Chapter 003

Act II - The Indistinct Causality

Update Time: 2011-OCT-07 14:02:25

Unabara Mitsuki was completely stunned.

Although he was not yet at an age where he had developed an interest in the opposite gender, when he saw that girl, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted as if by force.

Because the little figure sitting on the edge of the rooftop, with thick books on her knees and swinging her legs back and forth, was just too cute.

How could there be such a girl...

Anyone who had seen her with their own eyes would probably feel the same way.

No one could describe their impression of her, which had already exceeded the realm of language and words. If one had to describe it, one could only say this: If there is something close to perfection in this world, then the perfect example is right here.

At Unabara's age, of course, he couldn't express such words. So his reaction could only be to stare there.

In fact, Unabara had some hostility towards this girl, because his father had plans to adopt her. The feeling of having the family's love being taken away by someone else was definitely not good, so Unabara naturally wouldn't have any good feelings towards the girl.

Unabara had seen a picture of the girl before, and although he thought she was unbelievably beautiful at the time, he definitely did not have the kind of feeling he had now when he saw her in person, which seemed to shake his soul. This feeling was so strong that it completely made Unabara forget his original hostility.

The girl seemed to have an inexplicable charm, always deeply affecting Unabara.

So he just stood there, dumbfounded, watching her flip through the book for a long, long time.

He didn't even realize how dangerous the girl's sitting position was at the moment, and she could fall off the roof at any time. When he finally remembered this, he didn't even know how long had passed.

Thinking of reminding her, Unabara walked up to her, but once he arrived behind her, he was stunned again.

Somehow, the girl suddenly looked up. Under the gaze of her beautiful, amethyst-like eyes, Unabara seemed to be enchanted once again and forgot everything.

Those eyes, which were so beautiful that they were beyond words, seemed to be staring at the deepest mysteries of the universe, so profound that they could almost suck people in.

"What are you looking at?" Unabara asked involuntarily.

"Who are you?" the girl spoke at the same time.

What kind of voice was this? Did someone lightly pluck a string of a musical instrument?

The girl seemed to misunderstand Unabara's words, and she held up the book, revealing its cover.

The book's name was "Extensions of General Relativity". It was surprising that it was a physics book that completely did not match her age.

As a child who grew up in Academy City, Unabara would naturally have some understanding of one of the two greatest scientific constructs in the 20th century. But equally naturally, except for some concepts, Unabara could not possibly have any understanding of this theory.

However, judging from the girl's expression, she obviously fully understood this theory. At the level of understanding, the distance between the two of them was too far. This fact inexplicably made Unabara somewhat unhappy.

"Hmph... You're just pretending."

Just after he said this sentence, Unabara regretted it, thoroughly regretted it. He did not know how he did it, but his brain seemed to suddenly short-circuit.

The girl cutely tilted her head, probably not understanding. Then she closed the book and jumped directly off the roof.

Unabara screamed in fright at her movement. However, soon, the girl's falling speed slowed down. The gravitational acceleration was reversed on her body, and she naturally stepped on the ground, as if she had already become accustomed to all of this. She even turned her head and glanced at the blue-faced Unabara.

Perhaps it was because Unabara's expression of lingering fear was too interesting, the girl even laughed.

Her smile was so beautiful that it was unimaginable, but it also made Unabara embarrassed and unsure of what to do. Finally, the volunteer from the orphanage appeared in a timely manner and took the girl away, allowing Unabara to avoid further embarrassment.

However, before leaving with the volunteer, the girl seemed to realize something. She turned around again, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and looked back at Unabara on the roof.

This time, their gazes met, and for some reason, both of them stopped their gaze on each other for a long time.

It was as if in this instant, they felt the thread of fate passing through both of them.

"What's your impression of Tsukatsuki, Mr. Unabara?"

"Well, I would say it's good. But... how should I put it? Mr. Director, you have encountered this kind of situation more often, have you seen anything similar?"

"No, I don't think I have. It feels like there are quite difficult emotions involved, but Mr. Unabara, it seems like you have already made up your mind, right?"

"It's a bit too easy-going. It really doesn't match her age..."

