Zaregoto Vol 2 Chapter 1

My world is the coolest.

Ward of Kyoto, has a total of three dining halls. Of the three,

“Zonchi”) was thought to be the most lively. This was

next door to the co-op bookstore.

straight to the Zonshinkan Chika after first period. I’d had no

hour—so I thought I might grab an early lunch.

to myself, doubting all the while that I was using the phrase

Now, what to eat?

of a fuss. Be it spicy or sweet, I say bring it on. But lately

It was only a month ago that I’d spent a hell of a week in a

ZAREGOTO: THE KUBISHIME ROMANTICIST ■■■ 4

It had been a whole month since anything had made me

always felt like something was missing, like some key ingredient

It wasn’t enough of a problem to merit being called a problem,

I had already thought of two.

“Can’t hope for that to happen in a school dining hall.”

without heading back to that strange, isolated little island.

had my reservations.

Yes, I was talking to myself.

tactic. It was the “beat the child who doesn’t listen” tactic.

taking.

“Excuse me. Large kimchee bowl, please. No rice.”

“That’s just kimchee, son,” but she dished it out all the same.

an admirable degree of professionalism.

there was a single tongue in this world tough enough to chow

ZAREGOTO: THE KUBISHIME ROMANTICIST ■■■ 5

bill.

where to sit. In another hour, the place would be filled up

never a fan of crowds, so I considered myself under a time

“Down the hatch,” I muttered, and took the first bite. . . .

I really had to eat a whole bowl of this stuff? Wasn’t this

fate had brought me to this pass? What had I done?

I guess they also say reap what you sow.

on talking to myself, people would start thinking I was a

you’re eating.

numb from the tip of the tongue up, I didn’t know what the

word who meant, and even what the word meant meant . . .

She sat in the chair across from me.

pushed my tray toward me and placed her own tray in the

spaghetti carbonara, some tuna-and-kelp salad, and a bonus

Oh, how bourgeois.

I looked to my right, then to my left. The dining hall was

had she decided to eat her spaghetti directly across from me?

“Oh my God, what is that?! It’s all kimchee!” she exclaimed

eating a whole entire bowl of kimchee!”

a banzai cheer. Maybe that was what she was doing, or maybe

was just Muslim. Any of these was fine by me, but in reality,

Her shoulder-length hair had a reddish tint and was done

ordinary. They were ultra-plain, following the style of so

she sat down, she seemed much shorter—but then I realized

boots.

or a peer. Judging by her demeanor alone, it would have

that I was a freshman, that was pretty much impossible.

stuff.” She stared at me with puppy-dog eyes.

I was pretty sure this was our first encounter. But I’d

ZAREGOTO: THE KUBISHIME ROMANTICIST ■■■ 7

number of people who were friendly and genuine. These

you had been their close friend for the past ten years—even if

who’s bad at even remembering personal encounters, this made

And surely this girl was another one of those types. Fearing

worse, some religious thing, I went ahead and posed the above

Doing so launched her into an over-the-top shocked pose.

forgotten? You freaking forgot?! Ikkun, that’s so cold!”

Judging from her reaction, it seemed this was not our first

“Ohhh. I am shocked. But what are you gonna do, right?

right? Well, might as well introduce myself again.” She flashed

Mikoko!”

Whether it was our first encounter or not, this was, to be

Her story was simple. Mikoko-chan and I were classmates.

also in the same foreign-language class. We had met face-to-

face a number of times, and were in the same group for the

paired up before in English class.

total nut for not remembering you.”

To be able to laugh so cheerfully after someone had entirely

figured she was probably a pretty nice girl after all.

like that. Or rather, I’d be pissed. But that’s just how you are,

but you forget normal stuff,” she said.

She was exactly right. One time I had even forgotten if I

when I actually tried to sit down and have a meal. To top it all

"Okay, and what’s happening with you?” I asked. “Why

“Class? Well, the thing about that is . . .”

the feeling that “abnormally happy” was her default setting.

remember what she was like normally. But either way, it was

“I’m playing hooky.”

“Aw, come on, it’s boring. Totally boring. What was it

ZAREGOTO: THE KUBISHIME ROMANTICIST ■■■ 9

person! And you’re skipping class too!”

“Really?”

