Ch.86Chapter 14. Accident (1)

After that, there were a few more simple checks.

Since confirming just the name wasn’t enough to be certain.

But Koko answered all those questions well too. I was a bit worried because she used short phrases instead of polite speech with Teacher Suzuki, but the teacher just opened her eyes wide with a slightly surprised expression.

“That’s impressive.”

“Koko amazing!”

And she smiled gently at Koko’s responses.

Understandable. Koko had the power to make anyone who saw her smile.

She probably also had the power to terrify people… but we should try to keep that hidden as much as possible.

“Miss Kurosawa. Perhaps…”

Looking at me, Teacher Suzuki hesitated for a moment, but then shook her head.

“No, let’s continue this conversation later. Do you have any friends who know Koko?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Perhaps Miss Miura?”

When I nodded, Teacher Suzuki nodded back with a pleased expression.

“That’s good. Koko should be able to adjust well in class.”

Hearing those words, my heart brightened.

“What about the uniform?”

“I’ve already prepared it.”

“I see… Actually, it would have been fine to take a few days to prepare. Coming at the beginning of the semester is fine too, of course.”

Teacher Suzuki quietly observed Koko for a moment.

“Wua?”

Koko tilted her head while looking at Teacher Suzuki.

For just a brief moment, Teacher Suzuki’s expression seemed to darken slightly.

“Well then, I look forward to having you with us, Koko.”

“Wuu?”

Koko turned her head toward me.

…She’s learned and absorbed a lot, but she still has a long way to go. She knows how to learn and apply problems. She definitely won’t have to worry about failing at school.

But she still doesn’t know how to make friends or maintain relationships.

The people who’ve been involved with Koko so far have been at extreme ends. Either extremely aggressive toward her, or completely kind.

But at this school, there will be much more diverse types of kids.

There will be kids who don’t show much interest in Koko or who have lukewarm attitudes, and there will be those who find her creepy even if they don’t try to kill her or dismember her.

There were even kids who pushed someone to the point of attempting suicide.

Someday Koko will learn how to make friends. She’ll learn how to give before receiving. I hope she follows Yuka or other people’s examples rather than mine.

Even if I leave this world soon, I hope Koko won’t be left alone—no.

I hope she can continue her life with the connections she makes.

“…I look forward to your guidance.”

I said that while slightly bowing to Teacher Suzuki. Koko, who had been watching me, belatedly copied the action.

“Look forward to, your guidaance?”

Teacher Suzuki let out a small laugh.

*

It’s September now.

Even though school uses the character for “learn” (學) and “correct” (校), it would be too pitiful if all they taught was studying in a place filled with energetic teenagers.

Sometimes they need to be able to play freely, and have time to create things and enjoy interacting with each other.

Well, learning isn’t just about memorizing textbooks. Cooperating and interacting with others is also an excellent way to learn about society.

And this school’s curriculum included such events.

Hanakawa High School’s first semester schedule was rather uneventful. Most of the time was spent studying at school without any major events.

Oh, of course, there were club promotions at the beginning of the semester, and clubs conducted their own activities during the first semester, then presented their results at the cultural festival in the second semester. That was Hanakawa High School’s way. It was like a time for adaptation and rest.

Japanese school sports festivals are usually held in May or September, meaning spring or fall. Hanakawa High School chose fall. Considering it’s held shortly after the end of summer vacation, they probably think that by then, classmates have become friendly enough to cooperate with each other.

And following that, there’s a school trip in October and a cultural festival in November. The second semester has a much more lively atmosphere compared to the first.

Well, summer is lively enough on its own without any planning.

Hanakawa High School’s sports festival was at the end of September, when the late summer heat was almost over. Saturday, September 25th, for one day.

…I don’t know what they were thinking, scheduling the sports festival on a half-day.

“Kuro… no, Kotone-chan!”

If they’re going to hesitate, I wish they’d hesitate at the “Ku” or “Sa” part. When someone calls me Kuro, it reminds me of that pampered one at home.

Only two people in our class call me Kotone-chan. One is Fukuda, who started using that form of address on her own, and the other is Mako, with whom I agreed to call each other by first names.

Yamashita still called me Kurosawa. He seemed to be contemplating a bit about me and Mako calling each other by first names, but he seems to think this is better.

Well, I don’t particularly want to force it either.

“Yes, Mako-chan.”

To be honest, in Korea, the expression “chan” is something used jokingly among otaku friends or when imitating exaggerated Japanese anime high school girl speech online, so it still feels a bit awkward to me.

But I’ll use it since Mako likes it when I call her that. I’ll get used to it eventually.

“Is there any event you’d like to participate in for the sports festival?”

An event I’d like to participate in at the sports festival.

…I stared at Mako while lost in thought.

Oh, that’s right, Mako is the class representative. This might be an opportunity. I could request a role that I’m either very good at or one that requires minimal movement.

An event I’m good at.

…

Wait, what did I even do at sports festivals?

The fact that I can’t remember suggests I didn’t play any particularly impressive role.

Seeing Mako’s excited expression gradually fading as she looked at me, I quickly said:

“Cheering…?”

