《Ashita Kimi Ga Shinu Koto Wo》 Volume 1 - Prologue On a certain day during breaktime, while visiting the neighbouring classroom to play, I saw a boy throwing a notebook into a trashcan. Since it¡¯s been thrown in the trash, whatever that thing is, it surely must be worthless. After tossing the notebook, he immediately left the classroom. While everyone in the classroom was engrossed in chatting and laughing to each other, I was following his figure with my eyes. "Sorry, I¡¯ll be back in a bit." I left my friends, and took a peek in the trash can. The thrown notebook was heavily stained by other garbage mixed inside. "Is something wrong, Airi?" ¡°Nn. Wait a minute..¡± Although I feel bad for doing so, I picked up the thrown-away notebook. Because the boy''s expression looked so pained when he left the classroom, I became curious as to why he threw it away. As soon as I got home, I immediately opened the notebook. I flipped through the pages and read every single character without missing a single one. ¡°Incredible¡­¡± I let out a sound of heartfelt admiration. The notebook was filled with a hand-written novel. It was about the love story of a girl who, despite suffering from a serious illness, faces forward and confronts a boy even in the face of death. It seems to be unfinished though, as the text in the death scene, where the heroine confesses ¡°I love you¡± to the boy, is suddenly interrupted. After reading the story, I noticed that tears were coming out of my eyes. It was the first time I had ever cried after reading a novel. Until now, whenever a book-loving friend said ''I cried reading this book'', I always thought it was an exaggeration. And even though I found books recommended to me interesting, I had never cried to one before. Although I consider myself as a person with a tough tear ducts, my emotions were easily shaken by a novel that was written by a boy I don''t even know the name of. Without a doubt, it was something that struck my heart more than any other work I had read up to that point. It was surprising to know that a male first-year high school student had written it. Why would anyone throw away such an amazing novel? It¡¯s such a waste. I couldn¡¯t find any words to explain what I¡¯m feeling. Every time I reread the novel, I empathise more and more with the girl who continued to face life forward with a positive outlook. And then I thought to myself. I, too, will give it my all until the very last moment, just like this girl. TN: To whoever is reading this, I¡¯m Sin (KCinDX). I¡¯m still new to the translation sphere and I''m currently still learning Japanese. If you find any errors in my translations. Please point it out to me. It will be a good chance for me to learn from my mistakes. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! Volume 1 - CH 1.1 Fate is Cruel There are people who succeed, there are people who don¡¯t. There are people that are happy, there are people who are not. If a result is predetermined from the beginning, and any kind of effort exerted by an individual does not affect the outcome in any way, then we can say that there¡¯s nothing else more ruthless than fate. I always think about that. On an afternoon at the beginning of the second term, with the summer heat still lingering, I was not looking at the teacher who was passionately giving a lesson. Instead, I was just looking at a single notebook. It was however, not a notebook that summarised the boring content of the lesson. [Yamada Shogo yawned during class and got scolded by the teacher. His classmates laughed.] In my notebook were words that I was writing. It was trivial and meaningless, just like how a diary would be. If we were to judge by the content alone, then it would be far more boring than the lesson being taught in the class. However, there is one unusual thing about this notebook. I wonder if it''s about time. I looked at Yamada Shogo who was lethargically taking the class sitting diagonally in front of me. He widely opened his mouth and yawned so loudly that even someone looking from behind could tell. Immediately after, the teacher gave him a sharp gaze, and he received a severe scolding. ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Good grief. I¡¯ll let you off this time. Be careful next time alright?.¡± ¡°I will..¡± Perhaps the comical sight of the troublemaker who slightly dishevelled into his uniform, consecutively bowing his head in a short amount of time, was amusing as laughter erupted in the classroom. The sound of cicadas coming from somewhere far away further enlivened the already enthusiastic atmosphere of the classroom. Everything that happened just now played out exactly as it was written in the notebook. That¡¯s the reason why this notebook is far from what you can call normal. In this notebook, written are the events that will happen in the future. I can¡¯t tell this to anyone. This secret is mine alone. Long ago, I experienced having something called a precognitive dream. TL/N: Precognitive dream is defined as dreams that contain information about the future that can not be inferred from actual available information. In short, it¡¯s a dream where someone sees the future. It all started in my childhood. I had a dream while I was unconscious after a traffic accident. In the dream, I was in the sky, looking down and watching my parents as they hugged me with tears flowing from their eyes. WhenI woke up a few days later, the same thing that I saw in my