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Chihaya Furu - Volume 1 - Chapter 2.1

Published at 17th of January 2016 06:42:18 PM


Chapter 2.1

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MIDDLE SCHOOL EDITION – VOLUME 1
chihaya’s chapter – 1

-

chihaya’s chapter
waga mi hitotsu no aki ni wa
(autumn for me alone)

-

1 – otome no sugata (a maiden’s form)

-

‘Why? Why are you quitting karuta?’

It was an autumn night with a bright moon. Ayase Chihaya went to Mashima Taichi’s house and pushed the illuminated intercom button.

The Mashima household was the most splendid in this area. The sounds of the insects in their garden reverberated clearly. However, even this graceful sound did not enter Chihaya’s ears, so hot with emotion her head was.

'Taichi! Taichi! Hey, Taichi, come out already! Let’s talk properly!’

Even though Chihaya kept calling, no reply came through the intercom. In her irritation, she put her hand on the gate and pushed it forcefully, thinking about climbing over – and then it opened easily without a sound, making Chihaya tip over.

'Be quiet… She’ll notice you.’

Taichi had opened the gate slightly and was standing there. He was looking at the illuminated room on the second floor of his house, which was probably the room of his fussy mother.

However, all Chihaya was thinking of was convincing Taichi.

'Taichi, what about the promise with Arata? We said we’d see each other again if we continued karuta.’

His most important promise, which he had made only half a year ago. Chihaya, Taichi and Wataya Arata had made this promise in tears on the day of their parting.

'Don’t you want to meet Arata?’

Chihaya slipped half of herself through the gate and grabbed Taichi’s wrist. Taichi just stood there without trying to push her away. Chihaya looked at him intently.

'If I stay like this, I won’t be able to meet Arata.’

Though Taichi’s words were rough, his tone was calm.

Why… Chihaya was about to say that, but she swallowed her words. Taichi wasn’t looking away. He was quietly looking into Chihaya’s eyes.

'B… B-but, you’ll be able to meet him if you get stronger at karuta. At competitions and things.’

'Listen, Chihaya. Continuing karuta or not isn’t the point. When we grow up more, we’ll be able to meet if we want to, and if we don’t want to, there’ll be no helping it.’

'No helping it, you say…!’

Chihaya’s hand grew slack, and Taichi gently pushed it away. She could see his unshaken expression in the dim lighting.

'Sorry, Chihaya, I… won’t meet you… for a while either. Be careful on the way home.’

Taichi pushed Chihaya out of the gate gently and then went back into his house.

The light at the door turned off.

Chihaya just stood there for a while. A dog howling somewhere far away in the residential area brought her back to her senses.

’… Id… Idioooooooot! Taichi, you idiot! You idiot you idiot you idiot!’

After shouting, Chihaya burst into tears.

-

Chihaya couldn’t remember how she returned home. In tears, she had run, run, and run. When she collapsed just inside the door to her house, her heart was hurting so much she had thought it would burst.

With no strength left, her head had gone blank… Before she’d noticed, she was in bed, and her mother was looking at her in surprise.

'Chihaya! Were you sleeping this whole time!? What about school?’

'School…?’

(It’s morning? My head hurts… I feel so tired. I can’t get up…)

Chihaya’s thoughts were sluggish. Her body felt heavy… but it was cold, like there was a hole in her which wind was blowing through.

'It’s past noon already… Ah, so the call from school this morning was about Chihaya!’ exclaimed Chihaya’s mother, hugging her head. 'I was thinking it was strange when the school called this morning, since I’d already called yesterday saying that Chitose was going to take a day off since she had a photo shoot… When they asked me what Ayase-san was doing, I just said that she was taking a day off and hung up.’

Chihaya’s older sister, Chitose, was a model for a fashion magazine for middle and high-school students.

At the end of last year, her sister had reached the last stage of the national beauty pageant and had been scouted by a model agency as a result. After a number of auditions, she had been exclusively hired by a magazine at the beginning of summer. Her mother was always busy accompanying her sister. She had probably dropped off her sister at the shoot location today too. It was an outdoor shoot and there had been many cloudy days recently, so it seemed that she had temporarily returned to prepare dinner.

'Chihaya… Do you have a fever? You look pale.’

Chihaya’s mother placed a hand on Chihaya’s forehead.

