Vol 1 Chapter 1 (1/2)
Chapter 1: The Nameless Girl
Part 1
”Ahhh”
The feeling of waking up was the worst
After all, when you wake up to find your sister passionately dancing to a sa all over your storoup of people, anyone would be unhappy
April 10th, Monday
Yesterday was the last day of Spring Break, so today is a school day
While rubbing his bleary eyes, shi+dou declared in a lowered voice:
”Ahh, Kotori My cute little imouto”
”Ohhhhh!?”
Only then did she finally notice that shi+dou ake The little sister with a foot still on shi+dou's sto her middle school uniform
Her long hair, separated into two bunches, swayed, as she gazed at shi+dou through her round acorn-like eyes
Incidentally, even though she was caught stepping on so, she didn't seeht!” If anything, it seemed that she was honestly happy that shi+dou had woken up
Oh, and fro view of her underpants
It wasn't as if it was just showing a glimpse Even shamelessness has its limits
”What is it? My cute onii-chan!”
Kotori answered, without even a sign ofher foot
In case you ondering, shi+dou was not cute
”Well, get off me It's heavy”
Kotori gave an exaggerated nod and leapt from the bed
shi+dou's stomach was left with an impact like a body blow
”Gfhu!”
”Ahahaha, gfhu! Ahahahaha!”
””
shi+dou silently pulled the blanket over his head
”Ahh! Hey~! Why are you sleeping again!”
Kotori raised her voice, slowly shaking shi+dou
”Just another ten minutes”
”No way~! Wake up already!”
After sitting up and gri his still dazed head, shi+dou opened his roan
”R-Run away”
”Eh?”
”Actually, I've been infected with the 'if I don't sleep for another 10 minutes I'll tickle my sister to death virus', aka the T-virus”
”Wh-What!?”
Kotori was as surprised as soe from aliens
”Run away while I still can control myself”
”B-But, ill you do!?”
”Don't worry aboutas you're safe”
”No way! Onii-chan!”
”Gaaaahh!”
”Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!”
shi+dou blew the blanket away, excitedly , as Kotori ran aith a dreadful scream
”Sigh”
Exhaling, he covered hi at the time, it was still before six
”What a time to wake someone at”
Gru
As his half asleep brain slooke up, last night's memories resurfaced
Both of their parents had left on business trips yesterday
Because of that shi+dou was tee of the kitchen, and so shi+dou, as bad at waking up, asked Kotori to help wake him
”Ah”
Troubled that he ot out of bed
Holding down his bed hair and suppressing a yawn, shi+dou plodded out of the room
At that ht his eyes
A boy whose forelocks were about to invade his vision, probably because he hadn't had a haircut for a while, was casting a lame look at shi+dou
””
Together with his declining eyesight, his looks had also been slightly degrading Sighing, he descended the stairs and entered the living room
”Huh?”
A slightly different view than usual greeted him
The wooden table that was in theroom was on its side, as if it had become a barricade Behind it, a head with twin-tails was quivering slightly
””
Silencing his footsteps, shi+dou approached the side of the table
Sure enough, Kotori was sitting there hugging her knees and tre
”Graaaaahh!”
”Kyaa! Kyaaaaaaa!”
As shi+dou grabbed her by the shoulders, Kotori let out a despairing scream as her limbs went limp
”Calm down, calm down! I'm my usual self”
”Gyaaaa! Gyaa ah? O-onii-chan?”
”Yep, that's right”
”You You're not scary anymore?”
”It's alright now I'm Kotowi's friend”
”Oh, ohhhhhh”
As shi+dou talked to her in baby talk, Kotori's tightened face slowly relaxed
It was as if she was a wild fox squirrel that had opened its heart
”Sorry, sorry I'll go to ht away”
After letting go of Kotori's hand and standing up, shi+dou put the table back where it belonged and went into the kitchen
Working at the large electronics company that the two of them built, shi+dou's parents were often away from the house at the same time
At those times, it was always shi+dou's responsibility to prepare food, so he was already used to it In fact, he was confident that he could use the cooking tools better than his mother
As shi+dou was fetching so from behind him It seems that Kotori had calmed down and had turned on the TV
Come to think of it, it see out horoscopes or fortune-telling corners
Well,corners usually corah all of the channels, Kotori started to watch what seeram
”—Early this uu City—”
”Huh?”
Overhearing the contents of the useless news program that usually could only serve as BGM, shi+dou raised an eyebrow
The reason was simple From the announcer's clear voice, he heard a familiar street name
”Nnn? It's pretty close by Did so happen?”
