Chapter 1:

Senjotora Kaneko — the girl with peculiar eye —

Supernatural Case - Kaneko Cat


It is customary if Senjotora Kaneko not comes to school and abandon her duty as class representative. Her desk often empty, too long and in a lingering period, which then made everyone thought her seat were never being used by anyone at all from the first.
Long, long time ago, there was a story about how diligent and dedicating a girl named Senjotora Kaneko before get in to senior high school. She was the only student in the whole Japan—or even internationally—who has taking the responsibility as a class representative for nine years in a row. She has leaded the class from the beginning of her primary school, and resumed it until her final year in junior high. Since then also her attendance record never being drenched with ‘sick’ or ‘permissions’ mark. For nine years—through first grade to third year of junior high. Senjotora Kaneko never took any leave from school for any excuses.
Aside from the spectacular facts, Senjotora also holds the title as the best student in the school. She always occupies the pinnacle of achievement in all fields: academic, sport, popularity, art, organizations, and so on. Senjotora Kaneko like an apple from all apples, jewel amidst gems, Goddess among Deities, with unlimited qualities. Titles as class president for nine years, with perfect attendance, best beauty with athletic body and a rare intelligence. There are many girls with that kind of qualities actually. But, no one got the qualifications as what Senjotora Kaneko has—she was more than that, more, flawless. ‘Perfect’ is Senjotora Kaneko’s another name. Can you imagine a human like that? She may looks unreal, and yes, many thought so. Same as me. She was too perfect, that why she looks fictitious. But no, she was not. She is real, a real person in our world, in this cramped city. She just not that common like ordinary human—and, if this not sound exaggerating, only appears once in a decade, or so.
Guided by that scope, she was given the epithet as the best Japan student who might changed this country to be better.
At least, that how everyone suppose, until finally an odd fact about this zealous girl emerged. The fact that truly twisting people opinion about the girl 360 degree far.
Perhaps for those who have known Senjotora Kaneko since elementary school this story would sound like a groundless lie. They will call it a hoax, defamation, con artist’s cheap tricks, jokes, ignorance, or malice committed by those who hate the girl. But no, unfortunately, this is not a lie, but real facts of one year ago about Senjotora Kaneko, when she enter Suzuran Private Senior High School.
They said Senjotora Kaneko is a hyperactive and sociable. She is a chatty person. She also friendly toward everyone. She is an outgoing girl who likes making friends and helping people, cleanse evil from the earth, and teach virtue to astray souls.
That was the story we heard about the girl. She was too famous that her story even spread widely—even through my junior high. I heard about that girl when in second year of junior high. “That girl must be a true Saint,” I said to myself, my first impression about Senjotora Kaneko.
And, even so, Senjotora Kaneko I encountered in our class was not fit with any descriptions about her. Here, in senior high, she was far different.
She didn’t show slightest impression that she want to approach or to be approached by anyone. She’s not a hyperactive friendly girl, but instead a cold and catatonic individual. Her face always projecting blank expression, as if, even the world will be hit by a meteor and shattered into pieces, she didn’t care at all. When someone try to talk to her, she didn’t respond anything. She indifferent. She even shut her mouth every time teachers doing attendance call. When the teacher asking a question at blackboard Senjotora Kaneko will just shook her head, indicating that she didn’t know, and back looking outside of the window, sluggishly. Those attitude completely showing the girl named Senjotora Kaneko, didn’t really into study or school at all. She always spends her time alone; lunch or when P.E. She looks so glum, had no intend to makes friend, or participate in any school activities. It would indeed unnatural. But, really, Senjotora Kaneko was not talked at all for the whole first year in high school. No one ever heard her spoke. I know, she possibly not suffering dumbness. So, she can talk. She just don’t want to.
Nevertheless, with that tundra nature, everyone still agrees to lift Senjotora Kaneko as the class president in our first year. “Given that she has all that experiences, the task is more effective if trusted to her”, thought our homeroom teacher.
Unfortunately, like a burning omelets, the expectation didn’t realized. Senjotora Kaneko was appointed as the class-rep by acclamation. However, she never once did her duties. Since the day she appointed as head of the class until the end of the period, she never even once touching any matter concerning the class at all. Not only that, she also often doing truant. At least every week Senjotora Kaneko will be absence for about three or four days.
