"Yukinoshita, what are you muttering about?"
Although Ijichi Seika didn't know what Tsushima Kagami's performance art was all about, she could faintly feel that she was being offended.
"This is called Jazz x Hiphop. You play rock, yet you don't even know this?"
"That is exactly why you need to read more books, Ijichi-san."
"Ahahahaha, Seika-senpai, is this your classmate?"
Ijichi Seika nodded, looking a bit annoyed.
"Then that makes him a Senior (Senpai). Senpai is really interesting."
The Sound Engineer Miss behind Ijichi Seika laughed very happily.
"Junior (Kouhai), you are also very interesting. If you don't go to school, Private Ousai will lose a lot of its color."
Upon hearing this, the Sound Engineer Miss's face clearly flushed slightly, and she covered her mouth with her sleeve to giggle.
So, is the Sound Engineer Miss a good girl? Without a doubt, right now, she is.
"Senpai sure knows how to talk. If everyone at school were interesting like you, Senpai, maybe I would go back."
Tsushima Kagami then looked at Hiroi Kikuri, who was hiding behind the two of them.
Being stared at like this, Hiroi Kikuri spoke with a timid stutter: "Se-se-se-se-senpai, he-he-hello."
Before Tsushima Kagami could speak, Tsukuyomi Komoe also addressed Hiroi Kikuri: "Hiroi-san, you're obviously so timid, so why are you following Ijichi and the others in refusing to attend school?"
"I-I-I-I-I-I."
After stuttering "I" for a long time, Hiroi Kikuri finally shouted loudly: "I can't take it anymore!"
Consequently, everyone watched as she ran directly to the table Tsushima Kagami had just been at and downed the beer Tsukuyomi Komoe had only taken one sip of in a single gulp.
"Ah, that's my beer! I only took one sip!"
"That's not right! Minors aren't allowed to drink alcohol! Hiroi-san, how could you do this!"
Hiroi Kikuri, who had practically no alcohol tolerance, instantly got tipsy: "So annoying! I just like playing in a band with everyone! Only here can I feel like my true self! I don't want to go back to school!"
Seeing Hiroi Kikuri starting to cause a ruckus, Ijichi Seika, the Sound Engineer Miss, and Tsushima Kagami all ran over to restrain her.
*
"Ugh... failed again today."
Tsukuyomi Komoe rubbed her head, which was aching.
Just moments ago, Tsukuyomi Komoe had arranged for the Ijichi trio to stay in a hotel. Since Hiroi was drunk and couldn't be sent back, and she didn't feel at ease letting the other two girls go home at night either.
She simply booked two rooms, thinking she might see if she could continue the heart-to-heart talk and persuade them later tonight.
"Then, Moe-sensei, thank you for your hard work."
"Yukinoshita-san, you two stay safe on the road as well."
Right downstairs at the hotel, Tsushima Kagami bid farewell to Tsukuyomi Komoe and headed back.
When Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku returned to the apartment, Yukino, who had been waiting at the entryway upon hearing the noise, jumped directly into Tsushima Kagami's arms.
Yukinoshita Shizuku went straight to the bathroom to prepare the bathwater.
Tsushima Kagami carried Yukino directly back to his bedroom.
Arriving at his desk, Tsushima Kagami set Yukino aside for the moment, then took out manuscript paper and a fountain pen from the drawer.
He arranged the paper, used Yukino to weigh it down, and then wrote The Setting Sun (Shayo) in the center of the first line.
The Setting Sun is a novella by Dazai Osamu. Its inspiration came from the diary of his lover, Ota Shizuko. Compared to The Setting Sun, most people are likely more familiar with his piece No Longer Human.
There is also the phrase "Born to be human, I apologize," which was originally a line of poetry from the work Will by Japanese poet Teruuchi Jusaburo, later used by Dazai Osamu as the subtitle for Twenty-First Century Flag-Bearer, causing it to be widely disseminated.
