CHAPTER SEVEN Discovery I’m a sixteen-year-old high school guy. What’s a good birthday present for a woman who’s turning eighteen? I hit the POST button, and after a short pause, a few immediate answers came in. You can always count on Yahoo! Answers. (Answer 1) Just push her down (Answer 2) cash. five figures at least. (Answer 3) an apartment (Answer 4) If you have to ask the Internet, you’re already flunking this. Hmm… No Best Answers here. If I had to pick one, it would be number four. Actually, I was starting to notice there were no answers to life on the Internet. As I was worrying about what to do, I heard a bunch of girls cheering, and I looked up from my smartphone. Nagi had scored a goal. We were at a futsal court under an elevated railroad track, and Nagi was in the middle of a practice match. “Nice shot, Nagi!” “Nagi always gets the goal!” Nagi’s teammates hurried up to him, and he high-fived each of them as he ran past. What an upbeat, popular guy. Lately, I’d had nothing but respect for this ten-year-old dynamo who didn’t play favorites. I’d come here because I wanted to get his advice. “—A ring. Absolutely,” Nagi told me with conviction. “Wait, seriously? A ring, out of nowhere?! Huh? Wouldn’t that be too much pressure?” Startled, I asked him again. The match was over, and we were sitting in the court’s spectator seats. “It’s a birthday present for Sis, isn’t it?” “Yeah. I did some research and asked another lady, but—” I remembered Natsumi’s answer: “Huh? What would I be happy to get? Let’s see… A hug, a kiss, cash, a proper boyfriend, and— Oh, and a job!” “She was zero help.” I sighed. There hadn’t been much to choose from between her and Yahoo! Answers. “A ring, huh…? Hmm…” As I stressed about it, several grade-school girls left the court, waving and calling, “Bye-bye, Nagi!” Nagi waved back breezily. “You like Sis, don’t you, Hodaka?” “Huh?” For a second, I couldn’t process what he’d said to me, until I did and promptly freaked out. “Dwaaaaaaah?!” I went hot all the way to the tips of my ears, as if he’d dumped boiling water all over me. “No, no, no, I don’t think I like her, exactly… Huh? Wait, do I? Maybe? But no, no, no, starting when? Way back at the beginning, maybe? Dweeeeeeeeeeeeh?!” While I was off having a meltdown, Nagi rolled his eyes. “Look, guys need to keep things clear. Clouding the waters is the last thing you want to do.” “Huh? R-really?” “The rule is, before you start going out, you state everything upfront, and after you’re together, you keep things vague. Right?” The epiphany hit me like a brick to the face. Bam! What’s with that value system?! How’s he so strategic about this stuff?! “Whoa…!” Tokyo is seriously something else, I thought for the first time in quite a while, and I meant it. “Can I call you Master Nagi?” Nagi responded with a grin, then suddenly looked away into the distance. “Ever since Mom died, Sis has just been working part-time jobs. I’m sure she’s doing it for me, because I’m still just a kid.” “…” As Nagi explained, still smiling, I felt myself sitting up straighter. If Nagi was calling himself a kid, he had to be pretty mature already. “So…I’d like her to do more of the things normal teenagers do,” he said jokingly, then stuck his fist out to me. I bumped my fist against his. “…Although the jury’s still out on you, Hodaka.” My new mentor grinned. “Thank you very much!” Smiling, the sales clerk held a paper bag out to me. I took it, but I stayed rooted to the spot. “Hmm?” After a moment of silence, the clerk took a worried look at my face. “Um!” I began, taking the plunge. “Yes?” “Uh… Do you think someone would be happy to get this as a present?” I asked, letting my eyes fall to the bag in my hands. The clerk had a kind face and long black hair. She seemed just a little surprised, and then she smiled. Her smile was so lovely that for just a moment, the sounds around us completely disappeared, as if I’d put on noise-canceling headphones. “—You spent three whole hours in here, trying to decide.” Her voice was very warm, as if she were speaking to a friend. “If it were me, I think I’d be very happy. I’m sure it’ll be fine. She’ll love it!” Those words made my chest hot. With a budget of four thousand yen, I’d almost driven