Hiyori’s expressionless face bore down upon mine.
“No, I mean…Huh?! I mean, not a problem, but…what is this, this…thing?”
I could understand a key chain with some kind of fruity scent. This…well, all I could assume was that some manufacturer tried something a little funky with the idea. Emphasis on funky.
“It’s a Benishake-chan strap. I figured, you know, you’d probably like that kinda stuff?”
“No, uh, I mean, why would I ever…? I mean, when did I ever act like I would’ve, even?!”
“I just thought…like, you’d probably like that smell, you know?”
Hiyori’s gaze beat down upon me as she emitted a short, nasal chuckle. Ugh. She’s just harassing me now. Still, somehow, the joy at receiving the present won out in my mind.
“Nggg…gghh…Well, thank you very much…”
I had no way to fight her.
Hiyori, watching me wriggle pathetically under her gaze, chuckled again.
“Okay, uh, how about we head home…? We’re kind of short on time.”
“Oh. Yeah. So, like, we just take this road down until—”
Hiyori placed one foot forward, ready to dive headlong through the labyrinthine streets once again, but something made her freeze.
Glancing at her feet, I found that the criminal accosting the self-centered Hiyori was a black cat.
I couldn’t say where it came from, but the moment I spotted it, it rubbed its head against her leg, purring.
“Oh, wow, a cat. Guess it really likes you, Hiyori.”
After the show of affection, the well-groomed feline walked off a short distance, paused, and continued on into a narrow alleyway.
“Oop, there he goes. Wish I coulda gotten to pet ’im at least, huh, Hiyo—”
“I want that cat…!”
Hiyori’s face went flush—even more than it did upon meeting Konoha yesterday—as her breathing quickened.
“What did you…?”
“We’re chasing him down, Hibiya!”
She half-shouted the words at me as she flung herself into the alleyway after her new desire.
My mind came up with a litany of snappy retorts, but I nonetheless basked in the glory of being called by name as I followed behind.
We pushed our way past the steel garbage cans lined up next to each entryway, thundering our way up a small, moss-ridden set of stairs, before finding ourselves in the middle of a wide, crowded boulevard.
“Whoa…I, I don’t think we’re gonna find ’im now, Hiyori…”
“No. I saw his tail just a sec ago. Over here.”
Hiyori darted to the left, all but sprinting down the street.
The idea of storming down such a packed street without even flinching filled me with abject wonder.
And thanks to me running in her empty wake, I didn’t have to dodge anyone as we coursed down the boulevard sidewalk.
“Huff…huff…There! Over there!!”
The next corner Hiyori took on a dime brought her steamrolling toward a children’s outdoor park, one mostly dominated by playground equipment.
I dove in behind her, and there it was—the same black cat, seated behind one of the metal poles holding up a light blue swing set.
“Got ’im!”
The elation was clear in her voice as she edged closer and closer to her prey.
“Hee-hee-hee…Who’s a good kitty, hmmm? Just sit tight and let me pet every inch of your body…”
Edging closer, breathing heavily from her nostrils, Hiyori emitted an aura that, if I were a cat, would make me flee at maximum speed.
But this cat stayed put, not betraying any discomfort as it blithely gazed at this advancing cat burglar.
I was marveling at how unexpected its reaction was when, suddenly, I noticed something that made my spine freeze solid.
The eyes of the cat as it stared Hiyori down were blazing a crimson red, like perfect marbles of liquid blood.
Hiyori must not have noticed.
From my point of view, this bizarre animal was attracting her to it, possessing her with its spirit. I sensed a primal danger.
“H-Hiyori! Wait a sec! There’s something wrong with that cat!”
“Wh-what?!”
Hiyori looked back in surprise at my instinctual yelp. The cat turned toward me and paused, as if about to say something, and then it darted off somewhere.
“Aaahhhh!! Look at that! Look! He got away!”
