Vol 6 Chapter 1 (2/2)
Yes, that was just the first impression
At soa in hu with her in person as I had just been doing, I was truly given the i to a co Such a supposition was of course extremely rude; however, yes, the more I think about it, she seemed off as a human
I took the business card she had given ain assistant Professor, Takatsu University Huy Professor, Biology Dr KIGAMINE YAKU And then her laboratory phone nu the domain acjp) Yes, it was definitely a business card for work
Hmm
Biology professor
I called out to assistant Professor Kigamine as she left
”Um if I may ask a question?”
”Go right ahead,” assistant Professor Kigamine turned ”I had already predicted you would ask me a question at the very, very end like that”
” specifically, what are you researching, assistant Professor Kigamine?”
”You would understand the general gist by looking at the contents of that envelope but yes My research, could be called a rebellion against karainst the existent destiny, a declaration of independence that sets up ca absolute But without ornamentation, you would call it”
assistant Professor Kigamine answered simply
Without any e
Without any particular e
She answered, simply
”-- researching not dying”
Ju district in Kyoto
Ju 峰 apex
Ju like a ”shadow of idea,” but it's also a pun on the word 面影(ookoro) means sincerity
2
It ine for those who have never done it theh to explain, but the walk from Kyouto's shi+joukawara to Senbon Nakadachiuri does not require that , you could call it the perfect scenario for taking an absent- a stroll deep in thought Well, grantedpublic transport, like rail or bus was difficult with my arm in a cast, but that is that
Yet still, for the duration of the roughly one-hour walk, I struggled to coareat a scale a conversation, and it did not seeo awry, but if I were to reflect on how often I have casually said sure and tagged along and found htly around the sleeping boar seemed the best choice
However
Personally, I could not deny my curiosity
Researching not dying
Not dying
Even if living, not dying
””
That is, an a
Romance
SF
Mystery
Fantasy
It's, entertainment
In total, absurd
It was the sa alchemy Does academia these days accept such research? At the very least, it would be impossible in public and even if it were done behind closed doors, public universities would not be able to boldly proclaim their opposition to realism
Mm
No, that is why Maybe that is why she is not researching within carounds? At the very least it is not a public, or publicly acceptable endeavor I do not know
”Well, I guess I cannot knoithout reading this thing” I a, so I carried the envelope in lanced at it, but I do not have any clairvoyance skills, so all i could see was theboring”
Having returned near the antique apartarage that housed the Vespa (a white vintage ifted fronized
One was Hime-chan
The other was Miiko-san
I stoppedunder this blazing sun, and found that they were fixated on a ga sliced through the air Coht one at Osaka's Tokyu Hands
”Miiko-saaan”
I raised e Miiko-san and Hime-chan noticed me and turned to me
”Yo, Inoji” ”Ah, Master-”
Miiko-san was yet again in her coust in Kyoto, in the dead of summer, in the heat of the most powerful of summers, so she had taken off her jacket, and tied it around her waist Her healthy shoulders were e The steel fan I had gifted her some days earlier was sheathed away by her hip Her samurai-like ponytail, and that cool expressionless-ness that reed by the heat
As for Hime-chan, she seemed to have just returned froh it was summer vacation, she was such a studious student that she was forced to go in for suppleiant yellow ribbon She was looking at me, yet the bilboquet ball landed at the end of the sword like it were drawn by gravity H Zan shi+sei Yuma, she seemed quite skilled when it ca
”Master- Where were you today?” Hi a puppy ”Ooh, that envelope looks pretty suspicious!”
”Nothing ely precise instincts It is nothing that Hihtly warded Hime-chan off, and turned to Miiko-san ”Good day, Miiko-san”
”Yup”
Miiko-san nodded, lightly
She just nodded, and returned her attention to the bilboquet
Pfoosh clank, thud, phwip
””
””
”Inoji, can you do it?”
”Uhh, well, I did play it a bit as a kid”
Miiko-san handed me her bilboquet I looked at the red ball, and noticed that even though I had only bought it for her a few days ago, it was scratched all over I stole a glance at the bilboquet held by Hime-chan Her ball was hardly even touched, as pretty as new
”Alright”
First, I need to put the ball back on the dish
I bent my knees to act as a cushi+on, and succeeded
So, next
”Woah!?”
Miiko-san made a sound
I was so shocked that I let the ball fall back out
” what is it you surprised me”
”Fantastic you succeeded on your first try”
”No, u up”
It is harder to not be able to do this
The hard about bilboquets is placing the sword through the ball, right?
”Hmm if Inoji can do it, then wouldn't it mean there is an underhanded contraption in the bilboquet itself?”
”It says japanese Bilboquet association here”
” mmm”
Miiko-san furrowed her brows
”Hu in the world with a sword that I cannot handle”
” that sounds pretty ridiculous”
”Big sis Mii is surprisingly clumsy-”
Hime-chan cackled And as she cackled, she o CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK! around the world, and then with a fwip extended the bilboquet itself with centrifugal force, sliding the sword into the hole
”Yay!”