Leaning over the counter, he narrowed his vision and stared at the TV
On the screen, the i displayed
Buildings and roads had been reduced to mountains of rubble
The devastation was like the impact of a meteorite, or maybe the scene of an air raid
shi+dou scrunched up his brows, and releasing his held breath he said:
”Ahhhh So it was a spacequake”
As if fed up, he shook his head
A 'space earthquake' referred to the pheno of a wide area
It was the generic ters that happen for unknown reasons at random times and places
Like the whi a street for the sake of it, these were extremely unreasonable phenomena
The first occurrence of such an event was around thirty years ago
It happened right sion that had contained countries such as the Soviet Union, China, and Mongolia, causing theht
For shi+dou's generation, just looking at the pictures in the textbook was unpleasant
It was as if everything above ground had been scraped off, leaving absolutely nothing behind
Casualties nuest and deadliest catastrophe in human history
In the six months that followed, similar incidents occurred on a smaller scale all around the world
shi+dou couldn't remember the exact number, but it was around fifty
On land, at the poles, in the ocean, even on small islands, such cases had been confirmed
Of course, japan was not exempt
Six ion froawa Prefecture had turned into a circle of scorched earth, as if an eraser had been applied to it
That's right—it includes the area that shi+dou was living in today
”But it suddenly stopped happening for a while, right? Why did it start increasing in frequency again?”
”I wonder why?”
At shi+dou's question, Kotori, still staring at the TV, tilted her head
After that South Kanto incident, spacequakes had not been detected for a while
However, five years ago, starting with a corner of the redeveloped Tenguu City, these ain
Moreover, most of them happened in—japan
Of course hu for those twenty-five years in between
Starting thirty years ago with the areas that had finished redevelopround shelters had spread at an explosive rate
Together with the fact that it had become possible to observe precursors to spacequakes, a certified JSDF disaster response teaether
Their purpose was to travel to disaster areas and rebuild the destroyed facilities and roads, but their work can only be described as ic
After all, completely destroyed streets could, in an insanely short amount of time, be restored to how they used to be
Their as classified as top secret and so no information was available to the public, but when you see a collapsed building restored in a single night, you can't help but feel like you just saw a ic trick
However, even if the repair work could be done really fast, that doesn't mean that there was little threat from the spacequakes
”Doesn't it seem like the area around here has a lot of spacequakes? Especially last year”
”Hmm, seems that way, huh Maybe it's a bit early”
Kotoriher upper body onto the arms of the sofa
”Early? What is?”
”Nnn, nophing”
This time it was shi+dou who tilted his head
It was not due to what Kotori said, but rather because the last half of it seehtly muffled
””
Silently, he circled around the counter, and walked towards the side of the sofa which Kotori was leaning on
Maybe Kotori had noticed it, but as shi+dou caradually turned her face away
”Kotori, turn this way for a moment”
””
bonk
”Guhh!”
Kotori held her head with her hands, and turned around with a jolt A weird noise came from her throat
Seeing the iteh, ”As I thought”
Even though it was right before breakfast, Kotori had her favorite candy, Chupa Chups, in her mouth
”Hey! Haven't I told you not to eat sweets before meals?”
”NNNnnn! NNNnnnnn!”
Taking away the candy and bringing out a stick, he found Kotori trying to resist by pouting
shi+dou strained his face as he looked towards where he was about to hit, since he really didn't want to hit someone with such cute features
”Jeez You'd better properly eat your breakfast!”
In the end it was shi+dou who folded He rubbed Kotori's head, and returned to the kitchen
”Ohh! I love you, Onii-chan!”
shi+dou suitably waved his hands and returned to his work
”Now that I think about it, today's the ht?”
”That's right~”
”Then you're co back at lunch time Kotori, any requests for lunch?”
After Kotori thought it through with a ”Hmmmm”, she shook her head, and then suddenly stood up
”Deluxe kids plate!”
It was a lunch item for kids offered at a nearby family restaurant
shi+dou straightened his body, and like that, gave an apologetic bow
”That cannot be prepared in this store”
”Ehh~”
While sucking on a lollipop, Kotori replied with a dissatisfied voice
shi+dou gave a loud sigh and shrugged his shoulders
”Whatever, nothing I can do about it, it's a special occasion so let's eat out for lunch”
”OHHHH! Really!?”
”Yeah Then, let's meet at the usual family restaurant after school”
shi+dou said, and Kotori rubbed her hands together in excitement
”No going back on your word! It's a promise! You have to be there even if an earthquake starts or a fire erupts or a spacequake happens or the family restaurant is occupied by terrorists!”
”No If there's terrorists there on't get to eat”
”You have to be there!”