Turning her eyes back, Hiyori noticed the fleeing cat. It must have made her pretty sore, because now she was marching right in my direction.
“N-no, I, uh, that cat was acting kind of weird, you know? So I…I was just worried, so…”
“I didn’t ask you! I don’t need you, like, worrying about me at all! That’s even worse!”
Her eyes remained fixed upon mine as she spat out the words, her voice rising with her anger level.
“I can’t even rely on you for, like, anything! I wish I had Konoha worrying about me instead! And why have you been acting like such a mopey idiot the past two days?! Are you, like, stupid or something?!”
This economy-size barrage of abuse was enough to make even my blood pressure rise.
I knew it was selfish of me to feel that way, but there had to be such a thing as too much sooner or later.
“Am I stupid…? I mean, why…Why don’t you understand me at all?! It’s not like I’m moping around because I want to…”
“Oh, really? Well it sure looked like you were to me, okay? So, like, why are you, then?”
“Because…”
I knew it all too well by now. Hiyori could make me shut up with a single look. And here it was now. Happening again.
And now that I thought about it, had I ever managed to take what I had in mind and put it perfectly into words before?
I didn’t think so. And if I ever did speak those words, I couldn’t guess what would happen.
My mind went blank. I felt a pain in my chest, my ears ringing.
“Because what…?”
“Because I…Hiyori, I want to…”
“Wait, stop that…”
“Ever since I met you…!”
“No, like, seriously, stop!”
The sound of Hiyori’s scream ferried me back to reality.
I reluctantly returned her gaze, only to find Hiyori about ready to cry.
As if on cue, the insects in the trees around us began to chitter and whine, the call of the cicadas sounding like a caustic insult directed straight at me.
The moment seemed to last an eternity, more than long enough to make me regret ever acting on the heat of the moment like this.
“You’re horrible.”
Once she finally deigned to let me hear her voice again, Hiyori stabbed me through the heart, more viciously than ever before.
“I, um…”
There was no way I could say anything else, but my stupid mouth still kept trying to form syllables on me.
“I’m going home. Don’t follow me.”
I turned to the side, no longer able to face her, and noticed a dead fly legs-up on the ground.
I wonder if he managed to bring across what he really felt to anyone. I wonder if I ever would.
The tears that unconsciously streamed down my cheek dripped down, one by one, forming little black splotches on the ground.
Just as nothing seemed to matter any longer, I heard Hiyori’s distant footsteps come to a halt.
“Uh…Since when were you here…?”
Judging by the tone of her voice, I could guess who she was directing it toward. It pained me to admit it, but it was a simple conclusion to make.
I raised my head upward to see Hiyori. There, next to the park gate, I saw Konoha. That, I expected. The way he was covered in sweat, I didn’t.
“Uh…Since a little bit ago. You guys weren’t around when I woke up, so…so I figured I’d better look for you…”
Konoha’s reply came in patchwork between br
eaths. It apparently startled Hiyori.
“…Did you hear us just now?”
Her voice was shaking. But Konoha, his expression enigmatic as always, kept the reply deadpan.
“Huh? Yeah, I did, but…”
The moment I heard it, I instantly imagined Hiyori fleeing in horror to points unknown.
Thanks to that, I had a head start on Hiyori the instant before she took off.
…What did I even want to do?
Did I want to make more excuses?
Did I want to keep Hiyori from being all alone?
Did I want to take Hiyori’s hand before Konoha could?
Hiyori ran, just as I expected her to, but not the light, nimble dance she exhibited out on the boulevard. This was a clumsy dash, her legs pumping as she tried to go anywhere but here, fast.
If I could catch up just a few steps, I’d be in range of her hand.
But just as I approached her, I was stunned by the sight that greeted me:
Ahead, as Hiyori stumbled out of the park, a red light shone at the end of the white line neatly painted on the street.
I didn’t have to think about what that meant. It was clear at a glance.
It meant despair.
“Hiyori!! Red light!!”
