Nanachi (Before) - Look, I Do Want Friends, Alright?
I[1] hate to say it, but this town sucks.
Still... I can't leave it behind. It's my hometown, after all.
This here is a little strip of land stuck between a mountain and the sea. Yup, good old Ashihara Nakatsu. A town you'd find anywhere... well, maybe I'm exaggerating. There's gotta be more than a thousand municipalities just like this all over Japan, though.
With Kegai attacks becoming more frequent and destructive these days, it wouldn't have been surprising if small towns were quickly destroyed, but for some reason, it's the places like this that have fared better so far.
...Do the Kegai like this kind of Japanese landscape? No, that can't be right. As far as I know, apparently it's just a matter of population. They appear to attack densely populated areas more often.
But! BUT!!
Those are just thoughts that cross my mind as I walk up these stairs to present my freshly picked vegetables to the shrine[4]. I still want to live in a big city, you know. I'm going to lose weight if I have to keep doing hard work[11] like this...
Cities sure are nice. They've got escalators and stuff. I'd love to have one installed for the shrine here in Ashihara Nakatsu. Honestly, this hike is killing me. And if I were to fall down these stairs, I'd probably actually die, so I can't do the Kinjiro Ninomiya[3] move... that is, I can't read manga while I walk.
In the end, I make it to the top of the stairs, where I catch my breath and visit the shrine. I don't have anything in particular to wish for. Even if I do make a wish, it's not like it's going to help much, you know?
It's said that the gods prefer to help those who exert effort rather than those who pray. It's a view I can respect. The god of manga ascended to godhood through sheer effort, not prayer, after all. This particular story really speaks to me.
I also want to draw manga and make anime. Games[5], too. They're fun, and I like the chiptune sounds the computer makes. Ah, but if I could make a living building model railroads, though, that would be the best ever!
Well, whatever. To get my wishes granted, I have to study hard. Alright, time to go to school!
Come to think of it, yesterday's DXing[6] didn't go all that well. Maybe I should set up a big antenna in the garden. If I'm going to do that much, though, I might as well get into amateur radio[7] as well...
Ah, decisions, decisions. So many things I want to do, so little time! I can't possibly fit them all into a day!
／＊／
I keep a low profile as I head to school, stay out of notice as I take my classes, and avoid contact with others during break time.
No, I'm not training to be a ninja. And don't say I don't have friends. I don't need friends. Solitude is my friend. Huh, that doesn't sound right. More like... I'm against having social relations because they eat up my time. Yeah, that sounds about right. Hmm.
Look, I do want friends, alright? But it's gotta be someone who can keep up with my interests, you know!?
Well, reality isn't so accommodating. Most of my interests are just too unusual, sadly. Too numerous and diverse, too.
I know, I know. The countryside is hardly the place to enjoy those hobbies. Surely I'll find at least a few kindred spirits in the city[12]! I'm sure they exist! I want them to exist! Please exist!
Whew. I got too hyped up just now. Sometimes it feels scary how excited I can get even when I'm by myself, you know... Yeah, like right now. I'm not even talking to anyone! Well, whatever.
I wonder how other people manage to live their lives without becoming bored, seeing that they probably don't have as many hobbies as I do. Would I get a serious answer to that if I were to ask someone? No, I don't think so. They'll most likely think I'm making fun of them. Yeah, I do have at least that much common sense, you know.
Maybe I can ask Micchi-shi[2]?
Though we walk different paths in life, she's an intellectual character just like me. There's a chance that... Well, it's not like I'm THAT eager to know, so maybe I should just... not ask.
／＊／
After this and that, it's the end of the school day.
I must go home right away because the animated movie I want to watch starts airing at 5 p.m. Farewell, school! I'm coming for you, TV rerun of "Neriya of the Sea Kingdom"! Today is the day I memorize every single line of its dialogue! That is how I shall prove my love... to Neriya!
I'm easily moved to tears, so I hold a handkerchief as I sit and wait in front of the TV. No problem with the antenna. The CRT's been turned on five minutes before airing time. With this, I can watch the whole thing, right from the opening song!
Three minutes to go! Hype!! I'm so hyped!!! Is this really happening!? Am I allowed to be this happy!?
-- BREAKING NEWS[9] --
And so I crumble into dust.
I'll send a hundred letters of complaint to the prefectural TV station. Really! When I say I'll do something, I actually mean it!!
And so, instead of Neriya, I watch a sad news report. Apparently a space station crashed, and only one survivor was found. Terrible indeed. But it can't be big enough of a deal to justify interrupting Neriya like this... right? Hmm...
But at the time, I did not realize[13]...
...That this news was the foreshadowing of a major incident that would throw me, this town, and the whole world into chaos.
Heh, as if!
Well, whatever. I guess I'll go make some money by helping out at the farm. Doing work in the evening won't amount to much, but at least it's better than not doing it at all.
Hmm... Yeah, I want friends. Someone to share this sadness with. I wish this world was as high-tech as the setting of Neriya of the Sea Kingdom[8], where everyone carries a communication device with them -- now that would make things much easier.
Maybe I should check out the "friend wanted" columns in some magazines[10].
===
Chapter 5 Character Profiles
↩[1] Nanachi (Nanachi Suhisa)
Descended from a wealthy long-standing family of farmers, so he was raised well, and in turn, he takes good care of the community. He's also what people nowadays would call a passionate otaku.
The modern definition of the word "otaku" has not yet been popularized at this time, so it will not be used to describe him in this novel's main text.
In the game, however, the word "otaku" will be used for the sake of conciseness. Apologies in advance.
First-person pronoun used: Boku
↩[2] 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.
===
Chapter 5 Footnotes
↩[3] Kinjiro Ninomiya
Historical figure (1787 - 1856). A prominent Japanese agriculturalist and economist.
Statues of him as a boy depict him carrying firewood on his back and reading a book while walking.
↩[4] Shrine
Located on top of the mountain. No one remembers which gods were enshrined here. The area was originally a road.
↩[5] Games
Home consoles have not yet been released at this time, so this chapter's instance of the term refers to computer games.
↩[6] DXing
The hobby of receiving and identifying distant radio signals.
If the listener receives a signal, they would send the radio station a reception report letter, and would be sent a postcard of acknowledgment in return.
↩[7] Amateur Radio
Extremely popular at one point. Even nowadays, large antenna towers can be seen here and there in the countryside.
↩[8] Neriya of the Sea Kingdom
An in-universe animated film that is considered a masterpiece.
The heroine, the eponymous Neriya, is Nanachi's first love.
↩[9] Breaking News
One of the most despised things on TV in the 80s, along with live broadcasts of evening baseball games that extend too late into the night, affecting the scheduling of the programs following it.
↩[10] "Friend Wanted" Column In Magazines
Was actually a thing back in the day.
↩[11] "I'm going to lose weight if I have to keep doing hard work"
Nanachi's go-to self-deprecating joke #18. Surprisingly effective.
↩[12] "Surely I'll find at least a few kindred spirits in the city"
It's fairly common for one to meet fellow hobbyists in college and become lifelong friends with them.
↩[13] "But at the time, I did not realize..."
No conspiracies here. Nanachi is just saying dramatic nerd stuff.
===
No comments:
Post a Comment