The Letter to Misaki
Chapter 1 Part 2: Hard tasks, easy tasks

"Hey, wake. Get up, it's morning"

"Hmmm..."

It seems like something is disturbing my sleep right now. I dreamt of being in an earthquake.

"Hey wake up!"

The longer, the more the shock becomes.

Will their feelings come in the afternoon? Why now...

"Hm...Whahuh? Mariko?"

Half-consciously, I said that and started trying to get up.

I sat down and looked at the shadow of someone who woke me up.

"Mariko?" A confused voice came from the shadow and started to approach.

"Hey, wake. I'm not Mariko! Conscious quick!"

The sound shook me again.

"Hmm?"

Following those words, I tried to be fully aware and the shadow began to become clearer. Until he saw his face.

"Hmm!?"

At the same time I was surprised, he smiled in relief and greeted.

"Good morning brother"

...

"Ahhhhhh, swinging!? Please there's a thief! Please save me!"

"IT'S ME! FUTABA!"

—It turns out it's morning huh? Not in the frame of mind.

I didn't realize until I finally fell asleep. Speaking of which all night I did what yeah? Nothing strange, right? Seen her?

When I was fully awake, I realized that someone in uniform was in front of me and now looked upset. I know the reason.

"This brother..."

"I'm sorry" Before she continued saying anything, I looked down at her and apologized as sincerely as possible.

"God..." He complained about seeing me this morning.

"Forget about it. Now I'm asking, what did you do all night, to let this place fall apart? And you fell asleep on the floor.seriously what?"

This girl folded her hands and put on a stern face, waiting for my honest answer to what happened.

After waking up, I realized that now the living room was a mess.

Before that, I'll introduce him. Hideo Futaba, my sister's old friend. Even until now it is so. He was 15 years old, son of Junior High. Now let's get back to the topic.

Seeing her in uniform meant she was planning to go to school and stop by to pick up my sister together. But my sister is currently out of nowhere with aunt at grandfather's house and will be back this afternoon, perhaps.

But where did he get in?

"I want to ask you how you got in..."

"You didn't lock the door"

"Aah"

He pointed behind him using his right thumb.

Ah, rowdy.

When possible...

"Don't switch topics, answer my questions. Why is this room a mess?"

The living room, now as Futaba meant, was a mess.

Garbage, clothes, bottles of drinking water scattered around the living room. Honestly last night I did what the hell? My feelings are just playing console games.

"Well, even if you say that. I'd be honest that I don't know what's going on, at least"

"God..."

Saying that, Futaba started to go and clean up the trash she saw.

Seeing me sitting watching him cleaning up, Futaba rebuked me.

"Don't shut up, help me"

"Ah, okay"

And so it was, I started to come clean—

Until it was clean, I felt something strange.

"Why can it be this mess?"

"Wear her nanya, you're the one who made her fall apart. Why can't you be honest?"

"Well..." I scratched my head while thinking about it.

Hearing Futaba say that, I felt like a director unwilling to admit his mistake.

Can this be said to be a mystery of the world?

"A sudden unnoticed living room mystery, dirty.Good story"

"Who are you talking to?"

Futaba.

"Oh yeah, what are you doing here? When it comes to Mariko, she's not here. She went to Grandpa's house with her aunt. So you better get to school quickly. It'll be late"

After getting tired of cleaning, I sat down on the chair and gave a suggestion to Futaba who finished tying the bag filled with trash.

"school? It's still summer vacation. I'm still on vacation"

"Ah" I stiffened and showed a wry smile.

Oh, that's right, too.Why did I forget?

"You're stupid, huh? Is it because summer melts your brain or because you haven't fully woken up? I know you're a nolep, but until I forget what day it is now beyond perishing"

"I'm not nolep! At least I went to school. You alone, even though it's a holiday why bring a sling bag? And why are you wearing a uniform?"

Futaba sat on the chair next to me and placed her bag on the floor.

After sitting on the chair, he stretched his body to the limit and began to shake his legs.

"There's a place I want to go. But before that I came here first to meet you, brother"

"With me?"

Saying that, he started checking the sling bag he was carrying and took something out of it.

That thing is not foreign...

"You know this, Brother Manabe?"

"That!?"

The thing he showed me was a letter. The letter with the same motive as the letter from Misaki earlier.

