Hyouka – The AfterStory
Project Collaboration by Commander Cody & Maria
EPISODE 07
The House of Chitanda…
Chitanda Tetsugo sat behind the desk of his office. Gathered before him were Houtarou and Eru, along with Satoshi and Mayaka. Tetsugo shook his head, with great disapproval, over the actions that Houtarou took in solving this awful mystery.
"This…this is not good," he said. "I was never informed soon about who the culprit was. Investigator Sunohara-san would have been able to make use of this information."
"Otousan," Eru piped up nervously. Nervous in front of her father, like a fearful child she put her clasped hands close to her chest. "Ano…Houtarou-kun was doing the best he could…"
"I'm not questioning that," Tetsugo interrupted his daughter. "I knew about the culprit only after there was a plot to sabotage the Arekusu Shrine. If Investigator Sunohara-san was informed, we could have stopped the sabotage earlier."
Houtarou straightened himself, looking Chitanda Tetsugo in the eye. How does Chitanda-san even presume there is a guarantee that all would go well if things were done is way? He had brooked no argument with Hayashi, but he felt a thrill over challenging a superior, even if such a challenge was made not outright.
But Eru gave Houtarou a nudge and a look that told him to exercise courtesy in front of her father. After all the favors her family did for Houtarou while he was at university, any form of rebellion could only be seen by the Chitanda family as a form of ungratefulness. The young man relaxed, seeing that he found himself getting carried away by urges of defiance; urges that could compromise his relationship with Eru and her family.
"Chitanda-san…you asked me if I could, to the best of my ability, investigate who was behind the food poisonings," Houtarou said.
Chitanda Tetsugo made an affirmative grunt. He was the one who implored Houtarou to do his part in investigating the food poisonings. Houtarou's reminder of his role in the investigations did not seem to satisfy Tetsugo. Tetsugo felt like he was left out of the loop.
"That still leaves the question of why you withheld information about Hayashi-san," said Chitanda Tetsugo with a frown. "And bringing Eru with you to the house of that man…what on earth were you thinking?!"
"I insisted!" Eru cried right away.
"Then it was poor judgment on your part, Eru," Tetsugo was quick to point out. "And for Oreki-san to encourage it…what was in there that would make Eru go with you?"
"Well…There was some interesting history on Hayashi," said Satoshi. "He was part of the Kempetei."
Tetsugo's eyes widened in surprise. "The…Kempetei? What's all this strange stuff I am hearing?"
"It was all related to my uncle's history," said Eru.
"Whether all this history of the Second World War was worth all this danger…" Chitanda Tetsugo said to himself. "I'll find out later," he said aloud. "I wanted you to keep me in the loop, Oreki-san. Why did you reveal this information to me only later?"
"I…well…we had gained leverage against Hayashi-san," said Houtarou.
Chitanda Tetsugo became curious. "Leverage?" he asked. "How?"
"By threatening to turn him over to the prefectural police," Houtarou answered promptly.
"He seemed only interested in saving his own skin," added Satoshi.
"Given what he did…he should have been turned over to the police," Tetsugo seethed with righteous anger. "To let such an unscrupulous man like that get away with such crimes…especially those against my family…"
There was silence. Houtarou would have to play the precarious part of diplomacy with great care; a protective father filled with justified anger was on the verge of suspecting that Houtarou was courting danger around his daughter.
"Hayashi-san has already been intimidated into complying with our demands," said Houtarou. "Besides…Hayashi-san, in his fear, was quick to admit that he had an accomplice; one who had different plans in mind."
"An accomplice? Explain! What was he?!" demanded Tetsugo.
"A bookkeeper and finance specialist," said Houtarou.
"But how would he have been a poison expert?" asked Tetsugo.
Houtarou shrugged his shoulders, as he felt that the explanation would parrot Satoshi's. "He probably would have had a formula," he said.
Chitanda Tetsugo shook his head. "Continue," he said.
"Hayashi-san's plan was to disrupt your family life by making them ill, but not kill them," Houtarou explained. "The accomplice had a different objective, which was even worse. From what we had seen when Eru came down with the food poisoning…it nearly proved fatal to the case was so…then the accomplice's plan would involve killing her…and possibly the others…but especially Eru."
"That bastard!" cried Tetsugo. "To keep a man like that under his employ! By the kami, why?!" he lamented out loud in anger. "What power of the youma could possess an accomplice to commit such an atrocity?!"
"If we're talking about demonic possession, a youma would have to possess an entire group responsible," Satoshi pointed out, as the youma were his country's mythical demons.
"Satoshi…" Houtarou seethed over his friend's seemingly trivial remark.
"I'm just throwing it out there," said Satoshi, making a shrug with his shoulders and hands. "Shimizu-san had ties to the Yakuza, as it turned out."
