Translator: Lilo
Editor: Ryuubii

Chapter 3: Daily Attacks In the Library

Act 7

After school that day, just before 5:55 p.m, I went to Kanata-senpai, who was sitting in her usual seat.

“I’m sorry, Kanata-senpai. Could you leave a little earlier today?”

She looked up at me and asked, as she smoothly dragged her pen through her notebook.

“Is there something going on?”

Because of her appearance and atmosphere, and her nickname as the “Empress”, I felt as if I was being asked, “Who do you think you’re talking to?” However, Mibu Kanata was just this sort of person.

“Hasumi-senpai will be here at six o’clock.”

“Hasumi will be here?”

Kanata-senpai tilted her head.

“Isn’t that a common occurrence these days?”

“I’m afraid we’re going to have to talk about something complicated. Actually, she ran away from home yesterday. We’re going to meet and talk about it here.”

“Hasumi ran away from home, huh?”

Kanata-senpai murmurs, I was unsure whether she was interested or not based on her expression.

“Yesterday means that the trigger happened that morning.”

“I bet.”

Perhaps that must have sent her into a terrible self-loathing feeling.

“Do you think it’s your fault that Hasumi left?”

“……”

How very perceptive. No, you only had to do a little bit of thinking and you’d be able to figure it out.

“Takinami-senapi said the same thing to me.”

“I don’t care who said what. What I want to hear is what you think, Shizuru.”

“That’s harsh.”

As expected of Katana-senpai. I was cut down in a single blow. [T/N Yes, it’s not a typo.]

“Of course I do. I think Hasumi-senpai thought of me as an eyesore and left.”

I responded like a desperate man.

Kanata-senpai then let out a sigh of exasperation.

“You’re able to break things down and analyze them, but you lose your cool when it comes to yourself.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. No, rather, I think you’re too calm. I have been worried about that ever since we first met, Shizuru.”

“……”

“What you value the most is harmony. You could and are able to choose the most appropriate course of action depending on the situation, but it always goes in the direction of harmony. I think you’ll willingly choose to be the bad guy if it’s in order to make things better.”

“You’re thinking too much.”

I chuckled.

I would like to say that even I do not have that much spirit of self-sacrifice.

“Just for the record, you know this is a family matter, right?”

“I know.”

“No, you don’t understand.”

Kanata-senpai stated it clearly.

She then started putting away her notebook and tools on the table. It was quite spread out, but it wasn’t long before it was shoved into her bag.

“Wait, Kanata-senpai. What on earth do you mean―”

“I wish I could answer that.”

Kanata-senpai interrupted my words.

And, the next moment, the bell rang.

After waiting for it to end, she opened her mouth once again.

“Unfortunately, a certain library committee told me to leave early.”

“Kanata-senpai!”

“You sound so desperate. I didn’t make you out to be that kind of man.”

She laughed, but sounded somewhat dismissively.

“Let’s see. If I had to say something―you just need to look at yourself calmly and objectively as usual and see where you stand right now. That would solve the problem.”

Kanata-senpai put her words together, and then she left.

Because she was always the last to leave the room, the two or so remaining students, perhaps mistaking the earlier pre-bell for the main bell, followed her out of the library in a hurry.

I was the only one left.

If Hasumi-senpai was punctual, she should be here in less than five minutes.

Takinami-senpai stated it clearly and Kanata-senpai said it implicitly. That Hasumi-senpai didn’t leave because of me.

‘Am I wrong then?’

What was I wrong about?

However, there was too little time to think about it, and Hasumi-senpai showed up just before the main bell rang.

When she came into the library, she was in her school uniform. Has she been like that since she left home, or did she go back home to change clothes? Either way, civilian clothes would be too conspicuous, so it was natural to be in a uniform.

As Hasumi-senpai entered the library, she first looked around the room.

“Did everyone leave already?”

“Yes, Takinami-senpai didn’t come today. It’s just me.”

The reason she was not here today wasn’t because I told her to do so. If she had wanted to be present, she could have come for a number of reasons. But today, Takinami-senpai didn’t show up here even once after school.

“Ah, yeah. It looks that way…”

Hasumi-senpai abruptly said―then her words were cut off.

Then, I guess it was my turn to speak. Since, I was the one who called her here.

“……”

But after coming this far, I was at a loss for words.

Just a few minutes ago, I had decided what I was going to tell her. However, that fragile will was crushed by Takinami-senpai and Kanata-senpai.

“I’m sorry, alright?”

It was Hasumi-senpai. When I was wondering what I should say, she initiated the conversation.

“I left at a peculiar time. You probably thought you were the cause that I left, right? Since you’re diligent.”

“But the fact is―”

“It’s dad that I can’t forgive.”

Hasumi-senpai interrupted me and stated firmly.

“He betrayed mom and had a child with another woman, and kept quiet about it until mom died. And then he invited the child he had with his mistress home and acted like he was doing something good. I can’t forgive my dad for that.”

Hasumi-senpai let it out all at once.

But then, realizing something, she added.

“Ah, don’t misunderstand. I know you’re not at fault.”

“Eh?”

I was caught off guard by her words, and I couldn’t help but let out a sound.

