[Serialized Novel] "Honeybee Caprice" Episode 12

III

As late July approached, summer vacation arrived.
Even though it was summer vacation, the lives of the students at Claire Academy, who were usually far removed from play and leisure, did not change significantly.
During the summer break, there were vast amounts of assignments for the subjects each student had chosen, and the time spent receiving lessons from the academy's exclusive instructors—such as piano, violin, and flute lessons, or practice for sports like tennis and horseback riding—increased significantly. Furthermore, students who were scheduled to be involved in the "Theater Festival" held in October would be busy with preparations.
Back when I was still in my second year of middle school, when I first heard about the academy from Kaoru, I thought that as long as I submitted the application, I could go to Paris as early as the summer of my first year. However, as soon as I enrolled, I was told by my homeroom teacher that this would only be possible once a set number of credits had been earned as quickly as possible, and that it would be no earlier than the summer of my second year.
"It's a shame I can't see Papa right away, but I'll go see him next year. Until then, I'll study painting more and surprise him."
The reason I was able to shift my feelings positively was that, since entering this academy, I no longer needed to appease my mother, and I felt comfortable just chatting with my two like-minded friends every day without worrying about the time. Even if I couldn't leave the academy, this life was fulfilling enough just by being able to read through the art books in the library on my days off.
However, I was only able to spend such leisurely time until early May. After May 10th, when Shirayuki suddenly stopped coming to school, my daily life began to change.
At first, I thought she was just absent from school with a cold, but on the third day of Shirayuki's absence, I asked our homeroom teacher, Yoshimi Sakaki, "What happened to Shirayuki?" along with Yuri.
"Miss Matsunaga has come down with a sudden illness and has returned home for a while."
That day, Sakaki only replied with a high-pitched, nasal voice, and after that, no matter how many times the two of us visited the staff room (it would be more accurate to say we barged in), she would just shut the door firmly and turn us away, saying, "You are external students, aren't you? You are already behind the others in etiquette classes and second foreign language studies, so go back to the classroom quickly and have your friends teach you."
One day, I tried to ask our classmate Sakura Kano for help, but even when I tried to speak to her, she would just glance at us as if to say, "I have nothing to do with you anymore," and leave the classroom immediately. Even when we ambushed her in the cafeteria during lunch break, she wouldn't talk to us in the end.
Two weeks had passed since May 10th, and convinced that the cause lay with Clara Hinozaki and that they must have done something, Yuri and I finally headed to the "Cerisier" class where Clara was. However, at the same time we were barging into Cerisier, Clara had brought Nana and Aika with her to the "Iris" class. It seems they had come to complain, asking "When are you going to bring it?" regarding the report assignment titled "Opera 'La Traviata' and the Historical Background of France" that they had forced onto Shirayuki. We missed each other and couldn't see the scene, but a note describing what happened at that time was left in Yuri's desk (Yuri says it was probably the other person who gave the bribe).
I never believed what the homeroom teacher Sakaki said from the start. During the two months since Shirayuki disappeared, I completely forgot about the "Red Suggestion Box" that Sakura had told me about, and I just kept searching for traces of her with Yuri. I searched every corner of the high school building, checking to see if she, as a member of the beautification committee, had left any messages, or if anyone had witnessed Shirayuki.
Yuri, whose aunt had disappeared at this school seventeen years ago, was especially desperate. She actively engaged with other students, trying to pry out information about Shirayuki and the "Academy's Secrets" that no one wanted to talk about, in exchange for snacks like Pocky and Chupa Chups, or items like loose socks and purikura stickers she had brought in secretly.
However, that passion backfired, and one day, it was discovered by the academy that she had brought in outside items. Just before summer vacation began, Yuri was suspended for violating school rules. Required to leave the academy immediately, she was forced to return home, packing only a few personal belongings while leaving most of her luggage in the room.
When Yuri, who had been by my side every day, was gone, the dormitory room felt suddenly spacious. Her charming smile with freckles, her soft, wavy hair that shone chestnut when the sun hit it, her bell-like laughter. Everything that comes to mind is very dear to me. The nights without her were too quiet, lonely, and unsettling, and tears would naturally well up before I went to sleep.
"Miyu, keep looking for Shirayuki while I'm gone. I'll ask my father about my aunt again. I'll also look into things outside to see if there are any hints about Shirayuki. So please, it's a promise."
I remember Yuri's face the night before she left the room, holding my hands tightly and pleading with serious eyes.
"I will do my best on my own for the part that Yuri can't do."
Miyu wiped away her tears and made up her mind.
A long summer vacation begins. The first summer since becoming a high school student holds a major trial related to the "Theater Festival." It is more than I can handle right now, but it might be an opportunity to gain clues to find out where Shirayuki is.
Although there is no proof yet, I can be by the side of that person I have longed for all summer. That is my only hope.

(To be continued)

🍀🐝 Click here for Episode 1 ↓

#CreativeAward2023