Commence Invasion
Sunday, April 5th
White light rained down. But it was only an artificial light that was easy on the eyes.
“...H-Huh?”
Coming to, Koutarou found himself lying down and staring up at the fluorescent light in the ceiling.
“Why am I lying down? And where am I...?”
“So you’re finally awake now.”
Koutarou blinked a couple of times, unable to understand the situation. Kenji standing there was the next thing he saw.
“Mackenzie?”
“Don’t give me that. You gave me quite the shock when you just collapsed at the worksite like that.”
“Collapsed? I did?”
“Yeah. In the middle of your shift, too. It looked like you slipped and fell. Supposedly that’s how you got that bump on the back of your head.”
“Ouch, there really is a bump...”
Koutarou sat up as he rubbed his head. Looking around, he finally realized that he was on a bed in a hospital room.
“Umm... First there was a big rock where the old lady was digging...”
Koutarou began recalling what had happened.
“Yeah, she was worried about you too.”
“I’ll be sure to let her know that I’m fine later... But I moved that rock for her and went back to my station.” Then Koutarou went silent. “...What happened after that?”
“Why are you asking me? Wouldn’t that be when you slipped and fell? They found you in the middle of your assigned area, after all.”
“Hmm...”
Koutarou tilted his head in thought.
“What?”
“It’s just... I feel like something else happened too.”
Something didn’t sound right to Koutarou. There was a bump on the back of his head and he had been found in the middle of his assigned area, sure, so what Kenji was saying made a certain amount of sense. But it still felt off to Koutarou.
“Don’t be stupid. Maybe you were just dreaming?”
“Hmm...”
Koutarou crossed his arms and continued pondering as the nurse on duty entered the room, pushing a cart ahead of her.
“I see you’re awake now.”
“Oh, yes.”
Kenji, who had met with the nurse before, gave her a slight bow.
“Heehee. You should be grateful for your partner here.”
The nurse flashed Koutarou a smile.
“Grateful?”
“Yes. Kenji-kun stayed by your side the entire time. He looked so worried too. It was kind of cool.”
“M-Miss!”
“There’s no need to be embarrassed, Kenji-kun. You have a cute side to you too... Or could it be that the two of you swing that way?”
“Not at all!”
Kenji flat out denied it.
“Actually, we do.”
But Koutarou grinned and played along.
“Aha, I thought so! So which one of you is the bottom?”
“Well...”
“You idiot!”
Kenji threw a sharp hook at Koutarou to shut him up.
“Ouch!”
“Hey, you can’t just punch your lover in the head like that, Kenji-kun!”
“Please stop saying such horrifying things.”
Satisfied with Kenji’s reaction, the nurse pointed to the bandages wrapped around Koutarou’s head.
“Heehee. I know, and I’m sorry. But as you can see, Satomi-kun is injured, so don’t be too rough with him.”
“...I-I’m sorry. My bad, Kou.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Now that that’s settled, here you go, Satomi-kun.”
The nurse smiled again, then pulled a thermometer from the cart and handed it to Koutarou.
“Could you take your temperature for me? Head injuries often come with complications, so this is just to be safe.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Once you’re done with that, you can go home for today. But if you notice anything strange, you should come straight back here. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Then I’ll leave the rest to you, Kenji-kun. Please hand this file over to the cashier on your way out.”
“Got it. Thank you very much.”
“Goodbye then, you two.”
The nurse smiled and waved to the boys before heading off to her next patient.
“Hey, Mackenzie.”
“Hmm?”
As Koutarou called his name, Kenji looked up from flipping through the file.
“Are you aiming for that nurse this time?”
“You idiot!”
Kenji raised his fist to hit Koutarou again, but remembering the nurse’s words made him hold back.
“Seriously, you really are...”
Kenji just sighed instead.
“Sorry, sorry.”
Koutarou grinned and put the thermometer under his arm.
“Pharmacy, pharmacy...”
After getting out of bed, Koutarou left the cashier to Kenji and headed for the hospital’s pharmacy. His injuries were minor apart from his bump, but he decided to get medicine he might need just in case.
“So it’s this way...”
Following the directional signs hung on the wall, Koutarou turned the next corner. The pharmacy was just ahead now, but Koutarou stopped short for some reason. He could see a familiar face on the other side of the window.
“That’s Sakuraba-senpai. What is she doing here?”
Koutarou had spotted the figure of the knitting society’s club president. She was sitting down on a bench in the hospital’s courtyard.
“Hmm...”
As Harumi caught his interest, Koutarou decided to leave the pharmacy for later and went through the glass door leading outside.
The early spring sun shone down on the courtyard, lighting it up. Enclosed by hospital walls, there was next to no wind either. Thanks to that, it felt much more comfortable than the hospital hallways, making it the perfect place for the hospitalized children to play.
However, when Koutarou walked up, the children were all completely silent, sitting in the grass and listening intently to the person on the bench.
Sitting on the bench was a young girl with long hair, wearing a cardigan over her hospital pajamas. She was one year older than Koutarou, but her pale skin and delicate figure made her look younger. Her name was Sakuraba Harumi. She was the club president of the knitting society that Koutarou would be joining.
“Then the North Wind said, ‘With my power, I’ll blow the clothes right off that traveler. I’ll teach the Sun that I’m stronger!’”
Harumi was in the middle of reading out loud to the children around her. With the open book in her lap, she continued reading with a calm and gentle expression.
“‘However, the Sun wasn’t about to give up. It said to the North Wind’— Oh? Goodness, who was it that scribbled on this page?”
“Hiromi, wasn’t it you?”
“It wasn’t me!”
