Monogatari Series - Volume 24 - Chapter 2.04

004

Back then, I remember entering Higasa-chan’s home, whom I’ve only just met through Kanbaru (at night, too, and I’ve even joined in on her pyjama party), so even in the face of her entering the room of a uni student, I don’t feel qualified to tell her off – even if that then was an emergency.

Anyway, when it comes to the OG Club in the Naoetsu High School girls’ basketball team, I’ve got a deep impression of that…so deep, I really want to wipe it off. Given that those were the golden years with a superstar like Kanbaru, of course they’d be strong characters in their own right.

They were, after all, the girls who brought a crippling private school team into the nationals…the reward for that was the current team inheriting an unhealthy debt; such is the cruel hand of fate.

You could say, it’s destiny.

Or you could say what comes around goes around.

And so, just as I never managed to cut off high school at uni, Kanbaru, Higasa-chan, and everybody in the OG Club probably couldn’t let go, and so off they went, getting involved in their own way post-retirement.

‘Does the name Mitonon ring a bell? Mitonon’s got a friend from middle school who’s a Beniguchi, and her younger sister’s called Beniguchi Kujaku…although to be more specific, that friend of Mitonon’s is actually her senpai.’

Seems like that relationship’s drifted even further apart…

So to make things clear: Beniguchi Kujaku-chan isn’t a ‘younger sister of a friend of a friend’, she’s a ‘younger sister of a senpai of a friend’ – I was originally thinking how news of a young girl being kidnapped could’ve entered my ears, but when the range becomes this large, then it does make some amount of sense.

‘Five circles’.4

The theory that all people are five social connections away from each other, including heads of state – and Beniguchi Kujaku’s relation to me would be ‘the younger sister of the senpai of the teammate of the dear friend of a junior’.

Which makes it five people exactly.

When I put it like that, it’s not that surprising that I know a kidnapping victim.

It’s certainly not as surprising as vampires.

…One further circle away from the fifth, and we have the kidnapper.

Hmmm. Interesting.

‘Uh…Mitonon, who was she?’

‘Oh, you’ve forgotten about Mitonon? Even after seeing her in such a sorry state?’

‘By “sorry state”, you mean in pyjamas, right? Stop trying to confuse people. You know there could be people who started with this book, right?’

‘There are?’

‘For those of you who’ve just started on this page, this must be mighty confusing, huh?’

‘Even if you take a leaf from variety shows, that wouldn’t make a difference…even if you said something like “for those of you who’ve just tuned in, this must be mighty confusing, huh”, it still wouldn’t make a difference. Mitonon is Mitonon. Well, calling Mitonon “Mitonon” is like calling Ruga “Ruga”, it’s what I personally call them.’

Then isn’t that just speaking in riddles?

Please don’t give me a nickname – I’ve already got enough weird ones.

Like ‘Koyomin’, or ‘Koyokoyo’.

‘Ragi’, even.

‘Well, I shall give you the answer you seek. Miton’s full name is –’

‘Hey, you’re the one who nicknamed her. Since when did she turn into a type of glove?’

‘Miton’s full name is Shounou Mitono.’

She’s sticking with it.

Then again, ‘Miton’ is a more nickname-ish nickname – aha, Shounou Mitono.

I see. The kid who wore the jinbei.

‘You really only remember them through their pyjama choice…I see those exposed armpits from that loosely-sewn garment proved quite impressionable.’

‘My memory is not that photographic.’

I say that, I don’t want to remember the wrong person (it is well-known amongst people who know me that I have a terrible memory…even I can’t deny it), so I gave it some effort.

Self-introductions at the start of that pyjama party…come to think of it, wasn’t I the one who dressed the worst?

Right, right, that’s it.

Wearing a jinbei, I’m Shounou Mitono! Born 9 April, aged eighteen! I’m 170 centimetres tall, my position’s a point guard, and my favourite play is double teaming!

That’s what it sounded like…she’s a lot taller than me. Well, all basketball players tend to be like that.

By the way, Higasa-chan’s height is 165 centimetres.

Which feels about the same as mine – and her choice of pyjamas consisted of a long-sleeved tee.

‘Quite the memory you have, if you could even remember what I wore. And you pretended not to care when I showed off my beautiful legs. Then again, I wasn’t wearing any hot pants when I wore that long-sleeved tee!’

‘Can we go back to talking about Mitonon? I don’t want to talk about your legs.’

