CH 3 (1/2)

Bungaku Shoujo: Volume1 Chapter3

Chapter 3 The First Handnote- Shuuji Kataoka’s Confession

“Shuuji-senpai…”

That‟s what Takeda-san called me.

Takeda-san didn‟t tell me why she was crying.

I waited until Takeda-san stopped crying, then I accompanied her back to her house. We both

shared a single purple umbrella as we slowly walked home. Because Takeda-san had been crying

very hard, her eyes became very red, and she kept her head low the whole way. I tried to

discreetly note her condition, and I noticed that her lips were a bit swollen, with blood seeping

out. Sometimes she would secretly raise her head to look at me, and a feeling of unsure (or

unsecure) would show in her hazes, as if she was trying to ascertain something. Then she would

nervously lower her head, and blink a few times.

Pretty soon we arrived at a 2 story high building that is surrounded by beautiful flowerbeds. We

said goodbye to one another.

“Thank you for walking me home, senpai.”

“No problem. You should hurry up and change your clothes. That will make you warmer.”

Takeda-san raised her head and looked at me. She kept on staring at me as if there was

something written on my face. Then her eyes became tear-filled again, and she lowered her head.

After she bid me farewell, she turned around to the front entry that was decorated with a

handmade door sign, and slowly disappeared inside.

On the following day during the break after the first period, Takeda-san didn‟t come to find me. I

remained stationed in my seat, and I stared at the cla.s.sroom door throughout the whole period.

Because of this, I accidentally made eye contact with Kotobuki-san, who was just about to enter

the cla.s.sroom.

(Wah, what should I do.)

The other side seemed to panic at well. She became motionless at the door. But then she bit her

lip, and with some hesitation, walked towards me.

“This is the change you wanted yesterday.”

After she said that, she curtly extended her fist towards me.

“Ahhh, thanks….eh, 50 yen?”

Kotobuki-san had put a 50 yen coin onto my hand.

“That‟s….10 yen extra.”

“I know that. So give me 10 yen in return.”

“Ehhh…..Sorry. I don‟t have any change with me right now.”

“Then give it to me at a later date.”

She mumbled resentfully. She seemed ready to leave, yet she remained beside my desk.

“…Today, Takeda Chia didn‟t come.”

“Ahh…yeah. That‟s right.”

“Hey, yesterday after school…Inoue, you walked straight into the cla.s.sroom, right? At that

moment…you really didn‟t hear anything?”

As she said that, she gazed fixedly at me.

I put on a gentle smile.

“Eh? Hear what?”

Kotobuki-san turned red instantly.

“You didn‟t hear anything…that‟s good.”

She concluded the conversation with this, turned around, and walked back to her seat.

All that‟s left is the 50 yen coin in my palm.

The school bell started to ring softly, signifying that period two was about to begin.

(Aah, Takeda-san….she really didn‟t come.)

The time is after the second period, and Takeda-san is still nowhere in sight.

I was worried that she got a cold and was absent, so I decided to find her. As I was wandering

back and forth near her cla.s.sroom door, I saw her. She, and her friends, were giggling and

laughing as they came out of the cla.s.sroom.

“Hurray! Yotsu-chan you are amazing! Ok! I too will wait until it‟s his birthday, and I will bake

him a birthday cake as well. Ah.”

The cheerful looking Takeda-san noticed me. She widened her eyes, and she put her hand down.

“Konoha-senpai…”

“Goo-Good morning.”

“Gosh, why did you come here without telling me, senpai? Ah, sorry, Yotsu-chan, I will be

going first. Konoha-senpai, here here”

Takeda-san grabbed my wrist, and with skipping steps, she walked forward.

(Ah, what? How did she become so lively all of a sudden?)

She took the puzzled me to a deserted place, turned around and smiled at me.

“Ehh, I didn‟t think that Konoha-senpai would come looking for me, I was very surprised.”

“Well, since you were crying so hard yesterday, I was worried.”

“Ah, about that? I am fine already. Maybe my mind just became a bit too tense, or maybe the

rain made me depressed…or it‟s because Konoha-senpai is too kind…I couldn‟t help but play

darling with you [TR note: I don‟t know how to translate this phase properly, could someone

help formulate a better one?]…kyaa, that was so embarra.s.sing. Please forget what happened

yesterday.”

With her face blus.h.i.+ng furiously, and the way she waved her arms as she talked, she looked like

the Takeda from any other day. I couldn‟t help but doubt myself- was that crying face of hers a

mere hallucination?