In the book The Setting Sun, the story primarily uses a combination of the first-person narrative of Kazuko and the diary of Naoji. It tells of the survival struggles of the aristocratic sister and brother, Kazuko and Naoji, after their mother dies from illness.
Set against the backdrop of the collapse of the Japanese social value system and the conflict between new and old ideologies after the war, the novel depicts the distress and struggle of individuals amidst the chaos of post-war Japanese social values.
'Shayo' means the setting sun, symbolizing decline and a fleeting brilliance. Dazai Osamu used the setting sun as a metaphor for the decline of the aristocratic class. Once this book was published, it resonated widely, giving rise to the term "The Setting Sun Tribe" (Shayo-zoku), which was even included in the dictionary.
Its themes, such as the confusion and struggle of the individual within the torrent of the times, can still trigger readers to think about life and values today. Therefore, it is no longer just a metaphor for the fallen aristocracy in the book, but can also represent every individual struggling to survive in adversity. From this, various "xx-Tribes" (xx-zoku) have been derived.
For example, the "NEET Tribe" (Kenrou-zoku), the "Speed Tribes" (Bosozoku), and the most famous within the ACG subculture, of course, the "Otaku Tribe" (Otaku-zoku), or simply "Otaku."
Being taken to Setagaya by Yukinoshita tonight made Tsushima Kagami immediately think of this book, The Setting Sun.
At the time, it fit the post-war depression and the decline of the old aristocracy.
Placed in the present day, shortly after the bubble burst, it should also fit the social mindset of the Japanese people right now. It would allow them to find a trace of spiritual resonance and comfort, and then, allow him to rake in the dough.
Tsushima Kagami continued writing like this. There were many places within that needed to be deliberated and modified to fit the current situation.
After an unknown amount of time passed, Yukinoshita Shizuku, having changed into pajamas, walked up to Tsushima Kagami's side while drying her semi-damp long hair with a towel.
She looked at the characters under his pen and the slowly unfolding story.
Sister and brother, Kazuko and Naoji, the death of a relative, fallen aristocrats.
She felt a trance-like sensation, as if she herself were placed within the story.
Snapping back to reality, Yukinoshita Shizuku looked at Tsushima Kagami again.
In terms of age, she was indeed a few months older than him.
He was always able to write such amazing works based on his current environment and experiences.
Ever since he woke up in the hospital, he had become a bit different.
What was he like before?
It was so blurry; it seemed they didn't have any shared experiences.
After all, back then, she wasn't willing to pay attention to him either. One lived upstairs, the other downstairs; both had private baths and toilets. They even staggered their times for going to and leaving school to deliberately avoid each other.
Except for seeing each other at dinner, there was almost no interaction at other times.
Later, after returning to Chiba Prefecture, he attempted suicide and was hospitalized. If she hadn't been afraid that Mother would tire herself out, she wouldn't have stayed at the hospital to care for him.
On the contrary, the experience of the two briefly living together during this recent period would likely be the most profound memory in this life.
However, judging from the current situation, life was ultimately taking a turn for the better.
Looking at the boy writing at the desk before her eyes, she gradually felt a sense of unreality, as if he were overlapping with her father from her childhood.
"Achoo."
Tsushima Kagami, who had taken off his jacket to start writing novels after coming back, couldn't help but sneeze.
Seeing this, Yukinoshita Shizuku took the haori belonging to her father, which he had been fond of draping over himself since leaving the hospital, from the nearby coat rack and draped it over him.
Only then did Tsushima Kagami notice Yukinoshita Shizuku.
"Why is your hair still wet? Go blow-dry it, be careful not to catch a cold."
"I saw you were still writing and was afraid of disturbing you."
"I'll stop here for today. You go dry it quickly."
"Then you go shower quickly too; I saved the water for you."
"I'll go right now."
"I'm going back to my room too."
"Then, goodnight in advance."
Tsushima Kagami smiled and spoke to Yukinoshita Shizuku, who was preparing to leave.
Yukinoshita Shizuku also turned around to look at Tsushima Kagami, who was still draped in the haori.
"Goodnight to you too."
____
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