...
Mid-October sunlight felt nostalgic for a reason I could not find.
For another unknown reason, I was wandering near Yokohama Bay, not sure at which exact point. I rarely ever visited a beach, so I thought that taking a quick look at the ocean wouldn't mind me before I left the city.
However, this spontaneous trace of enthusiasm started to dispel away at the sight of a few fishermen that hadn't seemed so bothersome until I actually approached the limits of the road and realized they were old, loud and judging by the multiple bottles of alcohol, probably drunk and territorial.
Before giving up the idea in all its entirety, my eye was caught by a cliff just above the sharp rocks that limited the colliding waves. It went pretty high up from the beach, but from where I was, an about thirty-meter long slope was an easy shortcut.
Needing to reinstate my head, I let a wooded pathway lead me to an almost completely hidden, old lighthouse. The place was clear of any activity, isolated and quiet, qualities that motivated me to sneak inside and enjoy a brief moment of solitude. I could imagine myself running off to this place whenever the city became especially loud and stressful, if it wasn't so off-ways for me.
I made my way to the entrance, where a door, or any kind of restriction, was missing. Different from other lighthouses that worked as actual homes, this one was not tall nor wide enough, meaning it once had a single, simple purpose.
I stepped inside and the first I noticed was a spiral staircase that took hold of half the space. The bricks on the walls had lost most of the white paint that had once covered them. The layer of blue paint on the rungs was almost gone, revealing the rusty metal underneath. A red pole in the middle of the room suffered from the same lack of maintenance. The place had grown, not just old, but forgotten.
As I climbed up each step, a thin echo followed my pace. The path had been obscured by the malicious bindweeds clinging onto every single window. The only beams of dim light came from a half-opened doorway at the end of the staircase.
The closer I got, the clearer the sound of the waves was.
I reached the half arch of light at the door of the room beneath the top of the tower. As expected, the center of this room was occupied by the metallic base of the lantern. Keeping up an easy pace, I continued moving upstairs. There was no door to the light room, just a cement frame.
As soon as I stepped onto the last rung, I dived into the aureate sunlight coming from the deck. The refreshing air merged with the light into a subtle warmness. Mesmerized by an unrealistic golden sunset reflecting upon the sea, I ran my fingers over the corroded railing as I made my way around the immense, vane lantern.
I turned my gaze, and then I saw her. As if taken out from the same idealistic book as the sunset.
She was young, with clear silken skin and long raven-black hair. Leaning over the railing, letting the glinting breeze stroke her mild face as her hair waved gracefully along with the air. A long-sleeve violet dress detailed her delicate figure, remarking a natural elegance that contrasted with this torn place.
As if I had irrupted into somebody else's privacy, a slight gasp cut into my silence. Slowly, she turned around in awe. I was more puzzled at the fact that she hadn't noticed my presence earlier.
The dainty face that fit into her ladylikeness soon changed the puzzlement expression into an amiable smile limited by the rosy blush on each side. And her eyes… something in her eyes was… hard to explain. They were larger than any other person's I knew, but they also had a peculiar deepness. They glimmered in expression, at an almost overwhelmingly energetic point for me. For the few seconds they held onto mine, it felt as if they could see right through me.
She then bowed her head as to what seemed a sign of exculpation, walked past me and left the tower.
I broke out of my unconscious gawking the moment she disappeared. I shrugged it off since, heading to a party, I was about to be forced into socialization anyways. My search for uninterrupted peacefulness had been unsuccessful, so I took one last look at the sea before abandoning the lighthouse, which I didn't believe I would go back to.
…
It was the start of autumn when I received a call from Ibara Mayaka, the shortest, most underestimated as harmless, nemesis anyone could have. She didn't seem to care in the least about disturbing my holy weekend.
"I'm gathering my closest friends only, and you, to celebrate. Be grateful I'm asking you to come." She said through the line. "Oh, and before you try to make up any excuses, I already talked to Tomoe-chan. You can't escape." She threatened and hung up.
Mayaka was celebrating the publication of her first magazine as Art Director of the Edition Staff in an important publishing house. After working her way hard, she had finally accomplished to become part of the makers of a popular magazine throughout the metropolitan area of Japan.