“Did something happen between you and Shuuji-senpai?”

The boy that was looking for Takeda, was he Shuuji-senpai? After all, he did call Takeda-san

with the intimate nickname „Chi‟…

Takeda-san‟s expression quickly became clouded.

Ahh, something did happen.

“…That…something is bothering Shuuji-senpai. Yesterday, I got Shuuji-senpai's letter, the letter

says…”

Letter?

“Ah! But! I feel energetic now~~~”

Takeda san lifted her head and forced herself to smile at me.

“Right! Konoha-senpai. Have you brought today‟s letter?”

“Yeah. I brought it.”

I handed her the neatly folded report paper, and she seemed to cheer up from the inside out.

“Thank you so much! I think after Shuuji-senpai reads the letter, he too will become energetic

again. Ah, my next cla.s.s is in a different cla.s.sroom, I will be leaving then. Kyaa!”

Takeda-san tripped and almost fell, but thankfully I steadied her before she reached the ground.

“Ehehe, sorry. I am really clumsy. Bye!”

She once again stepped out her unsteady steps, and with a rhythmic „patapata‟ noise [TR:

onomatopoeia], she ran away again. Even though I am still concerned about her, all I did was see

her off.

Shuuji-senpai has something bothering him in his mind, that‟s what Takeda-san said.

Takeda-san was crying quite severely, these two events are probably related.

That Shuuji Kataoka, what kind of a person is he? Up to this point, I have written many letters to

him already, but all I know about him are words I heard from Takeda-san.

As a 3rd year member of the Archery Club, he has many friends. He is good at acting silly and

makes everyone laugh.

He always has an outgoing smile on his face. Only when he is practicing archery would he have

a serious expression.

Even without talking with him, you would know he is very gentle. After you talk with him, you

will realize he is also kind and empathic…

These are the things Takeda-san said.

What if Shuuji-senpai is not the kind of person Takeda thought he is? It is common to hear

stories about a person who has his judgment clouded by his emotions.

“Hey, Akutagawa-kun, are you in the Archery club?”

During the cleanup duty time of the same day, I chatted with my cla.s.smate Akutagawa-kun.

“Yes.”

Right now Akutagawa-kun is carrying the table. He answered emotionlessly with an adult-like

deep voice.

He is not mad at my intrusion; he has always been very economic with his words. I have never

seen him laugh loudly. With his cool look, he probably is very popular with the girls. When I

walked to his side and lifted my head to look at him, I found that he was completely different

from me. He is very tall, his arms and his shoulders are very strongly-built, and his face is also

very cool looking. He really is a handsome fellow.

“Among the third years in the Archery Club, is there a student called Shuuji Kataoka?”

Akutagawa thought about this a bit, and impa.s.sively answered-

“No, I do not know.”

“Eh? What? Did I make a mistake with the name? Is there a person that has nicknames like „Suuchan‟

or „Kajuu senpai‟?”

“There is someone name Fujimura Shuuya in the club, but he is in 2nd year, not 3rd year. Also, I

don‟t think anyone calls him „Suu chan‟ or „Kajuu senpai‟.”

“Eeh, really? Is there anyone else with the name Suu?”

“I don‟t recall.”

What is going on? Did Takeda-san make a mistake with the name? But, this explanation would

only work before she confesses; she confessed already, they even write letters to one another,

they probably talked a lot as well. I suppose it is possible that she misremembered the name.

Akutagawa finally finished moving the tables. He turned towards me.

“That Shuuji-senpai you mentioned, what happened?”

“Let‟s see… I heard about him from someone I know. Then, is it all right if I accompany you to

the club room for a drop in?”

“Ah. Sometimes we have students who are interested in joining dropping in to our practice

sessions.”

“Then, is today fine with you? But I don‟t plan on joining the club…can I still drop in?”

“……It should be fine. I will notify the club teacher.”

“Thanks, Akutagawa-kun.”

The practice range for the archery club is the old dojo beside the gymnasium. At the front there

are five target boards. In addition, there are a few targets that are made of hay. Each haystack has

a pole sticking through it, with a board behind it as support. A few worn tatami were laid side by

side.

Some club members are wearing white clothing with breast plates for the top and black hakama

for the bottom. They are all currently practicing archery. Standing beside them are the remaining

club members. There are about 10 of them; each person is wearing their PE uniforms, and holds

a few chunky rubber arrows. Everywhere there are shouts of

“As.h.i.+b.u.mi!””Dozukuri!””Yugamae~!” They are probably first year students.