”Fine, fine, I got it”
Hearing shi+dou say that, Kotori vigorously raised her hands in the air with a ”Whoooo~!”
shi+dou did not even consider that he enerous Well, today's special anyways
Froht onwards they would have to eatceremony for the two of them This much luxury should be fine
Well, who knohether a kids lunch that costs 780 yen really counts as luxury
”Nnnnn”
shi+dou stretched lightly, and opened the smallin the kitchen
The sky had cleared up It seeood day
Part 2
It was around 8:15 AM when shi+dou reached the high school
After checking the class list posted in the corridor, he entered the classroo his next year
”Year 2, Class 4, huh?”
Since the spacequake thirty years ago, the region froawa Prefecture—in other words, the eion of land created by the spacequake, was redeveloped as test cities using various new techniques
The public school that shi+dou attended, Raizen High School, was one such example
Filled with facilities to be proud of, this school that one could hardly believe was a public school was just built a few years ago, so it was still in an alh school built on an old disaster area, it caround shelter
For these reasons the application rate was pretty high, so shi+dou, who decided to apply just for the reason that ”it was close to home”, had to work quite hard
”Mmmm”
With a light hum, he surveyed the classroom
There was still quite a bit of tiathered
There were people overjoyed at being in the sa bored, and people with various other reactions but there didn't seem to be any faces that shi+dou knew
As shi+douchart drawn on the blackboard,
”—Itsuka shi+dou”
Unexpectedly, from behind him, a quiet voice spoke in monotone
”Huh?”
He didn't recognize the voice Curious, he turned around
A slender girl stood there
The girl had hair that was barely reaching her shoulders and a face like that of a doll
There probably isn't anybody ould fit the description 'doll-like' better
While noble like a precisely created artificial being, at the same time, her face did not contain any kind of emotion
”Eh?”
shi+dou quickly glanced around the area, then tilted his head
”Me?”
Since he could not find any other Itsuka shi+dou nearby, he pointed at himself
”Yes”
Without any particular feeling, the girl i a small nod in shi+dou's direction
”Why do you know my name?”
shi+dou asked, and the girl, as if confused, tilted her head
”You don't remember?”
”Um”
”I see”
shi+dou hesitantly replied, and the girl, seeave a short comment and walked towards a seat by the
Like that, she sat on the chair, taking out soan to read
”What is going on, exactly?”
shi+dou scratched his face and frowned
In any case, it seemed she knew about shi+dou, but had they met somewhere before?
whack
”Gefhuu!”
While shi+dou was deep in thought, a nificent slap hit him on the back
”WHAT ARE YOU DOING, TONOMACHI!?”
He had immediately knoho the perpetrator was, and yelled while rubbing his back
”Hey, you seeetic, you sexual beast Itsuka”
shi+dou's friend, Tono the sa off his waxed hair andhis body while laughing
”sex What'd you say?”
”sexual beast, you brute I take ot so et close to Tobi+chi, huh?”
Wrapping his ar, Tonomachi asked
”Tobi+chi? Who's that?”
”C', weren't you?”
Tonomachi pointed his chin towards the seat by the
There, sat the girl from before
As if noticing their stares, the girl glanced up fro to look at them
””
shi+dou's breath was caught in his throat as he aardly turned his eyes away
On the other hand, Tono his hand in an overly familiar manner
””
The girl, not showing any particular reaction, shi+fted her eyes back to the book in her hands
”There, look, she's always like that Out of all the girls, she's thebeen compared to permafrost or the Cold War or Mahyadedosu[1B 1] How in the world did you get her to open up?”
”Huh? Wh-What are you talking about?”
”No way, you really don't know?”
”Hmm, was she really in our class last year?”
As shi+dou said this, Tonomachi held his hands out in an ”I can't believe this” pose,a surprised expression He was someone who likes to imitate Westerners' reactions
”C'aenius that our school boasts about You've never heard anything like that?”
”No, this is ?”
”Arades are always at the top of the year, and in the ot soht to the top of the nation”
”Huuuh? Why is someone like that at a public school?”
”Dunno Probably so like family circumstances?”
Giving a big shrug, Tonomachi continued
”Anyways, that's not all Her PE scores are also top class, and at the same time she's a beauty In last year's 'Most Wanted Girlfriends Ranking - Best Thirteen' she came in third, I think Didn't you see it?”
”I didn't even know there was such a thing Or rather, best thirteen? Why is it such a random number?”
”Because the girl who organized this was thirteenth”
”Aaah”
shi+dou laughed weakly
”By the way, the 'Most Wanted Boyfriends Ranking' goes up to the best 358th”
”That , isn't it? Did the organizer decide that too?”
”Ahh He really didn't knohen to give up”
”Which place are you Tonomachi?”
”358th place”
”The organizer was you!?”
”The reasons I et that rank included: 'his passion see', 'he seems to be hairy', and 'his toenails seem to smell'”
”As I thought, that's the worst ranking!”
