I’d only run away from home because I wanted to experience something out of the ordinary, and I was embarrassed to find myself utterly content with the peace and tranquility I’d found staying with Mr. Suzuki.
It occurred to me that, if I stayed there any longer, I could ruin the lives of Mr. Suzuki and his family. Early the next morning, I left a note in my room and went home.
“When I arrived, my parents were furious. No one has ever been as angry with me before or since,” Ms. Gotou said with an amused smile. “I told them that a nice lady I’d met while I was out let me stay with her for a month, but they didn’t buy it… It took a long time to convince them… Well, they were right that I was lying. I still don’t know if they ever actually believed me.”
She paused and breathed a heavy sigh before continuing.
“…So yeah. I wasn’t away from home for as long as you’ve been, Sayu, but I did do the same thing when I was in high school.”
She turned to the side and watched me closely.
“In the end, my romantic feelings didn’t lead anywhere, and I didn’t gain a new sense of independence, either… I just learned how useless I was, then went back home.”
Her eyes took on an unmistakably gloomy tinge, and I felt my chest constrict.
“You never get what you want. You just have to do what you can to survive. That’s what I learned.”
“I…had no idea,” I said solemnly.
Ms. Gotou then broke the somber mood with a cheery interjection.
“Well, I say that, but I do think I grew up a little after coming back. I certainly became a lot more sensible.” She smiled and took a sip of her coffee. “But…at the same time, I became a real coward and lost any backbone I once had.”
Again, Ms. Gotou seemed to be looking somewhere far away.
While I was puzzling over whether to respond, she abruptly looked up at me, and we locked eyes.
“I’m sure you’ll have some realizations when you get home, too. You’ve been on a big adventure for a high school girl. Something…will have changed. I know it,” she said, her eyes boring into mine.
“That’s what it means to be a high schooler. It’s a special time—for better…and for worse.” She gripped my hand in hers. “After my experience running away…I always felt like being a high schooler was a nuisance. I just wanted to grow up already…”
Her words resonated with me.
My status as a “high schooler” seemed to rule my whole life. I didn’t fit in with those sparkling popular kids, and I’d lost the first friend I’d ever had. I benefited from the title when I was on the run…but it was also the reason I couldn’t survive on my own.
As I thought about this, Ms. Gotou squeezed my hand tighter, and my focus shifted back to her.
“But there’s no avoiding the fact that it’s a very important time in your life,” she explained slowly, keeping her eyes glued to mine. Her gaze was intense—like she was imparting a truly valuable piece of wisdom.
“You’ll be okay. You’ve got people in your corner.”
Her words slowly sank in.
I did have people in my corner.
“Bracing yourself for it might feel scary…but you need to go home.”
With our eyes still locked, I could feel the passion in her voice steadily building, and my heart began to beat faster.
“You have to go back…to being a high schooler again.”
Before I knew it, tears were pouring out of my eyes. At first, I didn’t know why I was crying.
It wasn’t like I was sad.
They must have been tears of happiness.
“I…” I felt tears run down my cheeks. “I’m still a real high schooler, right?”
“You are.”
“It’s okay for me to be one…?”
“Yes, it is.”
Ms. Gotou gently embraced me.
Before I knew what was happening, I was sobbing out loud.
“Oh, I didn’t expect you to show up this soon,” said Ms. Gotou.
“I was in a hurry,” I replied.
“Well, I was the one who floored it all the way here…,” Hashimoto added.
When we’d arrived at Ms. Gotou’s place, she and Sayu both came to greet us. Ms. Gotou was dressed in loungewear and Sayu in her uniform.
My relief upon seeing Sayu was soon followed by a wave of anger.
“What the hell did you think you were doing, going to my office of all plac—?!”
“She said she wanted to see where you worked and thought you might as well go home together,” Ms. Gotou declared, interrupting me.
“Huh?”
“I said she wanted to go home with you.”
“Sayu did? With me?”
Sayu, standing next to Ms. Gotou, nodded once as her face turned a faint shade of red. Then she hung her head.
