Hikaru ga Chikyuu ni Itakoro - a chinese web novel
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| Hikaru ga Chikyuu ni Itakoro |
Original Name
《ヒカルが地球にいたころ》 BY 野村美月Synopsis
High-school student Koremitsu Akagi finds himself attending the funeral of Hikaru Mikado, who had died in an accident during Golden Week. He’s not sure why he’s there, as he only exchanged a few words with Hikaru at school. However, Hikaru doesn’t seem to be completely gone from the world, as he comes back as a ghost in order to fulfill a promise to Aoi Saotome, his fiancée. Since Koremitsu is the only one who can see him, he asks him to carry out his promise in his place.Complying with his request, Koremitsu tries to fulfill Hikaru’s promises to the rest of his “girlfriends”, helping them overcome past misunderstandings and repair broken relationships.
>>Go to the chapter list of Hikaru ga Chikyuu ni Itakoro to read more!
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Chapter 1: Aren’t you already dead?
Uwaa...why are they all girls ?Koremitsu Akagi surveyed the funeral, dumbfounded.
The combination of a high-class blazer and a black shirt composed the uniform of Koremitsu’s school, Heian Academy. There were also other uniforms at Heian like a one-piece, sailor uniforms, vests, bolero jackets with ribbons – so many that it was shocking, the girls attending were wearing all kinds of distinct outfits.
But that was not all there was to see for Koremitsu.
There was a female university student in her own stylish black attire present, screaming grievously.
"Hikaru! Hikaru!"
A sorrowful woman stood alongside the student, carrying an air of scholarship about her secretarial appearance, and she covered her face with a handkerchief as her shoulders quivered uncontrollably. Behind the woman stood an opulent lady awash in tears, her eyes fixing the ground. Together in the crowd was a young girl who seemed to be a primary school student, and she was no exception with eyes swollen red, filled in tears.
Koremitsu used the school’s bulletin board to check the funeral’s date beforehand. However, he soon regretted coming along at all.
Among the weeping girls stood a high schooler with messy red hair, his back bent, glowering sharp eyes and a frown, making him look an obtrusive sight to be seen.
Those attending the funeral would occasionally glance suspiciously at Koremitsu Akagi.
Even the fellow girls of Heian Academy uniform were alarmed, wondering why the infamous freshman was in attendance.
In spite of their discomfort, none of them dared to ask why he had come. They bit their lips and pretended to look at something asquint, averting their eyes uncomfortably to walk away.
Even if anyone were to ask Koremitsu the obvious, he himself couldn’t supply an answer.
Really, why must I come to the funeral of this bastard who lived such an abundant life, when I never even talked to him much?
Hikaru Mikado’s portrait was placed above some white sandalwood incense at the front of the hall, the space filled with mourners.
Hikaru’s corpse lay among the crowd like an angel, with a smile on his face and adornment from tulips, lilies, and carnations.
He had a slender face, the nose delicate and lips plump; his skin was an immaculate white and each of his irises possessed a crystalline transparency. These qualities lent themselves to an effeminate purity and sweetness in Hikaru Mikado’s resting body.
When they first met, Koremitsu wondered why a girl would be wearing a boy’s uniform at school.
This was thought only before Koremitsu learned that this very affable boy with unique voice was known to others as the ‘Imperial Prince’ of the school.
He was not simply the school’s ‘Prince’, but its ‘Imperial Prince’, a title befitting the elegance of ‘Lord Hikaru’ much better. Female middle school graduates and newly-enrolled high schoolers were chatting dreamily about Hikaru Mikado in this vein, and that was how Koremitsu learned of Hikaru’s place in Heian.
All the same, he was extremely popular, and many girls even started liking him when he was a student in the affiliated kindergarten.
Even in this school full of rich peers, his family background and wealth were considered outstanding. Despite this, he showed the same abundant affections and tenderness to every last girl.
"As expected, that guy is some handsome dude I have no affinity with whatsoever."
That was what Koremitsu thought before meeting Hikaru.
But, for some reason, Hikaru Mikado called out to Koremitsu with a grin when they met for the first time.
"There is something I want to ask you."
Koremitsu felt there was something wrong with Hikaru’s statement back then.
