Chapter 2: Cultural Festival With Eina (2) |
The next day:
Eina: Shuu-san, how did today go?
Shuu: I did the normal editing stuff. I got the illustrations and cover design from Ruka-senpai so I’m compiling the data.
Eina: Oh! Do your best!
Shuu: What about you? How’s the script?
Eina: I’m drawing up a plan!
Shuu: Okay, let’s both do our best!
Three days later:
Eina: Shuu-san, good work.
Eina: What kind of day did you have?
Shuu: I went to school, then did editing afterwards, same as always. I’ll want to help the class before the cultural festival, so I thought I’d get the literature club’s work done now.
Eina: You’re a hard worker, huh?
Shuu: I’m not, I only work hard at things I like.
Eina: That’s still pretty amazing.
Shuu: Thanks, so what’s the script like?
Eina: Uhh, it’s getting there.
Shuu: Everyone’s looking forward to it. So am I. Do your best.
One week later:
Normally, I’d always be getting messages from Eina, but I hadn’t received any in the last three days. That’s why I sent a message myself after school that day.
Shuu: Hi, how are you?
There was no response.
What was wrong, I wondered, usually I’d get a response immediately.
Maybe she was busy with her own school’s festival?
At the thought, my phone buzzed.
Eina: Hi, how did your day go?
Shuu: I finally finished with the data for the booklet. Now I just need to buy paper and print it.
Eina: That’s really quick!
Shuu: Yeah, now I should be able to help properly with the class. So, about the script…
Eina: Umm, ah, umm… I’m doing my best.
Shuu: When do you think you’ll be done.
The replies paused again, and the next message was that evening, before I slept.
Eina: I think it’ll take a little longer.
Shuu: I see…
I guess writing a script and a story really were different. I’d thought that she’d be able to write a full book in about a week seeing as she’d written a short story in a single night, but it might be a little difficult.
However, there were only two weeks left until the festival. If we didn’t start making props and costumes soon, we wouldn’t make it. The actors would need to learn the play too…
Actually, we needed to decide who had what role.
Shuu: Could you send what you’ve done so far? If you do we can make props and costumes and decide who’s playing who.
Eina: What I’ve done so far… Umm, ummm… Actually…
And then, Eina sent a shocking message.
Eina: I still haven’t written a single word.
“What!?”
I shouted in my room.
Not a single word? Why?
No, I don’t have time to find out the reason.
This was serious. I doubted she could write the play within the fortnight remaining, besides, then it would be too late.
My eyes span as my thoughts whirled.
I’ll talk to Ruka-senpai. She might know someone that did a play with their class. If we can borrow the script from them and perform it… Besides, a script would be prepared by the whole class…
Eina: Shuu-san? Shuu-san?
Another message appeared from Eina and I realised I had left it marked as read without replying.
Shuu: Sorry, Eina. I forgot to reply. Okay, then I’ll tell everyone it’s too much and that it’s too hard to write an entire play in time, I’ll find something else.
Eina: Eh!!
Shuu: It’s okay, they’ll understand. You were a volunteer in the first place.
Vzzzzt, vzzzzt.
My phone gave two long vibrations.
It was a call from Eina.
《Shuu-san… I’ll do my best, I’ll do my best, so…》
“H-hey…”
Eina was crying. Her voice was shaking, she was sniffling, and weeping over and over again.
I was flustered, maybe I shouldn’t have sent the refusal all of a sudden. She might have thought I was angry.
“Eina, I’m not angry at all, you don’t need to worry. We were the ones that pushed this on to you, so if you just go at your own pace, that’s fine.”
《Shuu-san, don’t say that… Please, let me write the script!》
“But…”
《Talking with you is the only thing I live for. I don’t want to break it off, please don’t break it off, I’ll work harder…!》
I frowned. She was misunderstanding something. It was almost like…
“Eina. I don’t speak with you because you write novels or plays you know?”
《Fueeh?》
“Obviously, I think it’s wonderful that you do, but it wouldn’t be an issue if you didn’t. I can’t write after all.”
《You won’t be disappointed.》
“Why would I? Whether you write or not, you’re yourself, my precious-”
《Precious?》
My precious what?
I couldn’t find the right word.
“Anyway, you don’t need to push yourself.”
《Then why do you speak with me?》
“Because it’s fun… I guess.”
This time I managed to speak. I truly meant it. It was really fun speaking with Eina. That was why I was sad when I didn’t hear from her for the past three days. At some point, chatting with her had become part of my life.
《Shuu-san…!!》
Eina sounded like she wanted to yell, and burst into tears on the other end of the phone.
“What’s wrong!? Did I say something I shouldn’t!?”
《You didn’t. I’m happy. It’s been… so long… since someone said something like that to me…》
“So long?”
《Shuu-san, can I… break the rules? Can I talk… about myself?》
The rules, to avoid knowing as much about Eina as I could. So I couldn’t narrow down who she was.
But…
“Yeah,” I nodded.
I wanted to know about her too.
《I don’t have a mum or dad. I did, but they died.》
My breath caught in my throat.
《So now I live with my mother’s sister, with my aunt and uncle, but we don’t get on. Even Onee-chan, my cousin, bullies me… You remember when I suddenly hung up? That was when she came into my room to yell at me for being noisy.》
“Is it safe now?”
《Yes, I’ve got my head under the covers.》
I could imagine it, a girl hiding in the covers on the phone.
《I don’t… have any friends. I’m cut off and alone at school.》
“…”
《I like being alone. Having to be with everyone all the time at school is difficult, but when I said that, no one would be my friend… It’s sort of painful being alone at school. Mum and dad would have said I didn’t need to force myself to go to school, but my aunt and uncle say I have to, and get angry if I don’t.》
She likes to daydream.
She was different from the people around her, but at school, little differences could be treated as heretical. You could call it bad luck, no one understood Eina at school.
So that’s how it was.
She was always alone.
The smartphone creaked in my tightening grip.
I wanted to go right over to her and hug her.
But I couldn’t. There were five years separating us.
But at least I could make her understand.
“I’m on your side. Always and forever.”
《Hic! Thank you!》
She burst into renewed tears.
She really did cry a lot.
But… it might be for the best to let her cry. It was fine to cry when you were happy at least, right?
I remembered her saying ‘What if I’m dead after five years?’
Eina understood. Understood that you never knew when your happiness would be destroyed.
That’s why you had to treasure the happiness you had.
＊
《Umm, Shuu-san?》
She had stopped crying, and Eina’s voice whispered in my ear.
“Yeah?”
《About the script.》
“That’s right, we were talking about that.”
《Can I… write about you?》
“Eh?”
《I think I can write it now. Obviously, I want to just write it as-is, I’ll take my happiness at what you said, and how nice it feels to talk… and if I use that as my inspiration, I think I’ll be able to write it.》
“Got it. I’ll tell everyone to wait a little longer.”
“Don’t push yourself, alright? If you have any problems, don’t hesitate to talk to me about them.”
《I won’t.》
I couldn’t have seen her face.
But still, I felt like I could see her smile.