Infinite Stratos, Volume 4, page 7
“Oh, whoops, I had it on vibrate in my bag. Ahahaha...”
Charlotte, having regained a bit of her composure, pulled her phone out. It was still, though, grasped in the paw of a white cat. The surreality left Ichika at a loss for what he should focus on, and he tried to hold back a chuckle. Wait! He’s laughing at me! Oh no. He must think I’m such a little kid... Ugh...
“Matching pajamas, huh? Cute.”
Their enthusiasm had rubbed off on Ichika, as his grin revealed.
“C-Cute?” Laura and Charlotte replied in unison. The cheeks of both turned red as they pondered what that meant.
“Oh, by the way, I went shopping today and brought you back something.”
As he spoke, Ichika pulled out a cookie bag with a large @ printed on the side.
“......?!”
Charlotte and Laura each broke into a nervous sweat as they remembered their work outfits.
Did Ichika see me? I hope he doesn’t think I’m less of a girl.
Did he see me in that frilly thing?!
Ichika’s words floated by them as they looked back on their day of work and just wanted to bury their face in their arms and break down.
“So anyway, when I went to @Cruise, it was packed with cops and reporters for some reason. I couldn’t even get in. While I was trying to figure out what to do next, this really energetic manager came out and handed out cookies to everyone caught up in whatever happened. I wasn’t one of them, but when I tried to tell her, she was already gone. She was muttering about ‘corporate’ and ‘inspection’ the whole time. I wonder what was up with her?”
“Oh, really?”
“Something happened?”
Laura had hung onto hope that it was a different location, but soon that hope would fade.
“It sounds like it was a bank robbery. Things have gotten really unsafe lately.”
“.........”
“The reporters asked someone what happened, and they said that a good-looking maid and butler duo caught the robbers. That sounds like something you’d only see in the movies or on TV.”
“Y-Yeah.”
“Definitely.”
“Sounds awesome, though. I wish I’d seen them.”
Both of them gave a start. It seemed almost as if the ears on their pajamas stood up.
I wish I’d been in the maid outfit...
I don’t have the courage to admit it was us...
They each spent so long mulling it over that the chance to own up to it slipped away.
“How about some tea? We can have the cookies, too.”
As Ichika spoke, he stepped toward the simple kitchen area of the room.
“Don’t worry! I’ll get it, you can sit down.”
“Huh? Not with those hands, you won’t.”
It was only when they heard Ichika that Charlotte and Laura realized they had paws.
“These are cocoa cookies. They’d go well with warm milk for the two kittens, wouldn’t they?”
“Ah, yeah.”
“If you say so.”
The two, embarrassed at being called kittens, gave small nods.
“Hey, Ichika... Do you really think these are cute?”
Charlotte couldn’t help but ask, but as soon as the words left her mouth she began to fidget her fingers.
“Yeah. They are. The colors are good, too. They match both of you.”
“Really? They match?” Charlotte giggled.
“If you say so... I guess. Maybe I will wear them once in a while.”
Their embarrassment mixed with happiness as Ichika brought them milk and cookies. A secret tea party for three, with hot milk to drink even though it was summer. A wondrous tea party with a black cat, a white cat, and a prince.
Chapter III: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Nothing here’s changed at all. It was August. The week of the Bon festival. That weekend, I—Shinonono Houki—chose to visit a certain shrine. Shinonono Shrine. It was there that I lived before moving. There where I had been born. And there where I could honor my ancestors properly.
It really is just the same. The plank-floored dojo was just as I remembered it. I’d heard that after we’d moved, a retired police officer began teaching lessons there as a way of giving back to the community. Just like the old saying that swordsmanship began and ended with good manners, the children were helping each other clean up the equipment and the dojo. It seemed like he really had the right idea. There are a lot of people here now. It used to be just me, Chifuyu, and Ichika. My mind drifted back as I looked over the wooden name tags hanging from the wall.
“I’m gonna win today!”
“Nah, no way.”