dream happened.. I immediately understood that it was a precognitive dream because my parents'' breathing, posture, words, and everything else were just as I had seen in the dream. Since then, I have occasionally dreamed about the future. The frequency and content of these dreams vary greatly, and sometimes I only predict my own sneezing that will occur several years later. However, the probability of dreaming about events that interest me is slightly higher. This notebook is the summary of my precognitive dreams. In other words, a precognition notebook. Him yawning and the room overflowing with laughter are things that I had already seen in a dream a few days ago. And this morning, I saw an incredibly unbelievable future.. Unintentionally, my eyes go towards the cheerful-looking back of a girl. "Ahaha. Shougo-kun, you had your mouth wi~de open just now! Did you not get enough sleep yesterday?" The name of the girl who made fun of him for yawning is Airi Hayakawa. She stands out in class and is the complete opposite of someone like me who tends to get lost in thought alone in the classroom. She is cheerful and lively, good at socialising, and has well-defined features. There¡¯s always people surrounding her. ¡°To tell you the truth, I was on the phone with my girlfriend all night yesterday and didn''t get much sleep.¡± "Wow, you look so out of it~. Did you accidentally fall asleep on the phone?" ¡°Of course we fell asleep on the phone.¡± "That sounds nice, falling in love.. I also want to fall asleep while on a phone call with someone!" The two who were getting a bit too excited were of course scolded, but she also seemed to be enjoying that. The teacher, while stunned, was laughing. The surrounding students were also doing the same. Translator Note: ~~Hey! Sin here. It took me a long time to update and only translated this much. Sorry about that. Things came up and I couldn¡¯t focus on translating. I¡¯ll try to translate faster next time. Also, do you find the in the middle of the story intrusive? If so, please tell me and maybe I¡¯ll just add that bit at the end. Volume 1 - CH 1.2 When she smiles, the people around her also naturally start to smile. That seems to always be the case. She has a special ability that charms and fascinates people. I¡¯m sure that anyone would wish for her to be happy, to truly be happy. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t help but think that fate is cruel. I keep reading a certain phrase from a certain page of my notebook over and over again. I seriously can¡¯t believe it. No, I don¡¯t want to believe it. Would something like this really happen? [Hayakawa Airi will die.] It was written in the notebook. I don¡¯t know what will be the cause of her death. In my dream, I was staring at her memorial picture. What I know is that this future event may occur soon. The girl in the memorial picture, me attending the funeral, and the uniform that we wore not too long ago. It''s currently the second semester of my second year. With all those, it could happen as early as this year, or as late as next year. Based on my past experiences, what I have seen in the future can not be changed. Even if one were to foresee a future where they would fall, they would not be able to avoid falling no matter how much attention they pay to their footing. Just like the guy from earlier, where his yawning was already set in stone. In other words, if you were able to see her portrait through precognition, that is what will happen. It is not something that anyone would even want to imagine, someone close to them passing away. ¡°So, does anyone know the answer to this question?¡± ¡°Me, Meee!¡± Without waiting for the teacher to call anyone, Hayakawa raised her hand with a clear voice. ¡°Alright, go ahead and answer.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t raise your hands in the first place!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The classroom once again was buzzing with laughter from the conversation that felt like a skit they''ve planned beforehand. She always tries to liven up the class like this and it always works. If it weren¡¯t for the precognition this morning, even I might have laughed a little. I don''t dislike her sense of humour, and since it''s done in a way that doesn''t disrupt the class or become a hindrance, it doesn''t cause me any stress. However, today is a different story. Every time Hayakawa speaks or laughs, I can''t help but remember this morning''s dream. What kind of face should I put on when I interact with her from now on? Currently, the only interaction I have with her is just chatting occasionally. The only time I spoke to her was about a year ago, when we happened to talk by chance. And even then, it was only for a few minutes. So there''s nothing really between us to begin with, but when I think about her grave future, I can''t help but be unsure about how to interact with her. Does she know her own future I wonder? If she is suffering from a serious illness then there is a possibility. However, when I see her carefree smile that seems to sing about life more than anyone else, that possibility becomes infinitely low. If I knew that I don¡¯t have much time to live, I wouldn¡¯t be able to make that kind of expression. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all for today.