Zaregoto

Volume 1Chapter 3: Savant Blue (Part 3)

Akane-san was in the dining room.

I tensed up.

She sat alone at the round dining table with her legs crossed in an elegant, somehow un-Japanese pose, having her breakfast. Or no, she had already finished breakfast and was enjoying an after-meal coffee.

"Oh! Good morning!" It was the bright and lively voice of Akari-san in the midst of cleaning the dining room. No, wait, it wasn't her. Akari-san never greeted me bright and lively. That wasn't the Akari-san I knew. Which meant…

"Hi, Hikari-san," I said, determining that it was Hikari-san. Evidently, I was correct, as she then grinned at me and bowed.

Chiga Akari-san and Chiga Hikari-san.

They were sisters. Twins. To be sure, there was the third sister as well, their silent younger sister Teruko. Teruko apparently had poor eyesight and was recognizable by her glasses with their black lenses. Akari-san and Hikari-san, however, were perfectly identical, from the length of their hair to their clothes, to the point that they weren't just "similar," they were the same.

But unlike Akari-san, Hikari-san was an incredibly kind person. Even though I wasn't a true "guest," she treated me the same as everyone else.

"Breakfast? Wait one moment, please," she said, then spun around and hustled off to the kitchen. She must be so good at spinning because she's small, I thought.

With Hikari-san gone, I was suddenly left alone with Akane-san.

After a split-second's hesitation, I went ahead and took a seat near her. I thought to greet her, but she seemed completely immersed in thought, mumbling to herself in a semi-audible voice, not even looking in my direction. It was as though she hadn't noticed me. What in the world was she thinking about? I pricked my ears to listen in.

"Sente 9-6, pawn… Kote 8-4, pawn… Sente, same pawn… Kote 8-7, pawn… Sente 8-4, rook… Kote 2-6, pawn… Sente 3-2, silver general… Kote 9-5, pawn… Sente 4-4, bishop… Kote 5-9, gold general, take… Sente 2-7, knight…"

Meaning unknown.

That's what you get from one of the Seven Fools; even the things they mutter to themselves are different, I thought, thoroughly impressed. But listening closely, it sounded like she was reciting a shogi game record. Wow, blind shogi.

And by herself, no less.

Is this what she always did in the morning?

"Kote 2-3, pawn, checkmate, Sente forfeits," she said and glanced over at me. "Ah, I was wondering who that was, and here it turned out to be you. Good morning."

"Good morning."

"Heh heh. Isn't shogi tough? The pieces move around a lot more than in chess. I was playing Kote just now. It was a close victory."

"Huh."

There are a Sente and Kote in single-player shogi? Maybe Akane-san was able to divide her mind like a dolphin. Yeah, it seemed likely for someone like her.

"Are you good at shogi, or chess, whichever?"

"I wouldn't say so, no."

"Hmm, is that so?"

"Reading other people's minds isn't my forte."

"Oh no? Hmm, I suppose not. You've got that kind of face," she nodded. "I saw you from the window a little earlier. Out for a morning walk, were you?"

"Yeah, a walk in the woods."

"Ah, a walk in the woods, how nice. Very nice. The phytoncide released by the trees creates a bactericidal effect and such."

What the hell?

In Houston, Texas, in America, there's a research facility called the ER3 System. There, brilliant minds from around America, nay, around the world, gather, and it is referred to as the ultimate bastion of learning, from economics to history, political science to cultural science, physics and advanced mathematics to biology, electronic and systems engineering, metapsychology, indeed, anything that could be called a field of study or research.

It's also known as the Comprehensive Research Center. It was a gathering place for those who loved learning and research above all else. A nest for those inhuman humans whose desire for knowledge exceeded even their natural, biological desires. An entirely nonprofit organization, they dared not sell their knowledge or research findings, and they were in a sense a closed and introverted sort of secretive organization.

There were only four basic rules:

Have no pride.

Have no principles.

Have no attachments.

No whining.

They were to unbegrudgingly cooperate with one another to the fullest of their ability, to never be unproductive, even if the world should perish, and to never quit halfway, come Hell or high water.

The ultimate destination for those who wanted to do research, who wanted to know, who had to know, with means and end in complete harmony, it was the ER3 System. The people gathered there ranged from highly esteemed college professors to "frontline" researchers and amateur academics, a truly pride-free assembly of all manner of individuals. Their reputation was seemingly so bizarre that the media ridiculed them as a "cultish pack of overeducated loonies."

