Kaze no Stigma Volume 3 Chapter 1 – Meeting under the Moon
=== 1 ===
New year has passed, and several days after the third semester has begun------
In the year 6 class 2 classroom of 東立昂星 primary school, there is a certain scene, or you could say it’s a regular drama show after school.
“Ren-kun!”
“Ren!”
A small sized girl and a big sized guy flew out at the same time, and very swiftly tagged the left and right hands of a cute boy.
The girl and the big guy’s fierce stares crossed for a moment, and then as if seeing something dirty, they shifted their glance quickly.
“Ren-kun, let’s go have tea on the way back.”
“Let’s go to the arcade, Ren!”
Both sides sent out their invitations at the exact same time.
“Er…… Erm……”
With the boy who is at a loss in-between------ the twelve year old Ren Kannagi, sparks flew where their eyes meet.
Just as things look as though they are about to get out of control.
“Who do you think will win today?”
“Probably Kanon(花音). She has never lost before.”
“She doesn’t hold back at all.”
“No, I think Serizawa(芹澤) is about to erupt too, hasn’t he always been holding back?”
Sounds of discussion can be heard from all around the classroom, everyone seems to not be surprised at how fellow classmates are suddenly having an argument, but instead surrounds the three of them, in hopes of catching the show. A simple quarrel caused the students at the scene to keep a big distance away, as if indicating on what is about to happen next.
The girl------ Kanon started off first.
“Let go of your dirty hands, you gay! What if you spread off some strange illness!?”
“Who is a gay, you ugly girl! You should be the one to let go! There is no room for you women in between men’s friendship!”
“Ha! I am not interested to explain anything to a guy with a strange sex appeal! No matter how you try to hide it, anyone can see that you harbor perverse thoughts towards Ren!”
“What did you say? You……”
The big sized guy------Serizawa gives off a low growl.
Kanon does not seem scared at all, and uses sharp eyes to stare back as well.
This is but just a skirmish, everyone holds their breathe in participation for the coming of the real battle.
“…………”
“…………”
Kanon and Serizawa begins pulling Ren’s hands without saying a word.
“Wait….. Wait a minute, ouch……”
Completely ignoring Ren’s grumbles, the two gradually uses more force, originally, Serizawa naturally has the upper hand in terms of power, after all he is a primary school student that is almost 180cm in height, his physique will definitely not lose to an average high school student.
In contrast, Kanon is only about 140cm------ But, if just based upon strength alone, there is no way she can have a record of all wins. Being good at acting according to the circumstances, and cold tactics that is ruthless at the same time------ That is her style.
A while after they had a match of strength, Kanon lets go off her hand at an ingenious moment.
“Woah!?”
Serizawa is unable to draw his strength back at such short notice, Kanon took this opportunity to go round to his back, and forcefully sweeps across his legs that is supporting his full weight.
“Wahhhh!?”
Serizawa who lost his support right after using all his strength, was thrown off by his own strength. He knocks down four sets of desks and chairs, and then was buried under, without any sound coming from him.
“……Is the match set?”
Seeing Serizawa’s leg show from the piled up desks, one student murmurs.
Indeed, if it is a normal person, at a time like this, they would probably have called an ambulance long ago. But, he is Tatsuya Serizawa------ This man is strong beyond the average guy, and when faced with matters concerning Ren, he can even go beyond the limits of a human.
“Woahhhhhhh!!”
Along with an earth-shaking roar, the tables and chairs flies off in all directions as if there has just been an explosion. The students that ducked instantly raised their heads, to find Serizawa standing there with both hands crossed, his eyes staring straight at Kanon.
“Oooh! Great!”
“The power of Love sure is powerful!”
“Go Serizawa! Don’t lose!”
Maybe due to pity for the loser, the students’ cheers gathered on the persistent Serizawa. The boy who gets power from it roars:
“Don’t underestimate me! The strong friendship between Ren and me, will not be destroyed by such mediocre attacks!!”
“Oooooooooooooooooh!!”
Seeing Serizawa raise his fist up high, the students could feel their blood heating up as well.
“Err…… Hello……?”
Just as the tension between the two rise up continuously, the battle between the two has even forgotten all about Ren’s existence.