Please, take me one step closer…No. It’s already too late.
My final step was resolute, unwavering, enough so even to surprise me.
I don’t think I’ve ever planted my foot down and lunged so powerfully toward Hiyori before in my life.
I doubted Hiyori, surprised as she was, could imagine what would come next. I couldn’t myself, not yet. So we were even.
In front of the truck, advancing upon us with a deafening roar—
—at the very, very end, I finally held Hiyori’s long-coveted hand.
MOONSHINE RECITAL
A light, refreshing breeze blew across the vast field laid out before me.
My body felt light, like I had grown a pair of wings.
A light kick against the ground made me spring into the air, like I could soar right up to infinity.
I gleefully sproinged my way around the meadow for a bit. As I did, a herd of cattle began to gather around.
Must’ve been having some kind of conference. Maybe they were opening a Brazilian steakhouse.
I instinctively leaped into the air, hoping to float off to safety, but my body suddenly sunk like a stone, thudding helplessly against the grass.
“Oww! Why’d that happen…?”
A sharp pain throbbed against my rear.
I tried rubbing it in response, only to hear someone laughing at me from parts unknown.
“Bah-hah-hah-hah! What’re you doing, Gran?”
Turning around, I saw Hibiya, rolling around and clutching his stomach as he roared in laughter.
“Wh-wh-what’re you doing here?!”
I was embarrassed enough that anyone had to witness my pathetic fall from grace. But that kid? Of all the rotten luck.
“Well…I mean, you kinda made a ton of noise when you fell. It’d be weird if I didn’t notice!”
I could feel hot flashes throb across my face. Being mocked by this kid was something I never, ever could have expected.
“Um…Look, kid, maybe you don’t realize it, but I’m kind of a big shot, all right? Like, a huge pop idol!”
I struck one of my trademark poses to drive the point home, the kind of boasting I almost never did.
This was all a little…all right, a lot embarrassing to me. But hopefully even this thickheaded brat will see what makes me so attractive.
“Huh? Uh, what’re you talking about? You’re a cow.”
“Y-you said that again…?!”
“No, I mean, look.”
Hibiya flashed a hand mirror in my direction, revealing…
A plump, adult cow, blissfully striking a pop-singer pose.
Shocked, I tried touching my face. The cow in the mirror performed the same motion, a hoof butting against its snout.
“See? I told you. You’re a cow, granny. A huge cow!”
“Yeaaaggghhhh!! Aaarrrrggggnnhh!!”
I practically woke up in midair.
My body was bathed in sweat, my mind hazy and disheveled, like someone threw it on a baker’s stone and kneaded it with a rolling pin.
I was surrounded by total darkness. I could see a spindly ray of light reaching in, peeking out from the edge of a curtain.
What was going on with me?
Slowly, deliberately, I tried to reorganize my brain’s memory banks. But, for some reason, I couldn’t piece together the events that brought me to my current stupor.
The light, springy thing I felt under me was a bed, I decided I was safe to assume.
But when did I go to bed, and how did I wind up here in the first place? I don’t remember anything…
As my hands groped around blindly, the bouncing of the bedsprings was suddenly replaced with the slap of skin against skin, followed by a painful groan.
“Eep!” I chirped back in surprise. Then I realized it was Kido sleeping next to me.
A blaze of anxiety flew down my spine. I must have hit her pretty hard just now.
“Wh-why you, boss?! Wait…like, am I in your room?”
Slowly, gradually, my memory fell back into place.
Right. We brought Hibiya over from the hospital to our hideout, Seto cooked dinner for all of us, and then…
“…I fell asleep on the sofa.”
A dramatic orchestral vamp played in my head.
I knew I was far from a pretty sight whenever I was sleeping. My brother used to grief me about it all the time. “If you ever wanna get married,” he’d tell me, “make sure nobody ever records you grimacing and talking to yourself in bed, man.”