Ah, yes. That’s what it was, I think.

Although I later went into a physically demanding job, as a student, I didn’t particularly like moving around. I didn’t even properly know the rules of soccer or basketball.

So I just joined the “cheering” section, which was essentially a group of extras. More precisely, it was the section you’d automatically be assigned to if you kept quiet and didn’t do anything.

All we did was clap in rhythm, sing cheering songs, just that sort of thing.

“Oh!?”

But someone reacted much more intensely than I expected.

“Kotone-chan, are you interested in cheering?”

“Uh.”

Here, my “uh” wasn’t an affirmative “yes,” but more like lag, indicating “I’m still processing my answer.”

Fortunately, in Japanese, “uh” doesn’t have any particular meaning.

But for some reason, the second person in this world who calls me “chan” seemed to interpret that “uh” as “of course.”

“That’s unexpected.”

Fukuda said with a surprised expression, bringing her face closer. The difference between Fukuda’s standing height and my sitting height was quite significant, making it more intimidating than I expected.

“Ah, but Kotone-chan is good at singing.”

Mako said with sparkling eyes.

At this point, I sensed that something had gone wrong.

As I was trying to figure out how to escape, someone cut in from the side.

“Cheering?”

It was Koko.

Koko was assigned to the seat next to mine. The class kids didn’t object at all. That’s because I sat in the front row of the class.

The student behind Koko wasn’t particularly close to me, but then again, almost none of them are. Since I didn’t actively approach anyone to make friends, most relationships remained distant. Fortunately, there weren’t any hostile relationships either.

“Ah.”

Mako and Fukuda simultaneously made that sound as they looked at Koko.

“Wuu?”

…That’s right.

Koko had been adapting to this school in her own way over the past few days, but her knowledge about society in general was still lacking in many ways.

Fortunately, she wouldn’t follow anyone but me, so I didn’t need to teach her “don’t follow strangers who offer you candy or snacks,” but social rules that you generally learn just by living, like sports, were still very unfamiliar to Koko.

And the moment I realized this, I also realized that my escape route was completely blocked.

“Can we… explain the rules of other sports to Koko?”

Fukuda muttered with a rather serious expression.

“…That’s impossible.”

Yamashita, who was looking at his phone while listening to our conversation, said.

That’s right. It’s impossible.

And honestly, it was a bit scary too. What if Koko broke someone’s arm while doing something that required strength?

Mako’s gaze turned back to me.

“Kotone-chan, perhaps for your sister…”

“…”

I kept my mouth shut, but since everyone seemed to think that way, I decided to go along with it.

“Wua?”

Only Koko looked at me with a puzzled expression, tilting her head.

*

The unease I instinctively felt upon seeing Fukuda’s reaction was something I could have immediately recalled if I had thought a bit deeper.

That’s right. Hanakawa High School was the setting for a light novel.

So both the sports festival and cultural festival had compositions very similar to what I’d seen in manga or animation in the past.

Of course, I hadn’t seen a sports festival in [Tokyo Slayers]. But there must have been one since there was an incident that occurred “shortly after the sports festival ended.”

I don’t know why a sports festival that doesn’t even appear in the main story would be a very typical “Japanese subculture-style sports festival,” but.

No, actually, is it because all Japanese sports festivals are like this, so this one reflects that? But for that, the girls’ gym clothes are bloomers.

In fact, bloomers were embarrassing outfits that looked like wearing just a short-sleeved T-shirt over swimsuit bottoms, but the problem was the “cheerleading outfit” that the “cheerleading team” gave me.

“Cheerleader…”

“Yes, cheerleader.”

When I looked up at Fukuda, who was handing me that outfit, with a dumbfounded expression, Fukuda grinned and pushed the outfit toward me again.

I took it and held it, but.

The sports festival only lasts one day, but it seems to be an event that the school kids are willing to burn that entire day for.

The participants for each event have already been decided, and they even practice after school. It was a bit surprising to see Mako, who usually only shows me her gentle side, commanding even the boys from the front of the blackboard. Indeed, every person has more than one side.

They’ve even set dates for friendly matches with other classes. Especially the kids in sports clubs, who were particularly enthusiastic.

For events that use the field extensively, there seem to be separate preliminaries after school.

…And of course, those preliminaries need cheering too.

“Wua!”

Koko’s eyes sparkled as she held up the outfit she received. She seemed to like that red and white outfit.

But this looks like the skirt would show everything underneath if you move around wearing it.

Hmm… I guess they’d wear short pants underneath? Come to think of it, baseball cheerleader outfits were similar to this too.

As I was holding the outfit and contemplating, Mako, who had been looking at us from afar, opened her eyes wide and quickly ran over.

Her expression was so stiff that I wondered what was wrong, but Mako, who had run over at an incredible speed, immediately snatched the cheerleader outfit from my hand.

Both I and Fukuda, who was watching me, looked at Mako with bewildered expressions.

It wasn’t just Mako. Several kids nearby also stopped their conversations to look at Mako.

“…Ah.”

Belatedly realizing that her action seemed very strange to others, Mako blinked once and blushed.

