After a Heartbreak, My Bitter Childhood Friend is now Sweet Like Sugar - V2 Chapter 6.4

Chapter 6.4

After school, in the homeroom,

「為我登 織女之 其屋戸尓 織白布 織弖兼鴨」

「For me and my wife at home, the white cloth that has or should be woven.」

[TLN: I can’t with poems, but I found this… Waka 2027, someone (typically a man or noble) is wondering aloud to himself when his lover will finish the garment, which she has been wearing for their next meeting.] [EDN: Hopefully, this EN translation kinda fits. Note at the end.]

Kamishiro-sensei recited a poem out of the blue.

“It is a verse from the Manyoushuu. In this verse, the Celestial Weaver Maid is written as ‘Tanabatsume (織女),’ and here, a man wonders whether his woman has finished weaving the pure white cloth that she had been weaving for him at home.”

She continued to explain to her students while they were preparing to leave.

“The Celestial Weaver Maid is mentioned in various legends. It is said that there was a tradition of weaving clothes to offer to God Mizukami. This, in conjunction with the Chinese legend of Tanabata, where Orihime and Hikiboshi appear, led to the development of the Tanabata tradition that continues to this day in Japanese culture. When you think about it like this, you can see our present as an extension of the intertwining of many things. In short…”

After saying that much, Kamishiro-sensei looked around at the students and coughed. Most of them wanted to go home early and were too preoccupied with their conversations to listen.

“I’ve been working hard to come up with something to talk about after the homeroom, but I don’t think anyone’s willing to listen.”

Disappointed, she left.

“Sawatari, what’s the plan for today?”

“I’m going home with Kokoa as usual. Oh, by the way, when I told her that you were the one who gave her her nickname, she got mad like a demon.”

“Seriously? Why would she be mad?”

“I think it’s because she’s embarrassed.”

While we were talking about this, Kokoa arrived.

“Is it true, Kazama-kun, that you are the one who gave me that strange name?”

“Yeah, you can thank me for that.”

“No, I won’t! You have the worst taste! And from now on, please don’t call me by names!”

“Ahaha, Kokocchi is super mad.”

Kasugai, who was nearby, saw this and laughed. 

I’m sorry, Kazama. I said something I shouldn’t have…

“Sawatari, please take care of the rest!”

Kazama ran away from Kokoa.

“So long, Yucchi and Kokocchi, see you tomorrow.”

Kasugai followed after him out of the classroom.

“How troublesome. By the way, Yu, why don’t we stop by the courtyard before going home?”

“The courtyard?”

“The gardening club has decorated bamboo branches for Tanabata. I wanted to make a wish there first. I haven’t made a wish yet.”

“I see. All right, let’s go.”

After parting ways with Kazama and Kasugai, Kokoa and I left the classroom and headed for the courtyard.

The gardening club’s decorated bamboo. I remember seeing them with my senpai last year.

Senpai, who said she had already made her wish at home, and I, who claimed not to believe in gods, didn’t make a wish on the bamboo branches and just went home.

“By the way, the girl we met during lunch…”

“You mean Reika-chan?”

“Y-yeah. She looks exactly like her.”

We talked about it many times on the way back from the cafeteria, but she mentioned her again. I guess she was still curious about her. It was difficult for me to keep my mind collected. She was also the reason why I forgot to cook rice.

“They say there are three people in the world with the same face. Still, I couldn’t believe how similar they are…”

“What about the possibility that she came here to find out what kind of man her sister’s ex-lover is?”

“You think she’s her twin sister?”

“That’s more likely. She is curious about her sister’s ex-lover, Yuu, and that’s why she is approaching you.”

“Oh, there’s another reason for that…”

“Another reason?”

“She says I look just like her brother, who is no longer with us. That’s why she’s so curious about me, so she’s been approaching me frequently.”

“Ah…”

Kokoa was speechless.

“That’s too much of a coincidence, isn’t it?”

“It’s scary.”

We’ve both lost someone important to us. It can’t be just a coincidence.

While we were having this conversation, we arrived at the courtyard and found the bamboo branches prepared by the gardening club. There were five different coloured strips of paper on a wide desk.

There were also several strips of paper on the bamboo, but there was no one here but us. The students who were interested had probably already decorated it, and not many students bothered to decorate the school’s strips with their wishes.

“Did you know that each of these colours has a meaning? Red strips are for gratitude, white for duty, blue for growth, black for work, and yellow for relationships. These are based on the theory of yin-yang and the five elements.” [ED: Note at the end.]

“Oh, I didn’t know that. That’s very insightful.”

“I’m rather knowledgeable about wishing. I’ve done a lot of research in the past.”

