Chapter 18: Kisaragi Shinji

Kanon met Kisaragi Hikaru when this cross-dressing was grooming her horse at the school's horse stable, completely by accident. The thing is, in the upcoming chapters of "The adventures of Red-Haired Princess," Kanon needed knowledge about horses, so she asked Suoh to let her observe his horse, Lightning, a bit for research. It was purely by chance that Lightning's stable and Hikaru's horse stable, Leon, were located close to each other, which led to this unexpected encounter. It' was called a meeting, but Kanon pretended not to see. She approached Lightning's stable, admired him for a while, gave him a few sugar cubes, stroked his mane, scratched his neck, making Lightning happily neigh, which startled Hikaru next to her place.

"Oh, that's Takamura-san's horse, isn't it?"

"Yes, I know," Kanon replied with a polite smile. "Takamura-san let me borrow Lightning for some research."

"Oh, I see. But... are you... the famous Hanazaki-san... or not?"

Seeing Hikaru hesitating, Kanon still gently smiled and replied, tilting her head,

"I am Hanazaki, but I'm not sure if I'm that famous person you're referring to."

Hikaru continued to hesitate before asking further:

"Are you... the only female member of the Elementary Student Council?"

"Yes, I am." - Kanon maintained a friendly attitude, but deep down she was feeling uneasy. We don't know each other, right, girl?

Unable to find any more topics to discuss, Hikaru fell silent and resumed her work. The peaceful meeting would have ended there if Kanon hadn't seen something she absolutely did not want to see.

After parting ways with Hikaru, Kanon stepped out of the horse stable and immediately bumped into a figure floating in mid-air. It was a very young boy, probably slightly younger than Hikaru, with a determined yet gentle face, leaning against the horse stable door, looking towards Hikaru and Leon. Kanon knew trouble was brewing and quickly averted her gaze and walked away, but it was too late. The young boy had noticed her looking at him, his expression briefly surprised before turning into wild excitement, soaring into the air and then chasing after her.

"Hey, hey, you, it's you, hey!"

Kanon kept reciting the Amitabha in her mind continuously, her face planted on the ground as she walked fast as if running, but feeling something swirling around her made her very uncomfortable.

"I know you saw me, clearly you were staring at me earlier, hey, don't go, hey hey."

Kanon insisted on maintaining silence, perhaps this weekend she should go to the nearby temple to ask for a charm to ward off evil spirits, suddenly thinking of Watanuki, wondering how he was doing before meeting Yuuko. In reality, Kanon underestimated the stubbornness of this boy, no, this spirit. He followed her all day, asking questions all day, even though she ignored him, he introduced himself as Kisaragi Shinji, Hikaru's older brother, who fell off a horse and died 5 years ago but because he was so worried about his little sister, he didn't want to move on and so he followed her for those five years. He lamented how much his sister suffered because of him, how much she needed a helping hand, begging Kanon to redirect his feelings to his sister to help her escape from the shadow of guilt and also to help himself move on.

"Hey hey hey, young lady! You can't just stand there like that! My story is so heartbreaking, and it doesn't move you at all?"

Two days had passed, Shinji had changed his target from his younger sister to Kanon and had relentlessly followed her, the only difference being that Hikaru's eyes couldn't see her older brothẻ but her heart was still troubled, while Kanon's eyes saw Shinji and her heart was extremely troubled. Fortunately, he still knew the etiquette to stand outside the restroom to talk instead of going through the wall. Kanon thought to herself that she couldn't possibly be trapped in the restroom. In fact, Shinji didn't talk so much just for himself and his younger sister. He had been a ghost for years, with no one to talk to, feeling extremely lonely. Occasionally meeting a few other ghosts, according to him, ghosts were not like humans, each minding their own business, haunting their own targets, so seeing each other was like not seeing at all, with no meaning at all.

Kanon sat in front of her desk in the council room, thinking about having to share a room with a ghost boy last night, she felt uncomfortable all over. Currently, she was working, and Shinji was standing right across from her, glaring at her with resentment. After finishing the last document of the day, Kanon sighed, catching the attention of three handsome boys in the student council.