'It’s a slight fever. I need to go back to Chitose now though… I wonder if Harada-sensei will come.’

Chihaya’s mother’s voice started growing farther away, and Chihaya’s vision was growing foggier too.

-

Nobody was there. Chihaya was alone in this white space. She looked around.

Sailor uniforms… Girls wearing the uniform for the school Chihaya attended, Higashi-Oosato Middle School, were chatting at a long distance. Chihaya could hear their voices clearly.

'What club will you join?’

'There are a lot of cool upperclassmen in the basketball club!’

'Let’s go already!’

Wait! Chihaya ran after them. She called out in a loud voice.

'Hey, want to play karuta together?’

The girls stopped and turned around. Sneering red lips suddenly appeared on their featureless faces.

'Why karuta? Nobody’ll play something uncool like that.’

'Chihaya-chan’s seriously weird.’

'Can’t keep up with her – she just talks about karuta. She doesn’t know about anything on TV.’

They laughed loudly and then turned around.

Chihaya’s heart hurt. Her throat and stomach hurt too – she couldn’t even call out to tell them to wait.

When she crouched, a shadow fell on her. She looked up and saw Taichi there, expressionless.

Chihaya pleaded, 'Taichi! Taichi, you’ll play karuta, right?’

'I’m going to quit karuta. I won’t meet with you either, Chihaya.’

Taichi’s feet moved too quickly for Chihaya to cling to them, and he disappeared.

'N-no! Don’t leave me alone – don’t leave me!’

-

Chihaya woke up to her own scream. At the same time, her mother and a middle-aged man she recognised rushed in.

'Chihaya-chan, what’s wrong?’

'Harada… hic… sense… i…’

It looked like Chihaya’s mother had asked Harada-sensei to come because of his regular occupation.

'Sensei, I’m really alone… hic… now… Taichi – Taichi…’

Chihaya couldn’t speak through her tears. Sensei held back Chihaya’s mother, who was at a loss. Sensei was wearing a white doctor’s gown unlike his clothes at the karuta competition. He knelt by Chihaya’s bed and put their eyes at the same height.

'Matsuge-kun will come back one day… I want to say that, but I don’t know either, so I won’t tell a lie to give you hope.’

Chihaya couldn’t keep crying after hearing Sensei’s pained voice.

’… If at least you keep loving karuta, Chihaya-chan, that’ll make me happy enough. Now drink this. Then I’ll take your temperature, and you can show me your throat. I’ll check your heartbeat too.’

Harada-sensei held out a sports drink. Chihaya took it. Harada-sensei confirmed that she had drunk it and then took out a stethoscope and thermometer from his consultation bag.

* * *

Harada-sensei determined that Chihaya had a cold and was exhausted, so Chihaya took another day off school. The person who came to bring her printouts for the homework was the school year committee member, Horikawa Michiru. Since Michiru’s elementary school had been different from Chihaya’s, it was probably quite a detour for her to come to Chihaya’s house.

Chihaya didn’t have friends who were close enough to her that they would say, 'I’ll bring the printouts for Chihaya.’ Michiru, with her short hair, was wearing a jersey as she stood at the front of Chihaya’s house.

'Horikawa-san… thanks for coming, even though it’s so far.’

'Don’t worry about it. I often run this way for training on my own.’

Chihaya recalled that Horikawa-san was a long-distance runner in the track and field club.

'Ayase-san, during tomorrow’s Japanese class, we’re going to start the page for Taketori Monogatari. You like that sort of thing, right? Stuff about princesses from ancient times.’

So come to school – that was what Michiru’s kind smile was saying.

Chihaya was about to say, 'That’s not it,’ but she stopped herself. Normally she would have gone and said, 'I like karuta! The hyakunin isshu! How about you, Horikawa-san?’ However, that had made her alone. She didn’t want to feel alone any longer.

'There’re people like that sometimes. Those that like princesses and Japanese culture, history, that sort of thing.’

'Er, Horikawa-san, what do you mean by… Taketori…?’

Michiru looked surprised.

'Princess Kaguya! The first story of Japan written by Murasaki Shikibu in Genji Monogatari – ’

This amount of knowledge was expected of the honour student who continuously fought for first and second place.