She flung her hands wildly in the air again. “Doesn’t that kind

“Boredom isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

‘a bad thing.’ Different strokes, I guess.” She began winding

get it all on the utensil, it soon became a matter of

actually reached her mouth. Before I knew it, she had put the

“Say . . .” I said.

"There are tons of open seats.”

though,” she said.

“You said it. Something wrong with that?"

wanted to say. But then I saw her smile—a vulnerable smile

about to be completely rejected—even I had to take pity.

“Hm? You’re a weird guy.” She gave me the pouty lips.

Weirdness is like your identity, right?”

I couldn’t help but feel like I was being inadvertently

forgetting someone you had been regularly interacting with for

focus back to the kimchee.

“Nah, not particularly.”

much in one sitting.”

kimchee into my mouth. More than half of it still remained in

“Reasons?”

“Huh? Oh, right. . . okay.” Mikoko-chan crossed her arms

what circumstances could possibly require my eating an entire

moments of pondering, she let her arms drop back down

“Oh, yeah, by the way, I had a question for you. I thought

“Uh, sure.”

something that came up by chance? As far as I knew, Mikokochan

volition.

She was wearing the same smile when she posed her

for a while in the beginning of April? Why was that?”

“Uh . . .” My chopsticks stopped moving. The bits of kimchee

I must have had a troubled look on my face, because

frantically and say, “Oh, if it’s hard to talk about it, don’t

Featuring Mikoko-chan.”

I was just on a vacation. For about a week.”

Her expressions were also easy to read. It made it easy for me

“Vacation? Where’d you go?" she asked again.

by accident.”

“Yeah. A big accident. Anyway, that’s how I got myself

She scratched her head, which was probably a natural response.

be bothered to explain all the details. Or rather, just how the

“Anyway, just a vacation. Nothing particularly deep.”

“What did you think it was?”

uh, like you hurt yourself somehow and had an extended

How and why such an idea would occur to her was a mystery

week off just after entering a university, there weren’t really 

any other plausible explanations that came to mind. At the

a vacation.”

“Yeah, something like that. I couldn’t get a reservation, so

course the real facts were totally different. The very idea that I

experienced since elementary school. I’d certainly never been

what had happened would have required a pointlessly

I wanted to talk about at length anyway, so I just went with

“Hmm . . .” She gave a sort of half-convinced expression.

“Yeah.”

back. It was as if all confusion had been cleared. It was like she

with her emotions that I almost envied her.

Not really.

“Huh?”

you came and sat right here when there’s a whole roomful

“Huh.” She narrowed her eyes and lowered her gaze a bit,

something specific to say to you?”

“Huh?” This time it was my turn to scratch my head.

bothering you? I just saw you when I was walking by, so I

“Ah, gotcha.”

who preferred doing personal things, like eating, alone, but

time as one and the same. Surely Mikoko-chan was one of

couldn’t find a friend to eat with, so she went ahead and

happened to see—me.

“Thanks. That’s a relief. I don’t know what I would’ve

“You don’t?”

to hold the edges of her tray in both hands. Then she

“I see . . .” Even if she was just joking, I was a little relieved

such a reaction past her, in reality. Someone who expressed

“Well, I guess I’m free anyway. As long as you just want to

"Thanks.”

“Oh, umm . . .”

As I prompted her onward, she began anxiously scraping

topic.

month it seemed like she’d at least managed to grasp the surface

broach with me? Me, who was so ignorant, and so lacking in

with your feet? I was strangely interested to find out, as if I

She clapped her hands as if she had suddenly thought of

“Huh? In what way?”

know about it.”

Even me—the phrase was pretty enraging. Except that it

“Don’t talk to me like I’m an idiot! Of course I know!” An

"Shut up! How the hell am I supposed to know what that is,

“Hm? What’s wrong, Ikkun?” she asked.

Obviously I wasn’t looking for the dictionary definition,

"You’re kidding, right? Is this a joke? Ikkun, it’s been all

if you live in Kyoto.”

either.”

"What about the Internet?”

campus much either.”

impressed in a way. “Is it some sort of ethical policy?”

having possessions.”

clapped her hands with joy. I seriously doubted I would have

practical—and completely lame—reason: My room was just

I mean, newspapers take up a lot of space.

