Page 36 of The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop
Kaho choked on her words. Her sister gently patted her back.
‘I haven’t even told Dad yet, but as soon as I get my medical licence, I plan on going straight to America to study.’
Well, well. My big sister is still determined to fly, after all.Suddenly, Kaho felt the urge to laugh. When she did, tears began to spill from her eyes. There was a gentle push on her shoulders before her sister’s face appeared right in front of hers. Shiho reached her hand out and gently wiped her tears away.
‘Well, I will be claiming that Häagen-Dazs tomorrow. That was the deal.’
As Shiho spoke triumphantly, she, too, had a damp glimmer at the corner of her eyes. But for once, Kaho pretended not to notice. She figured that it would make the perfect parting gift.
INTERLUDE
THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING
The shop was tucked awayin a place beyond anyone’s understanding.
In front of it stood a mysterious, weeping cherry tree.
The tree was bursting with blossoms in every imaginable shade of red and white.
When a gust of wind swept through the flowers in full bloom, they blended together then parted again, at times creating a swirl of colours. As the colour spectrum moved from white to red, and red to white, the tree pulsated like life itself. Perhaps this was how the tree created the flow of time in this place.
Or perhaps this was the work of the gods. But this place lay within a world beyond our understanding, where no one could know the truth.
Such were the words that filled the squares of his manuscript. But that was where his right hand stopped, refusing to move any further. The stiffness in his wrist was close to pain, and he was now aware of a similar tightness that had crept inside his chest as well as between his eyebrows. A deep sigh escaped his lips.
Resignedly, Kazuhiko Tonami rose from his chair and rolled his neck and shoulders to loosen them. He couldn’t, however, rid himself of the sense that something was clinging to him. Whatever it was, it had been there for a long time.
Kazuhiko looked down at the centre of his desk where his partially written manuscript lay spread out. Behind it was a photo frame. Nestled inside the oak rectangle was an image of a woman dressed in a burgundy pinafore dress, smiling at the camera while cuddling a long-haired calico cat. Once again, his eyes were drawn to the photo, unable to look away. Nearly ten years had passed since this had become the only place he could see her. And still, he found himself wishing that he could hear her voice just one more time.
A part of him wanted to believe that as long as he didn’t give up, hope would not fade. Yet at the same time, he feared that unless he accepted reality, he would remain stuck, unable to move forward with his life. The thought unsettled him, especially when he considered his only daughter. He could hardly believe how long her limbs had grown. She was certainly not a toddler anymore. In fact, she was now old enough to help him with the housework – something even he had yet to master.
Eventually, he twisted around exaggeratedly, forcing himself to turn away from the desk. Then, he began to circle the room, wearing an incomprehensible expression that hovered somewhere between uncertainty and irritation. Kazuhiko had no idea how much time had passed when he eventually stopped by the wall on the west side of the room. It was entirely occupied by a bookcase with two sliding glass doors which could be locked at the point they met. Kazuhiko stood there deliberating until he finally pulled a set of keys from a drawer and unlocked it.
As soon as he slid the doors open, a musty smell escaped into the room. Perhaps it was something that the passage of time had released – something that had been trapped inside until now. Behind the glass doors was a collection of books that looked like they’d been there for ever. Choosing a book, Kazuhiko drew it off the shelf. It wasSpring and Asuraby Kenji Miyazawa.
More intensely than the wind-instrument of noon,
When traces of amber are poured,
The bitterness of anger, the blue of anger.
Kazuhiko traced the lines with his eyes. It was the poem she loved the most. He read the lines over and over again in silence, occasionally muttering the words under his breath. The light in his eyes gleamed desperately, as though he was searching for something.
Outside the window, the season was spring.Cherry-blossompetals fluttered one by one, quietly floating across the square of the scenery and vanishing entirely.
FOUR
‘Beneath the light of the atmosphere in April.’
Kozue Tonamisuddenly found herself standing in front of the shop.
A weeping cherry tree shaped like a bell stood before her.But is it really a cherry tree?she had to wonder. It didn’t look artificial by any means, but something about it struck her as different from the plants she was used to seeing.
Now in peak bloom, the tree was adorned with flowers in every imaginable shade of red and white. The colours seemed to transition gently from one hue to the next, beginning in pale white at the top and deepening into vivid reds as her gaze travelled downwards. At eye level, the blossoms were painted in a rich scarlet reminiscent of a camellia flower. As the branches stirred in the breeze, the colours twisted and marbled into a wondrous pattern too magnificent for words. Overwhelmed by its beauty, Kozue almost forgot to breathe. She was certain that she had never seen anything like it before, not in a photo or a video, let alone with her own eyes.
But if so, where in the world am I?
And what am I doing here?