myself crazy worrying what sort of ring to get. While I was running in circles and stressing out and getting nowhere, this lady had stuck with me for more than three hours. “Give it your best,” she told me finally, with a kind smile. Noting that her nametag read Miyamizu, I bowed deeply. By the time I left the Shinjuku Lumine mall, it was already dark, but the hustle and bustle of people under the shelter of their umbrellas was as busy as ever. I realized I was used to the lights on the high-rise buildings as they blinked hazily in the rain. I tried to remember the night two months ago when I’d wandered around this same area in despair, reaching back into my mind and trying to pull the memory closer. Back then, I couldn’t breathe as deeply as I could now. I hadn’t known anybody in this city. I’d felt so insecure, as if I were the only one speaking a different language. The first person to change that had been Hina at the McDonald’s. When I lifted my head, the outdoor television was showing the weather forecast for the week. The words Number of rainy days in a row now higher than at any time in recorded history were scrolling across the screen. But I knew that tomorrow, just for a little while, the place where Hina went would have clear skies. Tomorrow’s job was a request from a father who wanted the park to be sunny for his daughter that weekend. That would be the final job for our Sunshine Girl business. The day after that was Hina’s birthday. Privately, I decided I’d give her the ring after she and Nagi and I had cake. Let me at least give Hina an extra smile or two, I murmured silently, peering up at the rainy sky through my umbrella. * * * It felt like forever since the last time I’d heard cicadas. Tokyo Tower, still wet from the earlier rain, shone proudly in the sun, as if it had changed into brand-new clothes. This park was right at the base of the tower. The fragrant green grass was surrounded by pristine skyscrapers and a big temple. For a while now, a little girl had been cackling away so loud that everyone in the park could hear her. “Daddy, do it again, do it again!” “I don’t mind, Moka, but you’re sure you’re feeling okay?” “Uh-huh, everything’s fine today. The sun’s out!” “Okay then, let’s go!” Mr. Suga of all people caught both of the girl’s hands and spun her around in circles as she gave a great big belly laugh. She was his daughter, Moka. “Okay, Nagi next, do Nagi!” “Sure thing. Here we go!” “Yaaaaaaaugh!” Thumping his lower back, Mr. Suga returned to the bench where Hina and I were sitting. He plopped down heavily, putting himself between us. “Damn, my back ain’t meant for this.” “…Why did you hire us, Mr. Suga? Hey, wait—you knew I was working this job? And kept quiet about it? And— Wait, you have a daughter?!” I glared at him. Instead of answering, Mr. Suga just looked at me triumphantly, then gave Hina’s hand a firm shake. “That was unbelievable! Seriously, the weather forecast said there was a one hundred percent chance of rain!” Hina smiled at him, which really bugged me for some reason. “My daughter’s got asthma, see. She’s living with her grandma right now, and I don’t usually get to see her on rainy days.” Mr. Suga watched, his eyes squinched up in a genuine smile, as Moka chased Master Nagi around on the grass. It was a little unexpected; I didn’t know he could even make his face do that. I could see why, though; those two made a nice picture together as they ran around in the light. “Man, the blue sky is great to see…,” Mr. Suga muttered. I took a closer look at his left hand and noticed the silver ring on it. He was touching that ring with the gnarled fingers of his right hand. Only then did I realize how old they looked. “So you’re Hodaka’s boss, Mr. Suga?” Hina said. “Yeah! And the guy who saved his life!” he proudly replied. Come to think of it, I’d forgotten about that. Mr. Suga put an arm around my shoulders. “And hey, it doesn’t sound like you get much respect from her. How come?” he asked, sounding amused. “Huh? Well, Hina’s two years older than me…” “Hmm? You’re, what, fifteen? No, sixteen? So she’s seventeen? Eighteen? That ain’t much of a difference.” “I know, right?!” I said, just as Hina said, “It is so!” “Oh, there they are. Heeeey!” someone