Page 23 of The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop

‘So I’ve been thinking about it, about what the doctor said. I … don’t think I’ll be able to live much longer.’

‘Stop it. We don’t know that, right? I’m sure you’ll get better.’

‘Yeah… The thing is, I want to tell Kaho-chan that I like her. Before it’s too late. But I wonder if that would put a burden on her. What do you think, Shiho-chan?’

Kaho felt Shiho’s chest tighten painfully as his words tore through her heart.

What’s happening? she wondered, but the answer came to her immediately.

That was how deeply her sister had loved him.

But since when? Could it be that she already had feelings for him when she played Wendy?

As such questions ran through Kaho’s mind, she heard the voice of young Shiho.

‘Okay, then. I’ll help you. Let’s make sure you don’t have any regrets, shall we? In fact, this is exactly the reason I asked Mum to bring along Kaho today. So let’s do this – you tell her how you feel.’

When she finished speaking, Shiho laid her hand over his.

Shiho then went out to get her mother and young Kaho.

Pushing only Kaho into the room, she took her mother’s hand and guided her away.

So this is why I ended up alone with Shoma-kun in that room – as Kaho recalled this, the young Shiho, who had led her mother to the vending machines at the end of the corridor, stopped walking.

Then, telling her mother to wait there, she turned on her heel.

‘Wait – Shiho-chan?’

Her mother tried to follow her. And without meaning to, Kaho let the words ‘It’s fine, Tae-chan’ slip from her mouth. The voice came out of the young Shiho. Kaho assumed that this was because Shiho’s mind was no longer present.

‘Huh? Shiho-chan, did you just call me “Tae-chan”?’

Leaving behind her flustered mother, she hurried back towards the hospital room. The young Shiho desperately wanted to know the outcome of the boy’s confession – Kaho could feel it so intensely, it was almost painful.

But when she finally peeked into the room, she quickly pulled her head back. Although she couldn’t be sure, it felt like she had accidentally met Shoma’s eyes. Pressing herself against the wall in the corridor, she listened as Shoma continued to speak.

‘Well, I guess I like you and Shiho-chan equally. If I could, I would marry you both.’

Now Kaho understood. Shoma had known that Shiho was listening. That was why he had pretended like he couldn’t choose between them. And her sister regretted making him say such a thing.

Why did I have to go back?

The sound of Shiho’s pounding heart boomed through her, and Kaho could feel every beat as if it were her own.

At that moment, the world around her suddenly jolted. A great force gripped Kaho, and almost instantly pulled her back to the shop, where she found herself sitting across from Shiho.

At first, it felt incredibly awkward to meet her eyes, and Shiho seemed to feel the same way. They each looked around in search of something to focus on, their gazes eventually synchronising on the cat on the table. The cat, opening just one eye, gave a small cry.

Shiho kept her face turned away from Kaho as she finally broke the silence.

‘I’m sure you know by now, but that day, I was standing outside the room – I had gone back. And that’s why Shoma couldn’t tell you that he liked you the best. Maybe he realised how I felt about him. I’ve always wanted to apologise to you about that.’

‘None of that is your fault, Shiho. I’m the one who should apologise.’

‘But for what?’

‘I had no idea how you felt about him. And you heard me, right? I told Shoma-kun that he was still a kid, that he couldn’t be an adult. If I hadn’t said something like that, then maybe he could have grown up?—’

‘What? That’s ridiculous. You’re overthinking it.’

‘I know that. But still?—’

‘Is that what you’ve been thinking all this time?’

‘I suppose so…’

‘I wish you had told me … but I guess you couldn’t, especially not to me.’

‘No, not really.’

‘Yeah…’

‘But you must feel a little bit better now,’ a voice interrupted.

It was the girl in the burgundy pinafore dress, suddenly standing right beside them. A satisfied grin had spread across her face.

‘Looks like you two are going to be just fine now. In fact, I don’t think there was anything we needed to worry about in the first place.

Even if we hadn’t been brought together in this way, I’m sure that the thorn in your hearts would have found its way out.

If not, it probably would have dissolved away without you even knowing.

But I suppose we – me, my little companion and this shop – are what you’d call peddlers.

We draw in customers and push miracles onto them. ’

The girl bowed deeply.

‘Now, I believe it is time for you to return to the world you’ve come from.

It’s still chilly in the mornings and evenings.