“It was Saya-chan. I saw her!”
“Is that true, Saya-chan?”
“...Y-Yes...”
“I see... You shouldn’t have done that, Saya-chan. This book belongs to everyone.”
“I know... I’m sorry.”
“As long as you understand. I won’t get mad if you know what you did was wrong.”
Harumi and the children all seemed cheerful. Koutarou found the sight of the quiet Harumi smiling and talking to the children to be quite refreshing.
I shouldn’t disturb her. All right...
Koutarou decided not to interrupt, and took a seat behind the rows of children. Fortunately, Harumi didn’t notice him.
“Onee-chan, keep reading!”
“Okay, I will.”
“I’m sure this is where the Sun fights back!”
“What was it they said on the TV the other day?”
“Beat him to a pulp!”
“That’s it!”
“Everyone, you shouldn’t be watching that kind of channel yet. Wait until you’re older.”
“Huh? Why not? They’re all strange and funny.”
“There aren’t any adults like that around anymore.”
“Goodness... Listen, everyone. Don’t become adults like that, okay?”
“Okaaay.”
Ha, I’ve never seen Sakuraba-senpai make that face before...
Watching Harumi happily play with the children, Koutarou thought back to when he first met her.
Koutarou and Harumi first met about a month ago on March 1st. Koutarou was visiting the school as the results of the exam were announced. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy, cold day for March, and bad weather had made it even colder.
“The soccer club is recruiting! We’re looking for fresh meat!”
“The choral club is recruiting! We placed second in the tournament last year, and we’re aiming for first this year! Come help us out!”
“We’re not just fat people; we’re fat people that can really move! If you’re concerned about your weight, we want you! Welcome to the sumo club! Feel free to visit!”
“Back off! The karate club is the only club for real men! Get lost and take your bellies with you!”
“What was that?! Just try saying that again!”
However, even in early spring, things were heating up in the Kisshouharukaze High schoolyard because of hot-blooded club members engaged in a recruiting battle over the newly accepted students. At Kisshouharukaze, club activities were an active part of high school life. And with plenty of club events at such a large school, the club life was far more prevalent here than most others. As a result, the more members a club had, the more power they held within the school.
That’s why every club wanted as many members as they could get their hands on. Consequently, the recruiting started earlier and earlier each year. It wasn’t long before the recruiting battles began on the day the entrance exam results were announced. They wouldn’t be able to secure any members if they just casually waited until the entrance ceremony.
And so the schoolyard was filled with recruiters from every club looking to snatch up the newly accepted students that day.
“Th-The knitting society is recruiting, um... Would you like to join the knitting society?”
Harumi was one of those recruiters.
“Um... Please, at least just listen...! I, u-um...”
However, her recruiting wasn’t going well.
The knitting society wasn’t very popular, and the shy, timid Harumi was acting as the face of the club. Because her voice was so quiet, it was easily drowned out by the surrounding commotion.
“Hey, if I join the knitting society, will you go out with me?”
“I, um... I’m sorry. Y-You’re making me uncomfortable...”
The only people that approached her were good-for-nothing boys that were attracted by her looks. She was at a loss trying to find the kind of club members she was hoping for.
“...Hmm?”
Koutarou noticed her by chance. As he was passing through nearby, he happened to hear Harumi’s small cry for help. If she had been recruiting like normal, Koutarou probably wouldn’t have noticed her at all.
“P-Please stop! Let go!”
“It’s fine, right? You want members, and I want to go out with you. It’s win-win, don’t you think?”
“That’s not what this society is for!”
“But you don’t have enough members, right? Time to face facts.”
“No! Let go of me!”
A powerless, delicate girl was trying to escape the grasp of a persistent, sleazy guy. She seemed to be recruiting for some club, but the boy was just there to hit on her. Koutarou had picked up on the situation just by watching them, and casually approached.
Jeez, could you at least think twice about where you pull this kind of stunt?
Seeing someone be so selfish irritated Koutarou.
“Welcome! Oh my, aren’t you a cutie?”
Koutarou spoke in a flamboyantly feminine voice like something out of a TV show, and threw his arms around the boy.
“Wh-What?!”
“You’re joining our club, aren’t you? That’s great! You’re just my type!”
“L-Let go! Who the hell are you?!”
Surprised by Koutarou’s sudden hug, the boy let go of the girl’s hand. Seeing that, Koutarou kept talking while forcibly separating the boy from the girl.
“Oh, I thought you wanted someone to go out with?”
“Wh-Who would want to go out with you?!”
“You want to go out with someone, and I want to go out with a boy. It’s win-win, don’t you think?”
“The hell it is! Let go of me, you freak!”
“Oh, don’t be so shy!” Koutarou spun around and let go of the boy. “You’ll join, won’t you?”
“Who the hell would join a boring club like this with a freak like you in it?”
“Oh, you’re breaking my heart...”
“Ugh, disgusting!”
The boy spat out those words and ran off. Since he was only there for the cute girl, he left as easily as he had come.
“Phew. There are so many idiots this time of year... I sure hope he’s not in my class.”
While he was relieved that he’d been able to resolve things safely, Koutarou still let out an irritated sigh. Even after the boy was long gone, Koutarou continued staring in that direction for a while.
“Um... Thank you very much.”
“Wha?!” Koutarou let out a strange yelp in surprise at the sudden voice.
“Ah, I’m sorry for startling you!”
The voice belonged to the girl who the boy was pestering. Seeing Koutarou’s surprise, she frantically bowed her head.
“Oh, no, I’m sorry. I forgot you were here too.”
Koutarou had been so irritated at the boy that he had completely forgotten the girl was there at all.
