Book Girl and the Corrupted Angel Read Free

was…
     
    “Let’s take a break.”
    After we’d been working away for about an hour, Mr. Mariya poured some tea into paper cups for us.
    I thought it might be tea with milk, but the color and aroma were both rich and it tasted sweet. There was the light fragrance of cinnamon. Oh, and maybe there was some ginger in there, too.
    “This is called chai. It’s a sweet, boiled tea with milk that’s drunk in India. What do you think?”
    “It’s very good.”
    It seemed like something Tohko would like. Sweet, warm, relaxing, melting away fatigue…
    Mr. Mariya’s eyes crinkled as he smiled.
    “I’m glad. I love serving my guests chai. Did it meet with your approval also, Nanase?”

    “…It’s good.”
    “If you married me, you’d be able to drink it every day.”
    “Never! That will never, ever happen!”
    Kotobuki howled like a cat with its fur standing on end, but Mr. Mariya was undaunted.
    “Oh yes. A friend of mine sent me some tickets to the opera. It’s a student recital, but the lead tenor is a professional making a guest appearance. Would you like to go, Nanase?”
    He held the tickets up between his fingers, and Kotobuki shot a sideways glance at them, maybe a little bit interested.
    “…I have some, too.”
    Mr. Mariya made a surprised face.
    “Oh? What a coincidence. Do you like the opera? We have something in common then. Perhaps it’s fate.”
    Kotobuki quickly denied it.
    “No, I—one of my friends is performing, so I bought my own ticket!”
    “Oh my, one of your friends is a student at the Shirafuji Music Academy high school? I’m an alumnus there! Incidentally, is she pretty?”
    “So what if she is?!”
    “Oh, I just thought it would be nice for the three of us to go get Nepalese food together. Your friend is available, isn’t she?”
    “Yuka has a boyfriend! Even if she didn’t, I would never introduce a lazy music teacher who puts in earplugs in order to take naps during music classes to my best friend!”
    “I’m a student of Buddhism, so when I hear Christian hymns, a beanstalk grows out of my belly.”
    “I’ve never heard of that before!”
    “That’s because it’s not true.”
    “Grrrr!”
    “M-Mr. Mariya, maybe you should stop. Don’t start waving your fists around, either, Kotobuki. Okay?”
    Sensing the unquiet in the air, I quickly stepped into the fray. Kotobuki suddenly flushed and lowered her hands to sweep off her skirt; then she returned to the work with obvious haste.
    Through a cloud of sweet-smelling steam, Mr. Mariya smiled serenely as he watched Kotobuki’s reaction.

    “Marmar studied vocals. He studied abroad in Paris while he was in college, and he even won a competition while he was over there!”
    At lunch the next day, while I ate my packed lunch with Akutagawa, Mori and her friends came purposefully over to us and started talking about Mr. Mariya.
    “His parents are musicians, too, and I’ve heard that people called him a genius. Apparently he sings in a supersweet, liquid tenor. Marmar could have been as big as a pop star when he made his professional debut. Why did he become a teacher, you think? What a total waste!”
    “Oh, but really, for a boyfriend you want a totally normal guy, not an older heartthrob with a past. Don’t give up, Inoue!”
    “Yeah. Nanase doesn’t go for brand-name stuff, so relax and go for it.”
    “Oh! Nanase’s back! Say hi to her for us, Inoue.”
    Gaping, I watched Mori and the others patter off.
    “Akutagawa, what just happened…?”
    “Pretty sure I followed, but I can’t say. Kotobuki would never forgive me.”
    Akutagawa set down his chopsticks, looking sorry.
    But…oh, I thought sluggishly, still holding my lettuce and scrambled egg sandwich. Mr. Mariya had also been called a genius .
     
    Classes were over for the day. After I dropped off the improv story for Tohko’s provisions in the relationship advice box that had been set up without permission in the school yard, I went to the music