Volume 1-4: The Unexpected Sixteen Years of Kotono Harukawa

TL: I am GudakoTheMoneyWaistrel a new translator that picked this gem up. Boi, this is my first time translating hopefully I can present this good story as close as the author intended to.

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Thus, Harukawa Kotono’s unprecedented character caused me and the people around me to lose our composure.

Everything was unexpected.

But the most unexpected thing was Kotono’s accidental blindness in the summer of her junior year.

It must have been unexpected, even for her.

I don’t know much about it.

　All I knew was that she had fallen from a tree in the school’s courtyard, and that she had been struck badly and lost her sight.

　All sorts of rumors were flying around, but unlike today, there were no legal suits or criminal cases over every little thing.

　Things were handled quietly under the table and the rumors disappeared before we knew it.

　Probably the parents kept it a secret for the sake of their children’s future.

　

Let me backtrack.

　On the first day of the second semester of her third year of elementary school, Kotono Harukawa took a rare day off from school.

　Kotono Harukawa, who had never missed a day of school, did.

　The Harukawa family always spent their summer vacation in a villa in Switzerland, and returned to Japan in the last week of August.

　I spent my summer vacation at a swimming pool class, a youth soccer team camp, and my grandma’s country home in Hokkaido.

　So, we didn’t see each other for more than a month, not even exchanging letters or phone calls.

　Once, in the summer of my sophomore year, I received a beautiful postcard from Switzerland, with a very thick seal in the middle of the postcard.

　In the middle of the letter, it said in bold handwriting

“You must be jealous”

　I wrote a letter myself and replied to her, “Don’t you ever send me another postcard again” at the beginning of my vacation.

　So, I don’t know what happened to her during the summer vacation, but I was surprised when the old man, who was about to retire, told the class, “Harukawa-san is going to take a break from school for a while”.

　So, I don’t know what happened to her during the summer vacation, but I was surprised when the old man, who was about to retire, told the class, “Harukawa-san is going to take a break from school for a while”.

　The rest of the class was staring at me, as if to say, “You must know something,” but I shook my head.

“You really don’t know anything?”

Mukaishima, sitting behind me, tugged at my T-shirt.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her for a long time.

Thus, began the second semester without Kotono Harukawa.

It was a quiet but strange kind of peace.

　Some were sad to see Kotono, the eye of the class typhoon, go, while others were relieved to see her go.

　I, on the other hand, was living in a state of depression, as if a tense balloon had deflated at once.

　It’s not that I’m lonely. It’s just that for a while, I don’t have to be pushed around by that selfish woman.

　It was like when a typhoon strayed, even though I had been threatened that it would definitely come and I had made all preparations.

　I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or disappointed.

Two weeks later, Mukaishima invited me over.

“Hey, do you want to go visit Kotono-chan?”

　She didn’t say this for Kotono’s sake, but because she thought I might be embarrassed to visit her alone.

“It’s okay, I wasn’t invited.”

“If Sasuke-kun goes, she would be very happy, Wouldn’t she?”

“Of course not. I ‘be told ‘what are you doing here?’ and that’s it.”

“I don’t think so.”

　Mukoujima was a friend who took good care of me since I was a freshman.

　I’m sure she had her own thoughts about Kotono, but she was a very fair person.

　She didn’t belong to any of the common girl groups, but she didn’t get along with them either.

　Even if it was someone who was not in her class, she treated them in a very normal manner.

　So, it was no big deal for Mukoujima to go visit Kotono, and I thought it would be easier for me to go with her if I was like that.

　Contrary to my expectations, Mukoujima didn’t give up when I easily dismissed her.

　She told my mother about it.

“I asked Sasuke-kun to visit Kotono-chan, but he refused. You know, Yoshimi told me that since you were so close to her, you should at least visit her.

　I cursed Mukaishima when my mother was so disappointed.

　Mukaishima’s nosiness. If I went to see her and she asked me what I was doing here, I’d die.

“I know it’s a tough time for them, but I just called to see how they were doing. The parents were very happy and said they would love to have you come visit them. They said they would pick you up this Saturday.”

　Don’t do something like that, Mom.

　The world was moving on its own, unaware of my distress.

　Three days later, on Saturday, the black Lincoln carrying Mukaishima and me passed through the gates surrounding the vast Harukawa family compound.

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