Part 8 (2/2)

Kiyomi inherited her mother's hobbies and had recently begun to pursue an interest in baking, occasionally making cakes together with her mother. She was also fond of doll-making. For her birthday the year before, she'd received an Anne of Green Gables book from her father and had fallen in love with it. She now owned the entire series and had reread them from cover to cover a number of times.

”Kiyomi, you're such a lady, everything you do. 'Course, if I grew up like you, I'd be baking fancy cookies too,” Chika said heartily.

After finis.h.i.+ng their cookies, they sipped orange juice from straws.

”I would love to be more like you, Chika.” Kiyomi was thinking of Chika's fifty meter dash in gym cla.s.s that day. Though Chika was short, she had the right reflexes and excelled in short distance running, for which she held the top honor in her cla.s.s. She'd partic.i.p.ated in city meets, and she was always the star on Sports Day. For the relay run, she easily beat out boys from the other cla.s.ses. Her figure stood out quite noticeably on the track.

”Nah, I suck. Look at my legs, they're getting fat. None of the cute guys 'll even get near me!” said Chika sarcastically and smiled.

”Don't be silly. You're adorable, Chika...I'm sure you'll find someone who appreciates you.”

”You're just saying that. 'Sides, if you looked up 'adorable' in the dictionary, your picture'd be right there next to it.” Chika laughed as she said this, but then her expression grew serious. She leaned in closer.

. ”What's wrong?” asked Kiyomi, somewhat unnerved.

”A question for the witness. This'll go on record, so you must answer honestly. You do have the right to remain silent.”

”What is it, Chika?”

”What's your type?”

”Huh?”

It was such a sudden question that Kiyomi did not know how to answer. She looked around bashfully, then gazed directly at Chika's face. Chika's eyes took on a mischievous look; the straight line of her lips twisted and broke into laughter.

”You're too much, Kiyomi.” Chika held her belly and continued laughing. ”Is it that hard to answer?”

”Hey...”

”I could see you ending up with someone like your dad,” she said, at last suppressing her snickering.

”You think?”

”Definitely. He seems like someone you can really count on. They say if you have a father like that, you end up with pretty high standards.”

”I never thought about it...”

”Your family's like a TV show, anyway. You've got your quiet father, gentle mother, and the little princess. Everything you need for the perfect drama.”

”Don't say things like that...it's embarra.s.sing.” Kiyomi's face turned red and she hid it behind both hands. She tried to change the subject.

”Well, enough about me. What about you? You haven't told me what your type is.”

”Me? Hm...”

She grew serious again, folded her arms, and tilted her head. Her emotions always changed so quickly. Kiyomi was more reserved in character and was envious of Chika's outgoing nature.

Chika thought about it for a good thirty seconds. Then, a smile rose to her lips.

”Someone who will think of me forever.”

”Yeah.”

Kiyomi nodded, a smile upon her face as well.

Kiyomi's grades were in good standing and she was an active member of the bra.s.s band. She was accepted into a prep school without even attending cram- school cla.s.ses. The high school was considered one of the best in her prefecture, with a lot of the graduates going on to college. Meanwhile, Chika's diligent study in her final year of middle school paid off and she was accepted into the same high school as Kiyomi. Chika always wore a cheerful smile in the company of others, showing no signs of stress, but Kiyomi suspected that she was secretly a very hard worker.

The high school placed as much emphasis on extracurricular activities as on academics, and most students picked up something. Chika did what she was best at and joined the track and field club, while Kiyomi joined a chamber ensemble.

High school life was as enjoyable as they could have imagined. Kiyomi liked to read in the time between cla.s.ses and after-school activities. After finis.h.i.+ng The Tale of Genii, she started on Anne of Green Gables in the English original.

The seasons pa.s.sed by quickly. Nevertheless, somewhere in her heart, Kiyomi felt like high school life was all she would ever know; hence her exclamation of surprise one day during the summer of her second year when the teacher handed out a college selection form to the cla.s.s.

Later that day after practice, Kiyomi was putting her things away when Chika dropped by the practice room. She was carrying her backpack and duffel bag in one hand. As she stood in front of the doorway, peeping into the room, she gently waved her free hand. Her hair was a bit wet from the shower she had taken after track. Kiyomi smiled and waved back, signaling with a finger to wait a moment. When most of the band members had left, Chika stepped into the quiet practice room and sat next to Kiyomi, who was cleaning her instrument.

Watching Kiyomi's fingers detachedly, Chika asked, ”So what do you think you'll do, Kiyomi?”

”I don't know.”

Kiyomi shook her head. The still warm sunlight poured in through the window, illuminating her hands as she wiped fingerprints from her trumpet with a small cloth. The heat had been quite intense throughout the day, but remained now only in scattered places as a languid afterglow. It was already 6:30 and, before they knew it, the voices echoing from the basketball team in the rear gymnasium had faded away.

They hopped on their bikes and took the road home together, riding side by side. The streets were unusually inactive, not a single soul in sight. The girls, too, were silent. Kiyomi began to feel uncomfortable, pedaling her bicycle faster to keep up with Chika.

Kiyomi broke the silence at last.

”So, we were just starting to get used to high school and now we have to decide what to do with our lives. It's too much to handle right now. I can't even think beyond band practice, you know?”

But Chika simply pedaled, staring off wordlessly into the distance before them. Kiyomi studied her profile. Before long, they had pa.s.sed the street and reached a paved road which ran straight through a rice paddy. The failing heat of the rays was pursued by twilight and their surroundings became steeped in deep blue. The brightness of a single star twinkled from a gap in the clouds. Chika replied at last.

”I want to become a doctor,” she mumbled.

Surprised, Kiyomi looked at Chika, whose eyes remained fixed on the sky spread out above them.

Chika's mother had pa.s.sed away that spring. Kiyomi did not understand the details very well, but knew that there had been something wrong with her heart. The days of nursing and the funeral itself must have been hard on Chika, but she'd never once shown a depressed face to Kiyomi. She continued to smile and joke around in her usual manner and remained the person Kiyomi could always talk to. Yet, Kiyomi had been unable to read what had been transpiring in her best friend's mind.

Kiyomi had trouble falling asleep that night.

What did she want to be? She could not picture herself finding a job and earning a salary. She would probably attend college but had no clear ideas as to what she would major in. She had plenty of time and she could decide once she was in college; that had been the extent of her thinking.

Chika's comment that day struck at her heart. Chika seemed to know what she wanted to be, at least. Kiyomi didn't. Chika had taken a step ahead and was pulling away from her.

Kiyomi fantasized about what shape her life would take. Who would she marry? What would her children be like? How would she die? She lay in bed with her eyes open, staring at the dark ceiling with a contemplation that was fragmentary at best. The fluorescent light dangling from above began to spin around slowly. She had no idea if she was awake or dreaming. Countless doubts arose, overflowing and spilling over one another inside her head.

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