Brave Story - Miyuki Miyabe [44]
Mitsuru stopped in front of the bookshelf, grabbed a book, and opened it. Kenji moved in, trying to see what the book was, but the other boy turned so he couldn’t read it. As they watched, two of Kenji’s sixth-grade flunkies came up from behind him, and the three boys surrounded Mitsuru.
Wataru was surprised. Sure, they all went to the same school, but for some reason, he never imagined seeing Mitsuru and Kenji together.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Wataru whispered, edging closer to the window.
Mitsuru didn’t look frightened in the least. From his expression, it seemed he hadn’t even noticed Kenji and his crew. His gaze was fixed on an opened page of the book, the angle of his head making the prominent line of his nose stand out even more than usual. Perfectly straight bangs fell down in front of his eyes. For a girl, Mitsuru’s hair would have been on the short side, but it was long for a boy. He could get away with that style for now, but not when he entered junior high, where conformity was the rule. Still, it looked good on him, and several of the boys at school had unadvisedly tried to imitate the look.
Maybe Kenji doesn’t like his hairdo?
Kenji was extremely sensitive to any perceived attempt to steal his spotlight. Perhaps this had been Mitsuru’s inadvertent crime.
Just then, Kenji stuck out his fist, hitting Mitsuru on the shoulder, hard. Mitsuru staggered and fell from view.
“Uh-oh, this could be bad,” Katchan whispered excitedly. “Isn’t the librarian here today?”
Apparently not. Kenji and his gang would never make a mistake like that. They were meticulous when it came harassing younger students.
“You think we should go get somebody?”
They heard a shrill laugh from inside, probably one of Kenji’s goons.
“We gotta go to the office!”
Katchan started to rise, but Wataru yanked on his sleeve. “Shhh! Hang on a second.”
Mitsuru came back into view. This time, he was facing Kenji straight on. Kenji had his back to the window, so they were able to clearly see Mitsuru’s expression. He was a little shorter than his adversary, but that didn’t seem to bother him at all.
Kenji took a step back. The loud, checkered shirt he wore filled up half of the window. Wataru folded his umbrella and snuck right up beneath the eaves.
Mitsuru’s lips were moving, but his words were barely audible through the glass. The only thing Wataru caught was, “Just who do you think I am?”
He craned his neck out a little farther, and his eyes met Mitsuru’s through the glass. Uh-oh! He quickly jerked his head back and leaned hard against the wall below the window. Mitsuru had seen him for sure, and Kenji and his goons wouldn’t have missed the look in his eyes. This was bad to the tenth power.
He stood there, pressed against the wall, with the rain falling onto his face and wetting his hair. Nothing happened. Katchan was standing on the top exit step with his eyes opened wide. He was about to say something, but Wataru held a finger up to his lips. Wataru counted to ten, then slowly moved sideways with his back against the wall until he made it to where Katchan was standing.
“You okay?” Katchan whispered.
“They saw me,” Wataru whispered back. “Let’s get inside. It’s dangerous out here.” He picked up his soaked umbrella. Katchan folded his and gave it a shake, spraying droplets of water everywhere.
Suddenly, the library window opened and Mitsuru stuck his head out. He didn’t say a word. He just looked straight into Wataru’s eyes. It was like he was scanning him, reading some hidden information that only he could see.
Several seconds passed before Mitsuru smiled, pulled back into the library, and shut the window.
“Wh-wh-wha…” Katchan stuttered. “What was that all about?”
Wataru clutched the handle of his umbrella. His hands were shaking. He was frightened, and terrified of Mitsuru. It took him a few moments to compose himself, after which they headed into the library, despite Katchan’s protests. It was too late. There was no sign of Mitsuru or Kenji and his goons. A few girls were studying