The situation before their eyes, is definitely not a rare sight.
A “Love Triangle” ------ Just the word that have been passed down for so long can explain it all. It is such a simple situation.
Even though there are some problems regarding the genders, but in modern society, “that kind of matter” is being accepted more readily. At least, their classmates will not feel disgusted by their classmates that walk down this path, but rather, stands afar and watches the way things turn out with loving eyes.
The really abnormal thing, is how vigorous their fights are. In their fights to get into their beloved Ren Kannagi’s good graces, the boy and girl can not be considered to be standard primary school students.
Tetsuya Serizawa------ Possesses the body of an adult, with a height of close to hundred and eighty centimeters, and is a powerful boy.
Kanon Suzuhara------Possesses cute looks that suits the name of “Kanon”, and a violent personality like a “cannon”. (The Japanese pronunciations of “Cannon” and “Kanon” are the same.)
The battle between the two has completely exceeded the levels of primary school students. Rampaging powers like a storm, and the ruthless cunningness of a devil clashes against each other, causing the classroom of year 6 class 2 to be turned into a battlefield.
Even though such a grand battle has caused an uproar for the students at the scene, but after three days, they are all used to it. Now, they already see it as a part of their daily lives, enjoying such an enjoyable performance.
“Serizawa! You must beat her today!”
“No! If that big gorilla is to win, Ren would be spoilt!” [Spoilt being like a toy, being played until its spoilt]
“But…… It won’t be much better even if Kanon wins……?”
Standing at the centre of the gossiping students, Kanon and Serizawa stares at each other. They won’t let even the slightest movements go unnoticed, their eyelids not even blinking.
The tense atmosphere filled the entire classroom.
The noisy students gradually get frightened by the atmosphere, and start to hold their breaths.
“------!”
Serizawa breaks off from the current situation by dashing out, he did not go in the direction of Kanon. The out-of-control boy’s target is------
“……Huh?”
Ren who has been left at the side entirely, is currently looking dumbfounded at Serizawa who started dashing at him like a bull. It seems that he has given up the battle against Kanon, and intends to grab Ren and make a run for it.
(You finally learnt to use your brain! Serizawa!)
The students shouted in their hearts.
Based on combat strength alone, Serizawa is way stronger than Kanon, but why has he been defeated every single time------?
Kanon is “weaker” than Serizawa. At least teachers and parents will not question such an obvious fact. This kind of recognition is a heavy bind on Serizawa.
Guys------ Especially for guys with physiques like Serizawa, to go violent against “weak” girls, no matter the reason, it would be the guy getting the blames in the end.
Needless to say that his opponent is Kanon, who knows if she would take the opportunity and make a big fuss about it, and erase Serizawa from society entirely.
Knowing this, whenever Serizawa attacks, he would have to hold back------- As a result, he can only retreat against Kanon’s ruthless strikes.
So he thought about it.
His goal is not to defeat Kanon, but to get Ren. She is just an obstacle standing before his goal, there is no need to go head-on against this enemy.
Just ignore her, because what he wants is right before him.
“Ren------!”
Serizawa stretches out his gigantic hand, at the boy that is standing still at where he is.
(Oh------ Finally learnt to use some brains.)
On the other hand, Kanon still seems very calm. After all, how can she not notice something even Serizawa can. This action came as no surprise to her.
She unhurriedly runs off. Serizawa is faster in terms of speed, at this rate, she might be thrown off by him.
Yet Serizawa’s goal is not to just run, but to grab Ren and exit the battlefield. In that case, he would have to slow down at the instant when he grabs Ren.
She can catch him then.
This is not a one-sided wish, nor a result based on luck, but calculations based on their current position and mobility to achieve this goal.
Serizawa takes action, and Kanon retaliates accordingly------ The students would probably think that that is what happened. But only Kanon knows, that she is in total control of the stage.
“Seri……Serizawa-san……”
Realizing that Serizawa is about to take him away forcefully, Ren can’t help but resist. In Serizawa’s anxious conscious, Kanon’s existence seems to have vanished entirely.
(A hit------!)
Faced towards Serizawa who has his back faced at her, Kanon uses her hind leg to make a final step. And then------
Bang!
