CHAPTER 4 – SUMMER☆TWINKLE
PART 01
——
It happened several days after we returned from Wakkanai.
‘Aaaaaaaahhh— I didn’t knowwwwwwww—-‘
I didn’t shout it out loud, but in my mind, I was in the same pose as Munch’s “The Scream”.
~~~~~
Ever since entering high school, my life had completely changed. In particular, it started to get really busy, and the pace of my life seemed to increase.
I was so busy that, although I could remember the falling of the cherry blossoms, I couldn’t recall what flowers started to bloom around our house after that.
I was busy with school and the part-time job at MAHO-do, but I soon got used to it. As I was so tied up with my own affairs, I felt that I was missing out on lots of other things.
“That’s how it’s always been,” Ai-chan commented without hesitation.
Ai-chan was cool like that.
It was true; my life had always been brimming with events and happenings.
To think that I had been looking forward to slowing down and becoming a calm young lady once I entered high school.
By the way, about a week ago, Hazuki-chan came to the MAHO-do and greeted us with a “Hello”.
“What’s wrong? Hazuki-chan, are you feeling unwell?” Hearing Hazuki-chan’s voice, Ai-chan immediately asked.
“Hmm, maybe it’s just the period before a test? High school is just full of tests and exams.”
“I know, I know. We just pulled through a really painful entrance exam, and yet we’re still taking exams now. It’s so cruel,” I complained.
It was from then on that Ai-chan started to notice that Hazuki-chan was not her usual self.
Sadly, I thought nothing more of it, even when I noticed that Ai-chan did not return a smart retort to my complaint.
“Ai-chan’s track activities are tough too, right?” Hazuki-chan continued.
“That’s because I’m a freshman, so there are lots of things to do.”
“My violin lessons have picked up too, so I’m sorry for not coming to the MAHO-do much.”
Back then, Hazuki-chan was worried about what Ai-chan and I would think, so she hadn’t said anything more.
But the smile she showed us was so weak.
~~~~~
The hydrangeas were blooming in beautiful colors; purple tinged with a lonely shade of blue.
It was raining today, so MAHO-do was quiet with no customers.
Ai-chan and Hazuki-chan were given breaks from their track and violin lessons, so the three of us managed to get together for the first time in the past two weeks.
In order to cover up the smell of rain which had permeated through the store, we made tea and cookies, delicious smells that wafted through the air.
“Oh no, no customers will come in this rain,” Majorika said gloomily.
We had switched off most of the lights inside the store, and the lack of sunlight even on these first days of summer made me realize how dark it truly was.
“Let’s have a heart-to-heart talk, shall we?” Majorika suggested, and Hazuki-chan finally spilled it all.
~~~~~
The scream in my mind that I talked about at the beginning was because of this.
I was so unobservant. It had started during those days when we were searching for Onpu-chan.
“…It started with a few classmates who kept sneaking glances at me,” Hazuki-chan said with a sigh as she returned her cup of tea to its plate.
“I didn’t know why, and they always looked away quickly when I spotted them. I’ve tried asking, but they never gave me a clear answer.”
“Well, that’s dubious,” Ai-chan commented.
“Maybe they were just looking at Hazuki-chan normally,” Lala suggested.
In actual fact, Hazuki-chan was being targeted on Karen Girls’ Academy’s Ura Site.
Those who had been with Hazuki-chan through middle school knew her well. A cute and reserved girl, she was also slightly an airhead. As could be deduced from her appearance, she was a gentle, good-natured, and refreshing high school girl. Therefore, we thought no one would believe in those rumors.
“Everyone knows that Ura Sites nowadays are just full of lies,” I said.
“Everyone just writes irresponsibly to vent their own frustrations. They will soon tire of it,” Ai-chan added.
“Resorting to bullying to vent your own frustrations is just deplorable,” Majorika stated, looking bored.
However, we knew that she was not as unconcerned as she appeared to be.
Majorika has always been good at hiding her feelings.
As for me, I had skipped school a few times too. However, most of those were purely because of personal reasons, such as not wanting to study for a test, or feeling sleepy because I had stayed up too late the previous night watching television, or when we had to run marathons during PE lessons.
It had all been for myself.
I felt that I had really been too easygoing. Misora High School probably had its own Ura Site, but I was not interested in it, nor do I believe in the rumors written there.
And because that was how I was, even if I saw someone in class feeling downhearted, I would assume that it was because she was just tired, like me.
I did not even realize that Hazuki-chan, my best friend, was affected by it.
“Haaa~ I hate myself~,” I said with a sigh.
“What are you talking about?” Ai-chan asked.
“I mean, Hazuki-chan is suffering so much, but I didn’t even realize it. I just feel so pathetic…”
“Doremi-chan, Ai-chan, I’m sorry. I myself assumed that all this would blow over soon,” Hazuki-chan apologized with a bow.
“What are you saying? There is nothing Hazuki-chan needs to apologize for,” I protested.