"Satoshi is right," said Houtarou, struggling to brush off his friend's triviality of demonic possession. "If that were the case…it seems that the Yakuza may have wanted the only heir to the Chitanda family business…dead."
Chitanda Tetsugo shook his head, afraid of what disturbing things he was hearing, but he was confused over the poisoning. "How did Hayashi-san's accomplice manage to poison our rice?"
"That is where Houtarou's visit to Nakahama Industries comes in," Satoshi jumped in.
Houtarou made a nod. "We had checked the company's shipping manifest," he said. "A few days ago…when I said that if you were to commission a private investigator to look into this matter, I asked if you could have him focus at the shipping records of Nakahama Industries. The key word being 'focus', as opposed to 'look'."
Chitanda Tetsugo scratched his head in confusion. "Why this distinction between two words?" he asked.
Houtarou proceeded to explain. "'Looking' would only involve a preliminary viewing of the material. 'Focusing' would involve intense concentration on viewing the material. I wanted you to have the investigator gather as much as he could from the company records."
"Which he did," said Tetsugo. "Investigator Sunohara-san had deduced that there were…well, there was one suspicious employee involved in the labeling process."
"Has he admitted wrongdoing?" asked Satoshi.
"The employee, you mean? Uncertain," said Tetsugo. "Though there were strong accusations made by Inspector Sunohara-san against him.
Under duress, thought Houtarou. Nevertheless, that confirms what Hayashi-san was saying about Shimizu-san having an accomplice in the company.
"There is more," Houtarou began to add. "The interesting part was that Hayashi-san wanted to reclaim personal honor. Even under duress…he admitted his knowledge about what Shimizu was up to. That plot to sabotage Arekusu Shrine? Shimizu-san was involved. Immediately I had Satoshi call the prefectural police, and sent Ibara-san and Eru, along with Satoshi, to check on Juumonji Kaho-san. While that happened…I was finalizing a deal with Hayashi-san."
Chitanda Tetsugo heaved an upset sigh. He figured that he should at least be a little grateful that Houtarou had assumed control of the situation as best as he could. But he still could not get over worrying why Houtarou never kept him up to date.
"You were supposed to keep me in the loop," said Tetsugo. He had not mentioned it before, but there was an implicit assumption that Houtarou would be honest enough not to leave important things out pertaining to this week's events.
Houtarou had to think hard. Perhaps he if knew what was going on, Investigator Sunohara-san would have been involved, bringing the police to this house, and making Hayashi-san run. And we would never get Hayashi to do what we wanted him to do.
Then an idea came to mind.
"Chitanda-san…if we informed you right away, by obligation, you would have had to inform Investigator Sunohara-san…lest you were found out that in withholding information you knew you had, you would have been complicit in a web of crime. If you informed Investigator Sunohara-san…he would have shown up…possibly with the prefectural police. Our negotiations with Hayashi-san were banking on the fact that we would not bring in the police. If he, or the police showed up, Hayashi would make a run for his life, sensing that we betrayed him."
Chitanda Tetsugo thought hard about this…
"Your plans were questionable," he said. "But…well…"
"Having a modicum of ignorance would have been preferable than having full knowledge of the situation…and being complicit in a web of crime," Satoshi concluded.
Tetsugo heaved a sigh, as if he was implicitly in agreement with Satoshi's conclusion.
Tetsugo sat back in his leather armchair. "I think I have heard all I needed to hear," he said. "You may all take your leave…except Eru."
Eru was surprised and scared. "O…Otousan?"
"I must have a talk with you."
Eru hung her head. Houtarou became perplexed and frustrated. Why was her father treating her, and him, in this way?
But in observing Eru, but more than that it was a sense of shame.
He decided to say nothing, though, sensing that his relationship with the family was hanging by a thread.
"Hai." Eru took a bow in Houtarou's presence. "Gomen ne, Houtarou-kun," she said softly. "I cannot join with the others."
Houtarou became downcast, for he was beginning to feel sorry for Eru. The young woman was hoping she could join her friends, particularly with Houtarou. The joy of victory over the threat of sickness and death became tempered by the questionable things Houtarou did when he tried to solve the case. To be prohibited, even for a time, from enjoying the victory over the threat of sickness and death because of what she thought was a misunderstanding between her and her father over Houtarou made her feel a bit despondent, though such despondency was supplanted by fear; a fear of never being able to speak to the young man again, much less spend time with him.
Houtarou felt unhappy over Tetsugo's decision to detain Eru. Finding no other recourse, and deciding to take Eru's implicit instructions not to interfere with family affairs, he took his leave from the Chitanda household, along with Satoshi and Mayaka. When they left the room, Eru shut the door.
"Houtarou…there's little we can do on our end," said Satoshi. "The prefectural police will go after him."
"That is the hope," said Houtarou.
"We've practically given them everything they need to look for that criminal," said Satoshi. "Come on. I'm getting hungry."
"Where are we going?" asked Mayaka.