” хорошо”
Yes
Contrary to her dull-looking appearance, this girl was extreht bilboquets at once She was small, but as if she were
”Is there like a trick to it?” Miiko-san askedme a lot, but I have not improved one bit”
”Yes Nosis Mii just becomes lewd”
””
While I would verylewd, I must point out for her sake that Hi confused
”A trick but this is just placing it on the dish Even when it co it on the sword, you just have to, twist the ball like this, and it is simple”
”Ahh, that's cheating,” Hime-chan heckled ”You can't teach her the easy way out like that Once people learn the easy way out, it becomes habit And then you can't expect therowth!”
”Those are wonderful words”
I grabbed Hime-chan by her shoulders
”Then, let us put those words into practice”
”Nyagi?”
”Instead of playing around like this, go study”
”Nyagiiiii”
And with that primal voice, Hime-chan slumped over
”Coo put the Three Laws of Robotics into practice” It was not as though Asi board her mistake ”First, you must always follow your Master's orders”
”Studying is boringggg Boring boring boring”
”Nowill ever change”
”Hoould you know that? Sos happen Why do you always reject people outright like that? Jeez, this Master always o on”
”Oh stop with the sophisosh, I do not knohy, but you have suddenly only i rubbish”
”Definitely your fault”
Miiko-san said, spinning her bilboquet sword
Hmm, that may be so
”Master- Hime-chan, just now, and I mean so just now that it wouldn't be a lie to say just one second ago, Hime-chan just came back from school Like a brave hero that just returned alive from the hellish supplementary classes Why can't I play around a bit? It's like a warrior's break time”
”Warriors have no time for rest! Once people learn the easy way out, it becomes habit And then you can't expect theo ahead!”
”Umiii Master is always obfuscated!”
”While I accept your opinion with so yourself to use difficult words”
Obfuscated → × Obnoxious → ○
They are not even close
”If you say so,” Hi sis Mii, thanks for playing with me”
”Mm? Hmm? Uhh, sure”
Miiko-san unnaturally nodded To her, she probably had not played with her so ht even taken it as Hi with her She was a bit childish in that sense
”And Master”
”What is it”
”Pbbbbbbbbbbbbt”
Hiue, and with bilboquet in hand ran froy, she disappeared froht quickly
Seventeen
But, when I was seventeen, I was not that lively I feel like I was a different sort of sunk, non-alive sort of person
Not that I want to remember
”You're pretty mean”
Miiko-san said from behind
”There is no need to force her to study like that When I was her age I was a twisted fool, a sood girl”
”But the livelihood of a student is studying”
”You hardly go to classes yourself”
”You are free once you get to university”
That said, let it remain secret that I had siether with Miiko-san
”Ahhh I wanted to play with her a bit h”
””
Oh, she that hat she meant by mean
What a child
”Hmm? Come to think of it, Miiko-san, do you not usually have a part-time job at this time?”
Asano Miiko, twenty-two years old, part-time worker
Shearound various part-tihborhood kids swordsmanshi+p While one would think she does not have thatalone, she was passionate about collecting antiques, and it had become less a hobby and more a pastihtily over income
”Ahh, part-time?”
”Yes”
”I was fired yesterday”
””
And as care freely as she would as passing greeting, she continued
”I clashed with a customer”
”Uh huh”
Sheat a bar this time Perhaps there was a rowdy customer Miiko-san may look like an aloof, quiet, wise person, but she was actually a quick-tempered type
”I need to get a grip”
”You are apologetic, after all”
This was the third time she was fired for the sae even if they understand their wrongs
”I need to find my next job”
”I see”
I glanced at my envelope
Part-time Work Source of income
Though they all mean the same
However, even in such a circu Miiko-san into this suspicious job
”There's living expenses of course, but there's also thescroll I found last month I need to pay for it by the end of this month, so I'm in a bit of a mess”
”It is reserved, for now?”
”More-or-less”
”And how much is it?”
”14,000”
” ”
Even aht, then sold, then bought with the ain, that nu up to that amount so easily
”How far off are you?”
”About 2,000 I was hoping to make up that money thison”
”Is that so”
Kyoto is a tough city to find part-time work in, too
” do you really want it?”
”Mm It's an authentic from an artist I like”
An authentic
How luxurious
”Is that seller trustworthy?”
”I saw the expert's proof”
”Is that so”
2,000 even if I were to accept assistant Professor Kigamine's offer, she would still not reach that sum I would receive a total of 3,500, but everyone else would receive a total of 840 Well, the deadline is the end of August, so she could fill the gap with other part-time work, or perhaps
But, you know
Even so
I did not want to drag Miiko-san into unnecessary things Although if this were Nanananami, I would not hesitate
”Hmph”
Miiko-san's interest returned to the bilboquet As I had suggested earlier, she spun the ball hanging fro and tried to land it on the dish While it landed on the dish for a moment, the momentum and spin made it fall back offI wondered why she wanted to spin it onto the dish
”Mh it's a sword”
”Not that that has anything to do with it”
”Am I clumsy?”