He came to question whether he heard things wrongly after Koremitsu was told of Hikaru’s death before those words made sense to him.
It was said that Hikaru drowned in a flood caused by heavy rain while staying at a resort in Shinshu, during the Golden Week.
Even though they had merely exchanged a few words, the fact that Hikaru died at the young age of 15 was a huge shock to Koremitsu, making him aware once again of how life was not permanent – how fleeting it was. He recalled his father’s death, and felt bitter in his heart.
Koremitsu harboured such complicated, incomprehensible feelings as he went to Hikaru’s funeral under the soft rains.
Koremitsu sat on the pipe chairs indoors with forlorn expression, vacantly staring at the funeral leader surrounded by women’s anguished sobbing.
Hikaru was a beautiful child.
He was such a kind child.
He really had such a refreshing smile.
His voice was so nice.
And he had such delicate fingers – like a gifted artist’s.
He was a little stubborn, but I can’t bring myself to hate him for it.
He was scared of loneliness, but that made him adorable.
He was a child who looked like he could carry all the happiness in the world.
He was a child who seemed to be enveloped by light.
Everyone present was mourning and weeping for this young man and his premature death.
The funerary songs of remembrance fell upon Koremitsu’s ears.
He really understood too little about this deceased person, and it was difficult for Koremitsu to understand the mourners’ feelings.
He was awash in waves of sadness, annoyance, guilt, and unease.
At this moment, he noticed a woman sitting in a seat reserved for relatives.
She appeared young.
She was probably in her early twenties or so.
Her body was so frail-looking that she seemed like a flower about to snap at any time, and she was neither wearing a one-piece nor black kimono. Her hair was tied back.
The moment she entered Koremitsu’s vision, he held his breath from the sheer impact of what he saw.
Mikado...?
At that moment, he had the wrong impression that Hikaru Mikado himself was sitting before him.
She bore a shocking resemblance to Hikaru.
Her smooth, silky hair looked golden under the light; she had milky white skin, a subtle yet elegant nose, lips like petals and a slender neck.
Is she Hikaru’s older sister...?
The woman slowly smiled.
Those tears continued rolling down her delicate face, but the ends of her lips curled up a little.
It was a tranquil, pleasing smile.
Hers was a smile that did not fit a funeral scene. Koremitsu stood in front of the sandalwood incense, his nostrils heavy with its smell, and he gazed at her half-mesmerized.
Why...is she smiling?
She’s smiling so beautifully, so—happily.
Why, at his funeral...?
This woman who looked like Hikaru’s sister showed a smile that lasted for such a brief moment it felt like an illusion.
Koremitsu was so rapt by the display that he was beginning to space out. Before he could, a sharp voice in the crowd interrupted his thoughts.
"HE IS JUST A DAMN IDIOT!"
Startled, he glanced over in direction of the voice.
A girl wearing Heian Academy uniform was standing in front of Hikaru’s mourning post.
Her long, black hair was left behind her head, tied with black ribbon. She gave off a childish vibe, looking quite the refined princess. As she clenched her fists she could not help but shudder, her large eyes almost appeared to emit an aura of furious contempt as she angrily stared at Hikaru’s smiling portrait.
She let out scathing words from her trembling lips.
"YOU ARE REALLY AN IDIOT FOR DROWNING IN A RIVER LIKE THAT! THAT IS SO EMBARRASSING! I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE STABBED TO DEATH BY A WOMAN! IT’S BECAUSE YOU’RE TOO MUCH OF A PLAYBOY THAT KARMA STRUCK BACK!"
"Do not do this, Aoi."
Instantaneously, a taller girl wearing the same uniform walked over. She grabbed her by the shoulder, clearly wanting to take her outside.
Prompted by the suggestive hand, "Aoi" lifted her head to see Hikaru’s portrait again.
The side of her pallid, stiff face caused Koremitsu’s heart to skip a beat.
It was a face mixed with anger, anguish and bitterness. A dangerous expression—
The young girl howled in disdain.
"YOU LIAR!"
Koremitsu felt like his heart was stabbed by a sharp spear.
In fact, he even felt a sharp pang to his heart.
(Whoa there...what kind of carnage is this?)
