Vol 2 Chapter 1 (2/2)
If her dialogue were textual, a heart syence would be added to the end of her line
“shi+ori, you’re mysterious”
Perhaps I was referred as otten
“In ay?”
“Hmm It’s as if your body is made of snow”
She had skin as white as snow; she ate ice cream in the chilly weather
She see, innocent face took no notice She was a girl to be worried, to be protected
“You’re a romantic person, Yuichi-senpai”
shi+ori laughed, retrieving my attention
“I hope you aren’t serious”
Roh, shi+ori’s enchanted face
“You and I are both living people Look”
Before I kneas happening, shi+ori touched asp back to ht touch of her fingertips arers, in contrast, turned cold in the chilly air
“I know, but your hands are so warm you seem to have a fever”
I slowlytouched, even though this mere sensation made me restless
“I’d suggest you go back inside”
I continued to persuade her
“I can’t get in without my uniform”
But shi+ori rejected flatly
“They won’t see you if it’s just a while”
“They definitely will see me”
“You lack the spirit, I say”
“Even if I do have the spirit, they’ll see me, besides…”
shi+ori, who had been s, suddenly looked down
She didn’t continue what she had been saying
I rehtened look on shi+ori when I first met her
Why is she having the same look now?
shi+ori looked up and gazed at the school building
The school building looked close and dull, yet in her eyes they seemed far and inaccessible
A narief filled my heart
“…yesterday…”
“Woah!”
shi+ori’s sudden diversion to speaking freaked me out
“I didn’t say anything yet”
shi+ori looked unhappy
“Sorry What happened yesterday?”
“Yesterday, what’s the girl called?”
“Do you mean Ayu?”
“Ayu-chan, is it?”
What a cute na
“The ‘-chan’ doesn’t really fit her”
I could tell shi+ori wanted to derail the topic, but I still ith her flow
“But she is older than me”
“It sounds hard to believe”
“Ayu-chan doesn’t study in this school, does she?”
“Maybe”
shi+ori was sceptical of my answer
“Honestly, I know as much about her as you’d probably do”
“But she said yesterday it was a reunion after seven years”
“That’s what she clairees”
“Still…”
shi+ori seemed worried of hoould react In her eyes she pursued the reason behind
I nodded and commenced
“In the past, I’d come to this town every winter Probably snow occurred treasurable to me in this town because it didn’t snohere I live”
“I can understand”
“But one year I stopped coh What was left was a strong reluctance to coain”
“…”
shi+ori said nothingsilently at me
“I came here this time because of e to the local school I’ at my relative’s house”
“So is Ayu your relative?”
“No Idistrict She knocked me from behind all of a sudden with taiyakis in her hands”
“Taiyakis, hm”
“Taiyakis, indeed She even toldchased Before I could ask her as happening, I saw an oldchased; and I told her she was a taiyaki thief”
A vivid picture of what happened popped up in hed it off
“Did you also help her to get aith stealing?”
“No way I was just caught with her flow”
“I see”
shi+ori placed her thumb beside her lips and looked down like a detective
“So Ayu-chan were friends with you , you end up being chased together”
“I suppose you can put it that way”
Soirl called shi+ori, so why did she have to talk about Ayu I was afraid of talking about my lost memories or even my past—well, Nayuki will certainly know, still—I have never talked about it with even my closest classmates But I had easily told shi+ori Or even, I hoped shi+ori would know more about me
“Ayu-chan and you sound like a soap opera It’s so cool”
shi+ori held the cape on her shoulder and heaved a sigh
“Do you really think so?”
I would rather say it was a comedy show than a soap opera
“I do While at face value you two argue, but emotionally, you…”
“Wuahahaha!”
“You’re rude Please don’t burst into laughter”
“My apologies”
shi+ori, I’m afraid that’s beyond me ability How do you expect ?
“Is it really that weird for a girl to dream of a soap-opera-like love relationshi+p?”
shi+ori spoke softly, her thin face titled to a sle
“Is this dream really plain and stupid?”
“I never said that”
“Sorry”
We fell into a while of silence
The ice crea been empty
I had also finished my lunch
Before the rasped my final chance and shot the question
“shi+ori”
“Yes”
shi+ori ily prepared
“shi+ori, do you really think like that?”
“Longing for a love relationshi+p?”
“Yeah”
“Of course That’s my dream”
shi+orit looked afar again, but then she suddenly fixed her attention at me
Her eyes were pale but abysmal and pretty
They sent a thought to ination
The person she wanted to see was me
When she kneas in her school, she sneaked out of bed despite her cold to bump into me
Could it be?
“…ah”
The ringing bell reminded us of the end of the lunch break
shi+ori shoved away the snow on her skirt and the upper part of her cape, and stood up
“Can I coain?”
“During the lunch break, sure”
I should have told her not to come if her cold hadn’t worn off, but I couldn’t
I was excited by the sole idea of ain
“But it ht be better if you cure your cold first”
Anyway, I still wanted to sound reasonable
“Haha, I understand”
shi+ori laughed
“Well then I’ back home now”
shi+ori gave a light bow and turned away
Heading to the school gate, she chose her steps carefully on those she and I had stepped on, as if not wanting to increase the footprints on the snow
I saw her off
Can we soon see each other again? Inback
Then as if our hearts connected, she turned lightly around
“See you tomorrow”
“Wuu…”
Left alone, the coldness I had forgotten seeped back into my body
Checking that shi+ori was nowhere to be seen, I swiftly got back into the classroom
“Yuichi, where did you go?”
“I had so to take care of”
When I replied Nayuki, I saw the person behind
“Oh right, Kaori!”
“What’s Kaori?”
Kaori furrowed her brow, looking at me doubtfully
“Kaori’s surname is Misaka, don’t you remember?”
“Yeah”
“Kaori, don’t you have a younger sister?”
The impression Kaori and shi+ori made was entirely different, but with closer observation, the whiteness of their skin, the brightness of their hair, as well as the contours of their face resembled each other Their voice was similar too
“No I don’t have a sister”
But Kaori denied flatly
“Really?”
“Yes Why are you so convinced I have a sister?”
“…I’”
“Really?”
Kaori looked at me with renewed suspicion
“…really”
“Really?”
“You don’t have to pry further if you really don’t have a sister”
“…”
Kaori crossed her hands in front of her chest, rendered silent
“What happened?”
Nayuki smiled leisurely
“Nothing”
“Nothing”
Kaori and I said in unison Of course, I knew there was so
Kaori was related to shi+ori Kaori ht well be sister
So was Kaori the person shi+ori wanted to meet?
Still, if they were sisters, they should be living together There was no need for her to drag herself along with her cold to school
The teacher lecturing the afternoon lessons came into the classroom
My classmates returned to their seats
I also returned tothis up the next time I see shi+ori
Probably I shouldn’t ask too much about their private matters
But I had gone as far as telling shi+ori affairs I was reluctant to share with other people
Maybe shi+ori could feel the saht just stunningly lay them out open and wide
Anyway, that would only be possible until I could ain
I rested my eyes on the court
No one was there now, save two pairs of footprints