Akutagawa-kun has also changed into his practice uniform. He walked towards me and said-

“I got the permit. Don‟t wander off; it could be dangerous here.”

“Ok, got it.”

At the moment, a loud snap pierced through my ears- an arrow had hit a tatami.

“Uwaa…the sound is so loud. It is pretty intense when you are near.”

Takeda-san once said that when Shuuji-senpai‟s arrow hit its target, it felt as if her heart had

been hit at the same time.

“Yeah…that‟s right. Most people are surprised when they first experience it.”

Akutagawa-kun said emotionlessly. Afterwards, because he also had to practice, he had taken

leave.

I just stood behind everyone and observed their practice.

The male and female members of the archery club all practice together. The division is about

half and half. There are numerous members, just from looking there are about 50 people.

One of them must be Takeda-san‟s love at first sight person, „Shuuji-senpai‟.

(Unn…if it is love at first sight, then he must be very good looking. If that‟s the case, that person

won‟t be him. Not him either. That person doesn‟t seem to match the description either….)

As the verification went on I put my head in my hands.

I was confused. The number of possible candidates was decreasing drastically.

(If I have to pick the best looking guy in the club, no matter how I look at it, Akutagawa-kun is

the winner. But Takeda-san said that Shuuji-senpai differs from his serious look- he is very

friendly, and socializes with many people. Akutagawa-kun could hardly be described as

friendly…people from our cla.s.s even described him as cold. What if he becomes lively when he

comes to the club? Uhnn…uhnnn…..)

At the end, I failed to identify Shuuji-senpai.

During a break in the practice, Akutagawa-kun came to me and said in a low and pa.s.sive vice-

“I asked the club president whether there is a member called Shuuji, but he said he doesn‟t know.”

The mystery mystified.

I thanked Akutagawa-kun and headed towards the literature club.

“Ku-shun~”

The sound of a cute sneeze entered my ears as I walked into the club room.

“Ku-shun~ Gusu….zuzu….”

Tooko-senpai pulled a Kleenex from the tissue box, and wiped her nose.

“Ah, good afternoon, Konoha-kun. Ku-shu~!”

She sneezed, and then wiped her nose.

The waste bin next to her feet was filled with pink used Kleenex.

Ah~~, she really got a cold from being soaked in the rain.

“This…umbrella, thanks.”

I handed her the purple umbrella. Tooko-senpai, with her Rudolf-like red nose and teary eyes,

smiled at me.

“No problem. I put your umbrella back into the drawer. Thanks for letting me keep it for so long.”

“You seem to have a cold…are you all right?”

“No worries, no worries. Yesterday in the bath I was reading Cartland‟s „The Haunted Heart‟

I was so into it that I didn‟t notice that the bath water had turned cold. But don‟t worry, I will be

fine soon.”

“If the bath water turned cold, you should have gotten out. Moreover, wouldn‟t the book become

wet and damp?”

“That‟s why it is another kind of delicacy. It is as if you are dipping biscuits into pink red

champagne, right?”

“I don‟t think there exists a soap or shampoo flavored champagne.”

“Gosh, you really have no dreams. Ku-shun~…zuzu…But Konoha-kun, you are late today. Was

it your turn to be on cleaning duty again?”

“That…I was not on duty. I went to the Archery Club to observe.”

“Zuzuz…guzu…the Archery Club?”

Tooko-senpai covered her face with her nose, tilted her head, and looked at me. Her braids, like

cat tails, softly dangled on her back.

“Here‟s what happened…”

I told her about yesterday‟s incident with the crying Takeda-san, and how I failed to find Shuujisenpai

in the Archery Club today.

“What…”

Tooko-senpai was speechless.

Then, as she thought about what that meant, she said-

“The computer in the library should have a complete list of students‟ names. Let‟s go to the

library.”

Kotobuki was manning the library‟s circulation desk.

“Ah”

After she saw me, she started staring at me as if demanding what I was doing here.

“Kotobuki-san, could I use the computer?”

“Only a few people are using the computers today, the computers are not occupied.”

“Thank you.”

“Ku-shun. Sorry.”

We pa.s.sed through the help desk and headed to the computer section. We picked an empty

station.

“Konoha-kun, please do it. I am not very compatible with machines.”

Tooko-senpai‟s voice was filled with dread.

“Compatible...All we are doing is searching!”

Using the mouse, I opened Sejiou School‟s name list, and started to search for „Shuuji Kataoka‟.

The mouse cursor momentarily changed to an hourgla.s.s and then a warning saying „Record not

found‟ appeared.

