Hi there, welcome to chapter 3. I have nothing special to mention this time so I just hope you'll be able to find some entertainment in reading my story.
o/
23rd February. 5:41 pm.
If you are wondering why a third year in high-school is waiting alone at the front gate of Naoetsu High, as the sun just disappeared in the far horizon, you may begin to think he's probably waiting for his girlfriend to join him after classes for their way back to their respective homes.
In this case, you couldn't be more wrong.
I am currently waiting for my class president to meet up with me. I'm not cheating on Senjougahara by the way. I'm going to get advices about girls from a girl I'm pretty close to. A girl I owe so much too.
Since my girlfriend is part of the problem to be tackled, I can't really ask her about what's bothering me right now.
It has to be from someone who is completely out of the picture and as it stands, Hanekawa Tsubasa is the one I can turn to, some may even say I must turn to.
I see the class rep exiting the main building as she's calmly walking to me, with her bag hanging on her side.
"Hey, Araragi. Did you wait for long?"
I've been there for quite some time indeed but the bit of common sense I have says a man should always tell a girl he waited for, that he just arrived.
"Not really. Actually, I just got out five minutes ago so…"
"That's no good, a lying Araragi…!"
She's grinning from ear to ear.
That girl! Of course she would know that too!
"I went to the teacher's office before and while I was passing by the windows I saw you out there fifteen minutes ago."
"You'd prefer me scolding you for making me wait for a quarter of an hour?"
I'm not pouting at all. I'm not a kid after all.
Right.
"Considering I was there for your sake, I'd be a bit sad about it I guess…?"
Her answer is triggering some curiosity in me.
"For my sake…? What did you do exactly, Hanekawa?"
"Remember when you met with Michiko for the first time earlier this morning? It seems like she went to complain to the teachers that a perverted student was after her. I went to clear your name as it was MOSTLY a misunderstanding."
You don't have to highlight that. I didn't look at her with any particular thoughts in the back of my mind. Nope.
Hanekawa Tsubasa is the same Hanekawa Tsubasa, no matter how much time passes. An eternal saint putting herself out there for the sake of others, even if she calls that self-satisfaction, and there may be some truth to that, it's still a matter of fact this girl is virtuous, charitable, warmhearted and every other synonymous that could exist which could depict Hanekawa as such.
"For that I must thank you. And it's a TOTAL misunderstanding."
I must keep some pride as a human being. I can't let you say whatever floats your boat, Class President.
She laughed at that.
"Alright. Shall we get going then, Araragi? We can talk while we're heading home. There's a place I want to stop on the way too."
I always feel like Hanekawa is leading our different meetings and conversations whenever we end up sharing some time, just the two of us. I wonder if she feels the same about our interactions.
It's not like I'm forcing myself to follow her instructions, most of the time I'm in agreement or I don't really feel like it's a problem for me at all to do as she says.
It reminds me of Ougi.
Again.
Must be because of that little competition they had when we were trying to solve the equation named Oikura Sodachi.
"Sure."
My nonchalant response signals our departure from the school's front gate to the problem I feel the need to talk about.
6:03 pm.
Hanekawa and I stop by the riverbank lit by the nearby street lighting. The sound of water crashing against the rocks below echoes around us, as the road a few meters away is strangely empty of any car circulating on it.
This is precisely the place I came to meet her during spring break of last year. Could I call it a fateful meeting? Now that I think about it, it was qualified as such.
I mean without this event taking place, I doubt I'd have gotten out of my house on that night.
I wouldn't have had dirty thoughts about a high-school girl with glasses wearing a pure-white undergarment with a ribbon on top of the flower design.
See? These thoughts were so overwhelming I had to buy a porn magazine. And optionally ran into a woman-… no, a vampire without legs or arms, crying for help and who ended up drinking my blood, making me her minion.
Oh well, that's enough reminiscing.
"So this is the place you wanted to come to?"
I voice my question as the girl with short hair, quite different from the braid she had back then, leans against the iron fence.
"Is it bringing some bad feelings to you, Araragi?"
That's always straight to the point Hanekawa for you. I can't dislike that part of her.
"I would lie if I were to say otherwise, if only for a moment. But since I came to terms with my situation which started back then… It was only a remaining and fleeting emotion and it isn't hindering me anymore."
"Eh. You sure have matured. My first impressions of you made me judge you as a petty boy, remember?"
Tsk. No need to remind me of what you thought about my policy of not having friends!
"I do but Hanekawa, surely you didn't bring me here to talk about the past."
Wait, wasn't I the one who wanted to talk to her in the first place anyway?!
"Araragi, I just picked a place where we would be able to talk in peace about what you wanted. That's all it really was. Forgive my previous question as we arrived there, it was plain curiosity from my side."
It's also a character trait of Hanekawa that's both hard to like and dislike. This is just who she is, in all her sincerity. And I can't find it in me to hate Hanekawa Tsubasa for being herself to such a point.
It makes you wonder why others prefer wearing masks. Myself included.
Fifteen minutes passed. I explained to her everything that transpired at noon, when Senjougahara and I had encountered the mysterious and somehow enticing third year Michiko Yamane.