”Maybe it is more to do with personality Miiko-san does not see with compact trinkets”
”Compact But I think it's fun”
””
Miiko-san was able to state that so she was poor at was fun
Frankly, I thought that admirable
If I were a person with any bit of coht I would like to pick up that trait from her At the very least, even the way I am now, I felt like I wanted to follow her example
”Ah It's on”
”Congratulations”
”That's a first”
””
The first time she was able to land the ball on the dish
Perhaps she truly is clumsy, after all
Or perhaps a natural-born hard-worker
Then, I hope she treasures her trait well
”Well, I will return to ht? If you are, would you like to have dinner together? I can treat you to et about your job loss”
”Unfortunately, I have plans tonight”
”Is that so”
How terribly unfortunate
”By the way, Inoji,” Miiko-san snapped bilboquet ball from the air At the very worst, she did not look like she lacked reflexes or hand-eye coordination ”Apologies if I' in your roo in your room?”
”Ahh”
”I don't want to poke e kids in Hi causes a bit of a developmental problem”
”I aed ”Well, you are right Yes, eventually, I will do so”
”Eventually”
”When it co at least, it is partly s turned out this way, so it is a bit difficult to handle That said, for now, there is no likelihood of problems that would bother Miiko-san, so please rest easy on that end”
”Ok I'll trust you”
”Well then”
I flippantly raised my hand, and when I had turned my back to her, I heard the sounds of the bilboquet resume It seemed Miiko-san was quite enamored by such play That said, bilboquets are normally an indoors play, so I wondered why she had bothered to walk all the way out to the parking lot well, I suppose that four-tatas, much less bilboquets
Four-tataht bulbs
No bath, a shared bathroom
Nowadays you would not nor, but the people living in this apart, and very pleasant, I think Along with the swordsman Asano Miiko-san, that old man I finally found out the real nas Ishi+nagi Moeta and Yauchi Houko-chan, the worst witch, Nananana apprentice, Yukariki Ichihiside such characters, this ordinary and nondescript user of nonsense siround
Really
Without a doubt
Exceedingly and interminably
Essentially and unmistakably
In one word
”But it is nonsense”
I arrived at the apartment
Wooden and three-storied
I clihbor Miiko-san's room, and opened the door to my room
”Welcome home, Master”
I opened the door and was ireeted
”I longed greatly for your return I recognize and understand the fatigue felt by the Master of the House and so I shall do my utmost best to relieve your burden Will you have dinner or will you have a bath? Or perhaps will you have me?”
””
A the lines in this world that nuiven the one that would cause the e I could not even fathom a response
””
”Why do you look so stunned, Master?”
Wearing an apron and displaying obedient behavior, yet undone by that cool, intellectual expression and the shoulder-length hair She s short of fake When it coht back to assistant Professor Kigaamine were like a robotic, cold iron, this one was like pleasant, cold water
Her naa
Kasugai Kasuga
A aniy and aniist -- in other words, she did not only share teamine -- that until last month worked at the Shadou Kyoichirou Research Facility deep in the mountains of the Aichi Prefecture
I say that in past tense because, obviously, it no longer held true
Last month, Professor Shadou Kyouichirou, he who held the alias Mad Demon, and his research facility essentially collapsed At the same time, th at meant she lost her job, and because she lived at the job, her home
”I jest A playful big sister's jest Don't look so seriously scared How cute”
” yes”
And
As for why that Kasugai-san is here If I am to explain why she traded her lab coat for an apron
-- here is the flashback
”Yahoo”
” how did you find where I live”
”I looked it up”
” how did you get from Aichi to Kyoto”
”I walked”
””
”Let me in”
”Why?”
”Beginning today, this is where I live”
”Why!?”
”I was fired and have become freely unemployed because of you”
”Guh”
”I was fired and have become freely unemployed because of you”
” well, that ht, be true”
”At this rateI would be happy if you could display some manly chivalry spirit”
””
”No?”
” no”
”I see A shame”
”You are quite quick to give up”
”Ahh ahh I even prepared a one to waste A shame a shame”
”Huh?”
”Well then bye bye Until we ain”
”Wait”
”What?”
”What did you just say?”
”I didn't say anything”
”But you did Say it again”
”I even prepared a ”
” please, make yourself at home”
””
”Neither seek nor shun the fight, oppress the strong and assist the weak, you would not think that I would not lend a hand to a person in need”
” thank you”
”Not at all, not at all”
-- end flashback
Well, all of that ht be a joke or a lie so it would be bothersoht not be much different, or perhaps not
This a-san
”Don't just stand there come it It's your home”
Kasugai-san waved me forward in invitation
The end of week one of living together
She was gaining composure
Or rather, screw coh I dare not borrow assistant Professor Kiga the worst possible because of the circu allowed her uniqueness shi+ne through experiencing a slice of life together, I could say that it is very rare to run across soa She was so interesting that I felt like I had lost my chance to kick her out
”Yes yes will you cut i