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Nanana’s Buried Treasure Volume 2 Prologue

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“Translator: Goma/Editor: TheNix”

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「Thus, let’s play a game Jūgo」

I came back home later than usual from school. Nanana, who had been lying on the bed, sat upright energetically as said this. This was the first thing she said.

「Um, Nanana. I don’t understand why 『Thus』, but my mid-year exams are coming up soon. So, I want to study for now, you know?」

When I told her this, the girl that was wearing a cute ribbon on her long hair said 「Whaaat」, and narrowed her usually big and round eyes. From her crooked lips that is one of the most attractive parts about her, I could tell that she was moody.

「These days you keep on studying. Why do you even care ? 」

「Of course, I have to care about my grades」

 Hearing this, she pouted her mouth and kept complaining. Her name is Nanana Ryūgajō.

She is a girl that lives together in room 202 of this apartment, the ((Happiness Dorm)).

Doesn’t that mean co-habitation!  If you think so, let me correct your big misunderstanding.

Due to a specific reason, I have to live with Nanana in this room.

By the way, I am not really a studious person. Rather, I take pride in being a mere commoner who doesn’t find academics to be very exciting.

However, that does not mean my line of「I want to study」is an excuse to politely reject Nanana’s offer.

Rather, I want to play games. I really want to escape into the world of video games, and abandon the struggle in front of me, i.e. studying for my exams. I want to be able to say, 「Now let’s game until we pass out」.

Yet, I cannot.

This is because if I fail this mid-year exam, something really bad would happen to me.

One month ago, when I argued with my father, I was exiled to this island. This Nanae Island is known as the ((Special Student Zone)) as nearly 80% of the population of about 100,000 people consists of students. When I started attending the lessons in my new school, I was immediately left behind.

The reason was simple. The lessons were quite far ahead from my previous school. As a result, when I was called on to answer a question, I could not say anything. I kept on getting back quiz results that were close to 0s. In the end, I was called by my homeroom teacher and was told, 「This is quite bad. If your mid-year exams are like this as well…… 」. My teacher was already hinting not just retaining one year, but being kicked out of this island. It had only been a little while since I had transferred to this island.

Although I do think that it is a little too strict, it seems that this is how things work in this ((Special Student Zone)). Even if I complained, they did not listen to me.

It seemed that since this island had the most conducive environment for studying and the newest facilities, students who only put in the minimum effort (to barely pass exams) would be mercilessly kicked out of the island.

Well, if one properly attends lessons, one would rarely be such a dire situation. In my case, I was a newcomer and that is what happened.

I did want them to be a little more lenient, since I am a newcomer. Yet, it seemed that they would not. 「If you need to, I would teach you in person as much as possible. Nevertheless, we do not tolerate students who don’t even do that」.

In this way, I had been studying for exams in the library with our kind class representative (rather she was just teaching me; I was not contributing anything). I must focus and study tonight as well.

Hence, I was sorry but I did not have the time to tend to Nanana.

I must attain a decent grade in these mid-year exams.

「Anyhow, I cannot play with you. I am sorry, but could you play by yourself for a while, Nanana」

I declined Nanana’s offer, and hurriedly changed from my uniform to a sports jersey. I immediately started copying what my textbook says onto my notebook.

Meanwhile, as I was trying to focus, somehow the air seemed to weigh down on me.

I looked up and gazed around the room, but I was the only one in the room.

Yet, the room felt immensely sad.

「……Mutter mutter」

The reason was that now I could hear a murmur from somewhere that seemed like it was saying 「I am really moody right now」.

I opened my notebook again and started writing. But this voice kept droning endlessly.

I felt like this voice would never end. Thus, I sighed and compromised.

「Alright then, Nanana. Let’s game for just one hour」

「Really! 」

Before I knew it, Nanana was standing in front of me. I nodded.

「Nice! 」

Nanana seemed overjoyed, as she skipped around. She immediately turned on the TV and the gaming console.

When I sat beside Nanana, Nanana looked at me with a really happy smile.

「Because you bought games, I have been busy juggling my time between online games and local multiplayer games」

Nanana seemed really happy, as she gazed at the screen with shining eyes.

If I could briefly talk about her, she cannot come out of this room at all.

This is not because she voluntarily shuts herself in her room (although I really can’t say she hates this). And it is also not because I am a crazy criminal that has kidnapped and locked Nanana in this room.