"To the Golden Time Café," said Satoshi.
Mayaka made a face. "That one?" she asked.
"What's wrong?" asked Houtarou.
"It has bad memories for Ibara-san," said Satoshi. "I was rejected by her."
"You sure seem proud about that," said Mayaka with a cynical tone of voice.
"I get over it sometimes," said Satoshi. It seemed like a tactless remark, especially in front of Mayaka. But when Houtarou observed his face, it regressed to a sigh of despair. Even the way Satoshi spoke of that past circumstance, in the passive voice, told Houtarou that his just-mentioned rejection was still an event that cut into himself that Satoshi would convey his painful moment in a fearful way.
"My stomach is growling right now," said Houtarou. "And the Golden Time Café is near walking distance. Let's just go there."
"Of course," Satoshi decided to oblige, making an attempt to overcome what bad memories the place might have had for him.
Mayaka heaved a sigh. "Fine," she said simply.
Houtarou, Satoshi, and Mayaka stayed at the local restaurant, the Golden Time Café, where the waitresses wore maid outfits, and the cuisine included American fare. Satoshi had once said that this Café was named due to the presence of young couples enjoying an ideal time.
"We did it!" Satoshi exclaimed, feeling greatly relieved over besting the adversaries of the Chitanda family. "We got through the case. Some things may not have gone well as we liked…but…we survived."
"Hai," Mayaka was quick to agree.
"Though it should be Houtarou who gets most of the credit, for maneuvering negotiations with Hayashi-san," Satoshi added.
"Well, you and Chii-chan and me…we had a role in trying to warn Kaho-san's father about the plot to sabotage Arekusu Shrine," Mayaka countered with passionate intensity. "Our roles shouldn't be taken so lightly, you know."
"Hai," Satoshi agreed. "But Houtarou had to wheedle the answers out of Hayashi-san, or we would not have known about the sabotage at all."
Mayaka turned to Houtarou, who seemed silent and morose. "Oreki-san, daijoubou?" she asked.
A pretty young waitress in a maid outfit with her hair pinned up in a bun, decorated by a lacy headband, approached them. "Minna-san, konnichiwa," she greeted the four with a cheerful smile.
"We're all fine," said Satoshi. "Save for Houtarou, of course. His girlfriend is unable to join him."
"Ahh…Gomen nasai," said the waitress, having sympathy for Houtarou.
Satoshi, don't you ever tell everyone how I'm really feeling right now! Especially if it involves Eru! Houtarou seethed over his friend bringing what was unnecessary attention to personal feelings. In response to seeing Houtarou's misery, Mayaka with her elbow gave a jab to Satoshi.
"Anyway, have you thought about what you want to order?" asked the waitress.
"Hai," replied Satoshi right away. In truth he was totally unprepared to make his order right away, so with the limited amount of time he had, as if he was under time pressure for a serious exam, he browsed through the menu. Because the restaurant offered a variety of American cuisine, he came upon something he could handle.
"I'll take a hamburger…and a handful of potato fries for a change," said Satoshi.
"Of course," the waitress acknowledged.
Mayaka tried to pronounce the words properly, and she was curious why Satoshi would go with this cuisine right away. "I had one while I was visiting New York," said Satoshi.
"I'll take soba noodles, too, and some onigiri," said Mayaka.
Satoshi then turned to Houtarou. "What about you?" Satoshi asked.
Houtarou became suddenly alert. He, on the other hand, decided to order something familiar. "I'll take soba noodles and kaarage," he said, desiring some fried fare for a change. A strong contrast to Satoshi, if Houtarou ever saw one himself.
The waitress jotted down the orders, and took the menus.
"About the Chitanda family…," he said. "I'm afraid I may have…compromised the relationship."
"I think you're more concerned with Chitanda Eru-san," said Satoshi.
"I think so," said Houtarou.
"I think everything will sort itself out," said Satoshi.
"That is a little presumptuous to say, Satoshi," said Mayaka. "The Chitanda family helped him during his University years. Compromising his connection to a wealthy family…maybe the only family he knew? It could devastate him! And him being in love with Chii-chan…"
"I think…it would be a little devastating," said Houtarou.
"A little?" Mayaka burst out, indignant that Houtarou would take what she perceived as a blasé attitude over how Eru was feeling right now. "How can you say that?! Don't you see that Eru is growing fonder of you? What will that do to her if you started taking an attitude of 'I-don't-care' over your relationship with the Chitanda family, which is hanging on a thread right now?!"
Satoshi tried to cut into the tumultuous conversation. "Maya-chan, daijoubou desu," he exhorted the young woman, trying to calm her down as he put his hands on her shoulder. This time, Mayaka remained seated as another waitress looked over to see what the commotion was; all of which made Houtarou wonder if Golden Time Café possessed a remnant of bad memories that possessed Satoshi's and Mayaka's minds. An ironic name for this place, considering the history Satoshi and Ibara-san, he thought.
