Novel "The Reeds in Love" Part 1 (2)

Yukino was a junior who had joined the literature club I belonged to. In terms of age, she was three years younger than me. Even though it was a literature club, this was a university specializing in science, so there were few people passionate about literature. Most people joined because they had a senior in the same department or because the atmosphere seemed nice. Yukino was one of those freshmen. Someone like me, who devoured books by Hesse, Tolstoy, Soseki, and Nobara Takemoto, was a rare beast here.

Yukino was a slightly reserved girl who, despite belonging to a somewhat flashy group, seemed to take a step back. It seemed she had been following a very handsome senior a year above me with her eyes. At this time, Yukino and I had no special feelings for each other; we were just a senior and a junior. We were only on the level of having spoken about trivial things at the freshman welcome party and a few times in the club room afterward.

The relationship, or rather the point of contact, between Yukino and me began to change little by little following the preparations for the summer training camp. In the literature club I belonged to, we held a prose contest every year at the summer camp. It was essentially an essay competition, and I was the one in charge of organizing it this time. Yukino consulted me, saying she was hesitant to participate in the summer camp and didn't have the confidence to write an essay.
"If you're hesitant, I really think you should participate. It's a chance to get to know your classmates, and I'm sure it will be a fun memory. Besides, you don't have to submit an essay. But writing is a chance to look back at yourself, and since it's an anonymous vote, only I, as the organizer, will know who wrote what unless you place in the top two. It's easy, right? Also, if you're worried about how to write it, you can always ask me for advice."
I answered like that.
"If you say so, Senior, maybe I'd like to participate."
she said.
"Yeah, well, think about it. You don't have to decide now, I'll be waiting to hear from you."
I replied.

From then on, Yukino started coming to talk to me frequently. I often spent my free time reading books in the club room in the circle building. The literature club room had sofas on both sides of a low table. The walls were filled with various books left behind by successive club members. It was a small, cozy room where people could barely move. Yukino would come there from time to time and ask,
"Senior, what kind of book are you reading today?"
At that time, I was reading a collection of short stories by Oscar Wilde.
"This is a collection of short stories, and among them, I really like the story of 'The Happy Prince.' I've read it many times, but I reread it from time to time."
When I said that, she asked,
"What kind of story is it?"
"To put it simply, it's a story about a prince's statue made of gold and jewels that has a self. A swallow comes to rest there, so the prince asks the swallow to deliver the jewels and gold that make up his body to people who are suffering. The swallow gives up migrating south and agrees, delivering the prince's body to the people one by one. Eventually, the prince loses the rubies in his eyes, becomes unable to see anything, and ends up in a shabby state. The lead heart that remained at the end and the dead body of the swallow are thrown into the city's trash heap. At the end of the story, when God in heaven tells an angel to bring the two most precious things in the world, the angel brings this lead heart and the swallow's carcass, and they lived happily ever after in heaven. That's the kind of story it is."
When I told her the plot, she thought for a moment and said,
"A common story... isn't it?"
"Yes. It is, but this story is my origin. I think I was in the fourth grade of elementary school when my father read this story to me. I was very moved and shed many big tears."
It was the first time I had told anyone something like this, and I thought that, in the first place, I had hardly ever been asked anything about the books I was reading.
"It's certainly a beautiful story, but I don't really understand it that well."
Yukino said.
"That might be true, but this book sells very well, so maybe there are many people who were touched by it like me. Or maybe it just became popular because it's an exemplary Christian teaching."
If it were the latter, I felt a little lonely. Even though the spirit of self-sacrifice is the foundation of Christ's teachings, why then are there endless wars in Europe?
"I wonder. It's a bit difficult for me. I've never thought about it that far."
Her fragile atmosphere made me feel as if she had picked up on the loneliness in my eyes.

At that moment, the chime signaling the end of the fourth period rang out through the circle building. In the summer twilight, swallows were flying low outside.

She was a night-course student, and the first period of the night course overlapped with the fifth period of the day course.
"I have class next, so I'm going. Also, I tried writing an essay, so could you take a look at it once?"
she said, handing me the essay printed on copy paper before leaving the club room.
"Of course."
I said as I accepted it.
It was titled "My Precious Thing" and was about the dog at her parents' house. It certainly gave the impression that she wasn't used to writing, but even though she said she lacked confidence, she had faced herself well and written down her thoughts. Thinking that I was someone who had been asked, I took a red pen, corrected a few typos, and left a comment suggesting she write more concretely about the description of when the dog snuggled up to her, to give the background some color. I stared at the paper for a while wondering what to do with it, took a photo, found her contact information from the club's group LINE, and sent it. She replied with an emoji, "Thank you very much. I'll submit it when it's finished," so I replied, "I'll be waiting."

