Chapter One: Different Worlds
This book is the English translation of a Japanese light novella.
We have translated this novella with the intent of spreading Japan's unique light novella culture to English speaking readers. In order to spread the world view of light novellas further we have collaborated with the translation website Conyac (https://conyac.cc/en/), which connects professional and aspiring translators with those who need translations.
Together with Conyac we held a translation contest and selected two translators who were familiar with not only the language, but also Japan's unique cultural aspects that appear within the light novella.
On that note, please enjoy "Whether It Rains or Shines Tomorrow".
Glossary
Valentine's Day
On Valentine's Day in Japan, the common custom is for girls to give chocolates to boys they like, often as a love confession. Boys may reciprocate on White Day, March 14th.
Natsuko, Akiko, Fuyuko
Common names for girls using the kanji characters for three of the four seasons.
Natsuko -Summer Child
Akiko -Autumn Child
Fuyuko -Winter Child
Japanese schools require students to change into clean indoor shoes when they enter a school building. Most schools have lockers at the student entrance for each student to put their outdoor and indoor shoes into when they enter or leave the school building.
-chan
An informal suffix to add to someone's name. It is meant to sound cute, and is mostly used for young children, or among girls who are good friends.
Last names and First names
In Japan, how you address someone varies depending on 1) your relationship with them and 2) The formality of the situation.
When talking to each other outside of class, classmates who don't speak to each other can address each other with just their last names. First names and nicknamaes are reserved for close friends and boyfriends/girlfriends. Hence, Itsuko's irritation when Takeshi uses her first name.
Yukata
Yukata are a traditional type of Japanese clothing similar to a kimono, but not as formal, lighter, and made of cotton or synthetic cloth. (Kimono are made from silk.) They are often worn in the summer when people go to summer festivals. There are yukata for men and women alike, however a men's yukata will be worn differently and usually has a simple design.
Obi
A long sash used as support to hold up a women's yukata, wrapped around the waist tightly and tied in the back into a decorative knot.
Geta
traditional Japanese footwear that look like sandals made of wood with a thong strap made of cloth. They are usually worn with yukata.
Taiko
Traditional Japanese style drums that come in various sizes. Taiko are known for their strong, powerful sounds and are often performed in ensembles.
Summer festivals
During the summer months, Summer festivals are events held locally around Japan. Often held at a shrine (but not always), many merchants will open up booths in the festival area to provide food, games, and entertainment. Many people wear yukata to summer festivals in Japan.
Whether It Rains or Shines Tomorrow
By Madoka Harumi
contents
Chapter One: Different Worlds
An acidic smell attacks my nose, and I can smell disinfectant.
When I open my eyes, all I see is white. Then the ceiling and a curtain partition. I'm lying down on a bed. I realize that I'm in the health room, a place I'm well acquainted with. The only light hitting me is fluorescent, and I can't feel even the slightest hint of the mid-summer sun. That's a relief, although I also feel pathetic, like some kind of tiny, nocturnal creature huddled away into a hole.
The moment I try to sit up, I feel dizzy and grab the blanket covering me tightly. My straight black hair is irritatingly thick and falling in front of my face. What happened today is actually a common occurrence, so it's not long before I realize that I've fainted again. It has been a while since I've lost consciousness, though.
Today, the sun had been way too bright, like the mortal enemy it always is to me.
I zone out looking at the partition cloth. It vaguely reminds me of a big cherry tree with tons of leaves. It's on the banks of a river that runs through town, and makes wonderful shade on the ground. It's a great tree I often visit that's perfect for sitting under and just relaxing after school, and I was planning to go there today. I guess those plans are sunk.
From outside, I can hear what sounds like the voices of the baseball team at practice. What time is it anyway? My dizziness is starting to fade, so I raise my head, when I notice someone's shadow moving on the other side of the curtain. Must be Ms. Nakahara, the school nurse. I call out to get her attention.
"Oh, you're up?"
The curtain opens forcefully, and I scream, but no sound comes out. The face peeking through the curtain isn't Ms. Nakahara.
It's Takeshi Miyano.
At our school, there isn't a person who doesn't know that name, save any transfer students who have only been here for a day. There's no other reason not to know it. Actually, I take that back. Everybody knows him, period.
He doesn't even need to do anything special, he just automatically stands out. He isn't especially flamboyant or trendy or anything like that. Saying he has a special ‘aura' might be stretching it a bit, but even if you don't want to, you'll notice him, or he makes you notice him-- he's chock full of charisma.
