Chapter 24: Protection tree
After the ridiculous and embarrassing incident of searching for a famous person, the Clamp school returned to its normal activities with extremely good news. Their idol was still alive, ah no, remained safe and sound and Kanon-sensei promised to publish the detective novel series as promised and give away the first 100 copies with her signature.
In the student council room.
"Kaichou, can you sign this for me to take to the high school block?"
Suoh approached Nokoru's desk, asking for his signature while glancing at the stack of documents piled up like a mountain behind him. This was the consequence of avoiding work for nearly a week.
Nokoru reluctantly signed the document and looked at Suoh's cold and angry face. Despite knowing his own weakness, Nokoru couldn't resist asking:
"Suoh, how is Miss Nagisa doing these days?"
Cough, cough, cough…
Suddenly choking on his own saliva, Suoh struggled to contain his continuous coughing.
"Well, I heard that a few days ago you attended her folk dance performance and even gave her a wisteria flower. Haha, why do I suddenly remember Kanon-chan's story about the wisteria flower?"
Nokoru maintained his innocent demeanor while stamping the document and pondered, causing Suoh's coughing fit to subside momentarily, only to be followed by another fit that made him stumble backward and almost fall off his chair. Nokoru didn't miss a beat, holding a document in his hand, he raised his head and smiled brightly under the morning sun:
"Do you know how I found out? Ohkawa Kaichou leaked the information, hehe."
Crash! This was the sound of Akira accidentally dropping some tea cups.
"Oh, what happened, Akira?"
"N-nothing, it's nothing!"
"And what has Kanon-chan been busy with these days? I saw her rushing to the Student Council room and leaving immediately."
Finally, there was a topic that brought Suoh and Akira back into balance. Suoh stood up, tidying up the fallen papers while answering seriously:
"The Modern Literature Club is preparing for a writing competition. Hanazaki is busy but still trying to come to the Student Council room early to handle the paperwork before leaving."
Then he glanced at their Student Council President, adding a successful retort that made Nokoru's smile freeze on his lips:
"Not like someone else."
Akira innocently interrupted at the right moment, but instead of relieving Nokoru, he delivered a knockout blow by blurting out his thoughts:
"I heard that a few days ago, Hanazaki went to find Kaichou to ask something. I've always wondered, even if you feel embarrassed, you could still straightforwardly apologize, so why did you avoid her, Kaichou? Or..."
At this point, Akira's imagination soared, tears welled up in his eyes, and he tightly grasped Nokoru's hand, shaking uncontrollably.
"Kaichou doesn't like Hanazaki, right? Just because she asked a question, you avoided her? And you avoided her for almost a week, you haven't gone to the extent of skipping work. Do you hate Hanazaki that much? Why is that? What did she do? She's so good..."
Skipping thousands of consecutive "why" questions without punctuation, Akira, you should let others breathe too.
"N-no, I do...n't..."
Nokoru was suffering but couldn't speak. Now he understood what it meant to shoot oneself in the foot.
Suoh coldly watched a foolish couple tormenting each other from a distance, but deep inside, he was already laughing uncontrollably. 'Kaichou, this is what you brought upon yourself.'
Meanwhile, Kanon, the troublemaker, was studying the map given to her by Nokoru to find the location to plant the seedling. The map was easy to read, thanks to Nokoru's specific instructions, which even someone like Kanon, who was not skilled at reading maps or determining directions, could easily follow.
Recently, the modern literature club, led by Kanon, collaborated with the Clamp school's literary magazine to organize a wide-ranging writing competition. The theme was free, allowing anyone to participate, and the rewards were incredibly generous. In addition to a substantial cash prize sponsored by the literary magazine, the winner would receive a two-year subscription to the magazine and the opportunity to assist Hanazaki Kanon in some upcoming publications. Kanon was about to release a new series in the detective and historical genres, and she was also serving as a judge for this competition. Just as Suoh had said, she was rushing around without touching the ground. But no matter how rushed she was, she still had to keep his promise.
While searching for Nokoru, Kanon had also tried carrying the seedling around the school to see if it would lead her to the right place, but without success. The seedling no longer possessed the power of the ancient tree, so it could only influence Kanon's dreams when she slept. The faint emotions surrounding it did not help her find the exact location to plant it in the old spot. Nokoru explained to her that long ago, the Imonoyama family had planned to use this island for the construction of a school, so they redesigned the entire area. Most of the green trees in the sparse forests on the island were preserved within the design, but if they were outside the designated area, they would be carefully examined. If they were too old to be moved, they would be cut down, but within the permitted limits, all of them would be uprooted and replanted in the primary forest that Kanon's fourth-grade class had visited on their field trip the other day.