“Ah, um.”

As if explaining to me, Mako said:

“That… I’ll bring Kotone-chan’s outfit separately. I have something in mind.”

“…Okay.”

When I nodded, Mako quickly turned around and instantly moved away from us.

The atmosphere that had momentarily frozen thawed again, and murmuring sounds gradually returned.

Um… so.

Is Mako more of a perfectionist than I thought? She treats me gently when it comes to personal matters, but for group activities like this.

Well, Mako is the class representative after all.

When I looked at Fukuda, she shrugged.

“Wuu?”

“Well, at least we’ll get to see Kotone-chan in a cheerleader outfit.”

Fukuda said with a smile, looking at Koko who was tilting her head while holding the cheerleader outfit.

…That’s true. Her body is identical to mine after all.

I nodded, but my eyes followed Mako’s retreating figure in the distance.

Did I do something wrong?

*

“Wow, what’s this? So cute!”

“Koko cute?”

“Super cute! Excellent!”

“Koko excellent!”

Koko raised both arms high in response to Fukuda’s praise. Fukuda was enthusiastically taking pictures of Koko with her phone.

“…Harumi, you seem a bit like a pervert.”

And Yamashita criticized Fukuda.

Hmm… if Fukuda were a boy, it would definitely look that way. She would have been immediately subdued by the girls around.

Especially since Koko’s actions were somewhat childlike, it looked even more that way.

Several girls who don’t usually talk much gathered around. They were kids who interacted quite a bit with Miura’s group, and they were also extremely fond of Koko.

The reason there aren’t usually people around me is probably because of my attitude. Well, the fact that there are kids who approach me without me reaching out first means there are that many plus factors to this appearance.

As I was reflecting on myself over the past semester while looking at Koko, Mako came running toward us from far away.

“Haa, haa, haa…”

Breathing heavily as if white breath might come out at any moment, Mako stopped in front of us with a bundle of black cloth in her hand.

No, looking again, it wasn’t exactly a “bundle” of cloth. It looked more like a fairly large piece of clothing rolled up.

“Ah, that!”

Fukuda immediately exclaimed with sparkling eyes upon seeing that clothing.

“Phew.”

Having finally caught her breath, Mako straightened her back, exhaled deeply, and wiped her sweaty forehead with her sleeve.

Then, she unfolded that black clothing in front of her.

“Gakuran…?”

It was the male school uniform worn by boys at this school, with the collar standing up. That black uniform that male students always wear in settings from the early to mid-20th century.

However, it was much longer than that. Almost long enough to be called a coat.

“Ah.”

I think I’ve seen this somewhere before.

As of 2024, it’s a classic game console released long ago, but here it hasn’t even been released yet—a portable game console with two screens from Japan’s most famous game company.

I think there was a rhythm game with a cheering concept on it. A school friend brought it and I used to watch them play.

…I was really shocked when I realized that game console hadn’t even been released yet. Is this really an era where nothing exists?

“What do you think?”

Mako asked me.

I nodded.

This seems much better. Both are in the realm of cosplay, but at least this one is “men’s clothing.”

Besides, it seems like I could just wear it over my uniform.

When I immediately put that garment over my sailor uniform, Fukuda pointed her phone camera at me and took a picture.

“Nice.”

And with a satisfied expression, she put her phone back in her pocket.

“Well then, shall we practice from the most basic things? Come on, everyone participating in other events, please step aside!”

Her voice was bright and cheerful as always.

“…”

At first, it seemed a bit troublesome.

“Wua!”

But seeing Koko enjoying herself, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to just enjoy it.

*

Fukuda, me, and Koko were assigned to cheering roles, but Mako and Yamashita had their own events.

Mako was in dodgeball, and Yamashita was in the relay race. Based on image, Fukuda seemed more suitable, but “Running? That’s impossible for me, impossible” was Fukuda’s stance.

Am I having this preconception because I know a senior with similar skin color?

Well, that senior probably doesn’t do track and field anymore either.

…No, maybe…

Anyway, let’s move on from that story.

“Sorry about earlier.”

After everyone’s practice ended and we gathered again, Mako apologized to me in a small voice.

“…Sorry for what?”

I genuinely didn’t know the reason, so I asked back, and Mako fell into deep thought with an extremely serious expression.

Is she trying to interpret whether my expression is sincere or not?

“If you preferred the cheerleader outfit—”

“…No. This is much better.”

I much preferred the cheering gakuran that Mako had brought later. Although it was a bit hot.

“…I see.”

But Mako seemed even more depressed after hearing my answer.

Why?

“I’m glad you like it. Let’s both do our best.”

But before I could ask why, Mako spoke to me with a smile back on her face. The way she clenched her fists was just like an energetic high school girl, which was cute.

“…Yeah.”

I also slightly clenched my fist like Mako and replied.

A little distance away, Koko was vigorously waving her pom-poms up and down with sparkling eyes.

…She doesn’t need any special resolve.

I’m glad she likes it though.

It was a good decision to bring her to school after all.

Without realizing it, I put a little more strength into my fist.