“Don’t give me that.”

Hasumi-senpai looked at me and laughed.

“You think you did something wrong? You were just born out of your mother and our father.”

“But…”

That may be true. But I’m proof of her father’s betrayal. Am I not someone she should hate? If Hasumi-senpai thinks that she cannot forgive uncle, even more so me.

“Well, sure, I was annoyed by the way you were hanging out with women here and there, just like dad. In that sense, you may have been somewhat responsible for it.”

“……”

What a terrible false accusation.

But now I understand. I now understand the reason for the wave-like attitude Hasumi-senpai has shown so far, and what Takinami-senpai and Kanata-senpai meant when they both said that it was not my fault that Hasumi-senpai ran away from home.

For Hasumi-senpai, it was her father who she should hate, not me.

So she tried to talk to me as normally as possible. Sometimes she would have a moment of coldness, but if I think back, it was always when uncle appeared, or when she associated him with her memories of her mother.

The only time she would poke at me was when I was talking to a girl, or when I brought up the subject of girls. The similarities of that with uncle made her angry.

And one more thing.

Kanata-senpai said that this was a family matter.

Right. This was a family matter. Putting Hasumi-san aside, Hasumi-senpai does not regard me as family in the first place, and from the beginning, she had no interest in me. She should hate me? What a joke. How arrogant. The proof of this was that she never once called me by name.

Then, what should I do?

Do I stand by since I have no business meddling in the affairs of other people’s families?

No, even if I’m an outsider, I still have a role to play in my own way. I will eventually leave the Hasumi family. But, I can’t ignore this matter. In fact, I think there were things I should do because I was leaving.

Now, look at yourself objectively and calmly.

Where do I stand? How should I behave now?

As I thought about it, an answer was projected into my mind.

“Hasumi-senpai should tell that to uncle. Otherwise, you’re just gonna look like you’re just throwing a tantrum.”

“?!”

Hasumi-senpai glared at me sharply, it seemed that it hit a sore spot.

“What’s wrong with that!? He wouldn’t understand If I didn’t do so! All he cares about is you! Isn’t there anything else he should be doing!? Or what?! Dead people don’t matter at all?!”

Hasumi-senpai became agitated and started to ramble all at once.

Of course, she was not asking for attention from her father. She just wanted to say that there was something more to a dead person, her mother, as she just said.

However―,

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’ll understand this either.”

I meet her caustic gaze head on and quietly tell her. It was easy to agree with her here… But I can’t back down.

“To Hasumi-senpai’s father… no, he’s also my father. I don’t mean to put it this way, but that man is so out of it.”

“Ha?”

“Do you know what he said when he was welcoming me to his house? ‘I have a daughter who’s about your age. I think she’d make a good conversation partner.’ he said.”

“…Did he say that?”

Hasumi-senpai’s eyes widened.

“Yes.”

It may seem like I’m repeating myself, but high school girls usually don’t take kindly to the idea of a boy of the same age living together. In fact, they would probably actively protest against it. However, Hasumi-san had never even imagined such a situation.

“Uncle probably thinks we can work well together as siblings.”

“…”

Hasumi-senpai was speechless.

After a short pause, she let out a deep sigh.

“I don’t know about that.”

At the same time, her body suddenly relaxes.

“I got tired of staying in the same house, so I ran away with a bang, but I can only stay away for a week at most. And that won’t mean anything if he doesn’t understand.”

Hasumi-senpai said in an amused tone, scratching her head.

“I’m sorry, but will you go home with me today?”

“Of course. Why not?”

Hasumi-senpai was probably going to talk to uncle.

She was telling me that she wants me to be there too.

§§§

This was what happened after that.

After we finished closing the library, Hasumi-senpai and I went home together. It was after 7:00 p.m. By then, Hasumi-san had already returned home and greeted his daughter with a look of relief when she came home for the first time after a full day.

However, Hasumi-senpai stretched his father’s cheeks with all her might.

“Apologize! Apologize to mom right this instant!”

Uncle seemed to understand everything at that moment, and silently turned away and moved to the front of his late wife’s Buddhist altar. There he slowly sat down on his knees and bowed deeply, saying, “I’m sorry.”

And now he turned to Hasumi-senpai, who was watching the scene from the side, still sitting upright.

“And to you too, Shion. I apologize.”

“!?”

She looked at her father’s attitude and her eyes widened.

“I was so focused on helping Shizuru-kun, who was left all alone, that I didn’t pay attention to you or Misato. I am sorry. Please forgive me.”

Even Hasumi-san, who has no understanding of his daughter’s feelings, would understand if she went this far.

Uncle bowed down his head to his daughter, as he did to the altar earlier.

Hasumi-senpai didn’t say anything.

Although, Hasumi-senpai will settle this matter here. She might be angry, slap him, he apologizes, and that will be the end of it. I hope she won’t stretch this further.

Maybe things might not return as usual. No, perhaps things will never return to the way they were, considering the mistakes Hasumi-san made. But, still, a peaceful home will come back sooner or later.

Hasumi-senpai turned around without saying anything to uncle and returned to her room.

At that moment, I heard it.

“Next is me…”

She mumbled.