Chapter 10

8 The Mysterious Letter It was Sunday afternoon. All four of us sisters left the house together. “Oh my, are you girls going out?” Mrs. Sato, the cheerful older lady from next door, asked us. “Yes. We’re going to the department store for some essentials,” I answered cheerfully. “Oh, I see. What sweet girls you are. Have a nice trip!” “See you later!” Back when I was at Kanro, I didn’t get to go shopping very often. My clothes were mostly hand-me-downs, and things like stationery were stocked by the facility. That was why a big department store like this felt as exciting as an amusement park. We had only been there a few minutes, and… “This notebook is cheaper!” “This notebook is cuter!” …Ichika and Nitori started arguing in the stationery department, neither one wanting to give in. Shizuki looked helpless, her eyes darting about. And here I’d been all excited… Ah, geez… I had to do something! “Oh, this one!” I called out to the two of them, picking up a notebook that had caught my eye. “H-hey, Sis, what about this notebook? It’s five for four hundred yen and if we buy four sets, we can get them all for fifteen hundred yen! We’d get a bulk discount, and the covers are plain, so we can decorate them and make them look super cute!” Their eyes locked on the notebook I was holding. “…Good call.” “Works for me. Let’s go with that.” I wiped cold sweat off my brow and managed a tired smile. We were family; of course we could patch things up quickly after disagreements. While I was reflecting on this, the notebook was plucked out of my hands. “All right, let’s buy the whole batch.” Ichika picked up four bundles, totaling twenty notebooks, and went to the register. Now we each had a notebook for every school subject. “Should I carry half?” Nitori offered her hands, and so did Shizuki and I, but Ichika smiled and hoisted up the bag of notebooks in one fluid motion. “I’m fine. This is nothing.” “You’re strong, Ichika.” I was impressed. “I guess. I’ve got pretty good stamina. I used to play on the Little League basketball team back in elementary school.” “You did? That’s amazing!” I blurted out excitedly. Athletes were awesome! “It’s nothing special. Were you in any clubs, Mifu?” “I was in the crafts club in fifth grade, then in the art club in sixth. No sports for me.” I was especially bad at ball sports. Whether it was basketball or dodgeball, my throws always fell short of my aim. Ichika widened her eyes. “That’s incredible! I’m awful at arts and crafts.” “Really?” “Yep. Oh, in that case, I might ask for your help with home ec and art homework, Mifu.” “S-sure! And I’ll need your sports tips!” “Happy to give them.” Helping each other with what we were good at… That kind of relationship was really great. That was what being a family was all about! “Hey, Nitori, were you in any clubs?” I asked, wanting to know more about my sister. “Nah… Didn’t have time for that,” Nitori said bluntly, shaking her head. “I see… Shizuki, what about you?” Shizuki silently shook her head, too. Here I thought talking about extracurriculars would be fun…but for some reason, the two of them didn’t seem very interested. Was there…something else that everyone could get excited about? I glanced around the store. Then an idea popped into my head, and I called out to Ichika, who was walking ahead. “Hey, Ichika…,” I whispered in her ear so the other two wouldn’t hear. “Um… Well, I was thinking… So we can… How does that sound?” She nodded immediately. “That’s a great idea. But I don’t have much cash on me today… I’m not sure five hundred yen will cover it.” “No worries! I’ll make it work!” “Really? Let me know if it’s not enough. We’ll be shopping for dinner downstairs.” “Okay, see you later!” I took the money and dashed off toward a different department. Then Nitori whispered in my ear, “Hey, Mifu, I’m tired of shopping. Let’s go get some Frowa Froze ice cream.” She must have secretly tagged along. Frowa Froze was four hundred yen for a single cone. It was a little pricey for ice cream. I’d had it once in elementary school, and it was really yummy, but— “What? W-we can’t buy something that fancy just for ourselves…” “Fancy? It’s not a real department-store trip without that ice cream. We’ll tell Ichika and Shizu to come later: ‘It was gonna melt if we weren’t quick.’” Just then, a family passed in front of us. A dad, a mom, and in the middle, a little boy around three years old. Nitori stared at the family as they passed… “…” She suddenly went quiet. I wondered why. Her eyes looked vacant, like she was remembering something painful. “Actually, never mind,” she muttered, then trudged back to where