Akushi
Chapter 1
Late July was always something my friends and I looked forward to this year because that meant no school for a month. We counted the days, marked our calanders, and when the morning finally came, I did exactally the opposite of what we planned.
I slept in.
In Early June of 1983, I moved to a small village called Hinamizawa, where I met the five best friends in the world. Where every day was a fun day, despite going to school. I use to live in the city in Tokyo.
Now, over a month later, where my friends and I had planned a first vacation day to go hiking in the mountains.
"We will make a game out of it," she said two weeks ago, "it will be a part of the club activities," she added two weeks ago. Of course, she had to make the very first day of summer vacation something extreme. "We will meet at the main shrine at nine o clock, so don't be late!"
As club leader, she had to make everything so brilliant, and there was no backing down. No exceptions. No dropouts. Although, I'm a cityboy, and as much as I love playing her hard games, I used sleeping in as an excuse to backout. At least, I tried.
The night before, I "forgot" to set my alarm to seven-thirty am, so I was not alerted to get up. However, an hour passed the time, familiar voices woke me up. Mom and Dad, and…Yep. She was here, too. "Rena," I said firmly as I jolted up from my futon. No.
Every time Rena came into my house, she got along with my parents very well, especially my Mom. That meant that they exchanged stories, meaning my parents sharing embarrassing events of myself as a child. I can't count how many times I have caught them in my living room and laughing everytime I came in.
I had to hurry and get dressed before Mom and Dad added another humiliating tale to my friend's attention that will stay in her memories for the rest of her youthful days.
After getting dressed into my casual day clothes, and barely avoiding a trip, rushed out of my bedroom, sprinted down the hall, and hurried down the stairs. As I entered the living room slowly, Rena was already, along with my parents. Damn, I was too late.
There was no point in waiting around to hear what they had told her, because seconds after I walked into the room, Rena turned to me with one of her biggest smiles on her face. "Good morning, Keiichi-Kun!"
"Morning," I said. I felt a yawn coming, but feeling irritated with my parents, I was able to hold it back. I did the best I could to act like I wasn't being bothered by something. I didn't feel like arguing, mostly because I wanted to save my energy for the adventure in the mountains.
I glanced over at my parents, and noticed that Dad was giving me a thumbs up, for some odd reason, while Mom was exchanging happy looks with Rena. It was so weird how they got along so weird that it was annoying.
It got worse when Rena placed her hands on her rosy cheeks and began to sway around. She did that when she was mesmorised by something she found cute. In this case, she was still thinking about the story that my parents had just told her about me when I was a baby, possibly. It was time to take action.
"Let's go, Rena!" I said cheerfully, and practically dragged her to the door. I didn't watch to make sure she would trip, because I'm careless like that, and care about my reputation.
"Take good care of him," Mom said, as we went out the door.
"Sheesh Rena, how long can you stall?" I asked as we got on our bikes. "I doesn't take me that long to get ready."
Rena kept her eyes on the road and giggled softly. "It takes you a while to wake up. Keiichi-Kun, you love to sleep in. Oh, I bet you are so adoooaable when you sleep!"
It's true, I do like to sleep in. And that was mostly because I never got to back in Tokyo. Mom and Dad had me attend cram schools practically every day and I had to get up early in the morning. So it was nice to sleep in now that I had a different life here in the village. However, my friends still liked to call me out of bed earlier than I liked to get up.
That didn't matter. I love my friends. I never really had any real friends back in Tokyo, and the kids there didn't know how to have fun.
"Keiichi-Kun." Rena broke my thoughts, but the tone of her voice was a bit off. I waited for her to continue, but she was silent. All I could hear were the sound of the wheels off her bikes rolling. It was odd for Rena to be mute like this.
"Rena?" I said. I felt like she wanted to tell me something that was important by the way she was acting, and that got me curious.
But at that instant, she perked back up and smiled at me. "I'm excited about the mountains. Aren't you? Are you?"
I didn't like that she switched up her personality like that, but seeing a smile on her face made me feel at easy. I grinned. "Hah, hell yeah!"
When we got to the shrine, it was no surprise that our club leader, Mion, was already there waiting, along with our younger friends, Rika-Chan and Satoko. No doubt they were going to blame me for being late because I overslept.
