Chapter 1 – Kaleidoscope
Volume 3
Monday morning–
[Is that Madoka-senpai?]
As I got off the train at the station and headed towards the school, I spotted a familiar figure among the stream of students in their summer uniforms.
The reason I wasn’t sure of her identity was that she was wearing a uniform instead of the jersey I was used to seeing her in, and she had her long hair down, which was usually tied up high on her head.
The physical education department at Seirei Gakuen is a rather generous one. On average, there are two physical education classes a day, so once the students arrive at school and change for the first class, many of them stay in their jerseys the rest of the day. Moreover, the jersey can be worn by any club. That’s why I haven’t seen Madoka senpai in her uniform very often.
However, I figured that she was tall enough to be Madoka-senpai, so I walked quickly and called out to her.
[Madoka-senpai.]
[Hmm? Ah, Nacchi. Good morning.]
As expected, it was Madoka-senpai.
[Hmm? Speaking of which, it’s true that I don’t see Nacchi in school uniform very often.]
I headed for the school alongside Madoka-senpai.
[I’ve never seen you at this time of the day before after all.]
[I see. I usually practice in the morning. Normally, I’m already in the gym by now.]
[So, no morning practice today?]
[Yesterday, we had a practice match. If we win, we’re off today. If we lose, we’ll start morning practice an hour earlier than usual.]
Madoka Senpai looked happy as she said this.
It must be hard for the members of the girls’ basketball club with such a captain. I sympathize with them from the bottom of my heart.
[So you won, right?]
[That’s right. …..Then, how is my uniform look? Did you fall for it?]
Since she said that, I looked at Madoka-senpai again.
Madoka-senpai has a good style. The hem of her blouse is tucked under her skirt, which emphasizes her breasts. In addition, because she is tall, the short skirt looks even shorter, and the slender legs stretching out from it are also quite eye-catching.
[ …….
……
…… it is dangerous, isn’t it?]
[What is?]
[Oh, no, not that. It’s kind of fresh. Like having your hair down.]
[I see. You know, Nacchi’s hair is standing up, though.]
[eh?]
I was surprised to hear that. I put my hand on my head, but I couldn’t understand it.
[Look, at the top of your head.]
[Top ……]
As I searched my head with my hand, I wondered what it was like to have a girl, even though she was older than me, looking at the top of my head.
[It’s true. It’s standing up. I was so busy this morning that I didn’t get it right.]
[You can’t fix it by holding it down with your hands. I’ll do it for you.]
She took out a brush from her bag.
[Ah, you don’t have to stop.]
Then she walked behind me.
I walked along with the flow of students on their way to school, having Madoka-senpai brush my hair as I walked.
It felt good to have my head stroked.
[But it’s really embarrassing]
[Don’t worry about people seeing you like this. It doesn’t matter what people see or how they see it, as long as you’re looking at what you need to look at.]
[……]
Where I should look, huh?
I didn’t bother to ask where it was, and Madoka Senpai didn’t tell me either.
[Speaking of which, Nacchi wasn’t a regular in basketball in middle school, right?]
Suddenly, Madoka senpai asked me in a cheerful voice.
[Where in the world is that information from?]
[This kind of thing can be easily gathered……. From what I’ve seen, I think you’re good enough to be a regular. So why?]
[I don’t know about my ability, but I was hated by my advisor.]
When I said that, Madoka senpai pondered a bit before opening her mouth.
[…..Did you hit him?]
[I’m sorry for the trouble I caused you at that time.]
[I didn’t mean it like that.]
Madoka senpai smiled bitterly.
[I haven’t been that violent in my junior high school years. Well, I’ll tell you why later. It’s not something you talk about while walking on the street.]
[I see. If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to. It’s a waste of time, though. It’s not every day that you find a guard as good as Nacchi. …… Yes, it’s done.]
It seems that my dumb be head has been fixed.
[Oh, thank you very much.]
[Oh, no, you’re welcome. Nacchi’s got hair like a cat, so I fixed it right away.]
As we were talking, we arrived at the school gate before we knew it.
And then there …
[Good morning.]
A voice suddenly came from behind.
Both Madoka senpai and I were so surprised that we almost jumped. It was Katase-senpai’s voice, but also because it was lower than usual.
We looked back at her fearfully.
[U……]
[Gu……]
Then, we gulped and shivered.
Katase-senpai was there with an amazing look on her face. It’s hard to describe, or even describe with words. Anyway, she looked as if she was saying, “This expression, which embodies my grumpy feelings, is something that can hardly be fixed”.
As if ignoring our stiffness, Katase-senpai walked forward. We watched Katase-senpai’s back as she headed for the elevator.
(It’s a bit of Armageddon. ……)
I thought to myself as I saw several students jumping back wherever senpai went.
And Madoka Senpai next to me muttered quietly.
“I might have stepped on a landmine. ……”
Lunch break–.
After eating my lunch, I went to the cafeteria to meet Katase Senpai.
I was curious about what had happened this morning and wanted to find out how she was doing, but there was only Madoka-senpai there. She was wearing a girls’ basketball club jersey.
[Tsukasa? She was here a while ago. But it looks like she went back to class because she had something to do.]
