Vol 1 Chapter 7 (1/2)
7 - The Truth of the Historic Classics Club
In the evening after a lengthy debate, I leisurely pedaled e sunset, and struggled to listen to Satoshi+'s soft voice
”To be honest I'm quite surprised, Houtarou Indeed I'ht, then our Kanya Festival owes its existence to the expense of one person's high school life However, I'm even more surprised that you're able to deduce all that”
”You're doubting my ability?”
I replied jokingly, yet for once Satoshi+ didn't s riddles ever since enrolling at Ka with Chitanda-san, or the case of the popular book that nobody reads, as well as the one with the Wall Newspaper Club president”
”They just happened by chance”
”Yet the results mean that didn't matter Yet the proble riddles to be botherso them? The answer is si it for Chitanda-san”
I turned my head, and wondered whether that was true
”Doing it for Chitanda” wasn't exactly right, I think I would accept it if the reason orded as ”it's all Chitanda's fault” I re this aptly as well before, that I wouldn't take action unless someone asks me to do so While she didn't askbothersome for her, but
”Today's different”
Yeah, today's different
”You can be good at drawing attention to yourself as well, you know? Today, the job of solving the riddle was supposed to be done equally between the four of us You could have chosen to run away saying you didn't get any of it, and none of us would have said anything Yet why did you still seek out the answer yourself under the pretext of going to the bathroom?”
The sun continued to set, and I could feel the breeze of the wind I aze and looked forward
”Wasn't it because you were doing it for Chitanda-san?”
Satoshi+'s question was quite right Normally, I wouldn't have bothered to solve such a puzzle I guess I was extremely active today
Yes that has to be it
Why did I act as I did today? I think Ito do with Chitanda However, understanding so so e and vocabulary base, I was not able to convey hts to others, not even to a telepath like Satoshi+
No, rather than that, I think it's because I've known Satoshi+ for so long that explaining becomes difficult Since my actions and motives today were a departure from my usual modus operandi
Still, I had no obligation to explainto do with hianizing avemy words
” I guess, I'rey-coloured life”
”?”
”Ever since y efficiency levels have fallen to their lowest levels She would prepare ies as a club president, take exa That's quite tiring fortime on all sorts of worthless endeavors”
”Well I guess”
”But you know, soreener on the other side of the fence”
I stopped speaking right there, as I realized I could have phrased that in a better way Yet I couldn't think of anything better than that, and so I continued, ”Whenever I look at you guys, I can't bring myself to cal interesting in that”
””
”So at the very least, I wanted to, how'd you put it, solve the riddle I wanted to have a taste of your way of life”
I shut my mouth after that Amidst the sound of the pedals and the breeze, Satoshi+ said nothing Satoshi+ was normally talkative, yet there were ti, and I was quiteI'll just think of an excuse later, for now, I couldn't stand this silence any longer
”Well, say so,”
I could sense Satoshi+ sh I couldn't see it as he spoke at last
”I think”
”Hmm?”
”I think you're actually envious of those with a rose-coloured life”
I replied without thinking, ”Maybe”
Staring at the ceiling in my own room, it hite as usual
I ruminated on what Satoshi+ said earlier
Even I liked hearing fun stuff, which includes silly jokes and popular ot spun around by Chitanda, it was still a good way to kill time
However, with all due respect to all comedic acts out there, what if I becoardless of ti fordetriy efficiency?
For example, Chitanda's pursuit of her past
And more i the Kanya Festival 33 years ago, according to my deductions
My vision just couldn't focus on a single spot It's as I thought, whenever I think about this, I just couldn't re to the floor I' there
My gaze was drawn to one of the lines written in it
I'm sure I'll look back ten years froret
Ten years later, for a mere human like me, is just a hazy future after all I would be 25 by then Looking back at myself ten years before, I wonder if I'll look back and ponder about the things I did and could have done Perhaps Sekitani Jun, as a 25 year old, would also be looking back on when he was 15 with soret as well
I
Suddenly the phone rang
No, it's not like I've never heard a phone ring before It's just that I was so ihts that it felt sudden I left ot up and headed downstairs to answer the phone
” hello, this is Oreki”
”Huh? Houtarou?”
I feltin nervousness It was a faet me involved in all sorts ofso in the japanese Consulate froents As it was an international call, it was hard to listen to, but there was no mistake that it was her
Without fail, I gavethe voice that I hadn't heard for so long
”So you're still alive?”
”How rude, you think I'd get killed by one or two bandits?”
So she actually did go through that? Can't say I'm surprised
Probably et, my sis spoke quickly
”I arrived at Pristina yesterday That's in Yugoslavia[1], by the way Finances and health are both in good condition and et to Sarajevo If I travel leisurely, I'll get there within teeks This ends s over there?”
My sis sounded happy as usual Though she's ery, or cry like there's no toenerally she's usually just happy
I flicked the telephone cord withunusual in the Far East Command”
”I see, then”
My sis was about to hang up Though I wouldn't haveup, I still spoke
”We're publishi+ng an anthology, 'Hyouka'”
” Huh? What?”
”We looked up Sekitani Jun”
My sis still spoke in a swift ht that story would still be passed down Is 'Kanya Festival' still a taboo term?”
I did not get what she meant by that
”What do you mean?”
”That's a tragedy I don't like that”
Taboo? Tragedy? Don't like that?
What's she talking about? What's she trying to say?
”Hang on a ht?”
”Of course The 'kind hero' You get it, don't you?”
