Chapter 9

Fufu. Another clear, blue day.

(‘Tis still early in the morn, so the temperature is not too hot. Perfect weather for practice swings… ♪)

……

(Hm? Is that Shino I see walking before me?)

(Our distance is too great to call to him. I could shout, but as that could frighten Shino, ‘tis not a good idea.)

(I will catch up to him soon enough—I shall greet him then.)

(Howe’er. What business could Shino have coming to school this early?)

(Our practice between Ra*bits and Akatsuki doth begin in the afternoon. Mayhap he cometh for club activities, or something of that sort?)

(But he appeareth somewhat unsteady on his feet. I worry that he may stagger into the roadway.)

(So that he might not collapse, I shall quietly watch over him from behind.)

All right, let’s keep going~…

(This is…? Mm, I have confirmed from the placard that this is the practice room.)

(Were Akatsuki and Ra*bits meant to meet so early? …Nay, I confirmed the time several times over with Hasumi-dono yesterday. ‘Twill be after noon.)

(Did he come early for independent training, such as I? Shino, thou art an admirable youth ♪)

I have to get more done before everyone else gets here.

(Oh? Doth he know not that I am here? Although, I suppose that I did not announce myself upon entering.)

(Nevertheless, the sound of the door opening and closing should have alerted him.)

(Hm. He said he needed to get more done. However, we should have finished yesterday all of the lanterns that were needed…)

Shino.

Gyaaaaaaah?!

O me, I’ve frighten’d thee. Forgive me. But thou woundest me, reacting as if thou hadst seen a ghost.

Hawawa—I’m sorry! You just came right up behind me and spoke and it scared me…

Umm, Kanzaki-senpai. You’re pretty early today~

But we’re not supposed to meet until the afternoon, so there won’t be anyone else here if you come this early, you know?

Fufu. That you say; however, thou art also here.

Shino, I apologize if I am mistaken here, but didst thou come to school early to make more lanterns?

We finished the lantern construction yesterday. So why is it that thou still maketh them?

Um… When I got here, I just happened to find a lantern I was already working on.

I thought if I left it like this, it’d be thrown out, so… I couldn’t stand to leave it unfinished.

When I finish it, I’m going to do some independent training… So if you’re not busy then, Kanzaki-senpai, it’d be a big help if you could watch me practice ♪

But of course. However… why doth a good child such as thee try to deceive me with lies?

L–lies…? I’m not lying! I really was just trying to finish this lantern I was working on…!

Mm. It doth seem my phrasing was too harsh. I apologize, Shino.

It is possible that thou dost tell the truth. But thou workest on this lantern e’en after it hath been completed, dost thou not?

…I had no intent to eavesdrop, but I overheard thee nonetheless.

I heard thee say that thou must make more lanterns.

If thou enjoyest making lanterns, then all is well.

If there are many a lantern, then surely the stage will be bright. And I do not believe that will catch Hasumi-dono’s ire.

However, it appeareth not that thou enjoyest thyself.

The phrase “have to” is born from a sense of duty. What drives thee to such an extent?

Nothing’s driving me. I just want to make the glow of the lanterns stronger than the fireflies.

Fireflies…? Why dost thou mention the fireflies?

Now that thou sayest it, though, when we went to the riverside for our inspection, thou didst raise thy voice to demand that we not treat fireflies as objects. Dost thou have some sort of attachment to fireflies?

Be at ease, I shall not force thee. Thou and I are not close friends, and one cannot speak of their own past with ease.

Nevertheless. Shouldst thou view the situation from another point of view, it is precisely because we are not close that thou canst divulge stories of the past which thou wouldst not want thy close friends to know.

Willst thou reveal a small part of thine heart to me? I believe myself able to share the burdens of mine underclassmen.

Kanzaki-senpai…

Thank you. I got so worked up that I ended up denying it, but you were right, Kanzaki-senpai. I was lying.

Others might think, “What’s the big deal?” But please hear me out.

It was before my brother and sister were born. Back when I was really young.