¡± The sudden sound of the bell and the teacher''s voice pulled my consciousness, which was trapped in thought, back to reality. Although the class usually feels endlessly long, time never waits for me when I''m lost in thought. However, in the current situation where I''m not intentionally lost in thought, it was convenient. When she entered my field of vision, without realising it, I started to think of the precognition. Since a conspicuous girl like her is well-known in the school, I appreciate it when she¡¯s not in the classroom. At the homeroom after school, the teacher only conveyed the message that "Tomorrow we will decide the groups for the school trip. The destination is Kyoto, and each group will consist of four people," and then we were dismissed. The classroom, after school, was filled with talks about the school trip. Speaking as a Yamaguchi resident, opportunities to go to Kyoto are rare unless you''re someone who likes to travel. It''s already a big event, so it''s not surprising that they are making such a fuss about it. To avoid getting caught up in the commotion, I quickly organised my things and left the classroom. ¡°Hey, Kouhei!¡± As I was changing shoes at my shoe locker, I heard someone call my name from behind. It was the voice of my only friend, Takagi Takashi. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Are you going home?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Takashi also changed his shoes next to me. Apparently, club activities had now started and he was wearing a baseball team uniform that was stained with mud. Moving one''s body in this scorching heat, where the term "heatwave" is appropriate, is nothing but terrifying for me, who lacks confidence in my physical strength. Even simply just changing shoes makes me feel like sweat is about to burst out. ¡°It''s so hot, it must be tough for the baseball club." "It''s tough, but it''s also fun! How about joining the club, Kouhei?" "I¡¯m sure doing it with you will be fun, but I''ll pass. I''ll probably run out of energy in three days." When I laughed self-deprecatingly, Takashi laughed it off with ten times the volume, saying ¡°Hahaha, yeah, probably.¡± ¡°By the way, Kouhei, about the school trip.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± ¡°That was fast, I haven''t even said anything yet!¡± ¡°Always a new reaction huh?¡± I''ve been friends with Takashi since kindergarten. He''s the only person I reach out to, as I don''t actively try to socialise with others. I suppose he intended to invite me to the same group. If he hadn''t invited me, I would¡¯ve asked him to join me instead. As a revenge for being predicted, Takashi pushed his bald head against my cheek. ¡°Stop it, it tickles.¡± "Hahaha, just like a scrub brush right? Well then, I''m off to club activities!" ¡°Hey, wait a minute.¡± I abruptly called out to Takashi who was heading towards the exit with a quick jog. ¡°Hmm? What is it, Kouhei?¡± "For example, if...¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°If you were to find out that a person, who he only knows to the extent of recognizing their faces, will die soon, what would you do?" It was a problem that I, who tend to overthink things, couldn''t find an answer to. In times like this, if I consult Takashi, who has a simple way of thinking, the problem usually gets solved quickly. ¡°Isn''t it okay to just keep things the way they are?" "What do you mean?" "I mean, isn''t it rude to change your attitude as soon as you find out someone is going to die?" As expected, Takashi''s response was extremely simple and extremely accurate. ¡°Oh, I see¡­ That¡¯s true...¡± It''s my bad habit. Things like the precognitive dream and my sympathy for Hayakawa have been unnecessarily preoccupying my thoughts without me realising it. As Takashi said, nothing should change just because we know she is going to die. We shouldn''t change anything. There is no need to force any distance between us, nor is there a need to become closer than before. It''s fine to keep things the way they have been ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m glad I talked to Takashi.¡± "Kouhei is the type of person who overthinks even things that don''t need to be thought about. Try to relax a little more!" "Yeah. I should learn from you.¡± ¡°Alright! I''ll go to club activities this time then!" ¡°Yeah, sorry for stopping you. Good luck on your club activities.¡± I also start to head home and follow Takashi as he walks ahead. Translator note: ~~Hey! Sin (KcinDX) here. It took me a while to finish part 2. Sorry about that! I really needed to finish my projects last week. I¡¯m almost done translating all of chapter 1, but we will continue to release the chapters in parts as I still need to proofread these. Be assured however that the following parts will not take as long of a wait as the 2nd part. The next couple of parts are scheduled to be released every three days until all parts for part 1 are uploaded. Anyways, enjoy the 2nd part! Volume 1 - CH 1.3 ¡°Hey Kudou-kun, Takashi-kun!¡± As we reached the entrance, we heard our names being called from behind. Although I didn¡¯t want to, I reflexively stopped when I heard my name. ¡°Is it still possible to pretend like I didn''t hear anything?