Ch.81Chapter 13. Training Camp (1)

Thanks to my special circumstances, I didn’t need to personally handle the administrative processing for myself as an individual—that is, for “Kotone Kurosawa.”

If I hadn’t been born here with that already taken care of, my life would have been incredibly difficult from the start. I might have managed somehow thanks to connections, but I would have wasted a lot of time not even knowing what kind of novel’s world this was.

…..

Well, thinking about it again, that’s not too different from how I was in my original world.

Still, I wouldn’t have been able to save Mako, Koko would still be shaped like a nose, and Kaoru, Izumi, and Yuu wouldn’t have been doing very well either.

I suppose I can be thankful for that much.

However.

“……”

I stared intently at the paper spread out on the table while clicking my pen button.

Summer vacation lasts until August 31st. Today is August 18th.

Though the vacation has been quite eventful, I’ve actually had plenty of time. Yet I still haven’t figured out what to do with Koko.

Koko’s administrative processing was also more or less resolved thanks to Yuka. At least she seems to be recognized as a “living person” by government agencies.

Miura’s father might be monitoring her, or she might be on some government watchlist, but at least there shouldn’t be any problems with various administrative procedures.

I’m not sure exactly how far compulsory education extends in Japan, but since Kagami wasn’t arrested for not providing it, I suppose there’s no problem in that regard either.

I clicked my pen button again and scribbled on the paper.

The contents of the paper were as follows:

1. How did I end up going to school?

2. I obviously don’t know.

3. But Kagami doesn’t know either.

4. That means it happened automatically somehow. How?

The conclusion of that brainstorming led to just one thing:

5. Obviously thanks to fake Shuras.

After writing that last line, I nearly smacked my forehead.

I don’t know exactly how it was done. But one thing is certain: fake Shuras had the means to utilize such abilities.

Fake Shuras said, “It’s not about who calls, but depends on the mood of who answers.”

In other words, could it mean he can come to this world even without being called?

“Hmm.”

After pondering alone, I drew an X on one side of the paper.

No, that doesn’t seem right. If that were the case, fake Shuras could meddle in my life at will without having to cut my left wrist.

Of course, it’s possible he could do that but chooses not to because it’s not his style.

Fake Shuras also responded to Kaoru’s doppelganger.

“Hmm.”

I wrote that line down and frowned.

Yes, this is what makes it extremely confusing.

From what I can see, Kaoru is a fairly ordinary girl. It seems she’s had good intuition since childhood and could see ghosts, but other than that, I don’t think she’s in a position significant enough for a foreign god to care about.

I’m not trying to criticize Kaoru. The “ordinariness” I’m talking about here is a compliment.

If you think about Kagami and her sister Kosuzu, who are prime examples of beings wanting attention from gods, you’ll understand how much of a compliment “ordinary” is.

However, it doesn’t seem like Kaoru is a character unrelated to the main scenario either.

Scratching my head, I wrote down an incident that was directly connected to the main story but had barely surfaced in the parts I’d read.

The Miura incident.

An incident that didn’t happen in this world because I prevented it—where Miura would have been the final target and victim of the Agui serial killings.

Thinking about it, this incident has similarities to what might have been the Kaoru incident that happened outside the background in the original story.

Namely, that it was an incident that occurred in the story, and it was an incident that is presumed to have occurred.

After writing that down, another incident came to mind.

The Yamashita incident.

The incident where Yuu ran away from home, fed up with his family situation. I don’t mean to brag, but if there hadn’t been someone like me to protect him then, something terrible would probably have happened to Yuu.

Almost certainly.

After all, he’s a friend of such a character in such a novel. Probably in the latter part, Miura’s father would appear as an important character, and the story about the Miura incident, which was briefly mentioned and then forgotten, would surface, dropping a complex tangle of threads before the readers.

And this Yamashita incident seems much closer to the Kaoru incident than the Miura incident in some ways. At least Miura’s name appeared in the story, but Yamashita is Miura’s friend. Even that setting didn’t appear in the parts I read.

They have in common that they happened in the background, would probably have remained buried until highlighted in the content, and wouldn’t have had much impact on the main characters until then.

And.

All are related to Kotone Kurosawa.

I don’t think all these incidents were part of some grand conspiracy orchestrated by “someone in the story.”

They were probably all unfortunate accidents. Random, like the victims serially killed by the Agui.

But from an outside perspective, the story converges to one point. To the intention of the “author.”

Kotone Kurosawa.

Probably, Kotone Kurosawa in the original story didn’t live as happily as I do.

No Miura to take care of her, Yamashita experiencing something bad, and Fukuda… I’m not sure about this one.

Would Fukuda, who lost two close friends in a terrible way, have had the emotional capacity to kindly look after someone like Kotone Kurosawa? I’m skeptical.

“…Then what about Kaoru?”

I don’t know the original Kotone. I don’t know much about the literature club either. There are often light novels that use literature clubs as a subject, but [Tokyo Slayers] isn’t one of them.

So, Kaoru might have been connected to Kotone in some way. Whether Kotone approached her first, or Kaoru approached Kotone.

“…No, that’s not it.”

