Page 21 of The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop

Now that they were in junior high, they were each given their own room.

It was Shiho who persuaded their father.

The room they had shared became Kaho’s, and Shiho moved into the adjacent bedroom, which had previously been used as storage space.

On the nights that Kaho checked, Shiho’s light was almost always on, even as Kaho was getting ready for bed.

* * *

For some reason, the river along their school route was always teeming with carp.

And it wasn’t just the dull-coloured ones.

There was also a group of vibrant nishikigoi adorned with patches of red, white and black, and even one in dazzling gold that looked like some kind of ancient lord.

Every so often, someone would toss in breadcrumbs or something similar, and the carp would swarm in from all directions, turning the river into a turmoil of ripples so violent that it almost made Kaho wonder if there might be a volcano erupting at the bottom of the river.

There was a time when the two of them would watch with great interest, but after six years, the novelty had completely worn off.

On this day, however, the surface of the water was blanketed with fallen cherry-blossom petals, and beneath them, spots of red, white and gold swam across the water, creating a scenic view that felt unique to the season.

‘Doesn’t it look like something you see on a hanafuda card?’

‘Maybe. Although I think it would be nicer if the water was clearer.’

Standing on the bridge, the two of them looked down at the carp as they chatted.

‘Seriously, though, I can’t get over the fact that you got into such a good university.’

‘You could have done it too if you really wanted to, Kaho. I mean, we’re mostly made from the same ingredients.’

‘Did you just say ‘‘ingredients’’?’

‘Up until elementary school, we pretty much got the same grades. You got into the same junior high school as me, too.’

‘I couldn’t have done that without your help, though.’

Then Kaho bowed at Shiho and thanked her for looking after her so well. Shiho bowed back, playfully saying that she had looked after her very well indeed.

‘Anyway, that was the hardest I ever worked. You never stopped studying though, even after you passed the entrance exam. You’re so strict with yourself sometimes.’

‘I guess…’ Shiho said. ‘By that time, I was already determined to get into medical school.’

Although Kaho knew this already, this was probably the first time she’d heard it from Shiho herself.

‘And is that because—’ Kaho began to ask, but without meaning to, she stopped in her tracks. Shiho, who was a few steps ahead of her, also paused and turned around to face her.

‘Of course, it was because of what happened to Shoma-kun.’

The sisters found themselves locked in a gaze. Neither of them tried to look away. They couldn’t. A carp suddenly jumped out of the water with a big splash, but they didn’t so much as flinch.

* * *

Why was I left alone with him in that hospital room that day?

Where had Mum and Shiho gone? Kaho had asked herself these questions, over and over again.

But she still didn’t have any answers. All she remembered was that suddenly, it was just the two of them, with him lying on the bed.

It had seemed that he deliberately chose that moment, when Shiho was not there, to confess his feelings for her.

And that had made her heart flutter, just a bit.

But then, he had backtracked, saying that he liked both of them. Kaho had felt a little annoyed by this.

‘But you get along better with Shiho, don’t you?’

The boy’s face was so pale, almost the same colour as the hospital bedlinen.

‘I guess so. I admit I feel more at ease when I’m with Shiho-chan. I’m so nervous right now, my palms are unbelievably sweaty. But I can’t choose.’

Shoma chuckled weakly.

Feeling somewhat proud, Kaho found herself saying, ‘That’s probably because you’re not in love with anyone, not in the true sense.

We’re just kids, after all. And kids will never be adults – not until we grow up.

I’m sure you’ll be able to choose properly when you do, though.

My dad chose my mum, you know. So for now, let’s not think about who we like and stuff. ’

They were Kaho’s honest feelings. Around that time, the girls in her class had started playing around with make-up, and were often chatting excitedly about which classmate or idol they liked.

Kaho had felt a little out of place, and this was part of the reason she had said such things.

If Shoma hadn’t died, then it would have just been one of those trivial moments, the kind that disappears entirely before it has a chance to leave any real impression.

But everything changed on that summer day.

Perhaps Shoma-kun never got to grow up because I treated him like a kid that day. Did my words somehow call fate upon him ? Kaho knew that it was impossible. That she was overthinking it. Even still, she couldn’t suppress the emotions that lingered within her.