It wasn’t about Mitonon anyway.

It’s Mitonon’s senpai’s younger sister.

‘We’ve been saying “younger sister”, but she’s probably her stepsister…I’m not sure about them myself, since I’d only heard about it from the grapevine; you know, something that once “stayed in a room”.’

Sounds about right.

The whole five circles thing doesn’t exclude complexities – and at the same time, it has an element to it not unlike a game of telephone.

A stepsister, right…

I too have younger sisters (one big, one small – speaking of the big one, she’s in her first year of high school and is as tall as a basketball player; the corpse doll I mentioned earlier, she belongs to the smaller sister), but not all sibling relationships are the same; if she’s a stepsister, then that’d feel even more different.

I can’t imagine it, frankly.

‘If those two sisters of mine were stepsisters – that has crossed my mind before, actually. See, if they’re not my blood siblings, then I could marry them.’

‘No you can’t. That has to be illegal in Japan.’

So I’d be sanctioned by the law?

Me?

‘I think you’ll find you’re wrong. I’ve double-checked it. Article 734 of the Civil Code.’

‘You really went and checked? I’m speechless.’

‘It only outlaws marrying one’s stepmother.’

‘My speechlessness knows no bounds.’

Higasa-chan returned back on topic.

‘Benikujaku-chan herself was born from when her father remarried. Whole family seems to be made up of remarried people. Mitonon’s senpai, well, they may be no couple, but when it comes to Benikujaku-chan, they’re pretty close.’

‘Wait a second. Since this started with the Girls’ Basketball Club, I’ve always assumed so, but Mitonon’s –’

Feels weird for me to call Mitonon by her nickname…I’ve never had someone I can call them by their nickname with.

‘Mitono-chan’s –’

Nope, now I’m sounding like I’m trying to be close with her.

Not in a good way, either.

‘Shounou-chan’s senpai from middle school, I’ve always thought it was a she, but I might of course be wrong. So this senpai, that is, the older stepsister of Benikujaku-chan, are they a boy or a girl?’

Furthermore, I don’t know enough about their age to tell if I should’ve said ‘a boy or a girl’. If they were a senpai back from middle school, they could be an adult.

This is what gets left out when you’re in the middle of the five circles, but she’s a pretty important figure amongst all this…it is their sister who got kidnapped, after all.

‘It’s a she. I can’t be certain, but she’s about the same age as Araragi-senpai. Maybe she’s a year older; she’s nineteen and in uni – something like that? Sorry, I don’t know. She could be already out working, or away on an overseas trip. Or she could be dead.’

‘If she’s dead, I’m pretty sure the parents would kick up a fuss.’

If the older sister’s dead and the younger sister’s kidnapped – no.

It could be why they didn’t kick up a fuss.

In fact, I have a friend who went on a big overseas trip after graduating from high school, so I can’t just take Higasa-chan’s words in jest.

Hanekawa Tsubasa. She’s got a complex family situation too; it’s all messy and complicated. The point being, it was the kind of family where even if Hanekawa was little and she went missing, the parents wouldn’t do anything so much as ‘kick up a fuss’.

Family?

The parents weren’t really parents, and that home wasn’t homely at all.

I don’t think the Beniguchis are like that, nor do I want to think that – though I guess if one expects some hidden drama with a family of remarriages and step-siblings, then one may have watched too many TV dramas.

Most families just quietly weather the storm – just like us, the Araragis, or the Senjougaharas.

As for the Hachikujis – I’ve no idea.

‘……’

I don’t think the family of that ‘lost child’ was a remarriage, but a divorce…and the father’s side won custody…hmm.

Some would also say that ‘quietly weathering the storm’ is a problem in and of itself, and if we go deeper, it is fair to say that ‘somebody else in the same situation could’ve fared better’, or that ‘some people have worse to deal with’. It’s so true that you could even call it just, a justice as cruel as a kidnapping, as I’ve learnt.

As I’ve learnt – as I’m learning.

That ‘mummy incident’ triggered by Deathtopia Virtuoso Suicidemaster – if I had to say it, this vampire’s revisitation is just like having that hellish spring break revisited, but the conclusion to that was completely different to that spring break.

Even if it was also hellish.

It’s just a different hell.

‘I’m not in the same environment as them, and I hadn’t been in a bad position’ – even if that person throws these around as excuses to do their best, they shouldn’t be used against them.

