3 bar menu

Nanana’s Buried Treasure Volume 8 Chapter 8.1

Episode 22: Nanana’s Memories and Nanaejima’s Past

1

It was past noon when I returned to my home, Room 202 of the Happiness dorm. I dozed off on the tram on the on the way back here, but I was still a little sleepy.

「Welcome back, Juugo.」

My house is home to a ghost, so of course the one who greeted me with a smile was Yuugajou Nanana, the earthbound spirit.

「And what about the pudding souvenir?」

This is always expected now. So I said, ‘Here you go’, and handed over the bag of pudding I’d bought at the convenience store on my way home.

「By the way, what is that thing you’re carrying on your back?」

Nanana-chan looks at me curiously while accepting the bag of pudding. I finally announce the fact.

「Of course it’s the <<sword of Nanana>>.」

「Does that mean Juugo….」

「I won.」

「Seriously!? You’re amazing Juugo!」

Nanana-chan’s eyes sparkled.

「Yeah, I’m actually amazing.」

「Wow, you’re cool! For today, you’re cool!」

「No, no, you don’t need to ‘for today’. Leave that part out.」

「But this is the first time I’ve ever though that you were cool Juugo.」

「No way, that’s a lie.」

「Well, what do you think?」

Nanana-chan smiles as she opens the lid of the pudding.

Well, I’d like to find out if it’s true, but I have a lot of things I need to do, so I’ll put it on hold for now. It’s not like I was too scared to ask, so please forgive me.

So, as we sat across the table…

「Thank you Nanana-chan. It’s been a long while since the second stage.」

「What are you talking about, Juugo-kun? I haven’t seen you since late last night.」

「No no no, you were there.」

「No no no, I can’t even take one step out of this room.」

「No no no, you possessed Yun-chan.」

「No no no, if I could do that, I’d have been doing it for a long time now.」

「How come you are playing dumb?」

「I’m trying my best to play dumb, so you should be able to figure out the rest!」

「My recent hobby is fighting with people who want to make other people’s efforts go to waste!」

「I know someone who’s recent obsession is drinking beer all day and relaxing!」

「That’s not a recent obsession! It’s been like that for ages!」

「Shiki is probably an alcoholic. When she’s drunk all day, her sense of time is messed up.」

「You just insulted your best friend!」

「She’ll forgive me because we are best friends.」

「Because she’s your best friend? That’s a convenient excuse!」

「By the way, D’ark is also my best friend, so she said she’ll make me some home made pudding next time.」

「What does best friend even meant to you, Nanana-chan?」

Well, this conversation has gone off the rails, let’s get back on track here.

「So, Juugo, what happened to Saki?」

Nanana-chan had a very worried look on her face.

「What? You don’t know?」

「How could I know? Is everything okay? Is she still alive?」

Nanana-chan approaches me with a serious look on her face.

「Yeah, she’s ok. It was a close call, but she survived and is currently in the hospital. Apparently Tetsu-kun has been with her the whole time.」

「I see, that’s a relief.」

After this exchange, he is convinced. Nanana and Nanika are different people. He is honestly happy to see Nanana be happy about Yun’s safety.

「Hey, Juugo. Tell me what happened in the <<game>>.」

So he tells Nanana everything he experienced in last night’s <<game>>, from the beginning to the second stage where Nanana invaded. Towards the end, when they talked about how they all worked together to save Yun-chan, her eyes lit up and she said, ‘wow!’. When he talked about how all the GREAT 7 had gathered at the end, she got a little sad.

「Oh, so Haruaki appeared.」

Nanana had a somewhat nostalgic look on her face.

「Continue, Juugo.」

He talked about when it was all over, he was taken away by Sansa-san. And he talked about his relief at hearing that Yun-chan’s condition had stabilized at Three Skulls headquarters, and that was the end of the story.

After hearing everything, Nanana thinks seriously and mutters to herself, 「Anyway, did Negakana listen to my suggestion? I need to think of something to do now.」

「Huh? Did you say something, Nanana?」

「No, nothing. Anyway, Juugo, let me see that sword. I want to see it properly, it’s been a while.」

「Sure.」

I take out the <<sword of Nanana>> from the long, thin bag I packed it in and hand it to Nanana. Nanana looks at the cloth-wrapped <<sword of Nanana>> with a happy look.