“I’m sorry you couldn’t get in touch with me. My phone died.”
“…Oh, right… Well, it doesn’t matter…”
I suddenly felt completely deflated. Despite the fact that Ms. Gotou was standing right there watching, I collapsed into a squat on the ground. Hashimoto cackled next to me.
“So you’re Sayu, huh? Yoshida’s told me a lot about you,” he announced.
Sayu greeted him. “I’ve heard a lot about you, too.”
“You’re even cuter than he said—”
“Hey! Don’t be weird,” I cut in.
“I wasn’t,” he quipped back, giving me an unexpected slap on the back.
“Anyway, how about you ask her? Now’s as good a time as any,” Hashimoto said. I sighed and looked up.
“Ms. Gotou…”
“Yes?”
I looked her in the eye and steeled myself, then slowly asked my question.
“Can I…take just three days off work?”
She looked confused for a moment, but it wasn’t long before her face lit up in realization.
“…Don’t tell me you mean the three days from tomorrow,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me.
She’d hit the nail on the head.
“…I know it’s short notice, but—”
“Haah…”
Ms. Gotou cut off my explanation with a loud sigh.
At our office, you weren’t supposed to request time off the day before or the day of. We had to give notice a month in advance, or at the latest a few weeks before. I knew I was asking for the impossible.
Ms. Gotou looked down at the floor and rubbed her temples with her right hand for a moment.
Then she quickly looked back up with a teasing smile on her face.
“Well, I guess that’s doable. I can just say you told me before, but I forgot about it.”
“R-really?!”
“Howwwevvver!”
Ms. Gotou swiftly brought her face down to mine, startling me.
“You’ll be treating me to some delicious barbecue when you get back.”
“Uh…” A strange sound escaped my throat. “O-of course…”
“All right, it’s a deal. I’ll figure something out. Can I assign Yoshida’s tasks to you, then, Hashimoto?” Once I’d agreed, Ms. Gotou moved right along.
“You can, but it’ll be a challenge all by myself, so I’ll have to get Endou and Koike to help out with odds and ends. Mishima, too.”
“Got it. I don’t care how you do it as long as there are no hiccups.” She patted me lightly on the shoulder.
“Well, on that note…” She paused and pushed her face right up to my ear. “Take care of Sayu until she’s back home, Yoshida.”
The way she whispered sent goose bumps all over my body.
But I was overjoyed at her answer.
“…Okay. I’ll do my best,” I said with a nod.
Ms. Gotou grinned and pushed Sayu out the door.
“Well then, they’re here to pick you up, so you’d better head home with Yoshida.”
“…Thank you very much,” Sayu replied with a deep bow. Ms. Gotou gently patted her head.
“Let’s talk again sometime,” she said, her voice full of kindness.
“Okay.” There were tears in Sayu’s eyes as she spoke.
“All right, let’s all go get some rest.”
Hashimoto offered Ms. Gotou a slight bow, and she gave him a friendly wave in return.
I said good-bye as well, and once Sayu had settled into the back of Hashimoto’s car, I climbed into the passenger seat.
As Hashimoto pulled out of the parking lot, I spotted Ms. Gotou waving to us in the rearview mirror.
“Should I drive you all the way back home?” Hashimoto asked.
I nodded. “Yeah… You were a big help today, thanks.”
“No worries. You’ll be treating me to some delicious ramen, right?”
“That goes without saying.”
“With all the toppings.”
“You can order the biggest bowl they have, for all I care!” I said, and we both laughed.
Sayu looked a little uncomfortable in the back seat, but after a few minutes, she closed her eyes and dozed off. She must have been exhausted.
“She really is just an ordinary kid,” Hashimoto said with a sigh.
“…Yeah.” I nodded.
After a few moments of silence, he added, “…Give it your best.”
Hashimoto wasn’t exactly the type to offer words of encouragement, and it felt like he’d made a special effort this time.
I nodded emphatically as a warm feeling filled my heart.
“Will do.”
For the remainder of the trip back, neither of us said a word.