-witted. I need you to keep an eye on that Amari bastard to make sure he doesn’t mess with the kid. Will you help me?”

“It’s not fair, I can’t say no to your wish. …Well, I’ll do the best I can. Don’t expect too much.”

“Mm-hmm. I’m just happy to get a good response. I know it’s short notice, but I’m going to start school the Monday after next, so please do me this favor. –And I’ve seen her picture, and she’s pretty cute. I guess in a way it’s a perk, isn’t it?”

At the word “cute”, Tsugumi’s shoulders rose. It was an important piece of information that influenced motivation in holding on to troublesome matters.

“Heh, I guess her face looks like yours, Senpai?”

“Maybe our eyes are similar. I don’t think she is good at sports because she looks like she has a thin body. The only thing that worries me a little is that she looks pretty calm in the photo.”

–School life with a girl who looked like a mature Mebuki-senpai. It might not be that bad.

As Tsugumi was thinking this in his mind, he heard a knock at the door. A middle-aged man in a suit bowed and entered the room.

“Mebuki-san. There is a visitor here whom I was informed of in advance.”

“Ah, he’s finally arrived. You may let him through.”

“Understood. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Watching the man’s back as he left the room, Tsugumi asked Mebuki.

“Do you have other appointments? If I’m interrupting anything, I’ll leave you alone.”

Since it was the busy Mebuki. After her appointment with Tsugumi, she might have made plans to meet with someone else here. When he told her that with good intentions, she slowly shook her head.

“No, that’s kind of a problem. It’s more accurate to say that he’s Tsugumi-kun’s guest, instead of mine.”

“My guest?”

He twisted his neck as he said that, but he couldn’t imagine it at all.

–Maybe the distantly related girl she was talking about earlier comes to show her face? His senior liked to surprise people, so that might be possible.

As Tsugumi waited with excitement, the door to the private room opened with a knock. When he saw the face of the person who came through the door, he involuntarily clamped his right hand over his mouth.

“…You’ve booked a very troublesome place. I almost lost my way.”

“I’m sorry. The hydrangeas are so beautiful this time of year that I really want you to see the gardens here once. If I don’t do this, Higoromo-san won’t leave the lab, right? Everyone is worried.”

Mebuki replied bluntly to the man who frowned, without taking offense.

…They seemed to be on a good term as far as he was concerned, but it wasn’t the issue. Mebuki called this man “Higoromo”. There was only one person associated with that name.

–Higoromo Yuki. He was a well-known researcher who had done extensive research on Magical Girls’ activities and ecological theory, as well as on the efficiency of magical nuclei in converting energy. He was so busy that he rarely appeared in the media, but even Tsugumi knew his face. But why would such a person be here?

As Tsugumi stared at them in stunned amazement, Higoromo, noticing his presence, approached and smiled gently.

“Oh, so you’re that ‘Nanase Tsugumi’. I’m sure you’ve heard about me from Mebuki, I’m looking forward to working with you today.”

He looked alternately at the right hand offered to him and at Mebuki, who was smiling beside him. He had heard about Higoromo when he met Mebuki before, but he had never imagined that he would be brought together with her so suddenly.

–It’s a little too poor a quality for a surprise, isn’t it?

With that thought in mind, Tsugumi shook Higoromo’s right hand. Since it already happened, it couldn’t be helped.

“Um, it’s nice to meet you too, Higoromo-san.”

When he replied with a twitchy smile, Higoromo’s eyes narrowed, as if he had seen something unusual.

–It was as if he was looking at someone else through him.