“Whoa. Keiichi-kun, are you alright?”
“No worries. I’m fine. Shall we continue?”
“It won’t be much longer.”
Although I wanted to ask about the cause of her tears, I chose not to for now. Instead, I asked casually, “Is the dormitory close by?”
Saki nodded and replied, “Yeah. Do you want to come with me?”
My heart thumped hard in response, and my feet stumbled on the trail involuntarily.
After fifteen minutes of walking along the mountain path, we eventually arrived at an open space in front of a tall gate. Saki whispered softly, “This way,” and we crossed into the dimly lit area where Hinata Dormitory was written across its entrance.
After we went through the gate, a big garden opened up in front of us. We could see two buildings on the land as we walked through the garden. One was a large concrete house with two stories. It was a fairly old building that could be recognized even in the darkness.
Next to it was a building that looked like a house. Compared to the big concrete dormitory, which looked old, the building looked new. Only the house-like dormitory had lights on, and we could hear laughter coming from inside. We could tell someone lived there.
The big dormitory, on the other hand, was completely dark. Was everyone asleep? Saki walked toward the dark, big dormitory. I followed her.
Saki opened the large door and stepped into the dormitory. “I’m back.” On the other side of the entryway, a large shoe box loomed against the wall, big enough to fit about fifty pairs of shoes, yet it was conveniently empty.
Saki set her footwear in one of the top left compartments, then motioned for me to do the same.
“Okay,” I replied, placing my sneakers where Saki had indicated.
I complied, following her as she sauntered down the hallway and activated the lights with a loud click. The room lit up, its brightness briefly stunning me.
“Ta-dah! This is my house,” Saki exclaimed, throwing her arms open wide, her enthusiasm palpable. What greeted us was a spacious living area — or, more accurately, a multipurpose recreation room.
I glanced at the end of the room; I saw a staircase leading upstairs and several doors where other personal rooms were located.
Saki looked at me as I took in my surroundings. “You’re surprised, huh?” she asked, her head slightly cocked with a concerned expression.
I replied, “Well…” It was the truth.
“Figures…” Saki gave a faint smile. “Keiichi-kun, you probably don’t know, do you? You’re not from around here,” she said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The significance of Hinata Dormitory,” she replied.
When I heard that name for the first time, I assumed it was just a dormitory for high schoolers. Maybe it had something to do with boarding schools.
However, as we followed the mountain trail, I understood the meaning of her tears and her words.
“I’m… from Hinata Dormitory.”
“My mother… is in the moon.”
Could this dormitory be…?
“This is an orphanage,” Saki quietly said.
“People around here tend to sneer when they hear about Hinata Dorm. But, Keiichi-kun, you didn’t have that reaction at all, did you? That’s why I felt happy and invited you here… sorry about that,” Saki said, bewildered.
I could not bear to see Saki so lonely again; why was that? All I wanted was for her to keep on smiling.
“Why are you apologizing?”
“Huh?”
“You don’t have to apologize. I’m happy,” I said.
“…”
“I’m happy I could come to your house.”
It was common knowledge that, due to varying circumstances, there were places known as “children’s care facilities” for children who could not live with their parents to stay. But it was my first time visiting one, and I knew nothing else beyond that. Though we both understood this much, no changes were made between us.
I placed my hand on the white wall. “This dormitory reminds me of the children’s center I used to go to,” I said.
“A children’s center?”
“Yeah, my parents worked, so I often stayed at the children’s center until nighttime. It was kind of like after-school care now. There were over a thousand kids in my elementary school, and around two hundred of us would spend time there — it was really crowded. The shoe lockers couldn’t fit all the shoes, and our things got mixed up. It was really tough since there was no room to move, and we had to compete for space.”
“Ah, I see.”
“I had fun, didn’t I?”
Even though we’d been tangled up at the children’s center, we laughed together back then. This place had the same smell and atmosphere. When I looked down, there were scratches on the floor. Cute characters were scribbled on the walls, and the pillars served as height markers. I walked around the room.
“It’s spacious.”
Traces of children running around remained scattered all around us. They played and frolicked, leaving behind their memories.
“Really?”
“Quite.”
“How many people are here?”
“Um, about fifty.”
“Only fifty?”
If I think about it carefully, living with fifty people would probably be tough. But my words weren’t a lie when I imagined a children’s center where two hundred people spend their time.
“Fifty people sounds fun.”
When I said that, she showed me a gentle smile that sank into my heart.
“But are you sure?”
“What about?”
“Coming here at this time.”
If I was going to come over, I figured it should be during the day. I didn’t want to disturb anyone. I peered up the stairs. Was everyone sleeping? Not a single sound could be heard. Maybe it was best to leave before waking them up.
I worried that Saki would get in trouble for bringing someone at this hour. I feared that if her situation worsened, I would also be affected, so I was about to say, “Let’s try another time,” but she spoke first.
“It’s okay.”
“Huh.”
“Right now, this place is just my house.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I own everything and can rent it out,” she replied.
I looked at her curiously.
“Keiichi-kun, you’re frowning,” she said. She laughed lightly as she spoke.
I couldn’t quite wrap my head around what she was saying, so I creased my brow in confusion. It’s like she could read everything I was thinking just from the expressions on my face.
“It can be a bit confusing, right? Let me break it down for you.”
“Ah… okay.”
“In the meantime, do you want to come up to my room?”
She led me to a corner room on the first floor. It was large; about ten tatami mats and wooden floors, giving away its age. Several lockers lined the room, and there were signs of repairs. It was evident someone lived here.
I noticed a faint odor as I entered the room and took a few steps. I knew the smell but couldn’t remember it for some reason. In front of a large window was something covered in white cloth.
“Um, please sit here. And don’t stare too much.”
She had caught me looking around her room intently, and I could feel my face heat up with embarrassment.
“Sorry,” I apologized quickly as I sat where she had instructed.
You shouldn’t be so nosy when visiting another person’s space, I scolded myself, feeling foolish for not using common sense.
“Just kidding,” Saki said before walking over to a small refrigerator in the corner. She returned with two plastic bottles and a small bag of snacks.
“Do people say you’re an honest person, Keiichi-kun?” she asked me.
“Not really,” I replied.
“You don’t think so?” Saki smiled and handed me a bottle as I sat in front of a small table.
“Thank you,” I said, accepting the bottle.