"There you guys are!" Mion said aggressively, although she had a grin on her face. "What took you?"
"Yeah, Keiichi-San, what did you do, have big meal for breakfast?" That was Satoko. Little girl always playing pranks on me. Her smirk said it all that she was enjoying my frustration. She was always peasturing me. I just peasture her back.
"No, I skipped breakfast today!" I exclaimed. "Now I have to hike on an empty stomach!"
"Keiichi-Kun slept in," Mion reeasured them, although I knew it wouldn't convince them to pity me.
"Hey, maybe if you got up earlier, you would have had time to eat," Mion said as she had her hands placed on her hips. She was such a tease. Then again, that's how our friendship worked.
"He was in a hurry to get out," Rena said. Just how much are you going to tell them? "He didn't even say goodbye to his mother. Hauu." She suddenly frowned and instantly gave a puppy-eyed look. Keiichi-Kun, you should always say goodbye to your Mom."
I was starting to get bothered by this conversation, because I felt like it was going to aim toward the fact that Rena was having a fun moment with my mother, including my childhood stories.
"I'm sure Keiichi cares about his mother very much," Rika-Chan said in a positive manner with a smile that could warm the coldest heart. Man, she's such a sweet little girl! And the only one being nice to me, I might just stick with her for the rest of the day.
"I bet he's a real mamma's boy," Mion added. "He just likes to hide it." Enough about me!
"Oh, I know he is! He's typically—"
"Rena!" I shouted. "Come on, guys! I want to head to head to the mountains now! Mion, explain the game!" I didn't look to see if I hurt Rena's feelings by yelling at her. It wouldn't do any good, and I was too ashamed. I hope, though, that she wasn't upset.
"Ah, well, I'm going to explain once we get there," Mion said. "And since you're anxious, I will ride my bike silently in suspense." She chuckled in a way that sounded creepy, but I knew it only her way of making things more exciting. That's what club leaders were meant to do.
"Dammit, Mion!" I said as I got back on my bike, and watched her and Rika-Chan and Satoko get on theirs.
"Well, it must be good if she's gonna make us wait," Satoko said, looking a bit irritated.
"Meep." Rika-Chan agreed.
"I think Mion has something big planned for us," Rena said to me with a grin. "I'm excited."
I looked at her. It was obvious that she wasn't upset with me, so I decided to act like nothing ever happened. "Yeah," I replied. "That's Mion." I took off with Rena by my side.
"This is a good start of a summer vacation," Rena said. "Being with my friends. I always like being with my friends."
I watched her as she kept her eyes on the rest of our friends in front of us. "Yeah, same here.I never got a fun summer break before this. I am very excited. Getting to do something special with my friends."
"Something special?" She looked at me full of curiosity. It was almost as if she wanted to know more about me. I did not really want to get into my past, though.
Still, it was only fair to answer her question. "I feel like going to the mountains is an adventure and something exciting," I replied, "and I know you agree. And with my friends. It is special. I never had a special summer vacation."
Rena was silent, and then our conversation ended there when Satoko started to mock us for being too slow. I was not going to accept that, so I immediately sped up, and Rena soon followed.
After getting to our destination, we parked our bikes, and Mion began to explain the activity. "It's simple," she said. "We stay together and hike up the mountain. There is a drinking stream up there. When I was a child, I went there and placed a special stone in the stream. Nobody can get a drink until somebody finds that stone!" She pointed at all of us. "When you find it, it's yours."
"Hold it," I said. "Streams are full of stones. How are we supposed to know what it looks like!" I watched as Mion smirked. She was never fair enough to me. But really? A stone is a stone.
"You just need to be clever, Keiichi," she said. "Step it up."
"We just need to think like Mi-Chan," Rena said full of confidence. "I'm sure it's a really cute stone." Hah! I would not put it like that, but I suppose there is more than one perspective on a person. Mion could be cute, I suppose.
"I will do my best!" Rika-Chan said.
"I got this in the bag," Satoko said. "I'm just worried about Keiichi-San during our walk there. He's too slow."
"Go ahead and say that!" I exclaimed. I can prove her wrong because that is what I am made for! I will not let Satoko be right! And I will also find that stone!
