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In the end, I did not get any information on where Gentle Nadeko was from Sodachi-onee-chan. More specifically, I realised during our exchange that nothing would come even if I did ask her about it.
An explanation: it took a long time for someone as asocial as myself to piece together bits of our conversation, and conclude that Sodachi-onee-chan also called out my name when she saw Gentle Nadeko with her hand bra (a courageous act), but she dashed away as soon as that happened.
Gentle Nadeko-san, please, anything but dashing around with a hand bra.
What state were those breasts in, exactly?
I forgot when, but there was one time when Hanekawa-san called out my name outside Naoetsu High School, and I dashed away identically; if she was trying to re-enact that sequence, then to run after her would be quite meaningless.
Unlike Fawning Nadeko running towards Public Middle School #701, Gentle Nadeko’s sprint was purely to run away from Sodachi-onee-chan.
Where she runs was simply a matter of convenience, without any special consideration or route in mind.
No rules nor strategy.
If Gentle Nadeko knew it was Sodachi-onee-chan who called after her, perhaps she would react differently — no, she would have reacted the exact same way.
That introverted girl’s fundamental principle was to ‘dash away if she hears someone call after her’.
If she could run away from Hanekawa-san in her angelic phase, then she could run away from anybody.
If possible, I would have wanted Sodachi-onee-chan to keep her distance and observe where Bloomer Nadeko would, or wanted to go, but I would be asking for too much.
That Gentle Nadeko might come back made Sodachi-onee-chan wait for me at the park whilst reading; from that alone, I really should express my deepest thanks (from Sodachi-onee-chan’s perspective, everything went as she expected; looks like she completely predicted the situation as she read her books).
‘I was gonna skip school for the day, but after chatting with you, Nadeko-chan, I feel a bit more motivated now. I wonder if I should go back this afternoon…’
I do not remember motivating Sodachi-onee-chan, but if I have managed to perk her up some way as well, then I’m really happy. My clumsy talk was not for naught, after all.
Sodachi-onee-chan left me her contact details in the end.
‘Whenever you find yourself in trouble, I could always help you out; Nadeko-chan, never ever take it lying down. Give me a shout and I’ll let ’em know true pain.’
She made it sound terrifying.
Even though that suspicion of bullying never went away, I should call it a day.
And, speaking of efforts not for naught, my talking did not go completely unrewarded — in addition to the advice, I also had a hint.
It may have been eight years since I met Oikura-san, and it might have been a deep conversation, but like two minds working as one, both of us avoided a certain topic.
Our topic almost began revolving somewhere around there, and were it not for Sodachi-onee-chan heading off to university and ending the conversation there, we might have actually drifted there… but there seemed to be an implicit understanding to not mention a certain mutual acquaintance.
Karen-san’s name got mentioned, Tsukihi-chan’s name got mentioned, but the name of the eldest son in the Araragi family was not — yes.
It was like an evasion.
It was like a tease.
We avoided naming that person.
Going round and round — wandering around.
…From what Kanbaru-san said, the flurry of witnesses of Gentle Nadeko came from everywhere — regarding this loitering, it can be surmised that she had no sense of a goal, no sense of destination; she just goes around (half-naked) without a care — such was the first explanation; the second explanation was that she was avoiding the destination she really wanted to go to, resulting in it looking like she was wandering around (half-naked) somewhere other than that place.
Therefore, one should not investigate each sighting one by one — given all these locations, put them together, and find their centre point (like in maths).
Could the co-ordinates be the Araragi household?
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