Micchi (Before) - Time To Cease the Unnecessary Thoughts
Some people seem to want to paint me as an unfortunate young lady.
Because my father[2] committed suicide. Because my mother[3] broke down and never recovered.
From an objective standpoint, well, that's probably accurate. I do consider myself unfortunate. I can't, however, say that I'm happy when people express concern for me. It just leaves a nauseating prickle in my chest. It makes my stomach turn. Makes my stomach turn...
It's a prickle in my chest, but it makes my stomach turn... as in being angry. The Japanese language sure works in strange ways.
It's morning. I feel melancholic. I get out of bed, dress up, and put on my glasses. So melancholic. It wasn't like this when I lived in Tokyo. Unlike in the city, rumors circulate quickly here. It's suffocating.
I sigh and look at myself in the mirror. One last check before leaving for school. Despite my neat appearance, I can't say the same for my fashion sense. Not that I care.
Whenever I dress well, undesirable types tend to flock around me. Still, if someone were to bring up my mother's hardship to guilt trip me away from looking pretty, I would feel compelled to strike them with a hardcover book's corner.
I wouldn't actually do it, though. Books must be treated with care. They are more deserving of attention than sarcastic people.
I am Michiko -- Michiko Hiume[1].
Lately, I've been feeling as if my consciousness would drift far away if I don't look in the mirror and concentrate. It feels like some kind of sickness, but at the same time, it doesn't. In other words, it doesn't matter either way.
What I am sick of, though, is being considered unfortunate. So much so that I feel like giving up on life.
I leave my house and head to the school, carrying a pocket paperback book with me to read as I go.
Here in the town of Ashihara Nakatsu[8], I have to walk to school, unlike in Tokyo. Not exactly an ideal type of commute for reading. I've adjusted to it though. Mostly -- I'd still almost get hit by a car every now and then.
Books are great[14]. It's nice that they sometimes contain text that I don't understand. It makes flipping through dictionaries more enjoyable. Makes me feel like I'm becoming smarter as well.
I make mental notes of things I don't understand and plan to look them up later.
When I look up, I see a gigantic column of clouds overhead, reminding me that it's now summer.
／＊／
Books are great. They're also the most effective armor I have. Whenever I read, people would avoid striking up random conversations with me. It works even better if I seem grumpy. If it hadn't been for books, I would have been constantly told by others how much they sympathize with my misfortune, and my heart would have been broken a long time ago.
Because the windows are open all the way, the cicadas' noises are quite annoying. The ones here are not like those in Tokyo -- or rather, eastern Japan; they're enormous and make a whole lot more noise. Truly a loud menace of nature. I'm not sure which is worse: the sound of trucks passing by there or the cicadas here.
"So noisy," I think to myself and wonder how many cicadas there are on the mountain behind the school. Might be interesting to make an estimate. If I can get some approximate numbers of cicadas per tree and trees per unit area, I feel like I can figure it out with some basic calculations[15].
Not bad. I'll ask Max-sensei[4] about it later. It's fun to learn things I didn't know before.
In tandem with the incessant noises of cicadas, the temperature starts to rise. I jot down a reminder on a sticky note and wait for class to begin.
Time passes while I gaze out the window -- five minutes, ten minutes... Finally, Kuni-sensei[5] walks in and announces that there will be no class. The English teacher from the neighboring city could not commute here due to a Kegai[10] attack, apparently. How many times has it been now? 39? Or is it 40?
"School's out!"
The good-for-nothing boys are overjoyed, and one of them is even inviting his friends to play games[11] at his house later. How naive. Given how frequently our classes have been disrupted, there's a good chance that summer vacation[12] will be canceled.
"What idiots," I think to myself, as Sawada[6] approaches me cheerfully. He's a classmate who has consistently looked after me since I arrived here. If I recall correctly, he founded the baseball club[13] with a few of his friends. They'd gather in some abandoned lot and play as a team, or something.
He's smiling without a care in the world, exuding a very sportsman-like vibe.
"Hiume, we're gonna go hike and play on the mountain. Wanna come with?"
"You say that like there's anything there."
Sawada scratches his head.
"Well, you got a point..."
"You know, maybe you should do some self-study instead. Can't blame anyone if you get low scores on the next exam."
"It's alright. You and Oyama[7] are the only non-idiots around here."
Sure, other people are taking make-up exams and extra classes, but so what? That's what I think, anyway, but Sawada leaves the room full of confidence. Some gossipy guys joke around, saying it's pointless to try to invite me.
