The base of my martial arts is traditional karate. Mainly kicking techniques.
“Himari, you’re a girl, so take care of your hands,” is what my mother taught me.
She wasn’t a person I could respect in many ways, but I am grateful that she taught me how to use my body. She was also the one who gave me the name “Himari.”
From a young age, I was raised under the guidance of my mother, who served as the master at a dojo, and by the time I was old enough to understand things, the fundamental ‘kata’ were already ingrained in me.
My mother had the regret of being unable to achieve greatness due to an injury, despite having a promising future in martial arts… Her guidance was strict, but for some reason, I strangely never found it painful.
After that. I switched to kickboxing and was chosen for the junior selection team.
There, I met an irreplaceable best friend…
‘Himarin, don’t worry about it. I’m fine now.’
And so, time passes. The next scene I recall is my encounter with the professor—Shirasagi Reika.
When I was a first-year university student, I took the professor’s lecture for the first time. An analytical theory that combined elements of criminal psychology with the changes in society accompanying the development of the internet. It was something I wanted to know more about.
—What’s the point in hurting others on the internet?
As soon as the lecture ended, I went to the lectern to ask a question, and the professor answered immediately.
‘Whether the stage is the internet or not, the act of hurting others should have no inherent meaning. Am I wrong?’
And she continued right after.
‘In this world, there is the concept of “going viral,” the concept of “getting flamed,” and the concept of “being Insta-worthy.” Those originated from the internet, and by extension, SNS. Do you know why?’
As I shook my head, the professor continued.
‘Because that is where many people gather. Where people gather, culture is born. By analyzing that culture, we can indirectly learn about the world. Now, do you wish to know? About this world where the internet has become commonplace.’
—Yes.
As I nodded, the professor, her expression unchanging, told me this.
‘I see. Then knock on the door of my laboratory. I will welcome you.’
“Hee… I’m gonna die… The sun’s gonna kill me…”
In the sweltering heat, I arrived at the lab as usual, fanning my sweaty chest and savoring the blessing of the air conditioner.
The buzzing of the cicadas showed no sign of stopping, and a heat haze was rising from the asphalt. Not only has the average temperature been rising year after year, but because this region is in a basin, the heat stagnates and the humidity skyrockets to an incredible level. A fiery hell.
Even if the temperature is high, it would still be fine if it were dry and clear. The problem is the high humidity, which is the natural enemy of a female college student. What is this climate? The rainforest? Not that I’ve ever been.
After all, just walking a little makes you sweat, and your makeup peels off along with it. Even for me, who lives alone near the university, I get soaked in sweat during the few dozen minutes it takes to get to a lecture, so the air-conditioned lab felt like an oasis on campus.
“At this rate, I wish it had stayed the rainy season forever…”
“It’s July, so it’s only natural for the rainy season to end.”
”…”
I didn’t even have the energy left to retort to the professor that it was a figure of speech.
For the past few days, the professor has been cooped up writing a paper for an academic conference in August. Without changing her posture at all, like a mannequin in an apparel shop, only her hands mechanically echoed with the sound of keystrokes.
When quoting from a book in an academic paper, the references must be clearly stated, so thick tomes were stacked on the professor’s desk, towering like a great tree. In addition, the professor is a ‘person who can’t tidy up,’ so the room inevitably gets messy, which meant that I was also stationed in the lab most of the time during this period. It’s cool, so I don’t mind, though.
The season is July. At the affiliated high school, which uses a trimester system, it’s the period for final exams, and with the exception of some club activities, things are off. The kickboxing club was no exception and was on break, so my part-time job was also on hiatus. Although there’s a limit to the hours an undergraduate can work within the university, it was good timing in terms of having a stable income.
Well, I have exams of my own at the end of the month, though…
The library at Yamabuki University is apparently quite large, but the desks inside are packed tight with students studying for exams, and the air is tense. The cafes and cafeterias are also almost completely full, so this environment where I can concentrate on creating reports and organizing resumes while doing odd jobs for the professor might be a blessing in the end.
I headed to a corner of the lab to make some coffee.
It was right under the air conditioner’s vent.
