Chapter 1: The Hazel Comet Strengthens the Attraction of the Full Blue Tide
Chapter 1
The Hazel Comet Strengthens the
Attraction of the Full Blue Tide
Ave…
Ave…
Verum Corpus…
Young, fine voices came from a distance.
This song…I think I heard it in class before. It wasn’t an English song, but in a language from a strange country…a hymn.
Where is it coming from?
Hyuga Kizuna, St. Lulim Girls’ School Second Year Student, B Class, looked at the trees that surrounded her.
A puff of breath left her small mouth. Where am I…?
She looked at the circle of sky above, closed in by the surrounding trees.
The clouds drifted along rapidly in the blue sky that continued infinitely upward.
“Wow, great weather!” Kizuna reached into the sky, almost throwing the paper bag she carried.
The scent of the green wood filled the air, and her double ponytails swung around as her little body skipped.
She was in the deep recesses of Maiden Park, which was behind her school, St. Lulim.
Not many people visited the deep, secluded areas of the forest. In fact, this was Kizuna’s first time venturing this far.
Kizuna had entered the forest alone…because Chikaru, the Student Council President, had invited her to come. Her classmate, Natsume Remon, had also been invited, but Kizuna had had to stay back for clean-up duty after school, so…Kizuna had had to come later, on her own. She had tried to follow the directions on the map that she’d been given, but the more she walked, the more she got herself lost deeper in the forest.
She had walked for at least thirty minutes, but…
“Oh gosh…I’m lost.”
Kizuna wasn’t good at reading maps, so she glanced at the small one in her hand one last time before tucking it back into the paper bag.
“Instead of relying on a map…it’s better to rely on your senses, right?”
Kizuna rubbed her tiny nose with her forefinger and closed her eyes. She concentrated on the singing voices…and sniffed around.
Vere passum, immolatum
in cruce pro homine…
As she closed her eyes, she heard the lovely, secretive song of a strange tongue, flowing like a magical spell…
Kizuna was drawn to the sweet, honey-like resonance.
Is it this way…?
She walked toward the soft voice, which seemed to invite her.
The singing voices came closer…
Suddenly, a bright light shone on Kizuna’s closed eyes.
Ah…
Kizuna, surprised at the brightness, cautiously opened her eyes. In front of her was not a thick forest, but a small meadow, softly illuminated by the early summer sun.
There were people in the middle of the clearing. She squinted to see them better…
The person who sat in the center was a white goddess. A slender, graceful, and beautiful goddess. Her lush black hair fell in waves—she wore a white Greek chiton and a semi-transparent rainbow-colored scarf around her shoulders, with a rattan basket placed on her knees.
The goddess raised the basket high into the sky, and an angel descended.
An angel in a tunic, with golden locks of hair and large white wings on her back, pranced lightly toward the goddess and…gently placed flowers into the basket.
The goddess tenderly stroked the angel’s head…
The angel’s mouth slightly opened.
Cujus latus
perforatum…
A free, innocent voice sang, softly lingering.
It was that hymn.
Drawn to the song, Kizuna entered the clearing. Puff…her foot sank into the thick grass with a strange softness.
Another small angel appeared in front of her.
This angel, with her hair tied in two buns, seemed a little more energetic, and she approached the goddess with a single flower in her hand, ready for offering…
But that angel stopped in her tracks. She noticed Kizuna and greeted her.
“Oh, Kizuna-chan. Great, so you’ve finished clean-up duty! I was worried about you since it was getting a little late. Were you able to find this place without getting lost?”
The friendly angel with glasses and hair buns was none other than Natsume Remon, Kizuna’s classmate. She handed a flower to Kizuna.
“Ah! Remon-chan!” Kizuna, surprised, carefully inspected the scene. The beautiful goddess smiling at her was actually St. Lulim’s Student Council President, Minamoto Chikaru.
Her long, lush black hair rippled about her, and the large red ribbons, which tied off the braids that draped beside each ear, looked hazy and illusionary under the bright sunlight, like red butterflies…
President Chikaru warmly welcomed Kizuna with a gentle gaze befitting her nickname, the “Holy Mother” of St. Lulim.
“Welcome, Kizuna-chan,” Chikaru said softly. “Any later, and I would have become really worried. I’m so relieved. Come join us as we pick more flowers.”
There was a thick book beside the basket on Chikaru’s lap. The aged yellow page that read “Faceless Devil” flipped over as the leather cover closed.
The angel next to her, singing innocently, was Byakudan Kagome, a St. Lulim first-year student, who smiled happily.
Seeing that cheerful smile pleased Kizuna. She skipped toward the center of the field, because she couldn’t wait to join them.
“Here, change into this outfit, my cute little angel,” Chikaru suggested gently. She took the paper bag Kizuna was holding, opened it, and pulled out an angel’s outfit for Kizuna.