I heave a sigh. Sawada may be a self-proclaimed idiot, but he's good at looking after others. I'm also one of those being taken care of, so to speak. It's been three years since I moved here from Tokyo, so I'd like to tell him he's already helped out more than enough, but because that's just how he acts toward everyone, I'm afraid he'll say I'm overly conscious of how I'm treated or something.
Being at school sure is tiresome.
I shift emotional gears and start self-studying English[9]... Although most English-speaking countries have been overrun and destroyed by the Kegai, the language remains important for reading foreign literature.
It feels strange to see "Kegai" written as "Myth Monster" in English. Myth Monsters... Is that how English-speaking people perceive them[16]?
Time passes as I translate by consulting a dictionary. A few years ago, the Japanese-to-English translation exercises were removed from the curriculum. Now, there's only English-to-Japanese. Since there are hardly any native speakers available, there's no more listening practice either. I recall the English teacher saying, with a distant look, that this was also a sign that times were changing[17]. I'm still curious to know what kind of landscape was beyond that blank stare.
The chime rings. It's time to cease the unnecessary thoughts.
The Kegai will continue to exist; there will be no time or world without them.
===
Chapter 1 Character Profiles
↩[1] Micchi (Michiko Hiume)
A bookworm.
She would have been content just to be able to read in peace and quiet, but the library is closed due to the Kegai and other issues.
Has no way to vent her vexation.
First-person pronoun used: Watashi
↩[2] Micchi's Father
Was a well-known career bureaucrat in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
Once considered a promising young talent.
↩[3] Micchi's Mother
Entered an arranged marriage at the age of 22. Gave birth to Micchi at the age of 24. Considered normal during this time period.
Despite love marriages starting to become more sought-after, Micchi's mother did not have one; she married a subordinate of her father's.
↩[4] Max (Baldur Max)
Science and mathematics teacher.
He's German, despite his English surname.
↩[5] Kuni (Kunie Enan)
Japanese language teacher.
Known as a "problem teacher" behind the scenes.
Despite her motivation, she lacks effective teaching skills. Unfortunately, those like her aren't uncommon in this era.
↩[6] Saru (Kunihiko Sawada)
Member of the baseball club. Quite good at looking after others.
When he was in elementary school, he was called "Saru" or "Saruda" because of his tree-climbing skills. Sometimes he is still called by those nicknames.
He is not keen on studying because he wants to find a job to ease the burdens of his widowed mother.
First-person pronoun used: Ore
↩[7] Konoha (Konoha Oyama)
An honor student, but easily gets sidetracked. The game's heroine (maybe).
Her reflexes and adaptability are unusually high.
Shares this trait with Nini and Teruko, her relatives. Perhaps it runs in the Oyama family.
===
Chapter 1 Footnotes
↩[8] The Town of Ashihara Nakatsu
A port town in western Japan.
Population of 24,000.
Already was a settlement in the Jomon period (14,000 - 1,000 BC).
↩[9] English-speaking Countries
In the continent of Europe, the Kegai are more powerful and numerous than in Japan, and the majority of the nations have been destroyed.
Likewise, the continent of North America perished in the 19th century due to a lack of means to oppose the Kegai.
↩[10] Kegai
- Called "Myth Monster" in English.
- A constant, significant threat to humanity's survival and prosperity
- Humanity has been in an endless conflict with them, but has been on the losing side for the past 50 years.
- The earliest records of Kegai date back about 7,000 years.
- Term also refers to individuals who are hostile to the gods or the government.
↩[11] Games
In the summer of 1983, a video game home console was released. It would go on to change the world.
Do you happen to know the other console that went on sale at the same time?
You know, the one with the joystick controller?
Although Ashihara Nakatsu is a small town in the countryside, one lucky boy managed to get his hands on that highly sought-after (!?) game console.
No matter which consoles the kids had, though, they'd have somewhat of a hard time screwing in the RF Switch.
↩[12] Summer Vacation
It will be August in the game, but there will still be classes. You can skip school, though.
↩[13] Ashihara Nakatsu High School Baseball Club
Currently has one member and one manager.
Rumor has it that the manager is refusing to accept new members.
↩[14] "Books are great"
Micchi reads just about anything.
She's not particularly fond of telephone directories, though.
In this era, telephone directories are thick, so some people would read them to pass the time.
↩[15] "With some basic calculations"
Having demonstrated high academic ability since a young age, Micchi does well in her studies.
↩[16] "Is that how English-speaking people perceive them?"
It is said that the Kegai's appearance change depending on the cultural sphere in which they are observed.
↩[17] "Times were changing"
The necessity of communicating in English has diminished since most of the major English-speaking countries have been destroyed by the Kegai.
Japan still stands, but is expected to be destroyed soon.
===
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