(o)
Return to Hinamizawa IV – Conspiracy Chapter
narrated by Sonozaki Akito
If you want a friend, you must also be willing to wage war for him:
and to wage war, you must be capable of being an enemy.
You should honour even the enemy in your friend.
Can you go near to your friend without going over to him?
In your friend you should possess your best enemy.
Your heart should feel closest to him when you oppose him.
1
Indoor Cricket
It was June, and you know what that means. Summer pressed against us like an extra person trying to squeeze onto a crowded bus seat. Each day was more sweltering and stuffy than the one before, and each day we sat in the oppressive silence of Mother's classroom, while our spirits were running wild over the fields, or napping on the window ledges and pulling mocking faces at us.
We relished every moment of freedom we could get. After school, and during lunch break, and whenever Mother wasn't looking our way, we played every game we knew. And when we ran out of games, we went together to Okinomiya to look for more games, or just to chill out together, or to engage in that most seasonal of pastimes, sitting at the back of a café and watching the girls go past.
I was disgruntled, and I wasn't entirely sure why. Perhaps it was just a sense of gradual disappointment as the season wore on. There just weren't enough girls in an out-of-the-way place like Okinomiya; it was off the tourist trail, so there was never anyone new passing through. Sure, there was the pretty waitress at the Old Oak, Aya-chan, who seemed to enjoy flirting with me; but I couldn't get too close to her, as my family owned the café, and it would be too easy for them to put pressure on her. Last year, I'd had a brief fling with a girl I met at one of Uncle Yoshirou's gaming tournaments; but that ended when we had some silly quarrel, I can't remember over what, and I realised she wasn't as pretty as I'd thought, and I didn't bother trying to get back in touch with her. And, of course, there was Mami... but the less said about Mami, the better, in my opinion.
So you can imagine how my world changed that Monday. We were sitting in class, and the teacher was trying to keep us quiet as usual, but there was a crackle of excitement in the air. We'd just heard that a new student was going to be joining us, and even if it was only for a month or so, a new student in Hinamizawa was like a new planet suddenly arriving in the solar system.
When the door creaked open, everyone immediately dropped their pens and looked round. For the tiniest moment, we were all guessing and placing bets against ourselves: what would the newcomer be like? Boy or girl? Quiet or lively? Would she look down on us, or try to fit in?
And then this stunning redhead walked into the room.
I can't describe her, and I'm not sure I would want to. That feeling of wonder when I first set eyes on her is all mine, not for sharing with anyone. Let's just say that Asuka from Evangelion would have been jealous of her. Her hair blazed around her shoulders like a wreath of fire. I couldn't take my eyes off her.
Aunt Mion was taking the class that day, in Mother's place. I don't know why. They switched sometimes, whenever Mother was unwell or tired or hung over or just didn't want to take the class. Aunt Mion would always pretend she was reluctant, but the truth was that she loved taking class. She's the kind of person who stays at home unless someone gives her a reason to go out, even though staying in just makes her lonely and miserable.
The newcomer stood just inside the door, looking round unsurely. Aunt Mion greeted her with a warm smile, and led her into the room. "Everyone, we have a new student today," she said. "This is Teramachi Miaka, from Kyoto. Why don't you sit there, next to Akito?"
I heard a sharp intake of breath from the seat on my other side. Ryuuguu Naoya, my best friend and companion in wickedness. Was he also smitten by the gorgeous newcomer? He's shy, a bit geeky, and would never have the courage to talk to a girl, but he can sit back and girl-watch with the best of them.
Still, even if we might be rivals, I had to do my duty as class leader and introduce him and myself.
"Sonozaki?" Miaka blinked when she heard my name. "You must be sensei's son, then?"
Well, I'm not actually Aunt Mion's son, but I have to go along with their little game.
"Now, I'll just go over our class rules," said Mion. "I expect all work to be neat and tidy and handed in on time – because I may be sweet and caring, but my identical twin sister is a real demon, so you'd better watch out, because on the day you forget to bring in your homework, it just might be my twin taking the class."
