Murder Anniversary and the Reverse Memorial

by Mizuki Mizushiro

  Gradually, however, the sun set, and by the time that the sounds of singers and taiko drums could be heard, they had stopped drawing much attention thanks to the dim light.

  “Oh…it’s more crowded than I was expecting!”

  Thanks to the abundance of land available out in the countryside, the junior high school where the festival was being held had a spacious campus. Centered on a high wooden stage in the middle of the grounds, the space was decorated with a great number of hanging paper lanterns, and the twilight was tinged orange by their light. Around the stage stood a multitude of street stalls—yakisoba, fried chicken, grilled corn, buttered potatoes, ring toss, yo-yo fishing, goldfish scooping, and many others. People were lined up at the crowded booths.

  Basara turned back to look at the rest of the group, the crowds coming and going at his back. “Well, how do you want to go around? Seven is a lot of people, so let’s split into two groups—”

  “Amazing, amazing! What is this? It’s amaaaaaazing!” Renko shouted with joy and grabbed Kyousuke’s hand. “Doesn’t this look so ridiculously fun? Let’s get in there right away, Kyousuke!!”

  “Wah?! Hey, don’t pull—”

  “Look, look, we’re going to miss it!! Hurry, hurry, big brother!” Ayaka grabbed his other hand without a moment’s delay, and together they slipped past Basara’s side.

  “Ah, wait up!!” Eiri shouted and followed the three of them as they rushed headlong toward the stalls.

  “……”

  After Basara had watched the four of them disappear into the distance, he turned back to face whoever remained, putting a finger to his twitching cheek as he smiled. “Ah, okay. We split up just fine, then, ha-ha… Is it all right if I go off on my own?”

  “…Yes. I don’t mind, big brother Basara,” Kagura agreed with a serious look. “Because I will also act on my own. I have no desire to go around with the two of you.”

  “Huh? What’s this now? There was no point in coming together, then…”

  Leaving the stunned Busujima behind, Basara and Kagura each began walking in a different direction.

  “Well, I was planning all along to walk around by myself, anyway!” Kagura huffed. “Who would want to circulate around the booths with those girls…? Hmph, how stupid!”

  “I can’t believe he’s been completely carried away by them,” Basara added. “Well, then, there’s nothing to do but seduce a girl! Kyousuke, watch thiiiiiis!!”

  “…I guess I’ll drink some beer.”

  Following Kagura and Basara, Busujima headed into the festival grounds, where happy voices and cheerful laughter mixed with music playing from a boom box and the sound of taiko drums.

  “Kyousuke, Kyousuke! What’s that?”

  “It’s cotton candy. Being sold in mascot character–decorated bags.”

  “Ohh. And what’s that food that looks like a ruby?”

  “Those are candy apples. You coat a raw apple in sugar and—”

  “Whaaat?! Look, look, they’re selling some kind of obscene things!!”

  “…Those are hot dogs. They’re not obscene at all.”

  “Ahh, over there, too!! There are lots of dark, thick things!”

  “Chocolate bananas. I told you not to talk weird.”

  “Hey, Kyousuke…doesn’t it smell a little bit like squid?”

  “It’s because they’re cooking it right in front of you! That last one was a joke, wasn’t it…?”

  Kyousuke laughed sarcastically as Renko pointed out absolutely everything that she laid her eyes on, as if it were the first time in her life that she had ever come to a festival like this. She was completely conspicuous as always, but, as if people thought that Renko’s gas mask was one of the types of masks being sold at the stalls, she didn’t seem too out of place.

  “…So what do you want to eat?” Kyousuke asked Renko, who had grabbed his arm and was sticking to him. “If there’s something that catches your eye, don’t hold back—”

  “She can’t eat anything, big brother,” Ayaka reminded him, pulling on his sleeve from the opposite side.

  He stared at the gas mask that Renko always wore. “Ah, that’s right…sorry. Well, do you want something to drink? Or we could play ring toss or targets or something, too. We came all the way here, so let’s enjoy ourselves!”

  “We can’t, though, big brother. Right now, we don’t have any money, do we?”

  “…Ah.”

  That was right. No matter what they might want to do at the stalls, they were unfortunately penniless. That meant that they could do nothing but look on enviously…

  “Lick, lick.”

