Cow Thief: Epilogue

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In the tatami room of the soba shop, Hara laughed. “Oh, you’re joking.” Ryoichiro insisted, “It’s not a lie, though,” but Hara didn’t believe him.

“If you were really being chased by the police for helping a prisoner escape, then why on earth would you be sitting here, drinking sake so leisurely?”

Ryoichiro leaned forward, and said, “Well, you see…”

“After crossing the mountain, Tokuma and I walked to the port, where we caught a steamship to Yokohama. A Russian merchant was looking for an interpreter, and we negotiated a deal where they would pay for the ship’s fare. After that, we came back to Tokyo, and when I secretly stopped by the university, I received a letter from my uncle. That’s when I found out that Tokuma’s crime had been forgiven. Apparently, the cows had all returned to their rightful owners, and without evidence of the theft, it seems the case was dropped. My case was apparently dropped too. From the police’s perspective, it would’ve been too embarrassing if the story came out—how they had caught a criminal, only for him to escape, and how they failed to catch him because they were scared of cows. So they probably just decided to pretend it never happened. As for my uncle, well, it’s hard to face him after all this, but because of all this, I can still continue my studies at the university.”

Hara replied with a disbelieving “Yes, yes,” and nodded along, but Ryoichiro, not finding it amusing, drank the remaining sake in his cup in one gulp.

“Oh, sensei, it’s starting to rain,” Hara said, peering through the glass window. The noise had drowned out the sound of the rain, but it had indeed begun to fall.

“It’s still just a light rain, so let’s head home before it gets heavier,” Hara suggested.

Ryoichiro reluctantly stood up at Hara’s insistence. He glanced at the pocket watch hanging from his vest—just past eight in the evening. After paying, he and Hara stepped out of the shop. He had hoped he could just run home, but the rain was stronger than he expected.

“Would you like to take a rickshaw?”

Hara asked. Ryoichiro shook his head.

“No, I’ll run.”

Just as he was about to dash outside, Hara muttered, “Huh?”

“Isn’t that Tokuma over there?”

From behind the streetlamp’s haze of rain, Tokuma was walking toward them. He wore geta and carried a paper umbrella, slowly approaching.

When Tokuma reached the eaves of the soba shop, he bowed to Hara and said, “Good evening.”

“Are you here to meet the sensei? You really found this place easily,” Tokuma smiled warmly.

“It’s strange, seeing you speak. I’m still not used to it.”

“People who knew me before often say that…” Tokuma paused, then added, “Here, please.”

Tokuma handed the closed umbrella to Hara.

“But this is for you, sensei…”

“Ryoichiro and I are heading in the same direction, so one umbrella should be enough,” Tokuma said with a grin.

“Fine, take it,” Ryoichiro urged, and Hara reluctantly accepted the umbrella.

They parted ways at the intersection a little ways from the shop. Ryoichiro walked slowly with Tokuma, avoiding puddles.

During their escape, Tokuma had returned all twenty stolen cows to their rightful owners. However, after twenty years, a few of the owners had either died or disappeared. Ryoichiro gave those cows to his uncle, and they sold for a good price. His uncle and aunt were no longer in financial distress for the time being.

In the end, Ryoichiro had sold the remains of the burned house. With that money, three-quarters of his debts were cleared. Now, he repaid the remaining amount monthly. With his funds running low, he moved to a cheap, cramped longhouse. Life would be tough for the next two or three years, but it wasn’t unbearable. …Because he wasn’t alone.

The rain grew heavier. Ryoichiro put his arm around Tokuma’s shoulder, and they took shelter under the eaves of a secondhand clothing shop that had already closed. Tokuma glanced up at Ryoichiro, then closed the umbrella. Water cascaded from the closed umbrella like a waterfall.

"You used the oni to find me, didn’t you?" Ryoichiro asked.

Tokuma kept his mouth shut, avoiding the question.

"It started raining," he finally murmured, offering nothing more.

The heavy downpour had thinned out the number of people in the streets. Under the shelter of the eaves, Ryoichiro pressed Tokuma against the wall and kissed him. Tokuma’s lips, cool and damp from the rain, trembled slightly as they met his. "There are people around…" he muttered softly, squirming in Ryoichiro’s arms. But Ryoichiro only pulled Tokuma’s slender waist closer, holding him firmly.

"If you had just waited, I would have come home soon."

Tokuma lowered his gaze slowly.

"I worry… when you’re late returning home."

His eyes, shimmering with moisture, looked up at Ryoichiro.

"There’s no need to worry about getting caught anymore. Why are you so concerned?"

Tokuma simply repeated, "I’m worried."

Ryoichiro pulled Tokuma’s small head gently to his chest.

"Let’s go home. If you hadn’t come looking for me, you wouldn’t be this chilled to the bone," he said. His fingers brushed against Tokuma’s pale cheek, tracing its cold surface. Lowering his head slightly, Ryoichiro nibbled playfully at Tokuma’s white earlobe before whispering, "Once we’re home, I’ll make sure to warm you up."

A soft flush spread across Tokuma’s otherwise pallid face. Embarrassed, he lowered his gaze, his cheeks glowing faintly red. With an arm wrapped around Tokuma’s shoulders, Ryoichiro began walking once again, the rain still falling heavily around them.

"I was thinking of going to the mountains to collect specimens tomorrow, but do you think the rain will stop by then?"

Tokuma tilted his head slightly.

"Why don’t you come along? There’s a swamp where the swamp buckwheat grows in clusters. If the flowers are blooming, it will be beautiful."

"That sounds nice."

After responding, Tokuma glanced up at Ryoichiro briefly.

"If you’ll go easy on me tonight, I’ll accompany you."

Ryoichiro was momentarily at a loss for words. He bit his lower lip in awkwardness, and Tokuma gave a small, amused laugh.

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