Chapter 86
Unexpected Encounter
Translated by LyraDhani
Edited by LyraDhani
It was the rainy season, and the air was sowhat chilly. One day on a holiday, in the pouring rain, Tsugumi was standing alone in a garden where hydrangeas were beautifully changing colors.
The garden was filled with blue hydrangeas, but there was one place where red hydrangeas grew in clusters. The vivid colors of the flowers looked as if they were made of blood.
“Beautiful, isn’t it? Actually, there is a special fertilizer used only under those red hydrangeas.”
As Tsugumi gazed at the red flowers, he heard these words from behind him.
“Uh, you wouldn’t tell it’s a corpse, would you?”
“Haha. It’s not like we’re talking about under the cherry tree. –The correct answer is shells. The shells contain a component that prevents the hydrangeas here from turning blue. Isn’t that neat?”
“It’s a little creepy, though. –So, what in the world is the reason you called all the way down here today, buki-senpai?”
When Tsugumi said this in dismay, buki laughed mischievously and said.
“Well, I just have a little favor to ask you.”
Then Tsugumi began to walk along the garden path, following behind buki, who was happily discussing her recent activities. Apparently, she was as busy as ever.
At the end of the hydrangea path, an opulent antique-style building could be seen. Judging from its size, it might be a hotel or sothing.
On the glass-walled café terrace next to the hotel, people with good taste were enjoying their ti in their own way. The luxurious atmosphere made him feel a little self-conscious.
As Tsugumi thought about this, buki suddenly took his right hand and led the way. She then pulled his hand as if leading the way and walked to the hotel entrance.
“…By any chance, is this the place?”
When he asked this question, she nodded her head as if it was natural.
“Yeah? That’s right, but what’s wrong?”
“No, It looks like a luxury place. …I’m wearing normal clothes, won’t they refuse to let in?”
When Tsugumi asked her that in a reserved manner, buki looked puzzled and then began to giggle.
“Don’t worry. This place is not that prestigious, and it’s owned by one of our affiliates. I have reserved a private room in advance, so there is nothing to worry about.”
With a casual, celebrity-like remark, buki steps toward the entrance of the hotel.
…What kind of unreasonable thing is this ‘little favor’ that you prepare this place so far?
Tsugumi sensed a hint of trouble, but he was dealing with a senior colleague to whom he owed a lot. He was not going to turn down the offer without asking. Thus, Tsugumi decided to step into a coffee shop in the hotel.
◆◆◆
“Foreign student, is it?”
“Yes, that’s right. A few days ago, I received a call from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that a distant relative of mine has suddenly decided to go to Japan to study. It will be for about three years, and we are going to take care of her during that ti. It’s partly to keep an eye on her, but she’s still my relative, after all. I want to help her as much as I can.”
While listening to buki’s story, Tsugumi was poking the chocolate cake he had ordered. It was very rich and tasty, probably because it was made in a place like this. However, it was scary that the price wasn’t listed on the nu.
–But a foreign exchange student, huh. She had a lot of guts to co all the way to Japan.
Japan was currently closed off from the rest of the world, but that did not an that it had completely cut off all ties with foreign countries. There were so cases where foreign students were accepted, although they were very few. But they were limited to those who had a solid background, like buki’s distant relatives.
However, even so, the public was still not kind to foreigners. Even though it was in the na of studying abroad, she probably would be treated harshly by many people.
“But why are you asking ? I don’t think there’s anything I can do.”
“About that, Tsugumi-kun. –Because this child is transferring to your class. She’s the sa age as you in your grade. Get along with her if possible.”
“…Are you insane?”
With a scrunched-up face, Tsugumi asked back.
Though he wasn’t proud to say it, the class Tsugumi belonged to, Class F of the third grade, was a class of proven troublemakers. It seed crazy to admit a foreign exchange student, who in many ways was a delicate being, into such a place.
“Don’t say such terrible things. I really wanted to take care of her at my university, you know? But she was begging to go to high school with kids her own age. Considering the alternatives and the commute, my alma mater was the only choice.”
“But that doesn’t an you have to go out of your way to choose my class…”
When Tsugumi said anxiously, ibuki chuckled and opened her mouth to speak.
“From Tsugumi-kun’s perspective, class F may be a troubleso class, but that class is quite comfortable for an ‘outlier’ like . At least the kids in F class in my generation didn’t look at people with weird-colored glasses. That was enough for .”