'Murasaki? What’s that? … What, I think I’ve heard of it somewhere…’

'In the Hyakunin Isshu, right? What was it, er… “meguri aite” (As I was wondering) or something.’

’“me” and “kumo”!’

When Chihaya suddenly leant forward, Michiru took a step or two back.

'I see, “me” is for Princess Kaguya, so the moon comes out.’

'It’s a bit different…’ That was what Michiru murmured, but Chihaya missed it. She felt very much like going back to school.

-

Michiru had said that sometimes there were people who liked Japanese culture.

(Though the person who said that didn’t like it much herself.)

That sentence gave Chihaya strength, so she started making a poster by hand.

Though there hadn’t been anyone in her class… or year, Chihaya realised that if she searched the whole school, there might be someone who liked karuta.

(Who cares about Taichi. I’ll definitely, definitely make new friends. There’re deeeefinitely people that like karuta.)

Chihaya wanted to quickly forget her frustration and sadness, so she focussed on making her posters. She put dozens of them up around the school.

'Hyakunin Isshu!! Would you like to play competition karuta together? Contact Ayase, class 1-3.’

However, they were quickly taken down and thrown out. A member of the student council came along with the guidance teacher to Chihaya’s classroom and told her not to put up posters without permission.

'Take off all the remaining ones.’

Chihaya felt depressed as her classmates giggled around her. Then, somebody placed a hand on her shoulder – it was Michiru.

'I’ll help, Ayase-sa… Chihaya-chan.’

Michiru said Chihaya’s given name, seeming just a bit embarrassed.

'Horikawa’s got it tough. The committee members even have to look after troublemakers like that,’ said one of the boys. The girls were looking at Michiru pityingly too. Michiru’s personality was probably why nobody was saying she was just doing it for points with the teachers. Michiru was a girl who was kind to the bottom of her heart with no hidden intentions.

'Sorry…’

'It’s nothing to apologise for, Chihaya-chan.’

'I’ll get permission this time. I’ll make an official club too with the student council’s permission. A karuta club.’

'That’s…’

Michiru looked like she didn’t know what to say in response, but she accompanied Chihaya to the middle staircase to take down the posters –

And there was a female student with her long hair in a ponytail. She was looking at the poster. She was tall, but under her skirt, she had on thick knee supporters and aluminium crutches in both hands.

'Ah… Inaba-senpai.’

The student turned around at Michiru’s voice. Michiru bowed deeply.

'Do you know her, Horikawa-san?’

'She’s Inaba Nao-senpai from the track and field club. She’s in class 3-4.’

'Inaba-senpai then.’

Then, before Michiru had time to stop, Chihaya brightly ran up to Inaba.

'Do you like karuta?’

In Inaba’s confusion, Chihaya introduced herself. 'I’m Ayase Chihaya. I put up these posters. Let’s play karuta together! It’s fine – I’ll explain how. I participate in karuta competitions.’

Inaba hesitantly nodded at Chihaya’s vigour.

'I rather like taking the Hyakunin Isshu karuta… Like during New Year’s with my family. I’ve even won a competition at my elementary school.’

'Really? That’s great! Let’s play karuta together! OK? OK? OK?’

Chihaya grabbed Inaba’s hand, which made her drop her crutch. It hit the ground loudly. Inaba staggered, and Michiru hurriedly helped support her.

'Chihaya-chan, be careful. Senpai, are you all right?’

'Sorry, you’re injured, aren’t you? I hope you get better soon.’

'Y-yes… me too.

'So when will you start karuta? I’m OK with you starting today!’

Inaba turned serious as she looked at Chihaya’s excited expression.

’… Er, there’s one thing I want to ask. If you’re OK with that, I’d like to play karuta.’

'What is it? I’ll listen to anything. I’ll even go around the school building on my hands!’

Inaba took a deep breath and then whispered in Chihaya’s ear.

'Just teach me love poems.’

Chihaya’s mind went blank, unable to understand the words she had heard.

'Lo…? What poems…?’

Then, a student jumped down a flight of stairs to snatch Inaba in a hug. The short-haired girl glared at Chihaya.

'This is dangerous – don’t just go around like that! Hey, Horikawa-san, is this girl your friend? Be careful!’

'Sorry, Yamabe-senpai!’

