Chapter 77: Don’t Look! Don’t Listen! Don’t Get Involved!
“Well then, I’d like to officially call this Normalcy Appreciation Society in-car meeting to order.”
Kuwajima made the declaration, and Taketsuru and Meiko immediately applauded with enthusiastic little claps.
Niwashita-san couldn’t join them, as both of her hands remained firmly on the steering wheel while she drove. As for me, this was the first I’d heard of any meeting, so I was caught too off guard to react.
Before we got into whatever this meeting was about, it was probably worth reviewing our current situation.
At present, we were enjoying a perfectly ordinary one-week summer vacation, exactly as any group of normal university students might.
Our destination was the Kirishiro family villa. Under the pretense of looking after the property, we’d been granted permission to use the entire place freely throughout the trip.
Unfortunately, things had gone rather differently than planned on the very first day.
For reasons still unknown, someone—or something—had interfered with the car’s navigation system. Instead of leading us toward the villa, it had guided us to a completely different destination.
A mysterious countryside village.
Its name had been Fushijishi Village.
Well… technically it had originally been called Fushijishi Village, but that detail wasn’t important right now.
There, everyone except me had thoroughly enjoyed what could only be described as a perfectly ordinary summer test of courage, leaving them refreshed both mentally and physically.
After spending one night in the village, we were now back on the road, lively and energized as we headed toward our true destination.
It was in the middle of that drive that Kuwajima suddenly announced she wanted to hold a meeting.
Even after leaving Fushijishi Village behind, it would still take another hour or two before we reached the villa.
As I watched the scenery outside gradually shift from rugged mountain ranges to wide-open plains, I addressed her.
“Kuwajima. I don’t recall receiving any advance notice regarding the agenda for this meeting.”
If she had once again decided to call a meeting without actually having a plan, then at the very least she needed to explain what direction this discussion was supposed to take.
Before Kuwajima could answer, however, Meiko casually patted my shoulder.
“The topic today is pretty simple. During this summer trip, we’re gonna take another look at what it really means to be ordinary.”
“I see.”
That was…
A surprisingly profound theme.
At the same time, though, it was perhaps the most universal topic imaginable for the Normalcy Appreciation Society.
The four of us had formed this club at Kuwajima’s request.
Its purpose had always been to examine the “ordinary” hidden within everyday life and, through that process, help transform me—an utterly ordinary university student found anywhere—into someone even more ordinary.
Niwashita-san wasn’t technically a member.
But that was a trivial detail.
“Back at the village, Gouto-kun took charge of practically everything. But during this summer trip… I actually think he should mostly stay in the background.”
“Explain.”
“Gladly.”
As Meiko answered, I noticed her complexion looked noticeably healthier than it had before we left on this trip.
So…
Spending that night in the village really had been the right decision.
But then…
Why had that experience led her to this conclusion?
If I condensed her explanation down to its essence, it came to this.
The important part of this vacation wasn’t me continuing to play the role of an utterly ordinary university student.
Rather…
It was the exact opposite.
Normally, I constantly exerted myself trying to appear ordinary.
So why not stop doing that—for just this one trip?
Why not simply relax?
Everyone else had managed to unwind despite everything that had happened.
Yet the one person who had planned the trip—Kirishiro Gouto—hadn’t been able to relax for even a moment.
If that continued…
Then even our precious summer memories might be ruined.
Since this was a Normalcy Appreciation Society trip, everyone—including Kirishiro Gouto—deserved to spread their wings and enjoy themselves.
“So basically, Gouto-kun, it’s great that you’re always thinking ahead for everyone… but this time, maybe you should take a break from all that. The goal should be letting you relax too.”
She finished explaining and looked at me expectantly.
I quietly turned her words over in my mind.
“But because it’s summer, shouldn’t we be making every effort to quickly experience all the seasonal events that can only happen at this time of year?”
“Nope. It’s actually the opposite, Gouto-kun. A normal university student doesn’t create events. They wait for events to happen.”
Wait for events…
I understood what she meant.
Certainly, utterly ordinary university students often had events come to them without lifting a finger.
Every textbook light novel protagonist I knew inevitably stumbled into one event after another.
Whether they wanted to or not, adventures practically attacked them.
But…
That only happened inside stories.
“Meiko. Even if I really am an utterly ordinary university student, reality doesn’t reward people who simply sit around waiting. Nothing begins unless you make the first move yourself. Someone who only waits never becomes anything. If I truly want to become an utterly ordinary university student, then I have to act.”
That…
Was reality.
In stories, problems emerged on their own.
The narrative naturally progressed.
Solutions conveniently appeared.
The conflict reached its conclusion.
