3 bar menu

Nanana’s Buried Treasure Volume 10 Chapter 2.5

Shiki scratches her head.

「Um, Shiki, are you busy the rest of the night?」

「Why?」

「Why? Well, it’s the day Nanana died, and there’s like a memorial service or something…」

「Well, I don’t really care.」

Shiki doesn’t seem to care at all.

「Come to think of it, there aren’t any events on Nanaejima regarding this, are there?」, Nonomiya says.

「Really?」

「It’s strange, isn’t it? I have the impression that Ikkaku-san in particular is the type to be very strict when it comes to these sorts of things.」

「Yeah, you’re right, Nonomiya-chan, that’s the impression I have too.」

Shunjuu Ikkaku. He’s the leader of the GREAT 7 and the leader of the island. Above all, he’s the one who suspects that there might have been some kind of past conspiracy with Ryuugajou Nanana’s death.

「Well maybe we should do something anyways.」

When I casually suggested this Shiki sighed.

「Hey, Juugo, what’s the point of holding a memorial service on the day of a past tragic event?」

「It’s so… we don’t forget about it?」

「That’s right. Human memories fade quickly, so we need those kinds of days. The day a war ended, the day of a major earthquake. So that we never forget those things, the pain, the sadness, the warnings, the lessons. I think it’s necessary so we don’t forget those things.」

Juugo quickly responds, 「So, do we have to do this to remember that Nanana was killed?」

She was at a loss for words.

「On the day Nanana was killed, we remember her. Is it because we want revenge? Is it to remind us that we will never forgive the murderer? Is it a ritual to once again fuel the anger and sadness inside us?」

「…..」

「No, I don’t want to. If we want to remember Nanana, then her birthday is fine. A fun day that we all celebrated together every year. That alone means that Nanana will never disappear from our hearts. Or rather, she will never disappear from my heart. We don’t need to do that.」

Shiki smiles gently.

And then I remember Nanana’s birthday, the Tanabata Festival, which is held on July 7th. On that day, everyone remembers Nanana. In a way, that might be the tribute Nanana deserves.

Shiki says, with a wry smile, 「Just kidding. You’re living in Room 202, so it probably doesn’t feel real to you.」

Then she raised her head and looked toward Room 202.

「It doesn’t feel real to me that Nanana was murdered by someone.」

「Shiki-san.」

「Today is just August 14th. A summer day where beer tastes good from morning to night. That’s all.」

For some reason, Shiki’s words struck me as wonderful. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who thought this.

「Advisor, how about we go out for a drink together for the first in a while?」

「What’s wrong, Nonomiya-chan? All of a sudden? I thought you were tired.」

「Well, I just feel like it.」

Nonomiya-san smiled.

「Oh, me too. Me too. I’ve never really talked to you before. I’ve become curious to get to know you better.」

Perhaps worn down by the two girls’ admiration for her, Shiki-san threw in the towel.

「Well, maybe it’s okay once in a while.」

「Why don’t you come with us, Juugo-kun?」

「No, I’m fine.」

「Why?」, she asked.

「Well, today is just August 14th, so I’ll just eat dinner with Nanana and the others like usual.」

Shiki laughed at my words and said, 「You do that.」

「And Sora-neechan, if anything seems a bit dangerous, call me. Shiki-san is especially hard to trust when she’s drunk. And I don’t know Nonomiya-san very well, but don’t’ trust her too much.」

「That’s just your untrusting side, Juugo-kun.」

「Oh, by the way, those two work for the Nanaejima general Security Service, and they’re like the island’s own police force.」

Leaving Sora-neechan, whose expression was frozen, I went up the stairs as usual and returned to my room as usual.

4

After returning to Room 202, I found Nanana lying face down on the floor. I stood there confused for a moment, until Nanana raised her head and smiled her usual face.

「Welcome back, Juugo.」

「What are you doing, Nanana?」, I asked vaguely.

Nanana, still dressed as usual, wore an ambiguous expression.

「Well… I was wondering if it might help you remember something.

Oh, I see. To Shiki, it was just another day, August 14th. But to Nanana, it’s still the day she was killed.

I entered the room and sat down next to Nanana, who was still lying face down.

「So, Nanana, you don’t remember much about the time you were killed?」

I naturally turned toward the <<Sword of Nanana>> leaning against the wall. I used it to peer into Nanana’s past, but couldn’t see anything of what happened at the time.

「No. As I said, I was stabbed in the back in this room, and in the low light I was able to see that the culprit had a dragon birthmark on the back of his neck.」

That was the only clue to the culprit that Nanana had given him when she arrived on the island.

「Anything else? Was it a man or a woman?」

After a moment of silence, Nanana rolled over onto her back and muttered to herself as she looked up at the ceiling.

「I don’t know. Just a dark figure」, Nanana mutters with her eyes closed as if tracing the memories in her head.

Watching her, a thought suddenly occurs to me. I wonder if Nanana has done this every year on this day. Ever since she was killed, when she was still Kanjou-san, and even before that.

The other day when I went back to my parents’ house, I remembered meeting my sempai who occupied this room. It’s precisely because I’ve remembered this that I say it to Nanana again.

「I’ll definitely find the culprit.」

「Thank you, Juugo.」

I thought the smile on her face as she looked up at me was so cute… My heart skipped a beat, so I couldn’t help but ask.