Satoshi turned his attention to Mayaka. "I think that at this time, Mayaka, Houtarou's answers to your questions are a little guarded right now," he said. "Right now he is too hesitant to admit he is in love; or could be."
Houtarou heaved a sigh, noting that Satoshi had a tendency to drag out into the open things that he preferred to keep quiet. But he let it slide, because he knew in his heart that what Satoshi was saying was beginning to seem true.
"Anyway," Satoshi continued, his attention now on Houtarou. "You were at Hayashi-san's house while we were at the Arekusu Shrine. What happened in your case? How exactly did the negotiations with Hayashi-san go?"
Because Satoshi and Mayaka were left out of the loop during the initial part of the investigation, Houtarou has to relate all the details to his friends. He would relate his findings to Eru at a later time, assuming she had settled things with her father.
The house of Chitanda…
Chitanda Tetsugo sat back at his chair. Then he rose.
"Eru," he said. "This…Oreki-san…I'm afraid of what he might turn into."
Eru felt worried.
"It's about his character, isn't it, Otousan?" she asked, her head hanging as if she felt guilty about having such high aspirations for a young man of questionable character. At this, Chitanda Tetsugo made a single nod.
"It seems…he thinks the ends can justify the means," said Tetsugo. "For a man to hold to something like that…in the moral sense, it is quite troubling."
"I know," said Eru. "Demo…Otousan…why did you help him, then? All that about helping him find a job at Kobe…and at Kamiyama Library…what was it for?"
"I began to see in him…someone with prospects," said Tetsugo. "One who would be reliable if he were in your life."
"What about now?" asked Eru.
Her father stared into the end of his office.
"Otousan…" said Eru. "Houtarou-kun…what he did…he did it for us. He did it for me, too. He never even asked for payment. All he ever wanted…in turn…was…"
She seemed to have a keen awareness for the young man's character. Often Houtarou used his head, but even he had to have a heart; otherwise he would not have gone through so much trouble.
"I wish to hear it from Houtarou-kun himself," said Eru.
Evening…
Back at his apartment, while his sister Tomoe busied herself with the housework, Houtarou turned on his flat-screen television; perhaps a reflection of his laziness when he saw her do the housework and hardly bothered to offer help. For Houtarou, he had a purpose with turning on the television: to await any news of Shimizu.
There was nothing much of interest to watch on television, much less to listen. About two hours had passed, as Houtarou occupied his time with preparing a frozen dinner he had bought from a convenience store. He finished his dinner, and so far, new news of Shimizu showed up.
Midnight was nearly coming. He shut off the television before he brushed his teeth and went to bed, drifting off into sleep.
The Next Day…
Houtarou woke up. Despite his attempt to shrug off his remaining sleepy condition, his anxiety over news for Shimizu still remained on his mind. He had to know what became of this man; it was part of internally solving the mystery of the poison plots, and finally putting the matter to rest.
He took a light shower and dried himself with a fresh towel that had been put in by Tomoe. Feeling little need to have breakfast at the moment, he emerged into the living room and turned on the television.
He waited for some time until a male newscaster came up on screen. "Ohayo gozaimashita," he greeted a bit cheerfully, before he commented on the fairly pleasant weather of Kamiyama City. After that bit of commentary, he brought up the news of Shimizu, which alerted Houtarou.
"We now turn our attention to Shimizu Ibuki-san, a man who had ties to the Yakuza, now on the hunt by the prefectural police for his alleged involvement in a plot to bring down one of the wealthy families of Kamiyama City. According to investigators, his body, or rather…whatever was left of his body, was found in the middle of a rail track. The investigators suspect, most strongly, death by suicide."
Suicide. By train. Houtarou, in his shock, could almost imagine this man jumping in front of a moving train. Perhaps such suicides were not uncommon, though he only had a vague recollection of its frequency.
But why? Houtarou asked. Houtarou was somewhat ware of certain stories of people connected with the Yakuza who committed suicide when they failed to carry out their plans. Perhaps there was a loss of hope in gaining back personal honor; of even being vindicated in life and in death, like the samurai of old. It was said that samurai who had brought dishonor upon themselves and their family would redeem themselves through seppuku, perhaps to spare their families from the shame that came with the samurai's questionable deeds. Perhaps the mentality of the samurai could carry on in some semblance of Japanese society.
It was a bleak realization for the young man; Japanese society should have completely moved passed these notions; hell; the government would not encourage this kind of vindication to the family of the person who committed suicide; the result would be a family's financial ruin. And for a man like Shimizu, as a business specialist, he would have had his whole life ahead of him. Even for personal honor, a man like that should have little to no reason for jumping in front of a moving train.
And yet he did.
