Kamisama no Memochou:Volume 1 Chapter 1
"It's a primitive response to gratitude. To give pleasure. You see, our normal hosts are quite mindless; they can be thanked only by physical sensation"
"Thank you for accepting transporting me. Thank you very much."
- from "The Only Neat Thing to Do" by James Tiptree, Jr.
Chapter 1
On my sixteen winter, I had already met all kinds of people, including a boxer, a military guy, a gigolo, a detective and yakuza. They are all NEET just that they are different types. The term NEET occasionally comes up on the news or newspapers, I thought it meant unemployed youths that lack motivation. But even as NEET, there can be different sides to them; Not everyone does not go to work or school for the same reason.
"The term NEETs, does not mean "People who can't do anything," nor "People who don't want to do anything." That is what the detective told me. "What is different is the rules. Just as some people's life is like a promotion plan, it's just that ours are pieces in chess."
"I don't really get it; does it mean you guys get in the way?" I asked naively then. The detective bloats her cherry-like lips and thinks for a moment, then smiles silently.
"To people who are rushing to move forward, perhaps so? I know they want to pack all the NEETs together, place a tag, and then drag them/us to the disposal area and throw them away; I can also understand that they want to point at NEETs and mock them/us. Laugh if you want to, but no matter how we try to argue and hide it, so far, we only bring negative influence to the economy of society, that is the unshakable truth."
The detective looked at her opened hands, then raised her head. This time, it was no longer a bitter smile of mockery, but a warm smile like the bright sun in a winter day.
"We will not mock ourselves. Just as an earthworm does not fear darkness, a penguin will not feel ashamed to not be able to fly. This is the meaning of life, isn't it?"
I am at a loss of words, because I have never thought so deeply about this. Even if you use a bunch of seemingly difficult words, it all goes back to the same meaning------ You're just useless people!
But that winter is the first time I have seen a dead person, the first time I punched someone, and gradually began to use my brain to consider (the meaning of) survival. To bear witness to someone who gave up on life or to give up seeking death, I guess anyone would be just like me!
But that is something very much later. Firstly, let me tell you the story of the only non-NEET out of all the people I have met this winter, the story of a normal girl.
Near the end of November, I met Ayaka for the first time.
After school ended on Tuesday, I sat on the water tower on the roof of the southern campus, staring into empty space facing the tall buildings far away. Normally once school ends, I would go report in at the computer room and focus on club activities that only consist of one person. But on afternoons with computer lessons, even after school there will still be a lot of students staying back to play with the computers that they usually don't come in contact with. I am unable to bring myself to walk in just like that, so every Tuesday and Thursday I always come up to the roof to waste time. Staring at the computer room on the second story of the northern campus, giving off a huge amount of "Get Lost Already!" waves, and sighing as I look down onto the streets.
The streets I currently live in can be separated into two colors, the long thin river that flows like the artery of a patient is the divider of the colors. The side closer to me has rusted roofs of factories, cheap housing lying back to back to each other, then high school. I am not sure why, but there are a lot of shrines and graves in this area; My house is also on this side. On the other side is a tall flyover bridge for a highway to the capital, a gigantic train station with countless railways, tall buildings packed along complicated slopes, shopping malls and television stations. On sunny days, you can even see the shadow of the government building far away. Tokyo is an amazing place to let boring housings that can be found anywhere in Japan and tall modern buildings to co-exist peacefully here.
Looking down from the roof, the train station is like a scene in an advertisement on TV, without realism. Probably because I don't want to get close to that area? As we can wear our school uniform and just go out and play immediately after school, I heard that our school is rather popular in Tokyo; If the sailor costume has bright colors, it might even increases its attractiveness by around 40%.
It is a cloudy day that day, just nice enough that you can examine closely the glass panels of the tall buildings that are normally not possible due to their bright reflections. But talking about it, it is just a bunch of glass windows that are cut by similar methods. I always fill those glass squares with colors in my mind, sketching pixel art.
I've gotten used to killing time like that. I think it's because I'm always transferring schools because of my dad's work. At the beginning of October, when I transferred into my current high school, I joined the PC club just because there was no one else active there, and went about my school life without being noticed by anyone. I've often thought that there's no point in me going to high school. I don't go to classes either.
As I was gazing at the building, I suddenly heard a clattering sound below me, causing me to raise my feet. The water supply tower was set on top of the stair room jutting out from the roof. It was the sound of someone who had climbed up the stairs opening the door.
"Is someone there?"
I heard a girl's voice. When I carefully leaned forward and and peered directly below, she turned around, meeting my gaze.
She had short hair, and strong-spirited eyebrows, contrasting her eyes, which gave off a cute, friendly impression. I felt like I'd seen her before. As I moved to get up, she made a surprised face, letting out a "Wah!" I tumbled down from the water supply tower.
It was lucky that I fell from my feet, but because the backs of my hands scraped roughly against the concrete wall, the first thing she did when we met was wash my wounds with water from the watering can she had.
"Why would you climb up a place like that, it's dangerous!" <~~5% Completed~~>
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