Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko:Volume3 Chapter8

Chapter 8 - How Many Shining Stars Are There?

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(Q) Was it telepathy that summoned the meteor here?

(A) More fundamentally, there was no evidence that it was 'summoned.'

(Q) If it were a coincidence, was it possible to have such an accurate timing?

(A) Perhaps it was just dumb luck.

(Q) Why a meteor?

(A) I dunno.

(Q) Highway St*r?

(A) What's that? (TL Notes: A stand from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, part 4)

(Q) Is Hoshimya Yashiro an esper?

(A) Inconclusive from a single incident.

(Q) Is she an alien?

(A) I don't know how to differentiate the two, so I can't say.

(Q) Then what is Hoshimiya Yashiro to herself?

(A) No answer.

The fallen object was a meteor.

The pea-sized rock that embedded itself in the shrine ground created a crater with a diameter over 30 cm.

It seemed to say that shooting stars are not to be looked at.

I dazed through the next five days.

Knocking on the back of my head, I questioned the mind: 'Are you doing your job?'

The falling meteor became a tiny story on the news tomorrow. On T.V., net, and even radio.

It's an occurrence that many will forget on the following day. Events like someone dying from a fall, or an accidental discovery of a body — if they have nothing to do with us, we easily toss that to the back of our heads after a day. So this is the kind of things shown on T.V? Just something that had nothing to do with people who aren't involved.

Even if it were just for a day, I wouldn't want to be put on camera as 'the first people to find the meteor;' thus I fled the scene with Erio. And because of that, I no longer know what became of it.

Lets say I did stay: it's not like I was going to find a fly from the future or an alien in white tights. (TL Notes: From Earthbound 2)

As if it was bound to happen, Hoshimiya Yashiro did not claim herself to be the discover — in fact, I never saw her around since then.

The only thing left were the helmet bestowed to Erio and a scar that will stay with me forever.

There can't be more than a handful of people who's been hit by a meteor.

Obviously it's not 'normal.' Ryuushi-san might be moved to tear by the event.

"......"

I still felt the ringing in my ears.

Oh, one more thing. Erio retrieved half of the rock from the site and brought it back. She said something about making it into a necklace.

Lying in my bed, I changed the T.V channel. Appeared in the screen was a show proving super powers; my fingers stopped. Two boxes, and two people.

It was a test of both x-ray vision and clairvoyance. The man who can see through objects must draw out the appearance of the person inside the box; the woman with 'clairvoyant' as her title, on the other hand, must write down to what degree the man could see her.

It made sense. I understood the purpose of the test, so I began viewing the experiment. As I stared at the skulls of the audience, a thought went off:

"Clairvoyance."

I thought of the possibility that Yashiro's 'power' may not have been telekinesis, but an ability to see into the future. Uh, from the angle of her so-called job, that is.

For example, if Yashiro moved to this planet for vocational reasons — hypothetically speaking, of course — and her job was to save me, who was destined to be killed on that day by a meteor. What if she already knew that, and that was the prevention? Many things make sense if that were the case.

Assuming she predicted the meteor, Erio was the most probable in inviting me to go see the meteor shower; therefore Yashiro went and harassed her. Considering, of course, that Erio could possibly invite me to the shrine.

On the other hand, it's a bit of roundabout if that were the case. Yashiro chose to be involved by playing ball. If the city-side were to win, the festival would have moved, and Erio would have chosen a different place to see the meteor shower, and I by extension would lose connection with the rock.

Well, did she even know Erio that well? I'm doubtful of that. Perhaps she truly just wanted to return the favour to Nakamura-san for the meal.

She once said that she herself was part of the reason why.

In other words, Yashiro's being here and joining the baseball game caused some form of changes in my heart.

And so I hit a homerun and won the game, and ended up at the shrine... Is this what she was alluding to?

So why, then, the roundabout method?

It might be because, according to herself anyway, that having superpowers is too conspicuous of an existence, so by talking ceaselessly about her power, others are less likely to believe her…?

Or maybe because I just don't believe in superpowers in the first place that she couldn't find a way to convince me.

So in the end, she chose to show it to me? Just to throw it in my face?

But, didn't she explain the reason for the spectacle before?

“As thanks for the tomatoes?”