But their research had yielded great rewards: the demystification of Dalevio nonlinear optics, the overwhelming advancement of volume hologram technology, and the establishment of the near-magical DOP as a sensory technology were all thanks to the ER3. Not the work of individuals, but rather team efforts, and nonprofit work at that, they declined all awards and other various honors, and thus had not come to draw much attention, but their reputation within the academic world was certainly high. It was a research center with a relatively brief history—not even a century old— but it was already globally networked.

And within this research center existed the transcendental group known as the Seven Fools. Seven individuals selected in turn by the selected "seven on the verge of the answers to the universe." They were the true "geniuses among geniuses."

One of these seven individuals was Sonoyama Akane-san.

She had beautiful black hair, cut ruler-precise to lend her an air of intellectualism. She was tall for a woman, with a stylishly slender build. There was no part of her that wasn't overflowing with elegant femininity. She was a Japanese woman scholar of the highest order.

The ER3 System is relatively unknown in Japan. The fact that the ER3 itself is so exclusive is no doubt part of the reason for this, but the main reason is likely that the uncategorizable nature of the center doesn't fit with the Japanese way of doing things. But nevertheless, Akane-san had, as a pure and innocent Japanese woman (and in her twenties, no less) risen to the ranks of the ER3's Seven Fools. It would come as no surprise if one day she was a household name in Japan.

Now, this may all beg the question: if I'm just a "pure and innocent" Japanese person, too, how come I know so much? But there's no special reason, really. It's not that I'm particularly well informed, it's just that the ER3 and I have crossed paths a bit.

You see, in preparation for the long-term, ER3 System implements a study-abroad program to educate the youth of the next generation. For five years, beginning with my second year of junior high school, I participated in that program, so naturally, I knew of Sonoyama Akane's reputation as one of the Seven Fools, as well as her "above the clouds" existence. And that's why I was so surprised to discover Akane-san here on this island. I'm not at all the type who surrenders unconditionally at the first sniff of authority or talent, but I can't help but be nervous. What exactly do you say to one of the Seven Fools?

I was sitting there, all clammed up when Akane spoke to me. "By the way, that blue-haired girl—Kunagisa-chan, I mean."

"Ah. Yes?"

"She's just lovely. Last night I had her do some maintenance on my PC. She's incredibly skilled, isn't she? We have techies at ER3 as well, but I've never seen one with such… Mechanical precision. She made it look like routine work. This may sound rude, but for a moment I wondered if she was really human. I was sure Iria-san would absolutely adore her."

"Ah, really? I hope she wasn't a bother or anything."

She let out a chuckle. "You sound like a baby stroller."

A baby stroller. Once again I had suffered an unfounded assessment. "You mean a babysitter?"

"Well, they both mean the same thing, yes?"

"A stroller is a kind of carriage."

"Ah, right," she nodded.

For all her evident ability in math and science, it seemed Japanese was not Akane-san's forte.

"Well, either way. She was no bother at all."

Well, duh.

"Then again, she seemed a bit of the socially awkward type. I don't think she listens when people are talking. And as a result, my PC evolved about two generations."

"But that's actually the improved Kunagisa. She used to be terrible to talk to. Just starting and stopping whenever she felt like it. It was pretty rough for me."

"Hmm. If you want my opinion, I think there's a certain charm to her unapologetic-ness."

"Eh, I'm not sure I agree on that."

"Have it your way." Akane-san shrugged. "By the way, I also heard from her that you were in the ER program."

"Huh." That blabbermouth had let the cat out of the bag! I thought I told her to keep that quiet. Not that I wasn't fully aware there's no point trying to keep that girl quiet.

"You should've told me. We could've had quite a chat. I feel as if we've wasted two days. I don't suppose you were holding back by any chance? Please don't get me wrong, I'm not such a big deal."

"No, it's not that… I guess it was just hard to bring it up. And also, even though I was in the program, I quit midway through."

The program is a ten-year study. I dropped out after my fifth year. From there I returned to Japan and reunited with Kunagisa. Luckily, I was already qualified as a high school graduate from my second year in the program, so I was able to transfer directly to Kyoto Rokumeikan University.

"It's still a big deal. Regardless of what a sprain it became for you…"

"That's a 'strain.'"