Ah. So this is why I invited Shiho out today – because I wanted to pour out these feelings to her . Although Kaho finally understood, she was at a loss for what to do next.

They kept walking along the riverbank, neither of them saying anything .

When did the payphone by the sweet shop disappear?

Remember that greengrocer’s dog that used to sleep in a cardboard box?

That shop is gone now. They should have been chatting away about these things, but the words wouldn’t come.

Soon, they were approaching a row of cherry trees.

As Kaho lifted her head, she was astounded by the sight before her.

Although only for a moment, all her thoughts vanished as she gasped in wonder.

When she finally glanced beside her, she saw that her sister, too, was moved by the scene.

Under the dazzling light, Shiho squinted behind her glasses.

Spotting a bench, the sisters agreed that no Hanami was complete without a picnic and sat down. Shiho placed her tote bag on her knees and produced a bag of chocolates. She handed it to Kaho. They were those high-cocoa-content chocolates that claimed to help with drowsiness.

‘Oh, yeah, I thought I’d give this back to you.’

Shiho pulled out a book from her bag. It was Peter Pan and Wendy .

Then she added, ‘I found it while clearing out my room. And I thought, “Kaho used to like this book.”’

‘Oh? But wasn’t it you who liked it, Shiho? That’s why we kept it in your room, I think.’

‘Seriously?’

‘Well, I vaguely remember talking about it. I think we said that it didn’t really matter which room it was in.’

‘Come to think of it, we were sharing a room back then.’

‘Yeah. We were excited to get the book, but then we were dismayed when we found out how long it was.’

‘Dismayed? Look at you, pulling out the fancy vocabulary.’

‘Hey, don’t be mean.’

Placing both hands on the bench, Kaho arched her body and tilted her head back. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom.

‘But anyway…’ Kaho continued, ‘I guess we’re all grown up now – at least, mature enough to say things like “dismayed”.’

‘Well, yeah. Compared to when we were just starting pre-school or elementary school.’

The sun had climbed much higher than when they left the house that morning. Its rays reflected off the flowers, each of the white petals looking like a sparkling light.

‘What were your lines again, Shiho?’

‘Huh?’

‘Don’t you remember your lines in the school play?’

‘Oh, that . Of course I don’t remember.’

Kaho opened Peter Pan and Wendy , not choosing any particular part of the book. As her eyes wandered over to the text in the middle of the page, she thought: Now would be the time to bring up Shoma-kun . Shiho drew her face closer and peered into the book.

‘“The rock was very small now; soon it would be submerged. Pale rays of light tiptoed across the waters … ”’

Which scene was this again? As Kaho pondered, Shiho tugged on her sleeve.

‘Did you just hear that? I think it’s a cat.’

Huh? Kaho strained her ears as she looked up.

Although she could not hear anything, it seemed that the scenery had shifted in some way.

As she gazed at the path she knew so well, something about it felt slightly off.

Apparently feeling the same way, Shiho stood up and restlessly scanned her surroundings.

‘Hey, look – over by the crossing. Has that building always been there?’

Turning her eyes in the direction Shiho was looking, Kaho saw a traffic light. Right beside it stood an unusually tall weeping cherry tree. Only the tree seemed to stand out from the rest of the scenery.

‘Wait, isn’t that tree kind of weird? I’ve never seen flowers in so many different colours on a single tree – not even on TV.’

Shiho was right. At that moment, Kaho finally heard it, too.

A cat had cried. It was an earnest voice, like it was pleading for something or calling out to them.

The next thing Kaho knew, Shiho had taken her hand and was leading her towards the two-storey wooden building that she hadn’t once seen in the six years she’d walked this path.

As they drew closer, it became apparent that the building was some kind of shop. Written in red and white chalk, the sign read, ‘Sakura’. The sisters exchanged words with just their eyes: We don’t know this shop. No, this was definitely not here before.

‘What should we do?’

‘It feels scary to go in, doesn’t it?’

But before Kaho could reply, Shiho had already pushed the door open.

Standing on her tiptoes, Kaho took a peek at the shop from behind her sister, who had popped her head inside.

The scent of coffee drifted through the air, and music played softly in the background.

It was Boléro by Ravel. She knew this because she had once listened to it during music class.