“He was pretty relentless, so you really helped me out...”
“I was out of line. I even chased away a potential member when you’re out here recruiting.”
“No, that’s okay. He wasn’t interested in knitting anyway...”
The girl’s expression finally relaxed.
She has such serene eyes...
The girl had a mild, soothing aura about her. Just looking at her made Koutarou feel at ease.
“Knitting?”
“Yes, I’m the president of the knitting society.”
“The knitting society, huh?”
Behind the girl was a desk bannered with the words “knitting society.”
“...I’m sure it’s not very interesting for boys.”
The girl’s face turned slightly gloomy and she lowered her head. Seeing that, Koutarou realized that her club lacking members was a big problem.
“That’s true, even I—”
Koutarou was about to agree when he suddenly remembered the half-finished sweater that he was keeping safely wrapped up at home.
If I join this club...
“Um, Senpai...”
“Yes?”
“If I join this club, would I get better at knitting?”
“Of course. That’s exactly what we’re here for.”
The girl nodded her head.
“Would it be possible for even a complete amateur to knit a sweater?”
“I’m sure it would be impossible at first, but if you keep at it...”
“Even if I’m not very good with my hands?”
Koutarou showed the girl his large, manly fingers. Looking at his hands, she nodded.
“You’ll be fine. In the end, training and effort are more important than dexterity.”
“That’s my specialty. I’m an athlete, after all.”
After talking for this long, Koutarou made up his mind. Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to continue with baseball because of his father’s sudden job transfer, it didn’t bother him too much.
“Um, c-could it be that you would like to join?”
The girl’s expression brightened up. She had realized from their conversation that Koutarou was interested.
“Yeah, if it’s not a bother, I would like to join. Do you mind?”
“Not at all! W-Welcome!”
Seemingly very happy, the girl spoke quickly as she welcomed Koutarou.
“Please come this way! Th-There’s an application form to fill out!”
“Sure.”
Led by the girl, Koutarou started walking.
“I’m Satomi Koutarou. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Oh my goodness, that’s right...”
The girl gave a small, embarrassed smile that soon turned into a large grin.
“I’m Harumi. Sakuraba Harumi. I’m the president of the knitting society.”
And that was how Koutarou and Sakuraba Harumi met.
“Satomi-kun, if you were here, you should have just said so...”
“Hahaha, you looked like you were having so much fun with the children that I would’ve felt bad about butting in, Senpai.”
Koutarou and Harumi were now sitting on the bench together. As they talked, they watched over the children in the hospital courtyard. The kids had split into groups and were running around playing.
“Are you here often, Sakuraba-senpai?”
“Yes. I’ve had a weak constitution ever since I was a child, so I have regular checkups. Since school starts tomorrow, the doctors wanted to make sure there was nothing wrong.”
“And do you play with the children every time you come to the hospital?”
“...Yes.” Harumi blushed slightly as she nodded.
“Onee-chan!”
“Is he bullying you? Should we get him?!”
The children adored Harumi. Koutarou could tell from just this short exchange. That’s why he figured that they had known each other for a long time.
“It’s okay! This boy is my friend.”
“I see.”
“Why don’t you take a hint?”
“How adult.”
“It’s an adult!”
Seemingly satisfied with her answer, the children began playing again.
“I’m sorry, Satomi-kun. It’s rare for young people to come here.”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind. They’re your friends, right?”
“...Yes. Very precious friends.” Harumi nodded firmly in response as she looked back up at the children with a loving gaze. Harumi adored the children too.
“So why are you in the hospital, Satomi-kun?”
“Is it that surprising?”
“Yes. You look so healthy.”
“I’m not sick, just a little banged up. Here, look.”
Koutarou turned his back to Harumi and showed her the back of his head. The wrap had been removed, but he still had a bandage over the bump.
“Are you okay?”
When Koutarou turned to face Harumi again, she looked quite worried.
“It’s just a bump and some small scratches. It’s nothing serious.”
“Oh, good... But how did you get hurt?”
Harumi let out a sigh of relief, but then curiously tilted her head.
“Actually, I tripped and hit my head on the job. That’s all it was. Hahaha, I guess I’m too energetic.”
Koutarou smiled and shrugged, but Harumi still had a worried look on her face.
“...You really are okay, aren’t you?”
“I’m fine. I can’t get any dumber than I already am.”
“Then I suppose it’s all right.”
“Heh, don’t worry so much, Sakuraba-senpai.”
“Head injuries can be pretty scary, you know? Besides, you’re a member of the society after all.”
“I see. So it’s a very calculated worry.”
“Calculated?! I would never...”
Harumi’s face turned red as Koutarou laughed to himself.
“Pfft... Ahahaha!”
“Oh you, Satomi-kun...”
As Harumi’s lips pursed into a small frown, one of the children thrust her face between Koutarou’s and Harumi’s.
“Uwah!”
“Kyaah!”
The child that had appeared was one of the older girls. She had climbed over the back of the bench to surprise Koutarou and Harumi.
“Did I scare you? Hey, are you Onee-chan’s boyfriend?”
“B-Boyfriend?!”
Unaccustomed to this kind of question, Harumi’s eyes shot wide open and she was left speechless.
“Haha, I wish. I’m not her boyfriend. Just her apprentice.”
“Apprentice? Of what?”
“Of knitting. She’ll be teaching me starting the day after tomorrow.”
Club activities would begin on Tuesday, the day after the school’s commencement ceremony.
“I see. Onee-chan is a good knitter.”
Satisfied, the girl smiled. Even among the children, Harumi’s knitting skills were famous.
“Hey! Kou! Where are you?!”