It was a pointless conversation Even though we're talking about the same subject, we can't seem to connect
As for why, I instinctively realized that I could have been mistaken Perhaps the deduction that Iin so impatient, since h School 33 years ago
”Sis, what do you know about Sekitani Jun?”
I decided to ask her seriously
All I got was a simple answer
”I don't have time for that! Bye!”
Click Beep, beep
I took the receiver away from my ear and looked at it like an idiot
””
Why this
”Stupid sister!”
I sla it to shake with a loud noise My irritation was now doubled, thanks to my sis
I no longer remembered what my sis said exactly, as the conversation happened so quickly there was no tiatively concerning the incident was fresh in my mind
I went back tothe Classics Club had collected concerning the incident fro 'Hyouka', the 'Unity and Salutation', the 'Kah School: Walking Together for 50 Years' I also placed the letter ain read that line that got my attention
I'm sure I'll look back ten years froret
Ten years froo, if he's still alive he would be about 50 by now Would he still look back at his high school life without regret?
I think he wouldn't The ”hero” that sacrificed himself for the passion of his coh school education would have no regrets forsuch a decision Ever since ht
But was that really true?
It was just a Cultural Festival, yet it led to the school coh school is rose-coloured, then would such an intensely rose-coloured life that gets interrupted still be called rosy?
The grey-coloured part inoneself so that his co like that? That thought surfaced in ht, I could not ignore the fact that edy
I needed to revise this once again I took out all the copies that mentioned that incident
And so, I began to inquire whether Sekitani Jun's life was really rose-coloured 33 years ago
The following day, I headed to school dressed in , I called Chitanda, Ibara and Satoshi+ out as well All I said to the else I needed to add to yesterday's deduction before this can be fully concluded I'll be waiting at the Geology Room”
And so the three of the up a supposedly resolved proble, the look of surprise atfrom my usual behaviour could still be seen As for Chitanda, she spoke upon seeing me
”Oreki-san, I feel like there's still so that I need to know”
I felt the same way as well As I nodded, I placed my hand on her shoulder
”It's fine I think we should be able to sort this out by today Just hang on a bit longer”
”What do youto yesterday's deduction, Oreki?”
”Addingthat is still incomplete”
”I don't get it, are you saying we've been looking into this the wrong way or heading into the wrong conclusion?”
”Just hear me out”
As I took outit to the rest
” 'Hyouka' wasmore important It was not meant to chronicle the life of Sekitani Jun or made as a heroic tale, that's what the preface says anyway”
That was the part that Satoshi+ covered yesterday As expected, he spoke up
”Isn't that the part we discussed yesterday?”
”Yeah, but perhaps we may have been misled”
”What do you mean?”
”This passage here, 'As a sacrifice of the conflict, even Se the flow of time into eternity' The 'sacrifice' here does notup voluntarily, rather, it ”
Ibara raised her eyebrow
”But wouldn't they have used 'victim' instead of 'sacrifice' then?”
'Victi, as Chitanda covered for me
”No, 'sacrifice' can also be involuntarily It used to mean just that in the past”[2]
As expected from an honours student, that was quick And I was just about to get a dictionary
Satoshi+ co to say about a differentto that word, but isn't that obvious? Besides, there's no e could find out whichthe author first”
Of course, the difference in e was never as precise as math, it was natural that words would haveSo it's not possible to conclude that a wordelse completely
Yet there was a way to solve this I nodded confidently to Satoshi+ and said, ”Well, then we'll just have to ask the author”
” Who is it?”
”The one rote this foreword, of course Kooriyao She should be around 48 or 49 now”
Chitanda's eyes widened
”So did you find her?”
I brusquely shook my head
”I don't have to Since she's very close by anyway”
Ibara raised her head As expected, she was the first to figure it out
”Oh! I see!”
”That's right”
”What do you mean?”
”What have you figured out?”
Ibara looked at e her to explain
” It's Itoikawa-sensei the Head Librarian, isn't it? Itoikawa Youko-sensei, her ht?”
As Ibara was a librarian herself, she naturally knew the full name of Itoikawa, that's why she was quick to realize
”Exactly If you merely heard the na how it's spelled, then you have no way of guessing whether Satoshi+ has adopted Ibara's naiven naeout her maiden name becomes elementary”
Crossing her ar her cynical sarcasm
”You really are weird Even I couldn't realize such a thing despite being in contact with Sensei all the tiet Chi-chan to have a look inside your head”
As I said before, I got lucky with a flash of inspiration I also do not want to be lobotomized by Chitanda
Meanwhile, Chitanda's face was slowly getting redder
”T, then, if we hear from Itoikawa-sensei”
”Then we'll knohat happened 33 years ago Why that was not a heroic tale, why the cover was designed that hy the anthology was titled 'Hyouka' We'll get all the answers concerning your uncle”
”But, do you have any proof that it's really Itoikawa-sensei? Wouldn't it be aard if it turns out to be someone else?”
We won't be mistaken I took a look at my wristwatch and reckoned it was about time
”Actually, I did make sure of that I found out she was club president in her second year I made an appointment to speak with her about it It should be about time now, let's head to the library”
As I turned to leave, I could hear Ibara mutter, ”You sure are enthusiastic”
I guess I am
During summer vacation, the library would have itsblinds down to protect the books froht In this moderate air-conditioned indoor environ for the Kanya Festival or third years preparing for their university entrance exa behind the counter, wearing a pair of glasses which we did not see last tiure, and wrinkles were visible on her face, proof that it's been nearly 31 years since she graduated froh school
”Itoikawa-sensei,”
She turned and noticed us as we called out to her Lifting her face, she smiled