Is what Madoka senpai said.
[How did she look ?]
[Rather normal. She just didn’t talk as much as usual. I was also prepared for her to kick me in the shins under the table after what happened this morning.]
What’s with the dangerous meal situation?
I’m not sure if Katase-senpai and Madoka-senpai always have such stimulating lunches. It’s a world that I don’t understand.
[But it’s a bit anticlimactic. It was as if she forgot about the morning.]
[I see. ……]
Something strange is going on here.
After school–
I boldly went to Katase Senpai’s classroom.
Fortunately, the door was open, so I peeked inside and saw that there were about ten students left inside. But it seemed that Katase Senpai was not there.
[Oh! Isn’t that Chiaki-kun? What’s wrong, to come to a place like this?]
[Huh?]
I thought I’d just check to see if Katase senpai was there or not, and then quickly leave, but someone with an eagle eye spotted me.
The senior student who approached me was, of course, someone I didn’t know.
[Oh, no, I needed to see Katase-senpai, but she already left, didn’t she?]
[ Eh? So your true love is really Tsukasa?]
The answer was completely different from the one I was looking for, but it came back in the form of a question.
[Ye,Yes?]
A few more girls came up to me.
[Is that true?]
[But you also hang out with Shihodo-san, from the PE department, right?]
[What? I didn’t know about that.]
I found myself right in the middle of a semi-siege formation. I was impressed by the well-coordinated and quick deployment of the troops.
[So, is it actually Shihodo-san?]
[It’s Tsukasa, right?]
[Toya-kun, right?]
From there, it was all concentrated fire at once.
I mean, wait a minute. What was that last line that I couldn’t bear to hear?
[Eh? uh? No, well, that’s …….]
No, I’m not good at this kind of thing. I can’t keep up with the overwhelming power unique to girls and the leaps in topics that are beyond my comprehension.
However, a helping hand came from an unexpected source.
[You know what, ladies, let’s stop right there.]
A male student walks towards me from inside the classroom. He is a tall senior with wavy, unruly hair. He seemed to be getting ready to go home, so it seemed he just wanted to get out of the door to go home, rather than dropping by to see me.
[Oh, Kashii-kun.]
[I think it’s only proper for upperclassmen to answer first, especially when they come to you with a question.]
When the girls who were stationed near the door gave way, the older student, who seemed to be named Kashii, walked out without even stopping.
[Sorryy]
After watching Kashii-senpai’s back, one of them said as if she had come back to herself.
[Well, it was Tsukasa, wasn’t it? If so, she probably went to the art room, didn’t she?]
[The art room? I understand. I’ll go there. Thank you very much.]
I should leave before someone says, “Now that I’ve answered your question, it’s my turn”. I thanked her and quickly left the place.
The art room is located not too far from Katase Senpai’s classroom. Since there is only one art class in each grade and only three classes in the entire school, all the classes are conveniently located near each other with priority given to convenience.
[Is this …… the art room?]
I walked a few more steps past the similarly named classrooms and found a plaque that said “Art Room”.
[Let’s see, …….]
I stood in front of the door.
The door to the art room was closed as if to deny anyone from coming in, and there was no sign of anyone inside. However, I felt it would be premature to assume that no one was there without checking inside, so I decided to open the door.
[Excuse me?]
I whispered to myself as I walked in.
The inside of the art room was about 50% larger than a normal classroom, and it felt much larger since there were no desks. Instead of desks, there were easels and chairs scattered around the room without any regularity. There was a door in addition to the doorway, which seemed to be connected to the preparation room.
There was only one person in the art room. That was Kashii-senpai, whom I had just passed.
He was facing a plaster statue, drawing in his sketchbook. But when he noticed my presence, he turned to look at me.
[Do you need something?]
He asked, and then resumed his sketching. His eyes darted back and forth between the plaster statue and his sketchbook, hands never resting.
[Well, I was told that Katase senpai is here. ……]
[Katase? No, as you can see, I’m alone here.]
[I see. ……]
I had confirmed that the shoes were still in the shoebox, so I wondered if she had misplaced them somewhere and had already left. Or did she go somewhere else?
Somewhat curious, I looked around the art room.
[Is it always like this?]
I thought I heard from Katase senpai that many people were heading to the art studio even after school.
[For now, I guess. We just had an assignment due the other day, and now everyone is just starting a new one. The number of assignments will increase as we get closer to the end of the semester and as the deadlines get closer. There aren’t many eager guys heading to the studio at this time of year.]
[Is Kashii senpai one of those enthusiasts?]
[Me?]
When I asked that back, Kashii-senpai chuckled.
He stopped and placed his sketchbook on a nearby chair. He relaxed his shoulders, rested his weight on the backrest, and laced his fingers on his crossed legs.
[What I’m doing is still life drawing. It’s just a habit. I can’t relax unless I do a little bit every day.]
He smiled at himself in an exasperated manner.
[I guess that’s why you’re so dedicated.]
[Maybe. But Katase is no different in terms of enthusiasm. But that young lady seems to be stuck in a dead-end because of her eagerness.]
[Senpai is?]