Michiru held out the crutch and bowed her head. The short-haired girl took it and gave it to Inaba, and then she gave Inaba her shoulder for support as they went up the stairs. Inaba’s feet were unsteady, and it looked like she could only go up the steps one at a time.

'Ah… I was still in the middle of talking…’

'Chihaya-chan, the girl just now was Yamabe Nonoka-senpai from the track and field club. She’s in the same class as Inaba-senpai.’

'Then I’ll go to their classroom afterwards. Thanks for telling me.’

'Er, but…’

According to Michiru, Inaba’s injury was from a traffic accident right before summer. Since it took two months to heal, she had probably only started coming back to school recently.

'Yamabe-senpai and Inaba-senpai are friends, so she was really worried. When Inaba-senpai came this morning to the practice to say she would continue to take a break from club, Yamabe-senpai leant her a shoulder the whole time.’

'I see…’

If Inaba was taking a break from club, she might be able to play a lot of karuta, thought Chihaya. However, she didn’t get to meet Inaba that day, since she had left early to go to the hospital.

-

Chihaya met Inaba the next day. The wind was strong since a typhoon was coming.

It was their monthly long cleaning time, during which everyone changed into jerseys. Chihaya and Michiru’s class were in charge of the student entrance. They took off the floor slats where people changed their shoes and wiped away the dirt with a brush. As Chihaya rubbed away mindlessly, she heard a familiar yell.

'Inaba-senpai!’

Chihaya ran towards the source of the voice, and Michiru hurriedly ran after her.

'What’s wrong?’

'I heard Inaba-senpai’s and the other… Yamabe-senpai’s voices from the courtyard. They shrieked so I was wondering what to do.’

'Really? I didn’t hear anything.’

'They definitely did.’

After declaring that, Chihaya ran and Michiru followed her. Chihaya’s hair became a mess in the wind.

'Chihaya-chan, I’ve thought this ever since seeing you in gym, but you’re fast.’

'Ah, yeah, but I couldn’t win at the sports festival. I was afraid of the pistol and started late. They don’t have to let out such a loud noise!’

-

In the school courtyard, there was a large zelkova tree by the rubbish shed at the door. When Chihaya and Michiru got there, Yamabe was in her jersey on the roof of the steel rubbish shed, waving a long fallen branch at one of the branches of the zelkova tree.

Inaba seemed nervous as she watched. She only had one of her crutches.

'It’s fine. We can just make a new flag. It’s dangerous, Nonoka.’

'But I’m almost there.’

Yamabe waved the branch with large motions as she stood on her tip toes… and then the strong wind made her lose her balance. She fell off the roof.

'Ah! Watch out!’ screamed Inaba.

Chihaya and Michiru caught Yamabe.

'Are you all right? Good thing you didn’t hit the ground,’ said Chihaya with a smile.

'Are you all right, senpai?’ asked Michiru.

'Horikawa-san? Thank you, really… And you are…?’

Yamabe cocked her head, like she was trying to place where she had seen Chihaya before. Then, she turned towards Inaba.

'Nao, are you OK? Sorry.’

'I’m fine. Sorry for making you do something like this. Er, you’re… the Hyakunin Isshu girl from the other day.’

'Yes, my name is Ayase Chihaya! When I heard your voice, Inaba-senpai, I just wondered what happened.’

'I don’t think you could’ve heard it from the entrance though…’ said Michiru, seeming puzzled, but Chihaya didn’t pay her any attention. She climbed onto the roof that Yamabe had been on earlier and looked up at the zelkova’s branches.

Chihaya found Inaba’s silver-coloured crutch caught on the branch, together with a colourful cloth.

'Ah, there’s a crutch there. Wait, I’ll get it.’

Chihaya wrapped herself around the thick zelkova trunk and started climbing.

'Wait, Chihaya-chan!’

'Leave it to me! I was faster than anyone at climbing the trees on the mountain behind my elementary school.’

'Even if you say that, it’s dangerous…’

While Michiru and the others watched nervously, Chihaya reached the branch in question and reached out for the crutch. The folded fabric spread out in the wind.

'Ah, is this a flag to cheer your class on? You made this for the next class match, right?’ asked Chihaya, still on the branch.

'Yes, it flew away when we were drying our brushes on the balcony,’ replied Yamabe from directly under the tree. 'I tried to get it with a mop, but it was so heavy that my arms got tired. Just when I was thinking about what to do, Nao suddenly threw her crutch.’

