Chapter 17: I Want to Eavesdrop on the Signal
I wonât let Tsubasa-chan become an angel.
So, what should I do to prevent that?
I dove into the vast sea of the internet to search for answers.
When I entered keywords like âangel,â âprevent,â and âgirl,â all I got were useless results like âangels donât have gendersâ and âtheyâre androgynous.â
No, thatâs not it. Thatâs not what Iâm asking.
Iâm not here for some abstract philosophical debate.
Besides, Tsubasa-chan is clearly a girl. I confirmed during swimming class that she doesnât have anything down there.
Sheâs a completely flawless, pure white girl.
There isnât a single trace of âboyâ in her.
Since the internet was useless, I reluctantly turned to the school library. I figured there had to be some kind of book on this topic. I was hopeful.
Thenâ
âKishine, what are you doing?â
Out of nowhere, Futaba-san popped up, totally uninvited. Just my luck.
âI didnât call for you, Futaba-san.â
âI know. Kishineâs just a bonus. If youâre here, then Tsubasa will probably show up too. And when that happens, youâll be useless.â
This woman⊠She never says anything remotely sensible. I know full well that deep down, sheâs just that dumb-faced, motor-mouthed garbage woman from the other day. But it still pisses me off.
âThis is the philosophy section. âŠToo much make-up sex with Tsubasa got you in a post-nut clarity mode?â
âI told you alreadyâweâre not doing that!â
To make things worse, Futaba-san is firmly convinced that Tsubasa-chan and I are in a sexual relationship. She even seems to think Iâm the one forcing it on her.
Thatâs ridiculous. A complete misinterpretation.
This personâs brain must be entirely soaked in lust.
âIâm just doing some research.â
If I keep talking to Futaba-san, itâll wear me out.
Her annoying factor upgrades every second like some kind of Beaujolais Nouveau sales pitch.
So I tried to ignore her and get back to my research.
ââŠAre you looking up stuff about angels?â
And then, right after stirring the pot, she suddenly cuts straight to the point.
Canât ignore that.
ââŠYeah, I am.â
When I gave her a flat stare, Futaba-san flashed a peace sign like sheâd just won something. Ugh, seriously annoying.
âFutaba-san, would it be okay if I snapped those fingers?â
â? Listen, Kishine. This is a peace sign. Not a victory V. A symbol of peace. A prayerful gesture for harmony.â
âYeah? So what?â
â?? Love & Peace. The world is full of love again today. Say no to violence.â
âIf this were rock-paper-scissors, thatâd be scissors, right? Basically a weapon. So I can punch it with rock?â
â??? What are you talking about, Kishine? âŠWait, are you a sadist? Are you and Tsubasa into daily DV sex?â
âNope. I only feel like punching you, Futaba-san. Just you.â
ââŠA twisted desire made manifest.â
Still as deadpan as ever, Futaba-san stepped back a couple of paces. Unlike Tsubasa-chan, Futaba-sanâs a fakeâher fear is easy to read.
Glad weâre on the same page, Futaba-san.
Next time you say something stupid, my hand might just slip.
âSo, hey. Can I ask you something?â
I opened and closed my hand as I turned toward her. I think I heard her mutter â...psychopath,â but Iâll pretend that was just my imagination.
ââŠIf youâre not going to hit me, then fine.â
âI wonât hit you.â
But if you say anything dumb, my handâs going flat.
âIn that case, go ahead. What do you want to ask?â
âWhat kind of person ends up becoming an angelââ?â
At this point, I had no pride or shame left.
No matter what she thought of me, I needed answers.
And if she laughed at me⊠well, thatâd just mean it was time for my right hand to shine.
I glanced over at Futaba-sanâsame expressionless mask as always. But at least she wasnât mocking my words as some kind of chuunibyou nonsense. That alone was a relief.
Even though she always makes fun of meâŠ
I still couldnât figure her out.