"Regardless of what a strain it became for you, the ER program's entrance exam is a great obstacle to have overcome. You should have a little more pride in your accomplishments."

The ER program's entrance exam was unusually difficult. Even in the application guidebook it said, "There are no perks. This does not guarantee your future. No one will come to rescue you. We offer only an environment in which you may sate your intellectual curiosity," yet still elite candidates from around the world gathered to take the test. So it was true, merely passing the test was something to boast about.

But.

I hadn't completed the program.

"There's no point if you drop out halfway. End results are everything in this world."

"Actually, I happen to think everything in this world is a result… Or are you one of those 'a genius is a genius is a genius' people?" She had the slightest bit of sarcasm in her tone. "A genius is not a rose. In Japan, you often see people who take pride simply in the effort they give, don't you? 'I've endured great hardships, regardless of the end results,' they say. They say there's merit in effort alone. I think that's a valid outlook. Saying 'I worked hard' is a fine conclusion in and of itself. What I have a problem with are lowlifes who spout absurdities like 'I could have done that if I wanted' or 'I couldn't do it because I just wasn't trying' or 'I said I can do it, but that doesn't mean I will.' That's all ridiculous. There really are all sorts of people in this world, huh?"

"I didn't try it because I couldn't do it."

"Hmm, hehehe, you know, you've sort of got this world-weary quality about you."

"It's probably just modesty."

"Bingo."

The right part of her lip curled up in a half-smile and she produced a pack of cigarettes from her pocket. In graceful, fluid motions, she put one in her mouth and lit it.

"Wow, you smoke? I'm surprised."

"Are you the type who doesn't like women who smoke?"

"Well, no, not women particularly. Smoking is bad for your health, you know."

"Health is bad for your smoking, you know," she retorted, slowly exhaling smoke. There's that Seven Fools wit, I thought, but she smirked with embarrassment. "It's a stupid argument, huh? Don't mind me. It'd be awful if you ended up thinking I was that kind of person," she said. "Shall we change the subject? You know, I was actually in Japan all the way through high school."

"Really?" I was a little surprised. But if you thought about it, it was really no mystery. "Which high school?"

"Just your average prefectural school. It wasn't particularly well-known. I was in the girls' karate club back then. I didn't like it at all at the time, but in retrospect, it was really fun. Gee, that takes me back. It's already been more than ten years… The skirts back then were this long. I didn't have the best grades, but I was good at maths and English. That's why I ended up at an overseas university. My family was very against it, but I defied them. After all, don't they say 'if you love someone, set them ablaze'?"

"No."

"Anyway, it was like that, so in the end, I cut myself off from my family and crossed over to America on my own. It was a hell of a big move for someone like me back then."

And thus she ended up in the Seven Fools. Maybe Cinderella was in this story, too.

"So you do like math. I had a feeling."

"Well, you know, I don't dislike it. In high school, I liked how there was always one concrete answer, no vague components, so math was all I did. I liked clear-cut things. But in college, at the ER3 System, I came to realize that wasn't necessarily the case. It's just like shogi or chess. You just have to get a checkmate, but there is an infinite number of ways to get there. I felt as if I had been swindled or something."

"Like when a lover shows an unfamiliar side of themselves to you?"

She laughed as if to say, "A romantic idea, but not exactly. But I was also a little touched, you know. In my high school days, I always figured math wouldn't be of any use once I got into the real world, but in fact, there really are cases where you have to use calculus and cubic equations and such. You use factorials in everyday life. I was definitely touched by that fact."

"I understand." I nodded.

I really did.

She smiled in a satisfying way. "Are you a math person, too? On average, men are much more likely to be mathematically inclined than women. Because of the way their brains work."

"Is that so?"

"Well, based on statistical data."

"Sounds like sexist data to me."

Besides, statistical evidence is pretty unreliable. If you roll a die one hundred times and it lands on six every single time, that doesn't necessarily mean it'll be a six the next time, too. I told her this, but she protested.

"If it lands on six one hundred times in a row, it's a die that only lands on six. It's too significant a difference to be written off as a coincidence or leaning odds. Male-female statistics are kind of like that, too, though. Hehehe, so you're a feminist. Or are you just being polite around me? Well, unfortunately, I'm not a feminist. Listening to talk about expanding women's rights and women's liberation makes me sick to my stomach. I mean, right? They're obviously spouting nonsense. Sure, it's a man's world, but it's not gender equality we need, it's equal opportunity to apply our abilities. Men and women are so different that you can practically call them genetically separate creatures. So I believe they have separate roles. Of course, that rests on the major assumption that your role and what you want to do are separate, and the minor assumption that if you have to choose between the two, what you want to do should come first. Ah, and maybe the medium-sized assumption that you can do what you want to do first. But saying you can't do anything sounds like a convenient excuse to me."

