Vol 2 Chapter 2.1 (2/2)
”If you're gonna knock, wait for an answer before opening the door,” Nezumi said curtly.
”Not like you would answer anyway, right?” replied s.h.i.+on lightly. ”But I noticed you left the door unlocked for me.”
”Huh?”
”The lock. I thought you'd lock the door, but you kept it open.”
He was right. He hadn't locked the door. How reckless of him.
”Look at me, I've fallen under your horrible influence,” Nezumi said woefully.
”What's that? ―Hey, look, I got some grapes as a thank-you gift.”
The grapes were small and the whole bunch was rather pitiful.
”She offered me dried fish too, but I told her no thanks.”
”Oh?” said Nezumi sardonically. ”So even you felt bad about receiving handouts from the poor.”
”No. It was because you don't like fish.”
”Me? I'll eat fish. I'm not fortunate enough to be picky about my food.”
”But you told me once you didn't like it much.”
”What I said was that I can't eat raw fish. Meaning, this place is way too unhygienic to even think about eating fish raw.”
s.h.i.+on blinked, and put a hand to his hair.
”Oh. Oh well. ―But I'm glad, though.”
”About what?”
”Kalan's family― oh, Kalan is the girl's name, by the way―”
”I know.”
”Oh, you knew? It's the same name as my mother's.”
”Your mother's name isn't any of my concern, but.... So? Did it bring back memories of your Mama and bring you to tears? Poor thing.”
He had meant it as a sarcastic remark, but s.h.i.+on shook his head gravely.
”No, that's not it. There was another child there, a girl, younger than Rico. I think that fish was supposed to be their supper. One dried fish, for the three of them. It would have been alright not to accept that, right? But their mother insisted that I accept the grapes. She was really grateful. It kind of made me happy.”
”You really think so?”
”Huh?”
”If that kid had died, there would be more to eat for Kalan and the other girl. Even for Rico― wouldn't you have thought it would be better for him to die rather than grow up in constant hunger? Maybe you haven't actually done them a favour at all.”
s.h.i.+on sat down in front of the heater. His white hair, leaning more on transparent, was tinged red with the colours of the flame. His youthful hair had lost its colour, but still retained its s.h.i.+ne. It's beautiful, Nezumi thought.
s.h.i.+on's head of hair glimmered as it reflected the light of the things around it, and Nezumi extended his fingertips to touch it. His hair felt slightly coa.r.s.e, but ran through Nezumi's fingers easily. It felt like ordinary hair, no more, no less.
”You told me to live,” s.h.i.+on said quietly, his face still turned to the flames. ”Nezumi― you said there's meaning to being alive, and that's why I should live. That's what you said.”
”I just said whoever lives wins.”
”That's the same thing, isn't it?”
”How should I know?”
The dead could not speak. All they could do was lay there as a corpse, and return to the earth from which they came. They had no way to speak of the hatred, the cruelties, anguish, loathing or grief they went through. That was why he had to live. He would live, preserving everything in his memory, and pa.s.s it on.
No. 6.
It was like an artificial flower that left no seeds behind. It bloomed on the blood and corpses of a countless number. I'll pull you right out of the ground one day. Then you'll have no choice but to hear the voices of the dead, their hatred, their hards.h.i.+p, their anguish, their loathing, as it wells up out of the very ground and soaks the earth. I'll make sure you hear, even if you plug your ears. Until then, I'll live and remember. To forget is not a choice. His own self didn't allow him to.
”I got complimented.” s.h.i.+on looked up at Nezumi, and grinned.
”Complimented? For what?”
”My hair. Kalan's mother said it was nice. She said it was really unique, and really pretty.”
Nezumi shrugged.
”Well, it's unique, for sure. There are tons of kids around here that have white hair from malnutrition, but no one with a whole head of snowy hair like you.”
”She didn't just say it was unique. She said it was pretty.”
”Are you gus.h.i.+ng about how someone complimented your hair? What are you, a girl?”
”But― well, you know, it gives me a bit of confidence,” said s.h.i.+on happily. ”For when you show me around town tomorrow.”
”Who said I was going to show you around?”
”You said so.”
He did say so. He had said that he was going to show s.h.i.+on around. Nezumi felt like a sullen child. He averted his gaze from s.h.i.+on.
”I'm going to go about my own business. You go about yours.”
”Okay. I'll mind my own business and tag along. Oh, and one more thing―”
”What now?”
”I promised Kalan and Rico I'd read to them when I have time. I found a lot of picture books in your stash, so―”
”You're gonna read to them here?”
”If it's sunny, I can take them outside.”
Nezumi came close to sighing again, but he caught himself in time to seal his lips and hold it in.
”Are you trying to make this place a kindergarten?”
”Are there that many children around here?”
”Oh yeah, tons. But this is my place. Don't go around doing things without my permission, and don't think you're ent.i.tled to everything.”
His words turned crude. There was a stinging irritation within his chest. Being with s.h.i.+on irritated him. He felt like his restraint would snap any minute. It wasn't because s.h.i.+on was being reckless or imposing, he admitted that s.h.i.+on wasn't― it was because he couldn't see through him. There was no way to predict what s.h.i.+on was thinking or what he would do. His actions and words always seemed to hit Nezumi out of the blue. It was tiring.
s.h.i.+on was setting plates out on the table. The soup was finished, and its gentle aroma filled the room.
”I wasn't thinking I was ent.i.tled to anything― it's just that, since Kalan, Rico and I are friends now―”
”Huh?”
”Friends,” s.h.i.+on repeated. ”They're the first friends I've made since coming here. Well, not that I had many friends back in No. 6,” he added as an afterthought. ”I think Safu was the only one.”
”She said she wanted to sleep with you. You don't call that 'friends'.”
He remembered the ends of her short hair that draped prettily on the back of her neck.
s.h.i.+on, I want to have s.e.x with you.
She had put her all into this confession, and s.h.i.+on had not been able to handle it. What a guy you've fallen for, huh, he remarked in his mind to the girl he barely knew. For some reason, he was suddenly overcome with the urge to laugh.
”What?”
s.h.i.+on c.o.c.ked his head to the side. Two mice sitting atop a pile of books tilted their heads too, as if to imitate him. Nezumi burst out laughing. He squatted to the ground, and gave in fully to the wave of mirth that bubbled up inside him.
Notes
This is a translation from the j.a.panese. There were discrepancies in the number of bees with the English source I consulted. For reference, here it is:
Hannahanna sent a bee: ”You go search for [my son] Telipinu. When you find [him], sting his hands and feet and make him stand up. Then take wax and wipe him off. Then purify him and make him holy again. Then conduct him back here to me.”
Hoffner, Harry A., Jr. trans. Hitt.i.te Myths. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1991. 18. (back)
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