Prologue
Clang-clang-clang!
I won the third prize when I participated in the raffle at the shopping district.
My classmate in high school and childhood friend, Saki Makimura, vigorously rings the bell she’s holding as if to say, “Take that!”
As a result, everyone passing by looked at us with expressions like, “Did she win the grand prize!?” It was embarrassing.
The bell, having been swung around relentlessly, was carelessly placed on the desk as if it had served its purpose, and let out a sad “clang” as if saying its final sound.
“Look, Mutsuki. Be happy. It’s the third prize!”
As she placed the swung bell down, Saki came up to me as if picking a fight and asked.
By the way, “Mutsuki” is the nickname for me, Mutsuki Saotome.
“Even if you tell me to be happy, the third prize is just a shamisen string. I don’t have a shamisen, so receiving just the string doesn’t mean much to me...”
“Is it made of silk?”
“Yes. Lately, companies that make it have decreased due to competition from nylon and other inexpensive threads. Certainly, depending on the desired sound, nylon and others are perfectly fine! They’re good, but the resonant sound of silk thread has a value that cannot be compared!”
Saki enthusiastically talks at length about Hatsune strings, which are essentially the equivalent of strings in other stringed instruments.
The reason she gets so passionate about it is not because she plays the shamisen or has any affiliation with the string manufacturing companies. It’s simply because she has a strong love for her hometown.
It has always been like this since long ago.
Even during the class titled ‘Let’s Research Our Town,’ where everyone would at most bring their findings on an A4-sized paper, Saki came with a B0-sized paper to write on.
Saki, who conducts research, is impressive, but her parents who provide such specialized paper are also amazing. By the way, Saki’s parents are ordinary salarymen.
I don’t understand why Saki can be so passionate about something. I feel like I lack that sense of hometown pride, but when I look at the other classmates, Saki stands out.
Will I also be able to encounter something that will ignite passion within me in the future...?
“However, even if I don’t have a shamisen and I’m not interested, there’s no point in giving me the strings, so here you go.”
She took out a printout from the file that was nearby and handed it to me.
The content of the printout was a guide on how to make accessories using shamisen strings.
“It feels really wasteful, doesn’t it?”
“Don’t say that. Everyone is desperate, putting their survival on the line. This is something that the Chamber of Commerce and manufacturing companies worked desperately to come up with, hoping it becomes a new specialty.”
“Hmm... That’s true, but it still feels a bit reluctant or awkward to use it for a different purpose...”
“What do you think? Shall we return the ball and play again?”
Seeing me hesitate, Sakki took pity on me and asked if we should spin the raffle drum again.
If we do it again, the next thing we’ll end up with is a white ball—probably a tissue.
I understand that it’s better than receiving something useless, but...
“No, I’ll take the thread. Since I won it, it must be some kind of fate.”
“Oh, really? Okay, I understand. I’ll put it in a bag.”
They put the shamisen strings in a plain white bag and handed it to me carefully with both hands.
“Please do your best in making the accessories.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