Kanon looked at the map and realized she had arrived the right location. The area had been redesigned into a hill with an endless expanse of green grass and uniformly planted tall, shady trees, forming a well-organized sparse forest. As she leaned over to examine the ground around the trunk of a large oak tree, searching for a suitable spot to plant the seedling, Kanon felt a strange sensation, as if someone was watching her.
But there was no one around!
Yet, the feeling persisted, even stronger than before. Kanon felt extremely uncomfortable, not only because of the sense of being observed but also due to the oppressive atmosphere that seemed to be closing in on her, suffocating her. However, there was clearly no one around, only trees.
Trees also have consciousness, especially those that have been around for a long time.
Realizing this, Kanon noticed that she was standing right next to the big hiba arborvitae tree, with no other trees nearby. The majestic hiba arborvitae tree stood tall, with its gnarled trunk as thick as two or three adult arms embracing it, exuding a solemn presence in the serene surroundings. Each forest has a spiritual pillar, and if it weren't for the current discomfort, Kanon would have thought that this hiba arborvitae tree was the pillar of this place. Although she had only encountered one forest deity, Kanon's impression of this pillar went beyond its solemnity; it also encompassed a sense of protection and tranquility. It seemed as if this grand hiba arborvitae tree was... asserting his authority over her? It made sense, considering she was carrying a seedling with the consciousness and inherited power of another ancient tree and had come here to find a place to plant it. Naturally, she had to seek permission from the owner of this place.
Thinking and doing, Kanon suppressed all the uncomfortable emotions within her, calmly approaching again. With one hand still holding the seedling, the other lightly touched the rough bark of the old hiba arborvitae tree she was planning to speak some beautiful words or thoughts to, when suddenly she felt the whole space around her tremble. Kanon panicked, not understanding what was happening. Could it be that her action of touching the tree trunk made the tree misunderstand her as being rude? But quickly, the surrounding space returned to normal, and not only that, the oppressive feeling from earlier completely disappeared, replaced by fresh air like gentle spring breezes swirling around Kanon.
Sigh!
Kanon blinked, as if she had just heard a satisfied exhale, as if someone had relieved a burden. She stood there, staring at the hiba arborvitae tree for a while. By now, the sun had risen higher, and the dazzling rays of sunlight began to spread throughout the sparse forest and the Clamp School. The great hiba arborvitae tree still stood tall, shielding Kanon from the harsh rays, but the feeling was completely different from before, as if a lifeless tree had suddenly become vibrant with vitality. Kanon smiled gently, the discomfort from earlier completely replaced by tranquility.
"So, you agreed to let this seedling be planted here?"
Gentle breezes enveloped Kanon as if responding to her question. Kanon smiled softly, quickly finding a relatively distant spot from the hiba arborvitae tree. She had to calculate so that when the seedling grew up, it wouldn't encroach on the territory or nutrients of the owner of this place, while still receiving good protection. After planting the seedling, Kanon carefully found a few tall and straight dry branches and placed them in a circle like a barrier around it, so that even if someone came, they wouldn't accidentally step on the seedling. Brushing the sandy soil off her hands, Kanon happily prepared to return to class.
In contrast to Kanon's peaceful and cheerful demeanor, as she had just walked away from the area, a figure emerged, standing on a high branch of the hiba arborvitae tree, faintly visible behind the thick foliage. The figure weakly leaned against the tree trunk, one hand tightly gripping the front of their shirt as if that person had just gone through something exhausting. His originally refined and attractive face now contorted in suffering, his gaze fixed intently in the direction Kanon had left.
Setsu and Seiji were currently following Kanon back, always keeping a distance to avoid bothering her but still protecting her. Suddenly, Seiji paused, turning his head towards the area with the majestic hiba arborvitae tree. He furrowed his brow slightly, feeling a sense of unease.
"What's wrong?" Setsu asked, noticing Seiji's puzzled expression. Seiji shook his head, knowing that if he didn't feel anything, he should just dismiss it and continue back to class. Perhaps his heightened intuition was just playing tricks on him.
