I didn’t deny it, but I knew Ayase wasn’t likely to dress up.
“I’m not dressing up,” Ayase said from beside me. Her reply was immediate. What did I say?
“It feels good once you get used to it, you know,” insisted Yomiuri.
“No thanks.”
“Just give it a try. How about something small?” Yomiuri rummaged through a bag. She must have used it to bring her costume to work. “Look! A cat ear hairband!” she said, mimicking a certain robotic blue cat. “Go ahead. Try it on.”
“No, thanks.”
“Don’t be such a square! Come on—I’m sure it’ll look cute. And your brother will be over the moon! Right, kiddo?”
“Please don’t ask me to agree.”
Yomiuri might look different, but she still acted exactly the same—like an old man. If she went too far, it could easily become workplace harassment.
“Um, I’m going home now,” said Ayase.
“Huh? You are? …Oh well. There will be many more opportunities to try.”
There will?
“No, there won’t.”
“But you’re interested in looking cute, right?”
For a moment, Ayase froze up. Then she said, “Whatever—I’m going home now.”
“Okay. Well, then, kiddo—it’s late, so make sure she gets back safe.”
“Roger.”
With a flick of her hand, the forest witch slung a sports bag over her shoulder. It was a surreal image. Maybe she was planning to leave her bag in a coin-operated locker somewhere. I wondered if she could still manage to find one at this hour. Or maybe she’d already secured a place to leave her personal belongings in advance. Knowing Yomiuri, she’d probably made all the necessary arrangements.
“Okay, then. See you!” she said. But just as she was about to leave the office, I called after her.
“Ah, Yomiuri?”
“Huh? What is it?”
“Here.” I held out a small bag in the palm of my hand.
“What’s this?”
“Candy. Throat lozenges. You said you were going to karaoke later.”
“Oh! I didn’t think you’d remember. Good boy!”
“I wouldn’t want you playing tricks on me.”
“Hee-hee. Thanks.” She pressed the bag of candy against her cheek and grinned. “Then I shall cast a spell on the two of you so that you can share in my happiness. Hyah!” She waved her wand. “Happy Halloween! See you!”
“Okay. See you!”
“Have fun.”
She turned around with a flutter of her dress and left the office behind.
Ayase waved as we watched her go.
“Okay,” I said. “Guess it’s time for us to leave, too. Let’s head out.”
Ayase nodded, and I reached for my bag.
Then I took a step toward her, pulled out another item from my bag, and held it out to her.
“Huh? What is this?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“It’s for you.” It was a small bag like the one I gave Yomiuri.
“Lozenges for me?”
“No…chocolates.”
“But I haven’t brought you anything.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s just a little something. Happy Halloween.”
“Thanks. Happy Halloween.”
Just before leaving the store, Ayase stopped and told me to wait a minute. Then she turned around and walked back inside.
Had she forgotten something?
I stepped out of the way of the entrance so I wouldn’t block customers and found a place where I could keep watch.
Ayase came back out a few minutes later, but she didn’t appear to be carrying anything.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” she said.
“Did you forget something?”
“Something like that,” she said vaguely as she came to stand beside me.
“Okay… Let’s go, then.”
“All right.”
Ayase and I were both astounded when we stepped out onto the street. The place was packed with people in costumes. There was no space to walk at all.
I’d known this would happen. That was why I didn’t ride my bike to work, and I’d been right. But…
“I didn’t think it would be this bad…”
“This turnout is unbelievable.”
“I can’t imagine anyone seeing us in this crowd.”
I’d worried about what to do if we ran into someone from school, but with this many people in costume everywhere, I doubted if anyone would be able to see our faces even if we passed right by them.
It looked like we’d have to weave our way through the crowd of foreigners and college-aged partygoers. I figured it would thin out once we got away from the train station, but right now, it was as congested as Meiji Shrine on New Year’s Day when everyone came to worship.
“Ah!”
Ayase let out a small cry and stumbled. Maybe she’d bumped into someone. I quickly reached out and supported her. This wasn’t going to work.
“It’s not quite as bad where there are cars. Let’s go over there.”
“O-okay.”
We tried to walk where it was less crowded, but it was tough to make our way through the waves of people, and I was afraid we might get separated.
We were heading to the same place, and we weren’t children, so we probably wouldn’t get lost, but…
“Ayase. Here.”
I stretched out my hand, and Ayase grabbed it and squeezed.
I felt the warmth of her palm, and my heart beat faster. Her hand was smaller than mine, and I was afraid I might hurt her if I squeezed too hard. Still, I didn’t want to let go and lose her, so I kept squeezing and pulled her close.
“I can’t even see our feet. Watch your step.”
“I’m fine.”
She moved closer to me so the waves of people wouldn’t push her away. It had been a while since we were close enough to feel each other’s body heat.
I looked up at Dogenzaka Hill; it was so crowded that there wasn’t even room enough for an ant.
Past the hill, I saw a cluster of buildings, their lights twinkling against the black sky. The velvet darkness of the night cast a deep shadow over Shibuya.
Ayase and I continued on our way, weaving in and out of the costumed crowds.
Twilight passed and evening faded into night as the hands of the clock steadily turned. It was now the time for young children to turn in for the night.
Clowns covered in face paint pranced along the road as witches laughed, brooms in their hands, and vampires with fake fangs roamed the streets. They were all waiting at pedestrian crossings, humming popular tunes. A herd of fake monsters. If one or two of them were real, no one would ever notice.
Every time the traffic lights changed from green to red or red to green, the ghouls’ movements shifted like a giant, swirling vortex. They were like mindless beasts under someone’s spell.
A red balloon slipped from someone’s hand and rose into the sky, reflecting the streetlights as the darkness sucked it up and away.
There was honking from somewhere nearby, mixed with the laughter of a man and woman wrapped in bandages. A car rushed down the street, the afterimage of its red LED taillights trailing behind. The song “When the Saints Go Marching In” leaked out from a convenience store every time its door opened, grazing my ears and then fading away.
I felt like I was walking on clouds. Among the otherworldly scenery, the girl holding my hand was incredibly beautiful, and she was my sister. Or my stepsister anyway.
We’d confirmed that we both liked each other, and that seemed like the furthest thing of all from reality.
Was this really happening? The only thing that felt real was her body heat, emanating from our clasped hands.
Did I just see a wolf man laughing under his mask as he passed? Maybe he was one of my classmates, and he’d just seen Ayase and me walking shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand.
I was pretty sure the chances were low, but I knew it was still possible.
As we left the area near the train station and got closer to home, the number of people around us gradually decreased. By the time the lights of our apartment building came into view, there was no one in the street but us.
We finally let go of each other’s hands as we passed through a nearby park and crossed a wide street. Both of us sighed in relief.