Houtarou listened further for any mention of Hayashi-san. No mention of this man, it seemed; and Houtarou surmised that this lack of mention had something to do with a guarantee not to go after him…even if Hayashi deserved it. If the prefectural police came after Hayashi, his arrest would be mentioned in the news. So far, there was no such mention; but Houtarou figured that such a conclusion was too premature.
Nevertheless, Houtarou could not shake off the nagging question of Shimizu's suicide.
The phone rang. Houtarou answered the phone.
"Houtarou…have you heard the news?" asked Satoshi.
"I have," said Houtarou.
"I mean…that was so totally unexpected," Satoshi remarked. "Damn…"
"We will never learn the motives of this man," Houtarou said, feeling greatly disappointed. It meant that he would be burdened with many unanswered questions, as this week's events were deeply connected with Eru and her family.
"So desu ne," Satoshi agreed. By his tone, Houtarou could tell he felt the same way. "I suppose he failed at what the Yakuza told him to do," Satoshi continued. "But…I'm certain of one thing: his family, if he has any, will be ruined. Financially. And given his ties to the Yakuza…"
Silence hovered across the kitchen. Houtarou had thought a similar thing. "That's what I thought, too," he said. He felt pretty depressed.
"Do you want to be the one to tell Eru?" Satoshi asked him.
Houtarou wondered about that part. He felt, though, that given his personal stake in Eru's life, he should be the one to convey the news to her.
"Hai," Houtarou agreed with Satoshi. "I think it would be best…"
"Houtarou-kun…I'm worried. About that Hayashi man…this revelation could cause a terrible rift in the family."
Houtarou looked at Eru. "In your family…you mean?"
Eru made a nod. She and Houtarou were strolling across the pavement overlooking the vast land owned by her family. Houtarou asked Eru on how she managed to persuade her father to let her spend time with Houtarou, to which Eru replied that she was able to persuade him about the young man's noble character; though Houtarou figured that a man like Chitanda Tetsugo could be just as skeptical; so he figured that Eru must have persuaded her father to give Houtarou some sort of a second chance, to which Eru confirmed that this, indeed, was the case.
But the fact that Eru was already saying these words to him seemed to imply that the young woman had to have some kind of nerve to convince herself that deep down, Houtarou was a good man.
"Father was becoming worried…about what you might become," said Eru.
"The way I handled the whole affair?" asked Houtarou.
"Hai," said Eru, making a nod of her head. "You would have become too opportunistic; too much head…and not enough heart. Too much calculation…and not enough of asking whether what you were doing was really the right thing to do."
"I'm not sure how else I would have handled it," said Houtarou. "In honesty…I was just as nervous as you were."
"Really?" asked Eru. Houtarou, nervous?
"Hayashi-san was an intimidating man," Houtarou pointed out to Eru. "The only advantage we had…hanging on a thread…was threatening him to turn him over," Houtarou explained. "It was all we had up our sleeve. One wrong move, and he would have bolted. Or worse, he probably could have put us in a situation where we were trapped."
Eru put her hands close to her chest, afraid of what would have transpired if Houtarou miscalculated in his interactions with that man, but she felt relieved that the young man seemed to have a prudent handle on a tense situation. "In that regard…I suppose you were right," she agreed, but with reluctance. "It's just…if you had a sense of honor, you would not have let him get away with what he was doing.
"It was a judgment call." Those words came from Houtarou's mouth. Eru had a point, which Houtarou could not simply shove away from his mind.
"Demo…what if he did with others?" asked Eru. "What, then?"
Houtarou took a deep breath. It was something to worry about. But all those affairs were in the past; to him, it hardly did any good to ruminate on what he could have done, if only he did a certain thing. He was already filled with disappointment about not knowing the deeper motives of that Hayashi man; anything that could have lent a clue to the reasons of Hayashi's nefarious plotting, or even an insight into the personal background of this man. Any knowledge of such possibilities died with that man.
He observed Eru, who, judging from the look on her face, seemed overcome with worry; something left from yesterday's disturbing events was conspiring to rob her peace of mind. But he hardly needed to ask Eru, for she was the first to speak her mind.
"Demo…Houtarou-kun…I was afraid I would never be able to spend time with you again, much less speak to you," she timidly admitted.
"Doushite?" asked Houtarou curiously. "Why would Chitanda-san go that far?"
"He was afraid that I would be influenced by a man with questionable morals," replied Eru. Being raised in traditional Japanese morals, it seemed Eru's family may have become disconcerted about the young woman being dead ideas about shifty ideas in conflict with Confucian principles. And the possibility that Houtarou may have put Eru in danger, as her father said, was not to be ignored. "Houtarou-kun…otousan was afraid you would let the notion of the ends justifying the means become your overall motto from which to live by," Eru elaborated.
"I don't always live by that motto," Houtarou protested; a protest he made more to protect his personal honor.
"At all?" Eru pressed him further.