Her attitude get worsen from the time she got appointed as a class-rep. As a result of that, Senjotora Kaneko was experiencing a lot of complaints from all the teachers, threatened by warning of repeating year, and so on. Unfortunately, Senjotora not listened to those whinge and keep doing her habit as a truant. She might impeded in first year if still ignoring warnings like that.
Yes, might be.
Though, because of her exam result was occupied pinnacle of whole year, Mikami-sensei—our homeroom teacher—still passed her to second year; with certain conditions. She asked Senjotora to erase all of her bad nature: not skipping school without any notice anymore, interact with classmates, and respond to the teachers. Those are Mikami-sensei counsel as the homeroom advisor as well as her moral tutor, so Senjotora Kaneko could enjoy school life without any waste, so Senjotora Kaneko will not regret that short time known as ‘high school’. So she can graduate with albums of good memories and walk towards the future with satisfactions.
Unfortunately, those advice, didn’t really listened by Senjotora at all too.
Again, instead of getting better, Senjotora was worsening.
She continued to be truant, and in a more frequencies. She also became more distal to everyone. She turned more apathetic, ignoring not only her classmates but also the teachers. When teacher ask her to answer a question on the blackboard Senjotora Kaneko will no longer shaking her head, but quietly ignoring the teacher’s call, not reacting at all. Her attitude also deteriorating. She gotten more far off from her old self diorama that adored by everyone.
No one knows why Senjotora Kaneko changed from a sunflower girl into that bleak banyan tree. Nonchalant eyes, mute mouth, chin on hand, and indefinitely ignorance. There as if a transparent thick wall that always covering her from the outside world. Wall called as ‘solitude’. She seemed never intend to live in this community called as ‘human’. What a strange girl. What a strange evolution.
But, yeah, I don’t really want to comment much about it. I got no relationship with Senjotora Kaneko, and I’m not a devotee like those who idolized her. Indeed, her presence did changed the air for certain extension. The classroom atmospheres shaky a bit if a problematic member like her abiding. But, yes, I don’t really care about that too. Senjotora Kaneko is a free being. She not lives in this world to meet people expectations about her nuance. If she wants to live in solitude like that then no one can deter her. That what she want, that what she like.
Yes, that’s how I feel about the girl. I thought I can just leave her like that, doing what she want, and keep herself from the outside fun and joyous world. That what I plan to, and did.
Well, at least, for the last one year and two months prior. That perception then changed drastically when it happened, a sudden coincidence which revealed peculiar case about enigmatic Senjotora Kaneko.
It was summer. The seasons roasting, watermelons, shorter skirts, bikinis, fireworks, and primarily, examination.
I was running to school desperately because of overslept. I jump over the closed gate, just ignoring cries of on duty teacher, and immediately run after to the classroom building, climbing staircase to the third floor where my class now might already start the first session.
Accidentally, I bumped with a girl who standing on my way, causing her tumbling. Feeling guilty, I stop for a while and ask her, “Are you alright?!” The girl not responding.
She is a girl with a tall slender body, short black shoulder long hair with bangs straight covering her forehead, and wearing a black eyepatch at her left eye, like a pirate. It fell on the floor—our colliding maybe the cause.
I always wonder why she actually wore that eyepatch since first year. I’m sure, she not suffering chuunibyou attack—so she can looks more intimidating and cool like those stupid delusional brats—so it’s not the reason. The rationale simply because she want to cover her left eye. But, other questions then surfacing, “Why she use that eyepatch?”— No, for exact is “Why she need to cover her eye?”
That moment, for the first time, I got the answer for those questions. The answer why Senjotora Kaneko, the apathetic indifferent girl using that shady eyepatch. It is truly for covering her eye. Covering the eye that no one could ever imagined she possessed.
Maybe, I’m the first person who know about that eye.
The eye that looks very beautiful, yet frightening, which undoable attained by a mere human. A mysterious peculiar eye. Mystical case you cannot solve with help of medical world. The reason why she changed that much——
My conclusion says, Senjotora Kaneko who I ran on that day, having the eye of a man eating demons that can kill you in a glance.

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Hana-shi
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