“That’s right. Hazuki-chan is the victim here,” Ai-chan added.
Finally, Hazuki-chan smiled, but tears immediately started to flow from her eyes.
“Hazuki-chan.”
Flustered, we offered our handkerchiefs and tissues to Hazuki-chan.
“Thank you… I just feel so relieved.”
Hazuki-chan pulled out her own handkerchief from her pocket and wiped away her tears.
“We may be in different schools and not be able to solve the problem, but just come talk to us if anything happens. We’ll definitely help you out!” Ai-chan said.
“That’s right, Hazuki-chan! As long as we think about it together, we may come up with good ideas,” I added.
“Yes…” Hazuki-chan said as she nodded repeatedly.
~~~~~
As the day progressed into darkness, it grew quieter and we could hear the sound of the rain. It had been more than two hours since we came to the MAHO-do, so Majorika encouraged us to go back home.
Just then, Majorika looked out the window and tilted her head to the side.
She thought she had seen someone passing by outside the window,
“Maybe it’s a customer.”
So saying, she opened the door, but there was nobody there. The sound of the rain grew louder due to the open door.
“It’s totally dark outside, but it’s not even that late yet,” Ai-chan commented.
“You’re right. It somehow makes me feel hungry,” I added.
Hearing that, Hazuki-chan giggled.
“Doremi-chan, you never change.”
“Seems like Hazuki-chan is back to normal,” Ai-chan said as she gave Hazuki-chan a thumbs-up sign.
“That’s right. You’ll soon grow tired of me,” Hazuki-chan replied.
“Exactly. Unlike Doremi-chan, there is not much to make fun of about Hazuki-chan, so my jokes just run out really quickly,” Ai-chan lamented.
“Wha-… Ai-chan, that is so mean!”
We tidied up the crockery, thanked Majorika and Lala, and hurried on our separate ways home.
I wish for the online posts about Hazuki-chan to disappear. Looking up at the dark sky, I wished upon the stars hidden behind the rain clouds.
~~~~~
At that time, we thought that the posts on the Ura Site were just pure slander, and that all these unfounded rumors were just gossip that just happened to be attached to Hazuki-chan.
However, they did not disappear. In fact, more were posted every day.
“Hazuki-chan, do you have any friends in class who are your allies?”
“Yes. There is a girl who told me about this whole thing. That was how I found out that I was being targeted on the Ura Site.”
The girl was Hazuki-chan’s friend and classmate Mukai Riko, who came in from an external high school.
Most of the students who enroll in Karen Girls’ Academy, especially for the music faculty, come from the affiliated middle school. Mukai-san, who was a frivolous girl, became good friends with Hazuki-chan when she joined the school and got to know everyone.
It was probably because she looked out for Hazuki-chan.
“Mukai-san told me that she definitely didn’t believe in those posts.”
“Those forums are just full of lies, so there’s no need to bother about them,” I assured her.
“That’s right; you don’t need to read those posts,” Ai-chan added.
We felt a little relieved, hearing that Hazuki-chan had a friend and ally in class.
Since we were in different schools, we could not know what was happening to Hazuki-chan, apart from what she chose to tell us.
“That Mukai-san is a good girl, eh? Do introduce her to us next time,” Ai-chan said.
“Yes, yes, I want to meet her too,” I agreed.
“Alright, I’ll talk to Mukai-san about you too,” Hazuki-chan promised.
With that, we parted for the day.
~~~~~
That was what Hazuki-chan told us.
She had friends in class, as well as Tamaki Reika, even though she was in a different course. Outside school, she had us, her best friends since elementary school, and Majorika and Lala at the MAHO-do. With all this, she was happy.
The person who wrote about her on the Ura Site must be someone who did not have so many friends. That person was probably just jealous of Hazuki-chan. If they wanted to speak ill of her, they should have confronted her directly instead of doing this.
I am a simple person, so this was the only conclusion I could come up with.
I myself had been envious of Hazuki-chan’s talent with the violin, as well as of her family background, but I love my own family, and Hazuki-chan’s talent with the violin was all due to her hard work.
As I grew up, I’d learned to read kanji that I could not as a child, and subjects like English and classics had stopped sounding like nonsensical magical chants to me.
I may not know the best way to live life yet, but I had learnt so many things, and met so many people.
When I was young, I used to be envious of other kids and often said things like “She’s so lucky” or “That’s not fair” or “I want that, too”.
If I had voiced my thoughts out, they would surely have turned into horrible words, like those that were now reflected on the computer screen, no matter how simple-minded they actually were in the first place.
——
Notes:
1. Ura Site – “Ura” translates into “under”. Many Japanese high schools have their own Ura Sites set up by students, which are kind of like online forums for everyone to keep updated on events and happenings, and also to trade gossip. One major problem with Ura Sites is that students use them as a platform for cyber-bullying, by spreading rumors or blatantly insulting the victim. Read more about Ura Sites here.