2 Chapter 2 : Midori's Unlucky Streak
Midori walked down the street, and two elder ladies quickly leaned closer and whispered to each other.
"Look at her."
"Oh, my, who is that?"
"Didn't you know? Have you been living under a rock??? She is..."
Midori lowered her gaze and pretended not to listen to their conversation. Not that they would care whether she heard them or not.
Those who knew Midori whispered behind her back and avoided her. They were afraid to be associated with her and bring disgrace to their own names.
Strangers automatically gave Midori a wide berth. They were afraid that she might beg them for money or food, or that she might be sick and contagious.
Despite being treated like an outcast, Midori walked with a straight back and her face held high. After leaving Oburo District, she headed to Honkichi Yokocho*. It was a small alley off the main street of the small town, full of inns to give town-to-town travelers a place to stay for a short duration.
Close to the train station, its strategic location greatly contributed to the inn owners' wealth over the past few years.
"Dear customers, please come in and rest for a little while," the beautiful inn attendants stood in front of their inns to seduce the weary travelers. Their eyes were trained to spot wealthy guests, so they naturally did not bother with a young, homeless woman who somehow got lost in the alley.
They merely hoped that this young woman would not drive business away for the day.
Not that Midori cared, because she conveniently skipped all the inns until she arrived at the farthest end of the alley.
Standing at least thirty meters apart from the other inns, the inn at the end of the alley was a dilapidated building that was as silent as a graveyard. Its weathered paint was peeling off, revealing the rotting wood beneath. The windows were boarded up, and the roof was sagging. The only sign of life was the creaky old sign that hung above the door, swinging gently in the breeze.
"Hanakoi Ryokan" were the words inscribed on the wooden sign, a huge contrast to its meaning**.
"Excuse me," Midori called out at the entrance. "Excuse me, I would like to have a room for one night."
A young woman with a ponytail pushed the black curtain at the entrance aside and blinked at Midori as if the latter were a ghost.
Midori smiled at her.
"Do you have an empty room for me?" she asked.
"Oh… yes. Of course, please come in, esteemed guest."
The wooden boards under Midori's feet creaked precariously when she stepped on them, as if they might collapse beneath her weight at any moment. The interior appearance of the inn matched its exterior -- dilapidated and neglected. The air smelled slightly of moldy wood, and the only light came from a few dusty lanterns that hung from the ceiling.
An elderly man stood at the reception counter. He was wearing a faded kimono and had a kind face, but his yellowish teeth and disheveled hair made him look older than he probably was. When he saw Midori, he smiled, revealing his crooked teeth and missing molars.
They exchanged bows, and then Midori asked, "Owner, how much does a room cost for one night?"
In fact, she did not need to ask. She knew the price.
"For seventy sen***, I can give you a single room for a night. If you stay two nights, I can reduce the price to sixty sen per night."
Midori took out the seventy sen that she hid in her palm.
"No, Owner, thank you very much. One night will do."
The owner seemed somewhat disappointed, but one guest was better than none.
That night, a storm blew through the alley. All inn owners smacked their thighs in regret because they could have charged at least twenty sen more.
Midori, on the other side, was full of smiles. As she listened to the sound of howling wind and crackling tree branches that whipped against the window, she slept like a log of wood.
When she drifted into the dreamworld, she started dreaming about her life before she transmigrated into this novel.
Midori Takigawa of the modern time was a university student in her final year. Her life was perfect with a straight A report card, a handsome boyfriend of three years, and her two best friends Sayaka Ninomichi and Hanae Tsutsumi.
That morning, she woke up with an eerie headache. Ignoring the unusual sensation, she recalled that the mid-semester examination result was supposed to be available in the online announcement portal by now. Fidgeting with excitement, she thus logged into the university website and clicked herself into the result announcement portal.
Midori was a confident young woman who knew that she just had to score the highest, if not the second highest.
Until she did not.
She was number thirteen!
Midori's scream was muffled by her pillow. She quickly rushed to the university's examination department to file a complaint. How could she, Midori Takigawa, fall from grace? It was simply unacceptable! The university must have made a mistake!
"There is no mistake," the clerk, a strict lady in glasses, told her. "Ms. Takigawa, you forgot to write your name in one of the exam papers."
Midori's jaw fell to the floor.
"But you can easily check the handwriting! It is my handwriting!" Midori still insisted. She was not the one to give up without a fight.
Alas, the clerk was not in the mood to do her the favor.
"The exam rules state that if you do not write your name on top of the paper, then it will not be graded. I am sorry, Ms. Takigawa."
Her tone was final. Biting back tears, Midori stalked out of the administration office with a thousand plans in her head.
She was going to whine to her professor!
She was going to complain to the clerk's boss!
She was going to ask for a special follow-up examination!
She was going to get her first place, no matter what!
As she ruminated about what to do next, her feet unconsciously took her to the tennis court. Very good, she thought. She should hit some balls to let out some steam.
Midori went to change her clothes and fetch her tennis racket. When she was heading toward the court, she heard familiar voices. One of them was her boyfriend of three years, Ryouichi. The other one was one of her best friends, Hanae.
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Author's note :
* Yokocho = alleyway.
**Hana = flower. Koi = love.
***A little lesson about currency in Meiji Era, Japan~
1 Yen = 10 rin
1 Yen = 100 sen