Nanana-chan, what do you think of Shunjuu Ikkaku?」

Nanana-chan’s body fluttered, and she jumped up.

「What’s wrong all of a sudden?」

「Well, I’ve been wondering about you for a while now.」

I stared at Manana, waiting for her to speak.

Nanana, fidgeting under my gaze, eventually seemed to give in. She looked down and spoke.

「Like a sibling I guess.」

「A sibling!」

That was an answer I hadn’t expected at all.

「Hmm, maybe not quite. We’re a little closer. We’re always by each other’s sides.」

How can I put it… that’s incredibly meaningful.

「You know, I’m an orphan.」

「Orphan! What? Orphan, as in…」

「It means an abandoned child. Apparently, I was abandoned as a baby right in front of the orphanage.」

Suddenly, I was speechless at this revelation.

「And Ikkaku was also abandoned on the same day. Apparently, Ikkaku, who was a year older than me, always held my hand when I was still a baby.」

Nanana-chan looked up at the ceiling, trying to recall her memories.

「We grew up together ever since. Ikkaku was a very smart kid. When he was in elementary school, he was even certified as a ‘boy genius’ by the government. Apparently there were people who wanted to adopt him, but for some reason, Ikusaba didn’t accept. So when we entered middle school, we left the orphanage together and moved into a cheap boarding house that allowed kids in our situation. We went to school, got part-time jobs, and ate meals together. It was tough, but since Ikusaba was with me, it didn’t suck as much. Then we met Shiki and the others, and made plans for Nanaejima… So maybe traveling abroad with Sansa was the first time I’d be away from Ikusaba for a long period of time.」

I was shocked by Nanana’s story, as she spoke bashfully. Of course, I was surprised to learn about Nanana’s background, which I knew nothing about. What shocked me more though was their relationship.

He honestly felt what might be called the bond between Shunjuu Ikkaku and Nanana Ryuugajou. The history between the man who was the leader of this island and the earthbound spirit girl who was before him. A great, warm bond that would never waver. For some reason, I imagined them as the prince and princess from a fairy tale.

So who am I? I am just a simple, excited brat. A thief, unaware of the fact that I was a thief.

「Nanana-chan…」

「What?」

He was about to say it, but when she responded, he couldn’t get the rest of the sentence out. He couldn’t bring himself to ask. Does she like Shunjuu Ikkaku?

Instead he asked, 「Do you want to see Shunjuu Ikkaku?」

When I asked her this, Nanana looked down for a moment, thought, then looked up and shook her head.

「No, I don’t want to see him.」

「Oh? Why?」

After a brief pause, Nanana smiles sadly.

「It’s a secret.」

The person standing before me was an earthbound ghost girl, but her smile seemed so distant. And because of that I felt that… That’s why…

「Juugo?」

I stand up.

「I’m going for a quick walk to the convenience store. If Tensai comes over, tell her to start dinner.」

「Then pick up some pudding on the way back.」

「Of course, I’d be happy to.」

He then heads toward the front door.

「Juugo.」

「What is it, Nanana?」

I turn around to see Nanana with a worried look on her face.

「You’ll come back safely, right?」

I laugh.

「Of course.」

As I went outside and walked down the stairs of the Happiness Dorm, I remembered the words of Shunjuu Ikkaku said to me at the end of the <<game>> before summer vacation.

「No matter what you say, nothing will change. You’re not standing on our stage. You’re nothing more than a rabble rouser in the gallery. You have no right or power to say anything.」

The GREAT 7 members came out at the end and easily finished cleaning up the mess.

They are the rulers of this island, and they wield all the power. To us mere students, they seem like gods. I feel that difference, the wall between us. But perhaps those words could apply directly to the current situation.

Nanana-chan and the circle of friends known as the GREAT 7 have existed since before nanaejima was created… no, even before that. More importantly, the unwavering bond between Nanana Ryuugajou and Shunjuu Ikkaku. If there is a god who creates the story of the world, I’m sure the main characters of this story would be the two of them who have been together since birth. Because I think theirs is such a beautiful story.

But as expected, such a god does not exist, reality is cruel, and the heroine was killed ten years ago.

It’s a strange story.

If Nanana were alive, she’d be an adult woman like Shiki and the others. But Nanana died ten years ago, and is now a girl frozen in time.

On the other hand, I was born more than ten years later than these great people, and am just be a kid wandering around aimlessly on the island. From their perspective I’m just a mere outsider.

But that’s how I met this girl. And fell in love with this girl frozen in time.

In the story of the people who built this island ten years ago, I’m just a minor character. A supporting character, in someone else’s story. This is not the story of a lowly brat and thief.

It doesn’t matter how powerful your opponent is. Who cares if he’s the leader of this island?

Even if she was his soulmate and became a ghost when she was killed, she was still a lonely girl who was definitely here. I didn’t feel the slightest bit intimidated by a guy who would leave her alone in this room forever.

With that thought in mind, I took my phone out of my pocket and made a call.

「Hello, is this Yukihime-san? Excuse me, could we meet again now? I’d like to finalize the documents from earlier. …Okay, I got a little carried away.」

I put my phone away and started walking.

At this very moment I had discovered something I wanted more than anything. I had found something that I absolutely am wishing for. So I moved forward, to grab it.

So then, 「Let’s go steal it.」