“How is Jewel doing?”
The meeting room was larger and more well-equipped than Mitsuri had imagined. There was a kitchen with a large refrigerator and an induction stove, a fancy leather reception set, and the furnishings in general were of such quality as to make the room look more like the office of the president of a small company.
The roses from that morning had been arranged in a large vase and were on display in the center of a coffee table. Mrs. Sakuma and Mrs. Nosé, the association’s former president, were relaxing on opposite sides of the table, having a leisurely coffee.
“Oh! She’s not here?” Mitsuri asked. There was no sign of the girl.
“She’s next door,” Mrs. Nosé replied. It seemed that the adjoining room had been converted into a screening room, with a full-sized screen and projector. Mrs. Nosé explained that there was also a large sofa there, so the ladies could watch movies in comfort, and Jewel was sleeping on the sofa.
“Don’t worry, there’s a heater and humidifier in there, so the temperature and everything is just right for her.”
“Sorry to put you through so much trouble. Thank you for everything.” Mitsuri bowed her head in thanks, but she was still taking in the surroundings, impressed. Right next to the sofa where the two ladies were sitting, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, there were a number of life-sized panel portraits of a smiling Shiba. Were they custom-made…?
Mitsuri had never been a huge fan of real-life people. Her passions had always run toward the two-dimensional, and when she was young, the walls of her room were plastered with illustrated figures. Her mother would say, “Whenever I go in your room, I always get a creepy feeling, like I’m being watched.” Mitsuri was always a little frustrated that nobody understood how cool it was.
I’m sorry, Mother, now I finally know how you felt! Mitsuri thought.
To someone who wasn’t a member of the Shiba fan club, the way his eyes followed you around the room was quite unsettling. He was a good-looking man and one of her favorite subjects, but she still found it disturbing.
“You must be tired, Mitsuri. Please, have a seat.” Mrs. Nosé stood up, and with easy motions, made Mitsuri a coffee. Mrs. Sakuma gestured toward the sofa, and when Mitsuri sat, offered her an assortment of cookies and chocolates.
“Oh, Mrs. Sakuma! There’s also some cake in the fridge—will you put some out for Mitsuri?”
“Yes, of course! Mitsuri dear, are you hungry? We have a chilled Bavarian cream, too.”
“Um, that’s okay…”
Of course, Mrs. Nosé and Mrs. Sakuma were perfectly suited to this space. It seemed natural to them that there were giant photos of Shiba. Once again Mitsuri felt the depth of his fan club’s love for him.
“Well, anyway, I wanted to let you know that you were all a huge help today. You really saved us. Also, I just spoke with the manager, and he’s on his way here now. He said to be sure to share his gratitude.”
Mitsuri explained that the brothers had gone home to deliver Christmas gifts to their sister, only to find that she had swapped places with them. Mrs. Nosé and Mrs. Sakuma nodded in satisfaction.
“He thinks of his sister, of course! Isn’t that just like our Mitsuhiko?”
“I just knew it would be something like that!”
Mitsuri was drawn into conversation with the ladies. Mostly, they subjected her to a series of complaints about people lurking around the building trying to find out if this was where Shiba lived—the Ladies’ Association would lay down their lives to protect their Mitsuhiko’s privacy, of course, but people kept coming, no matter what they did, drawn to his charm like moths to the flame. It was clearly because he was such a fine and virtuous man, but it caused a lot of trouble.
After the topic had been more or less exhausted, the ladies seemed to subside. “I should go home and get dinner ready.” “And my husband’s dialysis treatment should be over by now, I’d better go pick him up.” Making their respective excuses, the two of them departed.
“Ah, just amazing, as always…”
They were all about the same age as Mitsuri’s mother, but the ladies of the Golden Villa Apartments had a certain formidable quality. When she asked them about it, a chorus of voices in reply claimed they were getting stronger every day thanks to Shiba’s presence. I ought to start a Shiba Health System, Mitsuri thought. A revolutionary new system where one simply drinks a cup of tea with Shiba and is thereby rejuvenated. Wouldn’t that be something! I really want to do that.
Mitsuri washed the coffee cups and dishes, amusing herself with such idle thoughts, when there was a faint noise, and the door to the next room opened. Jewel’s face quietly emerged.
“Oh! You’re up? How are you feeling?”
“Um…a lot better, I think.”
“You had a very high fever, so rest a little while longer. Do you want something to drink? There are also fruit jellies and ice pops.”
“Uh…mm. If you have an energy drink, I could have that.”
“We do! You go lie down, and I’ll bring you one.”
Carrying one of the drinks that Ukulele had given her, Mitsuri entered the back room. There was an expensive-looking sofa and table, and fancy name-brand hi-fi speakers were installed in the corners and ceiling of the room. This would surely be a great place to sit back and watch a movie. But of course, all the walls were heavily decorated with portraits and photos of Shiba, so it would be difficult to focus on the film, thought Mitsuri with a wry smile.
“It’s incredible, isn’t it, this room?”