How can I describe how impressed I was when I first stepped into the salon? The dark, sparkling chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. The fluffy carpet. The imported, antique sofa. The luxury tableware from Ginori and Wedgwood lining the cabinets. The brick fireplace. And to top it all off, a library that stretched across the entire wall. There was a huge collection of foreign books, which looked like fine art along that wall.
My head was still reeling when Itsumi took a book from the shelf.
“Hugh Selwyn Mauberley by Ezra Pound. A rare book, and it’s even been autographed. Take a look!”
I took the brown volume in my hands, amazed. I had heard rumors about this book before. It was a rare book published in 1920, an antique that would go for millions if sold today. I couldn’t believe that I was holding it now. My fingers shook as I opened the cover to find Ezra Pound’s scribbled signature on the left side of the title page.
“This is amazing. How did you get this?”
“I got it through one of my father’s connections. There are a lot of uncommon books in our salon. Please read anything you like.”
I carefully scanned the shelves, thinking how lucky I was to have come to the salon.
“Why don’t we take a break from the library and have some tea?” Someone spoke, and a schoolgirl came in from the back of the room carrying a tray.
“A newcomer, I see,” she said. “I’m Sayuri Sumikawa, vice president of the Literature Club. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Sayuri bowed to me as she placed a tray of teacups and cake onto the table. I had also heard about Sayuri when I first entered the academy. She had been Itsumi’s best friend since elementary school. Itsumi was stunning, but Sayuri was attractive in a different way. She had long, sleek black hair and white, soft-looking skin. She never wore makeup, not even lip balm, and her only accessory was the cross that hung around her neck. Nevertheless, she was as lovely and graceful as the morning mist.
When Itsumi and Sayuri were together, the air that surrounded them was unlike anything else. It felt like they were the living, breathing stars of the red carpet. Yes, that was exactly how it felt.
“Itsumi, isn’t this the scholarship student?” Sayuri asked.
“Yes. She really seems to like books, so I thought I’d invite her over.”
“I know there’s a reading and essay section on that scholarship exam. You must be pretty clever to have passed it. Please do join our club. I look forward to it.” Sayuri smiled gently as she offered me a strawberry tart. Its color reminded me of spring. I bit into it.
“This is delicious!” I automatically sighed with delight. “Did you make this, Sayuri?”
“I wish I could say I did, but I can’t. One of our members is an expert at baking. Sweets are her specialty. I’ll introduce you. Akane, come to the living room,” Sayuri called out. I was so captivated by the interior design and the library that I didn’t even realize there was a kitchen.
“I just finished baking these madeleines. Would you like to try one?” A girl in a frilly white apron and pink gloves carried a tray of baked goods into the room. She had curly hair that hung down to her waist and a face that was as adorable as a child’s. I suddenly got the sense that I was the only one who didn’t fit in here and became uneasy.
“This is Akane Kominami. She’s in her second year at the academy. She loves the kitchen so much that she experiments with recipes more than she actually reads,” Itsumi teased, with an unreadable smile.
“Hey, I do the readings. Come on, Itsumi, cut it out,” Akane pouted, puffing out her adorable cheeks in irritation.
Just then, the door swung open and three more girls entered the room.
“Wow, that smells great!” one exclaimed.
“What sweets did you make today?” another one asked, wiggling her nose. They skipped any sort of self-introduction.
“Ladies, please. You’re being rude in front of our new member,” Sayuri scolded, though she smiled. The three girls seemed to finally notice that I was there, and stuck their tongues out slightly, looking at each other like mischievous children who had gotten in trouble.
“My name is Shiyo Takaoka, I’m in my second year. I was the first member to join the club after Itsumi and Sayuri reopened it, and I’m proud of it! I’m currently working as an author.” This was spoken by an attractive and dignified girl with a sporty-looking ponytail.
“I’m Sonoko Koga, and I’m in my third and final year of high school. Itsumi and Sayuri are my classmates. It’s nice to meet you,” said a steady, rational-looking girl whose narrow eyes shone from behind pointed glasses.
“I’m Diana Decheva, the international student. I’m from Bulgaria,” said the last girl, a mystical fairy from Europe with deeply chiseled facial features.
Each member was attractive and elegant in her own unique way. Why am I the only one who…I started feeling self-conscious and miserable, as if I were wilting away, but I did my best to suppress these feelings.
“Well, now that everyone’s here, why don’t we have some tea?” proposed Sayuri, setting up the Royal Copenhagen tea set. Akane stood beside her and put madeleines onto each of our plates.
It was like a dream. I couldn’t believe that an ordinary girl like me had been invited to the salon that everyone in the school idolized, and that I was drinking tea with the stunning members of the Literature Club. They laughed and chatted while I ate my madeleine in silence, feeling unable to join their conversation.
“Mirei, what kind of books do you like?” Sonoko Koga asked me.
“Umm, right now I’m trying to read Beckett.”
“Wow, you have good taste. That kind of thing is way too difficult for me.”
“What do you like to read, Sonoko?”
“Well, scientific things. I read medical books, but I’m not really picky about authors or anything like that,” Sonoko answered, smiling, combing her silky bob haircut with her fingers. A lovely fragrance danced out from her soft neck.
“Ooh…What kind of that perfume is that?” I asked.
“This? Oh, it’s Muguet from Guerlain,” Sonoko answered.
“My goodness,” Itsumi interjected. “Sonoko, you’ve already got this year’s Muguet? It hasn’t even come out yet.”
“Oh, I had it specially ordered from France.”
I had never heard of that perfume before, but it’s apparently one of those exclusive, limited-time-only perfumes sold at a few shops every spring. It was an entrancing, unforgettable smell.
“Well then, I guess that means this fragrance is all yours for the time being,” Itsumi remarked playfully.
Even their conversation sounded elegant to me.
“I ate too many tarts. Oh, I’m stuffed. You can eat mine if you like,” offered Itsumi, casually handing me her madeleines. I had already finished my portion, and I’m sure I looked like I wanted more. Although I was embarrassed, I reached for them without hesitation. They were so much more delicious than anything you could find in a store.
The madeleines were the perfect amount of sweet and filled the air with the lovely scent of rum. It felt like I was getting tipsy. Actually, I think I really was. I was drunk off the gorgeous salon, the splendid club president and vice president, the amazing and exceptional members of the club, and their sparkling conversation.
Perhaps it had been something I ate, or perhaps I had just been overwhelmed by the salon’s radiance…I’m not sure why, but I threw up everything I’d eaten when I returned home that night.
At the salon, I’d genuinely laughed for the first time since entering the academy. It wasn’t my family members or classmates or teachers, but Itsumi who had finally given me a place to belong.