I’m still sleepy of course so I collapse into my bed. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but my pillow smells really nice.

「Hey, Juugo. Why are you burying your face in the pillow breathing heavily?」

「I’m not doing that! I did take a little sniff, but I’m not breathing heavily! ……..Um, what’s the matter, Nanana-chan?」

「What happened to the sheath?」

When Nanana-chan takes out the <<sword of Nanana>> and asks, I answer honestly.

「Oh, it was getting a bit worn out, so Sansa-san replaced it for me.」

「Sansa?」

「She said it would look bad if it was in a broken sheath after we won the <<game>>.」

It was a thank you for helping Tetsu-kun and the others, there was no reason to refuse.

Hearing this, Nanana-chan glared blankly out the window for some reason.

「Of course it was Sansa.」

*******************************************************

Let’s go back a little in time.

After being taken to the Three Skulls’ headquarters, Juugo was shown into Sansa’s room, where he was found trembling on the sofa.

「Don’t be so scared. I’m not going to take your stuff or eat you or anything.」

「That’s what all bad people say!」

Seeing juugo being completely suspicious, Sansa sighs.

「I just wanted to thank you, Tetsu and Yun.」

At this point, Juugo stops trembling.

「You really care about those two, do you?」

「Of course I care, they’re part of our team.」

「That’s what you say but….」

Sansa sighs again at Juugo, who is being a sulky adolescent brat.

「That’s my way. It’s fine to help, but as long as he’s being helped, he won’t get stronger.」

Even if no one helps me, She’ll at least make him strong enough to fight on his own. That’s what Sansa can do for the brat who ended up at my place. That’s all she can do, and she will do it.

Sansa holds out her hand to Juugo, who looks confused by her words.

「That’s not important. Let me see that sword.」

「…Will you take it?」

「No, I won’t. If I do that, Koma will hate me.」

Still, Juugo holds out the <<sword of Nanana>> timidly.

After receiving it, Sansa looks at it closely, saying, 「This brings back memories.」

「So? How do you intend to use this to find the culprit who killed Nanana?」

「I thought you weren’t interested.」

「I’m not really. Just making casual conversation.」

She glared at Juugo who was grinning and began to speak in a hurry.

「Well, I heard that you can see the past of anyone you cut with this sword.」

「What? Did nanana explain this sword to you beforehand?」

「No. Nanana-chan basically only tells me about the nanana collection that I bring to her. However, as for that sword, it came up in an old story I heard before.」

Sansa looks displeased and says, 「Damn, Nanana. She talks about everything.」

「I understand」, says Sansa, moving the cloth wrapped around the sheath aside and frowning.

‘Hmmmm….’ she says quietly.

「What’s wrong?」

「This sheath is pretty worn out.」

「…That’s true.」

Just as Sansa had said, the sword sheath, half –exposed from beneath the cloth, was badly damaged and chipped, even exposing the actual blade through the sheath.

「Hey, Kanza. There must be a sword like this in the storehouse.」

At that command, Kanza brought a very expensive-looking sword in a beautiful sheath.

「How’s this?」

「Wow, that’s a very gorgeous sword.」

Sansa pulls the sword out of the sheath that was brought to her and places the <<sword of Nanana>> in its place.

「It fits just right. Here, take this.」

「Eh? Is this okay? It seems a bit expensive.」

「Yeah.」

「…Does that mean I have to leave the <<sword of nanana>> as payment for the sheath?」

「No way!」

「Am I going to have to sign some weird paperwork after this?」

「Would it kill you to just accept my honest thanks!?」

「Thanks?」

「You, Yun and Tetsu, without your efforts things might not have worked out」, Sansa muttered as she turned away.

She pushed the <<sword of Nanana>> which was in a beautiful sheath on the table, towards Juugo, and continued.

「And in my own way, I agree. You are worthy to wield the sword that nanana once wielded.」

「Sansa-san」, Juugo’s expression softened a little.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

「Sis, I have good news. Yun’s treatment is over and she is surviving. She’s okay now.」

「That’s good to hear.」

Juugo looked relieved at the subordinate’s report.