“Gotcha!”
Clack! Thwack!
“Tomorrow for sure!”
“You say that every day.”
Wait... Was I really that rude as a kid? And didn’t I have any memories of anything else? Maybe just us hanging out together? No matter how hard I tried to dredge them up, nothing came to mind.
C’mon, that can’t be the only thing that sticks in your mind, me... Can it? I pulled out my pocket notebook and peeked at a photo I kept inside. It was me and Ichika, in our uniforms. It really brought back memories. Really. By my side was Tabane, and by his was Chifuyu, but I’d folded both sides in and hidden them. Ling had a photo of him folded to make it just the two of them, too. I guess we childhood friends had a lot in common.
“Oh, there you are, Houki.”
“Huh?!”
The sudden call surprised me, and I spun around, hiding my notebook behind my back. In front of me was a woman in her mid 40s, with a calm manner and gentle smile matching her age.
“Sorry, Aunt Yukiko. I just got lost in a memory.”
“Well, nothing wrong with that. You used to live here, it’s only natural to look back.”
Her grin was a natural one, without a trace of a sneer behind it. I don’t think she’d even once gotten angry at me. Even when I deserved it. “Well, if you know you did something wrong, isn’t that the important part?” When I heard that, I practically burned with embarrassment. And made very sure not to do whatever it was again. I was not an unruly child.
“Are you sure you really want to help out with the festival?”
“Would I be getting in the way?”
“Of course not. I really appreciate the help. But, Houki. The summer festival isn’t every day of the year, you know. Isn’t there a boy you’d like to invite?”
“I-I mean...”
I turned bright red as I spoke. Ichika’s face suddenly floated to the front of my mind. Aunt Yukiko chuckled gently, understanding from my reaction.
“Well, that’s fine too. The Kagura dance begins at six. You should bathe now.”
“Of course.”
The Shinonono Shrine had long tended toward, to be precise, folk traditions rather than doctrinaire Shinto, and celebrated Bon as well as the new year with Kagura dance. The dance was an offering to both the returning spirits and the gods which bore them across the divide, and a reason for the Shinonono School of Martial Arts’ focus on swordsmanship. Precise records had long since been lost to the flames of war, but the shrine’s sword for women had long been famous. Even after my family had moved, our relatives had continued to maintain it.
Nothing changed here either... I stood in the changing room of my old house. Uninvited, memories of why we’d had to leave welled up. If she hadn’t created the IS... If she hadn’t done that, I could still be here. Right next door to Ichika.
“.........”
Scowling, I stripped, But soon my attention was caught by something wrapped around my left wrist. A red cord, perhaps a centimeter across. It twined around me intricately before ending in a pair of bells, one gold and one silver. Akatsubaki in standby mode.
But she gave me this, too... The first time in my life I’d ever asked her for something. But she was swift to answer. Remembering the joy which reverberated in her voice, my scowl faded. What do I even want to do? Forgive her? Reject her? I... don’t know... I didn’t know. I just didn’t know. Each felt in my mind like the truth, and in my heart like a lie.
Anyway... I need to take my bath. Before the Kagura dance came ritual purification. Once, this was done only with cold water from a river or well, but as the years passed and this became less acceptable, warm water was adopted to preserve the tradition. And thus, cleansing at the Shinonono Shrine could be accomplished with a bath.
Wearing only Akatsubaki, I stepped into the bath. When I was young, it had been remodeled in cypress. It was just as luxurious as the resort we’d visited on our class trip last month. Perhaps not quite as huge, but easily enough for four people to stretch out their legs.
“Phew...”
It had been years since I’d soaked in this tub, but it felt just as good as it ever had. The water was just a tad hotter than normal, how I liked it. Hearing the water splash quietly around me as I stretched only underlined the peace it brought to my soul. Baths are great... The water washed over my soft skin, and carried me toward utter relaxation. Soon, though, I thought again to the month before...