“Was there a particular reason?”

“N-no, and we’re not here to talk about that.”

She stammered with her words.

That’s where I kind of guessed it, the thing she hoped for, that is. It must be because of me.

“By the way, Yu, do you know the meaning of bamboo grass in the language of plants?”

“I don’t know.”

“It means ‘A little bit of happiness.’ Don’t you think it’s so sweet? Don’t be arrogant, but be humble, and that’s why I like the Tanabata festival, where people use it to make wishes.”

“A little bit of happiness, huh?”

“Well, Yu doesn’t believe in these things anyway. Like asking for help, or making requests…”

“You know, in a situation where two students want to get the highest grade at school, one will not get their wish becoming true, right? With or without a god, it’s a contradiction even before the event starts.”

“Ha~ You gave me a twisted answer, as expected. It’s like the logical harassment that’s so popular these days. It’s disgusting. If you keep worrying about little things, you’ll end up bald from stress.”

“I was just answering honestly because you asked me.”

When I replied, Kokoa smiled in a good mood for some reason. She seemed to be saying that she knew a lot about me.

“Well…”

She picked up a yellow strip of paper. Then, using the pen next to it, she wrote her wish on it in a manner so that I couldn’t see it.

“Please don’t look, Yu. It’s embarrassing.”

“What’s so embarrassing about it?”

“It’ll be embarrassing if you find out.”

Her cheeks turned as she said.

From her reaction, I guessed the reason for her wish, but if I went any further, she would get angry, and I would be embarrassed to find out. So I decided not to.

I’m sure that her wish was about me.

…

Oh, I’m getting embarrassed just by imagining it. What if I’m wrong? Guess I’m thinking too much.

I shook my head and let the embarrassing thoughts disappear.

… Well, since she’s here, I’ll go along with her.

I don’t believe in God, but it doesn’t hurt to make a wish.

But what should I wish for?

Health first. No, no. What about a youthful wish? I hope that my grades will improve. Hmm, as long as I can get enough marks to get into higher education without any difficulty.

I wonder if I would have wished to see her again, even though I will never get to. Or perhaps, her reincarnation?

Suddenly, the face of a junior I had just met yesterday, who looked exactly like her, came to my mind. Then, I smiled to myself. What the hell am I thinking? It’s not like she’s a reincarnation.

It seems that the afterimage of my senpai is still deeply imprinted in my mind. No matter how much I try to hide it, I can’t help but see it. It’s probably because my memories with her are too precious for me.

Oh, I see. I’ve already made a wish. 

─I hope that I can move forward quickly. 

On the way home, I realized something amazing and asked Kokoa, who was walking next to me.

“Hey, if the other students see that, we’ll be in big trouble.”

“What the…!”

Kokoa froze.

Oh, she didn’t realize it either.

And I knew she made an embarrassing wish.

“They don’t know who wrote it, so it’ll be okay.”

“But if they’re in the same class as you, they might be able to tell.”

“No one has the wrong intentions to look at another person’s wishes and guess who they are! There’s none, definitely no one! I think so!”

“… You don’t sound so sure.”

“It’ll be fine!”

I wonder if it’ll be okay.

Well, there’s no way I can go back to school now and do something about it, so I’ll stop thinking about it. But I don’t want others to know that I’m the one who wrote that…

Of course, the same is true for Kokoa.

“…”

“…”

“Let’s forget it, Yu.”

“Let’s do it.”

Making a genuine wish at school can be dangerous. 

◆

ED Notes:

The Manyoushuu is a collection, or the ‘Collection of Myriad Leaves’ is one of the first and longest Japanese poetry anthologies. The current editions contain about 4,500 waka, 4 Chinese poems and 22 Chinese passages organized into 20 volumes. It mostly spans poetry from AD 450 to AD 750.

I can’t confirm where the author got the colours, but from what I found:

BLACK – colour for young boys (who will continue the family/ancestor lineages), delving into the depth of something, flowing, dormant, conserving, immortality, stability, knowledge, trust, adaptability, spontaneity, power, career, will, emotional protection.

BLUE – conserving, healing, relaxation, exploration, trust, calmness, immortality.

WHITE – mourning, contracting, withering, righteousness, pureness, confidence, intuition, strength, organization, death, ancestral spirits, ghosts, courage vs. sadness.

YELLOW– nourishing, supporting, stabilizing, ripening, grounded, solid, reliability, sunbeam, warmth, clarity, royalty, good faith, empathy vs. anxiety.

RED – traditional bridal colour, expansive, blooming, dynamic, enthusiastic, reaching upwards, good luck, celebration, happiness, joy, vitality, long life.