called. When I looked to see who it was, I saw Natsumi running toward us, waving. “Agh!” I turned to Mr. Suga in a panicky whisper. “Wait, Mr. Suga, is this okay?” “Huh?” “Well, I mean, your wife and daughter— Does Natsumi…?” Mr. Suga was thumping me on the back, biting back laughter, as Natsumi made it over to the bench, mystified. “What? What’s up?” “Hodaka here thought you and I were—” “Hey…!” Just as I was about to tell him not to, Mr. Suga said it. Natsumi’s eyes widened, and she yelled, “Lovers?!” I turned bright red and hung my head. Watching my own sweat drip onto the ground, I tried to explain. “Well, nobody told me you were uncle and niece… And, Ms. Natsumi, right at first, you said it was exactly what I thought it was…” “Hodaka, nobody wants to be friends with people who have fantasies like yours.” Natsumi glowered coldly at me, and Mr. Suga smirked. “If you use common sense and think a little, it’s pretty obvious.” When I looked at Hina, hoping for help, she was glaring at me, too. “You’ve got a dirty mind, Hodaka,” she muttered. What a nightmare. “Hodaka, listen…” At the sound of my name, I looked at Natsumi. She was leaning forward, and the neckline of her camisole was low. “You just looked at my chest, didn’t you?” “I did not!” Hey, that was a trap! Natsumi gave a musical chuckle. “Oh, Natsu!” Moka was flailing her whole arm at us, waving. “Hiya, Moka.” Natsumi waved back. Okay, so those two are cousins. “Daddy, I made you a flower crown. Here!” Mr. Suga’s expression melted, and he got up from the bench. “Wow, for me?!” “C’mon, Hodaka, you too!” Master Nagi shouted. “Oh, my mentor’s calling… Gotta go,” I mumbled as I made my getaway. “Heh-heh. Hodaka’s hilarious, isn’t he?” I heard Natsumi say to Hina as I left. * * * She was a totally normal girl. I’d been expecting someone less approachable, like a shrine maiden or a Shinto priest or an astrologer or a charismatic rock star—stoic and awe-inspiring. But Hina was just an adorable teenage girl, smiling and lively. Her hair was its natural glossy pitch-black, while her skin and her lips were smooth as a baby’s. Both Hodaka and Hina are so young, I thought. I was a little jealous. “Hodaka’s still a kid, isn’t he? It’s embarrassing,” Hina said next to me, a little angrily. Her eyes were on Hodaka. Ah, so that’s what their relationship is, I thought, smiling in spite of myself. Hodaka was a little-brother type, through and through. “Say, don’t you think those two look alike?” I asked her. “You mean Hodaka and Mr. Suga?” There was a spring in Kei’s steps, while Hodaka was scratching his head as he made his way over to Moka and Nagi. “Mm-hmm. The thing is, Kei also ran away to Tokyo when he was in his teens.” “Huh?” “The Sugas are a distinguished family where he’s from; they’ve been legislators for generations. From what I hear, Kei’s parents had super-high expectations for him as well, but his big brother was brilliant. He graduated from the local university prep school at the head of his class, got straight into Tokyo University, then went overseas on exchange, and now he’s a financial official for the government. He’s also my dad.” I laughed a little. “Y’know, I really don’t get along with my dad, either, but for some reason, his little brother Kei and I hit it off just fine. That’s why I’ve been working at Kei’s place all this time.” Huh? As I was talking, I started to wonder. Why was I telling Hina about this stuff? “Well, anyway—” Maybe there was some wondrous energy around Hina after all. Her big eyes were fixed on me, and it felt like she was drawing my feelings up to the surface. “When Kei ran away to Tokyo, he met Asuka here. She’s the woman who eventually became his wife. There was so much drama around their relationship; both families were fighting with each other and everything. But in the end, they got married, they started the editing production company together, and Moka was born. I was happy back then, too.” I’d just started high school. The awe and bittersweet something I felt when I saw the baby at the hospital had mellowed into something gentle and peaceful now, like the scent of a favorite flower. “His wife died in an accident several years ago, but—” That story was a bit too complicated. A