“The Costume Club will dress as angels today. Let’s gather lots of flowers to decorate our rooms at the Strawberry Dorms.”
Kizuna replied, “Yes, Angel Kizuna will do her best!”
As Kizuna received her angel wings, she grinned and wondered if Chikaru-oneesama had baked a financier1 as a reward for gathering the flowers.
Kizuna’s smile was so sweet and delightful, and it made Chikaru blissful. I want their school, St. Lulim, to shine more brightly.
For a moment, a secret wish that she had recently begun to think about—and truly desired—resurfaced.
There were three prestigious all-girl schools on Astraea Hill, and every year they held an Étoile competition to choose the best students to represent the three schools. One week had passed since the end of the first round. While Spica and Miator had entered strong couple candidates and had fought fiercely in the Étoile competition, the apparently unmotivated students at Lulim had made it seem as if they were unaffected by this event, letting yet another peaceful school day pass by.
Of the three schools, Lulim was the youngest and had a laid-back atmosphere, uninterested in sending out a couple that would win the Étoile crown for the glory of their school.
In fact, most of the students there just wanted to have a pleasant girls’ school life in which to enjoy their various interest clubs.
Even today, Chikaru had invited three of her favorite underclassmen to take part in an activity at the edge of Maiden Park, otherwise known as the “Rear House” of Lulim.
My girls are so adorable… I want them to…
Chikaru, while as content as she could be, still felt an underlying ambition from the past that she had thought was too much to ask for.
An ambition she had secretly fantasized about.
Seeing the smiles of her endearing younger sisters, though…
Well, maybe for my girls’ sake, I should…put that plan into action…I suppose.
For Kagome-chan, Kizuna-chan, and Remon-chan… Because I now have the three of you, my new stars, finally…it is probably time to execute a plan I’ve had on the backburner for such a long time.
A dream I thought would never be fulfilled…until now.
Yes…
Everyone has probably long forgotten, but just like the dark green brilliance of Miator’s emerald star, and the silver intensity of Spica’s white star…the red, burning passion of Lulim’s crimson star also shines…
Everyone must be reminded of this…
Chikaru placed a hand on her heart and closed her eyes.
***
To the beloved girl with beautiful, crystal-clear eyes, Kusanagi Makoto,
This year, during the month of May, the time for the fresh green leaves of spring has arrived. How have you been, Mako-chan? Things over here remain…chilly, I suppose. Though it has been a while since the new school term began, I am still alone… I still cannot bear the fact that I sincerely feel your absence.
Why did you choose to go to such a cold, distant country like Russia?
I am so…lonely.
Yet another beautiful and pleasant day has passed for the innocent girls living on Astraea Hill. Even though it has only been a few years since that incident, I sometimes ponder about the strangeness of it.
But…maybe it was for the best.
A beautiful memory like that shouldn’t be shared by everyone, but rather by a few people, such as you and I, who truly knew her…and it should shine and be cherished in only our hearts.
While she attended school here…she was known as one of the Five Stars of Spica, whose spot was never to be filled again, an unprecedented glory that will stay with her for eternity.
Tsk…I recall your habit of making exaggerated declarations like that, Mako-chan. Maybe I picked up the habit from you?
But…
I have since removed myself from such rigid expressions, reputations, and pride, and transferred to the peaceful Lulim, where I have settled down as the Student Council President, but…
You know what? Mako-chan...if you’d only come back...
I sometimes wonder…what Spica would have become. The reason being…as the windy month of May approaches, Astraea’s most popular topic is the Étoile competition, of course. Had you been here, my strong-willed Mako-chan, you’d probably disregard this as an awful tradition of the all-girl schools, I’m sure—tsk—but in this year’s Étoile competition, a new star has appeared.
A new star that would bring a wonderful, new wind to Astraea Hill.
In fact, it isn’t just one—there are two stars!
***
News from Maiden Park crossed the ocean and traveled to the cold, northern country.
Fierce, gusty winds. A continent frozen over almost all year round.
A mosaic of stars shone above the cold Russian winds…
Crumple, crumple, crumple…
Kusanagi Makoto crushed the elegant letter from Chikaru with all her might.
She gripped it as hard as she could, not caring that she wouldn’t be able to read the mangled paper ever again…
“I can’t allow this to happen!!”
Her unbridled rage caused her fists to tremble. She felt the blood rising to her head.
She couldn’t stand it anymore. She rushed to the window and swung the right and left window panels wide open, letting the freezing wind rush in and rustle her hair wildly.
The cold, continental winds of May chilled Makoto’s cheeks. From the edge of the window, she glimpsed the thickly thronged Lenin Square in the distance.
Inside Makoto’s humble apartment, where she had lived during her entire study abroad, she felt her old passion rekindled almost instantly. She closed her eyes and saw memories, flashing one after another in short clips.
