Chapter 209

“Inoue!” Kotobuki raised her hand to signal to me in the lobby of the airport. She was wearing a strawberry-pink short-sleeved sweater with a white skirt. “Thanks for coming, Inoue.” “No problem. Looks like I’m late, though. Sorry.” “Are you busy with work?” “I’m doing all right. Thanks for asking.” “Oh yeah? I’ve been seeing your books everywhere in magazine ads and bookstores.” I found myself unexpectedly captivated by her smile, which seemed to brighten the atmosphere. She’d been beautiful even in high school, but after going out into the world, it looked like she’d improved even further. After graduating college, Kotobuki had started working at an office. She was taking a break for summer vacation today, going to Paris. To go see a performance by an opera singer who’d made a dramatic revival last year and was now widely talked about. “It’d be great if you could see Omi, huh?” “Yeah… but even if I can’t talk to him, I’ll be happy just being able to hear him sing,” she murmured in a gentle voice. “I think Yuka would have enjoyed it, too.” Even now when Christmas came around, she still got a message from her best friend who’d passed away. There was no question that he was the one sending them for Mito. “I’ll go see it, too, the next time they have a public performance.” “Thanks for coming all this way to see me off today.” She said this with a bright expression, then gazed at me mildly. “… Do you remember… how I told you that I read Strait Is the Gate the day Tohko graduated? I meant it as a declaration that I would always love you. That Juliette married someone else for Jerome and Alissa’s sakes, but even if I wasn’t your girlfriend anymore, I would still care about you. I went through ‘the narrow gate’ then, too.” A sunny smile spread over Kotobuki’s face. “I’m over it now, after all, but I’m glad that I kept caring for you.” “Thanks. You were too good for me as a girlfriend.” When I said that, she murmured shyly, “Don’t be stupid,” then waved and walked toward her departure gate. I left the airport. The sky was an almost blinding blue and the summer sun beat down on the asphalt. As I headed to the station, it struck me anew that six years had gone by since that graduation ceremony. After that day, Maki had safely given birth to a son. The boy, named Haruto, would be in elementary school next year. His face was like Ryuto’s, but inside he was the exact duplicate of Maki, so Ryuto would lament that “He preaches to me and I can’t stand it. He’s such an uppity kid.” Although Maki had come back sharply, “You do whatever you want and you don’t work, so even your son worries about you.” Maki and Ryuto were both so fond of Haruto that it seemed he could do no wrong. Maki got married three years ago. When I found out who her husband was, I was floored. He was the president of a trade company and he was way older than her. He had even been divorced and there were all sorts of nasty rumors about him. Everyone was even more against it and up in arms than when she’d given birth to Haruto. But Maki’s marriage happened right away. The daughter she had with him is three this year and her name is Hotaru. Of course, Maki gave this child her profound love, too. Akutagawa took the civil servant exam and got a job with the government, and Miu got a job in the welfare field and spends her days interacting with children. Ryuto was, as Maki said, suddenly going off on trips or getting part-time work at shady detective agencies, doing whatever he felt like. Takeda had become a middle school teacher of all things. She made out with Ryuto so much that it embarrassed me. Kanako won a literary prize in another country, and her reputation as an author had risen even further. Her work titled A Day for Yui had been a sweetly kind—a sacred—story, the complete opposite of the things she’d written until then. Occasionally I would hear about Tohko from Ryuto or Takeda. How she’d graduated from college. How her dissertation had been on Ogai Mori. How she was working here. But I never saw her once. I went home to the apartment where I lived alone and booted up the computer in my study. The day that Tohko had returned the manuscript I’d written for her and told me she couldn’t eat it, I’d taken it and gone to see Mr. Sasaki. That manuscript, with a parting scene added at the end and finalized, was published as Miu Inoue’s second book when I was a third-year in high school, and it became a best seller. Just like with the first book, lots of people came to me about TV shows or a movie, but I turned them all down. Because not just anyone could reproduce that smile like a violet, those clear eyes, that kind voice. I wanted the people who read my book to picture their own book girl in their own hearts. Requests for work come in without much interruption, although none of them are the explosive successes that my first book Like the Open Sky and my second book Book Girl were. Ever since that day I decided to walk alone, I’ve kept writing. “Konoha, your tea is ready.” I opened the door and Maika stuck her face in. My little sister was in middle school now, and she would frequently come by my apartment because she wanted to help me out. Apparently she thought it was fun to make meals and do laundry because Mom did everything for her at home. Maika’s possessions increased steadily at my apartment. Once summer break started, we were halfway living together, and I even had friends who teased, “Just get married already,” so it was kind of a pain. I told ’em she was my little sister and everything. The sweet aroma of lemon meringue pie wafted through the door. “C’mon already, Konoha. Konoha—what are you doing?!” Maika’s eyes went wide. I came out of my room wearing a white scarf around my neck. “Why are you wearing a scarf? It’s summertime!” “Because it’s summertime.” I went past Maika and onto the landing outside my front door. When I stuck a stuffed bear wearing a Santa suit onto the wall beside the door with a thumbtack, Maika’s eyes became even more shocked. “What’s with that bear? He’s dressed like Santa and he’s got a fish in his mouth! Did you draw this fish, Konoha? Why a Santa in the summer? Why a fish?” “Does it look like a salmon?” “A salmon?! Why does he have a salmon in his mouth? And why are you hanging it up right there? Is it some kind of good luck charm? Did you get stuck on a manuscript and go funny in the head?” “What a mean thing to say. I’m on schedule.” “But if you hang up that bear and wear that scarf when the new manager is coming over, they’ll think Miu Inoue is a weirdo.” “That’s fine.” I smiled for her. “Because the new editor is a total weirdo, too.” “Do you know them?” “Yeah. You do, too.” “What?” The Santa bear that Tohko had given me on Christmas Eve was looking at us, a salmon in his mouth. I won’t forget. You’ve been in my heart all along. The man of destiny is waiting for her, wearing a white scarf, in front of a bear with a salmon in its mouth. She would come through that door any second. The bell rang. Maika ran to the room where the intercom was. “See, now the manager’s here! Take the bear down and take off that scarf quick! Inoue residence. Sorry to keep you waiting. Right. Okay. We’ve been expecting you. I’m unlocking it now.” The sound of the elevator climbing. The sound of its doors opening to either side. The sound of light footsteps approaching. I closed my eyes and listened closely with a joyous feeling. And then the bell rang, and I opened my eyes and turned the doorknob.