When buki said this and smiled gently at him, Tsugumi couldn’t say anything.
It was true that Class F got involved in strange experints, pranks they didn’t understand, and fought over trivial things, but there had never been anything that Tsugumi couldn’t handle himself – he had never been ridiculed for having no mories of his childhood or for not having parents.
It was easy to forget this because of the stronger impression of being inconvenienced, but those important aspects of being a person were fairly decent.
“…Well, if I tell them in advance that she is a relative of buki-senpai, they won’t get involved in a strange way.”
“I think so, too. But, you see, in Tsugumi-kun’s class, there is that, right? That’s the only thing I’m worried about.”
When buki said “that”, only one person popped into Tsugumi’s mind.
“Ah, I see, there’s that guy Yukitaka. …Ah-, don’t tell , this ‘little favor’ is…”
“Hahaha, thank goodness you’re quick-witted. I need you to keep an eye on that Amari bastard to make sure he doesn’t ss with the kid. Will you help ?”
“It’s not fair, I can’t say no to your wish. …Well, I’ll do the best I can. Don’t expect too much.”
“Mm-hmm. I’m just happy to get a good response. I know it’s short notice, but I’m going to start school the Monday after next, so please do this favor. –And I’ve seen her picture, and she’s pretty cute. I guess in a way it’s a perk, isn’t it?”
At the word “cute”, Tsugumi’s shoulders rose. It was an important piece of information that influenced motivation in holding on to troubleso matters.
“Heh, I guess her face looks like yours, Senpai?”
“Maybe our eyes are similar. I don’t think she is good at sports because she looks like she has a thin body. The only thing that worries a little is that she looks pretty calm in the photo.”
–School life with a girl who looked like a mature buki-senpai. It might not be that bad.
As Tsugumi was thinking this in his mind, he heard a knock at the door. A middle-aged man in a suit bowed and entered the room.
“buki-san. There is a visitor here whom I was inford of in advance.”
“Ah, he’s finally arrived. You may let him through.”
“Understood. Now, if you’ll excuse .”
Watching the man’s back as he left the room, Tsugumi asked buki.
“Do you have other appointnts? If I’m interrupting anything, I’ll leave you alone.”
Since it was the busy buki. After her appointnt with Tsugumi, she might have made plans to et with soone else here. When he told her that with good intentions, she slowly shook her head.
“No, that’s kind of a problem. It’s more accurate to say that he’s Tsugumi-kun’s guest, instead of mine.”
“My guest?”
He twisted his neck as he said that, but he couldn’t imagine it at all.
–Maybe the distantly related girl she was talking about earlier cos to show her face? His senior liked to surprise people, so that might be possible.
As Tsugumi waited with excitent, the door to the private room opened with a knock. When he saw the face of the person who ca through the door, he involuntarily clamped his right hand over his mouth.
“…You’ve booked a very troubleso place. I almost lost my way.”
“I’m sorry. The hydrangeas are so beautiful this ti of year that I really want you to see the gardens here once. If I don’t do this, Higoromo-san won’t leave the lab, right? Everyone is worried.”
buki replied bluntly to the man who frowned, without taking offense.
…They seed to be on a good term as far as he was concerned, but it wasn’t the issue. buki called this man “Higoromo”. There was only one person associated with that na.
–Higoromo Yuki. He was a well-known researcher who had done extensive research on Magical Girls’ activities and ecological theory, as well as on the efficiency of magical nuclei in converting energy. He was so busy that he rarely appeared in the dia, but even Tsugumi knew his face. But why would such a person be here?
As Tsugumi stared at them in stunned amazent, Higoromo, noticing his presence, approached and smiled gently.
“Oh, so you’re that ‘Nanase Tsugumi’. I’m sure you’ve heard about from buki, I’m looking forward to working with you today.”
He looked alternately at the right hand offered to him and at buki, who was smiling beside him. He had heard about Higoromo when he t buki before, but he had never imagined that he would be brought together with her so suddenly.
–It’s a little too poor a quality for a surprise, isn’t it?
With that thought in mind, Tsugumi shook Higoromo’s right hand. Since it already happened, it couldn’t be helped.
“Um, it’s nice to et you too, Higoromo-san.”
When he replied with a twitchy smile, Higoromo’s eyes narrowed, as if he had seen sothing unusual.
–It was as if he was looking at soone else through him.
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