This was an important achievement for her, but even so, she did not want to turn this into a huge deal. Therefore, she had planned on toasting only with very few friends. Although, it hadn't initially been her idea; it was Satoshi the one to convince her.
A day or two after Mayaka's call, I received one from him. My very old friend had come up with a surprise for her and wanted me to be aware and not ruin it. He explained that the plan was to gather more than just a couple of friends at the restaurant Mayaka had chosen. The two of them would arrive later than the guests and we would all surprise her.
Even if my sister, Mayaka and Satoshi had forced me to go, I wasn't planning on avoiding the occasion; that and the fact that I didn't have much of a choice.
As to my sister, she had had trouble while traveling and got detained in the Japanese Consulate in Kenya. I was almost sure she wasn't a delinquent, but I couldn't guess why they'd retain her. Too sad for Mayaka and Satoshi, Tomoe couldn't make it to her party or even apologize over the phone.
…
After the odd experience at the lighthouse in Yokohama Bay, I found my way back to Tokyo via shinkansen, and arrived to the dining room fairly on time since Satoshi and Mayaka were just on their way to the restaurant.
The dining room was big enough to hold the other twenty people comfortably, and everyone seemed happy to be part of the moment.
A few minutes later, Mayaka stepped inside the room with Satoshi covering her eyes with his hands. She seemed confused for the way she kept asking what he was doing. Satoshi could be cheeky, and with the night being a cheesy occasion, he had lost all sense of shyness. He leaned over to Mayaka's ear, whispered something that made her blush, and finally unveiled the surprise. Before she could yell in embarrassment at to whatever he had said, her eyes opened wide at the amount of people waiting for her.
Victim of confusion, incredulity, happiness and excitement all at the same time, Mayaka was received by a horde of congratulations and great wishes.
Little after that, Satoshi saw me and walked up to my table, which was apparently theirs too.
"Long time no see!" He chirped throwing his arm over my shoulders, rubbing his cheek against mine.
Irritation wouldn't have shown up in my eyes but I couldn't help but to be annoyed by his overly affectionate greeting.
"I can see you missed me." He smirked. While I'd usually describe him as very cheerful and a quite bold person, I would still not call him entirely human for several reasons.
"You have serious issues with shame." I said as I pushed him away before going back to my neutral mood.
"So? Isn't this amazing? I just hope Maya enjoys herself instead of worrying about details." A gleeful tone printed on his words. Satoshi was well-known for his exaggerated expressions, but this one was genuine. "Anyways, what took you so long?"
Before I could answer to his question, avoiding telling the complete truth of course, his cellphone started ringing.
"Hey! I was waiting for your call." He said covering his mouth and the speaker. "Eh? You're here? Okay, I'll meet you outside." He hung up with a wide smile.
"Houtarou, can you distract her for a minute?"
"What do you mean?"
"Just go over to her, keep her looking this way, okay?" He could barely keep the excitement from reflecting on his eyes.
I agreed and did as I'd been told while he slipped through the tables to get outside. When Mayaka saw me, her smile went away and she sneered, but then smiled again.
"I'm kidding, Houtarou. I'm actually glad you made it." She said simple-heartedly, but as though she couldn't believe her own words.
"Congratulations on your new job." I gave her the same tone, wondering how long this friendly exchange would last.
"Thanks, thanks." She waved her hands with modesty. "I asked Fuku-chan not to be so excited about it since this was just my first assignment, but I guess he couldn't keep it down."
"You know how he is. But I think he has his fair reasons. Just enjoy yourself and let him know it was worth it."
Her mild smile lasted a few seconds before she hit me on the shoulder with her tiny fist.
"Stop it. I don't like cheesy talks coming from you." She frowned.
"You made me come all the way here only to mistreat me?" I rubbed my poor shoulder.
"Like you had anything better to-" Her malicious speech was interrupted by Satoshi's hand patting her on the shoulder.
"Guess who's here?" He stepped aside, clearing the way.