The wonderful times she had spent with her dearly beloved, who was no longer there.
The tensed corners of Makoto’s eyes gradually relaxed, but her face hardened like a cold porcelain doll’s.
After years of surviving fierce competition and discrimination as a foreign student in Russia’s St. Petersburg Music School, Makoto’s smile had evolved to become just as horrific as the evil smiles of Alexander the Great and Ivan the Terrible. Her skin was a little lighter than a Caucasian’s, and her pale but bright hazel hair was thin and straight, with razor-sharp ends falling over her light gray eyes.
She was small in stature but had well-proportioned limbs—it seemed as if she hadn’t fully matured yet. But she had a womanly aura about her: cold and cruel, yet somewhat powerful.
Her eyes gleamed like a conquering emperor, lording over the world, and her thin peach-colored lips, which were delicate but seemed unyielding, finally moved.
“I…need to crush them.”
She smirked. “I have to go back.”
She clenched Chikaru’s letter once more. Her grip almost tore the fragile stationery.
She glanced back at her room. It had been five years since Makoto had graduated from Spica Elementary School at the age of twelve and left to study abroad, so her room definitely reflected her tastes. Delicate antique furniture, black lace curtains, and a small chandelier purchased from the local flea market. Her closet was full of small, black tuxedos, and her cabinet contained several of her favorite violins.
Only those who have experienced life abroad, away from the luxuries of a wealthy home, could understand the starkness of these meager living conditions.
But even so…Makoto had chosen to live like this. She had made her decision after she had lost her beloved, back when she hadn’t known any better, vowing to be true to her heart and to achieve her dreams for both herself and the person she had lost, ignoring her parents’ objections to this path.
She gazed at the photo placed atop the bedside table.
Under the soft shade of bright young leaves, young Makoto sat on a makeshift swing that hung from a large branch. Pushing her from behind was an older girl, who sort of resembled Makoto but seemed a little gentler. She was quite beautiful, with an endearing smile. The older, slender girl wore the stylish white uniform of Spica—an outfit Makoto had often dreamed she’d wear one day. She was the only gloriously brilliant, beautiful goddess, indomitable in this filthy world.
She shines upon me forever like Apollo, the sun god.
Makoto tried to repress the image—which seemed like a bubble, about to burst.
An image flashed through her mind.
Phaethon, who looked up to his father, Apollo, rode the chariot into the sky but fatally plunged to Earth. She saw herself looking to the sky and being burned, getting too close to the sun.
Eventually, Makoto recalled the content of Chikaru’s letter.
Spica is rumored to have a strong chance of winning this year’s Étoile competition, because Spica’s supposed number-one seed, Otori Amane, the “Prince,” is in the running…
Many students from the three schools have predicted the victory of Spica’s biggest star in history…
If she succeeds in defeating Miator’s strongest candidate, Hanazono Shizuma, who is running in the Étoile competition for an unprecedented second time…she will surely make her mark in Spica’s history as the best Étoile ever…
The Spica students seem to place so much hope on her, as if they waited for the Messiah…
But in reality, this self-proclaimed “shy, bashful” star of Spica is rather unmotivated, and we cannot overlook the fact that she openly displays favoritism toward a particular third-year student…
The Five Stars are not allowed to be monopolized by any single person, but as the top star, Otori Amane has abused her status and popularity to openly show her affection for one specific girl, mentioned above…
On top of that, the girl receiving her affection is a new transfer student who just arrived this spring…an average girl with no outstanding traits whatsoever… Because of Amane’s desire for a cheap thrill with this new girl, one of the rules of the Étoile competition, which are based on Astraea’s long traditions, was “revised” to accommodate this selfish couple…
Amid the excitement surrounding the rule-bending antics and the upcoming second round of the Étoile competition, Spica students who have upheld the traditions of Spica have begun to have deep-rooted concerns…
If Spica isn’t careful, the clever sixth-year student, Shizuma—with the help of the crafty Miator Student Council President, Rokujo Miyuki—might claim the crown for Miator instead…
The soft-spoken Chikaru sprinkled her letter with beautiful, eloquent expressions…but Makoto got the gist of the situation.
Though Chikaru mentioned “two new stars of Astraea,” she only focused on Spica’s star—Makoto didn’t think that was a problem.
But in the letter, Chikaru had written about last year’s Étoile, Hanazono Shizuma—Makoto had heard her name back in elementary school. A gifted student from a prominent, influential family, who seemed to be infatuated with a rare transfer student who had arrived this spring…and even though sixth-year students like her were supposed to remove themselves from school activities…she had insisted on entering the Étoile competition for the second year in a row…
Makoto didn’t care much about the Miator student, because she was obsessed with the situation brewing in Spica.
