(Note: Sachertorte is a chocolate sponge cake covered with chocolate glaze and filled with apricot jam.)
It was during a June which saw little rain and was swelteringly hot, making it seem like we’d skipped the plum rains and had gone straight to midsummer, when a strange rumor was spread in Funado High School.
Every year in the last third of June, a reputable alumnus is invited back to school to make a speech. Last year, it was the ex-president of a local textile company who lectured us about the importance of holding onto our dreams. This year, a sculptor by the name of Shimataiga was invited. I assumed that he was selected because he’d received an award at the San Francisco Biennale, but Osanai-san held a differing opinion. She thought the gap in time between the award and speech to be too small.
“I think they’d already decided to invite him, and it’s just a coincidence that he received an award. Whoever made that decision must be patting themselves on the back.”
That might indeed be so.
The rumor was about Shimataiga. Just like how it is with rumors in general, there were multiple versions of this rumor being whispered among students. Some of them were mild, some wild, some long, and some short. But to summarize what it was about:
– A threatening letter was sent, saying that the speech must be canceled.
– Because Shimataiga was a thief, and was thus not worthy to be a speaker.
– And if the speech still went on, something terrible would happen.
The rumors diverged regarding what that terrible thing would be. There were many variations, like the school being set on fire, a bomb going off, students being attacked, Shimataiga being assaulted.
I simply relished in the fact that such a rumor was being spread in school. Of course, it would be great if nothing happened, but…
At the same time, it would be fun if something did happen.
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Editors (Tier 2): Dedavond, Pearl H Nettle
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Woah didnt know there was more