Denji was awakened by the noise of his own snoring. Motes of light danced at the edges of his vision. It took him a second to realize they were a product of the sunlight pouring through the windows. Houses whipped past, vanishing as soon as they appeared.
A steady rhythm tickled his ears—Ka-chunk ka-chunk. Ka-chunk ka-chunk. The sound of a train traveling along the rails. The gentle thrumming that came up through his seat was so relaxing, it was almost like he was still asleep.
“What’m I doing on a train?” he asked, yawning.
The horned woman in the next seat rolled her eyes. “Get the sleep out of your brain, Denji.”
“Knock it off, Power,” said the dark-haired man sitting across from her. He turned to Denji. “This is why I told you to turn in early last night.”
“It’s all right, Hayakawa,” said the last member of their party, a woman in navy blue across from Denji. When he looked at her, it was hard to think about much else. “Denji was too excited about this trip to sleep. Isn’t that right, Denji?”
“Ms. Makima!” said Denji, almost jumping out of his seat. “Oh, that’s right. Enoshima.”
It finally came back to him. At long last they were making good on their promise. Makima and the three residents of the Hayakawa household were taking a trip to Enoshima.
“You woke up just in time,” Makima said, smiling. She was right—outside the windows, the residential areas were giving way to a crystal-blue sea. The sun glittered off the surface of the water and gilded the white-capped waves. A flock of seabirds passed high above them, crying out as they glided majestically across the sky.
“Holy shit! It’s the sea!” Denji exclaimed.
“The sea! The sea!” Power added. They both pressed their faces to the windows.
“Keep it down, you two.” Aki scowled. “We’re not the only ones on board.”
Denji shared a grin with Power. They linked arms like siblings. “Ahh, get the stick outta your ass,” said Denji. “If you can’t get excited about the beach, when can you?”
“Topknot is a fussypuss about everything!”
“At least try to consider the people around you,” Aki grumbled.
“Oh, let them be, Hayakawa. It’s not every day we get to take a vacation,” Makima said evenly. The window was slightly open, letting in a sea breeze that played with her bangs.
“If you say so, Ms. Makima …” Aki acquiesced.
Aki’s meek turn gratified Denji, who leaned back in his seat. “Man, a vacation with Ms. Makima! It’s like a dream come true!”
“Well, you’ve all been working so hard lately. I’m only sorry we can’t take more outings like this. Usually we have to stick close to the office,” Makima said.
Denji waved his hands carelessly. “Take it from me, ma’am! Enoshima’s gonna rock!”
“I’m curious, Denji,” said Aki. “Do you have the slightest idea what the Island of Enoshima is?”
Denji answered him with a snort. “An island. Obviously.”
“That’s true, but this island is … special,” Makima said. She made a circle with the thumb and index finger of her right hand. “Most islands are surrounded by water at all times, yes?” She pressed her left index finger against the bottom of the circle. “Enoshima is what they call a land-tied island. Accumulated sand forms a kind of bridge between the island and the mainland.”
“Ah! Of course!” Denji crossed his arms and nodded knowingly, even though he found Makima’s explanation murky at best.
She smiled and put her hands down. “Think of it this way. Most
islands are lonely. They can’t touch anything. Enoshima is connected to the land, so it’s not a lonely island.”
“Oh. I guess that makes sense.” Denji let his arms fall to his side. Enoshima, the island that wasn’t lonely. That was a description he could work with.
“And there it is.” Makima pointed a slender finger out the window. A strip of green had emerged on the horizon, framed by puffy white clouds.
“Wow,” said Denji. “Smaller than I expected.”
“You may be interested to know,” Power announced, “that I have a summer home on that island!”
“Sure, nice,” Denji replied, disinterested.
“Why aren’t you impressed?” Power demanded. “Surely you don’t think I’m lying?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“An insult!” Power declared. “Still, you remain my partner. I’m telling you, ’tis true!”
Denji could tell she wasn’t going to drop this. “Fine. Where’s this house of yours, then?”
Power leaned in close and pointed out the window. “Right over there! See the luxurious mansion that pierces the heavens at the very center of the island?” In the distance, Denji could make out a building shaped like a huge candle. “Behold, my villa!”
“Power, that’s the Enoshima lighthouse,” said Aki.
Without missing a beat, Power smacked Denji on the shoulder. “There’s the lighthouse, Denji! Bet you didn’t know about the lighthouse!”
“Well, geez, I do now, thanks.”
“You two make quite a pair.” Makima smiled. With genuine curiosity, she added, “Is it like this at home?”
