[Serialized Novel] "Honeybee Caprice" Episode 19

IV

The news that "Kyoko Yasumi, a middle school teacher, was crushed to death by a stage set shed" spread in an instant, even among students who were usually indifferent to one another.
Following this shocking incident, students were forbidden from leaving their dormitories during summer vacation, and rehearsals for "The Wizard of Oz" were temporarily suspended.
That day, after Yasumi was carried out by the paramedics, Kaoru and the other student council members questioned Clara Hinozaki, who had emerged from the backstage area where no one was supposed to be. Clara admitted to "pressing some switch backstage," but when asked why she was in such a place during the lunch break, she replied that she had received a letter from Kaoru that read, "There is a switch I forgot to turn off, so please turn off the one that is still lit." "I never imagined that by turning off that switch, the hoisted shed would fall," Clara sobbed on the spot.
However, there was no truth to the claim that Kaoru had written such a letter, and the "letter" Clara spoke of could not be found anywhere. Seeing her distraught and occasionally shouting incoherent things, both the student council and the faculty concluded that "the story about the letter must be a delusion caused by the shock of the accident."
Miyu was no exception to the shock caused by this incident. She didn't know the teacher named Yasumi well, but the sight of a person being crushed by a building and the pool of blood spreading across the stage remained burned into her mind. The face of Nana, who had collapsed with her eyes rolled back in front of her, was also vividly recalled whenever she closed her eyes. No matter how strong the words she recited to herself, such a terrifying scene she had never experienced before would not easily fade from her memory.
At times like this, she would strangely think of her mother. Even though she should have gained freedom by leaving her mother, and even though she should have realized the comfort of not having to please anyone only after leaving, whenever night fell and she wanted to cry out of fear, it was her mother's face that floated into her mind.
"Miyu, does that look like a ghost to you? To Mommy, it looks like an 'apple'."
When she was little, ordinary things looked like ghosts to her. The wood grain on the wall, the stains on the shoji screen, just a keyhole. Terrifying things were always close by, and she would cry every time she found one.
At such times, her mother would always pull little Miyu close and say, "It's not a ghost."
"Watch what Mommy draws."
Her mother would take out acrylic paints and cast a spell with her paintbrush. The wood grain on the wall became butterflies, the stains on the shoji screen became tropical fish, and the keyhole became a bright red apple eaten by "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." Every corner of the house transformed into a world of "fairy tales."
Although her mother now works in sales at a general company completely unrelated to painting or art, she originally graduated from the same art university as her father and was someone who loved painting. It was her mother who first taught her that all scary things can be turned into things she likes, and that the world is on her side.
"That's right, you paint over scary memories. Use a brush, no, use a palette knife to apply the paint. Don't worry about the texture..."
When Miyu closed her eyes, she layered paint over the images in her mind. Instead of capturing the shapes precisely, she brought them closer to the forms of cylinders, spheres, and cones, repainting the memories into a world where the frozen air and the terrified expressions of the girls could not be read. Thinking of Cezanne's still lifes and his later work, "The Large Bathers," she applied colors to get closer to that...
"Knock, knock."
At that moment, there was a knock on the room door. The person who had visited every day for the week since the accident had come again today.
"Good evening, Miyu."
"Good evening, Kaoru."
When she opened the door, Kaoru smiled gently as always. The moment at 7:00 PM when Kaoru came was her only time of peace.
After politely welcoming her into the room, she moved the chair from her study desk to the side of the small table as usual and had her sit there. She poured tea into her favorite teacup with a saucer, which she had purchased as a set with Yuri, and gently handed it to her, careful not to spill it.
"Thank you as always. But you don't have to go to the trouble of making tea."
"You are busy, yet you come every day, so this is just a small token of my gratitude. I feel so relieved when I see you, Kaoru, so it really helps me."
"It's only natural to do this much. After all, something like that happened. I can only imagine how terrifying it must have been for you, Miyu, to have encountered it... I feel sorry that I can only stay here for a short while every night."
"That's not true! Even though the teachers only say 'don't leave your room,' you and the rest of the student council go around to each dormitory every day to look after the students' mental well-being. I really respect you; it's truly amazing. I haven't gotten used to this school that much yet, but I feel like I understand well why everyone thinks of the student council as special because of this incident."
"Haha, that's a bit of an exaggeration. But I'm happy to hear you say that."
Kaoru narrowed her eyes happily and quietly touched her lips to the teacup.
"Um, Kaoru. What about Kawase-san... Nana Kawase from the Cerisier class? At that time, we witnessed it together, and, well, she collapsed..."
"Kawase-san is fine. She has regained consciousness. However, because the shock was so great, she is currently hospitalized at the affiliated hospital of Claire Women's College just to be safe."
"I see. That's a relief. Also, what about Clara Hinozaki..."
"Miyu. Your kindness is wonderful, but it's not good to think too much when your own heart hasn't healed yet. For now, just think about yourself. Okay?"
Kaoru took Miyu's hand and placed both of her own hands over it, as if to envelop it.
When she was met with a smile like a Madonna's, she couldn't ask any more about Clara. She actually wanted to consult her about Shirayuki as well, but she felt hesitant to bother her when she was so busy.
"Well then, see you tomorrow."
After staying for about ten minutes, Kaoru headed off to visit the next student.

(To be continued)

🍀🐝 Click here for Episode 1 ↓

#CreativeAward2023