If I was to state it clearly, it is because,

 

Nanana Ryūgajō is an earthbound ghost that was killed 10 years ago in this ((Happiness Dorm))’s room 202.

Since then, Nanana could not go to heaven. She is cursed to be here until she can get revenge for the person who murdered her.

Ah, by the way, Nanana’s hobby is online games. It seemed that she was a quite famous player in this online game, which is popular on this island. Her favorite food is pudding. I should say she can only eat pudding. I wonder, why can an earthbound ghost even eat pudding in the first place?

    I shall state this again, but Nanana Ryūgajō is an earthbound ghost.

    That is why I cannot touch her, and she can disappear like just now when she was moody……well, Nanana can touch me as she pleases though (by the way, her touch feels a little cold).

    Nanana Ryūgajō is such a unique earthbound ghost that it makes me doubt 「Are you really an earthbound ghost? 」. She becomes lonely very easily, and loves to talk and play with others.

    Yet, Nanana is an earthbound ghost and cannot step out of this room at all.

    That is why Nanana seems to like playing with me, who is the resident of this room (from her point of view, I am just leeching on her).

    I do understand this, but these days I am quite busy with studying for my exams. It is hard for me to spare time to play with her. Due to this, I had bought some games for her. However, now she wants to play them with me.

    Frankly, I am quite happy with her offer. Nevertheless, there is a battle called the mid-year exams that I must not lose (get a failing grade). It is impossible for me to have fun now.

    In the end, after one hour, I placed the controller down after finishing the game at an appropriate timing.

「There, done」

「Whaa, let’s play more」

「No. Time is up, so I’m done. I really must study」

    When I said so, Nanana seemed a little sad. However, she said 「Alright then」, and placed the controller down on the floor.

「Then I will stop as well」

「What, can’t you play by yourself? 」

    Nanana shook her head sideways and said, 「It is fine」

「This is the game you bought. I’d rather play it with you」

    Saying this, she smiled. Unintentionally, I felt super-duper happy.

    I almost wanted to just abandon my responsibility (studying for exams) and say with an upbeat tone 「Sigh alright then, let’s play more」.

    Yet, I contain my feelings and say 「I see」.

「Then I’m going to study, alright? 」

「Yep, sorry for making you tend to me」

「It’s fine, I had fun anyways」

「Hang in there」

    She expressed her support for me. I said, 「Easy」, and started studying.

    Nonetheless, I felt kind of uneasy upon seeing Nanana hugging the cushion while watching TV alone in my peripheral vision.

    Yet, I was powerless at this point, so I simply flung off such feelings and focused on my studies.

 

    A few days later after the last day of the mid-year exams had ended, I was called by my homeroom teacher.

「Just now I went around asking other teachers, and it seemed that you passed all the exams. Everyone was quite surprised by how your grades were above average」

「That’s great」

    I exhaled a sigh of relief, and asked the homeroom teacher again.

「Then I don’t need to transfer schools, right? 」

「Correct」

    Earlier on when my homeroom teacher had pointed out my grades, the teacher recommended I transfer schools.

    It was not that the teacher wanted to kick me off the island. Rather, the teacher recommended I go to another school on Nanas Island. Currently Nanane Island has seven high schools, and it seemed that there was a difference in the speed of their lessons and the amount of workload each high school gave their students. I was recommended enrolling in the Seventh High School, which is on the opposite side of this island.

「It is the newest high school with a nice dorm that had just been completed. Since you had just come to this island, I thought that high school would suit you」

    I thanked my homeroom teacher for the kind offer. After leaving the teachers’ office saying 「Thank you」, for some reason, I made an excuse in the back of my mind.

    Sorry. I didn’t mind transferring schools, but I do not intend to move from my current room, so.

    Anyhow, I felt quite relieved about being released from this exam.

    I should not have to worry about studying for a while.

    Then let’s move on to the main topic.

    To find who killed Nanana 10 years ago.

 

    It is a precious promise I made with Nanana, and is currently my goal.

    I had not expected myself to take so much time to study for exams, but after finishing this there is nothing stopping me anymore.

    I shall act once again to fulfill my promise.

    Because I grew up being told that『You must never break promises』.

 

    In this way, I, Jūgo Yama, am living in this ((Special Student Zone)) on Nanae Island, an artificial island in the southern seas.

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