Whatever happens to the Beniguchis is the business of the Beniguchis.

An abnormal case, something that ‘stays in this room’.

Something that should not be leaked by a third party – I may think that, but I didn’t stop Higasa-chan from revealing all this; it seems I’m lacking in training.

‘Well, not that I think she’s dead or anything. People don’t usually die that easy.’

‘Quite. It’s almost like they’re all immortal.’

‘However, be it going to uni or getting a job, or going on an overseas trip, that senpai’s most likely no longer at home – if Mitonon’s right. Her senpai’s always said something like “I’m relying on my parents up until I’m eighteen”.’

‘Impressive.’

It’s something I’m almost obligated to say as someone who still lives in the same house – no, I do have plans to start living independently, but I never found a right place, so that’s that for the time being.

‘Wouldn’t that be great though? Once Araragi lives on his own, it’d be an all-you-can-invite high school girl bash.’

‘Can you at least say “female uni classmates”? Not that I’m not already going to their lodgings every day already…’

‘What kind of timetable is that?’

All I’m doing is going to the flat of my childhood playmate and helping her clean up…incidentally, my girlfriend, Senjougahara Hitagi, lives in the girls’ dormitories.

But that’s for later. If I manage to remember.

‘Cleaning up Ruga’s room one moment, cleaning up a childhood playmate’s the next. I feel like you can build a business with that; you did say you wanted to go independent.’

‘I’m not going about it like that.’

‘Ever thought about taking over your parents’ business?’

‘No shop under my parents’ name. Much as I’m glad that they’ve planned for my future, I still have my own dreams I want to pursue. Much as I’m grateful for them raising me, I’m sorry to say, I’m walking my own path, one different from what my parents had in mind. I am my own person.’

‘Sounds great, dear; however.’

Her senpai’s words went in one ear and out the other.

‘Going back to Mitonon’s senpai, this doesn’t seem to be the optimistic type of going independent – “I’m relying on my parents up until I’m eighteen” only seems to be her trying to perk herself up.’

‘Perk herself up?’

‘In other words, it’s more like “I’m holding out until I’m eighteen innit”; err…’

‘……’

The ‘innit’ was probably not what she said.

So that’s it…I’m starting to see what this is now.

‘In summary, Beniguchi-senpai isn’t on good terms with her parents. As I’ve said earlier, she’s kept suitably distant to her sister…but you know how it is with family. If you don’t get along, you don’t get along.’

I see.

This is the sort of problem that goes beyond remarriages and sisters-not-related-by-blood – back when I was in high school, all I thought about was leaving home for good.

It wasn’t just bad, it was the worst.

Catastrophic, even.

Back in the time when I was busy letting my parents down, I did consider the possibility of graduating (assuming I could) and moving out right after.

Yet now, I’m at uni, and I’m still living in the same house; life really is unpredictable…well, I guess this is a blessing in some way.

A blessing that involves me dying multiple times.

‘But I guess in the end, what goes around comes around, doesn’t it? This senpai we’re talking about bumbled through middle school and high school mumbling that, and she ended up living away from family, just as she wanted.’

‘For her personally, that’s probably a wish come true. For now, at least. But from what I heard from Mitonon, she’s not that happy about it –’

‘Well, if you leave your parents with all smiles on your face, that might be too cold-hearted.’

‘That’s not what I meant’, Higasa-chan said.

‘That senpai’s heart’s getting torn over leaving her little sister to those parents. Even so, her little sister’s only in year five, so if she took her little sister under her wing, she’d be completely bogged down.’

I guess so.

In that sense, that makes it totally a kidnapping – I presume the lack of blood relations makes the whole thing even more complicated.

An uncaring world, this is.

No, it’s meaningless to detach oneself from this, saying something like ‘an uncaring world’. I have my biases too.

‘So from what I can tell, Beniguchi-senpai – though she might be the same age as me – she doesn’t seem to be on good terms with her parents, but what about Benikujaku-chan? If her older sister’s worried about her being home, then does that mean she’s not on good terms with her parents too?’

‘She’s in year five, so she’s only ten. Even if someone’s unhappy, it’d be pretty one-sided – she hasn’t entered her rebellious phase; she hasn’t even hit puberty. I don’t think she could do much against her parents.’

The same probably couldn’t be said of the parents (I heard primary schoolers are actually far more difficult to deal with than a rebellious middle schooler), though purely from strength, physique, or vocabulary, it all checks out.

