Volume 7 Chapter 2 Parts1-3 (1/2)
11/15/1998
12:27
While I was eating in the crowded cafeteria, you sat next to me with a docile look on your face.
”Hey. How important is power to you?”
”Where did this come from all of a sudden?”
”Well… I was thinking about doing more and putting in some hard work.”
”I'm not sure what you mean, but I see. …Hard work sounds like a difficult thing for a girl. You just don't seem like the type.”
”I'm not saying I'll create a field of power with my words or anything. …But is it really that difficult?”
”Yeah, it is. Just think about it. How do you write the kanji for 'hard work'? You take a woman's crotch and-…”
”And add 'heart' to get 'anger'!”
You hit me with an angry punch with the force of your hips behind it.
”Wh-what was that for!? I hadn't even gotten to the punchline yet!”
The next blow hit me, no questions asked.
Ah, wait, stop. Don't go for a full barrage. Don't clench your fist tight and thrust it straight forward either. But the low sound of the blows is pretty cool.
No, it wasn't. Anyway, I dodged as much as I could and ended up out of breath. You and I faced each other with a chair between us.
”Wait, wait, wait just a d.a.m.n second. This is the cafeteria. Listen. If you have a problem with me, then let's take this outside.”
As soon as I said that, every last student in the cafeteria made a mad dash outside.
A closer look showed that I was one of them.
Author Comment:
This isn't really about the story, but the guy to the right drawn in horizontal lines is kind of creepy. More importantly, he looks just like a friend of mine I'll call N, so what's up with that? There were a bunch of other people there too, but they were covered up by ”You”.
12/25/1998
2:19
It was late at night on Christmas and I was sitting below the chilly sky in Boss's convertible.
We were on the bridge connecting the city we lived in with Akis.h.i.+ma. Roasted by the frozen Tama River below, everything was absolutely frigid. Blue flames of snow-summoning gas lit the gas lights lining either side of the large four-lane bridge.
Boss was down below the red car repairing it and I sat in the pa.s.senger's seat. On top of the sounds of Boss's chiropractic car treatment, I heard the lively sound of an electrain running through the city.
Given how late it was, that was probably the last one for the night. The electric guitar tones running along the continuous track railway sounded a little lonely.
”Boss. I joined you because you said you were headed to the site of a carjacking in Akis.h.i.+ma, right?”
”Yeah, that's exactly right.”
”But now that I think about it, why are you going to the site of a carjacking in a car?”
”If you're going where a car was attacked, of course you're gonna take a car.”
”When you put it like that, I guess it makes sense. …But you aren't 18 yet.”
”I'm old enough if you use my mental age. I'm 27 then. By the way, my mental birthday is May 5.”
Boss continued his repairs as he spoke.
”More importantly, why'd you need to go to Akis.h.i.+ma? You're off duty today, aren't you? Are you supporting the whole Babel thing?”
”No, I'm entirely single, so I have way too much time on my hands. I need to go to that Akis.h.i.+ma department store's atrium and spit on the couples flirting down below or get a feel of some girl's a.s.s.”
”That's quite a specific master plan you have there, so it's too bad I'm holding you up here. This is what you deserve.”
”It's not like either of us has anyone to give a present to. I mean, you're checking out the site of a carjacking on Christmas.”
After a dry snapping sound, the car sank down a fair bit.
”I got out the little bone that was caught in there. Now we can push it by hand…”
Then he cleared his throat a little.
”The thing about me is…I need to learn how to drive things like cars and motorcycles as soon as possible.”
I responded while putting up my feet in the comfortable and s.p.a.cious seat.
”Do you have a reason for that?”
”A few. The time is coming when I'll need to move faster than time.”
”I see,” I said without questioning him further.