  “…Hey. What’s that?”

  Contrary to expectations, Eiri was licking a red candy on a stick.

  Eiri looked at him as if to say, You don’t know?

  “What do you mean ‘what’? It’s a candy apple.”

  “Did you steal it?!”

  “…Huh? I did nothing of the sort.”

  “Well, then, what? Did you beg it off the person running the stall?! No matter how pretty you are, behavior like that—”

  “Here.” Cutting off Kyousuke’s rant, Eiri handed him a purse. “…Money. Mother said, ‘Use it as you please.’ There’s five hundred bucks in all. I bought a candy apple, so there’s four hundred ninety-seven dollars left.”

  “Uh.”

  …Five hundred? That’s way more than enough to eat and drink at the stalls.

  As Kyousuke stared, surprised, Ayaka took the purse with a smile.

  “Wow, thank yooou! Heh-heh-heh…but is it really okay?”

  “Yeah. It’s pocket change,” Eiri answered nonchalantly. “Spend it however you like.” She continued licking her candy apple.

  “So loaded…,” Ayaka said with eyes sparkling and gripped the purse.

  Kyousuke, in mute amazement at the Akabane family’s attitude toward money, bowed his head in gratitude. “Thank you, Mistress Eiri.”

  “Don’t call me that. Anyway, how about thanking my mother?”

  “Thanks to both of you! Because of this, we can really enjoy the Bon dance festival. I love you, Eiri! I’m in love with yooouuu! Kksshh.”

  “Wait…don’t hang on me, you’re so annoying!!” Tearing off the clinging Renko, Eiri clicked her tongue. “…Tch.” She licked her candy apple again as if to collect herself. “…First of all, why don’t you all buy something, too?”

  “Mm. That’s right—”

  “Hey, hey.” Renko pulled at Kyousuke’s sleeve as he looked around the area. “Kyousuke, what’s that?” She pointed at a shallow tub of water standing on the ground. In front of the tub, two children in yukata squatted, peering into the water, struggling intently with something unseen.

  “…Ah, that’s goldfish scooping. It’s a game where you compete to see who can catch the most goldfish using paper that is easily torn when it gets wet.”

  “Hmm? Doesn’t that seem fun? I want to try it!”

  “Oh, all right. Ayaka, what about you…? Uh, what?”

  When Kyousuke looked away from Renko, Ayaka had disappeared. She was holding on to the purse, so without her they couldn’t even get some goldfish. While Kyousuke looked around restlessly, searching for his missing sister, Ayaka returned, half jogging.

  “Sorry I kept you waiting!” In each hand she gripped a long, thin glass bottle filled with blue liquid. Holding them up on either side of her face, Ayaka grinned. “Speaking of food stalls, we’ve got to have these. Here you go!”

  “O-oh…thanks.”

  “…Thank you.”

  “What is this stuff?” Renko curiously scrutinized the bottle that Ayaka had handed her. She held the dripping glass up to the lantern light, peering through it inquisitively. “Umm, it’s a drink…I think? Carbonated? It’s got a funny shape, though. It’s super narrow! What is this stuff, Ayaka?”

  “It’s Ramune.”

  “…Ramune?”

  “Oui. It’s a drink that they typically have at festivals.” />
  “Ohh? Well, then, let’s hurry up and…uh, huh? Where do you drink from?”

  “It opens like this. Watch closely!”

  Kyousuke demonstrated for a perplexed Renko, whose straw tube was already prepared. Peeling off the wrapping paper, he lined up the convex opening tool with the mouth of the bottle and pushed it in all at once.

  Clink! With a pleasant sound, the marble that had been plugging the mouth fell, and the drink bubbled with carbonation.

  “Kksshh?!” Renko threw her head back. “Wha? Something came out! …A crystal?”

  “A glass marble. It’s pretty, right?”

  “Yeah, very pretty… How cool. I want to try it, too!” Enthusiastically, Renko set about opening her own Ramune. Copying what she had seen, she tore off the wrapping paper and lined up the opening tool with the mouth of the bottle.

  “Waaahhhhhh?!” The moment that she pushed on it, vigorous bubbles gushed out and overflowed. Now dripping with the bottle’s contents, Renko was visibly shaken. “Wh-wwwwh-what the hell happened?! It exploded!! Only mine exploded!! Waaahhh…help meee!”