'I thought that I could knock it down since the crutch has a good weight to it. A fallen branch would be too light,’ said Inaba with a wry smile.

Yamabe looked miffed as she nudged Inaba.

'Sometimes you really don’t think about what to do.’

'Then, you said, “What should we do?” I heard you earlier.’

'Don’t push yourself,’ replied Inaba, but Chihaya just smiled and waved her hand. The wind had wrapped the flag around the crutch.

'It’s fine, it’s fine… Ah!’

Maybe because Chihaya had been waving her hand or because of the wind, Chihaya suddenly toppled forward. The three people underneath the tree shrieked in unison.

Chihaya immediately grabbed the flag and slid down the trunk. Leaves were caught in her short hair, and she rubbed her grazed cheek with a full-faced smile.

'See? I got it.’

Chihaya held out the flag and the crutch inside it.

'Chihaya-san…’ said Inaba, letting out a sigh of relief. 'Thank you. Sorry for causing you trouble too.’

Yamabe pushed aside Inaba, who had taken the crutch, and started yelling at Chihaya.

'Why did you do that? It’s dangerous! I was about to ask a teacher to borrow clippers for the tree.’

'Eh? I got it though!’ said Chihaya, who didn’t understand.

Michiru pulled Chihaya’s hand.

'Let’s go back. They’ll think we skipping out.’

Inaba took Yamabe’s hand to pacify her and smiled shyly.

'Thank you, Chihaya-san. You really helped us out. Sometimes I’m a bit… I hurt this foot in the same way. I ran out into the street to save a kitten. Nonoka’s just embarrassed, so don’t worry about it.’

'Em… embarrassed? What are you talking about? This girl just did too – ’

Yamabe’s cheeks were red, which made Chihaya suddenly like her.

(I’ll become friends with these two!)

Chihaya was determined.

'Yamabe-senpai’s really nice. I want to be helpful to Inaba-senpai, just like Yamabe-senpai!’

Michiru, Inaba and Yamabe looked at Chihaya.

'Inaba-senpai is interested in karuta too. I’ll help you from now on, Inaba-senpai. When Yamabe-senpai and at times like that. If you have any problems, tell me at any time! I’d be happy if you’d play karuta with me too.’

Inaba thought for a while and then replied, 'Thank you. Then I’ll accept your feelings. And, about karuta… I’d like to play if it’s for love poems…’

Yamabe poked Inaba, looking anxious.

'What are you talking about? Karuta? Love? Is this about those really old stories you read in hospital? Why are you suddenly… Didn’t you promise to do rehab and come back to track and field?’

'Sorry, Nonoka… My foot… it’ll still take some time.’

'Hm… so this is to keep you from getting bored until your leg heals, Nao?’

Inaba had a vague smile on her face, and Michiru looked at Inaba and Yamabe in concern. Meanwhile, Chihaya thought about what Inaba had said.

(Love… Poems that have 'love’… I think there was only the kimariji 'koisu chou’ (I’m in love’).)

'Inaba-senpai… there’s only one card that starts with the character for love.’

When Chihaya cocked her head, Inaba wrote the kanji for love in the air.

'Love. There are other poems with love in them in their meaning – ’

'Ah, I see! If you can make those your speciality, you’ll play karuta then!’ said Chihaya excitedly, grabbing Inaba’s hands in hers. She still had leaves in her hair, blowing in the wind.

Inaba smiled wryly and nodded, giving in.

'Chihaya-chan, that’s great. You’ve found someone to play karuta with you.’

'Yeah, it’s thanks to you, Horikawa-san! I’ll ask the guidance teacher to let me borrow a room after school and get permission to bring karuta cards and CDs! when I brought cards last time, I was told off. Something about school rules. I mean, they’re in the third-years’ textbooks so third-years can bring them, but first-years can’t. It’s strange, right?’

’… Chihaya-chan, you wouldn’t bend to anyone, would you,’ murmured Michiru.

'Eh? I bend. I have a flexible body. Look.’

Chihaya jumped up the stairs and then touched the step below her toes with her fingers. Inaba and Michiru burst out laughing, and Yamabe shrugged as well, like she thought there was no helping the situation.





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