”Well, below that are the people nobody voted for At least with the negative points I ory”
”That's pushi+ng it a bit far! With a rank like that, it would have been better to give up”
”Don't worry Itsuka You were entered as Mr Anonyot one vote and 52nd place”
”Wrong response!”
”Well other reasons include: 'he doesn't seem interested in women', and 'to be frank, he seems like a homo'”
”It's an iron ha death by unreasonable slander!”
”Just calm down In the 'Fujoshi+ Selected Best Couple', you and Ias a pair”
”I'M NOT HAPPY WITH THAT AT ALL!”
shi+dou shouted He was slightly worried at being part of the couple in first place
However, it seemed Tonootten over it), as he crossed his arinal topic
”Well anyways, it's not an exaggeration to say that she's the es to surprise even this great Tonomachi”
”What kind of character are you trying to be?”
As shi+dou said this, the fa since his first year rang
”Oops”
Now that he thought about it, he still hadn't confirmed his seat
shi+dou followed the seating arrange on the seat ts from the
Right then, he noticed it
”Ah”
As if by some twist of fate, shi+dou's seat was adjacent to that of the person at the top of the year
Tobi+chi Origami had closed and put the book away in her desk before the warning bell had finished ringing
She then sat looking straight ahead, in a posture as beautiful as if it had been measured with a ruler
””
Feeling a bit aard for some reason, shi+dou turned his eyes towards the blackboard like Origami had done
As ifthat moment, the door to the classroo thin-rilasses appeared and walked behind the teacher's desk
Fro excitedly
”So it's Tama-chan”
”Ah, it's Tama-chan”
”Seriously? Yeahhh!”
—In general, good things were being said
”Alright, goodyear, I will be everyone's homeroom teacher, my name is Okamine Tamae”
The teacher in charge of social studies, Okamine Tamae — nicknamed Tama-chan, —spoke in a slow pace and bowed Perhaps the size was a bit off, as her glasses slipped slightly, and she hastily held them in place with both her hands
Her childish face and s in the saeneration as her students, combined with her leisurely attitude, has earned her trest the students
”?”
In the middle of the excited students, shi+dou's expression stiffened
Sitting to the left side of shi+dou was Origa in shi+dou's direction
””
For a moment, their eyes met shi+dou hurriedly averted his eyes
Why was she looking at shi+dou— no, she doesn't have to be looking at hi past him, but for the moment shi+dou couldn't calm down
”Wh-What exactly is going on?”
He silently muttered, as a bead of sweat dripped down his face
Since then, approximately three hours had passed
”Itsuka~ You've got nothing to do anyways, right? Wanna get so to eat?”
The opening cere their preparations and leaving the classroo over his shoulder, started a conversation
Other than during test periods, it was rare for school to end in thewhere to go for lunch
shi+dou was almost about to nod, but with an ”ah” he stopped
”Sorry I had plans today”
”WHUT? A girl?”
”Ahhh, well yeah”
”NO WAY!!”
Tono a knee,a Glico-like reaction[1B 2]
”What the hell has happened over spring break!? You're not satisfied even after being able to talk on good terms with that Tobi+chi, but now a proicians[1B 3]together!?”
”No, I don't remember such a promise and anyways, it's just Kotori”
shi+dou replied, and Tonoh of relief
”What the hell, don't scare me!”
”You're the one who jumped to conclusions”
”Meh, if it's Kotori-chan then there's no proble?”
”Mm? Ahh, I think it should be ok”
Right when shi+dou finished, Tonomachi placed his elbows on shi+dou's desk, and spoke in a low voice
”Hey hey, Kotori-chan is in her second year at et a boyfriend or so now?”
”Huh?”
”Uh behind this but, ould Kotori-chan think about a guy around three grades her senior?”
”Actually, never mind Don't you dare come”
shi+dou narrowed his eyes, and annoyed, he pushed back Tonomachi's face which had come closer
”Haha In any case, I'et-together I try to play by the rules”
”You always say just a bit more than you're supposed to”
Grabbing his cheeks, Tono
”But man, don't you think that Kotori-chan is super cute? To be able to live with her under the same roof must be the best”
”If you actually had a younger sister, I think that you'd definitely change your opinion”
”Ah You hear that a lot So is it really true that people with little sisters don't have such fetishes?”
”Yeah, they are not girls They are just creatures called little sisters”
shi+dou strongly asserted, and Tonomachi smiled meekly
”That's really the case, huh?”
”That's really the case If you try to coirl, that'd probably be a little sister”
”Then, older sisters?”
”Onnashi+?” [1B 4]
”Woooomen only city!”
Laughing, Tonomachi responded
—At that moment
”Huh!?”
The s of the classrooh the streets
”Wh-What's going on?”
Tonomachi opened theand looked outside Surprised by the siren, a countless number of crows flew up into the sky