"There's also the factor of the environment."

"Environment, huh? But was there ever an age when women were forbidden from writing, or from sculpting? Regarding recent trends, I've become more inclined to sympathize with men. I feel as if they're closer to my own point of view, but also, until the modern-day, the workplace was always exclusively man's domain, right? So it's no wonder they got angry when women wanted to butt in."

"They were just righting a wrong. That's just tough luck for the men." I wondered why I had to take the feminist stance.

"Hmm," she nodded. "Maybe you're right. I don't really know. But I can understand why women get angry at men, too. Even though they're just carrying out their roles and we're just carrying out ours, they still act all big about it and put on airs. It's no wonder women get angry. Just so long as they don't try to mix me up into anything. I guess what I truly want is for feminists to just do it away from me. Whatever the case may be, women are inherently a boring breed. Just like you men. Hmm, come to think of it, there were more men than women at ER3, too. Within the Seven Fools, five were men."

"Increasing returns, huh?"

"Eh?" She seemed taken aback. "I'm afraid I don't know that word. What is it, some kind of dieting thing or something?"

"It means Beta lost to VHS."

"Ah, you mean the bias that occurs in economics. That's right, to return a once male-biased world to equilibrium, you'd have to go through quite a bit of hardship. Really, there wouldn't be any problems if men and women weren't always acting jealous of each other. But nobody gets it, do they? And yet they claim there's no difference between separation and discrimination."

"You know, Akane-san, coming from you this all sounds convincing. I guess you must be going through 'quite a bit of hardship' yourself."

"Never," she said flatly. "I just make a little effort."

It was a loaded statement.

Suddenly I recalled something I had wanted to ask someone ever since I first learned of the Seven Fools' existence at ER3.

"Say, who's the number one smartest person in the entire ER3 system?"

In other words, who was the smartest person in the world? Akane-san answered with little deliberation.

"Number two is Froilein Love."

"And number one?"

"Come on, kid, you expect me to list everyone?"

Huh.

"Kidding, kidding. Hmm, to answer your question seriously, the person I respect the most, or in other words, the person I place above myself and all others is probably Assistant Professor Hewlett. He is number one for sure."

Almost unspeakably accomplished, he was the single greatest mind of the last century, and probably this one as well. The first and probably last man to master every subject when he was still in his single digits. Granted special criminal immunity by the president, he used his superior intellect to serve the good of the nation.

If Akane-san was like a god to me, Assistant Professor Hewlett was the very fabric of the universe.

"If he had been a woman, he probably would've changed history," she said, looking off into the distance. It was a curious look of admiration.

"Sorry for the wait!" With expert timing, Hikari-san appeared, pushing a cart. On top of it sat my breakfast. With experienced hands, she placed it in front of me, followed by a knife and fork on either side. "Please take your time," she said with a bow and radiant smile, and then went off somewhere once more. It seemed she still had lots of work to do.

Nine pieces of deep-fried risotto balls on lettuce. Fish soup, salad, and a sandwich made with Italian bread. Plus coffee.

"That Sashirono-san is hot stuff, huh?" Akane-san muttered, eyeing my meal.

She ran the mansion's kitchen, but she wasn't an employee. Indeed, she was one of the geniuses who had been invited to the island. Having already been here for over a year, at this point she was the longest-running guest. There was no doubt that many of the elite visitors to the island had come in hopes of trying her cuisine.

Officially, her specialty was Western cuisine, but she could just as skillfully do any other type, whether it be Chinese, Japanese, or what have you. She was a cooking master with whom no one in the culinary world wasn't familiar—or so went the tales about her. Personally, I was just as ignorant about cooking as I was about art and academics, so I had sadly not even heard of Yayoi-san until visiting the island, but having the privilege to try her dishes three times a day plus between-meal snacks, even I came to know of her extraordinary culinary prowess.

