by Torako
“Let’s go.”
“Oooh”
Again she pressed against her right eye with her left hand and we started to leave.
“Ah… Sorry about that. You all right? You gave us quite a scare. Well, we’ll leave it to you Togashi-kun!” Nana-chan sounded really surprised as well. Eyeing the situation, she saw us off. As for the rest of the class, I don’t know and I don’t understand what they were thinking.
Ten minutes after class started, Takanashi and I had left the classroom.
En route to the nurse’s office, we were in the landing between the third and fourth floors when Takanashi suddenly cried out “Ahhh… my eye… it’s resonating…!” and collapsed into my shoulder.
After she felt into me, my left hand had to turn her body in order to prop her up. Or rather my left hand had to prop up Takanashi’s small tender areas. Once was shocking, but twice in one day? Call me lucky or just selfish, but she didn’t react to my left hand as she was moved.
Actually, holding her in this situation isn’t normal. Am I living through a situation like the one in that series when glasses were involved? No no no, that’s just a delusion.
“Are, are you alright? How’s your eyepatch?”
“Ooh…you, Are you… the same as me…?”
Not if you’re talking like that. Looks like she’s one of those girls who weren’t immunized and now speak in random incoherent phrases.
“Ah, eh, somehow, I guess.”
Whoa, my response surprised me too. I answered affirmatively, or rather that I am the same as her. Somehow Takanashi understood my reply and moved my hand nonchalantly.
“Yes… It had to be so. You…I was waiting to find you… I have spent many years searching but now I find you here.”
She’s talking about me.
Wait, what?
“Waiting”, “waiting.” I know that phrase. I know these words quite well. Trying to stick these lines into various conversations or trying to act like a leader by sounding like this. Wait… it can’t be…
“Oh, thank you for waiting for me. That aside, is your eye okay?”
I tried to bring our conversation back on track. If she thinks I’m that kind of person…
Let’s just try to not bring that up.
“Did you see my eye?”
Now look. I asked if your eye is alright. That’s not the reply I expect back! Well, I didn’t really get a chance to look at it. Is there something special about it or some meaning to it?
Unless… it’s that.
It began to sink in. The girl in front of me most likely has chuunibyou.
I didn’t have any problems when I heard the rumor, but seeing it in person? It’s a bit weird. What’s the best thing to do in this situation?
I don’t really have an issue with anyone having that disease, but how should I act around them? It doesn’t make sense. Wait a second; this is how those guys felt around me back in middle school… So that’s how they felt. Anyways, let’s figure out what’s the best thing to do in this situation.
“Ah, that. What about it?”
“Oh.”
And so Takanashi lift her eyepatch, revealing pale white skin around her eye. A golden light, one unlike any I had seen before, began to shine as if I was at the entrance to a golden city.
It was a color contact lens. Hold on a sec, while I’m surprised, it’s quite different from the black pupil on the other side of her face.
“It’s… amazing.”
Is that a really contact lens? While that impudent thought came to my head, I didn’t feel it was proper to suddenly ask such a question. I suppose this is something a chuunibyou patient would like, right?
“And with this, our contract is complete.”
“What?!”
“Now that your eyes have met my Devilish Truth Stare, the terms have been fulfilled. You and I are now bound. From henceforth…”
Ah! This is just like my old kind of chuunibyou! Hold it, Devilish Truth Stare?
I was surprised at how short the contracting period was. With how the rest of the conversation was going, that line was quite the jaw-dropper. But that wasn’t all that she had to say. Amazing. It looks like she’s able to provide the backstory instantaneously. Oh glorious Takanashi, let’s just leave it at this.
“Hold on a moment….”
Whew, if I didn’t take a breather there, I would’ve gone into a relapse. I could already feel some lines like “Wh-what do you mean I’m now in a contract with you, you bitch!? Hehe, such a being was this close to me all along. So, what do you want to do? Shall we go destroy the world?” being held in my throat. That’s definitely the dangerous option to choose.
But thinking about it like this isn’t good for me either. Regardless if I want to return or not, I’ve already been cured. Thinking about those events already makes me feel like I want to die. I have no intention of contracting that again. It might be a bit sad, but I think you get the gist of things.
“Sorry, but I’ve already been cured from that.”
“Cured?”
I was starting to re-gain my composure. Those nasty gasses inside me were starting to settle.
“Ah, two years ago I was like you, so I understand where you’re coming from. Having another person to hang out with you in your made-up situation sounds like a fun time. Our upperclassmen would say ‘knock it off’ but I think it’s good for you.”
I hoped Takanashi understood what I was saying. Making up stuff is fun. I know exactly quite well the joy of spending time designing new worlds and such, but then again, I don’t want anyone going down the road I went on.
Those made-up creations soon became a bother to the people around me. That’s the biggest problem with chuunibyou. It was only when I was able to look back on my actions that I became able to think about the times when I would do harmful things like disrupting class. I’d cry out “Don’t come in! Don’t come in! Whoa!” in the middle of class so we wouldn’t have class. Now I can realize what I was doing.