‘prowler’ thing is going on here?”

the Old Capital!’ Some places have even called off field trips.”

“Six people have been murdered! And it’s still going on

up, and there was a hint of excitement in her voice. “He stabs

stuff! Freaky, huh?”

Let’s set aside the fact that we were in the middle of

conversation had veered in this direction. But what did it say

with such absolute glee?

“Six people, huh? Is that a lot?”

“Yeah it’s a lot! It’s a hell of a lot!” She almost sounded

“Maybe not overseas, but serial killings are rare in Japan! It’s

“Huh. So that’s why there are patrol cars circling around all

“Yeah. There are people from the mobile police force in

chuckled to herself for some reason.

As I nodded along with her explanation, somehow I knew

those new to my story, is the short version of Kunagisa Tomo,

Tomo was a nineteen-year-old electronic and mechanical engineering

blue hair and a passionate interest in collecting information on

Unlike me, she wasn’t constantly in the dark about what

information-collecting expert, and she was probably already

about it. In fact, she was probably already taking action.

“Around the beginning of May, maybe? I think that’s right.

“Oh, I was just asking.”

or rather the entire inside of my mouth, was completely

"this tastes bad” again. If you thought about it, the fact that a 

single bowl of kimchee could so easily destroy all my principles

of a stomach issue.

chopsticks and began to get up from my seat.

Mikoko scrambled to stop me. “Wait a minute, Ikkun!”

eating so I figured maybe I’d drop by the bookstore.”

half of her food was left.

"Don’t make me sad. Stay with me till I’m finished.”

exactly the kind of thing I’m not tough enough to say. I’m

“Okay. I’m free now anyway.” I didn’t have anything

I figured I might as well eat some real food while I was

I approached the register from the opposite direction

the wall, pondering whether I should order the beef bowl.

else was the way to go.

lightheartedly as I was trying to decide.

Oops.

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“hindsight-is-always-twenty-twenty situation”?

bowl of kimchee (this time the lunch lady gave me a little

"What the hell? Am I supposed to be following along with

“Don’t worry about it. So what were we talking about?”

“Gotcha. Well, then you want to talk about class?”

“Why? There were some things I didn’t really get in first

together. It’s a required class for freshmen, so you must have

things properly is to blame, but what do you think?”

brings up something like this to a girl when there isn’t even a

I was only kidding, but she seemed seriously put off by it.

“Nobody likes studying.”

why did you go to college?”

over. I mean . . . everyone’s like that, right?”

suddenly seemed a bit melancholy. Come to think of it, it

weren’t a place for people who wanted to study, and

ZAREGOTO: THE KUBISHIME ROMANTICIST ■■■ 1 9

“Do you like studying?” she said.

Of course not.

“But it’s not bad for killing time. Or as an escape from

“Usually studying is the reality.” She gave a heavy sigh.

her salad for a while in silence.

really a normal-size portion for a girl under the age of twenty?

I knew was either incredibly finicky, ridiculously

standards for judgment. But seeing as Mikoko-chan was neither

least, an appropriate portion for her.

she said.

"S’okay.”

looking my way in a sort of probing fashion. Really, she had

now she had suddenly become obvious about it, making eyes

And indeed, that proved to be an accurate speculation.

she placed her chopsticks down without finishing her dessert. 

She gave a bit of a playful smile as she leaned her body

"So, Ikkun,” she said.

“The truth is, I may or may not have a favor to ask you.”

“I do.” She leaned back again in her seat. “Are you the kind

“If you define free as not having any plans, then I sup-pose

“Yeah, kind of hard to follow you.”

“To put it more simply—I’m a free dude.”

together in front of her chest with a look of true joy. To cause

on a Saturday seemed a bit much.

feeling I was about to get dragged into something.

huh? One hand washes the other. It’s also kind of like the

She wasn’t even listening. "Yeah. So anyway, if you’re free

Her hands still pressed together, she tilted them to the side

imploring pose that it almost felt like foul play. There was

to it. They would want to surrender.

“No,” I said.

“Wha?! Why?!” she shrieked. “You’re free, right?”

Sometimes people like to just spend the day doing nothing,

escape the hustle and bustle of the world sometimes, to free

Everybody has a right to time to contemplate their own lives.

