Chapter 33 - Meeting with Marimo
There’s a saying: “When you first become aware of the world around you.”
It refers to that time when you’ve outgrown early childhood and start to understand the ways of the world.
This is reliable information recorded in that magical tome known as the Japanese dictionary, so feel free to spread it around to your friends.
For me, the moment when I first became aware of the world—no, the exact moment I became aware—was when I realized I was just an ordinary person. In other words, it was when I encountered an extraordinary genius.
It was around the time I moved up to the middle group at Wanpaku Kindergarten.
For some reason, every class in my kindergarten had a Rubik’s Cube.
I didn’t know why.
Perhaps it was because the principal also ran a toy factory and just dumped the leftovers at the kindergarten.
By the way, that kindergarten is now a parking lot.
The principal allegedly had a habit of walking around in a drunken stupor, groping the female teachers, which led to his arrest and the ultimate demise of the kindergarten.
What drove the principal to such lengths? That remains a mystery.
Now, back to the Rubik’s Cube.
It’s embarrassing to admit, but since no one else will, I have to say it myself—I was the kid who, at the age of four, achieved the great feat of aligning two sides of the Rubik’s Cube with the same color.
The other kids in the class idolized me, exclaiming, “That’s awesome!”
And I basked in the glory, thinking, “Yeah, pretty cool, right?”
Then she joined the kindergarten.
And she asked,
“Hey, hey, is that difficult?”
Even as a young child, I thought to myself, “This one’s a novice!”
“This kindergarten is all about how beautifully you can handle a Rubik’s Cube. Heh, I’ll show her how amazing I am.”
I swiftly aligned two sides of the cube with matching colors, and she looked at me with a puzzled expression.
Realizing that this little girl didn’t understand the magnitude of my achievement, I decided to show her some mercy.
“Here, why don’t you give it a try?”
And then, worship me.
“Okay! I’ll try it!”
She fiddled with the cube for a few seconds before handing it back to me.
“She gives up quickly,” I thought as I took the cube from her—only to be struck with terror.
I was so shocked I nearly wet myself.
There, in my hands, was a perfectly completed Rubik’s Cube, with every side aligned flawlessly.
“H-Hey, not bad. I’ll get serious too!”
Oh, if only I had stopped there, my kindergarten self.
“Take it apart. I’ll align all the colors too!”
“Okay, got it!”
She handed me the scrambled cube again.
I attacked the cube with determination, my breath coming in quick bursts.
One minute passed, two minutes passed, and as I started thinking something was off, I continued the struggle for a full five minutes. On the verge of tears, I protested to her.
“H-Hey! What did you do to this!?”
She replied with a smile.
“I took it apart! And then I put it back together so the colors wouldn’t match!”
“A Rubik’s Cube isn’t meant to be played with that way!!”
That was my first encounter with Marimo Kamino, the moment I realized the divide between genius and ordinary people.
Incidentally, no one could restore that Rubik’s Cube to its original state, and it ended up sealed away in the depths of the toy box.
Young Marimo was already a bundle of talent.
She wasn’t just a diamond in the rough—she was already polished to a shine.
Or perhaps she was a diamond that gleamed brightly without any polishing at all.
“Let’s race!”
At the time, I was the fastest runner in the kindergarten, so I thought I could settle the score from the Rubik’s Cube with a footrace.
“Okay! Ready, set, go!!”
The result was obvious.
“Y-You started saying ‘ready, set, go,’ so that was cheating! This time, I’ll say it!”
Oh, if only I had stopped there, my kindergarten self.
“Sure! But if I win, will you do something for me?”
“Hah! Sure, I’m not gonna lose anyway!”
“Then, can I call you Kou-chan?”
“K-Kou-chan!?”
At the time, I felt like Marimo was mocking me with that nickname, and I rejected it fiercely.
But then I thought, “I just need to win,” and eventually accepted the challenge.
That’s why, thinking such foolish thoughts like the father in Bakabon…
“Hooray! I win again!!”
“No way…”
Marimo ran even faster this time, and I was three full body lengths behind her at the finish line.
“Do you want to race again?”
“Of course! That was just a warm-up!”
…My younger self was really an idiot.
“Then, can you do me a favor again if I win?”
“Huh?”
But I had some learning ability, even as a kindergarten kid.
I hesitated.
But in the end, I was just a child.
The very thought of losing didn’t even cross my mind.
“No?”
“Hah! Sure, I haven’t even gotten serious yet! I haven’t even gotten really serious!!”
That’s why, saying things that make me sound like a lazy bum who refuses to get a job…
“Hooray! I win again!!”
“…I give up.”
This time, I couldn’t even keep up with her shadow.
“Kou-chan!”
“…What?”
I was completely defeated, bowing down to Marimo.
“I want you to call me by my name, not ‘you’!”
“H-Huh!?”
Having just embarked on the path of boyhood, I was convinced that calling a girl by her name was nothing but humiliation, and there was no way I could accept such a request.
After two more races, I collapsed to my knees.
Half-crying, I finally agreed.
“Alright… I get it… Marimo.”
“Heehee! What’s up, Kou-chan?”
“Kuh… kuh…”
Even now, I faithfully fulfill that promise, so you could say I’m quite loyal.
That’s the way a man should be!
Bravo! Bravo indeed!!
…What are you looking at, hey, God?
Even in the middle of a flashback, you shouldn’t just appear out of nowhere.
So, Marimo, who had successfully overthrown me, the self-proclaimed leader of the kids, managed to secure an unquestionable position in the kindergarten.
As for me, I should have fallen to the bottom of the social hierarchy, but somehow I remained in the number two spot.
Looking back, I think Marimo skillfully manipulated the situation to keep me there.
She was a truly terrifying little girl.
Around the same time, it became clear that Marimo’s family lived quite close by.
Naturally, the Kirishima family and the Kamino family began interacting frequently.
Both of us were only children, and since Aunty and Uncle Kamino had wanted a boy as well, they were very kind to me. I have no complaints in that regard.
However, although I have no memory of my parents ever saying they wanted a girl, they doted on Marimo like she was a cat.
Sometimes they’d leave me behind and take Marimo to the shopping center to play dress-up.
How many times had I been suspiciously approached with, “Aren’t you cute? Hey, little guy, want some candy?”
Why didn’t my parents notice I was in danger until I hit the panic button?
Looking back, it’s a wonder I grew up safely at all.
Marimo’s future, which had seemed so bright, began to darken with storm clouds around the time we entered elementary school.
This is where I, who had previously been nothing but pathetic, would have my moment.
Hey, why are you looking away?
This is where it gets important, so pay attention, hey, God.