part1 c15 (1/2)

Chapter 15 : The Wild Beast of Summer[edit]

The interior of the secret base was gradually dyed red by the setting sun.

Hisakawa’s snoring sound dominated the void around him, unlike Menma. His snoring sounds were like a tyrant.

It was an inexplicable scene.

There was I, who couldn’t go back home, Tsurumi, who didn’t leave for any reason, and Hisakawa, who basically didn’t sleep last night and was now sleeping like dead meat plainly in front of his guests.

But, time wasn’t that hard to endure when I was with them.

Tsurumi was now reading a novel. I was playing Hisakawa’s boring games, and with a blink of an eye, few hours had already pa.s.sed.

It was like the old days.

When we were small, a day’s time pa.s.s like flying, so short it was scary. However, when I idled away time at home, time felt like really slow, so slow I felt impotent in enduring through it.

Nevertheless, when Menma came, the stuck time seemed to move again…

At this moment, Tsurumi raised her head.

“He has come.”

“Eh…”

Scuffing walking sounds were heard. Then, the door was open.

“Good evening.”

The one entering in was Anjo; Tsurumi’s face suddenly grieved. Before I could think over what her expression meant…

“…Kuh!”

I must have showed the most dumb and shocked expression.

“Menma?!”

“Jintan. It’s been ages I’ve seen you…yeah, maybe not that long. This time it’s only about half a day!”

Holding Anjo’s hand, Menma looked around.

Hisakawa, who was still curled up in the blanket like the daytime, also lifted his head hazily.

“Oh…mmm? Jintan? Did you say Menma just now?”

“Menma…she’s there?!”

Oh c.r.a.p.

I couldn’t help but shout, for Anjo and Menma’s sudden arrival was completely out of my expectation.

Indeed, Hisakawa and Tsurumi’s face tensed, but Anjo didn’t; she said, “She’s really here.”

She showed some puzzlment…a miraculous expression with even some embarra.s.sment within. Then with this expression, she looked at her right hand that Menma was holding.

“Is it here? It feels a bit heavy.”

“Heheh. You’re right!!”

How should I take this situation? There was no way I could make it up in my mind.

“You guys! Why would you come along together?”

“Umm…we just came across each other in a coincidence.”

“You came across each other? Didn’t you say you couldn’t see Menma?

“Yeah…though I couldn’t see her…”

Menm now ran to me with joyful stepping sounds.

“Anjo came to Jintan’s house!”

“Eh!”

“Then she just stood at the door! She came to find Jintan and Menma!”

Anjo? Had she been still worried of the episode this morning?

When I lifted my head in surprise, I found out that everyone stared at me with a look of surprise that was different from mine.

“Hey. What did Menma say?”

“Ah…it’s…”

“Waaa. Menma has this at home too!”

Menma didn’t understand any part of the atmosphere around here and made a fuss over the coffee brewer Tsurumi had brought.

“…she said she has this coffee brewer at her home too.”

“Haaaaa?!”

They were stupefied by what I had said.

Three of them all opened their mouths slightly, showing the same expression. This wasn’t that weird. After all, we left without making a deep remark about it last night. This should be the first, formal interaction they had, though the topic was about a coffee brewer.

“When you’ve finished boiling coffee with this thing, it will make a poppy sound. Poppy!”

“She said it will make a poppy sound when the cofee is boiled.”

“Poppy…”

It was an abnormally jittery line I had said, making me almost embarra.s.sed while I said it. Anjo lightly said, “it really feels like something Menma would say.”

“Eh…”

As if this line was an opportunity, Hisakawa stood up abruptly.

“Right. Let’s let Menma have some of this!”

“Hisakawa!”

He poured some coffee into the mug and raised it to mid-air.

“Hey. Jintan. Is Menma here? Here? Or is she there? Please drink!”

“Hisakawa, you!”

“…let Menma have some?”

Menma blankly looked at the mug moving back and forth in front of her, as if incredulous.

Then, Tsurumi commenced, “Menma doesn’t like to drink bitter stuff.”

“Tsurumi?!”

“Yes. This is the same as that time Let’s give Menma some more milk then,” Anjo continued what Tsurumi had said.

“Anaru!”

No one…there was no one here that denied Menma’s presence.

Yes, at this place…

“Name.”