ââŠThere are two cases of humans becoming angels: Metatron and Sandalphon. The conditions for their ascensions were different. But if we extract a common factor, however arbitrary⊠it would be this: they were favored by God.â
âFavored by⊠GodâŠâ
Tsubasa-chanâs serene, emotionless face passed through my mind.
Beautiful, flawless, a face as pale as snowâTsubasa-chan.
Wings of an angel would look far too natural on her.
âŠWhat do I do?
Tsubasa-chanâs totally the kind God would like!
âTh-Then, what should I do to not be favored by God?â
ââŠI see.â
Futaba-san muttered, deliberately, as she scanned my face.
She probably already figured out exactly who I was worried about.
Her suggestive gazeâ(not in a pervy way)âmade me squirm a little.
But I didnât want to look away, so I glared back like, What?
ââŠFor a Kishine, youâre pretty cute.â
ââŠHuh?â
âBecause youâre cute, Iâll tell you.â
Futaba-sanâs face remained as blank as everâŠ
And yet, somehow, she gave off the vibe of smiling smugly.
âââYou just have to make her fall.â
ââŠ!â
âDazai wrote this: âI feared even God. I couldnât believe in Godâs loveâonly in His punishment.â
That level of immoralityâthatâs what you need to aim for.â
She whispered that outrageous suggestion right into my ear.
This person⊠maybe she really is a devil.
âT-Tsubasa-chan, can I talk to you for a sec?â
âMm.â
After school, on the usual rooftop.
Just as I was wondering which of my delusions to talk about today, Rio-chan brought something up herselfâwhich was rare.
Whatâs up with her? Maybe sheâs in the mood to be mysterious for the first time in a while?
If thatâs the case, Iâm all for it!
I mean, I love talking about my own mysterious ideas, but Iâve come to really enjoy hearing other peopleâs too, especially after chatting with Rio-chan and Futaba-san!
I looked at Rio-chan with anticipation and excitement. She clutched her hands tightly against her chest, then looked me straight in the eye.
âP-Please⊠go on a date with me!â
She practically shouted it, like she was pouring her whole heart into those words.
It wasnât what I expected, and I froze at the sound of it.
W-Wait, what?
A⊠date!?
The suddenness of it all made me panic and instinctively try to look away.
âŠBut I couldnât.
For some reason, she wasnât giving off her usual friendly vibe. There was something about her that made my chest tighten.
Her face flushed red in the sunset, her eyes glistening like theyâd passed through a prism. Her tightly clenched hands looked like they were trying to endure something. Her hair fluttered in the summer breeze, carrying a sense of unease.
ââRio-chan was shining even more than usual, right in front of me.
âRi⊠oâŠâ
My heart skipped a beat before I realized it.
Even though we were just friends, I felt something sweet spark in my chest.
I know thatâs not supposed to happen.
âTsubasa-chan⊠Iâd really like an answerâŠâ
Looking at her, I could tellâthis wasnât something she said lightly. It wasnât casual or playful. She was doing her best, putting her whole heart into telling me how she felt.
Those eyes, somewhere between tears and a sparkle.
Looking into them, IâŠ
âIf itâs you, Rio⊠then okay.â
ââI just couldnât help wanting to say yes.
Maybe Iâm totally imagining things.
Maybe Rio-chanâs just too wonderful, and Iâm projecting all these dreamy effects onto the scene in front of me.
âŠBut no matter what the truth is, the feeling I had in that momentâthat part of me was real.
âIâm looking forward to our date.â
Rio-chan said she wanted to go on a date with me.
Maybe she just meant it like, âletâs hang out.â
But just for now⊠Iâll let myself believe it the way I want to.
âââââTsubasa-chan, just nowâŠâ
â?â
ââŠNo, itâs nothing. Letâs go, Tsubasa-chan.â
âMm.â
Rio-chan took my hand, and the two of us dashed off the rooftop.
âŠSheâs just holding my hand, and yet, Iâm so aware of it.
Iâm⊠totally blushing right now.
Comments (3)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.