Monogatari Series - Volume 21 - Chapter 0.12

012

Somewhere down the line, after swapping clothes with Fawning Nadeko, Gentle Nadeko ended up with less than a revealing camisole, wandering around town in an unwatchable sight. With so many witnesses, I cannot leave this shikigami to Ononoki-chan alone.

Half-naked wearing only gym shorts?

Hilarious, life-threateningly hilarious.

A hand bra? Is she covering up her breasts with her hands?

Going walkabouts around town whilst handsabreast over her chest? [4]

I have no idea what she was thinking, but please, Gentle Nadeko, think about your future (me)!

I expected hilarity from Ougi-san following this plot advancement, but he proved surprisingly put off.

Not exactly put off, more an ‘ahh — I always felt it’d turn out like this’ kind of disappointment.

How extremely arbitrary.

I have no idea what you like seeing.

But even so, he seemed willing to help me search around. In the end, whatever one may say about him, he is at least somewhat co-operative.

However, given the situation we were in (a situation that made my face turn white), it seemed we needed to search separately.

To separate from Ougi-san brings me a bit of joy; no, no, this was only something done out of desperation.

‘Ah, I’ve got an idea, Sengoku-chan. I’ll give you my notebook, you draw about a hundred Sengoku-chans, and all of us will comb the town for Bloomer Nadeko. [5] How’s that sound?’

I think we’ll be swamped.

A toxic swamp, nonetheless.

Also, what’s with ‘Bloomer Nadeko’?

Just because she was wearing nothing but gym shorts, please don’t give her a new name… now that I am fifteen, I realised how ridiculous that looked.

And I did not need Ougi-san reminding me how stupid an act that would be.

‘Mm~ are you sure it’s not someone else though? Instead of Sengoku-chan’s shikigami, it could simply be a naturally exhibitionist middle school girl.’

‘I don’t think middle school girls these days even know what gym shorts are.’ [6]

This really was something that could only happen in a manga.

Not the sort of manga I would draw, though.

‘Righto. I’m lending you this BMX then. Whilst Sengoku-chan rides around finding her shikigami… I’ll get around somehow.’

To lend me his bike, I am ultimately thankful, even if I lack the drive (the muscle power)… I might be no good on a bike, but I cannot be too picky.

This isn’t the time to be picky, I have to move quickly. {L}

But one has to wonder what Ougi-san meant by ‘getting around some other way’… I hope it does not involve dragging his senpai Kanbaru-san out… though that person is indeed very driven, as far as I know.

The rush was such that I did not discuss much with Ougi-san before we went our separate ways east and west. I know when I see shikigami Nadeko I would use the only thing I have in my arsenal, that is, my sketchbook page, but what is Ougi-san going to do when he sees a shikigami Nadeko?

Well, that person will have a way to deal with it.

Not ‘think of a way to deal with it’, ‘have a way to deal with it’.

His co-operation was something I am infinitely grateful for, though I really would not mind even if he simply left for good.

I cycled on to the place where Kanbaru-san said Bloomer Nadeko, no, Gentle Nadeko was witnessed — I really should not be complaining when I was the one borrowing it, but I think Ougi-san made some custom modifications; this bike was super difficult to handle.

Who cares if one can cycle backwards?

All I wanted was to cycle forwards.

I held onto this thought as I stamped hard on the pedals; as difficult riding this bike was, it was still quicker than running, and soon, I reached a small park.

The park where she was witnessed.

Inscribed on the plaque (?) was ‘浪白 Park’ — with no ruby text on it, I did not know if it was on’yomi like ‘Rouhaku Park’ or kun’yomi like ‘Namishiro Park’.

After all, this was the first time I have been here.

My forgetfulness is not really a secret, not to mention the many blanks in my memory, so I was not actually sure if it was the first time I was here, though at least it was a place I am unfamiliar with — since I was unfamiliar with this place, my shikigami would also be unfamiliar, though in any case, I would likely have no trouble in finding a girl half-naked wearing only gym shorts.

Fawning Nadeko going to the middle school I am in has probably got something to do with the subconscious of its creator, me. But now that I was seen (in an unbearable state) in a place I have never been, that guess was probably not completely correct.

I needed to re-evaluate this.

However, it seems I am a late Nadeko.

Entering the park, I saw no sign of a middle school girl wearing only gym shorts — there was a family with a new-born baby, there were children playing catch, and there was a girl sitting quietly, reading a book on the bench; it’s a peaceful sight, not the hellish one that a perverted exhibitionist would cause.

Umm.

Then what kind of sight would Ougi-san be greeted with — if heading here was the wrong decision (or if that pervert had gone away long ago), then I had better reunite with him quick.

However, unlike Fawning Nadeko who based herself in year 3, class 5, wandering Gentle Nadeko seemed to have no place to go. If all I had was witness testimonies, there was no way I could catch up to her.

And she might be wandering, but looking at all testimonies so far, she appears to be moving at considerable velocity — from a purely timeline-based perspective, it’d probably be inaccurate, but Gentle Nadeko was Nadeko before she became a hikikomori, so she should outrun current me.

Perhaps a shikigami never gets tired in the first place.

Even then, I do not have any other clever ideas… I was never clever in the first place.

I really want them to stop running around because they are so hard to find, which might be a conceited wish on my part as the pursuer, but even putting that aside, I really hope Gentle Nadeko doesn’t run around in the streets like that. The more time passes, the more irreversible the effects.

This could become Sengoku Nadeko’s last walk.

I might never be allowed on the streets again.

Not even in dark, hidden alleyways.

I finally went outside even though I was a hikikomori; I finally went to school even though all I caused was panic, and yet I am ending up with more reasons to become a hikikomori, not fewer.

This current one is the biggest so far.

Well, the only saving grace I can say is that out of all four shikigami Nadekos, Gentle Nadeko was the one whose face is obscured by her fringes…

She carries some anonymity with her.

Obscured Nadeko.

Though for those who witnessed her, their reaction must have been complete bewilderment — gripped with unavoidable panic.

Again.

The panic in the middle school was probably more Ougi-san’s fault, but for the shikigami that were now running free, they really were the perfect kindling for some big trouble.

Gentle Nadeko was supposed to be the safest character; what on earth could Anti-Nadeko and Divine Nadeko be up to? My imagination can only go so far.

Ugh, seriously, why did I even think of making shikigami — I am filled with nothing but regret.

Besides, when one thinks about it, there really is not much difference between an aspiring manga artist conjuring shikigami and, as Ononoki-chan first proposed, an aspiring manga artist going the idol route, is there?

Even as I claim all of them are myselves, in the eyes of manga artists who could not conjure shikigami (which should be most of them), that is still probably plain cheating.

Perhaps the idol manga artist route posed less risk than the one I am currently on, even.

I am also probably deceiving myself over ‘giving it my all’ — though I can save such reflections for later.

Overthinking like this is more Gentle Nadeko’s personality — right now, though, I am Present Nadeko.

No need to think; what I need to do now is act.

Keep searching based on what Kanbaru-san tells me.

Having made a decision, I got back on my bike.

And as that happened —

‘Thank goodness! Nadeko-chan, you’ve finally found some clothes!’

I heard a call from behind.

I turned back, and it was the girl reading on the bench — wearing a rather refreshing bob cut. She was mildly out of breath, sprinting towards me — wait, how did she know my name?