Page 8 of The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop
It was quite a mysterious tree. Although it had the branches of an ordinary weeping cherry, its colours were extraordinarily unusual. At the top of the tree, theblossomswere white, blending almost seamlessly into the fog surrounding it. But the nearer they were to the tips of the branches which hung low to the ground, the flowers deepened into a reddish hue. Every now and then, a gust of wind sent the petals scattering, creating an otherworldly ombré of red, white and pink. Although Mio had seen plum trees with blossoms of varying shades, she had never encountered a cherry tree like this one.
Another meow sounded. This time, it was slightly longer than before. It was undoubtedly a cat. The voice had come from behind the weeping cherry tree. As Mio drew herself closer to it, suddenly, the silhouette of a building came into view. It emerged out of nowhere, like a film abruptly cutting from one shot to another. She wouldn’t go so far as to say she recognised it, but something about the wooden building evoked nostalgia. From somewhere in the distance, she could hear the faint melody of classical music playing.
A sign standing in front of the door had the word ‘Sakura’ written on it. It was one of those foldablechalkboardsigns that cafés normally used to write their specials, or even an inspiring quote by the manager. But this one was rather plain; the double-lined lettering in white and red seemed to be its only attempt to draw any attention.
Even before she had the chance to think about what kind of shop it might be, Mio felt a strong urge to open the door and found herself reaching for the doorknob. It was almost as if she didn’t have a choice in the matter.
Thinking about it properly, it seemed impossible for such a shop to exist at the top of an embankment. Yet, the moment she touched the doorknob, it turned silently on its own as though it had been anticipating her. Music drifted through the gap of the opening door. Now that she could hear it clearly, she recognised the melody. If she remembered correctly, the piece was calledBoléro. A sense of dignified calm emanated from inside.
Mio heard a female voice reading out loud in time with the rhythm of the music. No, she wasn’t simply reading out loud, it was something different, though Mio couldn’t put a finger on it. She wasn’t singing, either. It was almost as though she was saying a prayer. As Mio peered inside, everything that filled the room – the sounds, the atmosphere and the smell of coffee – hit her all at once.
‘“In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing.”’
Standing in front of the door was a young lady who appeared to be in her late teens. Her hair was neatly cut to the same length at her shoulders. She was dressed in a white blouse and a burgundy pinafore dress, and Mio could tell by the way she carried herself that she was an attentive server. To Mio’s surprise, the book the girl was reading from wasThe Little Prince.
‘“And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night…”’
With that, she closed the book and turned to face Mio.
‘Welcome,’ she said. ‘We’ve been expecting you, Ms Mio Kisanuki.’
Mio furrowed her eyebrows in surprise.How does she know my name?she thought. Then, the girl proceeded to direct her to a table which had a ‘Reserved’ sign on it. Taken aback, Mio quickly scanned the room again. Was it a bookshop with a coffee shop attached to it? Or a coffee shop with a big collection of books? It had to be one or the other. It did seem to have the atmosphere of a traditional coffee shop, but there were books everywhere she looked. There were bookcases arranged along the walls, and on top of the larger tables were mini bookcases holding small paperbacks and manga-sized books. There were even books on the edge of the counter, wedged between bookends. In short, the whole place was brimming with books.
It was only then that Mio noticed the book in her hand. She was still holding her mother’s copy ofThe Little Prince. What had she done with her bag? She must have left it on the bench. Oh no, I’ve left my phone and my purse…
‘Don’t worry, they won’t go anywhere,’ the girl said, politely prompting her to take a seat.
Not knowing what else to do, Mio lowered herself into the chair. There was so much to take in, she didn’t have enough space in her mind to question how the girl had seemingly read her mind. With her book tucked under her arm, the girl laid down a coaster and napkin in front of Mio.
Without hesitation, the girl continued, ‘I loveThe Little Prince, too. It’s such a wonderful book, isn’t it? It’s one of the most widely read works of fiction in history – I’d say it ranks about the fifth in the world, which is unbelievable, of course, as it’s been less than a century since it was first published. According to records, it’s been translated into several hundred languages.
‘It’s probably the most well-known children’s book of all time,’ the girl went on in a cheerful tone. ‘Of course, whether this is a book for children or grown-ups is a debatable question. It’s certainly not as simple as a picture book. But one thing most people will agree on is that the author’s splendid drawings make this piece of work truly unforgettable. Apparently, to achieve these illustrations, Saint-Exupéry often asked his friends to pose for him, even getting them to lie down at times. He was also very particular about how his artwork was laid out in the book.’
The girl was wearing a broad smile on her face. Mio, on the other hand, was still struggling to gather her thoughts.
‘Um… Where exactly am I? How did you know my name?’
‘This is my shop. It’s a bookshop, but a rather unusual one. We only recommend one book per customer. What we really offer is a cup of coffee and a very specialexperience. Oh, and I learned your name from my companion.’
As if on cue, a cat leapt onto Mio’s table. It must have been resting by the girl’s feet. Stepping gracefully between the coaster and napkin, the cat stopped in front of Mio and sat upright with its front paws neatly aligned. There was no doubt that it was a calico cat, but its hair was much longer than typical Japanese cats. The snow-white fur on its chest lent the cat an air of elegance. It must have been this cat that she had heard earlier. But to Mio’s disappointment, it didn’t offer a meow in greeting, so she could not be certain.
‘Her name is Kobako. It’s actually supposed to be ‘‘Kobako’’with an elongated “ko”. You know, as in incense box. But I call her Kobako because it’s easier.’
As the girl explained, Kobako crouched down and folded its paws away. The cat probably had no intention of doing so, but it was almost as though she was introducing herself. Just like her name, she had settled into akobako-zuwari– catloaf pose. Then, with a single sigh, the calico cat quietly closed her eyes.
‘We’ve known each other for quite a while now, so these days, I’ve gotten into the habit of dropping the “ko” at the end. Looks like that theory about cats’ names getting shorter over time is true, after all. They don’t seem to mind – isn’t that right, Koba?’
But the calico cat didn’t even open her eyes. Mio couldn’t tell if this was a sign of disapproval, or if it was simply asleep.
‘Oh, you don’t like it? Have I gone too far?’
Again, the cat ignored her. The girl crossed her arms in response. It was her turn to sigh.
‘I guess cats will always be cats,’ the girl said to Mio. ‘Anyway, to get back to what I was saying, the fact that you’re here right now, well, it’s not something that happens all the time, but it’s also not entirely out of the ordinary. I’m not sure if this makes sense to you in any way, but this place is sort of like a temporary sanctuary, and those in need of a little miracle are invited.’
The cat opened one eye slightly then closed it again.
‘Also, this place isn’t directly connected to your world. I suppose the closest way to describe it is that it’s firmly attached to the other side of it.’
