CH 35

Main Story 35

It has now entered into the rainy season. Rain has been falling so often lately that I have not been able to hang my laundry out to dry outside. I have not been able to air the futon out either.  But I do not dislike this season. I enjoy watching the rain falling from the windows, and listening to the sound of the raindrops hitting the window as they fall.

To prepare for the rainy season, I had picked and dried a considerable amount of bamboo skin. In exchange of storing them in the landlady’s place, I also picked her share of the bamboo skin. With this, I have made the preparations for my onigiri wrappers until next year.

There was only one month left til my scheduled departure from Hanaoka Town. I wonder where I shall hereby procure my supply of bamboo skin.

I had applied for a room in the dormitory provided by the academy, and they allotted me a room in a mansion owned by the academy, though of course a soundproof room for the piano was not included in it.

When I touched upon the subject of a piano, they told me that if I were to enter into a competition and win, it is possible for me to be admitted as a piano scholarship student. In which case, they can provide me accommodation with a soundproof room attached.

As such, it was promptly decided that I will enter into one of the most prestigious student competitions in the country. My recommendation letter was procured using Youko-sama’s connections and what do you know, it turned out that Shiroyama Mihael Madoka-sama’s father was one of the referrals. Furthermore, Shiroyama-sama himself, who had been the runner up at an international competition held early in the same year, was also participating in this particular student competition. As such, the competition itself has already garnered much attention. Tickets for the final round was already sold out. Speaking of, I and Shiroyama-sama entered the competition after the deadline had past. Although it reeks of injustice, there were exceptions that can be made in the application clause.

I see, there must have been multiple of such cases in the past too.

Was I to fail to place in the competition, the room I will get would be one without soundproofing. In which case I plan to rent a piano with a muting mechanism worked in, so there was actually not much of a problem. I would like to try playing one sometime in the near future.

I placed first in the preliminary round held the day before yesterday and was able to pass. Shiroyama-sama skipped the preliminaries and headed straight to the final round. Unfortunately, in this competition, so long as you were a student you can compete even if you were already a professional. I should have participated in a competition with professionals banned instead.

The final round is scheduled to be held a month from now, and I plan on passing that time without chancing a meeting with Shiroyama-sama. I just simply do not wish to see him.

“Rei-chan, good morning.”

“Sara-chan, good morning.”

I saw Sara-chan as soon as I entered the school gates. It appears that Souju-sama was not coming today due to sleeping in late.

“He was working until morning came. It is probably something related to Kaname-niisama.”

“Goodness! So it was time for the super hacker to shine! How wonderful. I admire him so.”

“I really don’t understand your preferences.”

“Huh? Sou-kun’s really attractive, is he not? His face too, but above all, he’s a super hacker. Do you not have someone you’re partial to?”

Sara-sama put a finger to her chin and appeared to be considering it.

“Kaname-niisama, I suppose. He is the most similar to my ideal image of how a man should be.”

“That sure is so! Takaoka-sama is perfect.”

“Isn’t he?”

While the two of us were engaging in this animated conversion, from behind us came a loud voice calling out to me by name. As I recognized who the voice belonged to, I turned around though reluctantly.

“I will crush you in the upcoming competition!”

It was the Shiroyama-sama I had so dreaded meeting.

“Good morning.”

First, let’s greet him with a smile. A greeting costs me nothing.

“I have repeated this multiple times already but, you should try to improve against yourself instead of defeating or crushing me. I, too, will perform facing my own self.”

“Just you watch!”

And pointing his finger at me, he left. Every time we meet, I think to myself that he comes and goes like a storm.

“Sara-chan, was Shiroyama-sama truly a calm individual?”

“Yes. He was truly someone who seemed to space out a lot. So much that he would not even notice were a pigeon to land on his head. I myself have seen it happen twice. I don’t know why but he had a pigeon perched on his head.”

A pigeon perched on his head?

“He’s much too absentminded that even with such beauty he is actually not very popular. But currently his popularity has been soaring rapidly. It appears to be the complimenting effect of a fighting spirit burning on such a face.”

“My, so I had a part in it. He never gets sick of saying the same thing so it is bothersome to me.”

That’s right, Shiroyama-sama was bothersome. He would spout things such as “I’ll win and you’ll see” or “No way I will lose”, how noisy. Thanks to him, the other students have been looking at me strangely as of late. Especially Sakurada Yuria-sama.

“Hey, Kujouin……san, can I have a moment?”

“What is it, Sakurada Yuria?”

“It is nothing concerning you, Sara-sama.”

“How brazen you are.”

Sara-sama is unforgiving towards Sakurada Yuria-sama. She had never liked her to begin with, but it seems that that dislike has only further deepened owing to matters concerning myself.