“Ugh…”
The wind blowing from the air conditioner hit my exposed shoulders directly, and I couldn’t help but shiver. A few dozen minutes ago, the lab had seemed like paradise, but come to think of it, the temperature difference with the outside was over 10 degrees. I cursed my own lack of foresight for leaving the house in a sleeveless dress.
Feeling apologetic, I made a suggestion.
“Professor, could we raise the temperature of the air conditioning a little?”
“Are you cold? My jacket is on the hanger rack over there. Feel free to use it.”
“With all due respect, wearing outerwear in an air-conditioned room is as self-defeating as eating ice cream in a heated room…”
“Hmm. Are you saying my clothes wouldn’t fit your chest?”
“What kind of interpretation is that!?”
I hurriedly tried to explain myself after being hit from an unexpected direction. Though it’s strange to be making excuses in the first place. However, the professor has a personality that’s very particular about certain things, so if I step on a landmine, I have no choice but to peacefully get her back in a good mood. From past experience, I listed off every praise I could think of, like “Breasts are genetics, a slim waist is effort. Your figure, Professor, is the envy of all the girls in the world!” and “The one with more freedom in choosing clothes is definitely you, Professor! I’m so jealous!”, to somehow get her back in a good mood. I felt like I was being dealt a final blow when my stamina was already being drained by the heat.
“Haaah… Ugh, it’s so hot…”
Having escaped the lab on the pretext of running out of snacks, I squinted at the assaulting heat and took out my smartphone with a sigh. I opened the official app for a video site and unconsciously tapped on “Mayu-channel,” only to remember that Mayuki-kun hadn’t been updating his videos because it was the regular exam period. I realized anew just how much Mayuki-kun had become a part of my daily routine, to the point I couldn’t remember how many times I’d done this.
“…It’s kind of quiet.”
Lectures at Yamabuki University are held 15 times per semester. A once-a-week lecture is repeated for 15 weeks. And we were currently in the 12th week. There was still more than half a month to go until the time when university students start crossing the line of death to earn their graduation credits, but as for what the serious students were doing, they were starting to draft their reports and gather materials. Of course, the majority were out in town fooling around from noon, but that type of person doesn’t come to the university much in the first place, so they don’t count.
However, there were unusually few people around today. As I trudged my way to the school store, a sight that entered the corner of my vision made me understand why. There wasn’t a soul on the affiliated high school’s grounds.
Huh? Could it be that the high school’s regular exams are already over?
“It would be a bother if I’m mistaken, but honestly, I want to contact him…” After a slight internal conflict, I ended up launching the messaging app. I want to cherish any opportunity to replenish my Onee-chan points as much as possible.
—Mayuki-kun, has summer break started for you?
“Yes, my tests ended yesterday. The feeling of liberation is amazing!”
It seems my hunch was correct.
On the other hand, I also felt something was off. Mayuki-kun is a streaming monster who beams smiles over the internet until late at night, even on days he comes to visit the lab. If he was free last night, it’s strange that there’s no archive on “Mayu-channel.” Well, it’s his usual routine that’s strange, though.
—You didn’t stream yesterday?
“Well, I caught a cold around the day before yesterday. I had one day of tests left, so I forced myself to go to school, but I started running a fever last night.”
—Really? Are you okay? No, you’re not okay, right? Sorry.
It’s true that it’s easy to get sick during the change of seasons. I’m not an expert, so I don’t know the medical basis for it, but Mayuki-kun already has an irregular life cycle, so it wouldn’t be strange if his immune system was weakened. Since he’s a boy who doesn’t usually leave the house, his metabolism is probably low, too.
Moreover—he lives alone in a house.
I can relate. There’s nothing quite like the helplessness of getting sick at home, wrapped up in your futon all alone. It was truly awful when I had the flu. I’ve never wished so strongly for someone to be nearby.
Then, a lightbulb went on in my head.
I declared that I would “protect” Mayuki-kun.
In other words, I’m shouldering a just cause.
I snorted, “Mufu.”
—I’m coming over to take care of you tonight.
It seems the time to earn Onee-chan points has come.