Vol 4 Chapter 2 (2/2)
Eh? What did I say specifically?
Sorry, but that's a secret Whatever I said while I was angry is not so I want to recall and be proud of
That's right, that hen I got angry
4
After saying all that, Chitanda cleared her throat slightly She was probably eer
The expert on rage, Ibara, urged Chitanda to carry on
”What happened after that?”
”Oes, muttered 'Ah, I see!' and told Tamura-san to sit down It was a normal lesson after that”
Ibara folded her arms imperiously
”So Omichi's that kind of teacher I'lad I didn't get that kind of teacher!”
”Exactly! Seriously, it's thanks to him that I had to work my ass off even after the midterm exams!”
I gave a reply to Satoshi+, who had raised his voice, as if he was in a play
”Your failing marks are not O about your final exams”
Next, I said to Ibara,
”He's not exactly a bad teacher”
”That's right, he is not a terrible teacher”
”Well, I guess he's not so bad”
Aren't these a people who can understand any perspective?
Chitanda looked at me
”So, anyhat do you think?”
By that, do you s
”Was there soe about that story?”
Chitanda looked fro over whether she should repeat what she had just said Then, she spoke
”Ah, I did not mention what I was most concerned about
”What I find mysterious is why O on the blackboard and his exas, Omichi-sensei does not seem the type to make mistakes”
”Well”
Satoshi+ edged into the conversation
”There are two types of strict teachers One is strict to himself, while the other is lenient to himself”
Isn't that also true for people in general Well, even I know that Omichi would be the former type
”Even so, why did he make such an obvious mistake? I really don't understand”
As usual, you're asking the impossible I raised my eyebrows
”So you want to knohy he committed the error? That's io to the staff room now and look inside his head?”
Chitanda shook her head
”No, please listen Oreki-san and fukube-san probably know this, but Omichi-sensei always opens his textbook after the lesson, even if he did not use it at all”
Satoshi+ and I looked at each other and shrugged at the same time None of us had bothered to observe his actions
”And then he uses his pen to write some short memo What do you think that is for?”
I see, so that's how it is I get what she's trying to say
”To keep track of how far in the curriculum he went in that class?”
”I think so too O the textbook, and I believe that has happened a few times before Furthermore, he most likely knows that we are class A, for he always checked the na a classroom
”Are you following? Oress and then checks the classrooain You could say that it is perfect
”But then, ould he still be able to make a mistake?”
I' that his notes are like ”1st June, Class X” on page 15 and ”3rd June, Class X” on page 20 or sootten to
I threw out a suggestion without giving ht
”Couldn't he have mistaken the date?”
One has to take responsibility for his words The punishaze, Ibara retorted
” If that's the case, he ht backtrack, but it couldn't have caused him to skip ahead use your brain, don't just speak by spinal reflex”
Did you have to say the word ”spinal”? Ibara is in perfect form today Indeed, he could looks at a previous memo, but he definitely cannot do so for a future memo that has not been written
Ibara, as on top form, turned to Chitanda and cocked her head in puzzlement
”I'ame, but”
”Yes?”
”I' Mind if I ask you a question?”
”You're asking o ahead”
Chitanda changed her posture, whichon a more serious disposition, Ibara asked the question in her usual tone
”About Chii-chan's story, I understand why you would get angry It see extrery, too But I wouldn't want to talk back to a teacher like that Isn't that like deliberately putting your hand into a fire?”
She said the last sentence while looking atto say Witticisms like that don't suit her
Ibara e risk to argue with him when he has lost his te like that, and neither would Satoshi+ I doubt anyone in Ka student body would do that That's why I was surprised during the fifth period
But Chitanda gave a careless response
”I'ry”
She got soabout here? No ht to myself, Chitanda continued
”But I don't think I got angry because he was criticizing us”
After pondering for a while, Ibara asked,
”Then was it because those who could answer kept quiet?”
”No NO one would want to answer in that situation Also, if someone had answered, the lesson would have continued while it was too far ahead”
”Because no one else pointed out the teacher's mistake?”
”No”
Ibara thought some more
”Was it because that Tamura person looked pitiful?”
