I analyse that figure on the stairs and feel my lung go crazy.
Is it feared? Anxiety? Maybe it's both.
The figure silently moves towards me. On adrenaline, I run quickly to the nearest light switch. I turn around and sigh
she's horrible for freaking me out at this hour.
— Inoue-chan! What the hell are you doing here, you made me freak out!
—Oh sorry, Yazaki-kun, I can't go to school, are you okay?
Will she ever be able to pronounce my name correctly? That's crazy…
—I'm better now, yeah. Did you want something, Inoue-chan?
—I have a little problem.
I'm exhausted…
I motioned for her to come and sit on the couch next to me.
—I'm listening to you.
—Chizu can't sleep because of the light on and I'm … afraid of the dark.
She succeeded in holding a sentence, bravo!
Fear of the dark? It reminds me of when I had to take care of my sister's nightlight. But now it has become her haunting and she can't go to bed with any reflection.
Let's try to reassure her first.
—Do you want to rest here? You can leave the light on, it doesn't bother me.
You're much too nice … screams in my mind, Kinari annoyed.
Shut up, psycho.
—You read my mind, Yazaki-kun
And I'm not Haruka Kotoura.
—I'll go get you a futon and come back.
At least you can sleep in a real mattress.
I set up on her bed, then offer her tea. She smiles, and accepts.
Damn, don't smile, you're already too hot without your smile, don't add to it!
Her reddish cheekbones and her fringe which gives her a mysterious side… I love it…
The tea fills up until it overflows and flows on the furniture.
—Yaz'ki-kun, be careful!
Her look makes me visit the seven wonders of the world, Kinari dreams in love.
—Yaki! she yells. Take care of my drink instead of staring at me, idiot!
I shake my head to get out of my thoughts.
—I'm sorry!
What the hell am I doing!
I give her her tea. She sip and then confides in me.
—You know, I have a dream.
Still a dream?
—Ah?
—Yes, my parents work in music, and they're always abroad preparing projects. So ever since I was a little girl, I've felt compelled to play an instrument. And I fell in love with the piano. I've been playing it for about eight years and I love it! My dream would be to be a famous musician and play in a duo!
Wait, did she fall in love with the piano or with Shigatsu wa kimi no uso?
—Why do you want to play in a duet?
—To tell you the truth, no one can keep up with me, and according to Dad, duets are the most beautiful thing.
—You know, you've already conquered high school, you won't bother finding a partner, I believe, in you, Inoue-chan.
She approaches me and confides in me sensually.
—I'm really sorry, Yazaki-kun.
—For?
—Bothering you so much.
Damn, don't use such a confusing voice, you're crazy too!
—You're not bothering me, don't worry about it.
—You are really a-do-ra-ble, she articulates.
Her reddish cheekbones and her compliment stun Kinari in love.
She finishes her tea. The fear that had been on her face seemed to calm down.
—Is there anything else I can do for you?
—Yes… I uh… I wanted to talk a little more.
She doesn't bother making sentences anymore, it's so much better that way!
—I'm listening to you.
A nightly chat. Great,' Kinari sighed jaggedly.
—You know, we don't know each other very well,' she says, stroking her hair. We've been in the same class for more than a month, it would be nice to learn a little more about each other.
A month? I've only been in this school for a month? I've read, the equivalent of zero hours, zero minutes and zero seconds, one manga … sweet sadness.
—It's true that time flies.
—I noticed that at the beginning of the year, you were someone who was always alone. Little by little, you got closer to Shimizu-chan and during our school trip, you got closer to me. I wanted to know why you were a lonely person.
Bonded? What's she talking about?
Did we switch roles now? Didn't she come to me?
—It's simple, to be alone is to owe nothing to anyone. It's a principle I have adhered to. I've always managed like that. To be alone is to reject all emotions, to do without things that I consider useless. Anger, sorrow is only haunts for me.
—And why did you change then?
—I think it's because of my literature club, I didn't really choose to meet other people … and over time I got closer to some of my classmates.
—So if you've bonded with me, it's only because of the school trip, I see.
She tilts her head towards me.
