Chapter 2: Impulsive Amethyst
Saturday. Tokyo, Japan. Takamatsu Junior High School.
The morning sun is shining bright today, brightening up the streets on the way to school. All sorts of people pass through the school gate; each different, and each with their own life stories to tell.
As per my story, well….
"This is rare. Tsuchimiya's running late," asks the groundskeeper.
"You're telling me. Normally, she's the first up out of the both of us.."
I'm Hitomi Kamiya; a second year at Takamatsu Junior High. Right now, I'm standing at the school gate waiting for a friend. A friend who's usually up and ready before I am.
"Wait as long as you like," says the groundskeeper, "but rules are rules. She's a good kid, but noone's exempt from those."
I let out a sigh.
It's unlike her to sleep in. But, at least now I have something to gloat about.
I chuckle, thinking how funny it is that she slipped off of her usual schedule at all. Still, it's nice to know even she loses track of time every now and then.
Then again, this is the first and only time so far. It's unlike her...
I lean against the pillar that links the school gate, hands behind my head. As I watch him prepare to pull the gate closed, out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of an all too familiar figure rushing up the street.
"Well, speak of the devil!"
Hika-tan was pushing herself as hard as she could to get in before the gate closed. She might not look like much, with how slender she is. But she's probably the most athletic person I know.
The groundskeeper sees her too, but doesn't stop to let her in.
Well, rules are rules I guess. But I seriously doubt that's gonna stop her.
And to back that up, from where I'm standing, it doesn't look like she's slowing down at all. She just keeps going full sprint. As much as it makes her look like an idiot, I already know what she's gonna do.
The gate's just about closed. But the second she's just in front of it, she jumps high enough to flip over it, and lands on the other side without any issue.
The groundskeeper's jaw practically drops. I already know what he's thinking, considering I was in the same position about two years back. This is just one of those things she can do that's pretty hard to grasp.
"I give that stunt a perfect ten," I exclaim with a wide grin. "With an added bonus for getting in before he completely closed the gate."
Hikaru Tsuchimiya.
She and I have been best friends and housemates for about two years now. For as long as I've known her, she's always been one to stand out; even when she doesn't mean to. Not that she's ever cared how much or how little. She's pretty popular with our schoolmates, more or less. Heck, she's the sincerest girl I know.
Course, that sincerity does have its tolerance limits. Case in point; right now, she's glaring right at me. And she's 'sincerely' irritated...
"It's your fault for not waking me up," she yells.
"Well, I thought you went on ahead, so I figured..."
She cuts me off and yells at me again, "We both leave at exactly the same time; always! What makes you think I'd leave out before you?! I wasn't even awake yet!"
That much, I already kinda put together on my own. But even if I tell her that, as mad as she is, I doubt I'd be able to get a word in.
I woke up, went to get washed, got dressed in my uniform, and didn't see her making breakfast or lunches. First thought: Hika-tan probably went on ahead and was waiting at the bus stop for me.
Pretty sure I don't need to say how I was totally wrong. But if I stuck around to wait, we'd both be making a mad dash.
And there's no way in hell I can make that same jump over the school gate...
I hear the groundskeeper clear his throat. "If you don't want to be marked late, I suggest you kids hurry along."
Crap, that's right!
Hika-tan bows in apology. "Sorry for the inconvenience."
With a sigh, he replies, "Just don't pull a stunt like that again. You'll end up hurting yourself."
With that out of the way, we hurry to class before we can be counted late.
Classes went about the same as usual so far.
I usually end up sleeping through most of them, and Hika-tan ends up trying to help me keep my eyes open. Can you blame me?
During our transition from one to another though, I overheard two of our classmates talking.
"No one's seen him since yesterday, just up and vanished."
"You're overreacting. Maybe he's just home sick. It is that time of year, after all..."
"Dude, I stopped by his place just this morning and he wasn't there. His parents said he never made it home. I'm telling you, it's the same as those disappearances they keep talking about."
It's flying around school too...
Just about everyone in the city's talking about it. Something about people suddenly going missing in the region, at random no less. Police reports all say that none of the victims have any connection to one-another.
Not only that, but they never found any bodies. So they can't even say if they're dead or not. It's got a lot of people scared.
Lunch rolls around, and Hika-tan tells me that she was going to the school library to look something up. I figured I'd come with her, since I'd be pretty bored just hanging around the classroom.
Needless to say, after she told me what she was searching for, something that could explain the recurring dream she's been having, I regret coming with.
I'm sitting watching her tear through whatever she can find that might give her what she's looking for, while reading a manga I checked out yesterday. Kinda figured we'd be here awhile, so no real harm passing the time.
But watching her get all worked up finding some mythologically psychological explanation, I can't help but sigh. "You know, I'm starting to think you read way too much of this stuff. Bad enough you're one of the tops in mythology class."
"This has been happening for three years," she replies. "I doubt reading too much of anything has anything to do with it."
That's as far back as she can remember it going on, last I checked.
She keeps looking through the shelves in the mythology section of the library, to see if she can find anything on 'youkai that interfere with dreams'.