"Hanazaki, you seem tired. Did you not sleep well last night?" Akira kindly inquired, handing her a glass of iced tea, which didn't improve Kanon's mood because she knew she had to solve this on her own.

"What's wrong, Kanon-chan? Is there something bothering you? Speak up so we can help you. Remember our team's motto? Helping women worldwide, and you should be a priority," Nokoru said, trying to offer his support.

Nokoru stood up from behind the stack of piled documents, trying to offer his support as he sensed an opportunity to escape from work. Suoh walked over from the side and spoke in a cold tone:

"Even with troubles, her work is still perfect, several times faster than someone else."

Success rendered Nokoru silent as he quickly sat down to stamp the documents, his ears still tuned towards Kanon, listening intently. Suoh, too, showed concern and asked:

"Hanazaki-san, if there is truly a difficult matter to resolve, let's talk about it together. Sharing your feelings can lighten the burden."

Touched by their kindness, even though she wanted to avoid the troublesome from detective team as much as possible, Kanon couldn't deny that all three of them were incredibly kind and caring towards her. Kanon stood up, smiling:

"I am very grateful for everyone's concern. I think I will handle my own affairs. After all, this is something only I can resolve."

She then bowed and took her belongings out of the council room, leaving Nokoru feeling disheartened:

"Do you feel like she still doesn't trust us?"

Akira hurriedly tried to explain in Kanon's place:

"Hanazaki is always independent and very strong. I don't think it's that she doesn't trust us, but there's something difficult to talk about, something so hard to discuss that she can't tell anyone."

As he spoke, his voice grew lower, as if he himself wasn't sure if what he was saying about Kanon was correct.

Suoh, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke, hitting the nail on the head:

"We should trust Hanazaki-san more."

"Suoh is right,"

Nokoru smiled, his eyes still fixed on the door of the council room.

Kanon went outside and made her way to a secluded spot in the woods behind the library. Few people came here at this hour, so she felt at ease. Shinji followed behind her, still chattering away:

"Do you know that Student Council President from earlier, the one who looks as pretty as a girl? My little sister is crazy about him. She has a photo of him secretly taken from a distance that she looks at every night. I find it boring. Today was my first time meeting him in person, and he seems like a good person. Can you help her impress him?"

Shinji spoke as if he was just rambling, without any real intention. He just wanted to get everything off his chest after holding it in for five years. Kanon suddenly turned around, her eyes sharp, and spoke in a commanding tone:

"That's enough!"

Shinji was not frightened by this but instead exclaimed joyfully:

"Aha, you hear me, I know it, you see me, clearly, that's right, why do you have to deny it, why don't you respond to me, for two days I've been talking a lot but you act like you don't see, why is that huh huh huh?"

Shinji expressed his annoyance in an exaggerated way, causing Kanon a great headache.

"Silence! How can I want to talk to someone so talkative like you, if you don't shut up, be careful I'll make you go straight to the heaven right now."

"Oh, calm down, calm down, I'll be quiet now, ok?"

And then Kanon happily welcomed the return of silence, at this point she found a clean grassy area to sit down, pointing to the opposite spot, Shinji understood and sat down across from her.

"Alright, for the past two days I've heard everything you said but I have to make it clear to you, I can't help much, I just found out about this ability of mine and I don't want to use it at all, so you have to listen to me, otherwise I guarantee things won't go your way, got it?"

"Alright, I understand."

Shinji solemnly nodded and was about to turn on his radio broadcasting system when Kanon raised her hand to stop him.

"The first thing you must remember, don't talk too much, speak only when necessary, try to remember how you behaved 5 years ago when you were still human."

Shinji nodded again.

"Alright, so what is your wish? Get straight to the point for me, don't mix it up like pairing your sister with Kaichou or something like that."

Upon hearing that, Shinji widened his eyes, unable to contain his curiosity and blurted out:

"Do you like him? Is that why you don't want to set up my sister with him?"

"Are you being foolish? Do you think just because you like someone then you can do that? I'm telling you that your sister's fate is not there, the more you push, the more suffering, but I can let Kaichou know her feelings."

"That's nothing better."

Shinji understood the reasoning very well and also realized that although the Imonoyama guy looked so casual and simple but extremely outstanding, he was not the type of person that Hikaru could be happy with.

