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CHAPTER 1 – MULTIPLE STARTING LINES
PART 02
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The place where Satsuki and I used to hang out is an abandoned factory that sits atop a small hill, just a fifteen minute cycle away from my place.
Upon reaching it, I looked at my watch. It was just after 1 p.m.
“…Just what does Satsuki want?”
“Took you long enough to ask. Well, Rekka-san, why don’t we go and ask her right now?”
“I was just wondering what’s so important that it made her skip the opening ceremony.”
“Oh dear, Rekka-san, you’re really not very bright,” R sighed.
“Not very bright?”
“That means you’re thick-headed. A girl you’ve known since forever writes you a letter, asking you to meet at a spot full of memories. There’s only one reason she would do this… She’s going to confess her feelings.”
“Huh?”
“Whoa, don’t look at me like that. It was just an educated guess.”
“That wasn’t educated, idiot.”
My relationship with Satsuki isn’t like that.
“We’ve been friends for over ten years. We’re almost like family.”
“…I’m suddenly not so sure that my mission will succeed anymore.”
“Why? …Whatever, let’s go.”
I locked up my bicycle and headed for the factory’s back door.
This dilapidated factory had been off-limits ever since I was a child, but the lock on one of the back doors had rusted away, and we’d always entered the building that way.
As expected, nobody had replaced the lock, and I entered the building where I used to play as a kid.
“It’s dark inside.”
“You can sense the darkness?”
“I have five senses just like a human being.”
“Hmm, I was wondering if your eyes could light up in darkness.”
“Then I won’t be able to see anything.”
That’s true.
We waited till our eyes adjusted to the darkness before moving further into the building. Satsuki and I used to play in a large room at the back, which could be reached by walking a ways down a dusty corridor. Maybe it’s because I hadn’t been here in a while, but the place looked even more rundown than before.
It took some effort to remember the route, but we reached the room safely. It was probably filled with conveyor belts and huge machines when the factory was in operation, but now, everything had been demolished, leaving a room as large as a school gym.
Unlike the corridor we had just passed through, the room had windows, and the sunlight from outside lit up the place brightly. Even so, it was still a little dim, but I could make out the outline of a girl standing in the middle of the room, back facing us, right away.
“Satsuki.”
Her shoulders jumped when I called out, before Satsuki turned around.
Dressed in drab clothes, with straight black hair that had never been dyed or permed, my childhood friend had never been good with fashion or putting on make-up. Even so, she spent much time every day tending her beautiful black hair, and I knew she considered it her best feature.
Satsuki showed me her usual, calm smile.
“Good morning, Rekka.”
“G-good morning… But isn’t it time to say good afternoon? Why didn’t you attend the opening ceremony…? Oh, by the way, we’re in the same class again this year.”
“I see. So it’s still the same.”
“It’s as if someone wants to keep us together… By the way, how long have you been here?”
“Since this morning.”
“I knew it.”
See? This girl would have waited here all day for me to come.
“Sorry, I forgot to check my mail box this morning.”
“Would you have come right away if you had seen the letter?”
“Of course.”
“I see. That’s wonderful.”
“Huh?”
Hey hey, of course I would have come. Why did she look so relieved, like she hadn’t expected me to?
Something… didn’t feel right.
“So… What did you want to say to me?”
“Yes… You may not believe what I’m going to tell you, but… I’m actually…”
Satsuki stopped speaking, glancing around us furtively.
Just what does she want to say? I didn’t know why, but I felt a little nervous.
R remained silent, probably not wishing to speak.
Then, just as Satsuki was about to continue…the building started to shake violently.
“!?”
All three of us gasped at the same time as the windowpanes of the abandoned factory shattered with loud cracking sounds.
Suddenly, the shaking subsided, and silence descended upon the building once again. Dust was flying everywhere, though the roof didn’t look like it was about to collapse… I think.
“That wasn’t an earthquake, right…? Whoa!”
I realized that in our panic, I had grabbed Satsuki into an embrace to protect her without noticing it.
“Satsuki, are you OK?” I asked, trying to diffuse the awkward situation.
There was no reply.
Oh no. Should I apologize for suddenly embracing her…? I looked into Satsuki’s face.
“……”
Even in the dim light, I could tell that she was ghastly pale.
Her teeth were chattering.
“Oi, Satsuki? What’s wrong?”
Just as I was about to pat Satsuki on the shoulder,
“Young man, could you please leave her alone?”