いとしいこと

Previous   TOC   Next Bamboo Fish "Hanami (flower viewing), you say?"  "Yes," Tokuma replied, placing the lamp on the small Western-style table between their beds. The faint light reflected on the glass window. The air by the window was cold. Though it was spring on the calendar, the nights were still chilly, and the brick house made the cold seep in even more.  "You went to collect samples at Gondo Mountain the other day, didn’t you?"  "I did," Ryoichiro replied, sitting cross-legged on his bed with a thoughtful stroke of his chin. Draped over his shoulders was a dark green dressing gown, a find Tokuma had picked up at a curio shop. It was a foreign item, too long to sell well and thus heavily discounted. Thinking it would suit Ryoichiro, Tokuma had bought it, and now Ryoichiro wore it almost every night, delighted.  "The wild cherry blossoms at the inner path are likely at their peak now," Tokuma suggested.  "Now that you mention...

Previous   TOC   Next Tokuma’s soles were burned, the skin peeled clean off, making it impossible for him to walk.  "In weather like this, we’d only be troubling the doctor. I can wait until morning," he said, but Ryoichiro wouldn’t listen.  Amid the rumbling of thunder, Ryoichiro carried Tokuma silently on his back, walking steadily forward. The umbrella Tokuma held rattled noisily as it deflected the relentless rain.  Despite the late hour, Ryoichiro unapologetically banged on the wooden gate of the doctor’s house. The doctor assured them that the burns wouldn’t cause infection or lead to the loss of his feet, but with both feet injured, Tokuma’s situation was certainly inconvenient.  As the elderly doctor applied ointment and wrapped Tokuma’s feet in bandages, he muttered sleepily, "This is quite the predicament."  By the time they left the doctor’s house, the rain had stopped completely. Near dawn, with no rickshaws in sight, Ryoichiro had no choic...

Previous   TOC   Next That day, Tokuma began preparing to leave after Ryoichiro had gone to work. He planned to visit Hara's house and uncover the woman’s true identity. Though he didn't know what could have given birth to such a creature, Kuwaba had said it wasn’t far off. If that were the case, Tokuma suspected it might be "something" inside the house itself. Not only old foxes and raccoon dogs, but even ancient trunks, old houses, and even old pots and buckets could turn into yokai. If the object wasn't too large, he might be able to destroy it with his own hands. Having once visited Hara's house with Ryoichiro, Tokuma knew where it was located. It was on the opposite side of the university from where they lived, just across the street. The area was bustling with the sounds of rickshaw pullers and cheap student eateries, along with second-hand clothing shops and small goods stores. "Ah, Tokuma-san!" Turning around, he saw Chie waving from the fron...