The typical image that accompanied the first name like "Yayoi" is either that of a stuck-up know-it-all or a short, spunky girl, but this Yayoi-san fit neither description, instead turning out to be a boisterous and lively woman with short hair. With a polite manner about her, she was the unarrogant type, despite being called a genius. She was also probably the only down-to-earth person on the whole island besides me. Likewise, she was the second-most pleasant person to talk to. Incidentally, Hikari-san was first. Nah, I'm just babbling.

Word had it that Yayoi-san possessed some power that allowed her to make any food better than any other cook, but just what was it? I was curious to know but had yet to inquire. She spent most of the day in the kitchen (I think that's what you call a shut-in) so opportunities to speak with her were rare.

I noticed that Akane-san was hungrily eyeing my risotto balls. After a moment of my refusing to speak up, she transferred her gaze to me. Something about her eyes was slightly different from before. Like those of a carnivore hunting wild game.

"Have you ever heard that people originally didn't acknowledge any numbers past seven?"

"Well, I…"

Apparently, all numbers past seven were simply thought of as "a lot." I had also heard in my program training that this was the fundamental reason why the "Fools" were limited to seven people.

"Yeah, so just looking at things objectively, if your nine risotto balls turned into eight, I don't think it would be such a great loss."

"And?"

"You're a sharp guy, huh? A good match for a girl like Kunagisa."

"It's not like that between us."

"Don't change the subject. Are you trying to get me to kowtow to you? Fine. Sashirono-san's risotto balls are delicious, so gimme one. You happy?"

I slid my plate to her without saying anything.

Akane-san began to gleefully pop down the risotto balls, one after another. Before you knew it, they were all gone. Apparently, by "one" she meant "one plate."

Well, I was never one to eat a whole lot in the morning anyway. I was supposed to eat for Kunagisa, too, but it was awfully cruel of her to leave that to me.

Switching channels, I made my way to the sandwich and salad. Not to be too generic, it was really good. If you said this was the only kind of food that was served at the island (and all of it free, no less), no genius would decline. Surprisingly, even Akane-san was evidently in that boat.

"Now then, to get back to the subject you're so slyly avoiding," she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin, "if it's 'not like that' between you two, just what is your relationship? If you were just friends, you wouldn't have come to this island together. You have school to worry about."

Indeed, by coming to the island I had missed every day of class since the school entrance ceremony. Incidentally, I also missed the entrance ceremony. In other words, well, yeah.

"I met her before I was in the program. So there's a blank of five years."

"Mmm, and when you got back she turned out to be a cyberterrorist, huh? That's a sordid little tale."

Indeed.

I saw it coming even when we were thirteen years old. Nevertheless, reuniting with her after my five years of study abroad, I was honestly surprised at how little had changed from the old days. Anyone would be surprised to suddenly return to their early teens. Of course, that was just how things seemed. In reality, she had become much more human in terms of personality.

Our relationship.

Asked flat out, it was a tough question to answer.

Kunagisa needed me—that much I knew. However, it didn't really have to be me. It would be extremely difficult to explain the circumstances that surrounded us. To do so, I'd have to explain a lot about Kunagisa herself, and I didn't especially want to do that.

"Mmm," Akane-san nodded.

"I haven't talked with Kunagisa-chan all that much, but it seems to me she has too many shortcomings to go through everyday life… Hmm, I guess I shouldn't say shortcomings. It's not like she's defective. But her focus is just so skewed. It reminds me of my friend whose kid is a savant."

Savant—in French, it means a person with wisdom. I was aware that Kunagisa, too, used to be called a savant. I probably knew too much about her.

"So she probably really does need someone like you looking after her. There's no doubt about that. But I mean, how does that make you feel?"

I didn't have an answer.

"It seems like you two have something of a codependent existence," Akane-san continued.

"Codependent existence?"

She tilted her head as if to say, "Haven't you heard the word? It's a symptom of addiction that affects human relationships. Like, for example, let's say there's a recovering alcoholic who has a caretaker by his side. He needs that caretaker, and the caretaker devotedly looks after him. But when that devotion goes to extremes, it's a sign of codependency. They get drunk on serving. You even see mild cases of it in romantic couples. Needless to say, it's not a good thing. You end up putting each other to waste. I'm not going to say you two are like that, but you might want to take care."

"Sure."

"Few things are as meaningless as prolonging a failed relationship. But still, I'm full of nothing but awe for Kunagisa-chan's talents. Even at ER3 they're using software that she created. Er, 'they' created, rather. But certainly, I never imagined I would meet her in a place like this."