  “Oh no. I had a feeling that might happen…”

  “Tee-hee. It’s no good if you don’t push it in right—”

  “Kyah?!”

  “You too, Eiri?!”

  “J-just die…”

  Her hand sticky with Ramune, Eiri glared at the bottle where it had fallen on the ground. It seemed that she had been startled when she opened it, and she had taken her hand off the top without thinking.

  Ayaka picked up the bottle and frowned.

  “Oh, the mouth of the bottle got dirty, didn’t it? Want me to go buy you a new one?”

  “…It’s fine. I’ll go by myself.”

  “Don’t worry about it! Kksshh.”

  “I don’t want to hear it from you.”

  “Ha-ha-ha. Well, if you’re not used to it, it can’t be helped. Hey, Eiri, is it also your first time to a Bon dance?”

  “It’s my—” Eiri broke off and hesitated briefly, as if she was thinking about something. “…My second time. But it almost seems like my first time.” Taking her Ramune from Ayaka’s hand, she turned on her heel and walked off.

  “Ah—hey, where are you going?”

  “I’m going to throw out the bottle… Why don’t you guys go ahead and do goldfish scooping? We’ve got plenty of ponds at home, so it’s no problem if you catch a lot.”

  “Okay!”

  Squatting before the tub of water, Renko gave a shout and brandished her weapon. The plastic frame dipped energetically into the water, slipped past the pop-eyed goldfish, and jumped back out again.

  It sent up a sheet of water, prompting Ayaka, who was squatting next to Renko, to yelp, “Cold!!” and leap aside.

  “…Huh? It broke already?”

  “Of course it did. Why are you going in suddenly at full swing…? It broke the second it hit the water!”

  There was an enormous hole in the paper on Renko’s scoop. Wiping her wet face with her yukata sleeve, Ayaka readied her own paddle.

  “Okay, Renko. Goldfish scooping is a game that demands delicate skill. The first thing is to choose your target. Aim for a stupid one that’s swimming aimlessly near the surface. They can escape if you try to scoop them from behind, so it’s better to scoop from the front. Then move the frame, paying attention to how much water pressure you put on it, and quickly scoop it up…like this!”

  —Slip. The goldfish slid across the top of the paper and escaped the scoop.

  After standing there for several seconds, Ayaka broke into an embarrassed grin. “H-huh…that’s strange! It’s been a long time since I did this, so maybe my skills have dulled. Well, then, let’s go again…ehh!”

  —Slide. She aimed for the same goldfish, and again it escaped.

  All expression disappeared from Ayaka’s face as she stared at the fish.

  “……”

  She tried again and again, silently wielding her scoop. However, she didn’t catch a thing. As she grew visibly annoyed, Ayaka’s approach grew more forceful with each attempt until—

  “Ah?!”

  Finally the paper broke.

  As she looked back and forth between the now-useless frame and the gracefully swimming red goldfish, Ayaka’s eyes grew dark. The next instant, she burst into a flurry of motion.

  “Okay, mister goldfish. Playtime is oveeeeeer!!”

  Ayaka thrust the frame with its broken paper into the water. Taking aim at the goldfish that had escaped her time and again, she swung the frame side to side.

  “Yeeeah, I caught you! Tee-hee…”

  Pinching the goldfish between the side of the water tub and the frame, she slowly lifted it up and, after letting the forcibly elevated goldfish gasp plenty in the air, she dropped the weakened animal into a bowl. The pitiful goldfish floated feebly in the water.

  “—So you scoop them sort of like that! Understand?”

  “Yeah. I understand that you’re not delicate at all.”

  “…Goldfish are alive, you know! You shouldn’t be so cruel…”

  “Pressing them against the wall is prohibited, miss. Though you’re cute, so I’ll let it slide.”

  “Hee-hee-hee. Sorryyy.” Ayaka stuck her tongue out at the middle-aged stall keeper’s warning.

  Admonishing his sister not to make too much trouble, Kyousuke passed a ten-dollar bill to the shopkeeper. “Take this, please. And if you don’t mind, would you let them each try once more?”

  “You got it. Won’t you give it a try, too, son?”