That was when Kenji appeared at the entrance to the courtyard.
“Ah...”
Spotting him, Harumi’s expression became more strained.
“Mackenzie! Over here!”
Koutarou didn’t notice the change, and waved over Kenji.
“You idiot! What about the medicine?!”
“Oh shoot, I forgot!”
Koutarou jumped off the bench and ran towards Kenji.
“Hey, Onee-chan.”
The young girl was looking at Koutarou’s back and leaned over to whisper to Harumi, who was doing the same thing.
“Yes?”
“Is he really not your boyfriend?”
“He’s not. He’s a friend from school who I promised to teach to knit.”
“You’re lying. He’s the only adult man you’ve talked to without getting flustered.”
“Th-That’s not...”
Harumi was quick to deny it, but the young girl was right. Harumi had only met with Koutarou a few times in the days after the results were announced. She’d come across him by chance in town, but they weren’t particularly close. Even so, Harumi wouldn’t ordinarily be able to speak to a man under those circumstances.
“I... um...”
Yet for some reason, Harumi didn’t feel like she needed to keep her guard up around Koutarou. This was something unexpected even to her, so she couldn’t help but feel a little puzzled.
“S-Satomi-kun and I aren’t...”
As Harumi muttered his name, Koutarou finally met up with Kenji and turned back towards Harumi.
“Senpai! I know it’s sudden, but I have to go now! I’ll see you the day after tomorrow!”
“Y-Yes! The day after tomorrow, then! Goodbye, Satomi-kun!”
Despite being caught off guard by Koutarou’s timing, Harumi was still somehow able to answer.
“Goodbye!”
Koutarou bowed his head and left the courtyard with Kenji.
“...”
Harumi clasped her hands to her chest and watched Koutarou as he walked away.
“...I get it. You’re not dating, but you’re interested in him, right?”
Studying Harumi’s behavior, that was the conclusion the young girl reached.
“Wh-Wh-Whaaat?!”
Harumi’s face turned bright red. She was absolutely speechless. She desperately searched for the words to deny it, but nothing came to her.
“It’s okay, I’ll keep it a secret.”
“...”
In the end, Harumi was unable to say anything back to the young, smiling girl. She simply stayed quiet.
“Does your club president hate me or something?”
“Huh?”
“When I called out while you guys were talking, she got really nervous all of a sudden, remember?”
“Really?”
“...You could at least notice something that obvious.”
Kenji smiled wryly at Koutarou as he got on his bike, which he had left at Corona House. In the morning, Kenji would take the train to Harukaze Station and use his bike to get to Corona House from there. And once he met up with Koutarou, they would walk to Harukaze High together.
“I don’t know if she hates you or not, but if a scumbag like you approached her, she’d be tainted. Don’t get near her. Shoo, shoo!”
“Come on now...”
Koutarou smirked at Kenji’s reaction, but his expression soon turned more serious.
“Well, to be honest, it does seem like she is a bit shy.”
While they had only spoken a few times, Koutarou had at least picked up on that.
“Hmm, she seems pretty fine with you though.”
“A lot happened when we first met, you know.”
“Ah, you mean that time with a real scumbag.”
“Right. She was grateful back then, but we’ve bumped into each other a couple of times since. That’s probably why.”
Harumi was normally meek and bashful. If they hadn’t met under such circumstances, she probably would have been nervous around Koutarou as well. At least, that’s what Koutarou figured.
“That’s how it is. So leave her be until she gets used to you, scumbag.”
“Would you stop calling me that?”
Normally, Kenji was the one who was popular with women.
“Just understand that it’s not a laughing matter, Mackenzie-kun.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Kenji knew he was mostly joking. He smiled and shook his head as he turned his bike around.
“Well then, Kou, tomorrow’s the entrance ceremony, so make sure you get to bed early.”
“I know, I know. You don’t have to worry. I got up just fine today, right?”
“Right. Well, see you.”
“Yeah. Be safe.”
Kenji got to pedaling, and Koutarou returned to Corona House. Neither of them looked back. It was how they usually parted ways.
The door to room 106 unlocked with a click. While the door looked old, the landlord, Shizuka, made sure to change the locks every time a tenant changed. Thanks to that, it didn’t give of the impression of a worn out apartment. The door didn’t even creak as it opened, a sign that it had been well maintained.
“I’m back,” Koutarou muttered to himself as he entered the empty room.
As expected, coming home to an empty house is boring...
The image of his mother flashed through Koutarou’s mind. He recalled the sight of her welcoming him home. Until just a few years ago, that was a daily occurrence.
“You’re finally back, you thickheaded jerk!”
However, a voice rang out from the back of the room, interrupting his nostalgic moment.
“What?!”
Surprised, Koutarou hurriedly threw off his shoes and ran to the inner room.
“In the end, you never noticed anything last night, but I’ll chase you out today for sure!”
Koutarou was met with the sight of a small girl in a summer dress as he entered the room. She looked several years younger than him. With her slender body and short stature, she looked to be in elementary school. But her strong eyebrows, large eyes, and frowning mouth left quite an impression.
“Plan number one! Start up with the noises even though it’s still evening!”
Koutarou wasn’t sure if the girl had noticed him or not, but she began loudly clapping her hands in the middle of the room.
“What...?”
The sight of this girl clapping and running through the room left Koutarou astonished.
“What is she doing...?”
Koutarou was too distracted by what the girl was doing to worry about how she had gotten into his room in the first place.
“It was a mistake to wait until night to try and wake up this thickheaded dweeb with a scare! I’m so on top of my game today! I’m a genius to think of starting up with the racket while he’s still awake!”
The girl continued running around the room while happily clapping her hands.
