NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 383
If Yuuki didn’t know anything about Koto Ne’s background, she might have tried to get a little closer to her.
Of course, if that were the case, the two wouldn’t even have met. Just as Yuuki was in a somewhat peculiar position compared to other kids, Koto Ne was similarly in such a position.
And that peculiar position was determined by the bloodline that Yuuki and Koto Ne inherited.
It was because Yuuki lost her mom at a young age, that she had to keep moving from one school to another. It was because she had to fight against those who threaten lives with a knife.
All of it was a kind of tradition.
A tradition that could only be upheld because it was Yuuki.
…Even under such circumstances, Yuuki couldn’t completely give up on all her relationships. Although somewhat tired, every time she went to another school, if the kids approached her warmly, she would respond gently.
She resigned herself to the fact that those relationships would eventually end, yet wondered if she could have even one that would continue properly.
Those relationships that only lasted a few months were certainly too shallow to last until the end, she knew that well.
Therefore— if Yuuki had met Koto Ne at just a newly transferred school, she might have been a bit moved by the way Koto Ne spoke.
However.
“Kurosawa…”
After hearing the explanation about the kid who would be approaching Yuuki, her grandfather had warned her.
“Yuuki. Be careful. The Kurosawas are… mysterious people.”
His voice was serious.
“At least they aren’t like us who go around exorcising Yōkai. Rumors about that mysterious clan circulate… I can’t imagine they would just directly cooperate with the government. There must be certain conditions in play.”
After a moment of thought, her grandfather continued, “Perhaps they’re entrusting you with a surveillance role.”
“Surveillance…?”
“…Yes. You’re similar to them.”
The tone of her grandfather’s voice was deeply meaningful.
Yuuki was… a unique existence even within the bloodline that had dealt with Yōkai. No, it would be more accurate to say she was exceptional.
The blood that had flowed through from long ago until now had finally borne the most magnificent fruits and given birth to her.
To Yuuki, those words carried a somewhat heavy weight. And because of that weight, she couldn’t easily escape.
Was that Kurosawa Koto Ne a similar case as well?
If she was someone to be on her guard against so much that Yuuki needed to keep watch, perhaps she was under just as much pressure, making her thoughts and feelings similar to Yuuki’s—
“Okay, then I’ll investigate the festival first. Is there anywhere else you want to go?”
However, Koto Ne, the person Yuuki had just met, was in many ways an enigmatic presence that Yuuki couldn’t figure out.
How could she maintain such a bright demeanor under that harsh pressure?
It seemed natural for one to be terrified in front of such a presence, yet Koto Ne showed no sign of fear.
Even in situations where blood was flowing everywhere, she fought while spraying the blood and displayed an abnormal healing speed that was entirely different from ordinary people right before Yuuki’s eyes. It was a power that one would naturally try to hide, yet she displayed it just to calm Yuuki, who she had barely met.
She knew she was being watched and even understood the reason for being watched. Yet at the same time, she clearly knew that her body was different from that of others.
No, more than that, what in the world was that healing ability? Could it be possible that the blood flowing through her was not the blood of an ordinary person?
…If those up high wanted Yuuki for ‘surveillance,’ then perhaps she understood their reasoning.
But the person being monitored seemed completely unconcerned about such matters.
It wasn’t desperation. There was no sense of lethargy that one would feel from someone harboring such feelings. Rather, her bright eyes reflected a certain will.
Therefore, Yuuki couldn’t let her guard down. What could be the reason this child kept coming close to her? Even while knowing everything, what were her true intentions behind her actions? Yuuki couldn’t grasp it at all.
“Um….”
Even though Yuuki said she would follow Koto Ne’s intentions, Koto Ne muttered as if she were somewhat unsatisfied, lost in thought.
But then, as if she decided it was now or never, she shrugged her shoulders and offered a slight smile.
That should have been the end of that day’s meeting…
*
The reason Yuuki came to this place to meet Kurosawa Koto Ne today was precisely that Koto Ne had called her out.
There was nothing particularly important happening, nor was there anything to discuss, yet she called Yuuki out. As if they were old friends.
Perhaps, in reality, Yuuki, who came out here, was somewhat expecting that kind of thing. It had been a while since she was called out like this.
And somehow, they ended up making plans for the summer festival— how on earth did that happen?
“Senpai?”
She encountered a small, cute kid who hadn’t even reached middle school yet.
Thinking if this child might have something going on, Yuuki then saw her with a puzzled expression, alternating glances between Koto Ne and Yuuki, and decided to let go of such thoughts.
Their meeting was entirely by chance from the start. Yuuki and Kurosawa had just walked out of a shop and momentarily walked in the same direction before running into each other.
“Shii!”
Kurosawa called out to the child, waving her hand as if she were very happy to see her.
“Oh, where’s Sota?”
Sota?
“Oh, my older brother said he had plans with some friends, so he went out.”
Older brother?
The name Sota was common enough to indicate this child was probably referring to her older brother. However, older brother?
Throughout her various school transfers, she had met plenty of kids with older brothers, but she had never once heard someone call their older brother ‘ora-bun’ before. No matter how good their relationship was, they never used a term beyond ‘older brother’ and usually referred to them with terms like ‘that’ or ‘him.’