Then, I searched for the name „Shuuji‟.

That failed as well.

Then I searched for the name „Kataoka‟. Seven records were returned. Four of them are female,

and of the remaining 3, none of the males have the first name „Shuuji‟. Not even a name that

sounds remotely close.

Tooko-senpai and I turned and looked at each other.

What‟s going on?

Not only does the person Shuuji Kataoka not exist in the Archery Club, he does not exist in this

school.

The next day, during the break after the first period, Takeda-san appeared in my cla.s.sroom. She

held the notebook, with a duck printed on its cover, to her chest.

“Good Mor--ning~~, Konoha-senpai. I am here to get the letters.”

While ignoring Kotobuki-san‟s stare, I dragged Takeda-san to the corner of the hallway.

“There is no letter today.”

“Eh, why?”

“Shuuji-senpai does not exist in this school.”

“Eeeeeeeeeh”

Takeda-san‟s eyes opened wide. She did not seem to be acting, she genuinely seemed to be

shocked. Then, with a laugh, she amusingly said-

“Gosh, what are you talking about, Konoha-senpai. Of course Shuuji-senpai exists in this school!”

“But I couldn‟t find a person named Shuuji Kataoka in the Archery Club, nor could I find him in

the school student list. Takeda-san, who have you been giving the letters to?”

Takeda-san still cheerfully answered me-

“To Shuuji Senpai!”

Her expression and voice showed that she was not at all bothered by my question. So much so

that I was starting to think that perhaps I had made a mistake. A feeling of unease swelled up

inside me.

“Shuuji-senpai is rea~~~~~~lly in the Archery Club!”

“Bu-But…”

“Chia always keeps Shuuji-senpai‟s letters with her all the time. Here.”[TL note: note that Chia

is talking about herself in third person term, as is common in j.a.panese for people to act cute

(Why yes I am a cynic. Why did you ask?)]

Takeda-san opened the duck notebook she has been holding with her arms. She took out one of

the envelopes inside it and showed it to me. The white envelope was of a simple design. There

was no receiver‟s name. All that was written on it were the words „From: Kataoka Shuuji‟.

Takeda-san then took out the letter in it.

The letter was a simple piece of white paper as well. There seemed to be three pieces of paper

folded together.

Now that I noticed it, yesterday Takeda-san also mentioned about the letters Shuuji gave her. At

that time she only said „The letter is…‟, and then she became dispirited and fell silent.

She also said that something was bothering Shuuji-senpai.

The letter was probably about that, right?

Takeda-san‟s expression seemed a bit hesitant. With a look of unease I occasionally see from her,

she looked at me. Then, as if she had made a decision, she held the letters out to me.

“Konoha-senpai. It‟s true. I haven‟t made a mistake. Please read the letter. Shuuji-senpai is…in

despair right now….but I am an idiot; I couldn‟t understand…so…so…please, Konoha-senpai,

please help him.”

With a shaken voice, she sincerely confessed to me. Even though on the outside she seems very

outgoing; perhaps inside her stress level has already reached what she could handle by herself.

Perhaps Takeda-san too is seeking someone to help her. Maybe that‟s why right now she is

looking at me feebly.

I knew, after I read the letter, I would not be able to back out.

Right now, the act of reading the letter is only for the purpose of a.s.sisting and helping Takedasan.

I only want to help her. Nothing more.

To be able to live a quiet and eventless life is my biggest wish.

Sticking into other people‟s problems is a very foolish action. Sorry, I am not a person who can

handle such a heavy burden. This is what I should have said to her. I should have said that,

turned around, and left.

But that too seems to be too late. Does Shuuji Kataoka truly exist? …...Why is this happening?

Even I want to know the answer to this.

I accepted the letter and opened it. The tips of my fingers were numbed. I could even smell a

sweet scent.

“Mine has been a life of much shame.

On me, one could not find a trait that makes a human human.

Such as kindness, empathy, sympathy- emotions that a human should have.”

“I am wearing the mask of a clown. I killed myself trying to make those around me laugh,

hoping that no one thinks that I am harmful. But, as the lies piled on top of one another, my heart

became emptier and emptier.

“On that day, I killed a man. The soft flesh was crushed. From it the sweet and sour scent of red

blood spread out on the pitch black asphalt road. I, with my hollow heart, stared at the scene.

I killed a man.

Perhaps even G.o.d does not want to save me.”

“It‟s „Ningen s.h.i.+kkaku‟

After school I went to Literature Club room.

After Tooko-senpai read the letter, she unequivocally said.