I mumbled while in thought; chuckles escaped my lips: do I seriously believe that the rock had something to do with Hoshimiya Yashiro?

Indeed, she had already declared before. “Meteor, Rock-throw, Star Stream” — not including the last one, the first two are both abilities to control rocks.

Since the very beginning, Hoshimiya Yashiro had talk of meteors hanging around her neck. Magic? Coincidence? Or a power? I cannot prove a thing. Yet, it was not an illusion that scarred my right arm.

As the closest proof, the rock left a laceration on my arm. Perhaps due to my tanning, that thin white line stood out.

“...A punishment?” Not being able to avoid the meteor entirely.

For making a promise with both Erio and Ryuushi-san, as well as hoping I can satisfy both. I truly am sorry for what I did to Ryuushi-san, so if this somehow absolves the issue then I will happily accept.

If I was five cm off, it might have went through my arm. Maybe if I didn't step backward, it would have hit me in the centre mass. Thanks to Yashiro, I was spared from either.

“…...”

It hit me: her joining the game, sleeping underneath the Touwa's eaves, playing with me in the pool… The actions weren't meaningless. Without those events, even if Yashiro were to show up and ordered me to 'back up,' I don't think I would have listened.

To put it another way, what she called a roundabout plan was, from just the results, a success.

Well, these are merely my speculation. I have no way of attaining the right answer. Either way.

“It's too risky to my liking.”

Grumbling to myself, I changed the channel again. Special! How to make delicious fried steak! Change. Questionnaire show. Change.

Visiting really old people's home. Change. Baseball broadcast. Stop. An unfamiliar team and a team I couldn't care for; one of them won, not sure which.

I shut the screen off. Thinking of which, I have no confidence on how the inner mechanics of a television works. No specific knowledges, just a scratch of the surface. From a typical high schooler's view, it doesn't matter what, any thing could seem like 'magic.' Just how many more mysteries exist inside this cramped room?

Being so clueless, I think I can never defeat the individual known as 'Hoshimiya Yashiro.'

After a little research out of boredom, I learned that Hoshimiya Yashiro was the name of a shrine around the city. The area of the shrine was known for having a record of many fallen meteors.

In other words, it was a pseudonym deliberately used with those statistics in mind. What a dramatic result. Anyone would doubt an alien that started out with introducing herself by name, I guess.

Because having a name sheds a layer of enigma. Just having that tint of realism — if her feet could touch ground, then there is a chance to hold her down. Yet, I've been played.

So I failed to rebuke Hoshimiya Yashiro… No, if I were to dispense that mitigating tone, I would have to admit more than just 'failed…'

It would have been a loss to this battle between us.

I had been annihilated by Hoshimiya Yashiro, utterly and comprehensively.

Being attacked by a rock that might not have been three cm in diameter, my common sense, rationality, and even beliefs—

“And I thought I won in the game~”

An honour-less victory — such described the situation perfectly.

I turned with head in hands. Next to my pillow was Erio's stargazing journal. Aside from personal interests, she seemed to have wanted to share her passion for the stars with me.

“Hmm...” I skimmed. To be frank, the enthusiastically-drawn pictures and records reminded me of Erio's impassioned silhouette more. I couldn't help but smile at the image.

“...Stars, huh.”

I was too hasty to judge Hoshimiya Yashiro's words as an escape from reality. Yet till the very end she perpetuated her way as the right way. I can longer reject her.

In fact, I support her.

I made a wish at the shrine that night. I wanted to see it while having my query affirmed. I said, 'show it to me.'

After that, the so-called superpower wasn't treated as 'fanatic superstition,' 'mysteries' or any such ambiguous concept; it manifested as naturally as it could. On that day, I was guided by Hoshimiya Yashiro toward the meteor-lit sky.

“So lame...” I denied it indiscriminatingly before, and here I am tasting defeat.

The hidden light amid the fireworks dazzled my denial of the unknown. It's not something to be trifled with — it's a thing created to ensure the existence of the human dreams. Still, it is something with the precondition of 'unreachable even with outstretched hands.' To put it differently, it's like your desires in a television.

That said, the pang of touching the television screen after reaching in still nagged at me. Did I feel someone else's 'few centimetre away' ability? The not-so-exciting miracle burned still on my scar.

Just what is the matter with her? My cousin who once again sought the star in the front yard.