—Isn't that right, Ya-za-ki-kun,' she says sensually.
Your chest is much too close…
Damn, I'm going to have a heart attack!
I can take care of her if you want,' Kinari whispered to me, annoyed, with two khukuris in his hand.
—You're wrong, Inoue-chan, it's because of our school trip that we got closer.
—You're the first one to be so nice to me, Kinari.
The girl from an erotica calls me by my first name, Kinari dreams in love as she gets up from her chair.
I really have to deal with these equally silly characters.
—The … the first one?
—Yes, actually everyone sees me as the school idol or the mascot. They all think I exist to satisfy their ears, but I have a heart too! I'm tired of listening to everyone's whims! They all think I have lots of friends that I have no problems that I live a peaceful life when it's the opposite. The truth is that I'm lonely, that I have no friends. The truth is that I focus on music because it's all I have!
This power in your words is so deep…
I grab his hands, look into his eyes and say.
—I … you…
I'm going to smash this universe in 3D, hear me well Têto, hear me well Menma and you too Isla!
—Will you be my friend!?
Fujimiya Kaori.
Tears flow down her cheekbones and a smile appears on her face.
—Yes!
Phew, it's not that easy to say such things.
—Shall we go to bed, Kinari?
—Yeah, let's.
Later, I hear Inoue whispering in a soft voice.
—Now that I'm a friend, I'd like it if you called me Aneko.
You look too much like Shouko Nishimiya.
The next morning I heard two girls screaming and two boys laughing. A sudden awakening with an excruciating pain in my arm. I slowly open my eyes and discover the furious expression of Anzu and Masuko.
—What did you do with Inoue-chan? You pervert!
I sweep my eyes around me.
Where am I?
To my left, the sofa and to my right, a girl is sleeping next to me.
If necessary, I intervene, whispering in a corner of my mind, Kinari annoyed.
Shut up, fool.
Concentrate, concentrate.
I must have fallen in my sleep, that's for sure.
That smell of roses … it's Aneko who … who's against me!
The situation is critical, I leap from the ground and kneel down in front of the two girls with angry faces.
—I'm sorry! It's not what you think.
Aneko wakes up and slowly opens her eyelids.
You're just in time, the eroge heroine.
—Did he do something to you, Inoue-chan?
Aneko's cheeks become flushed. She tries to hide them with her hands, and remains mute.
Alert, alert, shouts Kinari president.
A huge misunderstanding is approaching, there…
I look up and see that Yamaguchi and Maeda are coming down with a mocking tone.
— Yamazaki-kun the pervert, Yamazaki-kun the pervert.
I'll end up collapsing in front of this scene.
All I need is Chizu and I can say goodbye to my student life.
Here it is.
Chizu opens the door of his room, rubs his eyes, then screams.
— Kinari!
The furniture of the cottage shakes in front of its cry of a phenomenal power.
I slap myself twice in the corner of the face.
This is my last chance.
—Listen to me, Aneko and me it is not…
Anzu approaches me and slaps me.
Where do you get such strength from? I haven't felt pain like this in years.
—What do you mean, Aneko?' she asks me, frowning. Since when you call her by her first name! What happened last night, Kinari!
Goodbye, short life in 3D.
—I announce the meeting number 2, entitled 'Kinari is a fool' open, take your seats gentlemen, exclaims Kinari president.
—What is the theme of this meeting?
—We will analyse what we should do in this situation. Let's hear it.
—Can't we just kill them? I want to have fun.
—You're tough… We could just run away, far, far away, couldn't we?
—It's not stupid, according to my research, running away is the best way to attack when problems overwhelm us. In the case that we will call n1, the people who caused the dispute will find us and apologise. This is estimated to be a 48% probability. In case n2, the people will abandon us and will have this regret forever. This probability is estimated at fifty-two percent.
—Or should I cut them out?
—You're giving me a headache. We went to a lot of effort to be nice to each of them. We don't deserve this, that's all,' says Kinari jokingly.
—The debate is closed.
He taps his hammer twice, then judges.
—We take the escape!
I go out by the door and choose with haste direction.