The moment she crossed the wooden frame of the entrance, Mayaka immediately gasped before jumping in for a tight hug as she screamed "Chi-chan!" Her voice didn't have the sharp tone it normally would, but one full of joy and surprise that she rarely ever showed.
The other person didn't get to say something and simply held Mayaka the same tender way.
As for me, I was almost sure of having recognized the violet dress, black hair and white skin. It was not until she pulled back and opened her eyes that it hit me.
…
We went back to our table, which unsurprisingly, was also reserved for Mayaka's friend. Both girls had a small talk full of sweet words and uncontainable smiles before the hostess had to leave and be greeted by many others.
Right when she got up the table, her friend turned her gaze towards Satoshi and me.
"I am very sorry for the delay, Fukube-san." Her voice was soft and grieved. "I had to go back to Yokohama in very short notice."
"No problem at all, Chitanda-san. Actually, I think it had a special impact on Maya." He spoke still lightheartedly.
Satoshi left shortly after Mayaka gestured him from across the room, leaving Chitanda and I alone. The place wasn't quiet, but the silence between us was noticeable. Although quietness had never been a problem to me, it could turn easily into awkwardness at a situation like ours.
I tried not to look directly at her and call her attention, but I could feel her gaze focusing on me as if trying hard to prove I was someone. Then she talked in a low voice, more to herself but still loud enough for me to hear.
"Have we not met before?" She asked curiously.
I did not know how to respond as I wasn't sure the question was directed to me. A coincidence this big was unsettling, but so was her sudden curiosity. Just as I stared, now directly, at her in confusion, Mayaka reappeared behind her back.
"Houtarou? Are you sure, Chi-chan? He's never been in Yokohama…"
Then, as if she had not expected anyone to overhear her question, Chitanda's cheeks flushed immediately. Hers was a somewhat suspicious reaction, yet I could not make out exactly how.
"Not exactly, but I believe I have seen your friend somewhere." She responded with a hesitating voice and a smile.
"Is that so? Where?" Mayaka tilted her head in confusion and stared at me as if she had heard the weirdest of phenomena.
"Um… somewhere in Yokohama." As she finished her sentence, Chitanda looked nervously at me for less than a second.
I suspected she, like me, was trying to avoid any misunderstandings by hiding the detailed story of how we had seen each other before. I thanked for that since I didn't want to be questioned either, but it was much too late.
"Yokohama?!" Mayaka's expression turned from incredulity to impeachment. Her eyes opened wide and I could sense the imminent. "How did you end up in Yokohama?!"
As if her upcoming lecture wasn't enough to make me want to suffocate myself in advance, Satoshi came out of nowhere, and ignoring the tense atmosphere, decided it was the perfect moment to meddle and make things even worse.
"You were in Yokohama? Is that why you were late?"
"He was late? You must've fallen asleep on the train to miss the way! Your laziness has no boundaries, does it?!" Mayaka's bad temper just went higher. Good thing the other tables were loud enough to not pay attention to us.
I could no longer stand the unjustified reaction and I was about to raise my voice and stop it. However, Chitanda intervened sheepishly.
"Do not be too harsh on him, I probably committed a mistake." She instantly calmed her down with just her voice. "You said it yourself, Maya-san, if he is never been to Yokohama, the person I saw probably just looked similar."
"Chi-chan, you don't know him the way we do. This is something he could definitely do." Mayaka retorted with a lower voice.
"Chitanda-san is right. Even if it happened, Houtarou still made it. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt and keep enjoying the party." Satoshi interfered.
Still, for the sake of my remaining pride, I had to defend myself. Besides, Chitanda's reddened face looked like a sign of unnecessary guilt, and if this kept going, I feared she'd feel forced to tell the story. With this being enough, I stood up.
"I took the wrong train." The three of them turned their attention towards me. "At the intersection in Otsuki, I got on the subway line to Yokohama by mistake. It must've been because I felt so light-headed." While they were all listening to my explanation, I raised my glance and directed it towards Chitanda. "Maybe you-" Right, manners. "Chitanda-san saw me while I was walking out of the station."
