Chapter 55
"Where are you?"
SCENE
1:
Homeroom
in the morning. Yuka is sitting at her desk doodling. Hatsue goes up to talk to
her.
Hatsue: “Thank you so much for
supporting me this weekend.
Yuka
shakes her head 'yes.'
Hatsue: “I hope you had fun too.”
Yuka
nods 'yes' again. Eriko comes in and sits down at her desk, she puts her head
down like normal on her arms, but turns to the side to where Yuka and Hatsue
are talking. She says, quite quietly:
Eriko: “Sorry.”
Hatsue: “What?”
Eriko: “Nothing, nevermind."
She
puts her head face down on her arms, her hair all over like normal.
Hatsue (to herself): “What was that
for?"
The
teacher comes in.
Student: “Stand, bow”
The
girls notice that Aiko isn’t here.
Hatsue (to herself): “Where’s
Okumura-san?”
Student
conducting attendance:
Student: “Niijima-san?”
Niijima: “here.”
Student: “Okumura-san?”
Teacher: “Okumura-san’s staff called
to say she wouldn’t be in today.”
Random girl to another random girl:
"Her staff called? Typical."
Student: “Shimazu-san?”
Hatsue
and Yuka look at each other in concern over Aiko's absence. Eriko is peeking at
them. Hatsue makes a worried face at Yuka. Yuka shrugs and shakes her head to
the side indicating she doesn’t know either and is worried.
Eriko (to herself): “It hurts me to
see you make that face. You'd still be friends with Okumura-san if it wasn't
for me.”
Teacher: “Will the class reps please
come to the front to discuss the school festival?”
Satomi
Kinoshita (Hatsue’s ex-friend who was doing the bullying in the beginning) and
Kaori (one of the other ex-friends) come up.
Satomi: “As you know, our school’s
festival is one of the neighborhood’s highlights each year. It is an important
opportunity to show the quality of our school to prospective students and
support our standing in the community.
Kaori: “With that in mind, we are
taking suggestions for our class's festival activity.”
Chitose (the third of the ex-friends):
“What about a taiyaki stand?”
Kaori: “Really Chitose-chan? Are you
in elementary school?”
Some
of the class laughs at her. Eriko snickers under her breath with her head still
down. Yuka turns at this and Eriko peaks and makes eye contact. Eriko blushes
and puts her head back down.
Random girl: “What about a haunted
house?”
Satomi: “That’s a good idea, however,
Maeda-sensei’s class in the third year always puts one on.”
Random girl 2: “What about a
maid-café?”
Random girl 3: “Yeah, that would be so
fun!”
Satomi: “I appreciate your enthusiasm,
however, we have a reputation to maintain and I’m not certain that a maid-café
is how we want to show off our student body.”
Random girl 2: “You mean our students’
bodies!”
The
class erupts in laughter.
Kaori (whining to Satomi): “Sa-chan!?”
Satomi: “Moving on, are there any
other suggestions?”
Random girl 3: “What about a
butler-café then?”
Kaori: “What’s wrong with you, we
don’t even have any boys in this school?”
Random girl 3: “I meant some of us
could cross-dress as butlers.”
Various
classmates comments:
“Yeah”
“That does sound kind of fun”
“I want to see XXXX in a tuxedo!”
Satomi: “A classy formal restaurant
with finely-dressed butlers as waiters? Hmmmm. That has some merit; would any
of you be willing to actually dress that way?”
Various
girls comments:
“Oh, not me”
“I mean, it’s a good idea, but I don’t
want to do it.”
"Yeah, I don't want my boyfriend
to see me like that."
Random girl 2: “Well, Okumura-san and
Arishima-san are both tall, I bet they’d be really handsome!”
Random girl 3: “KYAHHH They would be
so hot!”
Eriko
launching up out of her seat:
Eriko: “Wh...what!!!!”
Satomi: “Calm down Arishima-san.”
Various
girls comments:
“Yeah, she would look great”
“Look how tall she is, it’s perfect”
“I bet she’d clean up well with a
little work.”
"Maybe XXXX-san would do it
too."
"I guess, if Okumura-san
was..."
Eriko
is looking exasperated. Hatsue notices Yuka looking expectantly/hopefully at
Eriko, like she'd really like to see her dressed like that.
Hatsue: “Come on Eriko-chan, this
could be fun!”
Eriko: “Ha-chan?!”
Hatsue
motions with her head over towards Yuka. Eriko turns to see that Yuka is
staring at her with wonder (imagining Eriko dressed up like that), Eriko makes
a questioning face, Yuka lights up and nods 'yes' vigorously. Eriko sighs
loudly and sits down in a huff, putting her head back down on her arms.
Eriko: “Fine, whatever.”
Hatsue: “Oh, but Okumura-san isn’t
here...”