“I can’t believe this…”
How could such a thing occur at St. Spica, the place where her dearly beloved had shone?
At Spica…the valiant and well-ordered St. Spica that Makoto’s dearly beloved had adored…
Makoto really had loved her. She had truly adored and admired the person who had been the reigning star of Spica.
That’s why…
It’s unforgivable. I can’t let a fake star bring down the Spica she loved so dearly…before it gets any worse, I’ll just have to…
Makoto pulled open the drawer to take out her passport, as she thought about the ending of Chikaru’s letter.
The past several days…I don’t know why, but for some reason I sense I’ll be seeing you soon, Mako-chan. Even though I know it’s not possible, since you still live in Russia.
Perhaps I was just dreaming. But it would give me pleasure if, perchance, you saw the same dream, Mako-chan…
I have enclosed a four-leaf clover, picked from Lulim’s secret garden. I must tell you, it required a lot of effort to find it.
I hope the power of this legendary charm will somehow bring us together in our dreams.
I truly want to see your beautiful face once again…
Your childhood friend who shares the same adoration of her,
Chikaru…
***
Ding dong…
At St. Miator, the warning for the first dismissal bell rang.
“Oh no! It’s time already…”
At the front of the classroom, Nagisa wiped the aging, cream-colored keys of the organ that stood next to the podium.
Nagisa’s ponytail bounced energetically—it matched her bubbly personality—and her brand new, charcoal-gray school uniform, with its classic and elegant design, rustled noisily.
Four fifteen…only fifteen minutes before the first dismissal bell.
Because Nagisa was not involved in after-school activities, she had to leave school immediately after clean-up duty, or she might not make it back to the Strawberry Dorms in time for the first curfew.
“Listening to all the fun conversations…made me lose track of time,” Nagisa remarked. She scratched her head with the hand that held a dirty rag, leaving a dust bunny caught in her hair.
“Goodness, Nagisa, don’t do that…your head will be filthy.”
Shizuma stood halfway inside the classroom doorway. She took a step closer and reached for Nagisa’s hair.
When Shizuma’s delicate hand brushed the nape of Nagisa’s neck, she shuddered at the sudden, strange sensation, and her neck twitched.
Shizuma made to brush off Nagisa’s hair, but because of Nagisa’s ticklish reaction, her hand stayed on the neck and instinctively moved…
“Kyahahaha!”
This time, Nagisa squirmed and trapped Shizuma’s hand under her chin.
Shizuma found herself amused at this unexpected turn of events…she hadn’t meant to tickle Nagisa, but…she decided to wiggle her fingers, caught between Nagisa’s chin and collar bone…
Tickle, tickle, tickle…
Nagisa responded to Shizuma’s tickles with a “Gyahahaha, eeeek!” and laughed loudly.
She was extremely ticklish.
“Ah, no, please stop, Shizuma-oneesama… I’m very ticklish! I have been since childhood…”
Nagisa, reacting in such an honest and innocent manner, blushed as she giggled, which only urged Shizuma to tease some more…
Shizuma snickered as she continued to tickle Nagisa. “Goodness, Nagisa, I want to let go, but…I can’t move my hand if you keep clamping down on it…”
“Kyaah, it tickles so much…oh no…”
By the time they stopped laughing, they noticed the stares.
Cold stares, from the other students on clean-up duty.
Jealous stares…
When Shizuma came to the fourth-year classroom to invite Nagisa to come to her home in Hokkaido, the other classmates were both nervous and elated to see the number-one star of the school, but at the same time they closely observed them…
Oh no, I did it again…
Nagisa shook her head and tried to remind herself. I need to get used to this treatment when I’m with Shizuma-oneesama…
About three weeks ago, after the first round of the Étoile competition had concluded in early May, Nagisa had made a decision…because during the first half of the first round, the cadette event, she had uncovered Shizuma’s shocking past.
Shizuma used to have a “younger sister,” whom she had truly loved. Her name had been Sakuragi Kaori—she had been a very beautiful girl—and she and Shizuma had been a perfect couple, accepted by everyone, but Shizuma had had to bid her a painful, eternal farewell.
Last year, Shizuma had claimed the Étoile crown just for her…
Nagisa felt that she didn’t have the right to stand next to Shizuma and participate in the Étoile competition… During the second half of the first round, the aînée event, she had wanted to disappear. When the round, the first of three in the Étoile competition, was about to conclude, Nagisa had wanted to withdraw from the competition, but Shizuma somehow had convinced her to stay…and had swept her away.
She had cried and embraced Nagisa. And after the event ended, Nagisa had discovered Shizuma’s true feelings. Once she understood Shizuma’s loneliness…and her emotional scars…Nagisa, who didn’t have much to offer, wanted to help Shizuma any way she could.
For Hanazono Shizuma, the proud star who had lost her most beloved.