"Well…not always," said Houtarou. "Sometimes, if push comes to shove…"
"Houtarou-kun, you can never live that way," Eru admonished the young man with such force that even Houtarou, by instinct, recoiled whenever Eru invaded his personal space. "Every action you do affects the people around you. Your family. Your friends." She backed off this time, straightening herself. "Even…even me. Especially if these things are related to one's moral integrity…"
"Well," said Houtarou. "Demo…I suppose it would have been a little presumptuous on my part to say that you could handle the visit to Hayashi-san. Maybe I was so focused on solving this case…and you were quite insistent on coming along…that I decided to let you come."
"Hai," Eru agreed. She took a deep breath, letting the young man's words sink into her mind. There was no beating around the bush; as far as she knew, what Houtarou said was all true.
"Eru…about Shimizu-san…"
"What about him?" Eru asked curiously, turning around to face the young man.
"The news came," said Houtarou. "His body…or rather, what was left of it…was found in the middle of a railway. He got himself run over?"
"Oh, my!" cried Eru. "But…why did he?"
"I'm not sure," said Houtarou. "At this point, I can only surmise; maybe for him, he failed at what the Yakuza told him to do…and it affected his honor in a bad way…"
"Do you ever wonder why this Shimizu man did it?" Eru asked, as they walked along the reconstructed Choukyuu bridge; the bridge that, during a Hina Doll Festival of Seven years ago, was under construction, forcing a procession into an uneasy situation over a contentious conflict between two clans and two shrines by crossing another bridge. Entering the other side's territory over religiously-based festivals could almost constitute and invasion of land. The Choukyuu bridge was the one under construction during a Hina Doll Festival of seven years ago; and the same bridge that he and Eru had passed that same day of the Festival during their time alone.
Houtarou looked at her. "Iie," he answered simply.
"People despair sometimes, I think," said Eru.
"I thought it had much to do with personal honor," Houtarou surmised.
"You have a point," said Eru. "But if there was no hope of recovering it…if there was no hope you could ever redeem yourself…if there was no hope that you could have a second chance at life…"
Houtarou heaved a sigh. "Hoping seems counterproductive," he asserted. "It is anticipating a future you have no control over."
Eru shook her head, upset about what she perceived a tactless remark. "Houtarou-kun, there's no need for such a disparaging remark," she admonished him. "Are you really so cynical that you can't even look past yourself? Or is it that you feel proud about…how right you are on seeing life as uncertain when some people want to believe in the ideal?"
Houtarou stopped walking. And so did Eru, and she turned around. With Houtarou, her words swam in his mind. Was he so self-absorbed with his own cynical outlook of life that he lost perspective on the lives of those around him? Was it some kind of pride on being right about everybody being wrong, when it came to some people looking to ideals, however too ideal they seemed, that seemed to contradict his own view of life?
She sighed, looking at the setting sun. "You're not the only one who thinks that life is uncertain," she said. "Some of the young people I have encountered…They think they have little hope of realizing an ideal life, because it conflicts with present. Long-held traditions…conflicting with new ideas about how our society should be."
He looked at her, and she shook her head. "I don't know what I'm saying," she lamented.
You probably don't, Houtarou wanted to think about Eru. But her words were not something he could easily forget.
"Eru…have you always been content to live here?" he asked, taking in the view of the landscape.
Eru let the sight of the sleepy land sink into her. "Hai," she said.
"You seem tied to the land," said Houtarou. "In your place…would there not have been any hope of aspiring to what you want to become?"
Eru took Houtarou's arm. "Houtarou-kun…do you remember what I said…nine years ago? I wanted to show you this place…even if the place was not beautiful…or had potential."
"Ano…it's been while," he said. He seemed to be lost in thought.
Houtarou and Eru took a calm walk across the pavement, surrounded the beauty of the sleeping landscape. The sky took the hue of crimson red; the day was over, with the sun setting.
Eru looked downcast as she and Houtarou stopped in the middle of the road.
"Take a look, Oreki-san," she said, beckoning Houtarou to behold all landscape in her view. "This is my place. All that's here are water and soil. The people are growing old and tired. I don't think this place is the most beautiful. I also don't think that this place is full of potential. But…I wanted you to see it, Oreki-san."
"Nine years," Houtarou mused. "You have a pretty sharp memory."
"I have never known anything else," said Eru. "I had already come to an acceptance of my place; my future; when I showed you all this landscape. It was not much…but it was all I had." She turned to him. "Do you remember, Houtarou-kun?"
Houtarou gave the matter some thought. "Sou desu ne," he said. "What about now?"
"My life is ordinary…but…you know, when I think about it…in some ways, it's blessed."
Houtarou felt like saying, Good for you, but he held back. Somehow it felt like something he would desire; if he had no grand ambitions for himself, at least he would go beyond doing what was simply minimal to get by.