But now it was ‘ora-bun’?
“By the way, who’s next to you…?”
Then, after that, the comment that flew towards Yuuki made her feel somewhat astonished. Saying ‘the person next to you’— it was rare to see a kid just starting middle school speaking in such a formal tone to that degree.
“Oh, this is my friend.”
Before Yuuki could say anything, Kurosawa introduced her as a friend.
“Oh, I see?”
The girl, Shii, lightly bent at the waist towards Yuuki.
No, from the moment she bent at the waist, it was anything but light.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Sasaki Shii. Please feel free to call me however you like.”
“Oh, yeah. I’m Yuuki Yuuki.”
While Yuuki was a bit flustered by the overly polite self-introduction, she was able to respond normally.
It felt like she was looking at some kind of strange creature. A different vibe than Kurosawa.
There was no sense of discomfort about the unknown there.
“Then, can I call you Yuuki-san?”
“…Uh, yeah, call me whatever’s comfortable.”
“Yes, Yuuki-san.”
As Kurosawa watched over their light conversation, she spoke to Shii again.
“By the way, Shii, where are you off to by yourself?”
“Oh, I wanted to go buy some dinner ingredients. There’s a discount at the mart.”
“It would have been nice if Sota helped you a little.”
“Yeah, right? I wonder how my older brother plans to manage without me.”
No, while saying that, she was smiling?
She was resting her hand on her cheek and smiling sweetly? The guy referred to as an older brother isn’t actually an older brother, is he? What kind of figure is he?
…Looking at this Shii, who was an elementary school student, naturally chatting with Kurosawa, it seemed that wouldn’t be the case.
After hearing the story, Kurosawa fell into thought for a moment.
Then she glanced at Yuuki and said, “Shii, how about we hang out for a bit? After we finish shopping.”
She said that.
“Um, but I’m with my friend right now…”
Kurosawa’s gaze was directed at Yuuki.
Yuuki took a moment to process the situation.
“Um, so I’m included too?”
“If you’re okay with it.”
Yuuki stared at Kurosawa for a moment.
*
In the end, they ended up hanging out.
Shii seemed to blend in too naturally going shopping with Kurosawa. And strangely enough, it was a bit funny to follow these two into the supermarket and wander about.
Walking side by side like sisters, Shii helped Kurosawa shop while they chatted, then the two of them headed back to Shii’s house.
Kurosawa’s house was not too far from where they had been shopping.
They set their bags down for a moment and then headed back out, the three of them went towards the bustling area.
Shii had a friendly personality.
“As long as he’s not related to that older brother.”
Kurosawa gave such advice in a quiet voice. Of course, her face had a smiling expression, so Yuuki couldn’t tell if it was a joke or serious.
No, more than that, there was no way she’d have any interest in the older brother of a girl she had just met today. She didn’t even know who he was.
But, somehow…
The whole situation was amusing.
What was she doing right now? Somehow being swept along by Kurosawa, wandering here and there, eating, and chatting.
It wasn’t as if she had never done such things before. In elementary school, she’d occasionally done that with friends. Yuuki liked to have new experiences.
That ordinary enjoyment gradually shook the doubt she had about Kurosawa.
Shii said she needed to prepare dinner for her older brother. Kurosawa also said she needed to go home for dinner. And likewise, that was true for Yuuki. Her family would be waiting at home to prepare and eat together.
“Today was fun.”
When she watched Shii, who politely thanked them and headed home, Yuuki was staring intently at her.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you to the station.”
Kurosawa said.
“Okay.”
Rather than choosing to refuse, something about her wanted to ask her about something.
Yuuki had treated Kurosawa quite coldly. She had tried to maintain a distance from her, and Kurosawa must have felt it.
Yet still, why?
“…It’s a struggle.”
But before Yuuki could even ask anything, Kurosawa seemed to grasp her thoughts and said softly.
“A struggle?”
“Yeah.”
Kurosawa spoke while looking towards a spot a bit further away from Yuuki.
“…Though I’m not normal, the environment around me isn’t normal either, I want to tightly grasp onto at least a little bit of normalcy.”
“….”
“I’ve missed out on too much until now. I’ve just been ineptly running away.”
Though Yuuki was the one chasing, it seemed like she had also let go of many things because of that. While their situations differed, they didn’t seem fundamentally different.
“Therefore, I want to struggle. I don’t know if it’ll work out, but I want to try to break free in the end somehow.”
As Yuuki walked side by side with Kurosawa, she briefly contemplated.
Was this also an act to deceive Yuuki? Was it a tactic to get her to let her guard down by showing that she was being watched?
…Somehow, it didn’t feel that way.
There was still a lot that she didn’t know. To truly ‘know’ each other would likely take a long time.
But yes, she had just met a few days ago. Friends she took little time to get to know were always there. There were plenty of times that kids she would want to play with would show up out of nowhere, despite knowing nothing.
Kurosawa might just be one of those perfectly ordinary kids.
“…”
After a moment of contemplation, Yuuki finally responded.
“Let me know when you think of when we should meet again.”
“Huh?”
“The festival. You asked me to go.”
“….”
For some reason, Kurosawa had a brief dazed look on her face. Seeing her expression, Yuuki let out a soft laugh and waved her hand slightly as she entered the subway station.