Shizuma’s most beloved younger sister in the past… It was agonizing to think about, so Nagisa vowed not to dwell on it.
She recalled what Tamao, her classmate and best friend, had said to her.
“Shizuma only seems at peace when she’s with you… Shizuma-sama might just be flirting with you, though, so you can’t be so serious about it…
“After all, how often do you get the chance to partner with the school’s number-one star—much less a person coming from one of Japan’s most influential families? You should take this opportunity to have the experience of a lifetime and enjoy the Étoile competition for all it’s worth.”
Nagisa remembered Tamao-chan’s calmness and lighthearted smile and felt relieved.
Okay, Tamao-chan…I’ll go for it!
Nagisa reaffirmed her decision. After the aînée event, Nagisa hadn’t had the heart to tell Tamao what Shizuma had revealed to her. She knew she shouldn’t be the one to tell Tamao about Shizuma’s deep sorrow and loneliness.
But Tamao had said something that rang a bell with Nagisa.
“Shizuma-sama definitely likes your happy-go-lucky attitude.”
Nagisa said to herself, If there’s one thing I’m confident of, it’s being cheerful…right? Even at my previous school my classmates said my most outstanding trait was being cheerful…
So I shouldn’t be depressed like this any longer. I need to bring Shizuma-sama’s spirits up…
Collecting herself, Nagisa hopped around and spun toward Shizuma.
“But Shizuma-oneesama! Your home has a ranch so big that horses can run around? Wow! But I didn’t know your home was in Hokkaido, Shizuma-oneesama… With your family so far away, you must be quite lonely…ah, maybe the reason you like to have cute girls around you is to cover your loneliness or something.”
Shizuma was taken aback by Nagisa’s babbling. She just stared back. “Oh, Nagisa-chan, I have several ranches. The home in Hokkaido is just one of them…”
“No, don’t hide your feelings! I just…” Nagisa choked on her words.
Worried, Shizuma tried to peer into Nagisa’s face, but Nagisa blocked her with one hand.
“You came all by yourself from Hokkaido, so far away…you must have been really lonely. To tell you the truth, I was worried when I was told I was transferring to Miator. I didn’t know if I could handle living in a dormitory…um, but Shizuma-oneesama pulled me into one thing after another, so I never had a chance to feel homesick… Ahahaha,” Nagisa laughed in embarrassment.
Nagisa suddenly became serious and peered into Shizuma’s face for a closer look.
“Shizuma-oneesama, you’ve attended Miator ever since kindergarten, right?”
Shizuma was unusually surprised and over-whelmed by Nagisa’s intensity. “Y-Yes…that’s correct.” What is my adorable little Nagisa up to now?
Nagisa’s large eyes grew even larger, and she stared at Shizuma. “Shizuma-oneesama, I feel so sorry for you…”
A small tear rolled out of Nagisa’s eyes. She hastily rubbed it away.
“You’ve endured so much since kindergarten, being really far apart from your mother and living all alone in the Strawberry Dorms…”
The world of A Little Princess came to Nagisa’s mind, and she imagined Shizuma as the character from the book.
Images of little Shizuma flashed one after another. Little Shizuma unable to sleep alone in her room, crying. Little Shizuma running toward the sunset because she missed her mother so much. Little Shizuma on the phone in tears as she talked with her mother…
“Nagisa…”
Shizuma was stunned by Nagisa’s reaction, and was about to explain that her home in Hokkaido was just a vacation home, that her real home was only an hour away, and she visited her family at least once a month…but she couldn’t.
What a kind-hearted girl…
Her heart felt so warm and fuzzy, and she slowly cradled Nagisa in her arms.
Most of the students here, including me, are used to this lifestyle, so as a new transfer student, you’re probably more homesick than we are, Nagisa.
“Nagisa…” Shizuma said, as she raised Nagisa’s face. She looked into Nagisa’s tear-filled eyes and thought, Oh, I messed up. Instead of inviting her for horseback riding at my home in Hokkaido, I should have asked her to visit a castle in Ireland or something. That way, Nagisa would have become even more flustered and cried out, “Oh, Shizuma-oneesama, I feel so sorry you’re so far away from your homeland,” or something like that…
Wicked thoughts crossed Shizuma’s mind as she placed a finger under Nagisa’s chin.
This maneuver was quite natural for Shizuma, who was experienced with girls… Her face approached Nagisa’s…and she planted her lips on Nagisa’s forehead.
“Err, I don’t mean to rain on your party…but may I interrupt for just a moment?”
“Ah… Aaaaaaah!” Nagisa cried out.
Shizuma and Nagisa were blocking the doorway. Beside them stood a girl, her black hair bobbed, the bladelike ends slightly swaying… Rokujo Miyuki, the extremely intelligent Student Council President of Miator. She hugged a large, black attendance roster book and leather folder to her chest.