Denji scratched his head. “Yeah, we’re a regular comedy duo, twenty-four-seven.”
It was the same kind of banter he exchanged with the team at work, yet here, beyond the everyday, it seemed fresh and new.
At last the train pulled to a halt at the shore overlooking the island of Enoshima.
“We can drop off our luggage at the hotel,” said Makima, “before we take a look around.” They piled out at the station and made their way to a beachside hotel. After leaving their luggage as Makima had suggested, they returned outside to the island sunshine.
Denji jogged to join Makima at the head of the group. “So, Ms. Makima, what’s the plan?”
“Good question. What do you want to do, Denji?”
“I wanna do anything, as long as it’s with you.”
“At least try to come up with your own damn ideas!” Aki called from behind them. “Ms. Makima, as long as we’re here, I think we should do some sightseeing.” He brandished a guidebook.
“The sea! The sea calls to me!” Power threw a hand in the air. “Swimming time!”
Makima tapped a finger to her chin, then gave a slight nod. “All right, here’s what we’ll do. Let’s start with a quick tour of the island. Then we can take a dip in the ocean. When it gets dark, it’ll be the perfect time to try out the hotel amenities. And then …”
“Yes?” said Denji. “And then what? What comes after that?”
“Well … I promise you’ll like it.”
Denji felt a rush of curiosity, but for the moment, strolling at Makima’s side was enough for him.
“Once we cross Benten Bridge, we’ll be on Enoshima proper,” Makima said, pointing to a bridge that stretched over a sandbar ahead of them. They were almost there! The island looked much bigger up close.
The midsummer sun cast stark shadows on the paving stones. As bright as it was, the sea breeze cooled the heat. Denji listened to the waves wash in and recede again. It really was like the sea was calling to them.
“Enoshima!” said Denji, emotion overtaking him as he set foot on the island at last. They passed beneath a looming vermilion torii gate. Beyond, the street burst on both sides with restaurants and souvenir shops.
“Look, Topknot!” Power yelled from the back of the group. “Food! I wish to eat!” She sniffed the air.
““Eat? Again? Didn’t we already buy you a boxed lunch at the train station?”
“Lunch …lunch …” Power feigned innocence. “No, I’ve never eaten this ‘lunch’ you speak of.”
Aki shrugged helplessly and veered into the nearest eatery. A few minutes later, he emerged with a soft-serve ice cream cone. “It’s on me. As long as we’re on vacation, we might as well treat ourselves.”
Power gleefully snatched the cone from him. “Gah ha ha! A fine decision! I— Wait, why is there fish on this?” Close inspection revealed that the dark ice cream was indeed topped with scads of tiny white fish.
“It’s special. Unique to Enoshima. Be glad you get to try a local delicacy.”
“Hrm …” Ever so reluctantly, Power took a bite. “It tastes … like the sea …” she grimaced and looked a bit seasick.
“Gimme some of that, Power,” said Denji. He grabbed the ice cream and took a huge bite off the top. “Holy crap! That’s good!”
“Good?” Power said, disgusted. “I am bewildered by the idea of putting fish on ice cream.”
“What’s the problem? You get to eat ice cream and you get to eat fish. Saves time!”
“Not a picky eater, are you?” Aki took the ice cream from Denji. He bit in and closed his eyes. After a moment, he said, “Huh. That’s not half bad. The sweetness of the ice cream complements the saltiness of the fish better than you’d expect. And the textures go really well together.”
“You act grossed out, then you say you like it,” said Denji. “Make up your dang mind.”
“Yes, Topknot! Your dang mind needs making!”
“I’m just expressing my opinions. Don’t get your knickers in a knot, you two.”
Ahead, Makima chuckled. “Nice to know the Hayakawa family is so close.”
Denji, Power, and Aki looked at each other. Aki rubbed his neck and sighed. “I don’t know if I’d say close. I feel like a parent with a couple of rebellious brats.”
“Sheesh. Real nice, Aki!” Denji grumbled.
“I daresay it is we who are always looking after you, Topknot. You should consider it an honor!” Power said haughtily.
“Don’t put on airs!” Aki said.
“You’re right, Hayakawa,” said Makima. “You do seem like their mom.”
“Their m-m-mom … ?” Aki stood stupefied.
Denji and Power doubled over laughing.
“You’re a mommy, Aki!” Denji crowed.
“A mom with a topknot!”
“Pipe down! Shut up! I’ll throw you both in the ocean!” Mother Hayakawa hissed as his two contrary children ran circles around him, dodging his blows.