Instantly I took it from him, and saw the cover of the letter. Exactly as I thought.

"No address..."

I again tried to flip through the letter, I could not find at all where the return address was. There is only the name of the sender with stamps and strangely stiff motifs.

"Still tightly closed..."

Just as I was about to open the letter, Futaba deftly took the letter back from me before I opened it further.

"Aah!"

"It's not polite to open someone else's stuff without permission"

"I haven't even opened it yet..."

Checking if the letter had any damage, Fubata flipped through the letter like I did before.

Then casually, put it back in the sling bag.

"Why do you also have that letter, Futaba?"

"..." - ".Futaba.

"I'm planning on asking you, brother. But it seems you don't know either. The reason I came here was, actually, a task. I got an assignment from the letter that I should help you. I don't know what to help either but it's definitely like that"

"Help me?"

"Yes"

He continued to tell the story while bending into the window behind him.

"I received 2 letters at once. 1 I have read. The 1 more is the one I'm carrying at the moment and didn't open it"

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, that's the first letter. He said, 'don't open the second letter until it's time, if breaking will get punished' and I don't know when it is"

No stranger. Wait, something's got me curious...

"When did you get that letter?"

"Hmm? If not, it's Thursday"

I guessed! Everything's connected! The letter I received was like that too.

The task given must be carried out but if it violates or does not do it, it will be punished.

The second letter that Futaba received would not be lost, as it had an important task. However, if opened will receive punishment.

I wonder, if I open the letter, will I be the one who gets the punishment or Futaba?

Oh yes, my letter...

Instantly, I clasped my pants pocket.

"Hmm? Nothing?"

"What?"

Wait, what's not there? What letter from Misaki yesterday?

I ducked down and looked for him between the seats and the corners.

"Well? Gone off? Where's where?"

"What are you looking for?"

"Letter. Just like that. I received it yesterday. But now it's gone..."

I began to browse through the trash cans and garbage bags that Futaba had tied up.

"Oi, what are you doing! I've cleaned all the trash!"

Not here either...

Before it was like this, when I first received Misaki's letter. As I searched for it, the letter disappeared.

Thinking of that, I started to remember earlier as I read the second letter I received yesterday. If it's not wrong, 'the letter will disappear on its own after the deadline expires'

"!?"

I hurried to my room, and checked my savings.

"10..20..30..less 900 yen! NAY!! AHHHHHHH!"

(Note: 900 yen is equivalent to less or more than 100,000 rupiah).

"What the hell is that? Running around clearly and suddenly screaming?"

As expected. This way it can be concluded that the first letter is lost because the time limit has expired.

Then because I ignored the duty of whatever it was in it and let it fail, I got punished. I remember that after that I had bad luck in a row, stumbled to a fall.

And now that the deadline had run out and I had failed again, the second letter was gone and I had the penalty of losing 900 yen mysteriously.

It can also be concluded that Futaba...

"Futaba, did after reading it, the first letter was lost?"

I asked to complete my conclusion.

"Eh? Well if you ask like that, I guess it's like that. After reading it, the letter simply disappeared. I looked for it everywhere, but still didn't get it. Why do you know?"

My guess is getting clearer. Thanks to Futaba's testimony, I began to understand this mystery.

I began to explain the conclusion I understood to Futaba.

"—Ah! Now I understand! If it's not wrong, in the letter I received also said that!"

We moved into the living room again, and I explained to her briefly about everything I knew.

It seemed like Futaba had gotten two letters at once and had read the first one.

The contents of the first letter contain the task to help me, there is also a prohibition on opening a second letter until the right time arrives. Even so, the right time does that mean how?

"You read the first letter, right? Then what's the punishment if you don't do the job?"

If he doesn't help me, what will happen? What punishment did he get?

What does it mean to help anyway? Help me from what?

But when I asked him that, Futaba turned around and turned her face away from me.

Hm?

"T-there's no..."

"Hmm?"

Meanin?

"meaning? There ain't? You don't get any punishment?"

He nodded in the other direction while turning his face away.

...

Oi, what the fuck is...

"Mutaba..."

"Yes?"

I stood up and walked over to Futaba who turned her face.

"We're changing yuk's letter"

"Relieve it!"

That's how it happened.

—Siang day, at my house.