Straight ahead.
In my run, I heard Anzu screaming, but didn't pay the slightest attention to it.
I found a cherry tree alone on my way. Exhausted, I decided to stop here. I grabbed my phone and noticed the fifteen or so missed calls from Anzu.
You're wearing me out.
The day before, I could hardly sleep and my alarm clock was on the one hand, much too early, and on the other hand, much too brutal.
I admire this tree in front of me.
You at least, you live, nobody bothers you, the passers-by observe you, but do not come to discuss, to tease you. I would like so much to be a cherry tree like you.
Are you talking to the vegetation, seriously?
His pink petals soothe my heart for a moment.
Are these trees always so colourful?
I hear a howling in the distance, but I don't understand a word of it. The sound progresses little by little and finally, I grasp my name.
I analyse the figure approaching in my direction. The more seconds passed, the more I noticed the number of profiles increasing.
Six.
My comrades and my sister lay down on the ground.
—Forgive us!
Maybe I don't deserve so much, calm down…
Anzu raises his head and with both hands makes the sign of forgiveness.
—We are really sorry for having imagined all these scenarios. I'm sorry I called you a pervert and I'm even more sorry I slapped you…
Someone apologises for me? This has never happened to me before. What the hell am I supposed to do?
Embarrassed at the sight of my classmates and my little sister lying on the floor, I ask them.
—Get up, it's embarrassing, there…
Aneko clutches the wet grass with her fists and screams.
—I am so sorry, so sorry. You are my first friend, and yet I did anything! Forgive me!
His first friend…
I grab her hand to straighten her out.
Is she crying?
I pass my fingers under her eyes to wipe her tears then whisper to her.
—I am also at fault, Aneko.
Her smile slowly form. She hugs me and drops appear again in a stream. This scene warms my heart. Finally … it would have been the case if Anzu and Masuko stopped sulking…
Our president seemed to feel affected, she approaches stammers and me.
—Follow me, I have something to ask you, Kinari.
She takes my hand, turns to our classmates, and warns them.
The softness of girls' hands in 3D, I'm a fan.
—We both go shopping, we'll be back later.
On the way, Masuko confesses to me with apprehension.
—Sorry, Kinari, I lied to you.
I'm keeping quiet and listening.
—I didn't have anything special to ask you. I just wanted to spend some time with you, I feel so guilty. Do you know how to make it up to me?
Make it up to you?
In the distance, I see a fireworks store.
A plan comes to mind.
We run to the window.
To tell the truth, I don't have any money since the gift I gave to Anzu.
How to cheer them up? Very simple, I had the idea to ask Masuko to buy fireworks. Chizu already told me that she loves fireworks.
If my sister likes this kind of activity, then everyone must like it.
—Will you pay for fireworks tonight?
—You're not that dumb, Kinari.
Who would have thought it, Kinari sighs jaggedly?
—Thank you, Kinari.
—You're a real class act. I'm buying this right now!
Classy? I'm not so sure.
—I was thinking about it Kinari, but if you need to get your grades up you can count on me!
Of course you can! Why didn't I think of this before!
I let him get the fireworks. I switched shelves and grabbed a review book.
We're heading to the cabin.
— Kinari?
—Yeah?
—Why did you take that notebook?
—I've been thinking about it, and I think I should help you study, but since I'm not good at it, I'll work like crazy to get you up to a good level, and then I'll make you study so you can fulfil your dream of going to Tôdai school.
She stares at me, lets her cheeks flush, and confides in me.
—You are as incredible as adorable. You have the heart on your hand! We were cruel with you this morning and despite that, you want to help me to realise my dream, nobody ever helped me! I don't know two like you.
His words soften my hatred.
Shigatsu wa kimi no uso: Japanese work classified as romance, music, school life.
Têto : God of No Game No Life.
Menma: Main character wearing a long white dress. (Anohana)
Isla: Main character of Plastic Memories.
Fujimiya Kaori: Character who loses her memory every Monday and has no friend, until a boy comes to her and tells her, every week, that he wants to be her friend.
Shouko Nishimiya: Character who stutters. (Silent Voice)