“Now get scared and leave, you dimwit! This place is haunted!”
The girl finally turned towards Koutarou. As she did, she saw him staring at her.
“...”
“Surely you’ll leave now!”
The girl stopped moving.
“Huh?”
She hesitantly clapped one final time. And the two simply stared at each other.
“...”
“...”
“...What are you doing here?”
Koutarou was the one to break the silence. He pointed to the girl’s hands, still pressed together, and called her out in a dumbfounded tone. It was only reasonable he’d feel that way upon returning home after a long day, only to find a girl going mad in his apartment.
“Whaaaaat?!”
In response, the girl opened her eyes wide in surprise. Her already large eyes became completely round.
“H-Hey, you! You can see me?!”
The girl leaned forward and brought her face closer to Koutarou’s.
“Of course I can see you. What are you talking about...?”
“Y-You can’t just see me, but you can hear me too?!”
“What are you talking about...?”
Koutarou had no idea what the girl was trying to say, and tilted his head to the side in confusion.
“B-But, you couldn’t see me yesterday. You couldn’t hear my voice either!”
“Huh?”
The girl wasn’t making any sense to Koutarou, and his confusion reached its peak.
“Just like I said! You didn’t notice me at all yesterday! So why can you see and hear me today all of a sudden?!”
“Wait, wait, wait! Explain yourself properly! I’m not following you at all! More importantly, who are you? And how did you get in here?!”
“I’m Higashihongan Sanae, and I’m the resident of this room! I live here! You’re the one who’s barging in!”
“What? You live here? ...Wait a minute.”
“Wh-What now?”
Leaving the now confused girl behind, Koutarou opened the front door and peeked at the door plate: “Room 106, Satomi Koutarou.”
“So I am in the right room...”
Having confirmed that much, Koutarou quickly returned to the inner room. At first, he had been worried that he’d entered the wrong apartment.
“This is my place. I’m the one renting it from the landlord.”
“It’s my room! I’ve always lived here! So get out!”
“I’m the one paying for it, so why should I get out?!”
“Shut up, shut up, shut up! If I’m not here, mama and papa will get worried!”
Their discussion wasn’t going anywhere.
“Hmm...”
Troubled, Koutarou decided to piece together the situation. He crossed his arms and began thinking.
When I came home, there was a girl I don’t know in my room. She’s insisting that this is her room, but she was nowhere to be seen when I moved in yesterday. And there’s no way that Landlord-san would rent this room out to two people at the same time.
“Which means this girl is...”
“What? D-Don’t just stare at me like that.”
To Koutarou, this girl was just a stranger who had entered his apartment without permission. She was spouting some nonsense about why, but Koutarou had never seen her before, so he figured that she was making it up.
She was probably just a kid from the neighborhood who had found the door unlocked and decided to come in to play. In the end, that was the conclusion Koutarou reached.
“All right.”
Having made up his mind, Koutarou swiftly took action.
“No problem, no problem.”
“Kyaah! What are you doing now?!”
Koutarou grabbed the nape of the girl’s dress and lifted her up, heading for the front door as she dangled in the air.
“It’s time for kids to go home, so stop playing around here and scram.”
“Let go! Just because I’m a kid doesn’t mean you can— Hey, wait! You’re touching me! But how?!”
The girl struggled to break free, but the difference in their strengths meant her efforts were to no avail.
“No ifs, ands, or buts! Just go home!”
“But you couldn’t even touch me this morning! You just passed through!”
“You’re not making any sense. Seriously, just go home. I’ve been through a lot today, so I’m tired.”
Koutarou threw the girl outside and promptly closed the door.
“Jeez, for someone to just break in like that... I’ll need to make sure I lock the door from now on.”
With a click, Koutarou locked the door and sighed to himself as he returned to the inner room.
“What did you do that for?!”
“Huh?”
However, as he entered, he found the girl he had just thrown out. Her face was beet red with anger as she glared at Koutarou. But because of her short stature, she looked more cute than anything.
“How did you get in here again?”
Koutarou took a quick look at the window, but it was still locked. Besides, there wasn’t enough time for her to run around the building to get there.
“I passed through the wall, obviously.”
“You passed through the wall?”
Koutarou stared at the wall behind the girl, but all he saw was the newly replaced white wallpaper.
“I don’t see any holes.”
“Of course not! I’m a gho—”
“Oh, I get it! It’s one of those magic tricks, right?!”
Koutarou’s eyes started sparkling. He had seen magicians pass through walls on TV, so he was now completely under the impression this young girl was a magician.
“Huh?”
“Do it again! Show me again!”
“Whaaat?! A-Again?! How can you touch me? No one’s been able to do that before!”
“Come on, don’t be so stingy! Do it one more time.”
And so the girl was thrown out again.
“Kyaah! H-Hey you! Just listen for a minute!”
“Come on, just do it!”
Plead as she might, Koutarou wasn’t listening to her at all. He was thoroughly convinced she was some genius child magician.
“Kyaaaaah!”
“I’m begging you!”
Koutarou slammed the door shut and locked it. He couldn’t wait to see how the girl would get back inside. But that was when the most unexpected thing of all happened.
“Would you give it a break?!”
“Whoa!”
Suddenly the girl’s face popped out from the closed door, as if a hole just for her head had appeared.
“You often get told you don’t listen very well, don’t you?!”
“Wh-What are you— How did you...?!”
And as Koutarou looked on, the girl’s entire body passed through the door.
“Move out of the way.”
“Kyaah! Again?!”
Koutarou forcibly pushed the girl aside and examined the door, yet there wasn’t so much as a scratch on it. He couldn’t find anything that would have let her get through.