"What about you, Houtarou-kun?" Eru asked him. Eru becomes afraid that Houtarou will let himself become influenced completely by a cynical mindset. Somehow she has to become an anchor of hope for the young man.
"Hmm…" Houtarou felt he could not say for sure. "Well…my job at the library…I guess I could say I'm a fortunate man."
"Then you have something that…that you can do in life," said Eru. It seemed a poor choice of words, as if Houtarou's only role in life was to be a research librarian. The girl took Houtarou's hand. "Houtarou-kun," she was about to say. The young man cast her eyes on her. "I…I want you to know…that even in these times…"
"…That there is hope?" asked Houtarou.
"That's…Hai," said Eru, stammering before she made a confident assertion to Houtarou's question.
Houtarou looked down. You're so naïve, he thought about Eru. But yet this seemed to be something that Houtarou desired himself, even if his head was flooded with all sorts of cynical realities that collided with Eru's picture of the ideal.
"I…I want to," he said. "But…what you believe…and what this reality tells us…"
"But what?" Eru retorted, her face now cross, disapproving of Houtarou's attitude about life. In such passionate behavior, she clung hard to his arm. "What have you to lose against that?" she turned back to the bridge. "When you think about it, these moments are all we have. Trying to make the most out of our lives here…that is a form of hope, right?"
Houtarou said nothing. More than that, he seemed to see Eru's point.
"I don't want to spend the rest of my life thinking, wondering about whether I could have used my time better," said Eru.
Houtarou sighed. Maybe Eru's outlook on life was worth considering. He seemed to see something with the potential to inspire him to make the most of his life.
"Speaking of time…well…I was looking into the possibility of teaching," he said. "The history of our culture."
"Really?" asked Eru. She seemed rather happy. "When?"
"I'm not sure, yet," said Houtarou. "There's the certification system I have to go through, but…"
"Houtarou-kun, go for it" Eru urged Houtarou in earnest. "If you've got opportunities in your life to do better…"
"I'll consider it," said Houtarou, but it was mostly said to himself.
But Eru only began to feel downcast. She heard it. When people said something like that to one another, it was generally interpreted as a polite way of saying "No".
She became downcast. "Sou desu ne," she said. "I was hoping you could do what you could do to improve your chance at life."
Houtarou became stunned at Eru's great disappointment for her boyfriend to have higher aspirations. "What? Oh…I didn't mean…I mean…yes, yes, of course I will," he affirmed.
"You will?" asked Eru.
"Hai," said Houtarou. "I will do it."
Eru beamed. So much for a slight misunderstanding, thought Houtarou.
"Besides," said Eru. "If you were a teacher…you could…" She stopped. She almost felt a little awkward to say it. "You could be an advisor to the Classics Club."
Houtarou heaved a sigh. Eru had mentioned that aspiration when he and the former members of the Classics Club were gathered at table in the house of the Chitanda family. That goal, if it still crossed his mind, would take a long time in coming. "If it's still around," he said. If the club was still around. Perhaps the Classics Club would pass into obscurity.
"Well, Houtarou-kun, I would hate to see the Classics Club go away while I'm still here," said Eru. "Maybe…maybe if you could do it as a favor for me…"
"You're not trying to manipulate me, are you?" asked Houtarou, looking at the young woman.
"I was just…well…trying to provide you with a reasonable incentive," said Eru.
"Your reasonable incentive still sounds like conniving manipulation," said Houtarou.
Eru gave Houtarou's sleeve a tug. "Houtarou-kun, you're being cynical again," she said. "One of these days you'll have to learn not to be so…cynical of people."
I'm not sure it can be helped, Houtarou had thought of saying. But he kept his mouth shut. Even in such matters, Eru was still a sensitive woman at heart. And a part of him seemed to grow an attachment for the young, caring woman who walked beside him. Was not such feelings a motivator behind his attempt to solve the poison plot? Maybe there was something about life he wanted to believe, even if he thought his reasoning was telling him otherwise? How much of his reasoning was grounded in reality? Was reality taking too much of a toll on Houtarou's soul? Maybe the ideal was too far to reach, though Eru seemed to be telling him that he should not stop trying to reach for it.
Maybe Houtarou was taking Eru too much for granted that he had not stopped to consider Eru's needs and desires, even if she hardly spoke them to him. Perhaps deep down Eru wanted to spend more time with Houtarou, and Houtarou did not seem to see it. That was when such a thought began to dawn on him.
"Eru…about yesterday…I'm sorry you weren't able to come," said Houtarou.
"Daijoubou," said Eru. "I had to reconcile affairs with Otousan."
"If you want…I can make it up to you," Houtarou offered.
Eru became joyful with anticipation. "You would?" she asked. "You know…I was about to ask you the same thing."
"Thing is, though, I don't seem to have a preference," said Houtarou.
"Well," said Eru. "How about the Golden Time Café? It's got some American-brand cuisine. And…it's the same place where Maya-chan worked when she was at university."