"Why are you on this island anyway?"

It wasn't like the Seven Fools had the emptiest schedules in the world.

"No real reason," she said after a few moments' silence. It was a strangely blunt response, and it bothered me a little. "But more importantly, even if you're not the best player, you at least know the rules to shogi and chess, right? Why don't we have a game while we reminisce a little more about ER3?"

"Sure."

A shogi challenge with one of the Seven Fools.

Sounded interesting.

"But not without looking. My memory is famously bad." Not the greatest reputation to have if I do say so myself. "If we can change locations, I'm in."

"I've got a board in my room. It was the first thing I bought when I got back to Japan. Hmm, I've actually got some work to do this morning. How's this afternoon?"

"Sounds good… Oh wait, I can't. I've already got something."

"Oh? Meeting up with Kunagisa-chan or something, huh? Well, if that's the case, what can you do."

"No, with Kanami-san."

Boom.

Akane-san's expression grew unusually stern.

Damn it, I'd forgotten. When I had first arrived on the island, Hikari-san had been kind enough to let me know that Akane-san and Kanami-san were on catastrophically bad terms, but because of my famously bad memory, I had forgotten.

"Hmph. We're pals, so I'll give you a bit of advice. You shouldn't hang around with someone with such a vulgar occupation. Lowering oneself like that is stupid, you know?"

"Akane-san, you really hate Kanami-san, don't you?"

"No. There's no reason for me to embrace any feelings of like or dislike toward that woman. But artists truly are a despicable race. Hmph, seriously!" She banged her hand on the table. "There's nothing I hate more than painters. They're the most inferior race in existence. Compared to them, thieves and anti-rapists look like Jesus. All they do is dab a little bit of paint on something with a little brush and they think they're so damn great. A little red, a little blue, and poof, it's a 'masterpiece'! Hah! Anybody can do it!"

It was as if she had turned into another person. It was such an abrupt transformation, it almost made you wonder if a painter had once stolen her research materials or something.

"Ah, sorry," she said, returning to her normal self upon noticing my stunned expression. "I guess I got carried away. Not that I'm going to take any of that back, but I know it's no fun listening to someone gripe about someone else. I think I'm going to go cool off," she said, her words racing, then helped herself to the rest of my coffee and made for the door. It seemed she was regretting losing her head like that even if she wasn't going to take it back.

Once I was alone, I let out a sigh.

Man, I had been nervous. I'm not that used to hold conversations with people in the first place, much less Sonoyama Akane of the ER3 Seven Fools. No sweat, right?

Well, aside from that blunder at the very end, we were actually able to hold a much more natural conversation than I would've imagined, so I guess I should've been happy. And maybe, sometime in the next four days, I would get to have that game of shogi with her.

I let out another sigh, but there was no time to snooze. Having finished breakfast, I decided to pay yet another visit to Kunagisa's room, but not a second later, Maki-san appeared in mid-yawn. Fully dressed in outdoor gear, which she complemented with a high ponytail, she looked very much like she had come to this island on vacation.

"Ba baya baya baya baya bahhh," she hummed cheerfully as she strolled over and took a seat by me.

"Good morning."

"Hello."

"No no no, you gotta say 'good morning' when you greet someone in the morning. Ah, wait, is it not still morning? You've been up since six, so it probably feels pretty late to you, wow. As for me, I have extraordinarily low blood pressure, so I can't be like you," she said with another big yawn. I gave the usual nod and "yup" combo. There was no point in asking how she knew when I woke up.

I was once again nervous, this time in an entirely different way than when I was with Akane-san.

Himena Maki-san.

Of course, she wasn't just here for surfing. There was a solid reason for her being on this island.

Maki-san's occupation was fortune-telling. Just as Kanami-san was a painting genius and Akane-san was an academic genius, Maki-san was known as a genius in the world of fortune-telling.

Now that's a real talent, huh? I thought to myself.

That aside, I wasn't a big fan of Maki-san.

We had had a bad first impression of each other.

"You're a fortune-teller? I've never met one of those before. So how does my fortune look?"

It's not like I actually cared all that much about my fortune. I just figured that since she was a fortune-teller, it was the socially appropriate thing to ask. Normally any person would be thrilled to have the conversation turn to their field of expertise. As Churchill once said, "I want to talk about what I know, but people only ask me about what I don't." I just didn't want to be one of those "people."