"Now tell me your wish!"

At this moment, the talkative Shinji fell silent for a while, then finally spoke up:

"You know, I left unexpectedly, fell off the horse, and it was Hikaru who suddenly ran in front of the horse, startling it and causing it to throw me off. I didn't get to say anything to her, and because of that, she felt guilty for years. She even had to win the national horse race instead of pursuing her own dreams. She even disguised herself as a boy to attend Clamp School, all because of her identity, unable to confess her feelings to the one she likes. It breaks my heart. People only realize their fate after they're gone. It's not by chance that the passed away at that moment, of course, it's not anyone's fault either."

"Indeed, unless it's suicide or murder."

Kanon inadvertently added another piece to the puzzle, but Shinji didn't get angry. Instead, he continued to delve into his thoughts and confided:

"So I really hope I can convey my feelings to her, so she doesn't have to feel guilty or worry anymore. She should do what she likes, without caring about anyone else, just be happy."

"I understand. Although I don't know how yet, I think I can help you."

After their conversation, the relieved Shinji returned to his sister's side, while Kanon calmly waited for the story to unfold. Regardless, whether Nokoru knew Hikaru's feelings sooner or later, she wasn't particularly interested in this trivial puppy love affair and didn't want to interfere.

Until the competition of Suoh ended, Kanon had the opportunity to meet Hikaru again. Hikaru accidentally dropped her notebook, and Nokoru picked it up to help. Kanon always had the feeling that Nokoru knew for sure that Hikaru was the fairy he met that night. This was entirely possible, as Nokoru's abilities were limitless, and his intuition was sharp, so Kanon had no doubts. She only wondered, "Hikaru, why do you have to bathe in the cold lake at night when there is luxurious private bathroom in the dormitory with hot water?"

Kanon knew the benefits of scholarship students like Hikaru, who not only had their tuition fees waived but also received living expenses from the school. They were provided with full meals and single rooms that were as luxurious as a 5-star hotel. As a member of the Student Council, she was well aware of these matters. When she looked at those benefits, if it weren't for the fear of her lonely mother, she would have wanted to move into the dormitory herself.

"What's wrong, Hanazaki?" Akira asked curiously as he noticed Kanon gazing attentively at their Kaichou talking to Kisaragi guy who had just won the competition .

"Oh, it's nothing. The other day when I visited Lightning, I met that guy, too."

Just then, a group of female students looked over at the prominent group and exclaimed,

"Oh my, the four Student Council members, Nokoru-sama, Suoh-sama, Akira-sama, and our idol Kanon-sensei, oh my, I have to get Sensei's autograph, I haven't never missed any of Sensei's stories."

Kanon had just heard her name and saw a crowd surrounding her, asking for autographs. Because she had to smile and respond to her readers, Kanon didn't notice Hikaru frowning on the other side, whispering to herself:

"Hanazaki-san is so popular!"

Nokoru, whether intentionally or unintentionally, added fuel to the fire by praising Kanon to the skies:

"That's right, a literary genius once in a thousand years, who is also a pride of the Student Council."

Then, with a radiant smile under the sun, Nokoru looked at Kanon being surrounded over there. No one knew what was going on in the heart of the Student Council President. Since Kanon's arrival, he had avoided several such situations, although he didn't mind them much.

"Is that so?" Hikaru's voice grew quieter and drifted away in the wind, her eyes looking dejectedly at Nokoru's smile. Then, without a word, she led his horse Leon away. Only then did Nokoru turn back, using his sharp gaze to follow the departing figures.

Kanon knew nothing about these matters, she only focused on her own work. After finishing her tasks at the Student Council, she hurriedly went to the library to find some books about horses to gather information. To her surprise, the section on horse books was empty. Kanon approached the librarian and learned that the books had not been borrowed and were only available for in-library reading currently, so there was no information in the computer system. Kanon widened her eyes in astonishment. Who could have taken all those books and where could they have gone in this vast library?