That night with Ichika, together on the beach. Remembering that our lips were almost close enough to touch, I experimentally ran a finger over mine. If we had kept going... We would have kissed. There was no question.
As if I was trying to hide my blush, I sunk in the water up to my nose. Wordless thoughts of joy spilled from my lips and burbled to the surface. So does this mean... Like, that? If Ichika likes me, and I like him, does that mean we’re in love? Ahhhh... My face turned red all the way up to my temples as the burble rose to a roil. What could have been one minute, or two minutes, or ten minutes later, my breath ran out and I suddenly stood bolt upright, pushing myself out of the water.
“Ahhh!” It was happy, it was embarrassing, but... It was love. My heart was leaping from emotion to emotion, and somehow, my face was angry. The heat of the bath had nothing to do with how red my face was. I can’t be thinking about this. Maybe some other day, but not one when I have duties as a shrine maiden. I need to focus. I sank again below the water, air burbling up from my mouth again. “.........”
When I finally left the bath, it was 50 minutes later.
◆
“There. I’m all set.”
In a pure white outfit with hakama, bedecked with gold, I looked more mature than usual. Its mystic air gave me a touch of breathtaking beauty.
“Will you put your lipstick on yourself?”
“Yes. I always have.”
“Oh, right. You’ve been doing this since you were little. The Kagura dance and everything. You were so cute back then.”
“Can you stop bringing up...”
She chuckled, “Oh, sorry. But you’ll be like this when you get old, too.”
I stiffened my expression, as much to hide my embarrassment as anything, and dipped my pinky into the small dish of lipstick. Using the traditional style, rather than a modern stick, was another shrine tradition.
There... I checked the mirror to make sure I’d applied enough, and was satisfied. Thinking back, I always used to want to do whatever my mom did, and I begged her to let me take part in the Kagura dance too. It’s a bit embarrassing to remember, but really I was more focused on my reflection. Aunt Yukiko’s still great at makeup. I look like a different person. Almost like a— Like a princess. The phrase came to mind unconsciously, and I reddened, this time without the help of any powder. Why do I keep getting carried away with myself... I knew, though.
“Ahem...” Clearing my throat, I forced myself into a neutral expression. My aunt watched with a smile as she took up the sacred sword from the altar.
“You always used to just have a fan instead of this, though.”
“I think I’m old enough now!”
I drew the blade forth. A sword in my right hand, and a fan in my left. The Shinonono School had always fought with one blade to strike and one to dazzle and deceive, so a fan was a natural evolution. Of course, a fan would never be used in real combat, but it captured the defensive style of two-sword fighting using the left hand to block, parry, and entangle while relying on the right to slash, chop, and thrust. Similar to how other styles used a kodachi.
“Come on, Houki, wave the fan for me. I haven’t seen you do it in forever.”
“Okay. I’ll do it once for practice.”
Returning the sword to its sheath, I thrust it through my belt. It seemed less like the motion of a dancer and more like that of a true samurai. Only fitting, for a daughter of the Shinonono.
“Now, then.”
I opened the closed fan, and let it sway. The bells at either side jingled livelily. Then I thrust myself into the dance as if this were the actual ceremony, with a force of will as if my surroundings stood silent. As I swung the fan from side to side, I dropped into a crouch and spun, bearing my blade. Its razor edge trailed the fan as if floating in its wake. My blossoming beauty combined with all the stoic severity I could muster. I was the very picture of a swordmaiden.
“That should suffice...”
“Oh my. Oh my! That was wonderful, Houki! You must have kept practicing even while you were away.”
“Well... Ah... I mean, I am a shrine maiden...”
My aunt’s face lit up with joy as I shyly accepted my heritage. I just hoped Ichika never finds out. I had unresolved issues about doing womanly things. Even back when those boys were making fun of me...
I was so impressed with him when he stood up for me. I’d always expected him to be the worst of the lot, but that incident really warmed me up to him. But that’s why I didn’t want him to know.
