The merry-go-round had been spinning around endlessly before, but it stopped as soon as I noticed that creepy TV girl (so named because it’s exactly how she looks). The six-armed girl stopped right in front of me, riding that horse with its head torn off.
Because she was riding a horse, the TV girl’s head was in a slightly higher position than mine. I got the feeling she was looking down on me. Just like a toddler would look at ants around their feet, it was a look born of an absolute difference in status.
Because I was being watched by a TV— something I normally direct my one-sided gaze to— I could neither calm down nor ignore it. Instead, I froze up, like a frog caught in the eyes of a snake.
If I somehow spoiled its mood, even a little, I felt like this mystery person might attack me. No, not so much attack as crush under its heel.
“Um...” I gathered my resolve and tried talking to the TV girl. I didn’t think I could actually establish a dialogue, though.
“Do you...have any business with me...?” I’m not in the service industry just for show (although it’s just minding the family electronics store). I have confidence that I can, to some small extent, interact with any person. And, speaking from experience, as long as one can establish a dialogue...surprisingly, most things can be resolved, as long as you talk to them and exchange conversation. Even an unidentified, suspicious, or even dangerous entity would become just another person, unworthy of too much caution.
The TV girl was almost completely unresponsive, although I got the feeling that, for just a moment, some noise ran across the screen... Making no noise that had any meaning, she just sat there, silent.
Thinking it might just not understand Japanese, I tried several different languages from the English “Hello” to the French “Bonjour.” But in spite of that, there was no response.
“Ummm...” I began tentatively, “At least for now, can you not stare at me so much...?” Feeling like running away, I lost interest in the TV girl after telling her that; if I can’t establish a dialogue, then that’s it. I wouldn’t want to poke the bear, either. I had done all that common etiquette demanded. So, trying to leave, I turned around.
It happened in an instant.
✦ ✦ ✦
“That won’t work. That thing apparently doesn’t possess a very high intelligence. You can’t communicate with it. It’s like an animal, there’s no point in talking to it,” a soft voice rang out. For a second, I thought the TV girl had replied to me, but the direction that the voice had come from was different; it came from right next to me, and I looked that way instead.
And then, before I knew it, someone had sat down.
“Oh, sorry, did I surprise you?” a guy with an unfamiliar appearance apologized, while laughing. The town I lived in was way out in the sticks, so I know basically everyone’s faces. This should be the first time I’ve met him. He had an air that was unfamiliar to me, like he just felt urban, or refined.
The boy, although he was probably a little older than me, had a pretty face, as though an actor from a TV drama had come straight out of the screen.
He had silky hair that was slightly long for a typical guy, and his amber-colored eyes were definitely not Japanese. His facial features were distinct, making me think, Aah, so this is what ‘beauty’ means. He was wearing a leather bike racing suit, and had his helmet under one arm. That fact that his bike wasn’t nearby painted a strange picture.
Unintentionally, I started to stare at him. Without taking offense at this, the mysterious young man held out his hand to me in a natural manner.
“Do you know me?” he asked. He acted far too familiarly for an introduction. So instead of taking his hand, I became wary and stepped back. Seeing that, the young man shrugged his shoulders (yet even that gesture somehow seemed foreign, especially while he was asking strange questions). But I really did know nothing about him, so I shook my head.
The young man said, “I see.” And then, for some reason, he lowered his eyes in disappointment. “I’m Kurashima Yuudai. I’m an actor, at least on paper. I’m pretty minor league, so I guess you wouldn’t know me after all. That girl is just special, I guess.”
“That girl?” After reflexively responding to his curious choice of words, I hastily corrected myself and told him my name: “My name is Denkiya. Denkiya Hitomi. Ummm...Kurashima...san? Do you have some sort of business with me?”
“‘Some sort of business,’ she says... Haha, you really are a strange girl, aren’t you?”
“Is that so?” I said, while thinking he really is acting quite overfamiliar, isn’t he? I was relieved that I had finally found someone I could talk with. All of a sudden, I noticed that the merry-go-round had begun to move again. The TV girl had rounded the corner and moved out of my vision, but her creeping stare hadn’t left me, for some reason. Unable to calm down, I turned to face Kurashima again.
“Umm... I’m sorry, but I still don’t know what’s going on here.”
“I don’t know either,” he confessed. “At least, not for sure. Also, you don’t need to be so formal with me— uh, Denkiya-san, was it? Our ages probably aren’t too far apart, after all.” Once again, Kurashima closed the distance between us while being strangely friendly. I’m not really that shy, but I wasn’t used to such beauty, so I flinched and drew back. My back hit the fence surrounding the merry-go-round. Somehow, I feel like I’ve been cornered.
“Please don’t be that scared, Denkiya-san. Is Denkiya your real name?”
“I get that a lot, but yes, it’s my real name. My family runs an electronics store, too. Doesn’t that make it easy to remember? Here, this is my store’s apron.”
“I see...” he said awkwardly. “Um, suddenly being talked to by a random guy...it’s probably hard to tell you to not be so cautious, but please don’t be too scared. I’m getting a little hurt, over here.”
“No,” I protested, “I’m not particularly scared of you, or anything.” While talking to him, I managed to calm down a little, and after taking some deep breaths, I asked him again: “So, really, what business do you have with me? As you can see, I’m a little confused right now... So I’m sorry if I can’t respond properly.”
“No, no, you’re actually quite calm,” he reassured me, “it’s almost scary. The other girls all wouldn’t stop panicking, you see. Aah, umm... There were several other girls, like you, who I’ve been able to talk to. For now, we’re gathering in what seems like a safe place to pool our info.” Kurashima kept probing and probing, talking and sounding me out while making it feel like he was thinking of my well-being. Without being discouraged by my attitude, which had been somewhat bad, he kept talking amicably: “If it’s okay with you, you can come with me. We have food and stuff... Your friends might also be there. You’re a local, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I’m a local,” I admitted to him. “Uh, did you come here from out of town, or something?”
“Yeah,” he replied, “I’m on a bit of a trip, you see. I like to travel, so I’m going around here and there on my bike. I’m taking a break from college, so I’m pretty free, these days.”
“My town isn’t a place for sightseeing, though,” I said in surprise, “so there’s not really anything there to see.” It felt weird to be having a conversation in this strange amusement park, so I started walking to try and cut this long conversation short.
“Um... Well, for now, I’ll come with you,” I decided. “There are others like me, how should I put this— people who accidentally wandered into this amusement park, right?”
“Wandered in...” Kurashima mused. “I wonder? Well, I’m not sure about that. But yes, there are several people, like you and I, that you can properly talk with. For now, there’s another two girls and one guy. There should be a national parliament-like building over there,” he said, pointing in a direction, and I looked that way. “That’s where we’re gathering.”
In the park, there are several strange buildings lined up. It’s true that this one gave off the feeling of an extravagant temple that was converted into a seat of government. At any rate, for now, I don’t have any real reason to refuse Kurashima’s invitation, so with a nod, I start walking towards the building he’d pointed out.
Kurashima followed a bit behind me. “You really are calm about all of this, aren’t you, Denkiya-san?” he observed. “Meanwhile, I still can’t find a sense of reality; it’s like I’m sitting on air. How reliable of you. Although, really, that just means a man like me should get it together.”
“Ah,” I corrected him, “if you can, please call me by my given name. I don’t really like my last name— it sounds like a joke. And it’s not like I’m really calm about all this, either. It’s more like, this all makes so little sense that I’ve given up and calmed down. I almost feel like I’m just watching TV.”