‘Don’t think there’s anything such as domestic abuse either, but if it’s that obvious, even within families, it’s really easy to intervene. If I had to say it, the Beniguchis just seem to go all hands off.’

‘Hands off…’

‘You could also call it a “rule off law” – not to be confused with the “rule of law”, though if a nation adheres to the rule of law, then you could say they follow a rule off law when it comes to its citizenry.’

What sounded like a cynical comment turned out to only be an elaborate pun.

Basketball aside, Higasa-chan doesn’t seem to play around with language well.

Didn’t she say they didn’t have curfews?

‘So neglect…surely Benikujaku didn’t sleep on the corridor?’

‘What kind of horror episode is that? I wouldn’t know, but if that’s the case, I’m sure Beniguchi-senpai would’ve never left her behind…I just don’t know the specifics.’

It probably can’t be helped; all she had was a vague understanding of ‘that other family’, passed down from the end of the chain in a game of gossip.

‘Anyway, it’s all the same.’

Higasa-chan said, trying to summarise.

‘Just like that, after that senpai went on her own, she still worries about Benikujaku-chan, her sister, all alone at home – and while that’s going on, all this happened.’

It all links back to where we started.

The thing that is not to leave this room.

‘One day, Benikujaku-chan never returned from school – even after school is done, even after the sun set, even as night settled in or come next dawn.’

‘……’

‘And of course, she didn’t go to school the next day either – in fact, the first person who figured something was amiss was her class teacher; the first witness, as it were.’

Hm? Hold on, I’m a little confused now.

Call me overcautious, but I too want to sort out what we’re dealing with – too many times during high school I ignored minor contradictions even when they made me uneasy, and only when they became irreversible did I regret not facing them earlier.

I’ve had enough of those regrets.

Not any more.

‘So what you’re saying is, the Beniguchis had zero idea what was happening until her class teacher called them.’

‘Indeed. It’s just a year five girl who didn’t come home through the night, so it wasn’t a big deal for them.’

No curfew – and yet.

Wouldn’t it still be cause for alarm if she only came back at dawn…no, I’ve been that runaway kid myself, so I’m not really qualified to judge.

A few moments ago, when I had my three or four mistakes pointed out, it did hurt; but it was right and necessary to fix those blemishes – those scars.

‘Think it’d be more accurate to say the parents didn’t take notice of it at all; they didn’t realise their kid had gone away until the teacher called.’

Ever since then.

Up until today, Benikujaku-chan never came back home.

Higasa-chan concluded.

And it never blew up – it’s all low-key.

‘May I ask one question?’

‘Go right ahead. One or a hundred, it’s all good. It is my duty to leak personal information to Araragi-senpai.’

‘Since when did I hire an informant? From what I’m hearing, it’s possible that instead of being kidnapped or even lost, Benikujaku-chan just left home, no? Her older sister may have waited ’til she was eighteen, but I guess Benikujaku-chan couldn’t afford to wait that long –’

Perhaps because they had a hunch, they didn’t call the police – the reason why this didn’t blow up was because they wanted to keep things under wraps.

This is all possible.

If they did call the police, it’d expose their failure in ‘raising their children’, so they didn’t – whilst not proper, it’s not impossible.

‘No, nothing of the sort. Please don’t worry.’

Having added that information, she squarely refuted my deduction. Having said that, even though she said ‘don’t worry’, it’s easier said than done.

‘The reason I say that is because the second night following Benikujaku-chan’s disappearance, the kidnapper took action.’

‘What? But didn’t you say the kidnapper didn’t do any threatening just now?’

‘What I said was, there was no specific action. No phone calls or ransom emails, no warning not to call the police or asking for billions of yen or anything of the sort – sorry for not making that clear. But the perpetrator really didn’t so much as say “I have your daughter” or something like that.’

It does appear that I’ve jumped to conclusions, though part of me suspects that Higasa-chan left those details out on purpose. We haven’t met for long, but I can tell Higasa-chan has that malicious side of hers.

However, solely in this case, I can also tell that her jumbled and disorganised testimony wasn’t trying to throw me off – with something like this, it’s really difficult to know where to begin.

Yes.

It wasn’t something specific, it was something direct.

A message, tinged with pain.

‘The second night, someone tossed one of Benikujaku-chan’s front teeth into the Beniguchis’ postbox without giving anything else.’