That would be just like Chitanda
Or too much like her The person in question tilted her head to the side
”I was syry over that I don't really understand myself, but I can understand why Omichi-sensei would scold students who did not reh his words ht have been too harsh
” But as it that ry?”
Then Chitanda gave a half-smile
”I find myself difficult to understand sometimes”
”Hmm, I see”
Ibara also smiled aardly
I understand why Ibara asked her question Anyone in Chitanda's shoes would feel pissed off Even I would have felt uncomfortable in that position But since we have the ie for her to be angry even when that would be natural for others
But the answer for that question was not given As Chitanda mentioned, it could be because she finds it difficult to answer, or perhaps because she feels embarrassed about it, or maybe because it's troubleso troublesome?
I don't know Chitanda well enough to sense her likes and dislikes Moreover, I hadthe paperback book in my hand
”What do you think, Oreki-san?”
”No clue”
”I also don't knohy, but”
At that point, Chitanda paused She quickly took a deep breath and looked atwith enthusiasm
”But you can figure it out if you just think about it a little!”
”Oh?” Satoshi+ said in a raised voice I was taken aback Is this what it feels like to be depended on?
And did she realize that I had not put in any thought about it?
Ibara, as sitting on the other side of the classroom, raised her eyebrows
”Chii-chan, you can't expect rasshopper in his previous life”
”Eh, Mayaka-san, you can see people's former incarnations?”
Just when I thought that her curiosity had been diverted,
”But right now I'm curious about Omichi-sensei”
In an instant, we're back to square one How annoying By the way, Satoshi+'s rasshopper than y, but because of their principle of enjoying life to its fullest
”Oreki-san”
Well, I won't get anywhere if I don't say anything
I guess I'll give up on
5
It should be safe to assuress in his textbook At any rate, he's done nothing but teach math for the last ten or twenty years Like for previous years, he's teachingto keep track of each class' progress Using memos would be the obvious answer
However, despite his efforts, he made a mistake And he did not backtrack, but went further ahead This is truly a strange story
Wait a minute Hoould it be possible to skip ahead?
To coes after the correct one Class X has not advanced that far yet, but a note on the page indicates that they have
That could just be the sis and asked Chitanda,
”Your class hasn't learnt about doht?”
”Yes, you're right”
Chitanda looked bewildered as she affirmed the needless statement My next question only added to her confusion
”What if I said that your class already has?”
” What do you mean?”
”Omichi teaches math every year We're not Omichi's only students last year's class A also learnt about restrictions on the domain of X at some point”
”Ah,” Chitanda gasped Mistaking last year's ht?
However, before Chitanda could declare her agreement, Satoshi+ shook his head slowly
”If you're saying that he ht have mistaken last's years notes, I'm afraid that's impossible”
”What do you mean?”
As always, Satoshi+ seeless information
”It's siet new textbooks every year They need to have the latest revisions to stay consistent with the students, right? By the way, O this year's fourth edition”
Chitanda cast down her eyes
I see, it does seem obvious after Satoshi+ said it I would really like to kno he even knohich edition Oh
But since O in his textbooks, what if the notes got mixed up it's certainly possible, but whether Chitanda would accept it is another question Oe where he stopped Could he have written it in so scrawl? Unless there's a way to prove that he likes to scribble in his textbook
Hmm
Seeing me sit there in sullen silence, Satoshi+ decided that I was not to be depended on and continued in a light-hearted tone
”I really don't get doh I'h for led out by Omichi”
If that's the case, how about you forget some of your random trivia and focus on your studies instead?I can't really say that, can I? It would be like telling birds not to fly I wonder what Satoshi+ is trying to learn about now I rees[5]
Ah, hang on
I suddenly hit upon an idea I questioned Satoshi+
”Satoshi+, is your class already done with domains?”
”Hm? Yeah”
”What class are you in?”
”Hey Oreki, you should at least remember your friends' classes”
I tried a counterattack on Ibara
”Then do you knohat class I'm in?”
”It's not like we're friends or anything”
I was lost for words
Seeing the situation, Satoshi+ laughed
”It's okay, Mayaka Houtarou knows”
As he said that, I had a feeling that I did know
Satoshi+'s class has completed domains My class has not And of course, neither has Chitanda's
I see I get it now
”There is not question that he otten to”
I asserted
”Yes, that's right I think so too”
”Additionally, the note ritten this year, and shows the class' progress What if the memo he wrote wasn't, in fact, for your class, but for Satoshi+'s class?”