From then on, she started contacting me from time to time, saying she didn't understand something in her studies or that she was caught in the middle of two girls in her department who weren't getting along. And so, I would teach her when she showed her face in the club room or listen to her complaints. She always sat next to me on the sofa in the club room.

By the time mid-August arrived, the three-day, two-night literature club summer camp was about to begin. Outside, the cicadas were still chirping. She had properly submitted the revised essay, and I, despite being the organizer, had also written an essay on the subject of those sunflowers. Of course, I was confident in my writing, but in a sense, it was a sneaky way to collect votes using anonymity. After all, you'd want to know, wouldn't you? Who the sunflower is, and who wrote it. That's what university students are like.

The trip to the camp site in Nagano Prefecture was by a chartered large bus. It was an annual tradition for freshmen to introduce themselves and for seniors to ask various questions. Someone asked Yukino who the senior she was closest to was. I thought, what are you asking, but Yukino looked at my face shyly, and the questioner who saw that said,
"Oh."
and the like. I thought, stop it, but since we were indeed close, I didn't feel bad about it, and being relied on as a senior was what I wanted.
"Well, I do teach her studies sometimes."
I followed up. Someone gave a meaningful response, saying,
"Hmm?"

The camp site was a large lodging facility where private rooms were arranged around a large lobby, each being a double room. After arriving, we unpacked according to the pre-determined room assignments, followed by a brief general explanation, and then started with a barbecue in the garden.

I was acting unfailingly cheerful, especially toward the outside. This was particularly noticeable around this time, and I think my heart, having emerged from the dark days of being a ronin, was very positive.

Even at the camp, I was always livening up the place and was always at the center of it. Seeing the freshman group talking, I would say,
"Do you have enough meat? What are you talking about?"
and after warming up the place a little, I beckoned to Yukino, Yukino Taguchi, who was standing there quietly, and had her sit in the chair I was sitting in, saying,
"Taguchi-san, over here, over here."
"Kawano-kun, you're in the same department, right? Have you talked before?"
I said.
"I think we talked a little at the welcome party."
he said, so I said,
"Is that so? Kawano-kun, you said you have a dog at home, right? Taguchi-san also has a Chihuahua!"
When I said that, everyone got excited, saying,
"Eh, really? Do you have a photo!?"
Thinking it would be fine, I left the scene and went to tease the seniors. I was such a joker. It was a clear night with beautiful stars.

The vote counting for the essay competition was held at the party the next night. Even though it was a party, it was basically just drinking, a bingo tournament, and an essay awards ceremony. Because I used a slightly sneaky method, as I had expected, I won by an overwhelming number of votes, held up the gift certificate myself, and said,
"I'll give this back to everyone!"
Second place was Kawano-kun, and the prize was a stylish photo frame. I had made the first prize a gift certificate so it could be used for everyone's drinking money later. When a senior told me to read it in front of everyone, I felt embarrassed after reading one line, scratched my head, and said,
"I'll drink instead!"
and emptied my glass. I was a two-year ronin, so I was a sophomore but about to turn 21.
"Good job!"
someone shouted, and there was applause. I don't know what kind of face Yukino was making at this time.

After the general banquet was over, I, who had called for everyone to gather saying, "Those who haven't had enough to drink, gather around," was the first to pass out, and I fell asleep on a bench in the lobby.

When I woke up in the middle of the night, the hustle and bustle of the lobby had completely quieted down, and except for a few people playing cards, everyone else was sleeping somewhere, if not in their beds, just like me. However, next to me was Yukino, looking at my face with concern.
"Ah, good morning?"
I said with a smile, and Yukino asked,
"Are you okay?"
and handed me a plastic bottle of water.
"I'm fine, I'm fine."
I said, finished drinking it, and when I said,
"Thank you. You weren't asleep yet, were you?"
she said,
"Senior, let's go outside, for a test of courage!!"
Yukino suddenly stood up, and I followed her unsteadily. The night in the countryside was noisier than the lobby, with the sounds of insects and the flowing river echoing. Since I had come last year, it was a place I knew well, but for Yukino, it seemed interesting, and she would squeal and get excited whenever she heard the rustling of grass or the sounds of animals. I watched her from the side and smiled.

Before long, the training camp ended, and the second semester began immediately after. As always, Yukino would come to the club room to have me help her with her studies from time to time, or send trivial topics via LINE. At one point, I was asked my birthday by Yukino. The great chorus of cicadas that had been so noisy ended, and a cultivator had entered the sunflower field. It was a season where chilly days started to appear in mid-October.