A step kick that almost broke the floor alongwith it, gave off a sound similar to one of an explosion. At the same time, Serizawa disappeared from Ren’s view of sight.
At the position where Serizawa was moment ago, Kanon appears there right now.
“…………”
Ren recalls on the pool[a.k.a Snooker] technique he saw on television once. It is a technique called “Stop Shot”, the player hits the ball such that all its kinetic energy is shifted to the ball it hits, and then stays where the other ball had been originally.
It seemed just like that.
Kanon opens her legs wide, her waist sinks down, her arms stretched out front. That posture that is not compatible with her cute one-piece, looks very scary.
“Ri……Rimon Chouchu……”
Someone mutters the name as if groaning. Baji Quan------ A famous Chinese martial arts move made known due to a certain fighting game. Despite having no idea of how she learnt it, but this is way beyond the level of imitation, and is a deadly blow based off a stepping effect.
Serizawa who is sent flying, falls into that stack of tables that he toppled over earlier. Unlike last time, he is not moving at all, it seems he has fainted.
“------Phew!”
Kanon breathes out, and disarms her stance. She combs the hair on her cheek to the back, and slowly turns around.
“Come, let us go back, Ren-san♥”
The violent aura seconds ago is no longer around, in replacement, she bears an extremely bright smile.
Seeing this smile, anyone would probably be attracted------ If not for that painful tragedy just now, and Serizawa who shows no signs of waking up.
Kanon looks as though she grabs Ren’s arm lightly, but the force in her hand does not let him resist, and just dragged him off just like that, there is no fool who would stand up to stop her now.
=== 2 ===
By the time Ren was released from Kanon’s constrains, it is already after seven in the evening.
Needless to say, they did not just have tea. Without any care at how others may see them, Kanon who dragged him onto the streets to shop and go for karaoke, Ren must muster all his concentration just to escape from her evil clutches(According to Serizawa’s experience).
“……How tiring.”
The sun has already set by now. Ren walks alone on the night streets, murmuring with all kinds of thoughts on his mind.
Actually, he does not dislike Kanon, but instead is rather fond of her. It is not a obscure feeling, it can be explained easily by the word “like”.
However.
Ren’s “like” and Kanon’s “like” are completely different. The more he understands this, the more he is unsure of how to get along with her.
He has yet to experience “love”.
Including his family members, there are a lot of people he likes, but taking it to the extreme, there is no high or low, good or bad to this feeling of like. There exists different amounts and priority to feelings. But to like multiple people is not contradictory.
He still does not know, how it feels like to have deep feelings towards that one and only irreplaceable person in the world. Because of that, when faced with a girl who does not hold back in pouring her feelings into him, he can’t help but feel at a loss.
(Besides, why me……?)
Ren has never thought of himself as to possess some manly charm. Be it that feminine look, or that personality that makes him not good at reject others, only seems like negative points himself as a man.
(A so-called “Good man”, must mean someone like Onii-san.)
He compares himself with his brother quite frequently recently.
Kazuma Yagami.
A thoroughly trained body, a finely honed spirit. Bearer of supreme strength that has attained a state that cannot be shaken------ This may have been overly beautified, but his brother whom he has not seen for four years, is just how he wants to be like.
<nowiki>------</nowiki>How I wish I can be like my brother in the future------
Bearing youthful innocence, Ren whole-heartedly worships Kazuma. For Ren, who takes his own gentleness as a sign of immaturity, Kazuma’s cold-bloodedness that allows him to abandon anything and everything to protect those important to him, is a positive point very worthy for him to learn.
How heavy is this act of “Choice”? Just what does the action of “Abandon” mean? Ren still has yet to understand it now.
“------Huh?”
As Ren is on his way back, just as he is passing by the entrance to the park, he suddenly has this strange feeling, and so looked towards the park.
“……A song?”
That is a children’s park that is situated in the quiet residential area. As the location is rather rural, there are quite a number of people who would hide here and do some inappropriate acts. When the sun has set, there is almost no one in the park.
But, tonight seems to be an exception. The singing coming out from under the shade of the trees, is without a doubt from a human, and it should be from the mouth of a girl. Attracted by the melodious and crystal clear high pitch feminine voice, Ren walks into the park.
