Campione! - Volume 21 - Chapter 7.1

Final Chapter   While Waiting For Godou
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Part 1
「Hey, Ojii-chanGrandpa.」

Kusanagi Shizuka spoke with a frown.

Her voice became even more displeased than expected.

「That Onii-chan, this time when will he get back──does Ojii-chan know?」

「Who knows? When I talked with him at the phone before, I heard that he is flying here and there for an university’s assignment or something.」

The grandfather, Kusanagi Ichiro sounded really carefree.

「He didn’t say at all the schedule of his return back to Japan. That guy too must be busy.」

「What busy, he is still a student!」

Shizuka unconsciously raised her voice.

Tokyo metropolis Bunkyou ward, the shopping street at the third block of Nedzu district──in the living room of Kusanagi residence.

Originally an antiquated bookshop was ran in this house. But, it was already five years since the shop was closed. And then, the eldest son of this house hadn’t returned home for nearly two years already…….

「That Onii-chan, suddenly studying abroad to a place like Italy! There is no sign of him coming back to Japan at all you know!?」

「Well, I think there is also the factor of the flight price. It will be a waste to keep paying it.」

「Even if that’s the case, it’s problematic that he almost never sent mail or calling home-」

「Hahahaha. Regarding that, I cannot defend him at all.」

「In the first place even when Onii-chan decided to study abroad, it was really sudden, and he didn’t talk about it at all. What’s more, Onii-chan at that time was still a second year in high school!」

「In the world of sport, it’s not that unusual to already decide one’s future in high school you see.」

The grandfather was carefree till the end.

「In the first place Godou was also involved in that kind of world. Perhaps he had various thoughts that made him decide the course of his future.」

Two years ago──.

Her big brother, Kusanagi Godou advanced to second year of high school at May of that year.

Then he suddenly spoke.

『For a number of reasons, it feels like I can go study abroad in the school at Milan. This is a good chance, so I’ll go there for a bit.』 He said.

Shizuka immediately asked. How long he meant by a bit?

『I’ll also enter university there, so until I can graduate……or perhaps, it might be longer.』

Her big brother spoke really vaguely.

Shizuka was irritated by that, then when she asked him whether he really could study abroad while still in high school, Godou immediately gave her a concrete answer.

『See, Erica’s uncle has connection with the student exchange over there with Japan. He would speak up for me. That person──Pablo-san will also act as my guardian there, he will also let me stay at his home, so there won’t be any problem.』

The fluent explanation was also something irritating.

……Their childhood friend Tokunaga Asuka would sometime say, ‘Shizuka-chan might have broconbrother complex tendency’. But, that was absolutely not the case. She was harsh toward her big brother was because even though his atmosphere from a glance looked like a sincere and honest youth, but a “good-for-nothing” aspect could be glimpsed from him at every opportunity.

「Look Shizuka.」

The grandpa spoke to his granddaughter who was in a bad mood.

「If you honestly say that you are lonely because your Onii-chan is gone, I think that perhaps, Godou will unexpectedly come home.」

He pointed out while smiling mischievously.

「That guy is caring in such a matter after all, and his footwork is also light.」

「Do……don’t say stupid thing! There is no way I’m lonely from Onii-chan being gone──just for two years! I’m not a child!」

「Is that so?」

「Obviously that is so-」

「Hmm.」

The grandfather leisurely brought a cup of green tea into his mouth at the other side of the tea table.

His looks was shapely like always even in his advanced age. His appearance of a business shirt and slacks was also neat even though he was at home.

He was a worldly wise man who got a lot of reputation as philanderer at his younger day.

Perhaps because this grandfather also had the bad habit of 『frequently walking outside the home for days』, it seemed he wasn’t even bothered with the semi-break of contact of the eldest son of Kusanagi family.

Such “good-for-nothing family head” changed the topic with a really easygoing attitude.

「That’s right Shizuka. There is something that I should tell you.」

He wasn’t consulting or asking for permission.

The grandfather was casually informing her of a “decided matter”.

「I’m going to be away for a while starting from tomorrow. I’m thinking to visit the place of my old friend in Australia.」

It was often said that 『Kusanagi family’s grandfather and eldest son are similar』.