[Ah …… Well, you’ll have to ask Katase directly about that.]
When he said that, I remembered that I was looking for Katase Senpai.
[I’ll try that. Now if you’ll excuse me.]
When I said that, Kashii senpai was already stretching out his hand to his sketchbook. He slightly raised her open hand to greet me. He didn’t say a word, but I didn’t mind his attitude.
(Oh, yeah. I should just use my cell phone in times like this.)
After leaving the art room, I took a few steps forward and came to the front of the art preparation room, when I finally realized what I was doing.
Stunned at my stupidity, I took out my cell phone from my pocket. Just then, the door of the art preparation room opened with a bang.
[Wah!]
I jumped back, almost bumping into her.
[Nachi-kun?]
[Eh?]
It was Katase Senpai who came out.
[What are you doing in this place?]
The fact that we bumped into each other here seemed to be an unexpected event for her, and she said in surprise.
I also had no idea that senpai was in the classroom right next to me.
[I was just concerned about senpai about the morning.]
[Morning ……?]
Parroting some of the words, the senpai tilted her head slightly. As Madoka-senpai had said, it seemed that she really didn’t remember.
[You see, senpai, when I met you this morning, you walked past me with a tremendous look on your face.]
[When I met you this morning… tremendous look….]
Repeating again.
Pondering…
And then–
She covered her face with her right palm.
[Oh, we may have met. ……]
[May? You don’t remember?]
[Yes. A little. ……]
She clammed up as if she was having trouble saying it.
[ I’ve been in a slump lately with my painting, and I couldn’t sleep much last night. In addition to the lack of sleep, I have low blood pressure. ……]
She confessed shyly.
I see. That triple whammy is why she was so grumpy. Maybe that’s it. If she saw a familiar face, she probably skipped the process of recognizing who it was and just greeted it semi-automatically.
[I’m sorry, Nachi-kun. I seem to have ignored you. ….]..
[No, well, that’s not important. I know why now.]
[Speaking of which, that time ……]
Senpai carried the words slowly as if remembering something.
[Was there anyone with you, Nachi-kun?]
[Oh, that would be Madoka senpai.]
[Madoka was? Why?]
Immediately, senpai’s eyes lifted sharply. I’m a little scared …….
[I mean, we just met on the way from the station.]
[Oh, I see. That’s right. Hahaha. ……]
She let out an embarrassed, yet dry laugh, and then began to ponder. She pinched her chin with her finger and mumbled something to herself. I felt “Yen…” or “How dare you ……” or something disturbing was heard.
[Then, senpai. Since I’m here, why don’t you show me your painting?]
If I let her go, she might start saying scary things, so I said it to stop her. In fact, I was interested in senpai’s paintings.
[As I said before, I’m in a slump right now. ……]
[I was a little shocked when senpai ignored me this morning, you know?]
I’m going to be a little mean.
[Mo~u. I get it. I can’t help it then. …… Okay. Come on in.]
After saying this in a dumbfounded manner, senpai invited me into the art preparation room.
In contrast to the art room, the art preparation room was only about half the size of a regular classroom. Steel racks were lined up and miscellaneous things were placed in the room.
From one corner, the senpai pulled out a canvas wrapped in cloth. It must have been inconvenient to carry it every time, so she kept it here until it was finished.
[I was alone earlier, so I was just staring at it here. It’s too small, let’s go over there.]
She opened the door leading to the art room.
There was Kashii-senpai, who was sketching on a plaster statue, just like before.
[Oh, just you, Kashii-kun? Just in time. A friend of mine wants to see my paintings. Do you mind if I use this site?]
[Be my guest.]
After looking at me for a moment, Kashii replied with a disinterested look.
[Yes. Thank you.]
Then Katase senpai placed the picture on the easel away from Kashii senpai
The cloth that had been covering it was taken off.
What appeared there was a picture that was still in the drafting stage. It would surely be a fantastic painting when it was completed. What was being drawn looked like an angel to me.
But…
[It’s got wings on its legs.]
[Yes, it does.]
Katase senpai chuckled.
[It’s an angel, right?]
[Well? I don’t know, either. Maybe it’s an angel, maybe it’s a wizard, but I think it runs through the air with wings on its feet like it’s climbing an invisible staircase.]
Senpai seemed to be enjoying herself as she said this.
As I tilted my head in confusion, Kashii-senpai stood up on the other side.
[Can I see it too?]
[Yes, sure]
He stood alongside me and looked at the painting.
After a while, he nodded meaningfully and said, “I see”. I’m not sure if there was something that convinced him as someone who is involved in art.
[Hey, Nachi-kun? It’s been a while since I’ve seen Nachi-kun play basketball.]
[You’re as abrupt as ever.]
It might be due to the artist’s temperament that senpai suddenly said something unexpected. The right-brained person’s inspiration or flash of inspiration, that kind of thing.
[What are you going to do with watching such a thing?]
[Well…]
She thought about my question for a moment.
[Find my way out of the slump?]
Then senpai smiled.
Next to me, Kashii-senpai was laughing at me.
It seems that I’m the only one who doesn’t understand what’s fun about it.
TN: Madoka was saved….
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