Nagisa hastily pulled away from Shizuma and used her hands to wave off the puff of peach-colored sigh that Shizuma had left behind in the air.
Then they realized…all the other students in the classroom had left.
Miyuki’s comment was cold. “Whatever drove you to flirt with her, even though she is…” She gave a sideways glance at Nagisa. “Even though she is a rather plain transfer student, I believe you lack grace with such behavior, Shizuma-sama…”
Nagisa flapped her mouth, as if trying to apologize silently… Oh no, I’m sorry for looking down…
She noticed a different shadow arrive from behind her, and cautiously looked up to see…
“Ah, Tamao-chan…”
Tamao was a beautiful girl who was mature and calm for her age, with long, bluish-tinted hair tied up in a ballet bun, revealing her amazingly white and beautiful neck.
Tamao stood behind Miyuki and chuckled silently.
Shizuma caught Tamao’s movement out of the corner of her eye and replied, “Oh, I don’t believe so, because one of the great things about being with Nagisa-chan is the openness of our relationship.”
Shizuma stood before Miyuki, fully poised, and smiled in a way that was different than when she was alone with Nagisa…an expression that was somewhat cold and conceited. She looked down at Miyuki.
Nagisa noticed Shizuma-oneesama’s eyes had a tendency to tighten at the corners a bit when she was around people other than herself.
Miyuki didn’t flinch. “Tsk…well, I suppose I can overlook this today, because soon you won’t be able to share intimate moments with her quite as freely…so please enjoy it while you can…”
“What do you mean by that?” Shizuma snapped.
Miyuki was pleased to have evoked such a harsh reaction. She smiled and lowered her eyes. “I cannot say it here… But if all of you are available for a bit…will you please follow me?”
Nagisa just stood there, gaping, and Tamao, amused at the sight, muffled her laughter. Shizuma just frowned in discontent.
***
While the uncomfortable meeting between last year’s Étoile, the Student Council President, and the two girls ensued…
“Okay, is the hat tipped at the right angle?”
“Yup. Put that pipe in your mouth, and you’re all set!”
“Let Mr. Teddy Bear join us, too…”
Inside one of the rooms at St. Lulim’s Club Building. The Student Council President—or more accurately, the Costume Club President—Minamoto Chikaru, was in the center, with Kizuna, Remon, and Kagome surrounding her, excited.
They were changing into their outfits.
Clothes were strewn about the club room. On the sewing table lay a beige, caped trench coat with a Burberry checked lining, a large, glossy pipe, and the distinctive deer-stalker cap… Today’s transformation theme was “Famous Detective.”
Kizuna assisted Kagome, fumbling with her blouse buttons. Byakudan Kagome, a first-year student, was the smallest of the four, with her hair in spiral curls like a French doll—a distinctive feature not commonly found among St. Lulim students. For some reason, she was really fond of Kizuna and tagged along…and naturally, she had become a member of the Costume Club. Kagome looked really great in silky blouses with large frills.
“Okay, once you tie this ribbon, you’re all set!” Kizuna said, but Kagome tilted her head to the side and muttered, “I don’t know how to…tie a ribbon.”
“Oh, of course…I figured so,” Kizuna mumbled. She picked up a small ribbon from the table. “Shall I tie it on for you?”
Kagome responded with a smile, which in turn made Kizuna smile too.
Their exchange of smiles brightened the room like a warm spring day.
Next to the two girls… “I wonder…were there eyeglasses during the time of Sherlock Holmes?”
Remon, sweating slightly, wore the coat and cap and fiddled with her glasses. The stems of the glasses didn’t seem to fit inside the deer-stalker cap.
Watching Remon, Kizuna exclaimed, “What, so Holmes is a real person?!”
Chikaru clapped her hands, “Okay, no more talking! Those who are ready to play out their roles, please line up here.”
“Okay!” The three girls lined up.
“Well then, are you ready? My cute Kizuna ‘Holmes,’ Remon ‘Watson,’ and…my little Kagome ‘Mrs. Hudson.’ You girls have a secret mission to accomplish!”
Chikaru smiled gently. “Soon, a little prince will arrive in Spica. She is sad and lonely, but nonetheless is a pure-hearted and very cute prince. The three of you will help the prince…”
Chikaru stopped in mid-sentence and gave a teasing wink.
***
Back in Spica…
“She’s so snobby because Prince Amane likes her…”
“Shh…she can hear us, you know…”
The bitter criticisms could be heard from afar.
Konohana Hikari leaned on the window ledge and looked at the sky outside. When she heard the wisecracks, her back twitched a bit, but she didn’t have the courage to turn and face the gossipers. Her facial expressions indicated her worsening insecurity, and she hunched her small, fragile shoulders even more.