The hike soon began, and in seconds, I was starting to doubt myself. I just realized how horrid the heat was, and I already wanted a drink of that water. Mion told us not to bring anything, not even water. I figured it was because she had it all provided for us. And she was going to make us wait till we got to the stream?! That devil girl!
We had already passed through some trees, and I noticed that Rika-Chan stopped at a few to admire them. It was obvious that she was not just in it for the win. I stepped by her as she placed her hand on the trunk of another tree. "Meep." She smiled up at me.
I did not know what kind of reaction to give her, but that was alright, because Rena interrupted with her screeching words.
"Look how kyute they are! I wanna take them home! So many!"
I paced up to see what my friend was getting so worked up about this time. At the left corner of the trail, she was crouching down to what looked like a garden of mushrooms. She had her hands on her cheeks and it looked like she could barely breathe. It was as if she were looking at a litter of kittens.
Mion was chuckling softly, and Satoko had an awkward look on her face, like she was afraid she was going to turn into a mushroom herself, and Rena would snatch her any moment.
I stood next to Rena and stared at the mushrooms. Anyone would expect a normal person to get excited over a color of reds and blues. However, these were bland beige, and some were sticking to a couple short tree stumps. Of course, Rena found them appealing.
"Keiichi-Kun, aren't they cute!" She squealed with delight, and I took another look at the mushrooms. I felt a Rena vibe just staring at them. Maybe they were cute.
I grinned. "Heh, yeah, they are," I said. I guess I never imagined that Rena would find so many adorable things as we hiked up the mountains. So, I decided to prepare myself for her cheerful outbursts.
But after fifteen minutes, I could barely hear her voice or anyone else. The hot air was practically blocking my ear drum, and to make matters worse, I was falling behind. My legs were aching. And my face was drenched with so much sweat that it dripped down into my eyes. It burned like acid. I could feel my wet hair sticking to my temples. And I am starving. I have not eaten anything today. My stomach is crying.
Misery. Torture. It is what happens to a guy who has spent most of his life in the city. "Ugn." I shut my eyes as I dragged my feet. It some how feels less painful when I cannot see anything. Maybe if I imagine I am in a colder climate, like Greenland or Antarctica. How do penguins stay warm? Rena would think the penguins are cute.
At that instant, I felt my next step take me down, through the ice, and I had sunk down. Snap! Please don't' tell me I broke a bone! When I awoke from my imagination, I realized I was on the ground, in a small hole of the forest.
I noticed that I was sitting on a stick, which had broken in half. Ow. I quickly scanned my body to see if I broke anything, but nothing hurt severely, except for my ankle, which I most likely twisted. "Ugn." I did not want to get up, so I let myself fall, barely touching my belly to the ground.
I was not able to get a good look of how deep of a hole I had fallen into, but it felt like I was down deep.
"It's okay, I got you," said a gentle voice. It soothed me.
I looked up and waited for my blurred vision to clear up. I saw Rena's soft face, and she was holding a hand down to me. My direct action was to take her hand. As I did, she pulled me up, and I helped by pushing up with my good foot.
In seconds I was out of the hole, and I was face to face with a smiling Rena. She came to save me. It had never come my attention that any of them would even notice that I had fallen behind. But she turned around and came to check on me. She came back and helped me out of the deep hole.
I turned back and saw it. It was only two feet deep. But during the time I was there, it seemed like it was much deeper than that. And I just realized how scared I felt. I am not sure why, but I felt alone. However, Rena saved me, and I could not help but give her a hug.
She flustered and asked me why. I knew she was embarrassed, but I did not care. And I did not explain to her of my actions. I only assured her that I was okay after her asking.
I could not put a lot of force on my foot, but I decided to man up and walk with what effort I could give. A slight limp was my best option. I declined after Rena offered to support me because I would feel embarrassed to do that.
As we made our way to catch up with the others, Rena kept glancing down at my ankle. I could tell she was apprehensive and was worried about my condition. "Rena, I'm good," I said to her. I did not want her to feel like this during our hike.
She gave a sad smile. "Are you sure? Are you?" She could ask me that question ten times and I wouldn't be surprised.
I smiled proudly. "Yeah. We are in the wilderness. It's part of the experience, right?"