“Sakurada-sama, do you have any business with me?”

I boldly addressed her. Just because I was penniless did not mean that I will adopt an attitude of servility. Still, I maintain proper conduct.

“You, are you competing in the same piano competition Mihael-sama is also participating in? In the game’s event, he wins the competition and confesses to the heroine. But now the heroine has entered Takanashi-kun’s route. As a fellow transmigrator, you’ll cooperate so that Mihael-sama will confess to me instead, won’t you?”

My head started to hurt. I failed to understand her. Though I had acquired some knowledge through web novels, really I wonder what she, being in the real world, is saying.

I should not have gone along with Sakurada Yuria-sama’s delusions so light-heartedly. Having regarded her as one with Mari-sama’s case, it was conceited of me to think that if it was me, I would be able to do something about her. How presumptuous. Though I admit that I had done a truly foolish deed, it is now too late to have regrets.

Moreover, the event of Shiroyama-sama’s competition was not mentioned in the report I had received from Ichijou-sensei.

“I believe there was no such event. At the very least, I have no recollection of it. Shiroyama-sama is a runner up in an international competition held early this year. He has no incentive to participate in a national student competition. He one sidedly decided to view me as a rival and appear in this competition.”

Sakurada Yuria-sama’s face grew red and she raised her voice, saying,

“Wha-! I just recalled these memories recently! It’s not as if memories of your previous life come back to you all at once. You’re the same too, aren’t you!”

Ah, how troublesome. I can’t do this anymore.

“Was that not caused by the bug called the transmigrator Sakurada Yuria-sama?”

I was but answering her in a careless manner, but it seems that what I said pleased her. Her eyes shone and she began muttering things such as being able to achieve a reserve harem, or that her real aim was actually Kaoru-kun.

Sara-sama knitted her brows and frowned upon this decidedly abnormal behavior.

“Rei-chan, it looks as if further damages will only be incurred if she was to be left as is. And Souju is a capture target too, is he not?”

Sara-sama has a general idea about it as she had also read some web novels about transmigrating into otome games. Still, her contradictory delusions were truly frightening. I don’t really care much for Katsuragi-sama or Shiroyama-sama, but it’s a whole different case if it was about Souju-sama. He’s my precious friend.

“Although I believe that Sou-kun is not being targeted in any way, I won’t stand for anything hindering him!”

“Fufufu, you really do treasure Souju.”

“But of course. He’s my friend.”

We decided to relay to Ichijou-sensei the state Sakurada Yuria-sama is presently in. Afterschool that same day, Sara-sama and I went to the infirmary.

It has been a long time since we had last met Ichijou-sensei. Souju-sama had so arranged matters that we could avoid meeting him as much as possible.

When we entered into the infirmary, we found that Ichijou-sensei had prepared milk tea and some sweets. Ah, what a pleasant smell. I will gratefully partake in some. It was second flush assam tea. Sensei always prepare tea with quality tea leaves.

“How long has it been since I’ve last had a chat with you like this. Did something happen?”

I put my cup and saucer down and started relaying Sakurada Yuria-sama’s current state. Ichijou-sensei seemed to be at his wits’ end.

“I spoke with Yuria’s parents too, but it seems that the company was more important to them. We did get her checked at an acquaintance’s clinic, and she’s also receiving counseling. I am not supposed to say this due to confidentiality reasons but I must tell you the results we got. Yuria is not sick. They said that the cause was a desire to see oneself in such a way, or an escape from reality such as is often observed in youths in their adolescence. Since it is not an illness there is no name for it. ……. To put it simply, it’s chuunibyou[1].”

Chuu-nibyou?

“Sensei, pardon me for asking but what is a chuunibyou?”

Seeing Ichijou-sensei’s troubled expression, I decided to look it up on the phone with Sara-sama.

After reading, we were both quite done with it all.

“It says here that it will get better once the time comes. Is that how you see it, Sensei?”

Sensei nodded with an apologetic look.

“Rei-chan has fallen victim already! How can you say such an easygoing thing like that? Chuunibyou? If so, what should be done is to make her aware of reality immediately!”

“It is indeed as you said, everything was but an empty fantasy to us. Yuria probably thinks that the adults who would not believe her can never understand. In this regard, Kujouin-san might be the one she trusts most.”

Ah, I had dug my own grave.

“Sara-chan, I will protect Sou-kun! I must reap what I have sown. I will do something about it somehow.”

Or so I say. When in fact I have no inkling of how to deal with the situation.

Translator’s Note:

[1]Chuunibyou is a Japanese colloquial term typically used to describe early teens who have grandiose delusions, who desperately want to stand out, and who have convinced themselves that they have hidden knowledge or secret powers. (Quoted from wikipedia)