But she didn't back down. Kanon returned to the horse book section, placed her hand on a shelf, closed her eyes, and focused her mind to start searching for those books. After a while, she felt speechless knowing that someone had intentionally hidden each book in different places, making them difficult to find. If it weren't for her extraordinary abilities, it would have taken a long time to locate them. Kanon calmly gathered all the books she found throughout the afternoon and brought them to the librarian to borrow. Thus, she lost the entire afternoon and couldn't write anything. But she remembered the feeling on each of those books, not too familiar but she knew who it was. It was about horses after all.

As Kanon was leaving the library, she bumped into Shinji, who was floating leisurely in the air.

"Oh, there you are!" Shinji exclaimed happily.

But when he saw the stack of books in Kanon's hands, he hesitated and spoke with a guilty tone,

"Did you find them all?"

"Yes, I did. It took me the whole afternoon," Kanon replied, slightly annoyed.

Although she was a bit irritated, Kanon didn't plan on doing anything about it. She didn't want to waste time on trivial matters. There were countless tasks that needed to be done, and if she kept dwelling on insignificant things, her life wouldn't be long enough to solve them all.

Seeing that Kanon didn't seem interested in seeking retribution, Shinji breathed a sigh of relief and sincerely apologized,

"I'm really sorry on behalf of my little sister. I don't know what she was thinking when she did that. But she didn't mean any harm. Right after hiding the books, she ran back to her room and locked herself in, feeling extremely guilty."

Kanon didn't say anything. What could she say at this point? Even if she scolded Shinji in anger, it wouldn't serve any purpose because he was just a spirit. She could only listen to what she said to him, but it wouldn't reach the culprit's ears. She waved her hand dismissively and walked away. She didn't want to waste any more time with these troublesome siblings. She still had a pile of drafts to complete.

The next morning, when Kanon arrived at the council room, she saw three serious faces surrounding the table of the Student Council President, examining a large banner hanging behind his chair that read, "Cancel the ball!" They all had such solemn expressions that Kanon approached them without anyone noticing. Akira was the first to spot Kanon standing there, observing the banner with them.

"Oh, Hanazaki, you're here!" Akira exclaimed.

At the same time, Nokoru and Suoh raised their stern faces to look at her. Seeing that Kanon was still staring intently at the banner, Nokoru couldn't contain his curiosity any longer and asked,

"Kanon-chan, did you notice anything? We found this hanging here when we opened the council room this morning."

Kanon continued to stand there calmly, looking at the banner. Then she burst into laughter, causing the other three members to widen their eyes in surprise.

"This person is really talented. The banner is so well-balanced. I wonder how much effort it took to create this pointless thing. Putting up a piece of paper is enough, right?" Kanon chuckled.

"Hanazaki-san, this is not a joke," Suoh said, his voice filled with frustration.

"I wasn't joking, senpai, everyone just take a look. It's clear that the culprit put so much time and effort into this unworthy act. If they wanted attention, simply writing a message would have been enough. I think this person has some issues in their mind."

Kanon said this, not only to express her curiosity, but also to discreetly taunt the person who hid the books. She couldn't let it go easily, even though she said it casually.

"Kanon has a point... Who would go through the trouble of making such a perfectly balanced banner like this?"

While Nokoru, Suoh, and Akira were lost in thought, Kanon relaxedly sat at her desk, organizing her tasks and speaking at the same time.

"I think the culprit will not stop here. With just this, it's not certain that the ball will be canceled. Let's stay vigilant and see what they want and what they can do."

The opinions of Kanon were agreed upon by the others. They were also eager to know what the culprit would do next. As expected, the culprit continued to send letters and notes everywhere, from books to the Nổu's lockers. That afternoon, while the three detectives were discussing in the council room, Kanon went alone to the ball venue. Upon arrival, Kanon lifted the rope with the repair notice attached to it that was blocking the entrance in order to enter inside. Contrary to the empty exterior, the interior was bustling with preparations. The decoration teams were busy preparing for the ball of the kindergarten and elementary division students, discussing designs and other details. Kanon looked around and finally found Zansa at the end of the room, instructing a male student on hanging decorations in the necessary places. Zansa was part of the ball design team this time, and she was extremely excited. Since the announcement of the ball at the beginning of the month, Zansa had been talking to Kanon about different costume styles, and she even wanted to make a special outfit for her. Instead of going straight to her, Kanon stood by the entrance and waited for a while. Shortly after, Seiji and Setsu walked in from outside and approached her.

