Vol 2 Chapter 1 (1/2)
”How do I pronounce your name?”
On a certain Monday after school, at the end of the semester, Mafuyu asked me that question Soon after, the door of the classrooht outside The cries of the cicadas emanated from some unknown direction in the shade of the trees It was quite irritating I was pressing hten the screws at the botto, so I lifted my body—
”What? Did you just say so?”
On the left-hand side of the narrow classroo desk next to the druht for her against her face She's probably quite bad at dealing with the heat, huh? Not only was her face redder than usual, even the back of her neck—hidden under her maroon-colored hair—as well as her arms—hidden beneath the short sleeves of her su one bit Her navy blue eyes seemed a little dazed
”Your name I still don't kno to pronounce your name”
How to pronounce my name? We're from the saether during club activities, and yet, she still doesn't know? But thinking about it a little deeper, there was probably no way for her to know This girl had just coo, so she probably wasn't that good with Kanji
”Everyone calls you Nao this, Nao that—I have no idea how to pronounce the rest of your name Naoki?”
”Nah, that's not it” She probably read it wrong ”Ur this all of a sudden?”
”Because you are always addressing me directly by my name! It just feels unfair”
Unfair huh? With the current situation, I couldn't just change the way I addressed her—from ”Mafuyu” to ”Ebisawa-san”—even if she wanted ry if I did) We'll probably be even more easily ht? But it wasn't like eren't already misunderstood anyway [TLNote: I usually skip the -san and -chan, but just so you know, he calls Mafuyu without any honorific]
” It's pronounced Naoirly, so everyone calls me Nao”
”I see Naomi”
”Yes?”
”Just trying it out You don't like it?”
I didn't hate it, but it was a little eaze away fro next to the door
”Naomi”
”Can you stop sayingon?”
”No, I have a reason this time”
I liftedthe bottle in her hand
”That's so simple, so open it yourself”
Just as I was about to say that, I reers were immobile I placed the screwdriver down and walked to her side to twist open the cap She took the bottle froulp froed iust
”What's wrong?”
”It's so bitter! There wasn't any sugar added to this Oolong tea Idiot, why did you buy this kind?”
No, you don't nor tea, yeah? Ah, hold on a second ”Is this your first ti tea fro abroad since she was young And I recalled that, although iced Oolong tea originated from japan, China became thetea with sugar added to it had become mainstream in other countries
”The one I drank during the China tour was really sweet! No, I can't drink this”
Mafuyu got off the desk and placed the bottle on the ground next to me
”Here, you can have the rest”
I couldn't help but look at the opening of the bottle Mafuyu had drunk from, and then at her lips, wet froether in the saet to know s I learned was how insensitive she hen it cas like this
”But the Oolong tea I bought in America eet”
She mumbled to herself as she uitar case proficiently with her left hand and took out her favorite Stratocaster The way she tuned was really unique—she used only her left hand Her index finger gently pressed the nodal points, while her little finger plucked the strings All her right hand did was support the body of the guitar; she didn't use the fingers on that hand at all
In the end, it turned out the three fingers, aside froht hand were conosis of an American specialist, they probably needed quite a bit of tio overseas soet them treated
Still In any case, Mafuyu came back from America
Back to the high school I was studying at
It was pretty scary how fast the gossip in the azines traveled One azines had already published color iirl piano prodigy, who had disappeared frorasped by everyone, probably in no small part due to the fact that her father—the ”world-renowned Ebisaas travelling with her Additionally, everyone also knew about her fingers
It was said that, at the start of this month, when Mafuyu returned to japan with her father, a lot of reporters had gathered at the airport However, when her father went to retrieve their luggage, Mafuyu disappeared Rue boys and girls, and after so, the suspects were identified to be club members of a certain Folk Music Research Club that had a secret agenda Is it really fine for us to be described like that? After that, Ihi mad
Half a s around Mafuyu finally died down
The pianist Ebisawa Mafuyu had always been really silent, but now, she has her guitar For her, the guitar was probably not so to escape to, but rather, another path to walk on
After I was done with the door, I screwed the cap onto the Oolong tea bottle Then, I stood up, walked to Mafuyu's side, and took out my bass
”So what's going on now? Why is Ebisawa directly addressing you as Naomi?”