I scratched my head vigorously.

How did I end up thinking this far?

Originally, I was just racking my brain trying to figure out what to do with Koko.

Well, I suppose I would have had to think about this eventually.

“Woo?”

Koko, who had been sticking close to me watching me write on the paper, tilted her head and muttered.

“Kotone. This?”

She seemed puzzled, probably because it looked very different from the letters I had taught her.

“Just doodles. Not writing.”

I brushed it off like that and folded the paper in half.

If I had lived alone, I might have written in Japanese. If someone asked me which language is more comfortable for me now, I’d probably be very confused.

I could read and write Japanese as naturally as if it had been in my head from the beginning.

I don’t think this is a memory that the entity known as Kotone Kurosawa had before. From the testimonies I’ve heard, it seems Kotone Kurosawa was practically mindless before I entered her body.

On the other hand, I can also properly use Korean.

That’s because I entered this body with all my memories from my previous life intact. Even my handwriting was the same terrible scrawl from my previous life.

Probably someone who isn’t really good at Korean would have a hard time recognizing it as Korean at a glance.

But that doesn’t mean I can relax. The type of character that always appears in this kind of world setting is the “multi-lingual super genius.”

I tore the paper into pieces and threw it in the trash.

“Woo?”

Koko tilted her head again.

And looking at Koko, I realized that none of my problems had been solved, and I despaired.

She stays quietly at home when I’m at my part-time job, so maybe she’ll stay quietly at home while I’m at school.

But once I start going to school, I’ll be away from home much more than I’m there, especially from Thursday to Saturday.

Can Koko handle being at home, even though she’s not alone thanks to Kuro?

…Should I really start looking for some kind of facility? But if she gets involved with people without me being there to see it, that could create its own problems.

“Sigh.”

“Kotone?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

When Koko stared at me intently and said that, I patted her head and said:

“We’ll find a way somehow.”

“Woo.”

Hearing what I said, Koko tilted her head, but soon curled up on the floor like a cat as I stroked her head.

“……”

Should I ask fake Shuras?

But that seems extremely dangerous in its own way.

So far, he’s just teased me or stopped at causing a little pain, but the moment I ask for help with Koko, her life might be held hostage.

Let’s keep that option as a last resort.

While stroking Koko’s head with my right hand, I took out my phone with my left.

Then I opened the contacts and looked for someone suitable to ask for help.

The first person that came to mind was, of course, Kagami.

…But I can’t even imagine what kind of trouble might occur if she used her connections to get Koko into school.

The next name I saw was Yuka.

…I’ve already received too much help from her, and continue to do so. If I also entrust her with this high-difficulty administrative processing, I’d really lose face.

It wasn’t an option I could completely rule out, but for now, I pushed it to the back, about the same level as Kagami and fake Shuras.

And then—

“Ah.”

…There was someone I could consult with.

Moreover, it was someone who wouldn’t involve fantasy, illegal activities, or religious power.

[Ms. Suzuki]

After searching through my contacts and belatedly recalling that name, I checked the time.

It was still three in the afternoon. Calling wouldn’t be an inconvenience.

Besides, Ms. Suzuki is a good-natured person with a strong sense of professional duty.

But she was also someone I hesitated to choose “without reservation.”

Why would teenagers with various problems consult with friends instead of adults? Even knowing there might be no solution.

The reason was simple. The issue might become oddly publicized, it might seem like using too much power to solve a small problem, and above all, it’s almost impossible for an adult to perfectly understand and empathize with teenagers.

To be frank, it feels like forcibly dragging in an outsider to solve the problem.

“……”

What am I saying?

I pressed the call button firmly.

That’s right.

If you think about it, I’m probably older than Ms. Suzuki, so it’s a bit odd to be drawing lines between adults and children at this point.

Since Koko’s identity is already prepared, it’s my duty to find a way to get her into Hanakawa High School if possible.

Ring ring.

Ring—

The call didn’t even ring twice.

[Hello. Kurosawa?]

“…Hello, teacher.”

Facing the voice that was clearly surprised, I replied with a somewhat embarrassed feeling.

*

I’ve never had a job as a school teacher.

Well, I’ve only had exactly two jobs. One of them was a night shift at a convenience store to earn pocket money during my college days.

So I don’t know how schools work, let alone most workplaces. I’ve just heard some stories on the internet.

Therefore, I couldn’t fully appreciate how significant it was for her to come to this house before six in the afternoon during the vacation period.

Teachers don’t all rest during vacations. Though they seem to have more free time than regular office workers.

“Don’t worry about it.”

The fact that she answered like that just by looking at my expression, without me even asking, makes me think she might feel a bit guilty about something herself.

At least she thinks there’s a reason I might worry.

Someone like Ms. Suzuki probably wouldn’t skip work or leave early without permission, though.

“So…”

When I opened the door for her, Ms. Suzuki’s eyes widened as she entered the room.

And with those widened eyes, she looked around my room once.

The properly placed refrigerator in the kitchen.

The TV in the room, various storage cabinets and wardrobes, and all sorts of human items.

