Volume 31 Chapter 4 (2/2)
”Then can you ask your father? If it's okay for Eriko-san to light the candles?”
Upon hearing this, Aki-chan nods and races off towards the kitchen I consider h Aki-chan's eyes, perhaps there's some confusion as to whether I'm an adult or a child
”He said it was okay”
It isn't long before Aki-chan returns and says those words, whereupon I light one of the candles with a ht an incense stick and pray
”You're strange, Eriko-san”
Aki-chan says as we stand up Before I have a chance to ask, ”Why so?” she provides the answer
”All of my friends are scared of the shrine”
”Really?”
I don't let on as I extinguish the candle's flaht me over to the shrine
After the three of us drink tea together and eat the cookies I brought, Aki-chan drags me over to her room
”Shewoman in the house”
Yamanobe-san smiles optimistically as he watches us leave Honestly, he doesn't understand a woman's heart at all
”This is a photo from just after I was born”
Looking through the album, I watch my reaction The photo is of Ya Aki-chan and sraph
I don't stay completely calm, but I'm not hurt by it either It shows that, in the past, Yamanobe-san has been happy In contrast, it seems to be more painful for Aki-chan to talk about herthat her mother is nuht take her mother's place
That's why she invited e, before she started the fight In the cafe she'd been as quiet as aaway merrily, like a completely different person
”Even ave me that name”
Aki-chan opens a sketch book, draws the characters for her name in red crayon, and shows it to me
”Really?”
”My father wanted to call me Jurassic”
”Jurassic, like the Jurassic era?”
Ever since IYamanobe-san, I've become acquainted with these terms
”My ainst that”
Yairl in front of ht have been cute, but his as opposed to it So Aki had been suggested as an alternate name
”Ah, I get it”
The light-bulb flicked on inside my head
”Aki-chan's Aki comes froht?”
”Yep”
”That's a nice name - ”
Hearing this honest praise, Aki-chan's stony facade crumples for just a lirabbed at my heart
”Say, Aki-chan If you don't want to, you don't have to see me any more But since I'm friends with your father, I'd like to meet with him to chat from time to time”
Even if Aki-chan opposes my friendshi+p with Yamanobe-san, I wouldn't like to sneak around and see him behind her back Therefore, Iaway
”You're friends with dad?”
Aki-chan asks, curious
”That's right”
”So then you've never kissed him?”
”I haven't”
It's the honest truth, so I look straight at Aki-chan as I answer I'lad, from the bottom of my heart Perhaps the reason we haven't kissed for the entire six months is just for this very moment
”You haven't married?”
”I'd like to, but”
I openly confess
”I'm not sure what your father thinks”
”I don't know”
”I guess not”
I wasn't expecting her to reveal Ya honest Since she's only six, she could have got aith saying that her father didn't likethis conversation, since I' so foolishly open with her
”Do you think you and I could become friends, Aki-chan?”
”Friends?”
Aki-chan raises her eyebrows
”Yeah, friends I ht? And I' in common”
”But doesn't that make you my rival rather than my friend?”
”Rival?”
She ht this by soht try to becoht try to steal her father And that that person is her rival
”You know, rival is written in kanji like this”
I borrow Aki-chan's sketch book and write the kanji for rival, 好敵手, in black crayon Then I point at the three kanji, one at a time, as I explain
”This ht be hard to understand, but the first character is the one for love (好き) As in, love and hate, that love This one's opponent (敵) The last character is the one for hand (手), but it can also ht? That's a chosen (選ばれた) person So a rival is a beloved opponent”
”A beloved opponent?”
Aki-chan looks at me in confusion
”Right If there's no love, then they can't be your rival So if you think of me as your rival, Aki-chan, that makes me very happy”
Then, when I finish speaking:
”Okay”
Aki-chan mumbles
”You can meet with dad From time to time”
Maybe I'reedy to the core But, pleased by this approval, I just have to ask for even more
”And some of those times, maybe all three of us could meet?”
”Mmm”
Aki-chan's response isn't one of assent, but a noncommittal rebuff Still, at the very least, she hasn't said, ”No way” In any case, it's a restrained response
”We could all go to the zoo or the ao with you when you need to go the toilet”
Aki-chan looks at me in surprise
”A into unfamiliar restrooms all alone”
In truth, it's a leading question I have a fair bit of confidence in that inference Back when I was in kindergarten at Lillian's, I had a classmate as like that She was fine at places she was faoing alone in unfamiliar places and hated it Sowhenever we had a school excursion Even when she visited her friends house, she'd go ho their toilet - or so I'd heard
”You're wrong”
Aki-chan denies this, her face turning bright red I must have hurt her pride Since she's such a level-headed kid, she probably doesn't want anyone to know that she doesn't like going alone into unfamiliar restrooms
”I ive my rudeness”
Apologies first, then I look through the drawings that Aki-chan has osaurus, Archeopteryx -Another adult version of a dinosaur whose na over a child dinosaur that has just hatched froet the impression that she's Yamanobe-san's child
As I turn the page, Aki-chan tugs at my sleeve and says, ”Hey”
”Would you really come with me?”
”Huh? Ahh - ”
I quickly grasp what she's talking about, and nod
”Of course There's a truce during toilet time”
”What's a truce?”
I put my arm around the shoulder of my tiny, inquisitive rival
”It's a bit like a time-out”