Until the end, I don't know what Futaba means to help me.

I forgot to ask that and subconsciously now it was lunch time. Realizing that, Futaba immediately rushed to go somewhere.

Not long before Futaba was in my house.

Before he gets home, he says he'll be back on Thursday. The day I received another new letter from Misaki.

He also told me to complete the last task I had not completed. Even so, he should have known that the task was over and I got a punishment from it.

Although he called it a task, but to me it was over and I had no task at least this time.

As Futaba closed the door, a silent air instantly filled the entire room and left me with my shadow of a.

Where do Futaba want to go with her school uniform in the summer? Is he going to have fun? Maybe go to the swimming pool? The beach? The sea?

Tired of dealing with Futaba, I threw myself into a chair and woke up to the wall.

...

"Without..."

I know that I failed before, but can I still do it? Even though it's too late?

I mean, I don't have any obligations anymore and I don't have any work to do. I was late for the job anyway and the time was over, plus I got a big penalty.900 yen was gone.

Chika was not home. But it seems like today he has returned from the city with his father.

Perhaps so, but I have no intention of meeting his father. There is absolutely no intention. I mean, Chika's father was the head of the dojo.

Who knows, maybe he's got a harder punch than Chika.

But.however...

I pushed the wall so I could get back up straight and start standing in position.

"Why should I say hello to him?"

And start reaching for the door lever until the door opens.

"I'm leaving"

And started walking towards Chika's house while leaving the house without anyone.

"Wait, I forgot my hat"

...----------------...

"—Hiro! Hiro! Hiro!"

At noon, in front of Hiroi's dojo gate. As always.

Like I said, a loud voice came from inside the dojo. As always.

It takes about 2 minutes walk to get here. Besides it's not too far away, I mean it's close to my house.

Hiroi's dojo is still a little far from the settlement and is located near the forest. Quiet place, isn't it? Wasn't he?

As usual, I pressed the bell button and made sure that it sounded.

I also want to make sure, the reason why I came here. I don't know why either.

It's not that I care about the matchmaking or about what happened to her. It's not like that.

It's just...

...

I was silent thinking about what I was doing when I met Chika.

Besides, you don't need a job to say hello to other people, do you?

I do this, regardless of any obligation, just my selfishness.

Also...

"It doesn't matter, does it?" I'm talking to myself.

I put my hand in my pocket because I was nervous.

Right at the same time, the door opened and someone appeared from inside.

"Eh?"

His face immediately frowned at once seeing me was the one who turned out to be pressing the bell.

Staying with such a face, she approached me slowly.

Oh yes, there was no human voice from inside the bell earlier, different when he met his mother Chika. I thought this bell would make a sound, 'real wait' like before.

"So, what's up? Tumben..wait, this is the first time you've been to my house..so what's wrong?"

He explained it twice. It seems like his mood is bad. I don't know why he was pouting, but I came at the wrong time.

"Look..."

Oh yeah, what's the reason I came here? Come on foot from my house, just to greet him. 'Are you stupid, huh?' he'll say it like that.

I pulled my left hand out of my pocket and scratched my head. I was nervous and confused.

To muster up courage, I took a breath and held it for a moment to the limit.

Thereafter...

"Good night, Chika"

"Eh?

"Aah"

Shit, I was wrong! I'm doing the hell!

"Good night?" Chika tilted her head.

I didn't intentionally say that. Being nervous, I mispronounced and said that.

At the time...

"Mahaha"

"Aah"

Chika laughed out loud.

"You why? Is it because heat makes your brain melt? Wait, you are stupid"

"Shut up! I-I was just wrong to say doang. Not intentionally!"

Damnit damnit! I'm sorry I came here! I'm just wasting my time!

After being satisfied to make himself laugh, he calmed himself down while taking a breath.

"Haa, now I feel relieved.Yesterday there are problems with my work, so I lack enthusiasm today. But thank you"

He smiled at me. From that smile, I understood what was happening.

Yes, that smile is to cover up what really happened. About marriage and that job.

He lied to me. I don't know why he lied to me.

But that's for sure...

"Argh! Why did you hit me all of a sudden...!"

At that moment, I first saw Chika smiling sincerely.

"Good night, Manabe"

And greet me while the sunlight covers some of the shine of her hair this summer.