The place fell silent for a moment to regain its relative clamor moments later.
Folks started murmuring about what had just happened to one another.
Liar—
Koremitsu’s mind was still thinking about her begrudging tone and her angry, yet pained expression.
Liar.
Liar.
Mikado’s innocent face was right before her, but what could still have caused him to be told off like that?
"Liar." The word painfully lashed echos in Koremitsu’s ears.
Even though Hikaru was dead, she continued to vent her frustration on him. Exactly what kind of relationship did she have with him?
Exactly what kind of lie did Hikaru tell?
Well...it has nothing to do with me anyway...
The prayer recital started, and the place became thick in solemn atmosphere.
The woman who looked so very similar to Hikaru, still sitting in the chair designated for family members, kept her head lowered.
The girl with the black ribbon who had been lambasting Hikaru started to fade away from Koremitsu’s mind.
When it was his turn to offer incense, he held onto the sandalwood, closed his eyes and lowered his head.
What exactly did he mean when he said ‘There’s something I want to ask of you’?
However, there was a question that he just couldn’t get his mind off of.
Of course, it was impossible for Hikaru’s corpse in the coffin to give any answers.
Once the funeral ended, Koremitsu left. It was still raining outside – the weather dark and humid.
It’s so troublesome to carry an umbrella around...
He trod through wet ground as he walked out.
—Mr. Akagi.
For a moment, Koremitsu thought he heard someone call his name.
He stopped in his tracks and looked back.
...Maybe I’m just hearing things.
There were two girls in school uniform behind him (the ones who demanded the funeral’s attention moments ago), their shoulders cringing, their bodies shivering as they sunk in the soppy ground.
Koremitsu felt an acute bitterness at their spectacle, and arching his back he continued away with a step.
Why is it that such a vulgar person had to visit Mr. Hikaru’s funeral?
Hearing the disapproving murmur of the girls behind him at the funeral, Koremitsu clicked his tongue.
♢ ♢ ♢There were people in this world who were easily misunderstood.
The fifteen years of misfortune Koremitsu Akagi suffered was primarily due to his appearance.
He looked like he was brooding all the time, his eyes were often lowered and held an air of arrogance and derision, the mouth curled downward with unhappiness.
He had a stiff face that hinted of nothing amicable. His appearance was ominous – a sharp complexion, an arched spine, his scraggy body, and unkempt red-brown hair made him appear as though a complete delinquent should.
He replayed the host of misunderstandings he had experienced growing up.
When he was in kindergarten, students were scared of Koremitsu’s savage expression and would back away from him in any social exchange. During his entrance ceremony in primary school, the girl sitting beside Koremitsu suddenly broke into wailing, and the other children nearby started to cry as well after noticing her, causing a raucous uproar of tearful children.
As things turned out, Koremitsu was accused of bullying the girl, and the mothers would teach their children not to play with him. Consequentially, Koremitsu lived a lonely life.
During middle school, Koremitsu got tangled with some upperclassmen hanging around empty lots on the school compound. In the process of getting away from them, he inadvertently earned himself the monikers of ‘The King of Fighting’, ‘The King of Delinquents,’ and similar designations. With these names, he came to be viewed as a dangerous person. Koremitsu resultantly could not make a single friend in middle school.
And then, there was that unforgettable graduation ceremony.
While his classmates cried to one another as they parted ways, Koremitsu was isolated by them, an outcast left alone among the wilting sakura trees. There he thought to himself, "I can’t let this continue."
Once Koremitsu entered high school, he made it his priority to forge new friendships to avoid the scornful pain of being called ‘Red Devil’, ‘The Man of Disaster’, ‘The Savage-looking, Wild Dog’, and other things.
That was what he decided.
However, on the day before the high school entrance ceremony, Koremitsu got hit by a truck at an intersection with lots of traffic, and abruptly found himself hospitalized for a month to recuperate.
After the accident, Koremitsu’s aunt, who was also his guardian, went into a frenzy.
"Why do you get involved in one trouble after another! It was a miracle that you managed to pass the exam of a prestigious private school locally, and yet you ruin it by excusing yourself from the ceremony for the hospital? Even primary schoolers don’t get run over on crosswalks!"
And went on a furious display.