“„Ningen s.h.i.+kkaku‟, it‟s by Dazai Osamu, right?”

“Yes. The line „Mine has been a life of much shame‟ is what the main character of „Ningen

s.h.i.+kkaku‟ said in the first line of the novel. Also, other sentences seemed to refer to „Ningen

s.h.i.+kkaku‟ as well.”

After Tooko-senpai said that, „Ku-shu‟, she sneezed again.

After a night of rest she got better, but she hasn‟t healed completely yet. Her eyes keep on rolling

around. “In other words, the event described in the letter did not really happen; it was only an

imitation of the novel?”

I hope such is the case. When I received the letter from Takeda-san‟s hands and read it, the

content seemed very twisted and beyond help. I felt that I had been tossed into a truly black

abyss.

This is the grim confession and repentance of a boy named Shuuji Kataoka.

Since he was small, Shuuji lacked the emotional traits others possessed.

Why would one feel happy?

Why would one feel dislike?

And, what‟s the definition of like? What‟s the definition of dislike?

A close relative of his died. At the funeral, everyone was crying. But he didn‟t feel sad at all. A

friend was going to move away, everyone was feeling bad. Except for him. When a puppy and a

little baby appeared, everyone said it is so cute. Only he failed to comprehend, why do they like

such humans or animals. As these kinds of events happened more and more, he started to lose a

sense of humanity, instead he felt that he was a cursed monster.

The failure of understanding other people's emotional processes made him feel fear, despair, and

pain.

If everyone found out that he was a monster, what would they do?

Because of fear, he remains a clown. A clown that does his best to cheer up others. A clown that

tries his hardest to make others like him.

Those around him were fooled by his acting. He naturally became a popular person in his social

circle. But deep inside him, he was clenched by a powerful sense of shame. This brought

immense pain to him.

Lying is shameful. Deviancy is also shameful. In his letter Shuuji Kataoka repeatedly described

his inner pain.

“So ashamed.

I feel so ashamed.

Just the act of living brings me shame.”

Only one person saw through Shuuji‟s clown trick.

Shuuji referred to that person as S. In the letter, he said that person understands him the best, yet

at the same time it will be S who brings Shuuji to his destruction.

“Only one person, only S, through his intelligent eyes, made me realize I am merely a clown.”

“One day, S will cause me to go on the path of destruction.”

“One day, S quietly said to me. Your girlfriend, do you honestly love her?”

The letter ended here.

Who is „her‟ the letter referred to? Who is „S‟? I have no idea.

What kind of answer did Shuuji give S?

When I finished the letter, for some reason my chest felt very stuffed. I have felt like this before.

After hearing what Tooko-senpai said, however, I felt relived.

(This is the reason. This letter started with a reference to „Ningen s.h.i.+kkaku‟.)

When I was in junior high, I read this most notable work of Dazai Osamu. My first impression of

the book is that the name is very dark. The reason I chose to read the book is because it was one

of the 4 a.s.signed readings for the summer holiday. After I picked a book, I was supposed to read

it and write a report on it. Perhaps I was at an age of wanting to grow up, I picked the hardest

book to read.

But back then I was only a junior high school student, I was not mature enough yet. So I didn‟t

really understand the pain the main character went through. The main character keeps on

confessing for his melancholic life, but I didn‟t get it one bit. At the end I chose another book for

my report.

Even that was a very long time ago, but deep in my mind I still seem to recall the content of the

book. So when I read Shuuji Kataoka‟s letter, I had a deja vu moment with it.

“Ku-shu~”

Tooko-senpai has started sneezing again.

“Uhnnn… In my opinion this letter did not completely copy Dazai‟s book. The author is only

using „Ningen s.h.i.+kkaku‟ as a vehicle to express his feelings so that others can know his true self,

I think.”

“If that‟s the case, he said he killed a person, could this be true? And he said he wants to die,

that‟s true as well?”

“If he really did kill someone, then things are very bad.”

No matter how you put it, Shuuji Kataoka does not merely „have a little something bothering

him.‟ I must help him as soon as possible. The killing part may only be a delusion, but the act of

fantasizing such a thing is already dangerous enough. Moreover, for someone who is in so much

despair, so much self-disdain, how could he live on?

“Dazai Osamu commited suicide a month after he completed „Ningen s.h.i.+kkaku‟. Looking at this,

things do not look good.”

This letter feels almost as if it is a will. Shuuji Kataoka must be planning to commit suicide;

that‟s why he wrote such a letter to Takeda-san, right?