“How did you do that?!”
“All right! You’re surprised! That’s what I’ve been waiting for!”
Koutarou finally reacted the way the girl had been hoping for. This pleased her greatly, and a smile crept across her lips.
“...Oh, right. I’m supposed to get happy.”
“Just who are you? How did you get in?”
The girl just grinned.
“I told you already. I passed through the wall. And I’m Sanae. Higashihongan Sanae”
“Sanae...?”
“I’m the ghost that’s been living in this room.”
Hearing the girl say that surprised Koutarou even more than when she had passed through the door.
“Whaaaaat?! A gh-ghost?!”
“You can’t believe it? But a normal person couldn’t do this, right?”
“Y-You can fly?!”
“Of course I can. I’m a ghost.”
Sanae floated up towards the ceiling and grinned as she looked down at the astonished Koutarou. As Koutarou hadn’t noticed her at all before, she was quite happy now.
“A ghost... I heard the stories from Landlord-san, but to think there really was one...”
In contrast, Koutarou was rather surprised. While he had heard the stories from Shizuka, he didn’t think he’d see anything for himself. However, with Sanae before his very eyes, he had no choice but to believe it. A normal person couldn’t pass through walls or float in the air.
“So you’re the ghost that’s been haunting this room?”
“It looks like you finally get it. That’s right! I’m the true master of this room.”
“Which means you’re the one that chased out all the previous tenants?”
“Yeah. This is my home after all.”
Sanae gently landed on the floor as she spoke.
“...If you’re a ghost, then why do you have legs?”
“What does it matter? Forget that! That’s not what should be surprising you!”
“Even if you say that... I can clearly see, hear and touch you, you know? I thought you were just some normal kid until I saw you go through the door.”
Because of that, Koutarou was able to stand before Sanae without panicking. She just looked like a normal girl to him.
“Th-That’s right! Why can you sense me all of a sudden?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You didn’t notice me yesterday even when I stood right in front of you or screamed into your ear! You even passed right through me!”
“Even if you ask me...”
The short of it was that Sanae had been around Koutarou since yesterday, watching him constantly.
“I don’t really get it either. The only thing out of the ordinary that happened today was that I slipped and hit my head,” Koutarou continued, turning around to point to the bump on the back of his head.
“You hit your head and now you can see ghosts?! Enough with the nonsense.”
“Look who’s talking, you paranormal anomaly!”
“Ugh...” Sanae flinched a little as she realized the position she was in. “S-So what? Now that you can hear me, we can get down to business!”
“You’re the one who brought it up!”
“Shut up! Shut up!”
“So, what business?”
Sanae regained her cool at Koutarou’s question and began grinning again.
“That’s obvious. This is my home, so get out.”
“Well now that’s a bold declaration.”
“It’s not bold. It’s perfectly normal.”
As Sanae spoke, strange energy began crackling around her as if she was discharging small bolts of lightning.
“And if I say no?”
“Nothing really... I’ll just do what I always do.”
Sanae pointed her hand at Koutarou and a suspicious light wavered at the tips of her fingers. It was what one would call a will-o’-wisp, but Koutarou had no knowledge of that.
This girl wants to fight...
However, sensing that Sanae was ready to throw down, he readied himself.
“But for some reason, I’m in top form today, so hitting you with this will do more than just surprise you!”
The light at Sanae’s fingers grew larger. It went from the size of a firefly to nearly the size of a baseball.
Getting hit by that would be bad...
He didn’t know what the light was, but his intuition told him it was dangerous. He gulped at the realization.
Even though she’s a ghost, I can touch her, so it’s not like I can’t fight back.
As Koutarou was normally quick to pick a fight, he clenched his fists as he resolved himself.
“What a coincidence. I’m in top form today too.”
“Heh, then bring it on... Wahahaha!”
“Bwahahaha!”
As laughter and tension filled the room, things were about to get serious.
The sound of a delivery truck passing Corona House served as the gong for the fight.
“Eat thiiiiis!”
Sanae threw the ball of light at Koutarou.
“Whoa!”
But Koutarou was quick to drop low, and the ball passed by right where his face had been. It flew straight into the wall and disappeared with a sound like a heavy clap.
“You’re surprisingly fast!”
“And that’s not all!”
Koutarou charged at Sanae. Being a small room, he quickly reached her.
“Haaaaah!”
Using his momentum, Koutarou swung his right hand forward.
“Kyaaaaah!”
But Sanae was on her toes too, dodging by passing through the wall behind her—a fitting maneuver for a ghost. Koutarou’s fist just grazed the ends of her hair.
“That’s right, she is a ghost. But I can hit her. I’ve got this.”
As Koutarou processed what had happened, Sanae entered the room once more.
“That was dangerous!”
“I don’t want to hear that from you!”
“It’s a given for ghosts to attack residents! Counterattacking is against the rules!”
“Like I care about those rules!”
“Either get wrecked or get out!”
“Not a chance! I’ve finally found this place to live!”
Koutarou didn’t want to burden his father who had finished raising him on his own. A room with a monthly rent of 5,000 yen was something Koutarou could afford on his own with just the money from his part-time job. The only problem was the ghost after him right now. Koutarou wasn’t going to leave just because of that.
“As if I’d leave because of some ghost! This place is critical to enjoying my high school life!”
“I don’t care about that! Get out! This is my home!”
Sanae’s hands began glowing as balls of light formed in either one. She was going to throw both of them at Koutarou.
“So you’re finally getting serious...”
Koutarou took a stance.
“These aren’t the same as before.”
