Volume 1 Chapter 2 (2/2)
Kenji was doing the saned to a different land division, and since the excavation site was very large, he was out of Koutarou's sight
The ruins Koutarou's group was digging up were generally called the Kitsushouharukaze Ruins
The ruins had been discovered by chance when plans for expanding on the Kitsushouharukaze High School facilities were in the
As one could guess from the circumstances of the discovery, the ruins were close to Kitsushouharukaze High School
The school ithin a fewdistance and stood halfway up a slope The ruins were at the top of said slope
Therefore, continuing the climb up the slope past the school would lead to the excavation site
At the tiht to be fro of value was expected to be discovered
True to this belief, the only ite of the excavation had been common relics
However, after exa the items, the ruins were determined to be priceless; they were actually 10,000 years old!
Even if the items found were common, they held astronomical value if they were 10,000 years old
10,000 years ago was the early Jōmon Period[3]
Earthenware and bronzeware of types co over 10,000 years old was enough for a large scale investment
The discovery could coical field
To speed up the excavation, a large amount of workers were required, and recruitment posters were printed en masse
Koutarou and Kenji, who had been looking for part-time jobs, jumped on the offer, and since it was so close to school it was an obvious pick
Squatting and slowly shaving away at the soil little by little was very tiring
However, Koutarou, who had been a catcher during the entirety of middle school, was used to the position
Though he was unaccustomed at first, after over a month of work he was completely used to it
”All I find is dirt, no ”
According to the archaeologists, the area Koutarou was in charge of contained a building used during religious ceremonies However, despite the efforts of several tens of workers, nothing befitting such a place had been found
”Aren't we the only ones digging up someplace completely unrelated?”
Since he started working, Koutarou had seen nothing but dirt
”Mackenzie's area seeets to discover a bunch of items”
The tedious and unchanging work bored Koutarou
”Koutarou”
”Hmm?”
At that point, Koutarou thought he heard somebody's voice
”I thought I just heard a voice I wonder if it was Obaa-chan”
Koutarou stood up and started looking for the source of the voice, but he couldn't find anyone who could have called him
Koutarou was the only person in this area, and the elderly woman had her back turned towards him
”I wonder if I was just i it”
Koutarou tilted his head in confusion, and the voice entered Koutarou's ears once again
”Koutarou”
”This isn't Obaa-chan's voice I feel like I know it very well No, maybe it's the first time I've heard it?”
”This way”
”That way? On the other side?”
After hearing the voice for the third ti from a wooded area about 10 meters away from him
”All right”
Koutarou left the trowel at his feet and approached the wooded area
”Is this one of Mackenzie's pranks, or is it someone else?”
Koutarou was almost certain it was one of Kenji's pranks, so he didn't feel any danger whatsoever
However, in the event that it wasn't, it ht've been someone in trouble, so he decided to take a look just to be on the safe side
”Really We'll be high school students to pranks When I catch him I'll make him confess whose voice he's recorded!”
Having no recollection of the voice, Koutarou assuirl he'd hooked up with
”Hmm, it's pretty thick”
Koutarou elbowed his way through the thick vegetation, rustling the bushes
Because of the tall trees and the overgroeeds his visibility was horrible
The weeds poked at Koutarou as he walked through,it painful to pass
”Oi, Mackenzie! You're out there, aren't you? Hurry up and show yourself!”
The weeds poking at Koutarou started to irritate hiet out of there
”Coirl you've hooked up with is!”
Then the feeling of ground beneath Koutarou's foot suddenly vanished
”Huh?”
Oh crap, a hole in the ground!?
By the tiround
”Ow!”
Suddenly hitting the ground caused Koutarou to exhale sharply, and acute pain shot through the back of his head
Having fallen, there was good news and bad news
The good neas that the hole was not all that deep
The bad neas that Koutarou had hit his head on a rock when he fell
”Ouch, that hurts This is all Mackenzie's fault”
Koutarou put his hand on his aching head and stood up Thanks to his unusually sturdy body, he had sustained no real injuries apart from a bump on his head
”Eh? Where am I?”
Koutarou's surroundings met his eyes as he stood up
Despite being the bottom of a hole, it was not pitch black; instead, it was soht
It was too bright to be accounted for by the light entering through the hole up above The light level was con in a dark hallway
”So's here Some sort of pedestal and several pillars Even the floor is paved”
It was a hly 10 meters in every direction
The ground was covered in buried flat slabs, which formed a sturdy floor
Several pillars about as tall as a person stood on top of the floor, and atop each pillar there was a glowing sphere
The light in the roolow
And as if surrounded by the pillars there was a single pedestal
On top of the pedestal was a hu down at Koutarou
”Are these the ruins of that religious building that was supposedly buried around here?”
The statue upon the pedestal looked Godlike due to the glow of the spheres on the surrounding pillars
Had someone said this was a temple, anyone would believe them; it was that kind of mystical place
”Koutarou”
The voice that had been calling for Koutarou filled the room
”That voice again Hey, is so my name?”
The surprised Koutarou looked around the roo
The only thingwas Koutarou himself
”Koutarou, I've been waiting for you all this time”
”Waiting? Where are you!? Who are you!?”
Not even Koutarou could believe this was one of Kenji's pranks
Koutarou felt doubts about the mysterious voice, but he did not voice them
”Uhat!?”
All of a sudden the statue upon the pedestal began shi+ning This light, however, was not due to the light from the pillars
It was the statue itself that had begun to glow
The light eak at first, barely noticeable, but soon it began shi+ning brightly
”Countless days and nights have passed; a never-ending cycle of sun and moon Just how many times have I dreamed of this moment”
”The statue? Are you the one talking?”
Another light burst forth froradually the luan to assume a shape
”I aiven to h its purity allows me to use it as the focal point of my power, it is not me”
Eventually the incandescence assuh the statue had transformed into a human
”Koutarou, we finally meet”
”A girl ?”
The shaped light overlapped with the statue, revealing the figure of a young girl with calentle eyes
Girls tend to give chocolate to the guy they like during Valentine's in japan There's also obligation chocolate, given to friends and family A month later on 14th of March, which is called White Day, boys tend to return the gift, usually in the form of cookies
The japanese iron age normally cited to last between 300 BC to AD 300
Prehistoric japan, starting frohly 12,000 BC to 300 BC