CH 4.2

Chapter 4 : She’s Starting Her Day Off – Part 2

After studying, doing a little more cleaning, and eating, the day went by quickly.

It was a pretty productive day, Shoichi thought, even though it was mostly devoid of fun.

Not that it was for that reason, but he unusually decided to walk Amiru home.

“I mean, it’s just a few blocks away. You don’t have to go that far.”

“Well, it’s okay once in a while. Also If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have gone out once today.”

As he mixed Amiru’s words back together, Shoichi walked alongside her.

In fact, he realized that it had been quite a while since he had walked through a residential area at night.

It was still the middle of April, so the sun was going down pretty fast. Since it was not a downtown area, it could be said that the street corners were quite dark, with street lights barely giving off light.

“…I should’ve known this sooner.”

“Eh?”

“From now on, I’ll walk you home every time. It’s not safe for a girl to be walking alone this late.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll shout if it comes to it. There are lots of houses here.”

Amiru laughed at him, but Shoichi was not willing to compromise his current pledge.

I’m going to follow her, even if I have to be forceful, and act as her guard. While thinking about this, he looked at Amiru–suddenly, he let out a voice of admiration.

“In any case, I didn’t know you even made pickles.”

“Eh? Ah, this… Amazing, isn’t it? I also take care of the pickles everyday.”

Amiru then proudly showed the bag she was carrying. Inside was an empty container.

He found some pickled cucumbers in the fridge this morning. She then cut them up and served them at dinner. Shoichi was surprised when he was told that they were homemade.

“You’re really good at that, aren’t you… If you keep this up and study on point, you’ll be fine.”

“Ah, ahaha… But I’m not good at studying, you see.”

“But you were able to study for your entrance exams, weren’t you? Can’t you do it the way you did then?”

“That’s… At that time, I really wanted to get into high school. I think it was because I was desperate. But now, I don’t know what to say… I’m told I might repeat a year, but to tell the truth, it doesn’t really feel like a big deal.”

“Well, I guess so. I don’t really get it either. I’m pretty sure I’ll never experience repeating a year.”

“Well, Sho-chan can study. I mean, you study all the time, even during breaks…”

At that moment, Amiru cut off her words and suddenly asked Shoichi.

“Nee~, Sho-chan, why are you studying so hard?”

“What?”

“Because you seem to be studying even during breaks. Normally, people don’t study that much. Aren’t you a little too serious? Have you been this serious since you were little?”

“Don’t be rude, I’m always serious. Besides…”

Then, Shoichi remembered what he had said to Amiru before.

‘It’s not like I wanted to join this school…’

At the same time, memories came flooding back. They were neither bitter nor sweet, but only vain.

He paused, looking up at the night sky, where the moon was dimly visible, and murmured, “You know, I have a little dream for the future.”

“A dream?”

“Yeah. I want to study the occult around the world. From science, folklore, and all kinds of perspectives.”

“Study occult?”

“In short, it is the study of local customs, culture, and the like. When you talk about occult stories, these elements are inseparable. For example, in a region where tengu have been seen kidnapping people, there were many mountain priests training. Tengu are usually dressed as mountain priests, so we can assume that this tengu sighting was a misidentification of a mountain priest, right?”

“Eh… Ah, yes?”

“It’s a bit difficult for Amiru, huh… Well, anyway, I think that if we study not only folklore but also various other disciplines, we can find out what the occult is all about. Ghost stories, UMA sightings, urban legends–I’d like to find out for myself if these things actually exist.”

“Eh, then Sho-chan, you don’t believe in the occult? I thought you believed in it because you read all those books and you have a good luck charm.”

“It’s not a matter of belief or disbelief. I just don’t think it’s rational to give an answer before you’ve done proper research. That’s why I believe that whenever there’s an occult story, we should first analyze it to see if it’s true.”

That’s why he took the trouble to research the charm. Rather than just swallowing the rumors, he wanted to be sure that it would work. Then, he was able to come to the conclusion that it would have a reasonable effect.

He still didn’t know how the amulet worked, but he was sure there was a reason. Maybe it was a psychological effect, or something complicated like that. He hoped to study it in the future.

And in the future, Shoichi wanted to become a person whose job was to analyze these things.

“And then, when I was in the eighth grade. I saw on the news that there was a professor who was doing this kind of research. I was so excited, because there was someone I could look up to as a mentor. I wanted to go to the university where he was. But the university is very high level and prestigious… That’s why I decided to go to a preparatory school for high school.”

Then, he murmured with a faraway look in his eyes. “But on the day of the exam, I got sick with a cold…”

“Eh…”

“The exam results were not good… I ended up failing. That’s how I got into the high school I’m going to now.”

He could still remember the frustration of that time.

He was confident that he could pass the exam. But because he didn’t take care of himself, he couldn’t perform properly. He couldn’t even remember how many times he had blamed himself.