Sanae meant the two balls of light in her hands. They were indeed slightly larger than before. Not only would dodging them be harder, they now had more power. As Sanae implied, they were more dangerous.
“As if I’d let you try that!”
In that case, I just have to keep her from attacking!
Koutarou made a snap decision and rushed towards Sanae with an outstretched hand.
“Kyaah?!”
“I’ve got youuuuu!”
Koutarou grabbed ahold of Sanae’s left arm with his right hand, causing her to drop one of the balls onto the tatami mat. Like before, the ball hit the floor and disappeared with a loud clap.
“These can be used for more than just throwing!”
“Uwah!”
Not missing the opening created while Koutarou was distracted by the falling ball, Sanae thrust the ball of light in her right hand at Koutarou. Koutarou tried to dodge it, but it wasn’t enough.
“Guwah!”
Again, the ball made a loud clapping noise as it disappeared, but this time it slammed hard into Koutarou. It was like receiving an electric shock.
“I did it! I dunno why, but I really am in top form today!”
“Guh...”
Koutarou fell back and landed on his rear from the impact.
“And now for the finisher!”
Sanae formed two more balls of light in front of Koutarou, who was still on the ground.
“You’ll be sent to the hospital, and I’ll take back my room!”
“Y-You selfish...!”
Koutarou had been hit pretty hard and he could barely move. As he watched on helplessly, Sanae merged the two balls into a single large one.
“If you had just left to begin with, you wouldn’t have to suffer like this!”
The orb that Sanae was holding overhead grew bigger still, to roughly the size of a dodgeball.
If the ball from before was enough to leave Koutarou stunned, the power of this required no explanation.
“Not good! I’ll be killed!”
Koutarou braced himself. It was all he could do to prepare for the incoming damage.
“Nyahahahaha—”
However, Sanae’s triumphant laughter was interrupted by a small explosion at her feet.
“Kyaah!”
The explosion sent her flying and put her head through the wall. At the same time, the ball of light that Sanae had created collided with the wall, causing a loud bang that was powerful enough to send a chill down Koutarou’s spine.
“Owowow!”
Sanae pulled her head out of the wall and shook it a little. This time, it was her turn to be staggered.
“...What did she step on?”
Koutarou had seen the explosion at Sanae’s feet. Trying to find the source, Koutarou crawled over to the spot where the explosion had taken place.
“I see! So this is what she stepped on!”
“Safe delivery.” “Academic success.” “Traffic safety.”
Koutarou discovered the protective charms he had gotten from his grandmother. He had taken them out of a moving box, but left them lying on the floor. Sanae just happened to walk over them.
“That’s right! You’re a ghost after all! You’re weak to protective charms!” Koutarou snatched up the charms.
“Haha! The tables have turned!”
“Feh...”
Sanae got up and sneered at the charms in Koutarou’s hand.
“T-To think you’d have something like that...”
“And that’s not all! From charms to maneki nekos4, there’s no shortage of protective goods in this room!”
It wasn’t just charms he’d gotten from his grandmother. In hopes of Koutarou passing his high school entrance exams, she had sent in bulk all kinds of blessed items thought to bring good luck.
“Feh, just how virtuous are you?!”
“Hahaha! It’s because of all my good deeds! God is watching over me!”
Koutarou slowly approached Sanae with the charms thrust out towards her.
Sanae, who had been on the offensive all this time, was now gradually being pushed towards the entrance with a bitter look on her face.
“Hyah!”
Sanae threw three will-o’-wisps at Koutarou.
“It’s no use!”
But as soon as they touched the charms in Koutarou’s hand, they seemingly melted away.
“It’s not working?!”
“Stupid! As if there’s a charm that couldn’t block a ghost’s attack! Don’t underestimate the ‘family safety’ charm!”
Koutarou grinned at Sanae and took a step closer.
“Now it’s your turn to get out, ghost!”
“There’s no way I’m leaving! I have to wait here no matter what!”
“Too bad I’m calling the shots now!”
“This isn’t over yet!”
As Sanae shouted, objects from around the room started floating in the air around her. Cardboard boxes, a dictionary, a case filled with personal effects... All kinds of things rose up into the air.
“Take this! Poltergeist Attack!”
“Gah!”
The random objects floating around Sanae were sent flying towards Koutarou all at once, and the charms had no effect against them. Despite Koutarou’s attempt to flee, several objects crashed into him.
“Owowow! What are you doing?!”
“Nyahahaha! It looks like these work just fine!”
“You’re going to kill me hitting me straight on like that!”
“Stupid! That’s exactly what I’m planning on!”
“Damn it!”
“Here’s another!”
Sanae began lifting nearby articles from Koutarou’s luggage into the air once more.
“As if I’ll just lie down and take a beating!”
Koutarou picked up his treasured bat that was lying right in front of him. He was going to use that to protect himself against the airborne objects.
“In a room this small, just how long do you think you’ll last against my attacks with that?”
Sanae quickly sent several objects flying at Koutarou.
“Hmph!”
Koutarou swung his bat vertically to knock them out of the air.
“Too slow, ghost! They might as well be flying in slow-motion!”
“Curse you!”
Sanae made several more objects float.
Five more again, huh?
In total, there were five objects floating in the air now. Her previous attacks had also consisted of five objects.
It looks like her limit is five at a time...
Without lowering his guard, Koutarou readied his bat to fend off the next attack.
“Hmm?”
That was when the dictionary floating to the right of Sanae fell to the floor.
“That’s...”
Next to the dictionary was the maneki neko. Koutarou suspected that the dictionary had become inert when it got too close to it.
I guess I should give it a try.
As Koutarou made up his mind, he grabbed one of the charms he was holding together with the bat. It read “safe delivery.”
