Inside the national parliament-like building was a strange space, piled haphazardly high with candy. For some reason, it makes me remember to back when I was a little kid: a space for infants to play while their parents were out shopping... This space was a paradise for children only, with bouncy cushions and balloons and the like spread out all over the place. The flood of primary colors actually hurt my eyes, and made me feel dizzy.
“Oohh—” It was a charming space that made me, as a high schooler, hesitate to step inside. The sweet smell crept up into my nostrils, making me feel even more unpleasant. If I was hungry, then maybe I might have been slightly more attracted to this place, but I’m not hungry right now...and in the first place, I don’t eat that much, anyway.
“It’s full of candy, isn’t it?” Talking honestly about what I observed, Kurashima, who was walking slightly in front of me, smiled back at me. No matter what I say, he comes back with a friendly reaction. It’s like he’s treating me like a child. “You really are incredibly calm, Hitomi-chan,” he was saying. “I’ve also seen too many bizarre things, so it’s like my senses are somehow paralyzed, too. Well, at any rate, coming indoors seems safer than staying out there. Everyone else is gathering here, too. “Everyone else...ummm?” The inside of the room is very dim, and I can’t really see inside of it to tell what is what.
Hitomi-chan?! I fumed. For an instant, I felt like I would blow my lid at him for addressing me so familiarly. But I was the one who’d told him to call me by my given name, in the first place, so I swallow my annoyance hard. Trying not to let him notice my irritation, I look around the room.
I’ve never actually been to one, but this is probably what a movie set would be like: the dignity of this austere national parliament building only stretched as far as the outer appearance. Once you opened the the door, though, the inside was just a giant empty space. And that space was filled with large amounts of candy, piled high.
This was a weird place. In any case, while I was following Kurashima, I heard a voice call out. It was the high-pitched voice of a girl, and I couldn’t quite place my finger on if it was familiar or not.
“Thanks for waiting,” Kurashima said. “I’ve found another person, so I brought her over. Would you guys possibly know each other? You’re wearing the same uniform.” While talking in a relaxed manner, Kurashima climbed over the giant chocolate chip cookies piled around like a bunch of cushions, all the while smoothly extending a hand out to me. He really can show concern for other people, I thought. He moved as though being unconditionally kind to all women was instinctively etched into his bones. Saying thanks, I took his hand.
“Be careful,” he warned me. “They’re snacks, so they’re pretty brittle.” While saying that, Kurashima pulled me along pretty forcefully.
He had really smooth skin, unlike most men; I’m jealous. Because of my job putting me in frequent contact with metal and machine oil, I’ve become rather uncaring in that aspect of femininity. My fingers and stuff are basically ruined. Stuff like that has been all I’ve been thinking about recently, though. It’s like, I can’t get used to Kurashima’s looks, so everything he does gets weirdly stuck in my head. As a traveler from the city, he might as well be an alien. Curious.
Having climbed over the chocolate chip cookies, I stood in front of an open space. Inside that space were several confections that seemed to be furniture, judging from their shape and size: cushion-like marshmallows; biscuit shelves and drawers; transparent desks that seemed to be shaped out of candy. Chocolate bars serving as walls.
Actually, it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable, because while it seems like this entire place would just attract ants, it’s strangely devoid of life. Everything just feels so artificial.
“Ah, Yuudai-kun, you’re late. I’m tired of just eating sweets all the time. I want something salty... My clothes are all sticky, too. I want to change, already!” I recognized the owner of the voice I just heard. There’s probably no one in our entire town that wouldn’t know her.
The girl— who, without even noticing me, only kept making conversation with Kurashima like a small bird— her name was Kagamimori Utena. She’s the daughter of the leader of the Kagami Group, a major corporation that basically controls our town’s economy, and is even well-known in major political circles.
Basically, her background is straight out of a manga. But she, herself, is basically straight out of a manga, so there’s no point in complaining. Kagamimori Utena is the kind of girl who would never have any contact with a commoner like me if we didn’t go to the same school. I’ve never even talked to her.
If I remember correctly, she’s 15, one year younger than me, and a first-year high school student. She’s a girl of small build, who hasn’t yet shaken off that childish look. If I’m going to be honest, she doesn’t stand out too much in the looks department; she has long, dull brown hair, and you can tell she tried as hard as she could to make our uniform fashionable. She has a strong-willed, even cheeky, face and attitude. She has no chill, and reminds me of a small animal. If it wasn’t for the influence of the Kagamimori name, she would look just like a common child you could find anywhere. Even so, she’s the Kagamimori’s— no, our entire town’s— princess. No one can oppose her.
Of all the people that could have been here, the most troublesome one has appeared. Normally, I’d give her ample space, so as not to get involved with her...but this situation doesn’t really allow it.
“Hello.” I exercised common courtesy and bowed in greeting, causing Utena to finally notice me.