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Nanana’s Buried Treasure Volume 1 Chapter 2.2

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“Translator: Goma/Editor: TheNix”

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「Do you like architecture? 」

「No but I like all the buildings that Koma Mutsumi has made」

「Why? 」

「Because I feel like they are alive. The buildings」

    Before I came to this island, I had visited buildings that Koma Mutsumi had designed a couple of times. All of them seemed to have a soul in them. It was the same as a human; no building was the same. Each one of them had a unique characteristic to it. None of them were very odd and ugly either. Although they were definitely unique, they were not ugly. That being said, when several buildings came together, there was a larger meaning to it.

    Koma Mutsumi’s theme in her design was 「Harmony」.

    When I glanced beside me, Ms. Yumeji was jotting notes on her student handbook.

「What are you writing? 」

    When I tried to peek at it, Ms. Yumeji hurriedly put her student handbook back into her pocket.

「S, sorry. I make it a point to write down words or phrases that I think are beautiful. ……Does it bother you? 」

「No, not at all. Just, why are you writing them down? 」

    When I asked her, Ms. Yumeji murmured in a very small voice as if embarrassed.

「Em……I, want to become a novel writer」

「Wow, that’s amazing! That’s super cool! 」

    I could not help but raise my voice. I genuinely thought that having something one wanted to be and putting in continuous effort for it was amazing.

    When I said so, Ms. Yumeji seemed surprised.

「……You aren’t going to laugh at me? 」

「What, why? 」

    I don’t know why she would think I’d laugh at her.

「Erm, I somewhat thought that you would be the type of person that finds it silly……」

「Wha, do I look like such an evil person? 」

「Um, not, not really but……you look a little.…..cool, so I thought you were a self-centered person」

「Hm? Sorry, I could not hear properly, so could you repeat again? 」

    When I moved my face close to her and tried to listen, Ms. Yumeji’s face suddenly turned red.

「Wha……um, you looked a little like a delinquent! 」

    Ms. Yumeji said this and ran away.

「……Do my eyes look scary? 」

    I became self-conscious. From tonight onward I shall practice smiling cheerfully in front of the mirror.

    While thinking that, I gazed in the direction that Ms. Yumeji had run toward, and thought.

「The future me, huh」

    Now that I don’t need to inherit the family business, I wonder what kind of job I will be doing once I graduate from school.

「No, that’s wrong. I wonder what kind of person I will become and what kind of things I will achieve 」

    It was one of my family’s values.

『Do not mistake the means and the purpose. The two are totally different things. That is why one must not pursue the means as a goal』

    The only purpose of aspiring to be something should be to achieve something.

    I recalled my dad’s words, and could not help but wryly laugh.

    Even now I recalled family values unintentionally. Perhaps I was not able to flee from my family business’s constraints just yet.

 

Section 3

 

In the end, the tour around the school was cut short, and I had no choice but to head home.

However, every step I took seemed very heavy. This was because there was an earthbound ghost waiting for me there, of course.

「……I don’t want to go home」

    On the Saturday that I came to this island, she had completely dislocated my left shoulder. The landlady came to my room shouting, 「Stop being noisy」. She hit my head.

    Ms. Shiki looked at how I was rolling around in pain due to the dislocation of the shoulder, and said, 「what are you doing」. She then grabbed my left shoulder and left arm, and put it back in place in one go.

「I know the entire structure of the human body」

    Said Ms. Shiki. Thanks to her, I was temporarily fixed and immediately shown to the town’s doctor nearby. According to the diagnosis, it would take one week to heal completely. By the way, for a dislocation, this wasn’t very serious. 「I am an expert at dislocating」, said Nanana.

    Well, in the end, the battle for dominance in the room 202 ended. I had become an underling to mistress Nanana.

    Well that being said, it’s not all that strange. She did not ask me to do anything. Only occasionally did she order me saying, 「go buy pudding」

    However, the issue was in a different area.

    Today was Monday. That meant that I had already spent two nights together with Nanana.

    From there, I concluded.

    Nanana was really not a human, and was an existence that was out of this world.

    Initially, I had thought that we were doing quite well. We talked normally, watched TV together……however, eventually, the difference became very clear-cut. Naturally, I became hungry and ate a cup of ramen. However, Nanana did not eat anything. She ate pudding at random times, but apparently that was not necessary either. I went to the toilet and bathed (that being said, since my left shoulder was screwed up I could only wipe myself with a warm towel). Nevertheless, to Nanana, it seemed that such actions were unnecessary, and she did not leave the room at all.

    On top of this, the most distinct difference.

    When I was sleepy, I slept. However, Nanana did not sleep at all.

「No, I must go to the gathering spot now. It would take three hours to go there」

    While moving the mouse and rattling the keyboard, Nanana stared at the PC’s monitor.

    Utilizing her earthbound ghost powers, she totally was an online game addict. For me who had been living as a human for 16 years, she was way beyond my understanding.

    She looked like a normal cute girl. But she was clearly not a human.

    The pressure of this inhuman being gradually got heavier, and I constantly felt tired.

    Continuing to live with her in the same room was more difficult than I had expected.

    As Nanana had said, it seemed that it was very difficult for an earthbound ghost and a human to live together.

    I lingered outside for as long as I could to kill time, and then went back into my home. I then immediately started preparing dinner.

「Cup ramen again? You ate it in the morning as well」

    For some reason, Nanana was in a bad mood since last night. She still seemed in a bad mood now.

「I cannot cook food」

「If you don’t learn how to cook, that will poison your body, you know? 」

    I had a good reason: I could not learn cooking with an injured arm. Also, I really don’t have money, so I cannot buy the ingredients. Even if I want to work part-time, I cannot since I am injured.

    I thought this but instead said, 「I will be careful」. Then, I ate the cup ramen.

    Nanana still seemed moody as she hugged a pillow, looked at the TV screen, and fell silent.

    It was somewhat awkward.

    In this room, I silently ate the somewhat soft noodles.

    The fact is I do want to eat nice food. Wow, just being unable to use one arm makes life so troublesome, huh. The price of touching the gift from god was too large. As I had thought, humans must not chase their immediate desires. This is how I reflected upon these life lessons. While doing so, I finished eating my dinner, and immediately went into the toilet.

    Although I didn’t need to go, I sat on top of the toilet cover and used my phone. I sent emails to my friends,  looked at social media sites that I had an account on, or read online news……

    Then, in my heart, I would silently say: damn, I have no email replies or, wow, this person went to that place, huh, or, sigh, it is still a recession, huh.

    It was relieving and calming. This small space was soothing.

「Hey, how long are you going to be in the toilet? 」

    I heard Nanana’s moody voice from behind the toilet door. I could not help but jolt.

    I looked at the time displayed on my phone and was surprised. Apparently, I had been in the toilet for two whole hours already.

「I am going to come out soon, so」

    I replied by reflex, but honestly, I did not want to come out at all. I felt reluctant to come out of here and live in the same room as Nanana.

    Was living together with someone so painful?  

    That should not be the case. In fact, the time I spent with Ms. Yumeji after school was quite fun for me.

    What was different from then? When I thought about this I came to the conclusion that Ms. Yumeji was the same as me, a human. However, Nanana is an earthbound ghost.

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