Vol 16 Chapter 5 (1/2)

Chapter 5 - The Rumored Campione

Tokunaga Asuka is in first year of high school.

She lives in the Nezu Sanchoume in the Bunkyou ward in Tokyo, a lively

shopping district which leaves a strong small-town atmosphere.

The aura of the Showa era that was left here and there wakes a curious

feeling of nostalgia.

Asuka works part-time in a family restaurant a little separated from that

district.

A common place chain restaurant.

But because it is next to the main street, it is still thriving. It was early

October when she saw a certain old friend during work.

On the first day of a long weekend, past eight o'clock in the morning.

Asuka was on morning s.h.i.+ft and serving the customers.

Her long-time friend had not entered the store as a customer, but was

killing time out front, holding a large bag. It looked like he was waiting for

someone.

Kusanagi G.o.dou.

Written in Kanji, every character needs a large amount of strokes, but

that's the name of her friend.

He was tall and had quite pretty features, but because of the

unsophisticated feeling he gave off, you wouldn't exactly call him

good-looking.

Asuka knew him since kindergarten.

Because he was waiting where he was, he must have arranged to go

somewhere by car.

Despite his ordinary looks, G.o.dou had many unusual acquaintances. From

time to time he used the pretense of job to help such acquaintances with

their work. Certainly that day must've been the same, Asuka thought and

returned to her work.

However, moments later, she suddenly found G.o.dou surrounded by girls.

Furthermore, each of these four girls were either cute or just beautiful.

There were even 2 beauties from abroad mixed in, one blond and one

silver-haired!

”That guy... Looks like he's become quite a player lately. He wasn't that

bad before! Unbelievable, to think he'd fall that quickly...,” Asuka hissed,

deciding to teach him a lesson.

Meanwhile a mini van came to a stop in front of G.o.dou.

Her childhood friend plus the four girls got in and drove away.

”...Wasn't that G.o.dou-san just now?”

”Mariya-san and Erica-san, as well as Liliana-san were with him, right?

Meeting early on the first holiday and leaving by car... I wonder where they

are going.”

Asuka overheard that quiet conversation.

Looking for its source she saw her fellow part-time workers. Miyama-san

and Sawa-san were whispering to each other.

Like Asuka they were in first year of high school. Until a moment before,

their eyes had been directed outside the family restaurant, where G.o.dou

and the girls had been.

Then Asuka understood.

She had heard before that those two were going to the nearby Jounan

Academy.

”Sawa-san, Miyama-san, do you happen to know Kusanagi G.o.dou?”

Asuka asked them out of the blue.

It was past one o'clock. The morning s.h.i.+ft was over and they were in the

changing room now, switching out of their cute uniforms into street clothes.

Being asked all of a sudden, Sawa-san and Miyama-san blinked with

surprise.

”Well, we do know him, but...,” Sawa-san nodded cautiously.

With the thin-framed gla.s.ses, she looked most intelligent.

”But how come you know him, Asuka-san? You're not going to Jounan, are

you?” IVIiyama-san asked in return. She was of short stature and plain

adorable.

Actually, she was so child-faced you could mistake her for an elementary

school child.

”I'm from the same area, a shopping district nearby. And I went to the

same elementary and middle school, too.”

”So... you're childhood friends?”

”With that Kusanagi-kun?”

Sawa-san already started going into it while Miyama-san was completely

surprised.

”Yes. I won't call it the regret of my life, but it has been rather unfortunate

to be stuck with that idiot for so long. By the way, Miyama-san, what did

you mean with 'that Kusanagi-kun'?” Asuka asked with a cold smile on her

face.

It had been half a year at most since they had entered high-school.

Had her old friend gained such a reputation in such a short time?

”Could you please think about it for a moment? Since I've known him for so

long, I'd like to know what preposterous things he's been up to. Depending

on the situation, I'll have to discipline him a bit...”

”I think it started around May,” Sawa-san started calmly.

They had changed locations to a lively j.a.panese tea house in Nezu

Sanchoume - Asuka's and G.o.dou's home neighborhood.

”Until then, Kusanagi-kun had not stood out very much. Well, his face is

okay and he is tall, so one girl or another might have been interested in

him, but all in all he did not stand out. But ever since Erica-san came,

everything has changed.”

Sawa-san spoke distinctly and in an educated tone.

Apparently her intellectual gla.s.ses weren't just for show.

”Ever since that extraordinarily smart and athletic blond beauty who's fluent

in j.a.panese on top of it showed up, conning all the way from Italy to chase

after Kusanagi-kun, he has completely changed. Or perhaps his hidden

abnormality has just come to light.”

”And after Erica-san, Mariya-san from our cla.s.s was next...”

Bit by bit, Miyama-san also started talking.

Unlike Sawa-san, she spoke hesitantly. Kusanagi G.o.dou's behaviour was

just that far out there.

”Mariya-san is always so graceful, like a young lady, but before anyone

knew it, she was already clinging to Kusanagi-kun like a maiden in love.

They seemed like they would elope at any moment. But that Kusanagi-kun

didn't settle with just two girls, no...!”

”Another girl, Liliana-san, came here from Eastern Europe because of him

as well.”