Houtarou had a curious look. The restaurant she suggested was the same one he visited with Satoshi and Mayaka. "Ibara-san worked here?" he asked.
"Hai," said Eru. "This was the place where I was hoping to join you and Maya-chan and Fukube-san, but was unable to do so." She took a breath. "It is also the place…where she rejected Fukube-san…"
"Ibara-san said so," said Houtarou. "I just never bothered to inquire; maybe the circumstances were too…sensitive…for Ibara-san. Demo…Satoshi and Ibara-san are still acquainted with each other."
"True," said Eru. "But even then…Maya-chan was still attached to Fukube-san. She wanted to reconcile with him. Of course…he was obliging…as usual."
"That's why Ibara-san suggested another restaurant…initially" said Houtarou. "Too many painful memories…at least for her. Until I decided to settle the matter by sticking to the Golden Time Café."
Golden Time Café…
It was the same restaurant that Houtarou and Satoshi and Mayaka had spent the rest of yesterday's victorious day. A pretty waitress in a maid outfit had ushered Houtarou and Eru to a favorable location near the window overlooking the bustling, busy street at the close of dusk. Houtarou recalled that this waitress was the same one he had seen yesterday, but he decided to dismiss that little detail as relatively unimportant. But the time of day was almost the same as that of yesterday that he could feel a sense of déjà vu.
"I shall take your orders, then," said the pretty waitress with long flowing hair reaching to her shoulders, after she provided a glass of water to the young man and the young woman.
"Ano…I'm hardly particular," said Eru. In truth she was more interested more in spending time together with Houtarou than with the meal. "But…I'll have some onigiri with a bowl of soba and vegetables."
Houtarou could tell that was the case, somehow, so Houtarou decided to help Eru. "One small vegetable, and a plate of grilled chicken tender strips," Houtarou said, after browsing through the menu.
"Of course," said the waitress, listing the orders. "Will that be all for you?"
Eru nodded, as did Houtarou, and the waitress left.
"Eru," said Houtarou. "I…"
He stopped.
"Perhaps," said Houtarou. "Maybe deep down, you want to spend more time with me. Am I right?"
Eru made a bashful nod; a feeling reflected in her painfully shy face.
Houtarou reclined back on his restaurant seat, thinking of something productive and meaningful to do to pass the time. "Ano…Eru…we should think of something to do to pass the time," he said.
"Ano...hai…" she said. "You know…" she continued, before looking down at the table, thinking that what she was about to say would be a little embarrassing, she said, "I think I'm becoming more drawn to you."
Houtarou remained where he was, making no remark, or expression on his face, so Eru could tell, as she had already looked up.
"I heard," said Houtarou.
"Hai…" Eru said, breathing so hard to control herself, her face reddened.
"You seem to have the urge to wrap your arms around me," said Houtarou.
Eru's face blushed even more. "Ano…that's not what I quite meant…" she stammered.
"You totally meant it," said Houtarou, serious this time.
Eru took a deep breath. "You know…Houtarou-kun…we should take a piece of paper and write down the characteristics that are drawing us to each other," she said.
"Which include all of our flaws?" asked Houtarou. He could recall one; her tendency to invade his personal space whenever she got too excited about something.
"Hai…" said Eru. "We are both overcome with so much emotion…me especially…we need to make our feelings more…concrete."
Houtarou widened his eyes. "That might be a little embarrassing for me," he declared.
"Just try it," Eru insisted.
Houtarou figured that if he didn't do as Eru told him, she would start invading his personal space again, much to his annoyance. Frankly, it was better to do that before the fare arrived, rather than after, for both Houtarou and Eru were not distracted completely by the food. The young man looked around the table. "I don't see any stationary," he said. "But…I have a small pocket book."
"That will do," said Eru quickly. Houtarou tore off one page and gave it to Eru. And he even let Eru borrow his pen.
"And…I have a pen." She got out her purse and picked up an ink pen. "I'll start first," said Eru. Houtarou handed the paper mat to Eru.
Then she wrote things, beginning with Houtarou's good qualities, such as his "willingness to put up with me" before ending with his awful ones; particularly his tendency toward what she thought was "obsessive energy hoarding", though she hoped she would never have to write that part down, and even she refrained from using the word "selfish".
When she was done, she handed the pen back to Houtarou, who also wrote things. Houtarou had proven to be the opposite of Eru, who started with her annoying qualities, such as her invasion of personal space, before settling down to the good qualities, which included her pretty face and her cute demeanor.
They showed notes to each other, before Eru burst into embarrassed laughter, and Houtarou regarded the whole thing as amusing.
END OF EPISODE
NOTES:
Golden Time Café – The idea to name this café entered my mind after recalling the title of a romance anime series "Golden Time".
Vocabulary Translations from the Japanese Language:
Hai - Yes
Iie - No
Ano... - Umm... (Filler Word)