Page 25 of The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop
But then things began to shift, probably after they performed in the play at their preschool. Shiho was given the role of Wendy, while Kaho played Tinkerbell. Towards the beginning of the play, there was even a scene where Wendy and Tinker Bell – in other words, Shiho and Kaho – came to blows over Peter Pan.
At first, Kaho had been quite excited. Not only was she going to be playing a fairy, but she was also going to be wearing a costume that came with a pair of sheer wings. She probably even believed, at least for a little while, that they would give her the ability to fly. Wendy’s costume, on the other hand, was a dull-coloured, rather normal-looking dress. Frankly speaking, Kaho had felt a little sorry for her sister.
Yet the more she learned about the story, the more she grew envious of Shiho. While he called her ‘Tink’ affectionately, to Peter, Tinker Bell was merely his loyal companion whom he took for granted. He was fond of Wendy, however, and she was therefore the one who got his special attention. Kaho also watched the Disney film at the time, only to find that Tinker Bell had been turned into a character with no lines.
Rehearsals for the school play would have been just a few hours a day for no more than a month. In this short period, Kaho was forced to experience the emotions that lay beyond likes and dislikes all at once – in other words, she had begun comparing herself to her sister, and that had awakened feelings of superiority and jealousy in her.
But a big part of the reason why Kaho couldn’t seem to forget about the performance was Shoma Hiiragi, the boy who played Peter Pan. Kaho was pretty sure that Shiho felt the same.
* * *
The next day came wrapped in pleasant spring sunshine. It was the last Sunday of March. That week, her sister would leave home and start living on her own in Tokyo. When she was accepted to medical school in the city – there weren’t any within commutable distance from their house – their father had taken a day off work to help her look for a flat. They ended up choosing one that was close to the university. Kaho hadn’t yet seen this so-called ‘new home’, but Shiho had mentioned to her that the building had incredibly tight security, which was exactly what their father had wanted. Meanwhile, Kaho was going to attend a junior college near home, and that was simply because it was the only school she’d been accepted into. Which was only to be expected, as, unlike Shiho, she had stopped taking her studies seriously after she passed the junior-high entrance exams.
It wasn’t as though they had commuted to and from school together every single day. But still, this could be the last time they walked that path side by side. The night before, after her conversation with Shiho, Kaho had been thinking about what to wear for the occasion. Then, suddenly realising that she was acting as if she was preparing for a date, she smiled wryly to herself. In the end, she wore a denim skirt with a white knitted top and layered a moss-green cardigan over it. She decided to take a lightweight jacket with her just in case.
At breakfast, the two sisters agreed that they would leave by 9.30 a.m. As soon as it was time, Kaho went to the front door and waited for Shiho. When she appeared, Kaho was utterly astonished by what her sister was wearing.
‘W-Why are you dressed in your school uniform?’
‘I’ve packed most of my clothes away.’
‘But not your uniform?’
‘Well, I will never wearthisto college, will I?’
Shiho had made a valid point.
‘If you have an issue with it, shall I ask Tae-chan if I could borrow one of her outfits? If you’re okay to wait while I get changed, that is.’
‘That is the worst idea ever.’
‘Did I just hear my name?’ came their mother’s voice as she emerged from the back of the house. She was wearing a black dress with a huge white lily on it. For a second, it gave the illusion that something was about to swallow her up. On her head was a headband covered in lace, sitting triumphantly like a seated passenger on a packed commuter train.
The sisters exchanged glances and silent words:She wasn’t wearing that this morning, was she? At least this one seems less flamboyant than some of her other outfits.They nodded at each other in agreement.
‘You’re going out, right? Wouldn’t you both like to wear something prettier?’
‘No thanks, Tae-chan, we’re good with what we’re wearing.’
As Kaho hurried out of the door, she noticed a large tote bag slung over Shiho’s shoulder. Aside from the jacket in her hand, all Kaho had with her was a small crossbody bag.
‘Watch out for cars!’ They heard their mother call out to them through the gap of the closing door.
Once they were on their way, the sisters spent some time chatting about their mother’s style of fashion. The outfit she was dressed in earlier was what she considered everyday clothes. It was the kind of thing she wore while she cooked or even while she cleaned the toilet.
‘Speaking of fashion,’ said Shiho, “a lot of people think that “Lolita fashion” started in Japan, but apparently that’s not the case.’
‘Really? I mean, not that I’m particularly interested.’
‘Decades ago, like in the 80s, there was a pop duo from the UK called Strawberry Switchblade. Apparently, that was their style. You know, black-and-white polka dot dresses and big hair accessories, that kind of thing. I say “Lolita” but I guess they were a bit more on the goth side.’
‘And you know this because…?’
‘Oh, well, whenever I get tired of studying and I need a little break, I like to look up random stuff online. For example, words that I’m familiar with but don’t have a deep understanding of. These days, I’ve been reading about “neoteny”, the Buddhist concept “issai shujo shitsu u bussho” and “sin-aplenty”. The last one turned out to be a made-up word though – disappointing, really.’
Right, Kaho almost said, but instead cocked her head to one side. ‘Wait a sec. That does not sound like a break to me.’
‘Huh? Sure, it is. Using my head for something else, even for a little bit, helps me move forward when I feel like I’ve hit a dead end. Especially when it comes to things like maths.’