In fact, their looks were similar. However, their personality was fundamentally different.

In contrast with the grandfather who at his core had a disposition that ought to be said as unconventionally gentleman, the big brother was more simple and didn’t put on airs.

But, certainly they also had similar aspects.

Like how they easily created friendship without any concern of distance or gap of culture.

And then, if they heard that a friend was troubled or wanted to meet, they would unexpectedly visit them with light footwork and rekindle their old friendship.

When necessary they would even give help that they could possibly do following their chivalrous spirit──.

Seeing how her grandfather and big brother were birds of the same feather personally like this, Shizuka sighed ‘haa’.

–

Thus, the grandfather Ichiro was also gone from Kusanagi house.

In the first place Shizuka’s father wasn’t at home because of the divorce. The mother also tended to be absent from home. She had a lot of henchman to the degree that it was generally accepted that she had the『Occupation – Queen』, she would go bar hopping with such people, aided with their work, gave them consultation, she was a busy person.

「This is like I’m living alone.」

Shizuka muttered in indignation.

Although, generally she could manage housework and also cooking by herself.

In this December Kusanagi Shizuka too turned 18 years old. She was third year in high school in preparation for going to university. She was far from the age of being unable to do house-sitting by herself.

There wasn’t any problem at all. But grumbling came out unconsciously from her mouth even while coming to such clean determination.

「It seems a normal family would be considerate towards a student concentrating to take their exams though……」

「Ahaha. As expected even Shizuka-chan has the self-awareness that you all 『aren’t normal』.」

She was laughed by her older childhood friend who she unexpectedly met at the shopping street.

The daughter of a sushi restaurant, Tokunaga Asuka. She stopped wearing twintail hairstyle when she enrolled into a university in the metropolis. Right now she let down her long hair as it was.

Shizuka answered decisively.

「I’m not Onii-chan after all, so that’s only natural. In the first place even if I’m not preparing to take test, a normal family won’t leave a high school girl alone in the house in the state of a family breakup.」

「Everyone in Kusanagi family really has light footwork.」

Asuka nodded ‘yep yep’ in agreement.

「Shizuka-chan too, even though you are preparing for test, you are going out to here and there, playing with your friend, or even doing part time work sometimes, you feel really light on your feet yourself.」

「Now see here Asuka-chan. I am different from Okaa-san or Ojii-chan or everyone else. I am living diligently on a daily basis, and I was also able to pass the exam by recommendation, so I have some leeway, that’s all.」

「Then, you aren’t a student preparing for exams aren’t you?」

What Asuka pointed out was the most correct, however, Shizuka objected.

「Soon I’m planning to take TOEFL test. I also have interest in other country’s language, like Chinese language, or something else. As expected, I’m like a student preparing for a test right?」

「Hmmm」

Asuka stared at Shizuka fixedly. Shizuka faltered seeing that.

「Wha, what?」

「I’m wondering, could it be, that Shizuka-chan is also planning to go to Europe too? To chase after Godou……」

「The, there is no way I’m going to do such thing!」

「Well, let’s leave it at that……. Ah, but. Speaking of 『chasing after Godou』, about those people. Erica-san and Liliana-san. I heard that the two of them aren’t in Europe right now. Even though I thought that they surely would follow Godou and return back to their country.」

「Ah, yep. Looks like it.」

The topic that was hard to respond to was over, so Shizuka easily answered.

「According to Hikari’s story, both of them are at Shanghai.」

「Hika──aah. The girl who is your junior in tea ceremony club? The little sister of Mariya-san.」

「Yes. And, she said that her big sister is at Kyoto. It looks like the people who were close with Onii-chan in the past are now really scattered all over.」

「Hee~」

–

Shizuka returned home after finishing the idle talk with her childhood friend.

The month was December, approaching the year end. At 6 p.m., Shizuka opened the postbox in her home and checked for mail. Here she wasn’t so naïve that she would expect letter from her big brother.

While staring at the direct mails, Shizuka suddenly noticed.

「Ah. It come again from abroad.」

It was a sealed letter. An air mail.