Satomi: “Oh well, she’ll just have to
go along with this or let the whole class down. Is it decided then?”
The
whole class gives a resounding “Yes!”
SCENE
2:
At
Aiko’s home, in a side room is the coffin with Aiko’s mom. Aiko is delicately
putting water on the mom’s lips, moistening them.
Aiko: “I’m so sorry you had to wait in
that awful place until today. But you’re home now, mother.”
Aiko
looks over to the shrine which is covered and the table in front with flowers,
a particularly solemn arrangement in white.
Aiko: “Did you miss the flowers while
you were in the hospital? I’m not half as skilled as you were, remember all
those times...with Yuka...”
[Flashback]
We get a flashback to middle-school
age Aiko and Yuka. Aiko is carefully putting a flower into a vase.
Honami Okumura (Aiko’s mom): “Aiko,
you have chosen beautiful flowers.”
Aiko: “You think so mother?”
Honami: “Yes, however, think about how
many colors you have? What does that say?”
Aiko: “Say to whom?”
Honami: “To all who pass by, to
yourself?”
Aiko: “What if I remove this one?”
Honami: “Yes, that's fine, but now?”
Aiko: “It's not finished?”
Honami (gently): “Only if you wish bad
luck upon this household. Here, take this one out too.”
Aiko: “Oh, a luckier number?”
Honami: “Yes, that’s right, you’re
getting it.”
Aiko: “But I'm still not as good as
your protégé over there.”
They turn to see Yuka absorbed in her
arrangement, a sparse, twisting, delicate arrangement with one branch flung far
to the side.
Honami: “Yes, look at how she has
created a triangle, how graceful her heaven* is?”
[*Ed. note: the “shin” is the longest
branch in Ikibana and represents heaven]
Aiko: “I can feel...”
Honami: “That’s right, you can feel
her longing, can’t you? That is the power, she has put all of her emotions into
this, they are radiant and sorrowful, but reaching heavenward.”
Aiko (to herself): “I hope you find
some heaven on this earth, god knows you deserve it.”
At this point, Yuka realizes they are
watching and turns to them and gives them a big smile.
[Flashback ends]
Back
to the present, we return to the lips of Aiko’s deceased mother. Aiko is
tracing them again with her finger.
Aiko: “How many more times after that
was she able to see you? I want her to remember you that way. So at least one
of us will.”
She
turns and sits down with the coffin to her back (leaning against it), takes a
bottle of liquor up to her mouth and takes a big chug. Puts it down and leans
her head back against the coffin.
SCENE
3:
The
TV is on, Yuka and Suzu are having dinner.
Suzu: “You’ve been so quiet lately,
Yuka, turn off the TV and talk to me.”
Yuka
looks up at her, nods, and gets up to turn it off. As she’s getting up the news
is on the TV.
Reporter: “In other news, the wife of
Okumura group head Jutaro Okumura-sama has passed away. Honami Okumura-sama’s
services will begin tomorrow. In international news...”
Yuka
turns sharply to Suzu with a horrified look on her face.
Suzu: “That isn’t Aiko-chan’s mother,
is it?”
Yuka
solemnly nods 'yes”.'
Suzu: “Oh, Aiko-chan. Did you have any
idea, Yuka?”
Yuka
shakes her head 'no' with tears forming in her eyes. Suzu comes over and takes
her in her arms.
Suzu: “Come on, let’s go.”
SCENE
4:
Yuka
and Suzu arrive at the gate of the Okumura residence. Suzu rings the bell. A
housekeeper comes out to greet them at the gate.
Woman: “May I help you?”
Suzu: “Oh, I suppose I haven’t been
here in a while. I’m Suzu Kiyoura and this is my sister Yuka.”
Woman: “Ah, yes, it is good to see you
again Yuka-sama.”
Suzu (to herself): “Oh, then she does
know who we are.”
Suzu: “We were hoping Aiko-chan was
home, we wanted to see if there was anything we could do for her.”
Woman: “I’m sorry, Okumura-sama is not
taking any visitors at this time.”
Yuka
looks up pitifully at Suzu.
Suzu: “You mean, she’s all alone in
there?”
Woman: “Those were her orders. If
there is nothing more, I shall let her know that you came to pay your
respects.”
The
woman turns and walks back to the main house. Suzu takes Yuka’s hand.
Suzu: “Come on, there isn’t anything
we can do for her here. We’ll try again later, okay?”
Yuka
nods 'yes' solemnly.
SCENE
5:
School
Tuesday next morning. Girls are standing around in class whispering.
Girl: “Did you hear?”
Girl 2: “It’s so sad. I don’t know
what I would do without my mom.”
Girl 3: “Yeah, but it’s Okumura-san,
she probably doesn’t care, she’s so cold anyway.”