Confused and surprised by my answer, she nodded gently in agreement. I thought we both had chosen not to tell the actual story of our previous encounter to avoid further misunderstandings; either that or I had indeed convinced her that I was someone else.
"Ah…" Mayaka sighed heavily after a short silence. "… It's so pathetic that I'll believe it happened to Houtarou." A calmed smile reappeared on her face when she turned back to Chitanda. "By the way, I haven't introduced you two."
At her words, Chitanda stood up instantly as Mayaka held her shoulders.
"Houtarou, her name is Chitanda Eru. I met her during junior year in college." She said at the other side of the table, uncommonly endearingly.
Before she introduced me, Satoshi found his way to get into the conversation and do it himself from my side.
"Chitanda-san, this is Oreki Houtarou. Maya and I have known him since middle school!"
"It is a pleasure, Oreki-san. Please forgive the misconception I just caused."
I stood straight when I saw her bowing with such formality at a perfect angle and speed. Judging for her manners, she could be the absolute portrait of a lady. I greeted her back but not with the same grace, only with my nervous head down.
"… N-Not a problem."
After we were introduced, a small talk on their friendship followed. They mentioned how they met at a seminary, how Mayaka had gotten lost in the auditorium and Chitanda, who was attending a different lecture, had helped her find the right room. From then on they grew fond of one another but had lost contact when Mayaka moved to Tokyo.
…
After our plates were finished, drinks were the only companions of people's conversations. Since Mayaka and Chitanda had acquaintances in common, they did not stay long at the table.
Satoshi took advantage of this time to start a conversation on Chitanda.
"Isn't it interesting? She's from Kamiyama too. If you had stayed there, you probably would have known her for as long as you've known Maya and me."
«Chitanda Eru. » She did have an unusual name, if I had heard of her before, I would have remembered it.
"Is she famous or something?" I asked indifferently.
He seemed offended at my question, but quickly went back to his grin.
"The clan is, especially in Kamiyama. Her family possesses gigantic farmlands there and a couple of acres across other prefectures. They provide cereals, fruits and vegetables to some cities in Gifu, Aichi, Nagano, Yamanashi and Kanagawa." He talked as he counted names with his hand.
I would never expect less trivial information from him. Her position explained why she looked too sophisticated to be in an abandoned rusty lighthouse.
"And she's pretty too, huh?" He poked my ribs with his elbow.
"And you're the one with a girlfriend." I gave him a cold tone of irritation.
"I meant that you need to move on. Morishita-chan is too proud to take you back. Might as well work out with Chitanda-san, you know, because of the whole opposites attracttheory."
I chose to take his words for a joke. "You're not serious, are you?"
"Of course I'm kidding. I didn't mean any of that." His laughter washed off his words, but it left me thinking.
Morishita Mirai was a lawyer whom I had met years earlier and somehow ended frequenting later on. Given my personality and actions, I didn't pay much attention to what she took as a much more serious relationship. In the end it didn't work.
The cause was not me not liking her, because she was intelligent and quite pretty. The problem, as she had put it, was that she had allowed herself to develop deeper feelings for me that what I could ever reciprocate. Morishita was good at studying people's minds. Therefore, as cold as it sounds, I could not promise to fall for her the way she had for me.
We never spent too much time together as what anyone would call a couple, it hadn't been three months by the time she confessed what she confessed, but I knew I could never reach her pace. And since I was not being fair to her, we stopped seeing each other. Three months later, here I was, remembering it until Satoshi cut into my thoughts.
He got up and I followed. At the lack of something to read, the proper environment and a less social friend, I found myself forced to leave my seat more than once after that. I never chose so, but at least I knew a few people, just enough to avoid unnecessary introductions throughout the night.
…
When the night was almost over and everyone started to leave, Mayaka and Satoshi were too busy dismissing people, yet she gave herself a moment to take her friend to our table. They walked up to me holding onto each other's arm.
Mayaka left us alone after making sure everything would be fine. Although, to me, it was more of an "it better be."
Chitanda gave herself the permission to sit just one seat away from me. It was by this time that I paid attention to the way she sat without losing posture; shoulders back, hands on lap, head up and straight back. A lady through and through.
