Foreword

Foreword

Foreword

N OT A CLOUD IN THE SKY. THE WINTER FIRMAMENT hung high up like a precarious, crystal-clear glass ceiling. It wasn’t long after Tsuwabuki Fest that December had snuck up on us.

My fellow students trickled in at the crosswalk to the east gate while we waited for the light to change. An odd feeling of sonder came over me, imagining myself as one of just a larger crowd.

It was strange, not having the third-years around. Not strange enough to stay the inevitability of finals, mind, but by the time those were over, we had a rhythm going. We got used to it; a lit club of just us. The obligations of reality often force us to move on fast like that.

The crossing signal flashed, pulling me out of my reverie. Never enough time to wax philosophical.

I speed-walked until I caught up with the mob, then settled into a comfortable pace, admiring the naked branches of the tulip trees on the other side of the school fence. The golden-brown leaves littering the pavement reminded me of the festival when they still clung to bark.

I kept walking and nearly crashed into the person in front of me in my distraction. Something—some one , actually, from what I could tell peering over the heads—was holding up traffic at the gate.

The student council vice president—Basori Tiara.

Not even a hint of a smile so much as threatened to cross her lips as she barked at passing students. There were others with her, among them, my own class representative.

What in the world…?

I realized what was holding everyone up. People were stopping to reveal the contents of their bags, and only then did I recall my homeroom teacher mentioning they were doing checks now. No skin off my nose. I had nothing to hide.

I half-heartedly flashed the inside of my bag at the inspector and continued on my way.

“One moment, please.”

I recognized that voice. Tiara-san came over and gave my items a much more scrutinous, much more prejudiced , inspection.

“Is there a problem?” I asked.

“If you’ll give me a moment, that’s what I’m trying to discern.”

Fair enough. Why had I been singled out, though? While other students slipped on by, I remained glued to the spot.

Tiara-san muttered some kind of half-baked apology before stuffing her hand into my bag.

“Hey, whoa , what’s this about?”

“All part of the inspection process. The literature club is particularly disposed to bringing inappropriate paraphernalia on campus.” She pulled out a book and, with businesslike poise, flipped it open to one of the color spreads. “And here we are. You’re not the first this morning. We’ll see you in the student council room after school.”

“What? Come on, over some normal old book? Er, wait, can you leave the jacket on?”

“You call this normal?” Tiara-san stared at the cover. And kept staring.

The title: Ten Plus Ten Is Twenty, So You Can Totally Marry Us!

The cover: two small girls, naked save for a pair of thin ribbons, with their arms reaching out toward the reader.

“It’s normal for light novels,” I claimed with conviction. “Now can you please put the jacket back on?”

“I don’t see how marrying two children makes it more legal. Would you care to explain the logic to me?”

“Look, it’s legal in the setting. Do we really have to talk about this at school? Seriously.”

We were starting to attract attention.

Tiara-san nodded. “A sci-fi. I see. However, that still doesn’t excuse the state of dress these girls are in on the cover. Unless there are specific story details that do excuse it, I’m afraid I’ll have no choice but to confiscate this.”

“Just take it.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Please, god, just take it! I’m gonna be late!”

I booked it. This was no longer a safe place to be.

Tiara-san held the light novel up high and shouted, “Wait! Are you sure you don’t want this?!”

Scoundrel. Villain. This wasn’t social suicide. It was social homicide.

I ignored her and kept on running. But then I remembered something she’d said.

I wasn’t the first.

Was there another who’d gotten stopped and searched? I couldn’t help myself and turned just in time to see Komari fall victim to Tiara-san next.

Still unsure of what to make of that, I hurried inside.