Miaka burst into laughter – a merry laugh like the glint of sunrise on a mountain pool.
"She doesn't really expect me to fall for that one, does she?"
Naoya adjusted his glasses. "Actually, Teramachi-san, she really does have an identical twin sister."
Yes, and for anyone who's paying attention, she just called herself a real demon. That's typical of the japes those two get up to. They must have been real terrors when they were kids. It's hardly a surprise they both lost fingernails.
The class settled down, and all was quiet until lunchtime, when the rest of our group came over to be introduced to Miaka. There's my cousin Saki, my little sister Kotone, and her best friend Kizuna. We are the Junior Games Club – so called because we carry on the traditions started by our parents (and Naoya's older sister) when they were all in school together. We're a close-knit bunch, but there's nothing like an extra person to give our games a bit of variety. So you can imagine, they were all grinning with excitement at the prospect of inducting her into the group. Especially Saki, who seemed a little too eager, as if she regarded Miaka as an appetising morsel.
After school, the six of us remained behind when everyone else had gone. We put one table together and sat round; I was pleased to see that Miaka showed no sign of being in a hurry to get back to the clinic.
"What are we playing, big brother?" said Kotone.
"I think Naoya-kun had an idea..."
Naoya coughed nervously. He's always nervous about being put on the spot, even when it's just within our little circle.
"I have a penpal in England, Thomas," he said. "He knows I belong to a games club, so for my birthday this year, he sent me a set of cricket equipment. It's a game they're mad about in England. I thought we'd give it a try."
"Sounds fun," said Saki.
"I've never played," said Miaka. "Are the rules very complicated?"
"Well, we won't exactly be playing with the full set of official rules," Naoya said in his most professorial manner. "As there's only six of us, we'll have teams of three. One team is chosen to bat first, and the batsman stands in front of the wicket – that's this thing here." He went over to our games locker and took out a curious wooden object. It looked rather like one of Aunt Satoko's attempts at knitting a jumper. "Then, one member of the other team bowls the ball and tries to hit the wicket. If they hit it, the batsman is out. The batsman tries to stop them by striking at it with their bat, and if they hit the ball, they get to run until the other team catches the ball and gets it back to the wicket, which also gets the batsman out." He coughed again. "Uh... is that all clear?"
"No," Kizuna said bluntly.
"Ah well," I said. "Let's just go out and see how we get on. We can't spend all day arguing over the rules!"
"We have to cut for teams!" Saki reminded me.
Naoya won the cut and picked Saki, as tradition demanded. She is an annoying little pest, but when it comes to club games, she is also a formidable weapon.
I hesitated. It was tempting to just pick Miaka; but I had to think about whether Kotone would be hurt if I didn't pick her. She is my sister, after all, and I have to do my best to look after her, especially considering... no, we won't talk about that. It's in the past now. There was no point in overthinking things, so I just chose Miaka, and gave her a cautious smile. She smiled back so warmly that I felt I was melting from the inside.
"That means we cut for second pick," Saki said to Miaka with a grin.
Poor girl didn't stand a chance. I knew what to watch for, so I was the only one who saw Saki's little flick of the wrist, dislodging the extra card from her sleeve. Miaka took her loss cheerfully enough – an essential quality for a club member.
Saki picked Kotone, and smiled up at me as if to say, "So, what are you going to do about that?"
Kotone and Kizuna high-fived each other, then scurried to the back of their respective teams. They never seem to mind whether they're on the same team or not; they just enjoy playing together, without any hint of competitiveness. And that's fine, as far as I'm concerned. At least this time, the handicap of having them on our teams would be shared equally by both sides.
"Now," said Naoya, looking at me, "we have to toss a coin to decide who bats first."
"Why not cut?"
"That's just the tradition."
Anyway, I won the toss and decided to bat.
"Don't think we're going to go easy on you!" said Naoya. He's a wimp, really, but years of club games have toughened him up to the point where he can at least talk a good game.
So we went outside. The sun was sinking slowly, and the warmth of the day would linger for a few hours more. I hefted the bat and took up my position at the wicket, and Naoya faced me, posing with the ball in his hand. The others stood around haphazardly, waiting to be told what to do.