“But-but-but! How can you just refuse without even

graders forming a band, but they all end up playing bass!”

On close inspection, it was apparent that she was about to

of her eyes. This was not a desirable situation.

start filling up, and students began trickling in, their numbers

out (by, say, making a relatively hot girl cry) as much as possible.

“Okay, okay, just calm down. I’ll hear you out. Come on,

“Okay,” she said, sniffling.

her mouth. “Uwa!” she peeped, and then the tears really

(which I kind of knew).

“Well, it is kimchee. It wouldn’t be kimchee if it wasn’t

ZAREGOTO: THE KUBISHIME ROMANTICIST ■■■ 2 2

went with spicy, so I had never seen it. I wouldn’t mind if I

“Ohh, you’re terrible. You’re so mean. . . . Now, what

“That prowling killer?”

Bam! She slammed her hand on the table. It looked like she

reflected.

“Whether I know her or not, I don’t remember her.”

stuck her fists to the sides of her ears, but even with this

beyond the grasp of my imagination.

things.”

full name?”

from blessing."

start running around upside down. It felt like it rang a bell, but

some answer like, “Oh yeah, yeah, I know that chick. She’s

chance that Mikoko-chan would throw it right back in my

Ahahaha, looks like the pants are on the other leg now! Nyanya-nya!”

And then the egg would be on my face, my fraudulence

“Her nickname is Tomo-chan.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Sorry. I don’t remember at all.”

me, I guess it goes without saying that you wouldn’t remember

I didn’t quite follow her reasoning, but as long as my lack

totally worthless. Something definitely seemed off with the

“Well, okay. How about Atemiya-san? Atemiya Muimisan?

“Another classmate?”

is a guy, so you must remember him, right?”

“But you sure don’t seem like a feminist.”

like I had done something wrong. But it was my memory’s

“Anyway, so Tomo-chan, Muimi-chan, and Akiharu-kun.

“Huh. What’s the occasion?”

tad boastful. It was hard to deny her adorableness as she sat

Happy twentieth!”

If this Tomo-chan was a classmate, that meant she was a

maybe she was a returnee like me. It didn’t really matter.

“Huh,” I said.

She continued. “Umm, so anyway, tomorrow’s Tomochan’s

kind of party.”

“Yeah, well. We all like the rowdy atmosphere thing, but

gonna do?”

“Huh?” She looked surprised.

“Huh? What?”

you.”

and leave! You don’t know the other half of the story yet!”

“That’s not what that means!”

forced me to sit back down. But even if the conversation was

“Okay then. So now you’re going to tell me to partake in

“Gah! Wow, that’s exactly right.” She flung up her hands

ZAREGOTO: THE KUBISHIME ROMANTICIST ■■■ 2 5

actress. “Amazing, it’s like you’ve got ESP or something,

“Let’s not go there. Not a good subject.” I let out a light

people, right?”

Ah, right.

people, but lately it had gotten particularly bad. These three

University whom I had a clear picture of.

the result of my apathy toward other human beings. It had

It wasn’t that some essential part was missing, either.

“Could it be that I’ve just forgotten, and that I’m actually

something like who my friends are, I think.”

that’s the case,” she said. "You probably haven’t spoken much.

thinking really hard about something or filled with contempt.

you’ve got a wall in front of you. Or your AT field is fully

the middle of the classroom.”

her not to bother talking to me if that was how she felt. But I

ZAREGOTO: THE KUBISHIME ROMANTICIST ■■■ 2 6

up being pretty excessive, and I felt dreadful fullness in my

long time.

“Are we?”

seemed she had a habit of hitting nearby things when she got

slender arms if I was going to make fun of her. That is to say,

was better to pick on her over the phone.

“And, so, naturally, I tell my friends about you sometimes,

“I guess.”

got such a crummy face, he seems kind of cool,’ right?”

“So it’s not so strange that they would want to try being

weirdo. Right?”

“So that’s what I’m saying,” she said.

“That.”

I was drinking tea in order to escape her gaze. But a single

paralyzed mouth.