bit too heavy. Even after all this time, it hurt a little more than I could stand. I smiled, veering away from it. “He doesn’t look like it, but Kei’s surprisingly devoted, even now. I don’t think it’s because he can’t get a girlfriend or anything.” When I looked at Kei’s group, they were working very seriously on their flower crowns, their foreheads close together. Moka had her hands on her hips and was bossing the guys around. I could see the joy in Kei’s eyes. “—Hodaka told me something a while ago,” Hina said abruptly. “He said both you and Mr. Suga were super-cool. He said he’d never met adults who treated absolutely everybody fairly the way you do. He said you were beautiful, and that everyone you met fell in love with you. I always wanted to meet you someday, too—” “Huh…?” “And so I’m really happy today. You’re just like Hodaka said.” Somehow, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Hina wasn’t just saying that. It was what she actually thought. Strangely for me, the words made me tear up a little. “Me too.” I squeezed Hina’s hands. “I always wanted to meet you. A one hundred percent sunshine girl; that’s incredible!” Hina looked at me, maybe slightly taken aback. “The thing is, I’ve spent a long time chasing rumors about sun women. I’ve talked to several people who said they’d met you, too. Everyone was just delighted; thanks to you, their lives are getting happier, bit by bit!” Hina’s face lit up, and it was like watching a flower bloom. This is almost something sacred, I thought. Her joy was as brilliant as physical light, and my eyes narrowed against it. For some reason, I was talking faster. “That’s something only you can do, right, Hina? It’s incredibly rare for people to have such a clearly defined ability. In fact, that just happens to be what I’m worried about right now! Aaah, I wish I had a special skill I could put on my resume, too; job hunting is such a drag. Lucky you, Hina. A high school girl with supernatural abilities—you’re practically the perfect heroine!” Hina giggled. “I…” She raised her eyes. “I’d like to grow up faster.” I was captivated by her profile. I see. Yes, of course. It was as if this was her way of gently scolding me. “…Somehow, that’s a relief.” “Huh?” I took out my smartphone. “Actually, I heard something that concerned me a little during an interview…” I looked for the movie of the priest that I’d taken at that shrine. It’s all right, though, I told myself. It’s all right. Hina is a normal girl who’s thinking about the future. She’s strong; she’s already looking ahead. She’s ready to firmly say she wants to grow up faster. What we heard was just a garden-variety tale from the past. It’s so silly, this stuff about the sorrowful destiny of weather priestesses. Decisively, I hit PLAY. * * * The fine rain that had begun to fall rapidly drained the heat from the air. I zipped my jacket up all the way. For a while now, Moka had been coughing painfully. “Moka, did you wear yourself out a little?” Mr. Suga took out an asthma inhaler and shook it so that it rattled. He’d picked Moka up, and he had her put the mouthpiece in her mouth. “There, breathe in. One, two, three!” Timing it perfectly, Moka sucked in a deep breath, then exhaled dramatically. “I’m okay! I’m going to play more!” she told Mr. Suga insistently. We were all at a parking lot near the grass by then, our umbrellas open. Mr. Suga had left his car there. Tokyo Tower wasn’t lit up yet, and with the darkening sky behind it, it loomed over us like a giant’s shadow. “We should be going,” Hina told Mr. Suga. “Awwww! Noooo! I wanna play more!” Moka shouted. “Moka, being with everybody is fun, but it makes you more tired, doesn’t it? You’d better go home.” “Noooo! I want to stay with Nagi longer!” Moka was almost in tears, until Natsumi spoke up brightly. “Well then, let’s all go get dinner together, to wrap things up!” “Yaaay, we’re going to dinner!” “But…” Hina sounded troubled. “In that case!” Master Nagi said. “I’ll go with you for just a little while. Will that be all right?” “Of course!” Natsumi responded, and Moka danced around him. “Yaaaay!” Mr. Suga was muttering, “Can’t say no to that,” but his lips seemed happy. “Hodaka, you take Sis back home,” said Master