“---------------------------------------”
There is no need to even search.
The instant he stepped into the park, the singing voice caught Ren’s consciousness with a strong power that almost seems violent.
At the very top of the jungle gym, one can see a girl standing at the tip of her feet on the thin metal bar, singing.
Under the cold night sky, she is only wearing a thin white one-piece dress. The girl lets her slightly curly black hair that is up to her waist, flutter in the wind, concentrating on her song.
There is a almost perfectly full moon in the sky, the luminous moonlight shines upon the girl.
“-----------------------------------------”
In Ren’s consciousness, everything in the world seems to have lost their meaning. In his eyes, there exists only the luminous moonlight and the girl that is being blessed by the moon------
Thump. [Sound of heartbeat, replace this if there is a better suited sound.]
His heart started speeding up on its own, this is an abnormally vigorous heartbeat. Even though there is no basis for it, but Ren deeply believes that he heard that sound.
Thump.
He can clearly feel the motion of the blood flowing in the blood vessels, the surging blood flow caused his limps to begin trembling.
Thump, thump.
The deafening sounds of his heartbeat spread over his entire body. Even so, the girl’s singing voice still reached his ears very naturally.
She is singing her song to the moon, or offering her song as a tribute for the moon? That sincere appearance, like a shrine maiden making tributes towards a deity, is just so pure and dignified------
(What……. Did I see……?)
A shred of guilt as if he has peeked into a sacred ritual flashed through Ren’s heart, but even so, he was unable to shift his glance, or to not even have such a thought in his mind. His eyes are filled with just the luminous moon and the girl that’s blessed by the moon.
“……Huh……”
Is this reality? Is this girl human? Is she an angel or a fairy------ or a witch?
“……Hey……”
Don’t know------ He doesn’t know anything------
“Hey------!”
“Woah!?”
Called by the voice from above, Ren finally regains his senses. He raises his head to look, and finds that the girl is almost directly above him.
The jungle gym that was over ten meters away, has appeared before him since who knows when. As there is no way that the jungle gym came over on its own, so it should have been him walking closer and closer without realizing it.
(This…… This is bad------)
Against this girl who is looking down at him with a puzzled look on her face, Ren suddenly felt nervous. Even though she is a girl that is singing in an empty park late at night, making her very suspicious, but that cannot beat him who is looking at it all with a mesmerized expression.
Besides, the position of the two is very awkward, at the angle where he is looking up from below------ To put it more plainly would be a perverse action.
I have to say something------ So, a very normal phrase, but yet completely unsuitable for this situation, blurted out from the youth’s mouth.
“Er……Ermm------- Good evening.”
(What the hell am I saying------------!)
Ren rebutted himself loudly in his heart. Yet, the girl who should be shrieking out instead shows a defenseless smile and greets him in return.
“Good evening, its so beautiful tonight.”
“------ Huh? Ah…… Yeah.”
“Can you move a little?”
“……Sor…… Sorry!”
Ren is completely red in the face, and hurriedly shifts back as if he is electrocuted. Seeing such an exaggerated reaction, the girl shows a puzzled look, and then jumps off the jungle gym without hesitation.
“Ah------”
Even though this is a kid’s game facility, but the top of the jungle gym is at least two meters high, normally there would be some impact. But the girl did not bend her knees, but instead landed softly onto the ground.
As if the ground embraces her very gently.
“What’s the matter?”
“No, erm------”
Faced against the smiling girl, Ren begins to stutter, for some unknown reason, his entire body becomes unbelievably stiff. Seeing the girl’s face, his mind becomes blank, incapable of thought.
On the other hand, the girl does not mind Ren’s strange reaction, and raises her head to look up into the sky on her own.
“What a beautiful night sky…… I never knew, that the moon is actually so big……”
(Beautiful……?)
Ren looks up into the sky, perplexed. There are no clouds in the sky, but this is Tokyo’s night sky after all, there are very few stars .The sky that is sliced up by the blotting tall buildings is just too narrow.
The girl looks at such a sky attentively, as if begging to be free from the constraints of gravity, to reach the other end of the sky, yet at the same time knowing that this is an impossible dream.
(So beautiful……)