Reality wasn’t like that.
You had to search for problems yourself.
Stories had to be created.
Solutions had to be wrestled from your own mind.
Endings had to be earned.
I had no intention of belittling fictional protagonists for the effort they made.
But unlike them, I had worked incredibly hard just to become an utterly ordinary university student.
If I merely sat still…
Nothing would happen.
In fact, perhaps making that effort was what it truly meant to be ordinary.
“Don’t worry, Gouto-kun. Actually…”
“Actually?”
“It’s totally normal for people to go on vacation… and have absolutely nothing happen.”
“…What?”
Nothing happening…
Was normal?
What exactly did she mean by that?
“A summer swimsuit episode exists because girls like Tae-chan are supposed to show off cute swimsuits. Everything else is basically bonus content. In other words, the only essential part is Tae-chan in a swimsuit. That’s the whole point of a swimsuit episode. The swimsuits are the core. Everything else is optional.”
“Um… Meiko-san? I’d appreciate it if you didn’t use me as the example. You’re wearing a swimsuit too, remember?”
“Ugh… right…”
Kuwajima’s quiet protest floated through the car.
Still…
Perhaps Meiko wasn’t entirely wrong.
Maybe that really was the heart of summer.
Imagine a perfectly ordinary story where everyone traveled to a tropical island.
One version consisted of everyone changing into swimsuits, enjoying the beach, and sharing a few romantic comedy moments.
The other completely ignored swimsuits in favor of embarking on a deadly expedition through the island’s mountains while fully dressed.
Obviously…
Most readers would expect the former.
Unless everyone was somehow climbing mountains in swimsuits, they’d probably complain,
“Then what was the point of setting the story on a tropical island?!”
That…
Was the essence of things.
“So, Gouto-kun. You’re still a beginner when it comes to being ordinary. That’s why this trip should focus on mastering the fundamentals.”
“The fundamentals… yes, fundamentals are important.”
“Exactly! Think of this as the Normalcy Appreciation Society Summer Training Camp. We’re here to relearn the basics. Even sports manga spend summer training drilling fundamentals. So until this trip ends, I want you to remember one slogan.”
Meiko cleared her throat dramatically.
Then she raised three fingers.
“Don’t look! Don’t listen! Don’t get involved! Don’t go looking for weird things. Don’t listen to strange stories. And even if you accidentally learn about something weird… don’t get involved! That’s your goal, Gouto-kun!”
“The Three Don’ts Movement.”
It was…
A fairly difficult exercise for me.
And there was a reason why.
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“Blue Sky”
Weather: Sunny, though thunderstorms are expected toward evening.
Comment: You really mean you’re not going to look at me?
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“That’s an excellent point! Kirishiro runs around far more than anyone expects. I think he should learn to calm down a little.”
Because the things I didn’t want to see…
And the voices I didn’t want to hear…
Always threw themselves at me with everything they had.
Honestly, I’d have preferred slightly easier conditions.
But since there wasn’t really anyone I could share this particular burden with…
I’d simply have to rely on sheer willpower.
“And if something does happen, talk to us first. That’s what best friends and childhood friends are for.”
“I see. In that case, Meiko, I have something I’d like your advice on. If, in addition to hallucinations, I start hearing voices as well… what do you think I should do?”
“I think it’d actually be pretty useful to have both an Appraisal Skill and an Oracle Skill.”
“You know… deep down, Meiko-san really is the same type of person as me.”
After being grouped together with Kuwajima, Meiko wore an incredibly conflicted expression.
Calling them an Appraisal Skill and an Oracle Skill certainly sounded much nicer.
Personally…
I thought hallucinations and auditory hallucinations were perfectly sufficient descriptions.
After all, an utterly ordinary university student possessing appraisal or divine oracle abilities would be rather strange.
Hallucinations were still far more ordinary than that.
“Anyway… Taketsuru. You’ve been awfully quiet. You okay?”
Normally, conversations like this would have Taketsuru right beside Meiko, throwing comments at me one after another.
Instead…
He had remained unusually silent.
He stared absentmindedly through the window at the passing summer landscape stretching endlessly beyond the road.
“I don’t know… the closer we get to our destination, the more I get this weird feeling in my chest. It’s probably nothing… but still.”
He sounded…
Remarkably like the protagonist of a story.
…Our goal might have been to avoid looking, avoid listening, and avoid getting involved.
But…
If trouble came looking for us instead—
Just like it always did for the heroes of those textbook light novels—
What exactly were we supposed to do then?
With that thought lingering in my mind, I consciously throttled my brain down by one level.
For now…
I decided to stop overthinking everything…
And simply face the rest of summer as it came.