Monogatari Series:Orokamonogatari/Sodachi Fiasco 022

As for why I was able to unlock Lily Suzubayashi’s smartphone–there’s no need for an elaborate explanation. All I did was enter her birthday as a four-digit password, which Amiko Yurugase had so conscientiously included in the personal information she’d provided me.

It’s often noted, to the point of leaving a sour taste in one’s mouth, that you mustn’t use all of the same digit or your birthday as passwords for anything; but it’s also often noted to the point of leaving a sour taste in one’s mouth that people will never stop doing it.

Well, for the most part, it was a better gamble than inputting a number at random, and while I had a few other candidates if her birthday had been wrong, there’s no doubt it was a risky bet–in the worst case, I could have hid the smartphone somewhere and tried to bluff my way out, but I felt relieved from the bottom of my heart that I got through without resorting to negotiations. Because of my hot temper, I’d be even worse at negotiating under that level of suspense.

But of course, this doesn’t mean I got lucky; no matter how strong your security is, if the people operating it are lazy and idle, it’s easy to break–that’s such a mundane principle that I don’t even need to refer to the cram school gate check as evidence.

From Lily Suzubayashi’s perspective, surely she hadn’t expected her enemy Amiko Yurugase to remember her birthday… whether or not you remember classmates’ birthdays has nothing to do with qualifications to be a leader, so that’s not a point she ought to regret.

In any case, that was the trick I used to pull through my predicament.

So, about what happened afterward. I’d unofficially indicted the bad guys with incontrovertible proof; but, although I’m glad I did, I decided to give them a chance to become more of a decent person than a grouch like me. A chance I’d received from so many people, but of which I’d never managed to avail myself–I hope from the bottom of my heart that those kids can make use of it.

‘Amiko Yurugase is probably still in the self-study room at the cram school, so go and meet up with her right now; I don’t care what kind of lies you tell, just make your peace with her. If you do, I’ll return the smartphone,’ I declared.

As if to confirm her defeat, and at a loss for what to do as a leader, Lily Suzubayashi started moving closer–maybe she heard it as an unreasonable demand; however, taking the current situation into account, it wasn’t exactly a lenient ruling.

It’s the best ruling from the worst person. Please content yourself with it, and accept it.

Whether that acute insincerity of mine came through or not, Lily Suzubayashi and Ayakari Hatamoto’s decisions came quickly–if the other classmates one step away from their position hadn’t fully understood the situation, or if they didn’t feel like they were part of the party concerned, they simply followed those two away.

Amiko Yurugase and Lily Suzubayashi.

Amiko Yurugase and Ayakari Hatamoto.

A pair of enemies, and a pair of broken up friends.

While I had endless curiosity about what kind of exchanges and processes occurred in each of their relationships afterward, unfortunately, that falls outside the scope of my concern–and besides, I wasn’t really interested. I used up all of my interest in other people’s affairs a long time ago.

At any rate, Amiko Yurugase and Ayakari Hatamoto both showed up at school the next day; it seemed like they’d done well acquiring some worldly wisdom–well, even Amiko Yurugase isn’t as much an idiot as I am. She certainly hadn’t swallowed the story her classmates had told her, but she’d had enough worldly wisdom to give in and get it all over with; she’s not as much an idiot as me.

Anyhow, with that, the members of my new class were finally arrayed in their entirety–I can’t say whether the atmosphere had returned to how it was before after the hierarchy had been temporarily destroyed, and even if it goes back to how it was after this, well, it probably won’t; but cleverly pretending that things are normal while getting on with life is a just a part of youth. That’s what I thought, though it just felt like someone else’s problem.

Really, it was someone else’s problem.

Despite their relationship straining, Amiko Yurugase and Ayakari Hatamoto had gone back to being childhood friends, and Lily Suzubayashi and Amiko Yurugase’s diarchal power system had been restored to its superb balance; however, the way they’d treat me had yet to be settled.

Well, of course.

I’d returned her smartphone, but from Lily Suzubayashi’s view, I must’ve seemed like quite the odious pest–and while I’d persisted in pretending not to know anything, from Amiko Yurugase’s view, the situation took a sudden turn right after I’d invaded her cram school, so it was impossible for her not to doubt such an exceptionally uncanny coincidence.

I’d even secretly hoped that I might become someone people tipped their hats to in that classroom, but far from tipping their hats, they kept their distance as usual.

In other words, I was the only one whose isolation didn’t subside in the least–it got even worse. The involved parties simply looked at me with distrust, as if saying, 'Just what was she trying to achieve?’

All I wanted was to take a picture in the photo booth…

Although I don’t think it’d cause any disturbances, of course it’d be hard for me to go to that game center again, so I suppose that modest wish won’t come true; so, I could say that the only thing I got out of it was my face getting all the more grim.

I’d rushed out the idea from my mouth the instant I’d thought it, but I suppose that’s something I have in common with the Araragi faction… Well, if that man were in my place, I wonder if he’d have brought things to a close more intelligently. It’s good I turned on them before they turned on me, but I’d certainly learned from that man the danger of everything being over if they turn on you first.

Anyway, that’s the end of it.

This time, I’d been saved by the fact they’d really had a sinister design (so nice of them)–if they hadn’t, I don’t think I’d have flown out from behind the pillar or anything else. Psychologically speaking, when people see other people who’ve suffered injuries or have terrible things happen to them, they’re able to accept the situation by justifying it in their minds like, “Even the victim had their issues” and “Since such a terrible thing happened to them, they must have done something terrible in a previous life or something”–but this time, I’m glad I chanced upon those kids’ garbage sides. Even Amiko Yurugase hadn’t been spoken well of after she’d been driven into isolation, and I’m glad this world is so worthless.

Though, of course, the most worthless piece of garbage is me.

If you’re unable to obtain anything, it’s natural that all you do is lose things.

Ah, well… wait, wait, I certainly can’t say that all I do is lose things, or that all I obtained was a worsening of my judgment–there was one thing, like a byproduct, that even someone like me was able to acquire.

The Hakobe couple couldn’t look past the fact that I hadn’t made any friends even after starting a new life, so despite my hesitation, they forced a smartphone onto me–my isolation was caused by my lack of communication skills, and it wasn’t at all related to my lack of a communication tool like this… but it’d be a lie if I said it didn’t make me happy.

Owning a smartphone made me feel more like a high school girl, even if just a little–I started feeling somewhat lighthearted just because of that; I might be obstinate, but my mental makeup really is quite simple.

Naturally, I used a random four-digit number as my password.

Needless to say, my SNS and texting app inboxes, even my address book were just about empty, so actually, there was no need for that much security…

Thinking self-deprecating thoughts like that, telling myself just half a month longer just half a month longer everything will change in a half month, I was heading to school, dragging my feet along in a gloomy gait, when the smartphone unexpectedly rang.

I say that, but the screen was showing the single telephone number in my address book, in other words, the number of the Hakobe house landline.

Did I forget something? Tilting my head, I picked up. The call was from Mrs. Hakobe–it seems someone had rung the Hakobe house intercom asking for me.

It appeared I had a visitor–my heart skipped a beat.

'I, is it… a boy about the same age as me?’

'A small build, looks like math is his strong suit?’

Bracing myself to the point of embarrassment, I asked her–Mrs. Hakobe promptly denied, 'No, not at all.’

The visitor seemed to be a middle-aged man, completely drunk, even this early in the morning… on top of that, with a slurring, shouting voice, he’d called himself my father.

'Aaalright, I understand. I’ll head back riiight now.’

After all, even with that, I’m perfectly all right.

Translator's Notes

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