What set him off then was a group of guys making fun of a girl. Not because it was me. If he ever said that being womanly didn’t fit me, I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I might even break down crying then and there. So if he were to watch me as I danced, I just wouldn’t be able to deal with it. That’s why I didn’t invite Ichika.
I mean, it’s him. Even if he realizes what day it is, he still wouldn’t show up. He’ll just tell himself it’s no biggie and roll back over on the couch. On the other hand, thinking of it that way just means that I’m not enough to get his attention, doesn’t it. Anyway! Whatever! Ichika’s not coming! So all I have to focus on is dancing!
◆
“Yo.”
“.........”
“Good job.”
Ichika came.
Wait. Wait, wait, wait. This isn’t right. This isn’t right at all. After the dance, I washed the sweat off, changed into a shrine maiden’s outfit, and now I’m selling charms. So what’s Ichika doing here? Houki ran back through the events of the past few dozen minutes in a list, trying to get a grasp on the situation.
“Honestly, I was amazed.”
This is probably a dream, isn’t it. There’s no way this could be happening in real life.
“Really, you... You were beautiful.”
Houki’s breath caught. In an instant, her face was a bright red, no duller than the color of her hakama. Wh-Whaa? This is a dream. This has got to be a dream. Ichika would never say that to me. I have to be dreaming.
“THIS IS A DREAM!”
“Wait, what?” Ichika, a bit shocked by the shout, asked waveringly.
“It’s a dream. It has to be. Hurry and wake up!”
“Houki! What’s wrong? Oh, could that be...” Yukiko, attracted by the commotion, looked over Houki and Ichika. “Oh, it must be.”
With a clap of her hands, she reached understanding, as if a light bulb turned on over her head.
“I can handle things here, Houki. Go and enjoy the festival.”
“What?! This must be a dream. This can’t be happening in real life. So...”
Yukiko, arms folded, watched Houki mumble to herself in shock a bit longer before another light bulb lit up.
“There!”
Thud. A sharper karate chop than her gentleness made seem possible.
“Oww!”
“Get a hold of yourself, Houki.”
“Ugh...”
Houki rubbed her head as she calmed down. A moment later, Yukiko spun her around and pushed her forward.
“Now, now, hurry up. Go take a shower. I’ll lay you out a yukata.”
“But...”
“It’s okay.” Yukiko pushed Houki inside, ignoring her objections. Before she herself left, she turned and spoke to Ichika. “Just hold on a moment. It’s a boyfriend’s job to wait for his girlfriend.”
“Eh?”
She gave the stunned Ichika a quick wink before following Houki inside. With no idea of what was going on, he could only wait as he was told.
◆
I still can’t believe this is happening. As Houki dunked her head into the shower’s stream for a third time, she kept repeating her words from before. Ichika came to the festival. I suppose that’s not impossible. But still!
The splashing of water on the shower’s floor. A fourth dunk. Droplets of water fell from her raven-black hair, but she paid them no heed. Ichika, of all people! Just called me beautiful! A somehow more handsome version of him spoke to her in her mind.
“You’re beautiful, Houki.”
“W-Wait, Ichika. Didn’t you come to look at the fireworks? Yet you’re only looking at me...”
“That was just an excuse to be with you.”
“I-Ichika...”
“Houki...”
Slowly, their lips drew together, and...
“AGGHG!”
With a loud splash, she dumped a pail of water over her head.
“Houki? That didn’t sound good. Are you okay?”
“Yeah! I’m fine!”
It was very much obvious that she wasn’t.
“You should hurry up. It’s already been thirty minutes.”
“What?!” Houki had completely lost track of time, and quickly finished washing. As she dried her hair, she relied on Yukiko to wrap her in the yukata to save time.
“There, done. You look so good in traditional clothing! It’s because you have your mother’s hair.”
“Th-Thanks.”
Houki meant the thanks to be both for the compliment and for dressing her, but she wasn’t able to keep her nervousness at the outfit out of her voice. It had been years since she had worn a yukata, but her presence in one was still comparable to a magazine cover girl’s.