Back then, I wouldn’t care about what others were doing; I’d just act as freely as I wanted. I was quite the problem child, wasn’t I? I can safely say you’re blind to everyone else’s feelings in those situations. Regardless of whatever I was doing, I was so egotistical that I never once thought about apologizing for my actions.
But she has the same scent as I did. The same kind of evil eye chuunibyou too. She’s so similar to how I was. There’s no wonder she would look at me and think I was the same as her. I thought those bandages were familiar too.
Somehow I don’t get the sense that she’d be the type to disrupt everyone in the middle of class though. Maybe it’ll happen someday and I wouldn’t think it strange, but I doubt it. It’s only a hunch, but I have a feeling that someday Takanashi will look back with regret over the things she’s done just like I have. Time is so short. You don’t need to waste your precious high school days turning them into memories you don’t want to have.
As a former chuunibyou patient, I don’t know how many people I bothered, but I have a hunch she doesn’t know the amount of victims (besides me) that she’s troubled. That’s why I have to say this, in a chuunibyou manner.
“How about this, instead of forming a contract with me, wouldn’t it be better if you could rely on me?”
Yeah, I just can’t leave you alone. Well, I didn’t mean it in some kind of patronizing manner or to make you my underclassman. You’re more like a chuunibyou sister to me.
“But the contract has been finalized.”
“You mean, you’re really enforcing it?”
…That’s just a little bit bothersome. Just how far will she go to enforce it?
“For the time being, let’s head to the nurse’s office.”
“That’s where I said I was taking you!”
After making this up Takanashi stood straight and began to head down the stairs, leaving me behind. Well, isn’t she energetic.
“Why aren’t you coming? Did you us
e all your energy?”
“Ah, something like that. I think I’ll take a nap in the nurse’s office.”
I’ve gotten just a bit dizzy thinking about it. Napping in there sounds good to me. And so I followed behind Takanashi’s shadow and we quickly went to the nurse’s office.
Chapter 2: The Phantom Before My Eyes
And so the (I don’t know if you could still call her) sick girl and I arrived at the nurse’s office on the first floor. Usually you have to be sick in order to come here, but by the time I could mention that, Takanashi was already inside. There wasn’t any use avoiding it, so I went in too. Thankfully there wasn’t anyone else inside.
Rumor has it that there’s quite the handsome guy in charge of this place. Probably a lot of beautiful girls come by just to have him check them out. I’ve never once had a reason to come in here like they do. No colds, no stomachaches, no injuries, nothing. So as far as I know, it might just be a rumor. Since this would be my first time meeting the guy, I’m really glad that he wasn’t here today.
“No one’s here.”
As Takanashi said that in her monotone voice, I turned around. “Looks like it.”
“What should we do?”
“Well, doesn’t your eye hurt?”
And now she reacts! The person behind why we came here finally realized that fact and went to a desk to search for eyedrops. Seriously, I can sympathize with your eyes hurting, but if it’s true, you wouldn’t be able to hunt for medicine!
“Oh, I found the eyedrops. Here, I’ll apply them in the gold one.”
It’s probably quite dry, but I’m not sure that it’s a problem.
So while holding the eye drops, I glanced at Takanashi.
“Are you sure that is holy water?”
“Huh? What do you mean holy water?”
“Any other fluid besides holy water has a probability of damaging the Devilish Truth Stare.”
I’d imagine it’d hurt more than your eye. Ouch. It’d be like you had a zombie’s eye.
“Hmm… Can you not judge the efficacy of that liquid? If so, please provide your judgment.”
Somewhat frantically I answered “It’s holy water!” and hoped it didn’t sound fishy. Who knows, it might actually have some holiness.
“My eye is fatigued…I understand now. It is appropriate for use. Apply it.”
“What kind of half-hearted evaluation was that?!”
Please tell me you know the difference between medicine and religious treatments. Regardless, here we go! Wait, I’m just a high school student. Can I really do this by myself? I have no choice in the matter though.
Takanashi moved her head back in a defenseless position. Though my heart was rapidly beating, I tried not to shake my hand as I moved the drops over her eye.
“You, stop moving!”
“Got…it…Pour now….”
“Stop that strange sound too!”
“ugh….ugh…There’s still some left….?”
“You wouldn’t want it to keep hurting, would you? I can’t leave it at this!”
Lather, rinse, repeat for the next ten minutes.
Finally I was able to put enough drops into her eye. The cause of my rapid heartbeat had stopped. My body and soul were worn out from applying those drops… Seriously, is it time to take a nap yet?
“It is restored. You have my gratitude Yuuta.” Takanashi sit up on the stool and politely bowed her head.
Wait, Yuuta? Why that? Did I introduce myself to her? Even more, why my first name? The questions kept coming.
“Ah, no problem. But how do you know my name?”
“It was part of the contracting process. You put it in. That is another part of my contracting powers.”
“Contracting powers? Are you serious?”
“Serious.”
My heart started to beat again. Nononono, that’s bad. Powers? That’s got to be a lie. Somewhere, somehow I must have slipped and told her. It wouldn’t be a miracle if she remembered my first name. But hey, if she does have those kind of powers, then she’d know other things about me.
Let’s try this.
