Episode 104: Days of Darkness

Let me summarize what happened.

First, a new chemistry teacher appeared.

His name was Mr. Soga Taketo.

He had a wealth of stories and all sorts of ideas, the kind of guy you'd call "a capable man."

His slightly tousled hair was stylish, and he had sharp, well-defined features.

He was 22 years old.

Though he had just graduated from university, he carried himself with such composure that it was hard to believe he was so young.

It was a time when recommendation admissions were just around the corner.

Love, he thought, wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

Rein was a composed girl.

She knew her future was being watched with high expectations.

Even her adoptive grandfather had once said, “A kite gives birth to an eagle.”

She had lived her life, brick by brick, building step by step.

Teacher and student, of all things.

I thought such things only happened in dramas.

As if doing so were a natural right.

As if it were simply what they were meant to be.

He appeared beside Rinon.

Kogata Kaito, I thought, was a very skilled teacher when it came to kissing.

▼

Let’s recall what happened, once more.

It was on a certain day.

Kogata-sensei brought up the topic of a girl nicknamed “Haku.”

"That girl, she's usually quiet, but she's actually a very smart girl."

She wasn't the type to stand out.

She was always hunched in the corner of the classroom, reading books. That kind of student.

"But studying, I'm better than her..."

"True, she doesn't show talent in that kind of area. But compared to girls her age, she's remarkably perceptive."

Mr. Soga spoke in a tone somewhat like he was praising his younger sister.

It was just an ordinary conversation. Mr. Soga surely hadn't intended any deeper meaning behind his words.

And yet...

Why did a hazy spark of jealousy flicker in Rinne's heart?

Up until then, the teacher had praised her in countless ways.

She had never, not even once, been told she was "clever" or "sharp-minded" like that.

Perhaps it was just because she was still inexperienced... maybe it was nothing more than that.

But for some reason, at that moment, she couldn't bear it when Miss Soga praised another girl.

—It was as if she had been possessed by a demon.

It was just a chance occurrence—she had been entrusted with the math test papers.

Her answer sheet had just happened to catch her eye.

Why did I do something like that back then...?

It was autumn of third year in high school—the crucial time, supposed to be.

"Haku" was supposed to be preparing for university entrance exams, after all.

And yet...

Before she knew it, Rinne had quietly slipped "Haku's" answer sheet into the nearby trash can.

▼

What happened afterward... I don't even want to remember.

There was a small commotion.

It turned out there was no other explanation but that someone had stolen it, based on the circumstances.

Surprisingly, I wasn't suspected much at all—proof that I was trusted by both my classmates and teachers. People probably thought, 'Even if anyone else tried something dishonest, Rinne would never...'—that's apparently how they saw me.

It was actually the other students who were suspected.

There were plenty of students who had targeted "Haku" with teasing. After all, she stood out quite noticeably—being shy wasn't a crime, but keeping herself so distant from others inevitably drew attention. In a classroom community, such students were nothing short of a splinter stuck between one's teeth.

"Haku" ended up having to take a retake.

Just before the exam—when there was no time to think about anything unnecessary.

For a while after that, Rinon shut out information from the outside world.

Examination prep was perfect for escaping reality.

But.

Two months later, on a certain day,

she happened to hear from a classmate that—ultimately, "Haku" had managed to avoid the makeup exam.

Apparently, they'd found their answer sheet on their own.

A chill ran down her spine.

"Haku" had known all along. That he had thrown away her answer sheet. There was no other explanation. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been impossible to find.

She had been watching all along.

The sight of myself, pretending to be a model student, lying effortlessly in front of everyone.

▼

Exams, and so on.

University, and the like.

It now feels like an event from a dream seen long ago.

It's not hard to imagine how "Haku" sees me.

One of those who harbored ill will toward me.

One of those who inflicted humiliation upon me.

What cruel acts might such a person commit in a world like this?

I thought I'd lived by doing only what I believed to be right, as much as possible.

But Rinne had almost no resistance to retaliation justified by legitimate reasons.

If "Haku" seeks revenge... how would I respond?

Even if that happens, will I still be able to remain the "big sister" everyone wants?

"Hello hello!"

The sound of knocking on the door.

It's "Haku."

"We're about to leave, so get ready."

"...Yeah."

My voice sounded hoarse, even to myself.

"May I come in?"

"...Go ahead."

Then "Haku" stepped inside, forcing a strained, unnatural smile onto their face.

"Such a neat room—really the model student vibe."

"...Thanks."

Muttering, they pulled out a travel suitcase.

"This is the last day we'll be together here."

"I don't know. If the world becomes peaceful, I might come back to live here."

"Who knows."

"Then we could all go to school together again."

"Don't be silly. We're actually supposed to have graduated already."

"Yeah... Now that you mention it, I guess I was still just pretending to be a high school girl in my heart."

She's a carefree girl.

Well, I haven't even received my graduation certificate, so I guess I'm still barely a high school girl, right?

Indeed

Giggling cutely, "Haku" laughed.

"Oh, right, I should mention this before I forget. The 'that thing' you were talking about yesterday—was it the incident where Rinne-chan threw away my answer sheet?"

Caught off guard as if by chance, Rinne looks away.

"Guess you noticed after all."

"Of course. Given the circumstances, it couldn’t have been anyone but you, Rinne-san. And figuring out where the answer sheet was thrown—just by mapping the route from the classroom to the staff room—wasn’t exactly difficult."

As he says this, Haku puffs out his chest like a detective.

"Well, if that's the case, then there's no need to worry. It's totally fine now. I only just remembered myself, after all."

"…I don't know about that."

"Come on, if you act like a model student every single day, it's only natural you'd get frustrated and want to pull a prank once in a while."

His kind words make me instinctively look down.

"Besides, it's just a test, isn't it? Doesn't really matter, does it?"

"It's not just a test. It's the one you took before the entrance exam, right?...Didn't it make you feel queasy too?"

"Well, to me, it felt just like any other test."

Then, Hak gave a wry smile and said,

"I didn't take the college entrance exam."

"…What? Why not?"

Yakagakou High was a fairly decent prep school. It was rare to find a student who didn't go on to college.

"I didn't have the money to do that, and after graduation, I planned to just relax for a while and then get a随便 job."

He stared, mouth agape.

"...You're lucky your parents allowed that."

"I'm an orphan, after all."

A string of information I'd never heard before.

"Wait—you're not by any chance from one of those pitiful families?"

"Those aren't exactly rare these days, are they?"

That might be true, but...

And one more thing. At our "Sakagahara High School," due to prolonged evacuation living, we are currently implementing preventive measures against economy class syndrome under the guidance of Ms. Suzuki Asaka.

"What do you mean by that?"

There's plenty of work that needs to be done.

Mr. Suzuki Asaka.

Wasn't it the gym teacher who spoke Kansai dialect?

"Maybe we could start by turning over the land inside the school building and trying farming. If that’s not appealing, there’s always the job of mending frayed clothing. Someone would also be needed to look after children under elementary school age. Oh, and I think Rika-chan mentioned that there aren’t enough hands for cooking. Of course, if anyone wishes, joining the supply procurement team is perfectly fine too."

"I see, that makes sense."

"Well, that's just how it is. Please forget about the past completely, and I hope you can start looking ahead a little more, Rinne."

"...Hmph."

To her dismay, she was beginning to realize she was, in fact, starting to become more positive.

"Hey! Rinne! Come on, we're leaving soon! Grandpa's already on the bus!"

Outside the bicycle shop, her grandfather—slightly more energetic than before—was calling out.

"Then let's go."

...Yeah.

The dim days were about to come to an end.