Ichika and the others were. She looked a little blue as she walked away… Maybe she was reminiscing about her adoptive family? Even so, what was it about that family specifically that made her so somber? There were other families walking around with girls our age… My gaze dropped to the floor. We grew up in different environments, which meant the memories we held in our hearts were different, too. Maybe it was natural I didn’t know what was on her mind. Ah, but still… …I wanted to learn more about Nitori, Ichika, and Shizuki. I was sure it would make us even closer as a family. I clenched my fist tightly. When we finished dinner that night, I called out to my older sisters, who were relaxing in the living room. “Guess what? I’ve got something to show you.” I emptied the paper bag I was holding. “Ta-daa!” “Wow, those are so cute!” my sisters shouted at the same time, shocked. The surprise was a big hit. I got us matching cushion covers! “Hee-hee… I bought them when we split up at the department store. I went with a modern Japanese pattern.” The pink cherry blossom cover was for Ichika. The red dapple pattern was for Nitori. The light-blue wave-pattern cover was for me, and the purple arrow pattern was for Shizuki. “These are perfect for the Japanese-style rooms! And the pastel colors keep them from being too plain.” “Mifu, this was a great find. And you weren’t short on money?” “Hee-hee… Actually…” After I’d secretly told Ichika at the department store that I wanted to get cushion covers, I’d headed to the hundred-yen store, bought a big, traditionally patterned wrapping cloth, and sewn it together with some fabric scraps I already had. Since wrapping cloths didn’t fray at the edges, it was an easy stitch. So I ended up with more than enough money. “I knew you were sneaking around in your room when we got home… This is what you were up to?” “No wonder! I can tell you were in the crafts club!” They loved the cushion covers. I felt a little bashful. At Kanro, we had to use the bedding and curtains they provided. But one of the fun parts of living here was decorating the interior as we pleased. We were gathering more and more things we liked. It made me happy. “Mifu was definitely perfect for the living room role,” Ichika suddenly murmured. “Whether we were assigning chores or buying notebooks today, Mifu always quietly kept us on track… It’s almost like you’re the living room bringing us all together.” Hearing that made me so happy, I simply had to smile. Up until now, I…always thought there wasn’t anything I was especially good at. “Thanks, Sis!” I’d make the living room an even more relaxing place for everyone. I was gonna give it my all for my family! I pumped my fists as high as they could go. Then… “Um…” Shizuki peered into the living room. She was wearing her pajamas, so I guessed she’d just taken a bath by herself. She had two letters in her hands. “Oh, you checked the mail? Thanks!” Shizuki was in charge of the outside of the house, so she always checked the mailbox, which was mounted on the gate. I took the letters. “This one is addressed to Ichika.” The return address listed the senders as Jirou and Aiko Kobata…Ichika’s foster parents. On the back of the envelope, it read, A letter came for you from Chigusa. Just forwarding it to you. “Oh my… Thank you.” Ichika took the letter carefully and quickly put it into her pocket without another word. “Who’s the other one for?” “Let’s see… Huh? This letter…” The front and back of the envelope were completely blank. The sender’s name wasn’t written anywhere. I broke the seal as my sisters watched curiously. All that came out was a single piece of folded stationery. I opened it, then saw the first line—and time stopped. I’m your mother. Ba-dump! The second I read it, my heart pounded hard like someone had hit me, and I got tingles down to my fingertips. Trying not to drop the letter, I tightened my grip so hard, I nearly ripped it. It was like I couldn’t control my body. I felt hot, like I was on fire, but my mind was quiet and cold. I’m sorry for not reaching out for so long. I’ve grown lonely, too, and want to live with you four. Before I knew it, my sisters were also staring intently at the letter. Their silent gazes, full of panic, confusion, surprise, and hope…were fixated on the stationery. All I could hear was the sound of my own heart beating. I wish I could take the four of you in, but due to my situation, I can’t, so I want to at least help the one who’s most in need. I’ll come to get her soon. Looking forward to it. Love, Mom. When we finished reading, the room was still veiled in silence like time had stopped.