Koremitsu would finally be released from grim life in a hospital bed, and the time had come for that eventful day where he could come to his new school for the first time.
He had a crutch tucked under his right armpit, his left hand in a cast, and his head wrapped in bandages as he walked down the long courtyard corridor.
"Damn it...where the heck is the staff room?"
He wanted to ask for directions, but everyone frantically parted aside at his sight, and before realizing it, Koremitsu had come upon a place devoid of that great mass of humanity in the halls.
It was a large courtyard, where beautiful trees were neatly arranged, stones of all shapes and sizes bedighted the verdant landscape, and even sparkling bodies of water were found throughout.
Heian Academy was school of remarkable fame that offered an integrated program of enrollment from its affiliated kindergarten to the university, and its dignitaries spent great sums of wealth specifically creating the courtyard.
During the previous winter, he came to Heian school for an entrance exam, and was simply astounded by the school’s cleanliness and courtyard. He thought that since he could enter such a prestigious school, he would not have to face those upperclassmen who would go crazy without warning and pull out the knives from their modified uniforms, and that he could look forward to getting along with his classmates.
However, people were sure to keep their distance from him when Koremitsu entered this new school for the first time, and even ended up lost.
Damn it...everyone’s judging each other based on looks.
They’re saying my parents got me into this school through Mafia connections – that I fought some sort of delinquent army from another school and nearly killed them all, and that I was hospitalized as a result.
Hey, I can hear your insults! If you want to badmouth me like that, do it somewhere I can’t hear it, okay!? I deserve to be treated with the bare minimum of manners, do you hear me!?
Sulkily, he proceeded down the corridor, his crutch sounding a tap with each start forward to accentuate his gait.
There seemed to be someone standing in the shadow of a pillar in front of him.
The person was simply standing there, and looked like he was simply leaning on the pillar. He was wearing a blazer and slacks—is he a guy?
The morning sunlight that shone into the atrium lit this soft hair, radiating a golden brilliance from his profile.
Why was such a person standing at this place so early in the morning?
Anyway, Koremitsu felt saved by the sight of this lone figure.
He wanted to approach them to ask where the office was, but they turned toward Koremitsu before he could start.
Huh? A girl?
The person had a softly delicate face, and therewith confusion struck Koremitsu. He wondered why a girl should be wearing a boy’s uniform
No, wait, that’s a guy– right?
Their clear eyes narrowed, and a warm smile splayed across their remarkably amiable countenance. The person’s fine lips started to move.
"Mr. Akagi."
They let out a sweet voice.
Their voice almost held an allurement, as it reached the ears softly and gently, almost feeling like it had penetrated the very core of his essence. Koremitsu instantaneously froze.
"You’re the first year, Mr. Koremitsu Akagi. This is the first time you’re stepping into the school, right?"
"...How do you know my name?"
Koremitsu eyed the boy warily. Hikaru continued without a hint of dishonesty.
"Any freshmen like yourself would become the talk around here. It is said that you fought against a delinquent army, beat ten opponents to near death, became the 27th gang leader and the legendary ‘King of the Delinquents’. It’s also said that the injuries you sustained were marks of honor from battle, right?"
There was no one who dared to approach Koremitsu and talk, let alone someone who did not fear him, facing him head on and exposing a blissful smile.
That was why Koremitsu felt somewhat puzzled instead of upset over being called a gang leader here.
For some reason, the boy felt he could really talk with someone called a gang leader so nonchalantly...
For someone who looked like a girl, he sure has guts, huh? Or is he just slow? Or is he planning something?
Koremitsu told Hikaru the truth – that his face of a rebel’s was something he was born with, that the injuries were a result of him being knocked down by a truck, that there were really no gang leaders around, and that he was not a delinquent.
"Then why did you block the truck with your body?"
He met the earnest question sidelong.
"...A coincidence."
"That makes quite the coincidence!"
"It can’t be helped. It was just that – coincidental."
"Hmm, but I do not think a truck like that is something you could run into accidentally."
He really did not want to talk about the incident.
To Koremitsu, who was not used to having others talk to him, the way this boy spoke to him so naturally caused him to feel butterflies in his stomach.