"Eeeh. That's unusual for Senjougahara to behave like this. And I don't mean when she told you to be quiet and labeled you as a pervert."
Damn you Hanekawa. I won't fall for this one!
"Right? It's like an incredible occurrence took place for this to happen… Senjougahara yielding to someone could only be explained by the likes of the positioning of the stars and the shifting of the tectonic plates!"
Hanakawa gave me a puzzled look, tilting her head sideways. She then leaned towards me as she consequently stoped using the fence as support for her back.
"I think you omitted a pretty obvious possibility. I'm amazed you didn't think of that in the first place."
Uh… A possibility she says. An obvious one…? If we were to adapt this instant in an anime, I bet the direction would suggest that my strand of hair form an interrogation point.
"I think you lost me."
"My bad. I forgot that if we take mathematics out of the way, there's nothing left for Araragi."
Hey. Isn't she being meaner than usual or is it just me?!
"I can't believe this is the same Araragi I have in front of me who said this very morning 'So it's a bit like what happened with Oikura a few months ago even if she ended up leaving Naoetsu High.'
Oikura Sodachi. Her face pops up in my mind for the time being, but nothing else comes to me. I mean, yes, a girl returning to school was the same kind of thing but other than that… the matter was solved with Hanekawa's and Ougi's help.
…
Ougi!
I was trapped with her in a weird classroom at first.
We talked about aberrations and my past.
Then, everything happened.
That's it. I found that possibility. As I just realized what she was referring to, I mention it out loud.
"Aberration…"
She smiles at me.
"That's right. Back then, Ougi solved the problem before me. Even though it wasn't a case concerning an aberration at the time, the fact that she is Oshino Meme's niece and knows about his field of work should have sparked the thought of the aberration."
An aberration again…? Thankfully, Ononoki is still staying at our place so I could try to get something out of her or she could ask her master I once fought, Kagenui.
"I see. This is something I could try to investigate. Thanks, I was right to think you were the one I had to tell first."
"You're welcome. I think Kanbaru would be glad to help you as well, if the need arises."
It's rare for Hanekawa to mention Kanbaru. It makes quite the impression as she's telling me that, so I'm sure to keep it somewhere in the corner of my mind.
"Indeed, I have such a dependable kouhai. I shouldn't rely on her too much but I'll keep that in mind."
"I should get going now. You too, Araragi. I don't think you want to tick off Tsukihi and Karen some more, do you?"
These two... Thanks for reminding me, Hanekawa. It's time for a certain big brother to exact his revenge upon these two devils.
"Thanks for your concern, but that's the other way around. They definitely don't want to anger me right now."
She laughed at that and after she adjusted her bag correctly on herself, began to get on her way while waving.
"See you tomorrow, don't bully them too much! It might come back to bite you later! Women are pretty dangerous when they feel like it!"
Her advice or rather her warning didn't fall into deaf ears. I'm already well aware of that, so I didn't bother answering anything to it. And she was already quite far. I don't feel like yelling at all. Better keep the strength of my voice for the real thing, that is to say, the quarrel to come when I get back home.
"Ah. Devil boy."
Ononoki Yotsugi is standing in front of the residence, wearing a kimono my little sister probably made her wear as her personal doll. I arrived just now and was mentally preparing my assault on Karen and Tsukihi on the way, after Hanekawa left. I didn't expect the shikigami familiar to appear this early in my evening plan.
"Yo, Ononoki. What's up? And what are you doing here? Aren't you cold out there?"
Her cloth was a bit on the loose side, and parts of her bare skin were showing.
"What are you saying, devil boy. I'm a tsukumogami. I can't feel the effects of the cold weather. It's the same with heat, by the way."
Oops. My habit of worrying over little girls, or what seems to look like it, manifested again.
"And I was waiting for you, to answer your question. Gaen told me to be careful and warn you about something. Peace. Yay."
The strange doll manages to surprise me again with her unexpected behavior despite the fact that she's staying over for quite some time now. Her pose looks incredibly funny, no matter how many times I'm seeing her do that. A small smile begins to form on my face, before I realize Ononoki mentioned the name of the mysterious specialist Gaen Izuko. An intriguing person whose intentions and true self I still can't quite put my finger on.
"I wanted to speak to you as well, but that can wait."
And it may be related to what I wanted to tell Ononoki anyway. It's Gaen we're talking about so it must be about an aberration, right?
"Gaen contacted me to inform us there's an aberration in town yet to be defined. The presence is quite strong so Gaen wants me to protect you properly and to be informed of anything you may encounter since you're an aberration magnet."
A magnet, uh? That very well may be the case if you think about it. I recall Gaen talking about that in a roundabout way, back when the First Aberration Slayer was in town.
"If that's the case, I may have a lead on something that could be suspicious. But before we talk about it, I suggest we get into the house. You may not feel the cold, but I do."
"I didn't consider the weakness you constantly harbor. I am sorry, devil boy."
First my sisters, then I got teased all day by Hanekawa, abused by that odd girl, even by my girlfriend and now Ononoki is doing it?!
There's a limit to patience, and I've endured enough, god damn it!
"Shut up and get going!"
I ended up pushing Ononoki towards the door and into the house after I opened it.
As usual, your reviews would be appreciated. Have a good day dear readers.