Page 11 of The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop
Worried, Mio got up to check in on her mother, trying her best not to make a sound. At that moment, a loud, high-pitched noise rang out from the kitchen. Mio rushed over to find her mother crouching down in front of a chipped soy-sauce dispenser.
‘Mum, are you okay? Are you hurt?’
Grabbing a rag, Mio hurriedly wiped the soy sauce that had spilled all over the wooden floor. The fabric of the already overused rag quickly changed the colour as it soaked up the liquid.
Her mother was seemingly paralysed. ‘I’m sorry,’ she muttered under her breath before staring off into space. ‘I can’t do it anymore,’ she said. ‘How could he abandon me like this? There is no way I can do this on my own. Mio, maybe the three of us should join your father…’
As she listened to her mother’s barely audible voice, Mio felt blood rushing to her head.
No. This isn’t the Mum I know.
The Mum I know wouldn’t?—
The words spiralled. Before she knew it, Mio had gotten to her feet. Her brother was still sleeping in the living room. After returning the soy sauce dispenser to the table, Mio looked down at her mother who was still crouching down on the floor. She had no idea if it was her present or past self acting, but whichever it was, she found herself squeezing out her voice.
‘Don’t be so stupid! This isn’t you, Mum. You were stingy, extremely strict, made me do all the housework, never paid attention to me. You didn’t show any affection, and you were always thinking about other people’s children. But you were always strong. You never showed any weakness. You’re the one who said that you wanted to keep your head high in life. If that’s so important to you, stop being like this and start acting like the Mum I know!’
‘Huh? Mio? Is that really you?’ her mother said weakly as she looked up at her. At that moment, something inside Mio broke free.
‘I … I … I want…’
Before she knew it, Mio was in tears. She burst into loud sobs and wailed like a child throwing a tantrum. Flabbergasted, her mother improved her posture slightly. By the time Mio noticed this, she was already clinging on to her mother’s delicate body like her life depended on it. Her cries continued, growing more and more audible. Did this really happen? Maybe it did. Somewhere in the corner of her mind, Mio’s present self wondered.
Soon, her mother was gently patting her back. Her crying must have woken her brother, as he suddenly emerged from the living room, rubbing his eyes with both hands and crying as loudly as Mio. Walking towards his mother, Yoshihiro, too, clung to her. Their mother wrapped her arms around the two of them, bringing them closer together. Then, her expression stiffened.
‘You’re right. I have to march on, don’t I? I have you two to protect.’
Her mother’s voice sounded nothing like before. Clear and resolute, it was the voice Mio had always known.
‘We won’t be defeated,’ she said as she tightly embraced Mio and her brother.
Mio felt as though her mother’s feelings were flowing into her body. She was certain that she had connected with her at that moment.
‘I’ll keep fighting so that you two can live your lives with your heads held high.’
Mio echoed her mother’s words. As she did so, she remembered what the girl had told her: the words are there, even before you give them form.Perhaps this is what she meant,thought Mio.
All this time, I had been receiving so much love.
Just as this thought drifted into her mind, Mio felt as though a cat’s meow sounded from somewhere. As if this were a signal, the sensation of her mother’s embrace suddenly faded. Still, the warmth lingered, quietly settling on her back and shoulders.
‘So, what did you think? If we were to give your little adventure a title, I think it would be something like …A Fleeting Dream of Twilight. Not bad, huh? You could draw a manga with that title someday, Kisanuki-sensei. I would love to see that on my shelves.’
The girl in the burgundy pinafore dress and the calico cat had reappeared. Tilting her head mischievously, the girl wore the exact same smile she had when they first met.
I guess there’s nothing that this girl doesn’t know,Mio thought to herself. Or perhaps it was the cat who knew everything. But there was probably no point in thinking about that, as she would never know the answer.
‘Well, I believe it is time for you to return to the place you came from. It’s still chilly in the mornings and evenings. Please look after yourself and take care not to catch a cold. Oh, and of course, I will not be accepting a payment. What I would like to ask you is to remember us and the shop. That will be enough. The name of the shop is Sakura.’
With those words, the girl bowed deeply. At the same time, the calico cat, who had been sitting in a loaf pose on the table, let out a single meow.
Suddenly waking up, Mio found herself sitting on the bench under the cherry trees. Not the enigmatic weeping cherry tree with the unusual colours, but the ordinary somei-yoshino trees in full bloom. It was that familiar spot on the embankment. Her bag was sitting on her lap, withThe Little Princepeeking out from it. The plastic bag containing the empty coffee can and onigiri wrapper was beside her, exactly where she had left it.
Was I dreaming?
But she remembered it so vividly, it was hard to believe that it was not real. Drawn by a strange cherry tree, she had come across a mysterious bookshop. There, she turned around to the sound of a cat, and discovered the door to the entrance. She had stepped into a shop filled with the aroma of coffee and quiet music. A girl had told her the story of Saint-Exupéry. Then, she had an unusual experience where she felt like she was reliving scenes from her and her mother’s past.
Her phone vibrated inside her bag. It was a message from Takahashi.