"I've heard you are from Kamiyama City, too, Oreki-san." She smiled warmly but somewhat shyly.
Even when she was acting kindly, trying to be friendly to someone who just a few hours ago had been a complete stranger to her, it was still a bit confusing. I nodded.
"I am, but I haven't been there since I was a kid."
"Oh, I see." She glanced down to her hands, and then, with the same shyness but now accompanied by curiosity, she finally brought up the previously avoided topic. "… Oreki-san, may I ask… How did you find the lighthouse?"
She changed her expression into a more serious one, but her eyes still shone with penetrating energy.
I didn't know how to answer her sudden inquiry. She kept on.
"Well, I understand you were lost, but you decided to not mention it."
"It was easier than discussing a coincidence no one can really explain."
My answer left her pondering with the same expression, but with the little I knew about her, I was not sure if that meant she would stop talking.
We stayed at the table quietly as the room emptied progressively. The strange part was that Chitanda said she knew I was lost, but she did not give a reason for her being on an isolated cliff.
By the time the restaurant was about to close, everybody but Mayaka, Satoshi, Chitanda and I, were gone. While we were having separate conversations, Mayaka suddenly remembered something regarding me.
"Now that you mention it, Houtarou is an accountant. Right, Houtarou? Weren't you looking for a new job?" She took me out of my sort of talk with a drunken Satoshi.
"Is that so? We are actually in the hiring season. Are you interested, Oreki-san?"
Wait, I never said I was looking for a job.
"Eh? Well, I already have a settled job."
"Oh, I understand." She smiled. "However, if you happen to feel curious about it, do not hesitate on contacting us for an interview. Or if you know of someone interested, feel free to address them with us."
She took a small card out of her purse and handed it to me. The moment I saw the card I was about to say something to avoid it, but then I looked up. Huge mistake.
The same thing that had happened at the lighthouse happened again. Her big eyes trapped mine and left me off-guard. When I blinked out of whatever feeling that gave me, I was holding a white and purple business card with her name on it. "Chitanda Eru - Deputy Director General."
According to Satoshi's data, Chitanda was as old as the rest of us.
"Deputy Director? At 24?" I unintentionally asked out loud.
"It is a family business." Mayaka rolled up her eyes. "We could talk about that, but I think Chi-chan is tired." Chitanda, blushing, simply smiled. "Okay, let's go."
At her call, we all walked out of the place. Apparently, I was staying at Satoshi's house while Chitanda at Mayaka's. We took a taxi and the first stop was Satoshi's. I was perfectly sober, but sake had quite a strong effect on him, so it was up to me to carry him into the building.
Once we got to his apartment, we said our goodbyes. He kept calling out "Bye-bye, girls!" and waving erratically his hands.
As Mayaka covered her face in embarrassment and the taxi drove away, I was left with a half-awaken, half-asleep Satoshi hanging from my shoulders. That night I was not his guest, but more like his babysitter.
The next morning I did not stay long, I preferred to avoid a moody post-hangover Satoshi. I prepared some coffee before heading to the train station and left him a whole pot to help get over the sickness.
When I went back to my house in Kofu, I found a letter on the coffee table. The margins had red and blue lines, which meant it was international mail, which could only mean that it was from my sister. I walked up to my room to read what Tomoe had to say.
She started by telling me that she was still in Kenya but heading to Egypt soon. The explanation she gave as to why she'd stayed in the Japanese Consulate read:
«You think your sister can be easily robbed? Ha! »
So you still alive, huh?Being my sister, I wasn't surprised. A lot of peculiar things often happened to and with her.
Besides that, she sent me her regards and said she'd call when arriving to Egypt.
After finishing her letter, I grabbed the envelope and put the folded page back inside. I took out my wallet and cellphone and placed them beside the letter on the desktop. A piece of paper was sticking out of the wallet. It was Chitanda's business card.
I remembered her offer and started to think of how troublesome it would be for me to take a job in Yokohama. That, if I ever were to need one there. In Kofu, my job was twenty minutes away using the subway. I didn't want to give up that convenience. I tossed the business card inside a drawer and went back downstairs.
...