Nagi. “Huh?” When I looked over at him, he gave me a thumbs-up and a wink. My heart skipped a beat. “Hina!” Moka jumped down from Mr. Suga’s arms, ran up to Hina, and hugged her legs tight. “Thank you for making it sunny today! I had sooooo much fun!” Hina positively beamed. For a moment, I was captivated. She crouched down, putting herself on Moka’s eye level. “Same to you. Thank you for being so happy about it, Moka.” Not good. Not good— My heart was racing. We hadn’t spoken much, either on the way to Hamamatsucho Station or after we’d boarded the Yamanote Line. Hina stood by the doors of the train, gazing silently at the raindrops on the window. I stole glances at her reflection in the glass from time to time; my left hand was in my pocket, closed around a little box. It was the ring I’d bought just yesterday. I’ll never have a better chance to give it to her… The closer the train got to Tabata Station, the more intense that thought became. We would be completely alone together; this opportunity had come out of nowhere. When we left through the south turnstile, the rain had gotten a little stronger, and the temperature had dropped a little further. Behind the rain clouds, the sky still held traces of afternoon light. Not good. Not good— My heart was about to beat right out of my chest. I’m glad it’s raining, I thought. If it weren’t for the sound of the rain, I’m sure Hina would have been able to hear it. Even so, my body kept getting hotter, and I didn’t know what to do with it, so I slowed down a little. A Shinkansen glided along the elevated track below us with a hissing noise. Raindrops struck my umbrella like an irregular musical instrument. Not good. Not good—but still. I stopped walking. Hina’s back got one step farther away from me, then two steps. Three, four. I drew a breath. It smelled like water. “Hina.” “Hodaka.” We’d spoken at the same time. “Ah! Sorry.” “Oh, no.” Hina smiled gently. “What is it, Hodaka?” “No… Nothing really. What about you, Hina?” “Oh, um—” Hina lowered her eyes slightly—and for a moment, I thought I saw something cross her face. The shadow of water? “Hodaka, listen.” Hina lifted her head. She looked straight at me. Her eyes were serious. The shadow of water passed again. “I—” More water. The water was dancing, circling slowly around Hina like—fish made of water? And then it happened. A ferocious gust of wind blew from behind me, tearing the umbrella out of my hand. I bent over. “—Ah!” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hina’s jacket, snatched into the air by the wind. I reached out on reflex. …But I missed. Our umbrellas and Hina’s jacket were blown away, carried far up into the sky. “…!” For a moment, I gazed after them, stunned, as they grew smaller and melted into the mist. “Hina…!” The words Are you okay? stopped on the tip of my tongue. There was no one in front of me. Hastily, I looked around. No one was there. That couldn’t be right—she was right there just a few seconds ago. “Hodaka!” Suddenly, I heard Hina, and relief and fear struck me at the same time. I’d heard her voice—but from an impossible direction. I looked up. Hina was floating in the air above the streetlamps. Water droplets glinted, dancing around her instead of falling like the rain, supporting her. Slowly, as if she were in the palm of an invisible hand, she descended to earth. The streetlamps along the hill road began to turn on, finally realizing that night was here. Hina passed in front of one of them, and I saw her face, stiff with fear—and her left shoulder as transparent as ice, with the light shining right through it. She’s see-through…? I blinked hard. Hina was past the streetlamp now, and her shoulder looked normal again. As I watched, confused, she slowly came down. The water droplets around her began to disappear, dissolving into the rain. When Hina’s toes touched the asphalt, she crumpled to her knees. Slowly, she raised her head. Her expression held surprise and confusion and terror—and a faint sense of resignation, as if she’d known this was going to happen. “I first became a sunshine girl…” Later, on the way back to her apartment, she told me about it. “…on that day, one year ago.”
Chapter 8
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