¡± I asked myself. With the owner of the voice noticing my reaction however, I don¡¯t think that doing that would no longer be possible. I strongly resented myself for stopping. ¡°What is it." I hesitantly turned around, and there stood the girl I had foresaw in my prediction notebook - Airi Hayakawa - with a beaming smile on her face. There was also a figure of another girl, who always accompanied her, next to her. I think her name was Sato. Since we were in the same class last year and this year, we have an acquaintance relationship. "Oh, it''s Airi and Sato. What''s up?" "I have some business with the two of you. Takashi-kun, you have club activities, right? And what about you Kudou-kun?" ¡°I was about to go home.¡± ¡°I see! Then, can I have a bit of your time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine but, what is it?¡± Even though I said I would continue our relationship like before, I still find it hard to exchange words with her, knowing that she will eventually disappear. However, there''s no need to be so impatient about it. It''s not particularly unusual for her to talk to me, so I just need to have a casual conversation with her and then leave. I solidified my thoughts in my mind, and when I looked up, I saw her running straight towards me. Her semi-long hair swayed with her movements, and a sweet, floral scent brushed against my nose. "It''s about the school trip, you know. I was wondering if you two would like to be in the same group as us. How about it?" ¡°..eh?¡± I unintentionally let out my voice due to the ill-timed invitation. I couldn''t easily nod my head in agreement because it was an invitation that could easily shake my relationship with her. To begin with, why me? If it were only Takashi, who had regular interactions with Hayakawa, it would make sense. But I can''t even imagine why she would invite me, who is just an acquaintance. "That sounds good. Are you and Sato pairing up?" "Yeah, I''m with Manami. Takashi-kun is going to pair up with Kudou-kun, right? Then that¡¯s exactly four people!" Hayakawa-san continued with the conversation, leaving me unable to say anything. Perhaps to restrain her, Sato, who had walked over, calmly said to her in a reproachful tone, "Hey Airi, you¡¯re the only one talking," as she lightly tapped her shoulder. "Sorry, sorry. Um, I want to form a group with these four people, but what about Kudou-kun?" What should I do? Before considering whether to refuse or not, I still don¡¯t even know why I was also invited in the first place. "...Why me too?" ¡°Why you too?¡± "It may sound strange coming from me, but I don''t think we''ve had much interaction until now. Since it''s a precious school trip, wouldn''t it be better to invite friends that you are closer with...?" "That''s exactly why I''m inviting you. We can become closer friends from now on! Besides, I already invited them. Right, Manami?" She, for some reason, puffed up her chest proudly and linked arms with Sato, who was right beside her. "Airi, it''s hot... At least do it in winter if you¡¯re going to link arms like this." ¡°It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s winter then?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The girl who showed off her lover-like exchanges with Sato seems to have fundamentally different values from me. The idea that we can become friends from now on precisely because we have no interaction is a notion that I can''t really empathise with. When never I encounter something new, I always think about the risks first. If it''s sports, I worry about the possibilities of injuries, and if it''s social relationships, I worry about the future dynamics. What if I end up in the same group as Hayakawa here, and we turn out to be a terrible match? The Kyoto trip, which could be the last long journey of her life, could instantly be ruined. I always focus on such risks, but it seems like she''s only interested in the benefits. ¡°So, Kudou-kun, what do you think?" ¡°I would like some time to think." I put a halt to Hayakawa who was demanding a reply. Behind my reluctance to readily nod my head in agreement was another concern. It was the risk that would arise if I were to become close with Hayakawa-san. She will eventually die. If we became close or became friends, could I really handle it? Anyone would shed tears if they lost a family member or a friend. It would likely take a lot of time to recover. However, what about the obituary of a stranger whom you happened to see in the newspaper or on TV, and whom you don''t even know their face? Although you may feel sorry for them, you are not supposed to be concerned more than necessary. Although not completely strangers, ultimately, the current relationship between me and Hayakawa is similar to that. Considering things in the long term, it is more desirable to maintain a relationship that is no more than acquaintances. If we form a group here, the balance may be disturbed. "......For now, how about we decide again during tomorrow''s homeroom? I''m a bit shy around new people, so I want some time to think by myself." After being unable to decide, I decided to say something appropriate and leave my fate to the flow of time. It''s about the popular Hayakawa we¡¯re talking about. Even if she intended to invite me, I doubt our other classmates would leave her alone. Even if we ended up in the same class, it wouldn''t be impossible to maintain a certain distance. ¡°Got it! Let''s do that." ¡°Thanks, that helps. Well then, see you tomorrow." "Yeah, see you tomorrow! Takashi-kun, do your best in club activities too!" "Yeah, thanks!" After giving a restrained wave to Hayakawa, who was waving enthusiastically, I headed home. TL/N: ~~Sin(KcinDX) here as usual. I¡¯m just here to thank you for reading part 3. Anyways, hope you enjoyed reading.