"Lady, is there something happening today?"

"Surely, before the ball, the culprit will try everything to sabotage it. They have only sent notices so far, but it will likely become more serious as time goes on. Taking action in the ball venue is inevitable. I need your help to find a few things."

The Ichikawa brothers nodded. Whatever their lady said, they would do it. They weren't particularly interested in the ball, but that didn't mean they would let the saboteur do as they pleased, especially when it concerned the safety of their lady. Even though Kanon didn't tell Seiji about her afternoon spent searching for books in the library, he still silently watched over her, but the situation wasn't serious enough for him to intervene.

According to Kanon's description, the three quickly found several well-hidden smoke bombs in the upper corners of the building. Although these smoke bombs wouldn't harm anyone, in the midst of chaos, someone could potentially get injured. Moreover, there were many people climbing ladders to decorate the area, increasing the likelihood of someone falling in panic. Kanon didn't want Zansa to suffer any attack or harm. While Nokoru might sympathize with Hikaru, Kanon didn't. She shouldn't let others get hurt because of her own pain; that wouldn't be fair.

When the three detectives saw the pile of smoke bombs that Kanon brought, they realized the seriousness of the situation. Nokoru also presented a stack of letters from the culprit, demanding the cancellation of the ball.

"With so many of these, it's not just a harmless prank," Nokoru said, rubbing his temples, then turning to Kanon and asking, "How did you manage to prevent this smoke bomb incident?"

"I suspected that if the culprit wasn't joking, they would definitely strike in the ball room. Without a venue, the dance performance would be difficult to carry out. Since there were many people decorating inside, I asked Ichikawa-senpai, to help me check every nook and cranny. Surprisingly, we found this pile," Kanon explained.

"Fortunately, you intervened in time. Otherwise, even if it wasn't dangerous, there would have been fear and potential injuries,"

Suoh spoke up, his eyebrows furrowed. He was deeply concerned about the innocent people being harmed.

"Why didn't Hanazaki inform us beforehand? The whole team could have gone to investigate with you. What if something dangerous happened while you were alone?" Akira asked.

Kanon looked at Akira, touched by his concern, and replied, "Everyone has your own tasks. I did ask the Ichikawa brothers to accompany me, so rest assured, I can protect myself. But it seems that all the notification letters were only sent to only you, right Kaichou?"

"Aha, Kanon-chan noticed that too?" Nokoru chuckled.

"It's obvious that the culprit was targeting you, Kaichou," Kanon said.

Both Suoh and Akira were taken aback by Kanon's statement, while Nokoru laughed.

"I was planning not to mention it, but you caught me," Nokoru said.

"I had to say it so that everyone would focus on the key point and protect you better. Don't overestimate yourself," Kanon replied coldly. Nokoru approached the culprit alone without informing anyone, and in the end, it was Suoh who got injured.

"I just don't want everyone to worry too much, that's all."

"Do you have any leads? Can't you recognize whose handwriting this is?"

Nokoru raised an eyebrow, surprised that Kanon hit the nail on the head with that question. He was preparing for the next move, but this needed to be kept a secret because it was clear that the culprit was targeting him, and the key was with him. If he didn't show up as bait, how could he lure the culprit out?

"I'm investigating, and indeed, the handwriting looks familiar to me. Oh, I need to take a walk to clear my mind and remember."

Then came the scene of Nokru gliding like the wind out of the council room. Kanon frowned, if he didn't want to alarm the culprit, he should just say it directly. No one here was foolish. But Kanon looked at Suoh and Akira's confused faces and immediately wanted to amend her previous statement. No one was foolish, but their IQ tended to go offline when Kaichou was around.

"I guess Kaichou are trying his luck."

"What do you mean?" - Akira innocently asked.

"He probably has a lead, but it's not certain yet. And it's also possible that this is a tragic story of a female student, just like the case of Miss Kyogoku Midoriko." – Kanon simply explained.

"That possibility is very likely." - Suoh replied without hesitation.

Each of the three of them had their own thoughts, but ultimately they all reached the same conclusion: they needed to stick close to their Kaichou, as solving the case couldn't be done recklessly, but cases involving females tended to make Kaichou act recklessly.

