Chapter 2:
"Oyaji!" Kanata shouted while running on the hallway. He knew his father will be annoyed with his tardiness but he planned to apologize and help him clean the whole building. "Oyaji!" Kanata called again to his father but no one replied. He searched his father's room, living room, the bathroom, kitchen, garden, main temple, and other rooms. Heck, he even looked at the most unusual places like under the temple and the tree near the house. Knowing his father, he can be weird most of the time and his habits of playing tricks on him sometimes happen when he was not paying attention. "Where are you, Oyaji?" he called loudly. He repeated the same words again, but still, no reply and there was no sign of his father. Kanata already toured the whole temple grounds and was already exhausted. He decided to postpone his search and went to sit on the porch of the main temple. Kanata looked at the surroundings. The sun was shining brightly even though it was already winter. The whole scenery was indeed a strange combination of heat and coolness at the same time. White snowy blankets covered the earth; trees had already shed their leaves; few fragrant flowers' scent lingered on the air. The sounds of various animals can be heard everywhere while the townspeople go to their destination. Kanata's gaze lingered throughout the temple grounds, as if carefully analyzing every event and people that once roamed the place. He remembered Miyu strolling in the garden; He even remembered the way Ruu flew throughout the rooms whilst the poor sitter pet, Wannya chased him. Those days were Kanata's most treasured memories and he smiled and silently uttered a prayer of thanks for meeting the most genuine person and aliens during his lifetime. Kanata's reverie was cut-off by running footsteps ascending on the stone steps. He stood up and headed towards its direction, hoping that it was his father. "Oi, Oyaji where did you go? I was…" Kanata was not able to finish his sentence as the mailman called his name. "Saionji Kanata-san?" the mailman asked and Kanata nodded; a puzzled expression evident on his handsome face. The mailman rummaged through his huge black bag with a serious expression. A minute later, his face illuminated an indication that he already found his target. He handed a small parcel and a pink envelope to Kanata. "That's for you. I'm really sorry that it was delivered late. That letter and the parcel were delivered to a different address." Kanata still bewildered managed to say, "Oh, don't worry about it. It was delivered here now. Thank you for your hard work."
"The lady who sent that must be pretty worried that it might be lost now."
"Lady?" Kanata asked.
"Oh, I assumed that it was from a lady since the envelope is pink. It would be weird if guys will send you pink stationeries, right?" the mailman grinned.
Kanata laughed. "You're right. Thanks again for giving it to me. I appreciate it."
"You're very welcome, Saionji-san." With that, the mailman excused himself off and ran out to the stone steps to deliver letters.
I wonder who sent me this, probably Chris Kanata thought as he observed the parcel. It was a small square package wrapped in brown paper. Gold ribbon cords kept the whole wrapper intact. There was nothing written on it except from the red wax seal. Inscribed on the red wax were the words, Tokyo Girls High School 1901. Kanata untied the strings and carefully tore the brown wrapping and opened the lid of the box. Inside the box were dozens of collections of photographs. He did not need to know the name of the person who sent it because he already knew it from the heart. Miyu sent all their photographs while Ruu and Wannya still lived at the temple. The photos depict a familiar scene of domesticity and warm family connections that warmed his heart. After looking at the pictures, Kanata held the pink envelope and carefully tore the wax seal. It was Miyu's letter to him.
Tokyo Girls High
Minato, Tokyo
25th of December 19—
Dear Kanata,
How are you doing there? I am really sorry that I was not able to send you a letter when I moved to Tokyo. There were a lot of things to do and somehow, the paper with your address written on it was lost during the voyage. I am really sorry but Mama gave me the full details so here I am writing this letter to you! How's Heiomachi? How are Santa-kun, Nozomu-kun, Aya, Chris, and Nanami-chan doing? Are they alright? I am doing fine here too. I have managed to gain new friends at my new school. They were all girls and very kind to me. But nothing can beat all the memories that all of us shared during my brief stay at your place. By the way, Happy Birthday, Kanata Saionji! To tell you the truth I wanted to send you a pumpkin-pie along with this letter but probably, you won't eat it for fear of being hospitalized just in case you'll have a bad indigestion. (-_-)
I really miss the temple now for it never fails to give me the feeling of being calm. For me, it was a sanctuary of our friendship with Wannya and Ruu. I am thankful that my parents allowed me to stay at your place for a short period. In that way, I had the chance to meet all of you. I wish I had the chance to visit now but I rarely go out of the dormitory because we have tons of assignments. The exams are already coming so most students strive hard to review. Can't continue now, the school mistress checked if we are reviewing. I will write to you again.
P.S. I hope you liked my gift, look for it inside the box.
-Miyu
Kanata smiled. But he already had the gift. The gift of receiving Miyu's letter was enough for him. As he returned the pictures inside the box, a metal gleam caught his eye. He picked it up. The gleam came from the metal circlet of the pumpkin keychain. How thoughtful of her he thought as he lifted the keychain and examined it. It was an orange pumpkin dressed for the Halloween with black witch hat, cape, and smiling face. Its body was positioned in an act of riding the broomstick. Many people thought that Kanata Saionji was a reserved, cold, and smart guy; someone who would never want sentimental stuff. But here he is, grinning like an idiot over a dozen of pictures, a freaky pumpkin, and a letter from Miyu. Today is his birthday and he felt really blessed.
"Oi, Kanata! Whaddya smilin' at?" his father called him from the entrance gate. "C'mon help your father here."
"Where have you been father? I have been looking for you."
Houshou-san's eyes gleamed and he posed comically. "Well, Gen-san gave me a lot of pumpkins today because one of his sons just returned from England." He picked up the big, orange pumpkin and gave it to Kanata. "Hora, are you just going to stare at me? Help me now, boy."
Although Kanata said nothing, he smiled at his good fortune. This is certainly a great year for him. Kanata placed Miyu's letter and parcel inside his pockets and headed towards his father.