The addressee’s name was only 『Kusanagi』. There was no individual name, a strange way of writing. The name of the sender was 『Lucrezia Zora』. Her address was── (TN: Lucrezia Zora here is written exactly like that in the raw, in alphabet.)

「Italia huh. It’s from Sardinia, is it a province……」

Shizuka’s big brother should be pretty much at Italy too.

And then, there was one other strange point. This was written at the back of the envelope.

『To the people of Kusanagi family. Even if you aren’t Mr. Ichirou or Godou-dono, open this letter quickly and deal with it following the instruction. The matter need urgency.』

It was completely in Japanese language. Furthermore the writing was skillful.

「I wonder if she asked some Japanese person to write this.」

Or perhaps, this Lucrezia Zora character was really knowledgeable about Japan.

Shizuka entered the living room. He turned on the light of the dark room and took out a scissor. Making decision, she tried opening the strange envelope.

『Open the package that was sent to Kusanagi Ichiro/Godou a while ago. Please ensure that each family member carry the charm inside it everywhere at any time. If possible, I recommend the family to travel abroad for three to four months.』

Such letter in Japanese language was inside.

「Package──is it that?」

It arrived from abroad two days ago.

Certainly, it was addressed to 『Kusanagi Ichiro as well as Godou』. But at that time her grandfather already departed, so it was left alone at the corner of the kitchen.

「Wait」

Shizuka closely ascertained the back and front of the envelope.

「There is no postmark anywhere……」

Could it be, that it was mailed from Italy without going through the post office?

Like a witch riding broom was carrying the letter and sending it until the mailbox at Bunkyo ward.

「Well, thinking normally, this is a prank that feign a mail from abroad isn’t it?」

Shizuka carried the package in question and put it on the tea table at the living room.

Thinking back, this was also strange. There was no delivery slip from shipping company or post office. There was only a normal paper with the name of the sender and recipient written on it that was simply stuck on the package.

This package──actually it was put in front of the home’s entrance while Shizuka wasn’t at home.

She thought that surely it was her mother who received it, but this was too suspicious. Could it be that it was simply left there at the entrance?

……Even while thinking that, she couldn’t resist the temptation to open the package.

Kusanagi Shizuka, somehow she was full of curiosity.

「This is a charm?」

There were eight accessories in the shape of cross made from black metal entered inside.

It was small sized that could be snugly put on one’s palm. It must be made from iron. When she toyed with it, the scent of iron was ingrained into her hand.

There were also two letters enclosed inside. Each was for 『Kusanagi Ichirou』 and 『Kusanagi Godou』.

「……The matter need urgency, the letter said that.」

Shizuka had no hobby of stealing a peek at her relative’s letter.

But, for an accessory this was just too ambiguous. First she opened the letter that was addressed for her grandfather. However, she was getting even more bewildered by the letter’s content.

「What’s this?」

The letter’s content was like this.

–

『Do you remember about the wrathful god in the past, Ichiro?

I saw the dream of that guy starting to move once more. He would return to the place where that lithograph was placed for a long time, and he would do mischief.

I cannot foresight it, so I enclosed charms in the package.

I don’t know how many people are there, but make it so that all family members carry the charm.

I don’t think that he will be there, but just in case. There is no need to hand over the charm to your grandson Godou.』
–

Wrathful god. Dream. Foresight. Charm.

The consecutive occult words caused Shizuka to frown.

However, she immediately pulled herself together. She had known for long that a lot of her grandfather’s friends were strange people. Besides, in the first place.

「Even our family is in the outrageous side if seen from the view point of other household.」

She muttered so, then she opened the enveloped for her big brother.

But, the content startled Shizuka, and then it enraged her.

「O──Onii-chan, just what is your relation with this person!?」

The mysterious character, Lucrezia Zora wrote this for Godou.

–

『This is you so I don’t think you are at home, but just in case, I put a private message for you.

When meeting with important people in the business circles, allude more at your relation with me, Lucrezia Zora. There are still a lot of people who don’t know about the information that I am your local wife.

Make the information became even more thoroughly well known, so I can reap a lot of benefit from it.

About the detail of the charm, I wrote it in the letter for Ichiro.』

–

The letter was concluded with 『To my beloved boy』.

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