His arm flew up and loosed the ball. It wasn't a bad throw, but I had no difficulty in meeting it. The ball soared into the air in a satisfying arc.
I stood for just a moment watching it – I had to, it was that beautiful. Then there was a flash of gold from out of nowhere, and Saki stood in front of me with the ball in her hand.
"What happens now?" she said with a fiendish grin.
"Well, Akito is out, so his team have to send in their second batsman. Who's that going to be?" said Naoya.
"Miaka," I said without hesitation.
She looked distinctly nervous. "I'm not sure if I can do this..."
"It's easy," I said. "Just hold the bat like I did, and whack it as hard as you can. Want me to show you?"
"I think I can manage." We smiled once more at each other. A good team spirit. It was almost as if Miaka was a club member already.
"Don't worry if you get out," I said. "They won't score any either, and we'll just have to call it a tie."
"All right." She took up her place, and faced Naoya with a defiant gleam in her eyes. Her hair burned in the sunlight as she swung her head. She was mesmerising.
Naoya bowled another good ball, and Miaka hesitated for a moment. Just as I thought it was about to go right past her, she lashed out and struck the ball off to the side. It bounced along the ground, straight past Kotone, who stood watching it as if wondering where it had come from and what it was doing there. Saki immediately took off, charging after the ball like a rocket.
"Run, Miaka!" I cried.
She ran. Holy Oyashiro-sama, she could run. Every movement of her body was so graceful, it was like watching a ballet dancer. We didn't have a second wicket, so we'd agreed that you had to run to the big oak tree and back. Miaka tagged the tree, and at the same moment, Saki dived, and came back up with the ball in her hand.
"Get her out, Saki!" Naoya shouted. "Throw it to Kotone!"
Saki sent the ball screaming towards us, and Kotone leapt up to catch it. Miaka was halfway back – I swivelled round to watch as they raced each other to the wicket –
– which wasn't there any more.
And neither was Kizuna.
"Huh?" I said. "What's going on?"
I looked hard at Kotone. She was bound to be in the know. Those two never get up to mischief singly.
"Not telling!" she said.
Saki had run back to us. "Kotone-chan?" she said. "Where's Kichi?"
"She took the wicket, so we can't get Miaka out." Kotone seemed perfectly cheerful about it – she seems cheerful about everything.
"Well, don't just stand there!" said Saki. "Go after her!"
"Wait!" I cried. "This is madness – Kichi can't just run off with the wicket!"
"Why not?" said Saki. "There was nothing in the rules about that."
"Actually," said Naoya, "in the laws of cricket –"
She pulled a face. "But you said we're not playing by the official rules – remember?"
And, as always, there was nothing either of us could say to that.
Kotone had long since disappeared; she had no particular desire to chase Kizuna down, but she wasn't going to disobey a direct order from a higher-ranking team member. There was a series of thuds and crashes from inside the building, then silence. We all looked at each other. Then another heavy crash.
"I think we'd better go and see what they're getting up to," said Naoya. "Come along, Saki."
I stood for a while, watching them as they hustled away. And then I realised I was alone with Miaka.
"Um... Akito-kun?" she said, sounding as if she were unsure about whether it was okay to use my name.
"Yes?"
"Should I keep on running?"
I laughed. "Whatever for?"
"Isn't that part of the game? To try to get as many runs as we can before they get me out?"
"Forget it," I said. "No point wasting your breath. You just sit down, and when they get back, we can tell them you made whatever number you like."
"But –"
She looked more amused than shocked, and that was when I knew she was going to fit right in.
"Are all your club games like this?" she said as we sat down on the grass together. She was so close beside me, and the breeze flicked her hair across my skin. I wanted to feel that sensation for ever.
"Pretty much, yeah," was all I could think to say.
Miaka grimaced, as though she had something to say and just couldn't find the right words. Though I was sure that her silence wasn't for the same reasons as mine. After all, a beautiful girl like her had to be confident – they always are. Back in Kyoto, she would have swarms of boys hovering around her and telling her how amazing she was. That would be enough to make anyone start believing in themselves.
