Nanachi (After) - Listen to Me
This summer has been busy, to say the least.
Yeah, I[1] can't think of any better word with which to describe it.
Right now, well, this heat is wearing me out.
It's so hot that I'm starting to think the weather is controlled by a secret evil organization... or something. Looking at a thermometer at school, I see that the temperature is now 32°C[6]; a record high. Man, this sucks.
Now I want to hurry home and watch some anime. ...What? Now, don't say I've been doing that all the time already. I watch something different every single time, you know.
As I start feeling worn out, something -- well, someone -- comes by to make that feeling even worse. It's Sawada[2], also known as Saru.
And he makes the heat worse by hugging my back.
"Nanachi, man..."
"What's up, Sawada-kun? Don't you think it's too hot around here?"
"It's summer; of course it's hot."
I'm at a loss for words. He doesn't seem to like that acting like this would bother anyone at all. Or, rather, the idea has never even occurred to him.
As such, I sigh.
"I'm not talking about the heat. It's... whatever you're doing."
"Oh yeah? Well, don't worry about it."
"You should worry about it, though..."
Saru proceeds to laugh it off. I sigh again.
And so I decide to just ask what he's here for.
"Do you need something? I can't think of anything you'd want to talk to me about... aside from public events, I guess. There isn't anything coming up anytime soon, though, what with the summer festival being canceled."
"Actually, I need some help."
"You need help?"
"Yeah," Saru says as he wraps his arm around my shoulder. Looks like he's serious. "It's about one of the transfer students, Nini[3]."
"Starman? What about him? Well, first off, if you're gonna bully him, I won't help you out -- 'cause some of my favorite anime characters said bullying is bad."
"Good to know. I'd like you to be friends with him, if you can."
"I'm cool with that. But why? I can't think of any reason why you'd want to be nice to him specifically."
"Nothing complicated, really. Just wanna help people in trouble -- I mean, that's a thing in those anime you watch, right?"
"Okay, okay, no need to tell me why if you don't feel like it. I don't think I'd enjoy prying into your business anyway."
"Thanks, man."
Saru finally lets go of me. Ahh, this actually takes a bit of heat off of me.
"By the way, I would've been friends with him even if you never asked me, you know."
"Really?" Saru asks with an ear-to-ear smile.
"Really," I say. I must look at least somewhat exasperated by now.
We proceed to go our separate ways... and then someone else approaches me. It's the transfer student from earlier this year, hugging my shoulders.
"Hey. You good?"
"What's up, Hori-kun[4]? I'm having a hard time standing this heat."
"And I'd rather be hugging a girl's shoulders, but hey, can't have everything we want in life, eh?"
"Focusing on the important part, I see."
Looks like I'm popular with the guys today. No, I'm not happy about this. And no, I won't like being popular with the girls, either. It's just... this has been too much human interaction for my liking. I mean, I've been approached by two whole people who wouldn't normally hang out with me!
"Do you need something?"
"I'd like you to be friends with Dad... Uh, I mean, Nini."
"Starman again, huh?"
"Again?"
"Nah, just talking to myself. But sure, I'll be friends with him."
"No persuasion needed?"
"I mean, what's there to lose, right? I'm sure you have your reasons, too -- no need to tell me if you don't feel like it."
"It's not that big of a deal, really. Just look at him -- he's weak, clumsy, trips over all the time... I can't help but worry about him."
"I see. You know, Hori-kun, you never seemed the type to care about others this much. This guy's struggles must really stand out to you, huh?"
"Yup. I'm counting on you," Hori says and leaves, waving his hand lightly as he walks away. Like, the way an anime character would do.
I wonder if something happened to Starman. He does look weak, sure, but he doesn't seem like the kind of guy to cry over being bullied[7].
Well, whatever. Time to go home and watch anime -- there's a rerun I want to watch at 5 p.m.
But then, as I walk on my way, someone hugs me from behind. Again.
"Has hugging fat guys become a trend or something...?"
The hugger looks confused as to what I'm talking about. This here is a tall, energetic girl who's much younger than me.
"You say some strange stuff sometimes, Nanachi."
"Oh, not at all, Takako-chan[5]."
"So you need something?"
"I should be asking you that... Actually, no, don't say anything. You're here to talk about Starman, right? Sure, I'll be friends with him."
Takako-chan, looking confused, crosses her arms and spends a moment thinking. Wow, she's very businesswoman-like.
"Starman? Who's that?"
"Oh, you didn't know? Sorry about the confusion. I'm talking about one of our new students -- he's lived all his life in a space station."
"Oh-ho... Is he cute?"
"Pretty cute, I guess. And pretty weak, too -- that might be a problem."
"Humu humu..."
"Humu humu, huh... You know, this is the first time I've heard anyone actually saying that."
"Oh yeah? Well, now I have a plan! I'm gonna make that Starman my brother!"
"I wouldn't do that -- seriously, he's weak. Like, handle with care[8] weak. Not sickly, so to speak, but his body isn't used to Earth's gravity."
"Precious! So precious! An unreliable boy is exactly what I'm looking for[9]! Bye!"
"Hey, listen to me--"
Anddd she's gone. Now I feel like I've been talking to myself.
Hah...
Well, whatever. Time to go home and watch some anime[10].
===
Chapter 16 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 established 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] 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 "Saruta" 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
↩[3] Nini (Novus Nemo/Taichiro Oyama)
The game's protagonist.
Born on the Hope International Space Station as Novus Nemo, and raised outside of the Japanese linguistic sphere despite his ancestry.
Due to the unique location of his birth, some people treat him as effectively an alien.
His nickname, "Nini," is short for "nobody" or "new" in the International Space Station's standard language.
Being Teruko's grandson, he goes by Taichiro Oyama, his Japanese name, when he comes down to Earth. No records of his father and grandfather exist in Japan.
First-person pronoun used: Boku
↩[4] Hori (Sachi Hori)
While on a skiing trip, he suffered an accident and almost died. Had to spend a year being hospitalized before returning to school.
As such, he is a first-year student at Ashihara Nakatsu High School despite being older than Nini and his other classmates.
Surfs as a hobby, and is good enough to participate in national competitions.
First-person pronoun used: Ore
↩[5] Takako (Takako Wakakuni)
Self-proclaimed "everyone's little sister." A prodigy with an IQ of over 180.
Unfortunately, in this time period, Japan does not have a system for educating gifted individuals like her. As a result, she is considered an outcast by her peers at school and is unable to make the most of her potential capabilities.
The country's policy at this time is to improve the average grades rather than the grades of a few prodigies.
First-person pronoun used: Watashi
===
Chapter 16 Footnotes
↩[6] "32°C"
Might not seem that high nowadays due to Japan's abnormal weather, but back then, it was peak summer temperature.
↩[7] "Doesn't seem like the kind of guy to cry over being bullied"
Nanachi sees Nini as emotionally invincible.
That is true, at least in a sense, because he's being controlled by the player.
↩[8] "Handle with care"
If the player has Nini talk repeatedly without keeping an eye on his energy and stamina, he might collapse.
↩[9] "An unreliable boy is exactly what I'm looking for"
The way Takako likes her hypothetical brothers.
Her opinion on Nanachi is relatively high for the same reason.
↩[10] "Time to go home and watch some anime"
For this particular instance, it's another rerun on Neriya.
Nanachi just really likes that show.
===
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