Irradiation | The Original Sin of Young David | Awa no Tenohira Anthology 1 | Shirokuma Literary Club (Paperback)

Every time I gently pick up a paperback book, my heart still aches. No, that restlessness only seems to grow deeper.

Back then, my elementary school had a class called "Aozora Bunko" (Blue Sky Library). On sunny days, as the name suggests, we would have time to quietly read our favorite books borrowed from the library in the shade of the trees in the schoolyard, and on rainy days, contrary to the name, we would read on the hard chairs in the classroom.
However, in reality, we were allowed to read wherever we wanted, so those who belonged to active groups would rush out to the schoolyard, while the quiet ones often stayed in the classroom.

As a mischievous child, I would rush out under the sun that day too, toss my book aside, hang from the monkey bars, poke at mole holes, and just play.

Why was Micchan out in the schoolyard that day? I don't know the reason. Usually, whether the weather was good or bad, she should have been in a corner of the classroom. I was just a little curious about that.

Micchan and I were in the same group for the nursery school shuttle bus, and even though we weren't particularly close, I would notice her nearby whenever I looked. She was a quiet girl with black hair that didn't reach her shoulders, the same as it had been ever since then.

Therefore, it was nothing more than a trivial prank. It wasn't sadism or a budding crush, but an unnamed impulse. I just wanted to do something to Micchan—that was all.

As I crept up on her, Micchan just turned an innocent smile toward me.

“Micchan, do this, go 'ee'...”

I said, hooking both my hands on either side of my mouth and pulling.

“Try saying 'Aozora Bunko'.”

Micchan tilted her head slightly, and with a face that didn't suspect a thing, she gently placed her thin, white fingers on both sides of her small mouth. Then, for some reason, she stared at me. The black cat emblem on her white blouse was as black as a dark night.

Even though there was no wind, Micchan's red skirt swayed, and at that moment, I suddenly smelled sweat in my mouth.

“Aozora... unko (poop).”

For that one moment, time slowed down significantly.
Micchan froze completely,
then her eyes darted back and forth,
her face tilted up and down,
the area around her cheeks turned a little red,
then her earlobes turned bright red,
and water welled up from both her eyes,
which spilled over the edges of her eyelids and fell, drip, drip.

Without making a sound or hiding it with her hands, Micchan just shed big tears.

“Miki is crying!”
“A couple is having a scene!”

Such teasing rose up from somewhere. And even though there was no wind, it rustled and echoed.

The tears fell to the ground, making a large stain. After a while, Micchan gently lowered both her hands and glared at me. Then, without saying a word, she walked toward the school building.

I just remained silent. I couldn't do anything. I tried to read the paperback book I had borrowed, but I couldn't concentrate on the content. Perhaps that was just how it always was.

On the next Aozora Bunko day, large raindrops were falling from the sky. Micchan was reading a book in the very back seat of the classroom as usual, but she barely moved. She was just staring intently at the hand placed on her desk. That hand had those slender fingers, just like mine.

Micchan lifted her face just a little. But she didn't look at me anymore.
At that moment, the world sank a little.

She went on to a junior high school outside of town, and I don't know anything about her after that.

When I close my eyes, that red of the glowing embers sways together with the scent of a windless afternoon.

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