I heaved a deep sigh, and looked away, as if the battle going on in the background was absorbing all my thoughts. The heavy crashes had stopped, indicating that the first phase of overconfident chasing had given way to a more tactical and methodical hunt. Every now and then came a sudden clank as Kotone caught sight of Kizuna and she ran for cover, the wicket bumping against the school furniture as she ran.
"She's holding out remarkably well against three of them," said Miaka.
"They'll get her," I said. "Saki's the daughter of our champion trapmaster. She won't lose."
"You must all be very close." Was it just me, or was there a note of sadness in her voice?
"That's the spirit of Hinamizawa," I said. "The Dam War twenty years ago taught our parents to stand together, and they've done their best to pass it on to us, so we don't repeat the mistakes of the past."
"Wow," she said softly. "I'm jealous."
I shot her a glance. "Jealous? Surely not."
She sighed, and leant back against the tree. I didn't know what to say. There was something on her mind, but if she didn't want to share it with me – well, it must be hard on her, being away from her crowd of admirers.
At last the silence was broken by a loud shriek from inside the building, followed by what sounded like a clown on stilts dancing over the wooden floor. Then silence again.
After a long time, Miaka spoke. "It's so different in the city," she said. "Everyone's too absorbed in themselves, and you just don't have the same kind of community spirit that you have here."
I snorted. "You can't really mean that you'd prefer to live here."
"Why not?" Miaka sounded a little offended.
"You'd get tired of the place pretty quickly, believe me," I said. "There's never anything to do, no new people to meet – except for you, of course, but you're the first outsider we've had in years. For us, getting to spend any time in the city – any city – is our idea of paradise."
"Well, I think you'd get tired of the city pretty quickly if you had to live there," Miaka returned with a gentle laugh. "You can't play these sort of games. You don't have the same kind of freedom."
"There is that, I suppose." I sighed.
From inside the school there came a very strange sound, a long metallic rattle like a file being drawn over the bars of a cattle grid.
Miaka pulled a face at me, and we both laughed together.
"Yeah, there are some things I wouldn't miss," I said.
"You don't enjoy your club?" said Miaka.
"I don't know. It's a lot of hard work sometimes, keeping the little ones entertained."
"Well then, why do you do it?"
I shook my head. She was an outsider, and there wasn't necessarily any harm in telling her certain things, but still – they are not my secrets.
"I have to," I said. "For Kotone, especially. You haven't seen what she was like before we restarted the club. She was... well, sometimes she looked almost dead on the inside."
"I'd never have guessed," said Miaka. "She always looks so cheerful."
"Yeah, she does," I said. "But... she's a troubled kid, in some ways. Well, she would be. She's Mother's daughter, after all – and from what I've heard, Sonozaki Shion had a rather troubled childhood herself. And now she's passed on the family demon to Kotone."
"But I'm impressed by how much you do to look after her."
I turned away. I couldn't bear to let her see how I looked after a compliment like that.
Fortunately, it was at that point that the door burst open, and Kizuna leapt out, still clutching the wicket tightly to her chest, with Saki hard on her heels. In a move that would have looked impressive on a rugby pitch, Saki dived and caught Kizuna's legs, and Kizuna crashed to the ground.
"Got you!" Saki cried triumphantly.
But Kizuna wasn't defeated yet. She rolled out of Saki's grasp, and evaded her just long enough to throw the wicket into the air. "Catch, Miaka!" she yelled.
Miaka leapt out to catch it, and at the same moment, Naoya jumped out from the doorway. The two of them crashed around each other in a heap, with the wicket entangled around them like a lasso.
Saki grudgingly let go of Kizuna, and everyone got to their feet.
"Did we win?" said Kizuna.
"You got one run," said Naoya.
"Oh." She swung her arms casually. "And is that good?"
"Let me put it this way," said Naoya. "In a professional match, a team would normally try to score in the hundreds of runs in one game."
"Oh."
By mutual consent, the match was abandoned, with Miaka's one run being the winning score.