Rena giggled, and at that moment it seemed like she agreed. The two of us finally caught up with the others, and of course, I did not hear the end of it about my twisted ankle.
After some time, Mion pointed up a head. "The stream is right there!"
I hope she was not lying because my tongue was so dry it was sticking to my teeth. I was ready to dip my head into the water.
Satoko put her hand up to her forehead and squinted her eyes. "Where? That little thing? I was expecting a big creek!"
I suddenly had the energy because I noticed that Rika-Chan was already running ahead. She wanted this for the run, and for the win. I raced her up to the stream, not looking back to see when the others were going to follow behind.
"Rika-Chan!" I tried to get her to slow down, but I knew she was too smart for that.
"Meep!" She smiled and stopped at the stream, then looked down into it. I didn't focus too much on her because I was too busy catching my breath. My foot began to hurt, so I guess that was dumb.
I shut my eyes to let the pain pass, when I felt a hand touch my head. I knew it was Rika-Chan's. She said soothing words, telling me that the pain would soon go away, and that I was strong. Soon enough, I felt better, and then I peered down at the stream.
"Woe, Satoko was right," I said. It looked like the size of a baby watering hole, but it was so shallow that the water would only reach our ankles. There was a small waterfall and there were several stones in the water. This was going to be a challenge.
"Oh, Keiichi-San, you look like you need a drink," Satoko said as she arrived, taunting me. I was not going to fall for it. I had to find that stone. If I win, I choose the punishment for the rest.
"I will once I find that stone," I said. I took my shoes and socks off, then stepped into the stream. Yikes! It was freezing! But I shouldn't complain because I have been hot for the past hour. Rika-Chan followed my lead.
"Ohhahaha!" Satoko cackled and did the same. "I will find it first. This is going to be so easy."
So many stones. Round stones. Round lumpy stones. Some were flat. But still, they all looked the same to me! I kept myself crouched down and brushed through the water with my hands down. I must pay attention. Think like Mion. She was a little girl back then. Perhaps it looked like something from a fairytale.
Mion chuckled. "You guys are so determined." She just stood there with her arms crossed, watching us like we were monkeys jumping on the bed. She probably thought we looked ridiculous.
I know I probably did. I didn't care. I wanted that stone. And I know everyone else did. I could hear the sound from the others splashing around.
Think like Mion. Rena said it would most likely be something cute. Rena? I stopped, and the splashing continued. I guess I'm the only one that noticed. I turned to the side, and in the distance, away from the stream, was Rena. She was looking down, clearly avoiding the activity. The activity that she was excited about and that had been planned for all day.
There was something very off about her, like she was afraid. Afraid to join us, or afraid of the water? I didn't know. What was going on? I could not see the expression on her face, but her body posture said it all. Something was wrong.
"Come on guys, step it up!" Mion said.
Step it up. She said that before. Right before we started the hike. Is that a hint? Step. I jerked my head down and noticed that I was standing on something hard and flat, big enough for both of my feet. A steppingstone!
I glanced over at Rika-Chan and Satoko, who were still searching for the prize. They had no idea what they were looking for.
Whatever is going on with Rena, it is the least I can do to win her that prize. I stepped off the stone and smirked. "Success!" That got everyone's attention, and they suddenly stopped what they were doing.
"What?" Satoko said.
I leaned down and picked it up and held it out in front of me. Water dripped down from it. I could see the very stunned look on Mion's face, which meant that I did it. I won.
"That's it?" Satoko asked.
Mion grinned. "That's it. Congrats, Kei-Chan."
I was proud, but something was preventing me from gloating. Someone. I smiled over at Rena before stepping out of the stream and carrying the steppingstone over to her. I could now see her face. She blinked in confusion, but she did not seem excited either, which meant that something was wrong. I was going to make it better.
"Here, Rena," I said and held it out to her.
She glanced at it, then at me. Her eyes were full of confusion. "Keiichi-Kun, why?" It surprised me that she wondered why I was being so kind. Did she think I was not a nice person? Or did she think she did not deserve it?
"It's a cute stone, right?" I said with a smile.
It took her about ten seconds, but she finally smiled, and took a hold of it. "Hauu, you're right! And I'm going to take it home!"