”fukube-san's class?”
Ignoring Chitanda's question, Satoshi+ asked dubiously
”Oe of classes A, B, C and D Even if it wasn't class A or B, it doesn't have to be class D, right?”
Ibara interjected
”And anyhy class D?”
”Because it wouldn't be strange for hi like A”
Ibara glared at ain” No, that's inaccurate She actually said it
”You've said soain A and D are totally different”
I slightly quailed under her stare, but I pretended to remain calm
”Omichi's a math teacher”
”So?”
”Aup A and D It's like the katakana ツ(tsu) and シ(shi+)”
”What?”
Her disdainful glare see well?” So with Satoshi+, she can re with y
Even so, I continued
”For exae 10 and '1st June, D' on page 15, right? If he mistook D for A, that would explain what happened Furthermore”
I took a short breath
”O in the lower case”
At that instant, all four of us fell into silence
I ondering if they had understood, or if they were thinking, ”What rubbish is this?” It was a tense moment for me
Finally the silence was broken
”Ah, I see!”
Satoshi+ exclaimed
”It's the lower case a and d!”
I nodded with a stiff expression Since Chitanda claimed that O to say that he had gotten the classroo In that case, there would be no other way for hih the ly However, it would be a different story for a
Ibara still firmly remained silent
Her lips stiffened, and for some reason she stared at me resentfully But unexpectedly, what careement
” Yeah, that's possible”
”What, are you feeling uncomfortable?”
”Yeah, I recently lost points in an English test because the teacher couldn't tell the difference between my a and d”
”Oh, you too? In my case, it was n and h”
Thankfully, it seems that I'm not the only one with this experience In lish but Math, and I've lostabout it, that hen I was still a rosy-cheeked, handsorade I reetting the marks, but I didn't care too much about it
Nohat about Chitanda?
Chitanda, with her elegant handwriting, has not had such an experience She thought for a while, then gave two slight nods
”Yes, that does seem likely”
Chitanda sently
”a and d I can understand the one too far in what I said to O of me”
Those words htly shocked
Those were almost the exact words that I predicted that Chitanda would be thinking
”Eh? Why do you say that?”
After taking a sidelong glance at Ibara, as insisting that Chitanda did not go too far since Olance at Chitanda's face Contrary to her self-bla words, her countenance was sunny and I could even see that she was somewhat relieved
This is what I thought deep down
The norry, and she wanted to knohy She said that it's not necessarily bad to get angry, but the truth is that she never wants to Perhaps Chitanda wanted Omichi to have had his reasons, and wanted to believe that she got angry because of her ownangry
Isn't Chitanda that kind of person?
No
I shook ht away What's with”Isn't Chitanda that kind of person?” when I've known her for only two hts and feelings, since I've known him since middle school The same can be said of Ibara, who has been in the same class as me for nine years and can be said to be an acquaintance But what do I know about Chitanda?
That's right I've ain, her motives were clearly shown, and to think that I can read her innerhts would be, as she said, to commit a deadly sin The deadly sin of pride I'd better watch out, I've somehow become quite conceited Even just today, how many times has Chitanda acted different from my expectations?
I smiled bitterly, and realized that Ibara and Satoshi+ had digressed from the topic of Omichi Seems like it's not my turn anymore I looked at azed at the sunset outside Perhaps it's tio home?
”I understand what Chii-chan is saying, but I don't know, if I was there”
”Then you would do what you would nor earlier”
Well, I guess it's still early I picked up ain Like this, h school life is squandered away Personally, I think that coh for me
Translator's Notes and References
Ju with each other to repel the Qin state, while vertical alliances refers to states allying with Qin to participate in its ascendancy
Juet to include punctuation for a bunch of sentences, it was just Ibara
Juht, people are said to have 108 afflictions or kleshas There are six senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and consciousness) ative, or indifference) s can be either ”attached to pleasure or detached fro 36 ”passions”, each of which108 klesha
Juinal phrase is 蛇のいる藪をつついた whichJump up↑ An ancient Chinese divination text, also known as I Ching