The manner in which the boy looked back at him was like he was staring at a rare animal on exhibition, and it felt repulsive.
"...Where’s the staff room?"
Koremitsu curtly inquired this original intent of starting conversation with the boy to end the butterflies presently aflutter in his gut; but the other person did not seem to mind.
"Head straight down, and at the end, turn left, go up the stairs, and onto the second level."
And he even guided Koremitsu.
"Oh, I see."
The sound of the pine crutch clattered again, and as they were to pass by each other inside, Koremitsu had his name called again.
"Mr. Akagi, I forgot my Classics textbook today. Can you please lend me yours?"
Huh?
Koremitsu stopped thinking for a moment.
"Why ask me to lend a textbook all of a sudden?"
Koremitsu turned around, and saw the other person staring right at him with his clear eyes.
"...Our class doesn’t have Classics today."
He answered as he tried to guess the other person’s intention.
"Eh, that is a pity."
He mused, giving off a meaningful smile,
"Then, I’ll come over to your class to borrow your textbook then, Mr. Akagi. There’s something I want to ask of you, too."
"Something you want to ask of me? What is it?"
It escalated from a simple request for borrowing a textbook to a request of personal favor, and this suspicious segue caused Koremitsu to frown.
"I am Hikaru Mikado of Class 1. See you next time."
He waved his arm widely and walked off to the courtyard.
The image of that dazzling smile, a smile he thought brilliant as the sun, etched itself deeply into Koremitsu’s mind.
"Kyah! Lord Hikaru!" "Good morning, Master Hikaru!" the girls’ jubilant yells could be heard from the other side of a forest.
Koremitsu could only look stunned as he listened to the screams fade in the distance.
That was one week ago.
A week later, Koremitsu, who had his cast and crutch removed, saw the girls crying and wailing as he entered school, and heard the news that "‘Lord Hikaru’ has died."
♢ ♢ ♢In the end, Mikado never borrowed the textbook from me, and we only managed to talk once.
The road was dark, and the rain caused Koremitsu’s vision to blur on his walk home.
He had been thinking about Hikaru’s situation ever since the moment he left the funeral parlor.
There’s nothing I can do...
Their sole meeting left a huge impact on Koremitsu, and the events of the funeral added to this experience.
Still, Koremitsu understood practically nothing about the person named Hikaru Mikado. Koremitsu still found himself thoroughly captivated by his casual attitude, his equally earnest demeanor and smile; it all remained an enigma.
What kind of person was Hikaru like, in reality?
If that guy didn’t die, if he’s still alive...will he really come over to borrow my textbook?
He will open the classroom door forcefully, give a radiant smile,
"Mr. Akagi! I forgot my textbook!"
And it’ll be in a cheery tone, I guess?
This scene flashed through his mind in an instant, and his very core seared with a grating sensation. Perhaps this was the little sadness he had for the life of a 15 year old who had his life ended.
The downpour grew stronger.
The wooden home his grandfather built was located away from city center, a place functioning as a calligraphy house. By the time he got back, his messy red hair was sticking on his eyelids and ears.
He opened the main entrance, and in the doorway his aunt Koharu stood, holding some coarse salt.
"Koremitsu, turn your back around!"
She ordered him sternly.
Koharu would normally dress herself up in a jersey with rolled up sleeves and hem, her hair neatly tied behind her head with grace. A divorcée, she had returned home to work on an internet marketplace business on the computer. At this point, she, Koremitsu and his grandfather were the only people living together.
He followed what she said and turned around, and soon after, the sound of salt being sprinkled on him rang.
(Isn’t this too much salt for purification? Are you trying to marinate me with salt?!)
But even though he thought so, he chose to remain silent in light of the fact that the highest seat of authority in the household was gradually transferring from his grandfather over to his uncle, he chose to remain silent.
"Alright, turn around again."
He turned around, and a large helping of salt was sprinkled on his legs. His thoroughly wet clothes were littered with salt grains.
"The water in the bath is boiled. Go in a wash. Once you’re done, have dinner, and don’t dily-daly around."
She spoke with masculine tone.
Suddenly, there was a snicker from behind.
"Mr. Akagi ‘s sister really seems to be a violent and interesting. And she looks just like you."
(Un?)