I sigh again; feeling a yawn coming on. "Youkai are the stuff of ghost stories and fairy tales. It's not like supernatural beings actually exist. All it is is you having a random nightmare."
She glances back at me like I said something stupid just now. "A random 'recurring' nightmare. That makes zero sense."
"A 'supernatural being' that has done this to you for three years. THAT makes zero sense." I lean back in my seat. "Besides; if anything's weird, it's you. You can jump 5 feet off the ground, you can do every acrobatic trick in the book, you're scrawny and yet can knock the biggest bad boy out-cold in three seconds flat, and you're practically untouchable in a fight. If youkai do exist, are you sure you're not one?"
I'm not even kidding about any of that. Since the day I met her, Hika-tan's always been strange to me. Sure, her mom taught her all that junk, but she makes it look like nothing. Treats it like nothing too.
She's like something you only see in some TV show or comic book series. Doesn't help that she's wearing the boys uniform instead of the girls...
I kid you not. The reason behind that is probably the most ridiculous thing you'll ever hear. It gives me a headache just trying to understand it...
"First off," she begins: "I learned from my mother how to do all that. Anyone can do those kinds of things with proper conditioning and training. I...just happened to get it….on the first try…" She ends up trailing off soon as she hears the way it sounds.
That last bit just totally defeated her own argument. At that, I can't help getting this smug grin on my face.
She's always saying stuff like 'anyone can do it' or 'it's nothing special.' Makes me wonder how she can even believe all that when it comes as naturally as it does to her. A lot of others that have seen what she can do have had...fairly mixed reactions to say the least. Not that she ever pays attention to what's said about her; good or bad.
"S-Second," Hika-tan stammers, trying to play it off as...do I even need to say the word?, "I'm not untouchable! All my opponents have just been amateurs that get off on beating up on those that can't defend themselves. That use that as a poor excuse to say they're strong!"
"Then try picking a fight with a pro," I answer.
"You say that like I prefer looking for fights!"
Well, it was an idea.
"Anyway," she continues, crossing her arms, "it's not like you had to come with me. There are other people you could be hanging with besides me."
Like I don't know that.
I'm pretty sure Daisuke had something he wanted to show me anyway. Something about a new piece of jewelry that he put together? No, I think it had to do with a new series that was just released. At least, I think I'm remembering that right...
Whatever it was, there's really no way I can leave Hika-tan by herself. She'll run herself ragged looking for whatever the hell she's trying to find.
"Somebody has to look after you," I tell her. "Once you're mind's set about doing something, you'll never take a break until you learn what you wanna know."
Hika-tan sighs; with an obvious reluctance to agree.
But, from the look of defeat on her face, she does; surprisingly.
At least, before she shoots me a suspicious sorta look, and then asks, "You just wanna get back to eat lunch, huh?"
"Busted," I chuckle, rubbing the back of my head. "As behind schedule as you were, it'd surprise me if it wasn't something mouth watering. Course, that's everything you make."
She sighs again. "You're probably the only person that says anything like that. Geez..." But, despite her words, she smiles shortly after. "You're lucky I took the time to prepare one before I left. If I had known how late I was, I wouldn't have bothered."
...Thank god she didn't have a clue then.
Otherwise, I would've lost a bet. I'd really rather not have to pay out 15,000 yen of my allowance. I'd have to save up again for another month…
"Mmm god, this is the best!"
Once we get back to class, and Hika-tan bust out the box lunch, I waste no time at all digging right in. It's seriously lucky that we weren't down in the library for all that long. I'd regret having to wait to eat this divine boxed lunch~!
"As usual," Hika-tan groans, "you're over exaggerating..."
I take another bite of a rice ball. "And YOU are a broken record. Seriously, everything you make is always five star quality!"
She takes a bit of sushi she had thrown into the mix. "Says the pot to the kettle. Just make sure you don't talk with your mouth full. Honestly…"
"Whatever you say, 'mom'."
Hika-tan may sit there and sigh, but she just doesn't get it.
And I don't see how. She tastes her food to make sure it comes out alright. She's probably the best cook I know. The best anyone in our school knows.
"Tsuchimiya may as well be a mom," Haruka, one of our classmates, jokes, "with the way you are, Kamiya."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, right," Daisuke, another of our classmates, asks rhetorically. "Though kinda more like a strict housewife. Hitomi seems a lot more like the lazy husband rather than the daughter."
"Hey, didn't you just lose a bet," I ask, before grinning. "That reminds me, Daisuke. You owe me 1500 yen."
"Aw man, I was hoping that food would've made you forget about it."
I chuckle; feeling pretty great about this win while he gets out his money.
Of course, I feel this really cold glare sending shivers down my spine. And I know who it's from without looking; even as she asks, "Now I'm curious, Hitomi. Exactly what were you betting on..?"
...Probably wasn't the best idea to bring it up out loud. Even Daisuke's about paralyzed in fear.
I try to think of something to say to that as an answer. But as Hika-tan is now, she'd spot a lie from a mile away.
I glance at Haruka; silently begging for help.
She shrugs. "Sorry. I'm not apart of this. You two are on your own. Mostly you, Kamiya."
...Thanks a lot.