Tooko-senpai is sitting in her chair, both arms hugging her knees. Her right thumb is pus.h.i.+ng on

her lips as she falls into deep thought.

“Dazai Osamu‟s „Ningen s.h.i.+kkaku‟ is composed of „Prologue‟, „The First Handnote‟, „The

Second Handnote‟, „The Third Handnote‟, and finally „Epilogue‟. It was published in June, July,

and August editions of „Tenbou‟. The beginning of the story, „Prologue‟, and the confession of

the main character „Youzou during his teen‟, „The First Handnote‟, were published in the May

edition. A month later, on June 13th, Dazai Osamu, with his lover, Yamazaki Tomie, jumped

into Tamagawa Jousui and drowned…”

Tooko-senpai's gaze moved far away. Her lips, like a mechanism, rhythmically moved.

“The second part of the story was published during the search period. On June 19th, their corpses

were found. „The Third Handnote‟ and the concluding „Epilogue‟ were published a month later

in the July edition. „Ningen s.h.i.+kkaku‟ can be said to be a bibliography of Dazai‟s life.

The main character was born in a rural well-known traditional family. He was ashamed and

afraid of his deviancy, so he plays a bogus clown. Later on he even turned to dangerous social

movements. But halfway through he quit. He started to despise himself. To escape from his

despair, he chose to live a sinful life.

During that time, he and a waitress of a cafe decided to commit suicide together. The waitress

died, but he managed to survive. Because of it, he turned even more inward. He became even

more self-doubting and in despair. In the end, he returned to his poor, inward, fruitless life style.

Even his innocent wife was polluted by him. The main character became heavily addicted to

drugs. His friends sent him to an asylum, where he ended up as a docile being.

The author Dazai Osamu was also from a rural forest‟s landowner family. He too had joined

social movements because he wondered whether he would remain as a rich heir for life. He had

also tried to commit suicide with a cafe‟s waitress, but that too failed.

That time Dazai Osamu was saved, but the waitress died. Afterwards, he married Geisha Oyama

Hatsuyo, who followed him from their home town. But after he learned of Hatsuyo‟s past, he

was traumatized. He tried to kill himself, but again that failed. Afterwards, because of his heavy

drug addiction, he was admitted into Musahino Hospital.

After his release, he wrote the basis of „Ningen s.h.i.+kkaku‟, „Human Lost‟. Not long after that, he

tried to commit suicide again with his wife Hatsuyo, but as before he failed.

Following this, Dazai Osamu wrote many famous and incredible works. He became a wellknown

writer. 10 years pa.s.sed, and he finally rewrote and completed „Ningen s.h.i.+kkaku‟.

Immediately after the completion, he committed suicide. This time Dazai Osamu and his female

companion were not revived. This is why everyone thinks „Ningen s.h.i.+kkaku‟ is Dazai Osamu‟s

will.”

Tooko Senpai turned her gentle gaze toward me, and asked:

“Konoha, have you ever read Dazai Osamu‟s works?”

“I read „Ningen s.h.i.+kkaku‟. Also included in the textbook there are „Has.h.i.+re Merosu‟ and

„Fugaku Hyakkei‟ right?”

“From what I can remember, „Has.h.i.+re Merosu‟ is usually put into social ethnic textbooks. It is a

good article, but it just doesn‟t taste right……un Ku-shu!~ Ku-shu~ !Ku-shu~!”

She probably said too much all at once, so she sneezed non-stop multiple times.

“You all right?”

“Hm, I am fine…zu zu. So, Konoha, what do you think of Dazai Osamu after reading his works?”

“I don‟t really understand. The prologue alone made me feel burdened…but in contrast „Has.h.i.+re

Merosu‟ made me feel fired up. The ending is far too casual, I wasn‟t touched by it; instead I was

startled. For „Fugaku Hyakkei‟, I only remember the scenes when the pictures were taken. After I

read the story, I felt very happy. Moreover, the pacing of the story feels very rhythmic. It is very

relaxing to read it. You almost feel like you are conversing with the author.”

“Exactly, that‟s one of the most attractive traits of Dazai‟s works!”

Tooko-senpai wiped her nose with a pink red Kleenex, squeezed the used paper into a tiny

sphere, and threw it into the garbage bin. Then, with an enthusiastic tone, she continued:

“Dazai‟s works often make their readers feel as if they are in an intimate and realistic

conversation with the author. The story that was based on Judas, „Kakekomi Uttae‟, reads like a

transcription. The intense dialogues were shooting out so fast one has trouble following them.