At that moment, he stopped in his tracks.
What is it?
He thought he heard some unfamiliar voice here....
No, I probably misheard.
Koremitsu thought that he was tired as he was not used to attending funerals. Taking the towel Koharu handed over, he put it over his head and went on towards the bathroom.
After a soak in the bath, his body would feel relieved, and his mind refreshed.
He took off his blazer, undid the buttons of the damp and uncomfortable shirt , and took off his chaps.
The moment he opened the glass door of the bathroom, he heard that sweet voice ring again.
"Heh – you look rather lean, but those muscles make you look much different from myself. As expected of the king of the delinquents."
I’m not a delinquent.
No, before arguing back, who was the person talking to him just now?
His grandfather’s voice was not this young, and this voice was too mild to be Koharu’s.
"If I strip myself naked now, most of them will say that I’m pretty, look like a girl and have white silky skin or something. That really hurts my pride as a man here."
The voice seemed to be taunting him as its charming lure fell upon Koremitsu’s ears. This sweet voice seemed oddly similar to the voice of the boy he heard when they met on the corridor.
However, that boy should have died several days ago; Koremitsu did attend the funeral earlier that day, and even burned incense.
"Your arms are rather lean too, but they sure look firm. That’s my ideal size there."
Can a hallucination actually last this long here?
The voice felt so clear too, as if it was coming down from just above his head—
Incidentally, Koremitsu shifted his head to that direction, and in the next moment, screamed.
"UWWAAAHHH!!?"
How!? That boy with an angelic face – dressed in school uniform! Hikaru Mikado!
At the ceiling of the bathroom! Surrounded by steam!
He was floating in the air!
"Uh, huh? Are you able to see me here, Mr. Akagi?"
With the possibility realized, Hikaru’s levitating body let out a cheer.
His hair, which looked golden with light partially filtered through its locks, lifted by a stray breeze as it and swayed atop Hikaru’s small head.
Koremitsu grabbed the edge of the bathtub, his mouth still agape – his chin looked like it was going to fall to the ground. Hikaru reflexively widened his eyes peering down upon him. Hikaru’s vaporous figure seemed just like an angel’s, descended onto the Earth before Koremitsu. If he swapped his uniform for a bathrobe, the scintillating radiance could be to blindening effect.
Koremitsu met Hikaru’s eyes, panting in conflict with the incredulity of it all.
"Are — aren’t you already dead...?"
With no delay, his aunt Koharu slid open the glass panel and yelled into the bathhouse.
"What is it, Koremitsu!? Did you fall and hit your head? Don’t tell me you have to be hospitalized again!"
In her right hand was the kitchen knife, manifestly because she was halfway through with the preparation of dinner.
"Ko-Koharu...there..."
Koremitsu shuddered as he pointed to the ceiling.
There was an effeminate specter in uniform floating before them. It was unknown if Hikaru was naturally genteel or if he went out of his way to treat girls so kindly, as he showed a smile for Koharu.
If she were a girl in her teens, she would have melted like a soft-serve. Her voice was yet somehow fraught with a tone suggestive of murderous intent as she derided Koremitsu for his commotion.
"Hah!? Did a cockroach stick on you? You’re not a girl. Don’t yap around like that because of such a small thing."
"Can’t you see!?"
"Well, I can’t see any cockroach or centipede from here."
Isn’t there a guy wearing school uniform here!?
He wanted to yell it, but disposed of the thought after seeing her expression, signaling she might swing the menacing cooking knife upon him without hesitation.
Koharu shut the glass door and left.
"That is a fierce older sister you have."
Hikaru glazed over the fact that his trademark smile was ineffective as he said this.
Meanwhile, in Koremitsu’s mind.
Calm down... Calm down...
Koremitsu repeated this to himself as he frantically sought the composure to figure out what was happening.
Hikaru Mikado, who should by all means be dead, appeared quite alive in Koremitsu’s very bathroom.
He had legs, but his wispy body floated in the air.
And Hikaru was not visible to Koharu.
Koremitsu looked tentatively toward the mirror on the bathroom wall, saw that there was only his naked self reflected with a haze of steam, and looked back to Hikaru again.
He was still there.
Koremitsu again looked at the mirror.
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