"Among all the children here, Tsukatsuki is an extremely special type. I don't think it's a good thing for her to continue staying here. Unfortunately, we don't have enough capability, so we have to seek help from others. Mr. Unabara, you should know that we have refused several similar requests before."

"You're right, Mr. Director. This is indeed the best result."

Unabara Mitsuki returned to the director's office and overheard this conversation. He couldn't explain why, but Unabara felt that his father and the director were not actually talking about the same thing.

"Mitsuki, where did you just go?"

The topic suddenly shifted to Unabara, and he was caught off guard by this unexpected question.

"I..."

"Never mind, it's not important."

As children are often more sensitive than outsiders, Unabara felt that his father was saying something strange for some inexplicable reason. At least, his father rarely thought that things related to him were unimportant.

"Mr. Director, a week should be enough time for that child to make a decision, right? If she refuses, I won't have any objections."

"Yes, it should be enough. Although I think she should agree, we still need to respect her own choice."

After finishing the conversation, Unabara and his father walked out of the director's office together.

"Mitsuki, you won't blame me, will you?"

Suddenly, in a situation where there were no outsiders, Unabara's father said such a sentence.

"Huh? Why?"

"Because from beginning to end, I never asked for your opinion as my son. I don't know if you dislike it."

"No... I don't think I dislike her."

Unabara's father suddenly stopped, and Unabara, who had been following behind his father all the time and hadn't thought about it, bumped into his father's back.

"You just... saw her?"

"Yeah, I just met her once."

"Is that so..."

Unabara's father, who was thinking about something, paused for a moment and continued to move forward. At this moment, Unabara suddenly had a thought.

"Father, I want to stay here a little longer, is that okay?"

Unabara's father was inexplicably silent for a long time.

"It won't take too long, I just..."

Worried that his father would refuse, Unabara quickly tried to explain something, but his father quickly interrupted him.

"Go ahead. But don't stay too long today, there will be time tomorrow."

The tone in his father's words made Unabara somewhat surprised. After bowing to his father, he ran out quickly.

Watching his son's figure run away, the father never said another word.

Outside the orphanage, Unabara Mitsuki saw the girl again. She was still holding a book and standing on the lush green lawn.

Japanese summers are always so changeable. Before Unabara could say anything, the sky suddenly turned gloomy, and heavy rain poured down. The girl ran up and grabbed Unabara's hand, and they ran into a small storage room nearby.

Seeing Unabara's messy hair due to the rain, the girl smiled gently once again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't answer you earlier."

Unabara hesitated for a long time and finally said. For some reason, his thoughts always seemed to slow down in front of the girl.

"Hum."

The girl didn't seem surprised by this and seemed happy to accept Unabara's clumsiness.

"My name is Unabara Mitsuki."

The beautiful girl's face showed no surprise, as if she had already guessed. Facing the boy who might become her elder brother, she slowly reached out and took a small piece of leaf from Unabara's hair.

This intimate gesture made Mitsuki blush, but the girl seemed unaware.

"If possible, just call me Sorano," said the girl, using a slightly masculine self-reference.[1]

She didn't reveal her full name or surname. Perhaps even she herself wasn't aware that she had already made the final choice unconsciously during this uncertain time.

Choices are often difficult, aren't they?

Actually, it's not always the case.

Many times, making a choice doesn't require much rational thinking. The difficulty lies in the process of considering the choice.

Many times, the simplest and purest choice, which cannot even be explained with reasons, is often the most correct one.

Whether it is accepting or being accepted.

Influence may have always been mutual. Like gravitation, it is always an interaction between each other. While influencing others, one is also being influenced by others.

Although this was the case, Unabara did not realize it. After all, he was still too young and too simple.

There were no more words, only the sound of raindrops between heaven and earth. The two were trapped here by the heavy rain, with no one else but each other, and the world seemed to have only this small eaves.

Unabara looked at the girl's long hair that remained stunningly beautiful even when drenched by the rain, her captivating eyes that were always mesmerizing, and everything that belonged to her. There was even a thought in his mind, hoping that this rain would never stop.

[1] Footnote by the translator: Sorano used the first-person pronoun "boku".