Chapter 1 (1/2)
“I want to eat your pancreas”
We were in the archive of the school library While arranging the books on those dusty shelves - our duty as library committee members - Sakura Yamauchi made an odd confession
Though I was thinking of si it, the only ones in the vicinity wereto oneself would be a little bizarre, it must have been directed at me
It couldn’t be helped - I responded to her, as facing another bookshelf, her back to mine
“Have you suddenly been awakened to cannibalism?”
She took a large breath and pro a few times to clear her throat Only then did she start to explain, her voice tinged with a sense of triumph I didn’t turn to look at her
“I saw it on TV yesterday - If someone in the past had a part of their body that wasn’t well, they would eat the corresponding part of another animal”
“What about it?”
“Eat liver if your liver is unwell, eat stomach if your sto so would cure their illness That’s why I want to eat your pancreas”
“Could it be that the ‘your’ youto me?”
“Who else could it be?”
She giggled without looking ed in her work I could hear the slaed
“My little organ could never bear the burden of so you”
“See to make your stomach hurt, huh”
“That’s why you should find someone else”
“Then who should I find? Even so my family”
She giggled again As forout my task, I would’ve liked for her to take her work seriously too
“In conclusion, there’s no one else I can depend on but Secret-Knowing-Classmate-kun”
“So while co up with your plans, you haven’t considered the possibility that I too need a pancreas?”
“But it’s not like you even know the function of a pancreas”
“I do”
I knew about it - that seldoan I’d read up on it before Naturally, she jumped at the opportunity
I heard her breath and her steps from behind led to the bookshelf, I glanced at her for only aa smile you wouldn’t have expected from the terminally ill
Even though ere in the era of global warlected to switch on the air-conditioner; I eaty too
“Could it be possible that you read up on it?”
Her voice echoed a little, and I, who didn’t have a choice, answered her question
“The pancreas aids in digestion and energy production For exaar into energy Without the pancreas, people would be unable to obtain energy, and die That’s why I can’t let you feast on my pancreas Sorry”
Having said everything I wanted to say, I returned tomy jokes like that had becoh this felt a little different
“Who would’ve thought, Secret-Knowing-Classmate-kun has really taken an interest in me, huh”
“……Well, there’s no exhausting the interest in classmates that suffer from serious illnesses”
“I don’t mean it that way - what about me as a person?”
“……Who knows”
“What’s with that!”
She had burst out into laughter once again The adrenaline from the heat must have made her weird in the head I orried about my classmate’s condition
We quietly continued our work, until the library teacher-in-charge ca for us
It seemed like the time for the library to close had so a book slightly out of line, after which we checked for forgotten items and left the archive
Leaving behind the sweltering heat of the archive, our sweat-soaked bodies shi+vered as ere reacquainted with the cool library air
“It’s cold!”
She cheerfully spun around, entered the library reception counter, and wiped the sweat off her face with a towel conjured froan drying my own drenched body
“Good work, we’re already closed, so take your time Here, have some tea and snacks”
“Woah, thank you!”
“Thank you”
After taking a sip of the barley tea that Sensei brought out, I took another look at the library It was true - there wasn’t a single student left
“The steamed bun’s delicious”
The girl who reacted to every single positive thing was relaxing on the chair inside the counter With ed out a chair that was a little distant from her and sat down too
“Sorry for getting you two to help out, even though tests begin next week”
“Don’t worry about it, it’s okay We’re the kind that always get pretty average scores Right? Secret-Knowing-Classmate-kun”
“Well, if we listen during class, I guess so”
I made an appropriate response and took a bite of the steamed bun
It was delicious
“Have the both of you begun thinking about university? What about you, Yamauchi-san?”
“I haven’t really thought about it - I mean, there’s still time”
“What about you, Adult-Like-Student-kun?”
“I haven’t thought about it either”
“That’s no good - you gotta think about it properly, Secret-Knowing-Classmate-kun!”
She held out her second stea that unnecessary conored her and took another sip of my barley tea The taste of the familiar, widely-available barley tea was delicious
“So the both of you haven’t really thought about your futures eh? If you continue being lazy, you’ll be the sae as me before you know it”
“Ahaha, there’s no way that’s going to happen!”
“…………”
While the two of theht face as I munched on my steamed bun and drank my barley tea
It was as she said There was no way that would happen
It was ie as our teacher, as in her forties In this place, it was so only she and I knehich hy she winked at h she were one of those actors from American films that winked when they told a joke
But just to be clear, the reason I didn’t laugh wasn’t because of how ill-conceived her joke was It was because of the proud face that she- it was borderline mental
Annoyed that I re seen that, the edge of htly
After staying in the library for about an extra half an hour, we began to head home
When we got to the shoe lockers, it was already 6pm Despite this, we could still hear the ruckus ave their all under the equally relentless sun
“Wasn’t the archive hot?”
“Yeah”
“We still have to do this again tomorrow, huh But at least tomorrow’s the last school day of the week”