And Kuro, who was dozing off lazily with his slightly protruding belly on the floor, without showing any wariness towards the teacher.

“…!”

Ms. Suzuki was covering her mouth with both hands, looking as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

…..

Um, well.

Honestly, I can understand her reaction.

It might be moving to see a high school girl who used to sit alone in an empty room in a neglected household, now playing with even an outdated gaming console and living in a somewhat human-like state.

“…Kurosawa, you’ve done well…!”

…I did try hard.

But it pricked my conscience that I had thrown away the blanket Ms. Suzuki had given me because it had become unusable.

Though Ms. Suzuki herself didn’t seem to mind much.

“And—”

The teacher turned her eyes and saw Koko, who was looking at us with a curious expression from a corner of the room.

Thanks to the fact that I had brought her in, and Ms. Suzuki didn’t look particularly threatening, Koko wasn’t overtly wary. That was fortunate.

I went over to Koko and held her hand.

“……”

Ms. Suzuki stared blankly at the two of us, with her mouth slightly open.

“This is my sister, whom I mentioned on the phone.”

“I am her sister.”

I had taught her this phrase in advance.

Of course, Koko didn’t suddenly become eloquent and introduce herself. Ms. Suzuki had listened to my story with a very serious attitude, then abruptly ended the call with a brief “I’ll be there soon. Wait for me.”

In that time, the self-introduction I could teach her was just that much.

“Twins, you said?”

“Yes.”

“…Wait, would it be okay if we sit down and talk? This might take a while.”

Ms. Suzuki asked with a serious expression, looking at me holding Koko’s hand.

I looked at Koko and nodded.

“Woo?”

Seeing my action, Koko made that sound and tilted her head, which made Ms. Suzuki’s expression even more serious.

…Hmm.

Did I call the right person… after all?

I hope this doesn’t lead to a situation where Koko gets sent to a facility because I acted ambiguously…

Slightly regretting having called Ms. Suzuki, I made space for us to sit.

*

Compared to before, this house was much more livable.

For example, there was at least tea to offer to visitors. Of course, it wasn’t fancy tea, just tea bags, but it was better than nothing.

There was a cup of green tea in front of Ms. Suzuki, Koko, and me. Unfortunately, there were no snacks. Usually, if we bought any, Koko and I would sit side by side and eat them all.

Koko had no aversions, so she was sipping the green tea without resistance. She didn’t gulp it all at once, probably because it was still hot.

But Koko’s behavior didn’t seem to be a major issue, as the teacher, who had been observing Koko while talking to me, leaned towards me with an extremely cautious expression—

“Is Koko…”

—I also leaned forward towards the teacher who was leaning towards me with an extremely cautious expression.

Ms. Suzuki whispered in my ear in a very, very small voice, barely audible:

“Does she have… borderline intellectual functioning?”

“Ah.”

I see.

Now I understand why Ms. Suzuki didn’t immediately insist on sending Koko to a facility.

Borderline intellectual functioning refers to intelligence just above the threshold for intellectual disability.

Since it’s just above the threshold for diagnosing disability, it’s naturally not a “disability.” One cannot receive a related disability certification from the state.

But it still presents some difficulties in social life. Depending on the environment, some people overcome it all and navigate social life without problems, while others become completely marginalized.

In terms of media characters, “Forrest Gump” is the most famous example.

“…I’m not entirely sure, but…”

I decided to leave my response ambiguous for now.

“I see.”

“Wah?”

Seeing the two of us with our faces close together, Koko also brought her face close to ours.

Ms. Suzuki unconsciously smiled at that sight and slowly leaned back.

Then she immediately became serious again.

“But… Kurosawa. It might be difficult for Koko to become a student at Hanakawa High School.”

“……”

“No, I don’t mean she’s not qualified. But that qualification… as you know, is determined by an exam.”

That’s what I expected.

“You studied hard to get into school, right? I don’t know how you reunited with Koko, but… can Koko pass the exam?”

“……”

“And you’ll need tuition to enroll in school.”

That’s right.

“If we look into it, we might be able to get help from the local government… but Koko’s abilities need to meet that standard for her to enroll.”

“…I understand.”

I nodded. I get that much.

“But that means Koko can take the exam, right?”

At my words, Ms. Suzuki nodded.

“It’s still vacation time. And they’re still accepting applications. There’s still room in the school quota…”

Did she check all that before coming?

“So, if you want, I can help you submit an application.”

“…Please do.”

As I said that with my hands on my knees and my head slightly bowed, Ms. Suzuki nodded vigorously with a firm expression—but this time, it was as if she had made up her mind about something.

By the way, she calls Koko “Koko” even though she’s seeing her for the first time, while I’m still “Kurosawa.”

It seems Koko has some power to neutralize people’s wariness.

“Woo?”

Throughout our conversation, her name was mentioned several times, but perhaps because she didn’t understand the conversation, Koko kept tilting her head.

Looking at Koko, who could barely read now, I felt worried again.

Can I teach her enough to take a private school entrance exam?

…Well, we won’t know unless we try.

Let’s do what we can.

And after that, I might feel better even if I have to use some tricks.

That’s what I thought.