Chiaki, as late, asked that unhappily, then sat down on the chair of the dru tea As expected of a Judo black-belt—even though her body size was roughly the same as Mafuyu's, when she stared at me with her eyes opened wide, it felt like she could i quite a considerable distance away froap beneath the door, —however, there's already a gust of chilling air in here, so I don't really think the air conditioning is necessary
The proble tea Chiaki spotted the bottle when she stepped into the classroo it!” And with that, she was about to take a huge gulp frory voice, ”I gave that to Nao this? Please head outside if you want to quarrel!
”Look! Ever since he was young, Nao has been bullied because of how girly his naical trauiven naht!” Bullshi+t! Stop fabricating et everyone to call hiiven name?”
”Who knows?” Mafuyu answered without giving much of a damn ”I will address him however I please”
”Fine! Then I'll address Ebisawa as Mafuyu!”
”I asked you people to address o”
”Ah, right”
Mafuyu still disliked it when others addressed her by her family name It seemed she hadn't completely reconciled with her father yet
”That won't do There should be aname for you Ebi-chan's already taken Hmm, since your name's Mafuyu how about Mafu-Mafu?”
”That sounds so aard People will definitely think you got ”
”No way”
Using the floor tom as a table, Chiaki and Mafuyu continued their satire of each other I felt the whole thing was rather silly, so I focused on tuningmy bass into the a with Chiaki, as saying ”Mafu-Mafu” at every instance she could Mafuyu directed her attention back to her guitar
With her lips claers—that could hardly th—into the loops of the pick, and in the next instant, swung her hand doith force A series of sharp sounds leaped out fro waters; the ih my spine were irasped ain with my sweaty palms
Mafuyu didn't use any effects units, so it sounded just as it was: the guitar and the a the y of the Fender and Marshall companies Hanon's <virtuoso piano=”” -=”” exercise=”” 43=””>—even though it should be a very lifeless tune—coer techniques—the notes that flowed out of Mafuyu's guitar could never fail to accelerate the throbbing heart within me
As I shi+fted aze back toIt integrated itself with Mafuyu's guitar while playing seh h it were ushering the rhyths of a dragonfly dancing in the air
Mafuyu looked upwards suddenly and abruptly halted the perfor with Mafuyu, but she was actually observing Mafuyu's breathing, and ed to ride on Mafuyu's tempo perfectly when Mafuyu resu with their instruments after the earlier squabble? Well, recent practices have always started out on a similar note and it's all thanks to the club president who's always late! I held s of un-esque melody, and searched for my own space
Suddenly, the doors opened and a gush of hot air flowed into the roo the jam session
”Morning couys are already ablaze? I'm really happy to see that!”
There was a tall slender silhouette at the entrance Her eyes were sharp, just like those of the Queen of beasts Her long jet-black hair was tied back due to the su her look all the more impressive She was the president of our Folk Music Research Club: Kagurazaka Kyouko-senpai
Senpai didn't wear a bow-tie on top of her collar, and the top of her blouse was left unbuttoned, to a state that I had no idea where I should place uitar case on her shoulders Seeing as how she eating quite a bit, she probably just arrived at school on her bicycle (if she had arrived here in the uitar in the room first, like Mafuyu and me) This person's always like this, so how on earth did she e to not repeat a year? And to top it off, she also didn't pay any tuition That h to be listed as one of the Seven Inconceivable Mysteries of our school
”Comrade Ebisawa doesn't look quite happy today either—what a beautiful sight!” Senpai praised Mafuyu while walking past et close to her Mafuyu had nowhere to run, so all she could do atch helplessly as Senpai hugged her tightly and rubbed her cheeks against her own Rather than feeling a sense of disgust, Mafuyu looked as though she was just e for help,me feel quite troubled as well
”Ah, no worries, I didn't forget about you Cohtly shorter? Hmm, you're still cute either way”