ZAREGOTO: THE KUBISHIME ROMANTICIST ■■■ 2 7

“It’s a good opportunity and all, so I think I’ll go spend the

“Don’t make plans’ You didn’t even go home during

She slammed the table again. I was a little disturbed that

then again, maybe I had told her and forgotten.

“That was last week! And besides, you’re not the kind of

parents!”

believe that a seventeen-year-old guy who wouldn’t even go

who was just a classmate? Maybe she was so worked up she

“Come on, I’m begging you. I already told them I’d bring

“It seems like there’s a misunderstanding here, so let me

talking to. They say I’ve got about as much pep as a storm

“Wow, that’s as disappointing as hearing about two budding

eaten by tent caterpillars." She looked a little somber as she

know it’s selfish of me, but hey, I’ll even pay for drinks.”

This was true.

ZAREGOTO: THE KUBISHIME ROMANTICIST ■■■ 2 8

dare tell her how things ended up after that, but at any rate,

smart guy, but I’m not so dumb that I don’t learn from my

“Wow, not even the Russians do that.” She was truly surprised.

She immersed herself in thought once again. It seemed she

to show up at a drinking party. Perhaps she was a lightweight

Nevertheless . . .

before me, looking so deeply troubled.

with something out of pity was one thing. But getting dragged

“Okay, okay. As long as you’re okay with me just sitting in

“Hmm, I guess that would be an awful bother for you, but

She shot her body forward. Maybe it’s a rude analogy, but

A cat would have approached it with some caution, suspecting

She may have physically resembled a cat, but she

“Is it really okay? Will you really come?”

ZAREGOTO: THE KUBISHIME ROMANTICIST ■■■ 2 9

wondered if I couldn’t have put it a little more nicely. All the

“Waaah! Thank you!” She smiled innocently.

had finished her dessert as well, so it was time I really should

“Ah, wait a sec. Let me know your phone number. I’ll call

“Hm? Ah . . .” I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket.

“Figures. Okay, then I’ll give you mine, so dial me.”

emerged from her little bag. David Bowie. She had surprisingly

“Okay, got it. Hey, Ikkun, your phone doesn’t have a

“Ah, yeah. I don’t like that girly stuff.”

“Well, I’m no expert or anything, but they’re definitely not

“Mmm, guess not,” she said with consternation.

tray. “See you tomorrow, Mikoko-chan.”

She gave me a big wave, to which I responded with a small

my tray and silverware, I headed straight to the co-op bookstore.

consisted of academic texts, and its recreational reading

ZAREGOTO: THE KUBISHIME ROMANTICIST ■■■ 3 0

wonder why) this particular bookstore had an unusually large

I made my way to the novels section and picked one out.

"Wait a minute. Did Mikoko-chan call me ‘Ikkun’?”

she used seemed to stand out. I hadn’t even noticed when

addressed me with such an overly familiar nickname in the

I had no specific memory of her calling me that before,

either. After all, I hardly have any memory of Mikoko-chan

“Eh, whatever.”

began reading the novel inside the store.

No big deal.

All was well with the world.

What is a fatal wound?

Yeah, obviously that’s one.

Again, obvious.

Destroying someone’s brain.

Stopping their breathing.

But when I say "fatal wound,” I’m not referring to these

I’m thinking of something else. A fatal wound is an impact

you’re no longer a human—even though you are. You’re no

being ground to bits after falling victim to a relative paradox

That is a fatal wound.

The key here is the fact that even after a profound failure,

The world is brutally tepid.

To put it plainly, you don’t die by making a big mistake.

Yeah, you don’t die.

You simply suffer in agony.

Meaninglessly, you just go on.

but because there’s no Game Over. Even though it was

falls, morning comes again after it. When winter ends, spring

ZAREGOTO: THE KUBISHIME ROMANTICIST ■■■ 3 2

blow, you can’t die. It’s like asking what a person sees when

light. An unthinkable question.

cut off, you go on. You do it all over, again and again. You

But it’s like making a million crappy copies, and each time

And eventually you get to thinking . . .

. . . did I become something else

Have I devolved?

become just a disinterested bystander, you can’t become your

And that, my friends, is what’s truly fatal.

As I pondered these fruitless ponderings, I was trying the new

combo.

had returned to normal. A McDonald’s hamburger tasted

no way I could have gone on with my life if unable to enjoy

The time was 7:30 in the evening.