This
is said just as Yuka is walking by to her desk, she briefly looks at the girl
then keeps walking with a tear in her eye. Eriko, seeing this from her position
at her desk starts to get tense.
Girl 2: “What was that?”
Girl 1: “Well, I guess they're close,
aren’t they?”
Girl 2: “I don’t know anymore...”
At
this, suddenly Eriko is standing behind them glowering over them, a dark look
in her face.
Girl 1: “Oh! Arishima-san? You scared
me!”
Eriko
speaks very tersely and very simply:
Eriko: “You should be more careful
with what you say.”
The
girls huddle and scamper off to avoid Eriko. Saying the following as they run
away:
Girl 3: “We’re so sorry.”
Girl 2 (quietly to another): “I
thought she had changed?”
Girl 1: “I don’t know why she cares,
they don’t get along anyway.”
Eriko
goes and sits down hard in her desk, but is leaning back in her chair, not
slumped forward like normal. Suddenly she opens her eyes to see Yuka standing
over her. A sad look on Yuka’s face, but also a thankful face because Eriko
stood up for her and Aiko. Eriko blushes:
Eriko: “I just couldn’t...and you...”
She
gets flustered and sits up, knocking into Yuka's head as she does so, they both
grab their heads.
Eriko: “ughnnnn. Sorry.”
Yuka
waves it off with a smile.
Hatsue: “Yuka-chan, good morning.”
Yuka
gives a little bow and wave.
Hatsue: “I...I hate to ask, but did
you hear? About Okumura-san’s mother?”
Yuka
nods 'yes.'
Hatsue: “Is she doing okay? Does she
need anything?”
Yuka
shakes her head and shrugs her shoulders in a 'I don’t know' way.
Eriko (to herself): “They still aren’t
talking, even now?"
SCENE
6:
Scenes
of the class doing prep work for the festival.
Girl: “We need some people to help us
move supplies.”
A couple of girls: “We’ll go, we’ll
go.”
They
leave to get stuff. Hatsue, Yuka and Eriko are sitting around their desks
sewing. Eriko keeps sticking herself with the needle.
Eriko: “Aghhh, Dammit!”
Yuka
is trying to stop herself from laughing at Eriko.
Eriko: “Why do I...I don’t
understand...why I have to do this?”
Hatsue: “Well, the class
voted...Eriko-chan, you’re bleeding!”
Hatsue
takes her hand, Eriko’s finger has a drop of blood on the tip. Suddenly Yuka
puts a Band-Aid around it and kisses it. Hatsue and Eriko both blush at this.
Yuka smiles politely and looks up expectantly at Eriko.
Eriko: “Um...th...thanks, it...it
feels better.”
Yuka
gives a huge smile, squeezing her eyes shut as she does so, and goes back to
her work.
Eriko (to herself): "Why did she
do that? What does it mean?"
Yuka
is really good at sewing. She periodically holds it up to look at what she’s
working on.
Hatsue: “You made all that already?
You’re going to make someone very happy someday.”
Eriko (to herself): “Someone...some
man...of course...her husband...someday she’ll get married, won’t she?”
Eriko: “She...she can be more than
just a housewife!”
Yuka
looks a bit shocked by Eriko’s explosion. Eriko clamps a hand over her own
mouth in embarrassment that she’s said this.
Hatsue: “Hahahaha, that’s not exactly
what I meant, we know she’s not going to waste that brain of hers as a housewife
to some dumb man!”
Eriko (to herself): “It’s not
like...not like we could ever..."
Yuka
goes back to peacefully sewing, a little contented smile on her face. She
remembers back to her childhood with Aiko and Aiko’s mom Honami.
[Flashback]
Age 10-ish Yuka and Aiko. Honami is
fixing a yukata that has a hole in it.
Aiko: “Mom, just get one of the
servants to do that, I’ve got another that Yuka can wear today.”
Yuka is standing in her undergarments
while Honami quietly sews up the hole in the yukata.
Honami: “Aiko, dear, we are not
incapable of doing these things ourselves. That is not why we have help in this
house.
Aiko: “Why do we bother then? They’re
creepy anyway.”
Honami: “We have a vey large house,
and it takes a great deal of work to keep it up. I asked your father for
assistance with that since he was the one who insisted on this mansion.”
Aiko: “Well, when we grow up, it’ll
just be Yuka and me and we'll live in a 6 tatami together, so we won’t need
servants."
Honami: “Then you had better practice
your sewing. Here.”
Honami hands Yuka's borrowed yukata
over to Aiko who looks dumbfounded. She works at fixing the hole for a while.
Next, we see that they are dressed and
leaving.
Honami: “Have fun tonight.”
Aiko: “Okay, we will, do you want us
to bring you back anything?”
Honami: “Just come back safely.”
