If I can be seen by Soejima-kun because I am the one to “tie his fate,” then the events surrounding me, being a half-spirit, might hold some kind of meaning.
I thought so because our trip to the library that day also had meaning.
“Hajime?” On the station platform on the way to the library, a voice called out, and Soejima-kun and I turned around. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at school?”
“Kusunoki?”
The girl ignored Soejima-kun’s surprise and approached with a “Hmm,” scrutinizing the boy’s face. Naturally, she did not seem to notice me standing next to him.
“What?”
Soejima-kun directed an annoyed gaze at the girl.
“You seem to be doing better than I thought.”
“Huh?”
“Your grandfather collapsed, right?”
I stared at “Kusunoki-san” from right beside them. I felt as though I had seen her somewhere before.
“Aren’t you lonely, living alone in such a big house?”
When Kusunoki-san said that to Soejima-kun, her long brown hair swayed in the wind. That scene seemed familiar.
This person…
“The cat lady…”
“Cat?”
Involuntarily voicing out, Soejima-kun asked me back.
The color of confusion seeped into Kusunoki-san’s face as she watched Soejima-kun suddenly utter an unrelated word.
Oh no!
I quickly covered my mouth with both hands. Soejima-kun also made a bitter face and tried to cover it up. “No, I thought there was a cat…” But Kusunoki-san did not seem to hear Soejima-kun’s awkward cover-up. She was sniffing the sleeve of her coat instead.
“Does it smell like an animal? I’m taking care of a sickly kitten, you know.”
I sighed in relief. It seemed that Kusunoki-san didn’t find it odd. I thought that Soejima-kun would also be relieved, but he seemed surprised.
“Did your parents allow you to keep it?”
When Soejima-kun asked, Kusunoki-san shook her head left and right.
“I’m keeping it until I find the owner. A friend is helping me out.”
When Kusunoki-san answered, Soejima-kun murmured, “Ah,” seemingly satisfied, and gave me a quick glance. He probably wanted an explanation for the words I had blurted out.
I hastily removed my hands from my mouth.
“Could that cat be…”
Before I could finish what I was about to say, Kusunoki-san jokingly addressed the boy. “Hajime, would you like to keep it?”
Soejima-kun didn’t say anything, at which the girl laughed lightly.
“Of course not.”
“Sure, I’ll take it.”
“I thought so. I was just aski-” In the middle of the sentence, Kusunoki-san’s face froze. She shook her head around, looking at Soejima-kun with an incredulous expression.
“Wait, what did you just say…?”
“I’ll keep it.”
“What?! What happened?!”
“What? You asked yourself. I don’t dislike cats.”
As Soejima-kun said this, Kusunoki-san’s face broke into a broad smile.
“I couldn’t find anyone who would keep it. I didn’t know what to do!”
Perhaps in her excitement, Kusunoki-san extended the hand she had been shaking up and down toward Soejima-kun’s arm.
At that moment, I couldn’t immediately understand what had happened before my eyes.
It happened in an instant. Soejima-kun forcefully brushed off the hand Kusunoki-san tried to touch him with. It was as if he were rejecting something unpleasant that was approaching him.
I was surprised, but even more surprised was Soejima-kun, whose face was a picture of shock.
Kusunoki-san looked at her hand that was brushed off and then at the boy’s face, her expression seeming to remember something.
“That’s right.” Watching Kusunoki-san’s sad smile, Soejima-kun gasped.
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
As Soejima-kun’s voice came out, an announcement informing of the arrival of the train began to play over the station platform.
Kusunoki-san again looked down at her hand, the one that was brushed away.
“Can I bring the cat to your house after school tomorrow?”
When Soejima-kun nodded, Kusunoki-san said, “Take good care of the kitten.”
The girl’s smile seemed deep and meaningful, causing a slight ripple in my heart.
The train arrived, and many passengers descended from the opened doors onto the platform. The crowd of people obscured the conversation between the two. They remained silent, and once the disembarking passengers had left, they boarded the train. I followed suit and got on the train.
Standing in front of the train’s door, Kusunoki-san said, “See you…” and Soejima-kun nodded. The girl then moved away from us and walked to the front of the seats, grabbing a strap.
The train was surprisingly crowded for a weekday. It began to move, the carriage shaking.
I stood close to Soejima-kun, trying to make myself as small as possible to avoid passengers passing through me.
Even though I lacked a physical form, there was a certain discomfort in having people walk through me.
I kept myself small, my gaze focused on Kusunoki-san, who was standing in front of the seats. Even though she had been friendly with Soejima-kun, I wondered if she kept her distance in the carriage because she was secretly upset.
The girl was calmly operating her smartphone with her free hand while the other held onto the strap. In sync with the train’s sway, her long hair swayed slightly. Even under her coat, one could discern her slender limbs. She had mature facial features, but her round, endearing eyes stood out.
The sight of Soejima-kun and Kusunoki-san standing side by side was like a painting… and with that thought, I suddenly felt embarrassed about my appearance. I pressed down my bangs with my hand, trying to hide my alien-like eyes.
Peeking through the gap in my bangs, I took a quick glance at Soejima-kun nearby. He was gazing at the scenery outside the train window. His profile had a somewhat melancholic look.
I was reminded of the moment when Soejima-kun brushed off Kusunoki-san’s hand.
Was he startled when he thought his arm was about to be touched?
The words that Soejima-kun had uttered passed through my mind.
“There’s one promise I want from you if I’m to help. Promise me you’ll never touch me.”
I would come to understand the meaning of those words later.
After we got off the train, we walked through a sparsely populated street leading to the library.
There were many things I wanted to explain and ask Soejima-kun about the black cat and the girl named “Kusunoki-san,” but I couldn’t find the opportunity. Maybe it was the same for him.
When we arrived at the library, Soejima-kun searched for news about accidents similar to what I remembered and for places similar to the Death God’s Mansion, extending his search even to other prefectures. He spread newspapers and magazines on the table so I could see them, and we both leaned in to check. However, no matter how much we searched, we couldn’t find the information we were looking for.
As time passed, I became less confident in my memory.
Soejima-kun would touch the back of his head several times in a troubled manner. He might be feeling stuck in his investigation.
After a while, Soejima-kun stood up and gestured for me to follow him. I trailed behind him, and we ended up facing each other, hidden in the shadow of a bookshelf. It seemed to be a blind spot; there were no people around.
Soejima-kun, who had been thinking about something with a troubled look, started hesitantly.
“Do you… know Kusunoki?”
I didn’t think it was a question he would hesitate to ask, so I responded, “I saw her on the long staircase yesterday; she had the black cat with her.”
“Yesterday?”
Upon hearing my words, Soejima-kun furrowed his brows, touching the back of his head with a hand as if something was bothering him. Could it be a clue about the accident?
While I was waiting for his next statement with expectation, Soejima-kun muttered to himself, “What is she doing there… She was also skipping school today.”
I suddenly realized… he wasn’t asking for information about the accident; he was curious about Kusunoki-san. That made me more curious about the troubled Soejima-kun.
“Um… Is Kusunoki-san… a friend?”
The boy looked at me as I asked in a muffled voice. I wasn’t sure if it was all right to ask.
“She’s a classmate. Just that.”
Soejima-kun replied and then quickly said, “Let’s go back to the search,” and stepped out from the shadow of the bookshelf.
It felt as if I was being told not to delve any further into the matter of Kusunoki-san.