Chapter 2
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–Ringing, ringing, ringing
What’s that… is it morning already…?
When I woke up, the bedroom was dim. I couldn’t hear the rain, but it didn’t seem like a clear day.
It was 8:00 AM. I was still sleepy, but I decided to get up. Even though it was Sunday, I didn’t want to mess up my sleep schedule.
Stretching as I got out of bed, I reached for the cigarette on the sideboard. Lighting it and taking a deep drag, the damp smoke filled my mouth. It still tasted bad, but it was better than yesterday. That was really awful.
But what was even worse—
The girl who suddenly appeared claiming to be Mayuko’s daughter. The news of Mayuko’s suicide. Receiving Mayuko’s remains to take care of.
A deep sigh escaped along with the heavy smoke from my mouth.
Maybe it was all just a troublesome dream. Yeah, if I wash my face, the sleepiness and the trouble might disappear.
Thinking that, I put out the cigarette and headed to the washroom, but—
“It’s not that convenient…”
—I found myself muttering involuntarily.
On the shelf by the sink were a cup and toothbrush that weren’t mine.
…Unfortunately, everything about Tsubaki was real.
But there was no point in lamenting.
How did Tsubaki find this house?
Why did Mayuko commit suicide?
There were too many unknowns, and I needed more information… At least, since I had her remains, I wanted to know what happened to them. I knew it wouldn’t be a pleasant story.
Washing my face with a heavy heart, I left the washroom.
When I opened the living room door, I saw Tsubaki sitting upright on the sofa. She wasn’t wearing a sailor uniform today, but a white polo shirt. However, the navy skirt was probably from her uniform.
When she wore Mayuko’s clothes, I thought they looked very similar, but today, they didn’t seem so alike. …Was it just a matter of attire?
Now that I think about it, I rarely saw her wearing her uniform properly. She always added something, like a knit vest over her blouse or a non-standard ribbon.
“Good morning.”
Suddenly, Tsubaki straightened her back and bowed deeply.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
“I see, that’s good. Well, I’m going to have breakfast.”
“Yes, understood.”
As I walked into the kitchen, I noticed the dish drainer was empty. I hadn’t stocked up on instant noodles or any other food that didn’t require plates…
“Tsubaki, did you have breakfast?”
“…Huh?”
Tsubaki blinked slowly and furrowed her brow slightly.
“Was it… okay for me to eat?”
She asked if it was okay to eat…
“I thought I said yesterday to help yourself to anything in the kitchen and fridge?”
“Understood. I’ll do so from now on.”
She replied in a flat voice, which probably meant she hadn’t had breakfast and would wait until lunch. It didn’t matter if she was okay with it, but it felt wrong to eat alone in front of a hungry girl…
“If you don’t mind something simple, I’ll make enough for two. Let’s eat together.”
She blinked her large eyes with long eyelashes again.
“Together?”
“Yeah. Unless you’re not hungry?”
“Oh, no, I am. Thank you.”
With an expression suggesting she was surprised, Tsubaki lightly bowed her head. It was extreme to think she couldn’t eat anything until lunch just because she missed breakfast once. …But given her circumstances, it couldn’t be helped.
She was living with a family who told her to dispose of her mother’s remains.
Feeling a faint pressure in my chest, I took out bread, eggs, and lettuce from the fridge. Toast, fried eggs, and salad would make a sufficient breakfast.
After quickly preparing the breakfast, I brought it to the table and sat on the cushion. Tsubaki, sitting opposite, bowed deeply.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“You’re welcome.”
Exchanging these simple words, we started eating, but—
“…”
“…”
—Silence continued.
No particular topic came to mind. Still, it was somewhat awkward. Was Tsubaki not feeling this awkwardness? She kept eating her salad quietly without changing her expression…
However, her facial features—eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth—did resemble Mayuko. Yet, there was undoubtedly something different. The difference was so significant that I couldn’t see the resemblance until she wore Mayuko’s clothes.
“…Is there something unseemly?”
“Oh, no, it’s not that.”
“Is that so.”
…It was rude to stare during a meal. When I averted my eyes, I saw the urn on the living room shelf. Closing my eyes, Mayuko’s face from when she was alive came to mind.
In front of me, she was smiling joyfully.