“Amazing. Now, tell me anything else you know about me.”
“On the day of the school entrance ceremony, you went to the rooftop. While overlooking the sports grounds, you said ‘Wahaha! This world is mine! Hahaha! With my powers, this world is MINE!’”
“Guh!”
I can’t respond to hearing something like that that yelled from such a sweet voice. So creepy. And yet I know I’m going to ask a question I’ll deeply regret.
Simply, how did she know that? Wait, let’s look at it differently. That would be something I’d say during middle school. Of course I’d yell those lines from the rooftop then! Someone would be able to confirm that.
But why would I say the same thing twice?
Middle school me, I wish you would die. Just jump off the roof and die. Well, the rooftop is quite high and you might be too scared to jump. Ah! This is so embarrassing!
“I know other things about you. You wear a t-shirt underneath your uniform with the character for ‘darkness.’ There are other things too.”
“What…all… do you know?!”
I don’t wear that shirt on a P.E. day. No one should know about it. How does she know about my favorite t-shirt that I take great pains to wear in secret…? This surely can’t be one of her powers, can it?
Oh god…
“These are my powers. They are the ones that bind Yuuta and myself to a contract. Isn’t it natural for the party holders to know about each other? Didn’t you realize that? I still know much more about you.”
MORE?! Even still, you’re enforcing that contract? After hearing proof of your powers by saying all of those embarrassing things about me, I’m not sure how much more I could take. It’s a matter of life and death and I’m pinned in a corner!
But you know, just because I’m in a contract doesn’t mean I’ll relapse (I feel my calmness returning already). It might just mean that the only thing I have to worry about is her condition prolonging itself. While that doesn’t sound so bad, I’m not quite sure about it.
“Still not convinced? You…”
“I… got it. For now I understand that I am bound in a contract with you.”
“Oh.”
I’m stuck at her pace. But I can’t do anything else but agree to that contract. I promise I won’t relapse; I’ll just be an injured party in this situation.
“Well, let’s see. Now this contract you keep mentioning, what exactly did I form a contract with you for?”
“So you could call me Rikka.”
“So I could call you by your first name?!”
That’s a relatively simple thing to form a contract over. Just why did we make one for it? There’s a lot of questions popping up in my head about that time. Oh well, at least it’s a simple thing that I agreed to.
“So… Rikka-san… would be alright?”
“No. Rikka.”
That was a surprising big denial there. Looks like she doesn’t want to be addressed with an honorific. Up until now I’ve called her Takanashi. Could I get over my reluctance and address her solely by her first name? I might be too shy to do it. This is our first time talking to each other, yet I’m supposed to relax and call her Rikka.
“Nnn…Rikka?
“What?”
“Just saying it out loud.”
‘What?’ Are you an airhead? If you’d think about it, certainly someone would try to practice saying it after being told that. Ugh, I’m already tired of this girl. Extremely tired. I know it keeps coming up, but I still can’t stop comparing her to myself in the past. I too would’ve acted like that.
“So, is that all we agreed to? Since that’s done, I think I’ll go take a nap.”
“That was only part one. What’s next is a secret.”
“There’s still more!?”
“It’s a secret.”
What? How could it be a secret!?”<
br />
“It’s a secret.”
I don’t get you at all… I just want to lie down here and not have to worry about these things.
That isn’t happening. I have to think about these events in real-time so I can respond correctly. No doubt, if I lie down here, she’ll continue the contract and do who knows what to me. While that’s on my mind, there’s no way I could take a nap.
So it looks like my best choice would be to go back to class. All right, let’s go!
“Well, I’ve listened to what you’ve said, but I think it’s time for you to rest Rikka. I’ll head back to class now. I’m sure you’ll recover somehow.”
“Huh……?”
Rikka looked noticeably disappointed. It looked quite different from the usual expression that I see from her. With her looking like that, there’s no way I could leave her behind. Ah, what to do?!
And as the atmosphere became heavy, someone barged in to lighten the mood.
“Ah, you all right in here? I was quite surprised by what happened earlier. I’ve not seen anything like that before, you know.”
As Rikka was preparing to comment to Nana-chan, I quickly rebutted with my own statement. “Well, it was a bit dangerous. It happened so quickly that I’ve already forgotten what happened.”
But it was quickly ignored. Apparently, every bit of my existence in this room has been ignored. Nana-chan looked at Rikka with her incident easily apparent on her mind.
“Ooh, that’s an interesting gold color! Is it infected?!”
This isn’t the time for jokes! Seriously, that’s our newbie teacher for you.
I tentatively explained. “Teacher, it’s a colored contact lens.”
“No, it’s the Devilish Truth Stare.”
“Ah, is that a new type of disease?”
I was overturned and now our teacher thinks Rikka’s made-up creation is a new disease. Our third party looked extremely happy as she wouldn’t let go of the idea Rikka was sick.
I was the only straight man in this comedy group, so it was up to me to set things straight. “Think about it normally and you’ll see that it’s a contact lens. Takanashi-san is giving you a sixteen year old’s explanation, Teacher.”
Now I’m the mother. Nana-chan looks confused. Is she seriously thinking Rikka’s correct?