She tried to ignore their comments as she looked to the sky. Her hair swirled about her shoulders, creating soft shadows on her white uniform.
Sigh… Hikari sighed in her heart.
White clouds slowly drifted across the vast blue sky above Astraea Hill. The green grass below billowed violently in the wind, almost to the point of snapping in half.
The air was damp. Maybe a storm was approaching…the rainy season would arrive soon.
The deep inner part of Hikari’s nose suddenly became hot, and tears formed in her eyes. Teardrops rolled down her cheeks. She was ashamed of herself.
Before anyone noticed, Hikari wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
I can’t…I can’t cry over things like this…
She tensed her stomach.
I am allowed to be with Amane-sama. I can’t cry over things like this…I need to be strong. I have to do my best for Amane-sama. Amane smiled and said, “I didn’t want to enter the Étoile competition, but I can bear through it as long as I’m with you, Hikari…”
There’s nothing special about me, but the least I can do is not be a burden for Amane-oneesama.
So, I can’t cry over things like this…
The caustic remarks behind her back escalated.
“She doesn’t realize how much trouble she’s causing Amane-sama… Because of her, Spica is split between the Student Council followers, who have allowed Amane-sama’s favoritism, and those who oppose the Student Council’s decision…it’s split the school in half! She’s the reason behind the loss of Spica’s unity…”
Ohh… Hikari couldn’t hold back anymore. The tears trickled down uncontrollably.
Gadunk…
As Hikari began to cry…Nanto Yaya, who had watched Hikari the whole time, rose from her chair at the back of the room. Yaya’s long, straight hair swayed, and underneath her sharp, jagged bangs, which hung down to the middle of her forehead, her eyes were full of determination.
“Hikari…” Yaya’s tight uniform squeaked across her chest as she reached out to place her hand on Hikari’s back.
Yaya had mixed feelings.
She was definitely fond of Hikari. Ever since she had first laid eyes on her, she had known that Hikari was her type. She was cute like an angel, innocent and naïve, and of course shy but honest. On top of that, Hikari liked anything and everything beautiful, like paintings, sculptures, even interior decorations…which revealed a bit of Hikari’s self-absorbed nature. There were times when timid Hikari acted out in bursts of unpredictable and outrageous behavior.
She was perfect in every way.
Hikari was Yaya’s favorite type, period. Yaya wished she could pamper Hikari.
But she didn’t want to protect Hikari. Not like Amane, the silent prince.
In Yaya’s mind, Hikari didn’t need any protection, since she had the inner strength to shine on her own. In contrast to herself, who had no doubts about her way of life, and lived it the way she wanted to…Hikari had a brilliant radiance and was quite precious.
Yaya believed the way she felt toward Hikari was indeed friendship. But somehow it didn’t seem like a friendship…it just didn’t sit right with her.
Somewhere in her heart, Yaya wanted Hikari’s body and soul all to herself.
She enjoyed holding Hikari’s hand as they walked. But in reality Yaya yearned for something more intimate. She wasn’t satisfied with the casual physical contact gained from holding hands.
She wanted something more from Hikari…a more basic and instinctive desire to have somebody as her own.
Yaya knew Hikari’s body had many hidden attributes, and she wanted to feel every inch of her body, to touch her…and to explore each other’s bodies.
Ohh, I just want to tear everything apart and melt away with Hikari.
Yaya’s desire was to connect deeply with the other girl…
Maybe…I should’ve been born a man.
Yaya sneered at herself. If I was a man, I’d force myself onto her…and take Hikari once and for all. But of course I wouldn’t dare say that to Hikari…
Even if I said it, I probably wouldn’t act on it anyway.
Yaya mouth went bitter with those thoughts, and she called out to Hikari once again.
“Hikari, don’t stand there alone. Come here…”
Suddenly…rattle rattle rattle…
The classroom door slid open, and Yaya’s voice was drowned out by its sound.
The whole class fell into silence at the sight of the person at the door. Yaya’s hand stopped in mid-air.
“Hikari!”
When one visited a different classroom, the school custom was to announce your name and state the purpose of your visit to the student closest to the door…but the person at the door didn’t bother to follow that rule. She just barged in and called out to Hikari.
The voice of St. Spica’s tall, short-haired prince, Otori Amane, pierced the classroom, stopping everyone in their tracks. The reaction of the students in the class was a mixture of excitement and surprise.
The heroine of the scene, Konohana Hikari, spun around as she dried her tears. “Amane-sama!”
Hikari scampered across the room to greet Amane. The two of them rushed out of the room together and disappeared down the hallway.
The door slid back weakly.
As soon as it closed, the class erupted.
“What was that all about…?”
…Oh well. Yaya sighed to herself. Hikari takes all the heat, because Amane-oneesama is so boorish…
Yaya couldn’t do anything about it but sigh.