Everything unfolded dramatically. After talking to Nokoru, Hikaru felt even more tormented because she realized that she could only admire him from afar without being able to have him. As a result, she resorted to making a final desperate move by threatening Nokoru's life over the phone, which terrified the entire team. Kanon sighed in frustration, realizing that when it came to love, both one's IQ and EQ ccould go offline, which was the truth.

That evening, Nokoru went to the ball room and saw Hikaru in the dress he had given her. He immediately opened up, confided and advised his fairy but in the end, he was pushed down from the second floor by his fairy's own hands. Kanon rushed over with Suoh and Akira, and just as Nokoru was about to meet the ground, Kanon swiftly intervened, slowing down Nokoru's descent and allowing Suoh to catch him safely without getting hurt. Suddenly, Shinji burst in through the wall in a panic, exclaiming:

"Help! Hikaru is not in her right mind. She's riding Leon and running away. I'm afraid she might get hurt."

Kanon didn't respond but led everyone outside. Just as they saw Leon galloping by, they noticed the sky filled with swirling clouds and even a few distant flashes of lightning. Nokoru rushed out to intercept Leon and try to calm down Hikaru, but his efforts were in vain. With her confused state of mind, even Leon became restless, jerking his body uncontrollably. A bolt of lightning struck, startling Leon and causing him to bolt away. Before Nokoru could enter the Lightning's stable, he saw Kanon riding Lightning and dashing out. Kanon paused and reached out her hand, signaling Nokoru to jump on the horse and chase after Hikaru.

"Oh, I didn't know Hanazaki could ride a horse," Akira exclaimed.

"Indeed, nothing is impossible," Suoh replied.

Kanon didn't know how to ride a horse, but she let Shinji take control of her body because of this, it was a good opportunity to unravel this mess. Hikaru rode the horse swiftly, and as the rain started to fall, visibility became more difficult. Leon was still flying fast, unaware that there was a lake ahead. Kanon, or rather Shinji at that moment, skillfully controlled Lightning to run alongside Leon so that Nokoru could jump onto Leon and grab the reins. Kanon slowed down Lightning to give Nokoru time to comfort his depressed, or rather sensitive fairy, Hikaru. After a while, when they both happily returned, the rain had stopped, and Hikaru had found peace. She humbly bowed her head and apologized to Kanon, expressing remorse for causing trouble and for hiding Kanon's books. But Kanon remained motionless, with her head down, saying nothing. Nokoru found it strange and tried calling out:

"Kanon-ch..."

Before he could finish, Kanon raised her head, but her demeanor had completely changed. Hikaru's eyes widened when she saw the image of her older brother riding a horse. She whispered:

"Big brother!"

Shinji, in Kanon's appearance, immediately smile and spoke, startling both Nokoru and Hikaru:

"My little sister, it had been a long time since we last met!"

"Brother! Is it really you?"

Hikaru panicked and tried to rush over, but Nokoru held her tightly to prevent her from falling, her eyes fixed on the person in front of her to confirm if it was indeed Kanon or someone else. Shinji paid no attention, as his time was limited.

"I'm glad that you have let go of your heavy burden, sweetie. Luckily, I met Hanazaki-san and was able to say a few words to you before completely going to another world. Hikaru, my dear little sister, I had been by your side for the past 5 years, knowing how much pain, remorse, and self-loathing you had experienced. But it wasn't your fault, it was all fate. Live your life happily, don't blame yourself anymore, only then could I depart peacefully."

"Brother!" – - Hikaru whispered softly.

"Goodbye, little sister. Remember to live happily!"

And then a strong gust of wind blew, revealing the obscured moon and countless bright stars. Shinji had completely departed, and Kanon startled awake, only to see Nokoru's worried gaze upon her. She smiled and said:

"Kisaragi-san is gone, but don't worry, everything will be fine."

In the end, our Kanon-sensei couldn't attend the ball due to catching a cold, and Kanon silently thought that it was partly due to the exhaustion from Shinji's presence. Nokoru didn't ask her about Shinji, but Kanon thought that someday she might be honest with them, the main characters in the story that she was participating in.