“Hyah!”
Koutarou then threw it towards Sanae.
“Uwah?!”
Seeing that, Sanae quickly brought the floating objects together in front of her to protect herself. The charm hit the makeshift shield and fell to the tatami mat.
“Don’t scare me like that!”
“This will scare you even more!”
By the time Sanae recovered, Koutarou had already picked up the maneki neko.
“Wh-What will...?”
“This guy!”
Koutarou thrust the maneki neko out towards Sanae, and their eyes met.
“A cat?”
“Look around you.”
“Huh?!”
The objects circling around Sanae fell to the floor one after another.
“It looks like you can’t make things fly next to this guy.”
“You and your stupid blessed items!”
Sanae grit her teeth in frustration and hurriedly escaped towards the entrance. As she did, she lifted more of Koutarou’s belongings into the air around her.
“Then I’ll just attack you from a distance!”
Sanae flung a plastic tissue box at Koutarou. Only throwing one object this time, it had terrific momentum behind it.
“It’s no use!”
As the tissue box got close to Koutarou, it stalled and fell to the floor.
“How?!”
Once it got close enough to the maneki neko, the tissue box lost the power supporting it. It made it as far as Koutarou’s feet with the momentum it had behind it, but it lacked the power to do any damage.
“It looks like the tables have turned again, ghost!”
Koutarou laughed, full of confidence.
“S-So what? I still haven’t lost!”
“None of your attacks can reach me. But I can still attack you!”
Koutarou brandished the maneki neko and protective charms as he boasted.
“Hmph! They’re no big deal as long as I don’t get close.”
“But that means you won’t be able to chase me out. That’s why I win, ghostie!” Koutarou triumphantly declared his victory. “You don’t stand a chance now, so just give up and leave. Or better yet, pass on!”
“No way! Why should I have to? You leave!”
With the boost to Koutarou’s defenses thanks to the maneki neko, the battle had reached a standstill. Both Koutarou and Sanae lacked a decisive measure to defeat the other.
All of Sanae’s attacks were blocked by the maneki neko. While smaller, lighter objects might reach Koutarou with her Poltergeist Attack, they would hardly deal any damage. And the larger, heavier objects would be deflected by the maneki neko before they ever reached him. Moreover, Sanae couldn’t get near the maneki neko herself, so she couldn’t attack Koutarou directly either.
At the same time, Koutarou was unable to defeat Sanae. He could touch and grab her, or throw his charms to knock her back. However, Sanae could freely move through walls, making his attacks ineffective. The problem was exacerbated by Sanae keeping her distance in order to avoid the maneki neko. And most troubling of all was that Koutarou didn’t have any way of exorcising her. Even if he were to throw her out of the room or oust her with the charms, she’d be back right away.
“What is your obsession with this room anyway?”
“What does it matter?! Either way, I have no intention of leaving! This is my home!”
Sanae hurled some crumpled up paper at Koutarou, but he easily caught it and threw it right back at her.
“Jeez, you’re such a child.”
“I couldn’t act like a ghost if I wasn’t childish!”
“Ain’t that the truth...”
“Don’t treat me like some idiot!”
“You’re the one who suggested it!”
Thus, having lost any practical means of attack, the room was decisively split in half as the two continued their quarrel despite the stalemate. While someone would throw crumpled paper at the other from time to time, the actual attacks had stopped.
“In that case, it’s a test of spirit! I won’t stop until you give up. And don’t think for a minute that I’ll let you get any sleep, either!”
“Do your worst! My iron will was forged by baseball. When it comes to spirit, I’m unbeatable. Besides, not being able to sleep will go both ways!”
“You’re not cute at all!”
“Neither are you!”
And so they stared each other down for hours, well into the morning. It wasn’t long before the doorbell rang.
“Hmm? Huh?”
“Who would bother us at a time like this?!”
Following the doorbell was loud knocking.
“Get up, Kou! You’ll be late for the entrance ceremony!”
Finally, Koutarou recognized the voice of his childhood friend, Kenji, coming from the other side of the door.
“It’s Mackenzie.”
“Mackenzie? Oh, the cute boy with the glasses.”
“Crap! It’s already morning?”
Looking at the clock on the wall, Koutarou’s eyes shot open wide. It was already 7:30 AM. As the school was twenty minutes away, Koutarou had to leave by 8 AM to make it on time. And since today was the entrance ceremony, getting there earlier would be for the best.
“I can’t just sit around here!”
“Ah, hey, wait!”
“We’ll continue this when I get back! I have to go to school to first!”
Koutarou slid open the wardrobe and pulled out his uniform and school bag.
“Hey, Kou! Are you awake?”
“I’m up, I’m up! I’ll be right there!”
“Oh, you really were awake.”
Koutarou shoved the maneki neko and various charms into his bag and hurriedly began changing.
“Wait! Shouldn’t we settle this before you go to school?”
“I don’t have the time for that! We’ll do it later! I’m living here so I can go to school! Besides, who would believe me if I told them I didn’t show up for the first day of school because of a ghost?”
“Whaaaaat?!”
Sanae started sulking. She puffed out her cheeks and glared at Koutarou.
“Don’t start acting up when I’m gone, okay? We’ll settle this when I get back.”
“I got it. I don’t want to start trouble here either.”
“...You are the trouble though.”
“You’re the one who’s trouble! I didn’t have any problems before this!”
“Yeah, yeah. Sure. Just sit tight until I get back, okay?”
Sanae reluctantly nodded.
“Fine. Just don’t waste any time and hurry back.”
“Yeah.”
Thus they entered into a temporary truce until that evening.
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