Touwa Erio's extraordinary look.

Touwa Erio's blank past.

The me who denied Touwa Erio of her escape.

Was it truly an escape? Was it the right thing to deny the possibility of her contact with the extraterrestrials? Am I fit to be the judge for that?

Just as a powerless person cannot deny a power.

I am no expert of the aliens.

“What a pain~!”

My limit was to vent by throwing a tantrum in bed. Like Meme-san once, or rather everyday, did, I thrashed my limbs about and kicked the dust up.

Just where did the dust that exist quietly yet never appeared to the naked eyes come from?

Whether it'd be dust or rocks, I doubt I can find their origin, no matter how long, with just my 'eyes.'

As I paused for a breath, my phone rang. I put it on the desk — honestly I didn't want to bother, but I still crawled on the floor. Despite the ache from my side, I reached for the phone and held it in my hand. My face burned from sliding onto the floor; I put my phone on the prickling spot.

“This is Touwa… I mean, Niwa.”

“Judging for just that, can I assumed you've finally married?”

“No, I'm just used to the name from home phone… Can I help you, Maekawa-san?”

“Good evening, transfer student. I know it's only been five days, but somehow I'm feeling a little nostalgic.”

Maekawa-san's voice was as usual: Calm and polished. As though capable of cooling down the skin, the stone-like voice soothed my ears; the ringing faded.

“Same here; I wonder why… Well, what do you want?”

“What else? Baseball. You coming for tomorrow's game?”

“Baseball...” The image of an astronaut suit branded in my head. “I'll think about it.”

“Understood. You can reply with a mail, and if you don't, I'll just assume you aren’t.”

“Hm… Maekawa-san, uh, I think I probably asked you this before too.”

“Hm?”

“Do you believe in aliens?”

“Nope.”

An immediate response. A wise and timely judgement, so quick that I wonder if I've lost seconds of my consciousness.

“A question with fifty-fifty answers is better answered with the first one, transfer student.”

“...Is that your secret to getting good scores?”

“Heheheh, you're welcome to try.”

With a satisfied laughter, she hung up.

“...Ah.” Sitting on the floor, I let my head fall onto the side of the bed.

If I had to add a few more things onto this meteor event.

There was indeed an unclear sense of awe.

Kind of like playing ten of those movies that can move the entire American population to tears, and then forcing yourself to watch all of them. It's an unfathomable feeling of wonder that follows strange phenomena in the cochlea.

The emotions mixed like a pan of stirred food were stuffed like a sardine can, with nowhere to go.

Screaming with dried throats, in hope of finding the place where they belong in the heart.

Will I be able to feel this scar, one day, when I have everything sorted out? Gingerly, easily, and reverently.

I threw the phone on my pillow. Then I popped the window open with a crisp sound, and looked out. Finally, I peered into the yard.

Protected by the particles, Erio could be seen observing the sky with her star-lit telescope. Perhaps because of my lying in bed, Erio did not fetch me; naturally I didn't watch Jupiter with her either.

Noticing my gaze, Erio turned the telescope toward me and raised her arm.

“Cousin, want to see the stars?”

Despite being a question, Erio's hands beckoned at me slightly. What did Erio think of the meteor that seemed to have gone astray from the shower?

Just like before, she too chased after the stars today.

I pressed onto my brow, as if trying to block the pus of thoughts from running through my head.

Cough! After swallowing the pressure back into guts several times, I finally replied.

“Coming.” Waving at her, I shut the window. No, Ryuushi-san might text me, so I re-opened the window. I operated the phone, found the text history and sent a simple message of 'I'm going.'

I dropped the phone again, and lied down in a twisted manner.

Hugging the pillow, I squeezed my body toward the centre as much as possible while dying my view with pitch darkness.

Summer this year, just play amateur baseball and watch the sky.

So now, let's go see the stars with Erio in the yard.

And so, I sought for an answer on the other side of the telescope.

The shine that would melt me like that meteor.

And then.

I will hold the metal bat again tomorrow.

Wake up in the morning and march onto the river bank with just a hint of sleepiness.

First, I will pray for something, and focus my sight onto the left field.

The summer will leave me in a daze for a while longer.

To ensure that the boiling head of mine will never calm down.

By the heat.

By the cicadas. By the glimmer of the countless stars shining in the star.

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