Though Amane claimed to have no interest in girls, she somehow felt so hopelessly attracted to Hikari. Yaya had a vague understanding of Amane’s unexplainable feelings.
The couple acted like a boy and girl, attracted to each other, but didn’t understand the true meaning of love.
Amane-oneesama is probably in constant suspense, watching frail little Hikari being so cute and tantalizing… She probably feels she must protect Hikari.
But Yaya didn’t want to meddle in their affairs. She could have easily given advice—based on her own torrid affairs with girls—on how to avoid friction with other students.
The reason she refrained from giving advice was not because Amane was a superstar or an upperclassman. Whether Yaya realized it or not, her feelings held worry and anticipation intermixed…
Hikari and Amane were leaning precariously over a dangerous ledge, and they would either walk toward a happy ending or end in a painful breakup. Yaya wanted them to travel the natural course of fate and didn’t want to alter it with her advice.
Amidst the flurry of excitement still buzzing in the classroom, Yaya walked to the window where Hikari had stood moments ago. And just like Hikari, she looked to the sky.
Thin gray clouds steadily drifted across the sky like muddy streams.
Envisioning Hikari looking to the sky and having obsessive thoughts of Amane tortured Yaya’s heart.
“Oh well, what can I do now…?” Yaya murmured, while a bird—a pure white dove—flew across the dewy sky.
The dove flew in a gentle curve to the west and disappeared toward St. Lulim’s School.
***
Marks of dried tears remained on Hikari’s cheeks. Amane was brimming with anger when she saw Hikari’s predicament, and she vented her frustrations. “I’ll explain to everyone that you entered the Étoile competition just for me, Hikari,” she blurted as they walked down the hall.
“I-It’s okay… If you did that, Amane-sama, then I would only cause…”
…Amane-sama to have more pain.
Hikari couldn’t finish the sentence, because she was too afraid…
Unfortunately, Amane misread Hikari’s silence. “Yeah…I understand. If I said that, then it would cause you even more trouble, right?”
Amane laughed…but she looked a bit sad. I wish she’d depend on me more.
“I’m sorry, Hikari. It’s all my fault. I can’t even help you at a time like this…”
Hikari saw Amane’s troubled look and didn’t know what to say next. “N-No… It’s my fault, because I’m such a coward.” She looked at Amane with eyes still moist from tears. “I’ve come to realize that maybe I don’t fit in at…at this school. I haven’t been able to keep up with Spica’s customs…and I sometimes feel like I should just vanish or something… It’s quite embarrassing, but I admit there are times when I’ve wanted to run away from it all…so I wouldn’t have to go through all this grief…”
She recalled the painful incident in the classroom just a few minutes ago. What Hikari had actually meant to say was “with Amane-sama” instead of “at this school.”
“But…if I did that…” Hikari’s voice shook. “If I did that…then I’d never…”
She tried to hold back her tears again. She didn’t want to be a crybaby in front of Amane. She bit her tiny lips as hard as she could, and looked off to the side to avoid showing her tear-filled eyes.
“I thought I’d never…see you again, so…”
Hearing Hikari’s quivering little voice was so enthralling, Amane curled her arms around Hikari’s shoulders.
Squeeze…the tight, form-fitting Spica uniform wrinkled at the shoulders.
At the same time, Hikari’s heart was also squeezed tightly. “A-Amane-sama…”
Amane brought her lips close to Hikari’s ear as she whispered in the sweetest, gentlest voice, “Hikari, please feel better.”
Her hair brushed Hikari’s ear. “And…please be with me forever.”
A light, peach-colored mist dizzily formed above Hikari’s head. Amane chuckled in pleasure as she continued, “You know, Hikari, what a strange coincidence. I had the same thoughts run through my mind a while back. I also thought that maybe I didn’t fit in at this school at all…and I wanted to run away from here once and for all…”
Amane remembered when she had begun to be called the “Prince” of Spica.
She hadn’t received much attention during elementary school. But once she’d made it into junior high, the students had begun to treat her like a star. The shy and bashful Amane had felt really uncomfortable with the sudden attention.
The presents and love letters Amane had received only added pain to her grief, since she had just wanted to be left alone. Longing for a peaceful school life, she had often thought of transferring to a different school.
Amane could laugh about it now…because it had happened so long ago.
Her face lightened as she chuckled and thought, Oh, when did I get over those feelings anyway…? Did I overcome this depression…when I met Hikari?
Hikari, unable to believe that Amane had had a similar depressing situation, stared back at her, though it was still a sidelong look. “You felt helpless too, Amane-sama?”
“Yes, I did. I wanted to run away so many times from this restrictive hill full of girls. So I was just like you, Hikari.” Amane smiled. “Well, let’s go…”
Amane led Hikari down the hall.
She was looking for a place outside to be alone with Hikari.