She waves at them as they leave in
their yukatas. We get a close up of Yuka’s yukata with the seam from the
repair, jagged, terribly sewn, but clearly done by Aiko. Her mom smiles gently
and sighs.
[Flashback ends]
SCENE
7:
At
the shoe lockers at the end of day, the three girls getting their shoes on.
They’re saying goodbyes to each other.
Hatsue: “Going over to Okumura-san’s
now?”
Yuka
shakes her head 'no.'
Hatsue: “Oh, I just figured...isn’t
the wake tomorrow?”
Yuka
shrugs that she’s uncertain.
Hatsue: “Didn’t she invite you and
Suzu-san?”
Yuka
shakes her head 'no' again all the while she’s not making eye contact as they
are walking.
Eriko (to herself): “She didn’t even
get invited? Won’t they both regret that...some day...after they’ve made up?”
Hatsue
replies in flustered embarrassment at the awkwardness.
Hatsue: “Ah, well, given how important
her dad is, there’s probably a lot of people coming, I guess there isn’t room...for...every...one...”
Hatsue
trails off, realizing she's not helping, and they keep walking in silence, the
three of them looking slightly mopey. Hatsue leans in and quietly whispers to
Eriko.
Hatsue: “Maybe she shouldn’t be alone
right now?”
Eriko: “What?”
Hatsue
elbows her towards Yuka.
Hatsue: “Do I have to do everything
for you? Just ask her.”
Eriko: “Um...Ki...Kiyoura...san?”
Yuka
looks up at her.
Eriko: “Maybe you’d...maybe you’d
like...to come over...and...um...study...or something?”
Yuka’s
eyes open, both happy and looking like she might cry, she’s so thankful not to
be alone. She shakes her head 'yes.'
Hatsue (to herself): “Good job, but
you gotta start taking initiative yourself. I can't always be around.”
SCENE
8:
Entering
Eriko’s house. The two girls are taking off their shoes. Heizo peaks around the
corner to say hi to Eriko not expecting Yuka to be there.
Eriko: “I’m home.”
Heizo: “Welcome home, Eriko-chan. Oh,
the little miss is with you. How are you Kiyoura-chan?”
She
goes up and takes his hand and smiles at him.
Heizo: “cough...cough...”
Yuka
looks worriedly at Eriko.
Eriko: “Are you okay?”
Heizo: “Oh, don’t mind me, just a
tickle in my throat is all. Where’s Fujimaki-san and Okumura-sama?”
Eriko: “Oh, Ha-chan said she had
something to do...”
Eriko (to herself): “With that stupid
boy!”
Eriko: “And...um...Okumura-san...”
Heizo: “Oh my, how insensitive of me,
how could I have forgotten? Kiyoura-chan, how is she doing?”
Yuka
makes a bit of a scrunched brow face, and shrugs/shakes her head not knowing.
SCENE
9:
In
Eriko’s room.
Eriko: “Um, you can
sit...wherever...I’ll...I’ll get some tea.”
She
leaves and goes into the kitchen and is preparing the tea.
Eriko (to herself): “She’s in my
room...alone...I think this is the first time without Ha-chan here...my
heart...it’s beating so fast. I really do...I really do like her, as more than
a friend, don’t I?”
In
Eriko’s room. Yuka is sitting quietly on the floor, but she starts to look
around. The room is pretty bare other than the few things on the desk and the
bed. The bed is a complete mess, not made. She gets up and goes over to it and
grabs the blanket and puts it to her face, softly against her cheek. Just then
Eriko walks in and Yuka drops the blanket in shock and turns around smiling.
Eriko: “Wha...um...I brought...the
tea.”
Eriko (to herself): "What was she
doing?"
They’re
sitting on the floor drinking the tea, there aren’t even any pillows on the
ground or a table or anything. Eriko is watching as Yuka puts her lips to the
cup.
Eriko (to herself): “I really
do...like her.”
SCENE
10:
Aiko’s
room. She’s on the phone. We only hear her side of the conversation.
Aiko (to the person on the phone):
“Yes, the arrangements are all set.”
Aiko (said dryly but sarcastically):
“Will he be deigning us with his presence tomorrow at the services?”
Aiko: “Fine. Goodbye.”
She
hangs up the phone, lays down on her bed, arm over her head.
Aiko (to herself): “God damn him. You
have your secretary call! Why is he even bothering to come?"
As
she rolls over onto her side, she sees the frame picture of Yuka on her desk,
the glass still broken from when she threw it.
Aiko (to herself): “She didn’t come
today. I thought she would, even though I..."
Aiko
starts to cry, silently. Finally, pulling herself up to sitting on the edge of
her bed, she wipes her eyes, pulls out her phone and texts:
Text: To: Hidaka, From: Aiko Okumura
Subject: tonight
Message: Are you free?
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