Durarara!! Epitome of Eighteen Histories Chapter 7

Sonohara Anri Episode

This is a story of the present.
A story of a twisted present.

Raira Academy. Career Guidance Room.

“Sonohara. You’re not furthering your education?”

In her first career guidance session in Raira Academy, Anri received this question from the teacher who was head of her year.

“Yes… I’m thinking of working once I graduate high school.”

The teacher glanced at the staff-use laptop, where Anri’s results were displayed.

On first sight she appeared to be a reserved girl, but her performance in physical education was just as stellar, and apparently she had been received many invitations to the sports teams at one point.

“Your grades, mm, I don’t mean to be blunt by putting it this way, but not anyone can get straight 10’s. The only imperfect grade you have is in home economics in Term 3 of Year 1… The cooking practical, huh.”

“Ah, that’s perfectly fine. If you can even prepare food perfectly the other students would be in a real fix. Every human should have a flaw or two, really. It’s the school’s job to fill in those gaps, after all.”

“But you’re really fine with going out to work? I won’t stop you if there’s something you have your eyes on doing, but if you’re worried about school fees, with your grades, an unconditional scholarship is an option, you know?”

“No… I think that chance should go to those who are studying with a future in mind, with proper reasons. I… don’t have that kind of dream, so…”

“I have a dream for the future, in the long run… But I haven’t considered how exactly to go about it…”

The teacher asked, to which Anri hesitated for a moment, before replying, truthfully,

“…”

The tragic circumstance by which a slasher had broken into the antique shop Sonohara Hall, and murdered both her parents.

Anri listened attentively to the teacher, and nodded.
“Thank you very much. I’ll consider furthering my education as an option.”

On the way home from the career guidance session.

Her family home was filled with memories that were by no means all good and happy.

Occasionally she would visit to check on it, but it remained unsold, there as always.

Its value had dropped, but it was not projected to fall further, and it was imaginable that with a few more years it could be bought over by someone else.

With that in mind, her mind was set on one thing.
—Time to work.

A few weeks later. Wedding ceremony.

‘A round of applause for the bride and the groom!’

Naturally, she was not the one getting married.

It was in a sense a job that existed to inflate numbers and enliven the atmosphere; however, high schoolers were occasionally accepted to act as children of distant relatives.

At first she had thought of taking up a part-time job like cashiering at a convenience store, but she had felt it unsuitable for one with poor social skills like herself, and had hesitated at worrying Mikado and her other acquaintances were they to find out. It was then that she had encountered this job.

It might seem like a job that required socialising, but in truth, the scope was simply for an outsider who knew unacquainted with the other guests to act as a distant relative to attend the ceremony, give applause, dine, and go home. It was enough to be one among the crowd, and blend into the background.

She, a girl who had no family or friends in reality, could attend a memorable event, receive a meal, and even receive monetary reward for it.

And the truth did turn out to be less simple than that.

But he spoke to the groom enthusiastically, raised his voice without being cued, explained to the groom’s family and authentic friends that they were fishing buddies, and even went so far as to assist the reception staff.

—Amazing…

—While here I am, not doing anything…

The firm that had employed her by no means expected so much from a first-timer, and had in fact assigned her the role of a distant relative’s child, which involved little contact with the groom, so as to ease her into being in the actual setting—but unaware of this, Anri began to flounder for something to do.

“Hello~, excuse me~. We’re making a commemorative video, are you a child of one of Tadashi-kun’s relatives~?”

Anri’s role as a child of a distant relative, with little contact, was known only to the groom and his family beforehand.

“Uh, um… I…”

With this thought, Anri immediately attempted to close her heart.

But for three reasons, she was unable to do that.

One was that Saika, deep inside her, was unusually excited in proclaiming its ‘Love’ due to the wedding ceremony, a consolidation of love.

These various factors stole Anri’s calm from her, and left her mind blank as a sheet.

Anri stuttered.

A woman beside Anri placed her hands on her shoulders, and leaning her cheek on Anri from behind, and said towards the camera,

“Eh…”

The woman who had labeled herself ‘Kazane’ said this and winked.

The woman was one of the colleagues who had come with her.

She managed to smile and nod, and congratulate the groom on camera alongside Kazane.

They probably had not had such strenuous demands of distant relatives. Without any show of surprise, the friends of the bride in charge of filming the event moved on to the next table.

“No, it was a huge help… Thank you very much.”

“Your first time with this job?”

Anri asked. Kazane shook her head.

“An… article?”

“I see, thanks for the consideration.”

“It’s nothing. I actually feel sort of bad, since it’s as though I’m taking advantage of you guys.”

After this exchange, Anri looked at Kazane a little enviously.

“No way, even as a freelancer I’m a newbie.”

“Do you have a dream for your own future, Anri-chan?”

At this, it was Kazane who half-shuttered her eyes in envy, as she said,

“But I haven’t been able to sort out how I want to go about it exactly…”

Kazane smiled self-deprecatingly, and elaborated a small amount on her own situation to Anri:

“I see…”

Kazane continued the conversation for some time afterwards, but it seemed she had taken a liking to Anri, as she smiled to Anri as one would to a friend of many years rather than a girl several years her junior.

“…Of course, please take care of me too.”

Anri’s eyes widened unthinkingly, but she managed to push down her surprise and smile back.

“But thank goodness today hasn’t had problems.”

“I’ve always been sort of a trouble magnet, I guess… I seldom encounter harm myself, but often I’ve had fights break out in front of me, or people get severely injured… And there was a police crackdown on thieves who were stealing wedding gift money in the wedding before this, it was a mess. And things happen, like this one time some gang boss was challenged by someone from another school right in front of me*.”
(*Kadota’s episode. Not yet translated.)

The wedding had come to a break as the bride and groom had a change of clothes, and in a women’s toilet near the venue, Anri looked into the mirror, and thought to herself.

This was Anri’s genuine opinion.

With that thought, she recalled their earlier conversation.

That was what Anri thought, as she opened the door to the cubicle in the far end of the restroom.

She was a woman Anri had encountered in the ladies’ by coincidence, apparently an ex-partner of Tadashi’s who had been stalking him.

Anri had at once slashed back at the woman using Saika, and hearing the announcement that the ceremony was soon to begin she had immediately used Saika’s control to keep the assaulter on hold in the restroom cubicle.

“Yes… Mother.”

While unable to know how effective Saika’s control was over the woman, this was the most Anri could do.

—What is there that only I can do?

—I wonder if I can build a family one day, too…

She imagined herself in a bridal gown, and, when she thought of the face of the man that was the groom—

Realising what she had just visualised, her face flushed red, and she looked down.

Anri was smiling before she knew it, and she clapped kindly for the bride and groom.
As though giving her blessings for the happiness of the two strangers, and for their stable everyday life itself, that would serve as the foundation of that happiness.

As though she were just slightly envious.

And today, as well, she continued to be a parasite unto the world.
Until the day came that she could break free of her own shell, and take off into the sky.

****EPISODE END****

Chapter end