“Mr. Kawakami, you were friends with my mother, right?”
Suddenly, Tsubaki’s voice entered my ears. When I opened my eyes, her expressionless face was looking straight at me.
“Friends with Mayuko?”
“Yes. Or am I wrong?”
Tsubaki frowned slightly and tilted her head. I thought she knew about my relationship with Mayuko and that’s why she accepted the will, but apparently not.
“We dated. In high school.”
When I answered, Tsubaki furrowed her brows even more in confusion.
“D-dated?”
With an expression that mirrored her confusion, she repeated my words.
“Yes. Surprising, right? Since we’re both women.”
“Oh, no… I was surprised that she had someone other than my father.”
Her voice and expression suggested she couldn’t comprehend.
“Why did you think that?”
“Because I couldn’t imagine anyone liking her…”
…Her words did have some truth. After all, in the end, she betrayed me too.
And for Tsubaki, her mother was the reason she was born into an unpleasant situation. It’s understandable she’d speak ill of her.
Still, I felt a faint irritation.
I couldn’t tell if it was due to her harsh words about her kin or the insult to her.
“Why did you date her?”
Not noticing my irritation, she tilted her head in confusion again. Why did we date…
“Well…”
When I averted my eyes, the urn came into view again. Mayuko’s joyful smile appeared in my mind.
“We were in the same class at an all-girls’ school. We sat next to each other. Probably because our roll numbers were close.”
Explaining while recalling the past, Tsubaki furrowed her brows slightly.
“Just that made you date?”
“No, because she was cute, so I was interested from our first meeting.”
“Was it her looks that attracted you?”
“Well, at that age, that’s how it is.”
“I see.”
Answering her question, a flat voice responded. Even though she brought up the topic, she seemed to have lost interest already? But with no other topic in mind and to avoid awkward silence, I continued.
How did I get close to Mayuko…
My gaze naturally went to the urn again. Mayuko’s smile surfaced again in my mind.
A joyful smile with narrowed eyes and long lashes.
“Kawakami-san?”
“Oh, sorry. I was just recalling how we got close.”
“I see…”
“Yes. One day, your mother forgot her Japanese textbook, so I shared mine with her.”
“That was when you started liking her?”
“Well, for me, yes. But I don’t know about her. After all, there was a picture of Ryunosuke Akutagawa with a lot of nose hair drawn in.”
“N-nose hair…”
With Tsubaki’s voice, Mayuko appeared in front of me.
That’s right, I thought she was adorable when I saw that smile that day. Nearly twenty years had passed, but she hadn’t changed…
“…Excuse me. That was unexpected.”
A voice I wasn’t used to hearing came from her mouth. After blinking a few times and focusing my eyes, I saw Tsubaki hiding her mouth while averting her gaze. When I glanced at the corner of the room, the urn was still on the shelf.
“Kawakami-san, you were quite a troublemaker.”
Turning my gaze back to her voice, Tsubaki was taking a deep breath.
“Well, I wasn’t fond of subjects like Japanese literature, so I used to doodle in my notes and textbooks.”
“I see.”
“Yes. Because of those doodles, I had more opportunities to talk with your mother. We found common interests, so we spent more time together.”
“And that’s why you dated?”
“Yes. Also, it wasn’t just fun being together. We were opposites, and that attracted us.”
“Opposites?”
“Yes. I liked and was good at science and physical education. Your mother liked and was good at humanities and art. I think that’s why we found each other appealing.”
“I see.”
As we continued talking, her resemblance to Mayuko vanished.
In front of me was a girl speaking expressionlessly.
“Kawakami-san, what’s wrong?”
“…No, nothing. That’s how we started liking each other. Was that answer satisfactory?”
“Yes, it was.”
Tsubaki lowered her eyes and shook her head.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“You’re welcome.”
After that, we continued eating in silence.
After I finished my meal, Tsubaki also finished hers a bit later.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“You’re welcome. Was it enough for breakfast?”
“Yes, it was plenty.”
Tsubaki raised her deeply bowed head, stood up quietly, and stacked the empty dishes.
“I’ll wash the dishes, so so please let me use the sink.“
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
A faint smile appears on her beautiful face.
At that moment, Mayuko appeared faintly.
…The decisive difference between her and Mayuko is the expression, huh?