  “No, I’m fine… I’m having plenty of fun just watching.”

  Kyousuke, whose fingers were devastatingly awkward, hated goldfish scooping.

  “Fnkksshh! I’ll catch the next one,” Renko boasted, taking a new scoop from the stall keeper. “I’ll show you I’m serious!”

  “Tee-hee. I’m finally getting warmed up, too! I’m going to catch plenty of goldfish, even more than I would if I used the surefire method of scooping them against the wall.” Wearing a faint, wicked smile, Ayaka also readied her new paper and frame.

  The girls immersed themselves in goldfish scooping for a while.

  Renko, despite her earlier difficulties, seemed to immediately get the hang of it, and by the time she received her third frame, she was able to scoop the goldfish up with agility.

  Ayaka, on the other hand, couldn’t scoop one no matter how much time passed—every one escaped her. After several attempts, she completely abandoned all legitimate methods of pursuit and switched to cheating.

  She tried hitting the fish with the frame, scooping up fish and water alike with a bowl, weakening the fish by poking them with the handle of the scoop, and finally catching them with her hands when the stall keeper wasn’t looking.

  Kyousuke stood behind the two of them and watched them clamor excitedly.

  Before his eyes—

  “…Here, I’ll give you one.”

  Yakisoba appeared, courtesy of Eiri. Besides the yakisoba, she was holding takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and a hot dog. He had thought that she had been awfully slow coming back, but it seemed she had made some stops along the way.

  “Oh, thank you. I just got hungry, too…but, Eiri, what did you do about money?”

  “I kept just a hundred dollars. It would be careless to have one person hold the whole amount, right?”

  “Ah, I see… You pay attention to the fine details, don’t you?”

  “Not really.” Eiri turned her face away nonchalantly, looking down at Renko and Ayaka. “…Have they been scooping goldfish this whole time?”

  The two of them were completely absorbed in chasing goldfish and hadn’t even realized that Eiri had returned.

  Breaking his chopsticks apart with his teeth, Kyousuke nodded. “Yep. They’re on about their fifth turn. Why don’t you give it a try?”

  “…Nah. I’m not interested,” Eiri answered bluntly and stuffed her cheeks with takoyaki.

  Kyousuke also slurped
up some yakisoba. Delicious. The fragrance of the sauce and the sweetness of the vegetables, the savory flavor of the meat, topped with the accent of the seaweed—all the elements were in perfect harmony.

  They had eaten so many delicious things in the past couple of days that the thought of returning to the academy was heartbreaking. All the food there is terrible…

  “There’s something strange about this,” Kyousuke mumbled to himself.

  Eiri frowned at him and returned the hot dog she had been about to eat back to its packaging. “…What is it?”

  “Doing things like this, with all of you, in such a normal place.”

  “Ah, that’s right… To you, this is normal, isn’t it?” Eiri whispered, turning to look at their surroundings.

  The people coming and going, parents with children, smiling boys, happy couples, men and women of all ages dancing around the wooden stage, clusters of paper lanterns glowing orange. And—

  “…………”

  Eiri’s eyes stopped on the shadow of the school building standing dark in the background of the festival. It was not a facility like Purgatorium Remedial Academy but a proper school—the kind that children of decent families would attend. To Eiri, who had been born into the criminal underworld, was raised there, and lived there still, this was especially strange—a wholly unfamiliar world. Kyousuke wondered what Eiri was thinking as she stared intently at the school building…

  “Ah, Eiri!”

  Renko’s voice brought Kyousuke back to his senses, and he realized that he had been unintentionally staring at Eiri’s profile.

  “…Hm.” Eiri also seemed to snap back to reality.

  “When did you get back? And you bought all kinds of things on the sly! How nice, it looks delicious. I want to eat, too…but I can’t!” Renko noticed the hot dog and okonomiyaki and stamped her feet in frustration.

  “Ah-ha!” Ayaka also shouted and pointed at Eiri. “Eiri, you’re slick! To get so many delicious-looking things—”

  “Here.” Eiri held out the okonomiyaki to Ayaka, who had stood up to protest. It seemed that she had neatly prepared it, complete with wooden chopsticks, for her junior. “…No way was I planning to eat it all by myself! You looked busy with goldfish scooping, so I just bought enough for everybody.”