And, as Amiru looked at him with a caring expression, Shoichi shrugged his shoulders.

“You don’t have to worry about it. It’s in the past and there’s no point in digging it up now. Besides, I haven’t given up on my dream of getting into that university. That’s why I’m studying hard during breaks and at home so that I can get into a top-notch university, even if I don’t go to a preparatory school.”

His current school was not a preparatory school. Shoichi decided that he would need to be more diligent, as it was unlikely that he would be able to get into the university he wanted just by attending classes.

“Fuuhn~. Ah, but why haven’t you thought about joining a cram school?”

“Cram school, huh… I thought about it, but something about it just doesn’t sit right with me. The monthly fees are expensive, and my parents told me I should be content with my current high school studies and that they’re not going to spend more than necessary. So, I decided to study on my own. But I knew that I wouldn’t be able to master anything with ordinary effort. That’s why I decided to spend my breaks reviewing and reading to gain knowledge.”

This was the ‘circumstance’ that led Shoichi to study until he was isolated. He rarely talked to his classmates and paid no attention to the chatter around him. This was because he thought that if he shifted his interest to them, he would be dragged along and neglect his studies.

I really wanted to relax my shoulders a little more and live a more carefree life at school… But I failed the exam, and that’s rust on my face. I can’t live a carefree life like my classmates around me to make up for that.

To be honest, sometimes he envied his classmates who were chatting and laughing during recess. However, Shoichi had pushed those feelings away. All in order to make his dream come true.

–Although, he had just started high school, so it hadn’t been a month yet. Besides, reading was also a study of the occult, which he liked, so it wasn’t too hard. It was irrational to push himself to the point of collapse, and he had to manage his mental health thoroughly.

When he told her all this, Amiru stared at Shoichi’s face intently, but then she said, “Ah,” and asked him fearfully. “Sho-chan, by any chance… Is teaching me how to study getting in the way of your studies?”

“That’s right…is what I’d like to say. But I actually have no complaints. As mentioned before, it seems to raise my internal score. It may not have a direct impact on my college entrance exams, but it’s worth the high price… Besides, it’s easier for me to study when you’re taking care of me, because I feel much better…”

“Oh my, flattery won’t get you anywhere~”

Amiru’s expression suddenly changed, and she slapped him on the back happily. Shoichi thought to himself, Oh, no! What he just said was in no way flattering, but it seemed to have put Amiru in a good mood as a result. A little more subtlety would have made things a lot easier.

At that moment, Amiru let out a breath and smiled a little sadly.

“Even so, I didn’t know. I thought Sho-chan was just studying because he liked it, but he’s had a tough time, right? …With me.”

“No, I’m not sure I like being labeled as such. Well, it’s hard work.”

“Still, you’re able to work hard at your studies and research because you have a proper goal?”

“I guess so. The desire to make my dreams come true is definitely motivating.”

“So, if I had a dream, would I be able to do my best? A motivating dream. If I work hard with that, I might be able to get more done in my studies!”

“I don’t know if it’ll work that well… And you, you have no idea what motivation stands for.”

Currently, the point system must be part of her motivation. Taking care of people was Amiru’s hobby, and if studying was required to do so, she would be motivated to study.

However, Shoichi thought. This would make her motive ‘to get permission.’ It seemed like she was fulfilling an obligation, which may not feel so pleasant.

Rather, something that gives a sense of accomplishment, a reward, would motivate her more. It might also reduce her dislike of studying.

The question is, what’s the reward…?

He pondered for a while. He had invited her to play a game before, but that was something that Shoichi had decided on his own. It must surely be better to give Amiru the reward she wanted.

Okay, Shoichi decided, and opened his mouth.

“Then how about this? Next time, I’ll make a quiz for you. And if you get eighty points or more in all subjects, I’ll do you a favor as a bonus in addition to the points.”

“Eh, really!?”

“Yeah, but only to the extent that I can do it… And don’t ask for anything too expensive. I don’t have that much pocket money.”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll think of something.”

Amiru nodded with a smile, but, “No, it’s only if you get more than eighty points. Don’t forget that,” Shoichi nailed her.

Eventually, the two of them arrived in front of Amiru’s apartment.

“Then, thank you, Sho-chan. Good night.”

“Yeah, good night.” Shoichi waved goodbye to Amiru as she ran off in a good mood.

He vaguely remembered her room. It was the room at the end of the second floor.

“…Huh?” A questioning voice sounded.

Most of the rooms in the apartment were lit. It was night now, so it was only natural.

However, the window of the room where Amiru was supposed to be living was still dark.

“…That’s strange. Maybe Auntie is home late.”

Amiru was supposed to be living with her mother at the moment, so he thought for sure that her mother would be waiting for her at home.

Eventually, the light in the room came on. Amiru must have returned home. After seeing this, Shoichi nodded his head and headed home.