That's just an excuse though.

But after hearing my question, Maki-san sneered, and said, "Well, give me your year, month, and date of birth; your blood type; and the name of your favorite movie actor." I answered, but all the while wondering what possible connection my favorite actor could have to my fortune, birthday, and blood type aside. In any case, I had forgotten my blood type, and I didn't really know a lot of movie actors, for that matter, so I just made some answers up.

"Okay, I see. Then, take this," Maki-san said, producing a slip of paper from her pocket and handing it to me. And with that, she left.

I opened the paper fortune and took a look. My date of birth along with the blood type and actor I had just given was inscribed on it in Mincho font.

"You were tricking me, weren't you?"

After that, I went to check with Kunagisa about it. "I figure it's some worn-out magic trick where the pocket has hidden slips of paper with random numbers written on them or something," I said.

"Mmm-mmm." Kunagisa shook her head. "No way. That might work for playing cards, but for something like this, there would have to be too many. Plus, she would've had to look you up beforehand. It's not like she could've guessed you would lie about your blood type and favorite actor."

And then Kunagisa gave me the Himena Maki lecture. It seemed that although uneducated folks like myself hadn't heard of her, Maki-san had actually made quite a name for herself in the fortune-telling world. She didn't do that supposedly therapeutic horoscope-style "cold readings" as you see in magazines but rather used her skills to advise bigwig politicians and corporate clients, never making much of a spectacle of herself.

Himena Maki, master fortune-teller.

"Also known as a good self-promoter," I commented.

Kunagisa seemed to think of her that way, too.

Her catchphrase for her: "The telepath who knows the past, the future, human beings, the world, and all inside it."

"What's a telepath?"

"She's super-powered," she said aloofly. "She's got extrasensory perception."

"Huh?"

"ESP. Super abilities are divided into two categories of ESP and PK. What Maki-chan's got is ESP. Retrocognition, precognition, and telepathy. In translation, retrocognition means she can see the past. Precognition means she knows the future. Telepathy means she can read your psyche."

"Wait a sec, I don't follow. Slow down. Tomo, Maki-san is a fortune-teller, right?"

"Occupationally, yes. Using her special abilities. That's all. Being able to run fast isn't an occupation, right? But being an athlete is. Being good with your hands isn't an occupation, right? But being a craftsman is. Special abilities are just abilities, but fortune-telling is an occupation."

"Ah…" I nodded. "So Maki-san…"

"Yep. She read your thoughts in advance, even before she asked you those questions." She flashed a bright smile.

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"Superpowers, huh?" I muttered softly so as not to be heard by Maki-san, now sitting next to me in the dining room. I recalled my conversation with Kunagisa. Her previous explanation had sounded somewhat convincing, to be sure, but…

Now, sitting next to this sleepy-eyed, spacey woman, it was really hard to imagine she was a fortune-teller. She just seemed like some drowsy chick with low blood pressure.

"I told you I'm a fortune-teller, but you seem to be dissatisfied," she said, suddenly shifting her glance toward me. For some reason, she seemed to be picking on me a little ever since our first encounter. "Perhaps you'd like me to go walking around with a black hood and crystal ball. Should I speak to you in vague, cryptic terms about your impending doom? You just take everything at face value, don't you?"

"I don't think that's the case."

"Yeah, I'll bet. I know all about it," she replied, shaking her head. "Well, whatever. You don't matter anyway."

"I don't matter?"

"Yup. You're the Japanese representative of things that don't matter."

In other words, the most unimportant guy in Japan. It was a terrible thing to hear.

"But I'll give you one piece of advice out of the kindness of my heart. Your impression of me is quite out of line. And that's not all. The ideas you hold about the residents of this island are all out of line. And that includes Kunagisa-chan. More importantly, it looks like you intentionally adjust all your beliefs when you're talking to other people. That's surely a very comfortable way to live, but I wouldn't call it a wise one," she rattled off at me as she let out another catlike yawn. For the last two days, I had gotten the same earful of gripes every time we met. And I couldn't say she was all that far off the mark, either. Her remarks were so accurate, I wondered if she really was using telepathy.

I'll be honest: I found her really creepy.

"Oh, I'm sorry for being creepy."

With that said, she stormed off in the direction of the kitchen, presumably to get her breakfast.