I didn’t believe him at first. “Yeah, sure,” I’d always reply. “You’re just too scared to let your cute li’l sister sleep with some strange man, aren’t you?”
But after I got the notion to record myself one night, I saw the truth. There I was, spurting out witty observations like “Eww, it’s coming out your butt!” and “This one’s so funny, it’s gonna make your sides split into a banana split! Dee-hee-hee!!” in my sleep. I vowed never to share a room again.
I burned the tape, of course.
The idea of revealing that side of me, in plain view, right in the middle of this living room, made me want to vomit.
But wait. I made my brother swear that if anyone ever saw that sordid state of affairs, he’d kill me on the spot. He obviously hasn’t, and besides, I was on top of a bed now. Maybe nothing happened after all.
I really needed to be more careful from now on. I wasn’t expecting to fall asleep right after dinner like that…right after eating that huge…spread…
“What’re you talking about? You’re a cow.”
My fists slammed against the comforter as I recalled the dream.
“Oooh…” Kido groaned in reaction.
“Oh, no…But, but it’s that stupid brat’s fault anyway, you know. Kids receive absolutely no discipline at home these days…”
I fell silent before I could complete the thought. The pangs of guilt were too much to stand.
That’s right. Hibiya collapsed in front of that hospital yesterday. Me and Kido and everyone else took him into the hideout.
The way he acted last night wasn’t something you could file away as the carrying on of a spoiled brat.
I couldn’t imagine what he was feeling right now. I’d never glared at anyone like he did before.
“What was wrong with that kid, anyway? That was crazy…”
What was crazy was his “eyes.”
The way they were slowly being doused in red like that…Maybe it really was a sign he was earning (growing?) an ability. One like me and Kido and the gang all have.
As a full-fledged member of the Mekakushi-dan, I was growing used to people like me. But I’d never seen an ability…manifest itself like that.
“What ma
de us get these eyes, anyway? Some kind of…illness? No, that doesn’t make sense…”
I absentmindedly focused my eyes on an empty spot in the air. Soon, I could gradually feel my eyes grow warmer and warmer.
“I thought I hated having this thing, but without it, I wouldn’t have met all these guys. I guess harnessing it a little is making me like it a bit more, maybe.”
I was still a long way from Kido and Kano, able to summon their latent abilities with ease.
Did it all come down to…practice? I guess I didn’t really have control over it quite yet. All this running around from place to place, we kind of didn’t have time.
And I didn’t know what kind of ability he had yet, but I could guess that Hibiya had a long, tough road ahead of him, too.
“…Well. I can wait for him to apologize to me first. I’m not gonna budge ’til then.”
I felt justified in that. Calling a pure-hearted maiden “granny” and a “cow” was a sin as deep as an ocean trench.
“Well, guess I better get up, huh? What time is it, anyway?”
I took my phone out from the pocket of my hoodie. It was just about seven in the morning.
“Ooh! Nice. I love it when I can get up this early. Maybe I could take a shower before everyone else wakes up.”
I flipped the comforter to the side and carefully stepped over Kido and out of bed, giving her face a glance to ensure I didn’t rouse her.
“…Man, she really is beautiful, isn’t she?”
Kido, sleeping in a regular pair of women’s pajamas, was attractive enough to make a fellow woman jealous.
“Too bad about that mouth of hers. She’s never gonna find someone like that.”
She acted so cool all the time, only to reveal a much more feminine side at the most unexpected of occasions. I remember hearing that about someone else once, too. Who, though? Not…
Wait! Wait up! That’s dangerous thinking! If I can’t remember who, I should just forget about the whole thing! Yep, that’s the best thing for my sanity!
But enough about that. I needed to hop in the shower.
I couldn’t open the curtains, of course, so I groped my way across the dim room.
I clunked against something, probably a table, on my way. It made me eject a soft “ow,” but it still wasn’t enough to bother Kido.
The Children Reason Page 10