He's got skin that's tanned all year long from being out in the sun, and he always spends break time between classes with an elbow on his desk, like a king ape surrounded by all his little monkey friends. Even among the girls who try to keep a distance from Ape Mountain, there are quite a few who want to talk to him. I hear he got the most chocolates out of all the boys last Valentines Day, too.
The main reason why he's kept this status with the boys and girls is his nonchalant personality. He knows he's the boss, but he acts no differently than he usually does, as if it were natural to him. Even if he's popular with the girls, his face is just like, "Well yeah, so what?" You'd be pissed if it were anyone else, but the way he just takes everything in stride makes you forget it, and this is apparently just part of his charm.
Apart from that, it's not just his personality, but also his potential. He's great at sports, he's on the soccer team, and his grades are pretty good, too. On the other hand, he skips class all the time, and there are some dark rumors that he hangs out with shady guys from other schools. If you ask any of his adoring fans about that, they'd just say, "Oh, but he's so mysterious! I can't get enough of it!"
His nickname is "Miyano, the sun harbinger," and it's rumored that it rains whenever he skips class.
…That got pretty long. Just thought you should know he's that kind of guy.
I have no other connection to him besides being in the same class, and absolutely no idea why he's here in front of me in the health room.
He must have come from soccer practice, since there's mud dirtying his navy uniform. Noticing my jaw hanging open in shock, he shows his pearly whites and smiles.
"Need some water? I have a cup right here."
He turns around, and I ask him "Where's Ms. Nakahara?"
"She went to the staff room to answer a phone call, and I told her not to worry about you, since I'm here."
Why in the world would he volunteer to take care of me? I wanted to ask, but the room pitched sideways. Dizziness.
It feel like I'm about to fall onto the bed again, but something is holding me up.
The wholesome smell of sweat wafts up to my nose. When I look up, Miyano is holding me up by my shoulder with his arm. Shocked, I pull away from him and end up falling back into the bed anyway. He apologizes.
I pull the covers up over my head, and try to use my already fried neurons to think.
The other girls in my class would be swooning in this situation. That much I know. But I haven't even spoken properly to this guy, and to me, he's the King of the Apes, so the only emotion I can muster is complete confusion.
I slowly pull the covers down to my eyes so I can see, but the moment I try to do that, we make eye contact and I pull it right back up. What's going on here?
"Um…"
He answers my question.
"I carried you here when you fainted."
At last, something that makes sense. So that's what it was. I sigh, and take the covers off my face. I try to sit up, and I don't feel dizzy. I should at least thank him, so I do.
"You can go back to soccer practice. This happens all the time, so I'll be fine." Miyano ignores me, grabs a chair to put next to the bed and plunks down into it.
"I'm kind of worried, so I'll stay here until Ms. Nakahara comes back."
I get worried myself, because it looks like he really means it.
"There's no reason for you to stay."
And, I add silently in my head, this is getting pretty awkward.
As I'm waiting with bated breath for him to just go away and leave me alone, his face turns serious.
Quickly, he stands up, and looking down at me, claims, "I do have a reason."
It's different from his King of the Apes face, so I'm pretty surprised, but I also get wary. The space between my eyebrows is wrinkling so much even I can easily tell they're scrunched up in a frown. He quickly straightens up and starts muttering, before looking at me straight in the eye as if he'd made a decision.
"If you're feeling better, do you want to go with me to the summer festival the day after tomorrow?"
Between our school and the train station, there's a shrine called the Inahama shrine that holds a summer festival every year. There are tons of booths for food and games, and it's big enough that they even have a fireworks show. Going to that festival, with a boy? I know what that means.
That is, if a boy and girl go to the Inahama shrine summer festival together, they become a couple.
Well, if someone asks you to go, and you say yes, I guess you'd already be a couple at that point. The fact that Inahama shrine's selling point is good luck love fortunes is basically common sense at our middle school. So that's what he means.
"…What kind of joke are you trying to pull on me?"
What else can I respond with? Definitely not, "Oh, going to the festival with YOU? Oh my gosh, I'd love to, I'm so happy!!!!" There's no way I'm saying anything like that.
Miyano has a put off look on his face. He points to it, and says,
"Does this look like the face of a liar to you?"
Even with that expression, he looks like he's having fun, as always. When I nod in reply, he makes a sound like a monkey screaming and scratches his head.
"Why? I am actually doing my best here!"
His cry echoes painfully in my head, and I make a face. He notices it and apologizes, calming himself down.
"This is no lie, and I'm not joking."
This I really don't get, and combined with my headache, irritation creeps in.
"If it's not a lie or a joke, then what is it? Self punishment?"
"I already told you, it's not like that. Why don't you get it?"
He starts scratching his cheek with a troubled look.
"I like you" he says.