After fifth period had ended, I decided I wanted to see

ZAREGOTO: THE KUBISHIME ROMANTICIST ■■■ 3 3

time.

magazine. What they call a “weekly infozine.” I had bought it

Ripper Resurrected in the Devil’s City!”

The ridiculously apocalyptic feel of the magazine was

featured a big story on the “prowler” incidents Mikoko-chan

I shoved two fries in my mouth, added a straw as well, and

The first page was set with an all too vivid picture of a corpse

Homicidal Monster Who Shook Kyoto!”

“So they let you show photos like this . . .” I muttered as I

details of the articles, so I at least knew something about the

The media had dubbed the crime spree the “Kyoto Prowler

but then again, maybe a case like this didn’t need one. Still,

of the criminal. I always thought of as a prowler as a sort of

them harm. But in this case the culprit was luring the victims

dismembering the corpses. It seemed like maybe “serial killer” 

was a better description than prowler. And you could definitely

“Six people now, huh? Not bad,” I muttered as I stuffed

Yeah, six people. Just as Mikoko-chan had said, six people

probably unprecedented. By the third murder, the police force

the riot police had been dispatched, and yet the murders went

The victims had no apparent connections. They were

to anyone. The police (and everyone else, for that matter) had

violence.

The killings would go on. As long as this monster remained on

there would be more murders. Perhaps even tonight. Perhaps

“It’s all nonsense in the end, huh?” I stared out at Shinkyô-

It was the same scenery as always. Fewer tourists and students

kids with dyed hair were milling around. I suppose you could

Nobody, absolutely nobody walking along this street right

the next victim.

were visibly unsettled by the mobile police units scattered 

here and there. “What a mess,” they might think, but that

than usual.

going home.

people who can accept as a hard reality the possibility that

It was true that the probability of becoming the next

really unlucky.” A terrible thought, but what else could

Anyway . . . perhaps I should go ahead and mingle in with

seat only to feel my phone vibrating in my right pocket. I

want to just ignore it. I went ahead and pushed send.

Hyper from the get-go. It was easy to imagine her giving

probably wasn’t actually doing that. But without even knowing

What would she have done if this was the wrong number? A

“Eh? Hey, it’s Mikoko-chan. What’s wrong?”

"Uhh . . . This is Ikkun, right?”

“Hellooo? This is Ikkun, right?”

“Did I mess up? Huh? I messed up!”

I kept up the silent treatment.

calisthenics session—you know, that exercise show broadcast

just do the chicken dance’! I’m sorry, I dialed the wrong

At that, I finally said something: “No, this is right. What’s

“Uwa!” she shrieked in surprise when I spoke. “Huh?

so I figured she had calmed down a bit. I also figured that it

"For crying out loud! It’s the phone! You have to say something!

You . . . you monster!”

"Sorry, sorry, I was just kidding around.”

never expected she’d provide such a hilarious response either.

“God . . . It’s fine, I guess. Since it’s you and all.”

her. “Umm,” she started again, back to her normal self. “This

“You know, you don’t have to yell. It’s quiet here.”

“Ah, uh, I’m at home. At the boarding lodge.”

about something, so I just got out of the research room. Isn’t

ZAREGOTO: THE KUBISHIME ROMANTICIST ■■■ 3 7

eccentric assistant professor, he was popular enough with his

way too strict about punctuality. (If you weren’t in your seat

classroom and were in the act of sitting down while it was

“Umm, right, so about tomorrow. Will you be home tomorrow?”

“Uh-uh. If we set a meeting place, we might miss each other,

lodge. I bought a scooter and I kinda wanna take it for a spin.

“Yeah, it’s fine, but . . . you know where the boarding

“Huh? Oh, no problem there.” She seemed flustered. “I

started, so I know it.”

"I know Kyoto well, so we’re a-okay. You’re at Senbon

“Huh?” I asked. There was something suspicious about the

was no problem.

“Okay. That settles that, then. Hmm, I’d like to talk more

driving school from here. I made an appointment, and if I

“Huh. You’re going to driving school.”

“Yep. How about you? Got a license?”

If it wasn’t such a big hassle to get a license, I could

“I see,” she said. “I’m going for a manual.

Chapter end