Please look after yourselves, and take care not to catch a cold as you each embark on your new student lives.

Oh, and I will not be accepting a payment, of course.

But some day, if you happen to remember that this shop was named Sakura, then that would make me very happy indeed. ’

After the girl finished speaking, a beat passed before the soft flop of a book closing echoed from somewhere in the distance.

For a while, the girl kept her eyes fixed on the spot where the twins had been.

‘They’re lovely, aren’t they? They seem to share a deep bond with each other.’

Stretching her arm to the side, she laid her hand on the cat’s head.

‘I’ve got someone like that, too, someone who’s like my other half. Well, you’re also special to me, but in a different way.’

The cat responded by firmly pressing its head against the girl’s hand.

‘That’s right. You know her well, too, don’t you? She means the world to us…’

Now, the calico cat’s eyes were half closed. Unlike her usual self, she purred affectionately.

* * *

Before they knew it, the sisters found themselves sitting on the bench by the riverbank.

Cherry-blossom petals were dancing in the air.

‘Oh,’ they said in unison as they exchanged glances, stretching their arms towards one another.

Both sisters had flower petals all over their hair.

In the end, they shook their heads and brushed the blossoms off themselves. Kaho was the first to ask:

‘How long do you think we were in that shop for?’

‘No idea.’

‘What is that place, anyway?’

Shiho held out her palms and shrugged her shoulders.

Then, she said, ‘Probably exactly as that girl said.’

‘How do you mean?’

‘It’s a bookshop, it’s a coffee shop, and it’s a peddler of miracles.’

‘A peddler?’

‘Yeah. That’s what she said.’

‘But peddlers don’t have shops like that, do they?’

‘ That’s the part that concerns you?’

The sisters looked at each other and laughed wryly. At that moment, Shiho sneezed. Perhaps she had caught a chill in the short time they’d been sleeping? But were they sleeping, though? Remembering the jacket she’d brought with her, Kaho offered it to Shiho, who immediately accepted it.

Slipping her arms through the sleeves, her sister muttered, ‘Let’s just say that we both had a little nap and leave it at that.’

As Kaho sat there, unsure of what to say, Shiho continued, ‘I’m sure we share the same dreams all the time. We’re twins, after all.’

Slightly pouting her lips, Kaho replied, ‘Maybe so.’ But if that were the case, it would mean that they were both ruminating about what happened in the hospital at the exact same time.

How corny is that? she thought, suddenly flushing with embarrassment.

And they both knew well that there was only one person they could rely on in such awkward situations.

‘Tae-chan—’ the sisters said in perfect harmony.

Each syllable was impeccably synchronised, so much so that they were even surprised themselves. ‘Ugh, why are twins like this?’ they said, again almost simultaneously.

‘Anyway, how long do you think she’s going to keep dressing like that?’

‘I doubt she’ll stop anytime soon. Although, her crow’s feet are getting pretty serious.’

‘You should tell her then, Kaho.’

‘I’m not going to tell her that. Maybe she’ll realise if I make her a grandma – have a shotgun marriage or something.’

‘Wait a sec, Kaho – are you seeing someone? Since when?’

‘Obviously not? We’re living under the same roof – you would have known if I was.’

‘Why did you randomly bring up “shotgun marriage”, then? You nearly gave me a heart attack. There’s usually at least a boyfriend in the picture when people start mentioning kids and marriage, you know.

How is it that you think of yourself as a “sensible person” and me a “weirdo”? You really make me laugh.’

She sure does like to hold a grudge, Kaho thought. But instead, she said, ‘Don’t you laugh at me.’

Shiho’s expression turned serious at that moment. Kaho knew that it wasn’t because she was obeying her.

‘If I’m honest, though, I don’t really understand love or being in love anymore.

But I’m pretty sure that what I felt at the time was real.

It came from the deepest part of my heart.

I sincerely wanted to protect him, to be there for him, to save him.

But in the end, I couldn’t do anything, and then he was gone… ’

The emotion, that sense of helplessness that Shiho felt in the hospital corridor came rushing back to Kaho.

‘And that’s the reason a part of me feels like I’m done with all of that.’

‘I mean for now, of course,’ her sister added.

To which Kaho responded, ‘I guess we can’t predict the future.’

Averting her gaze, Shiho looked up at the cherry blossoms. ‘So, if you are interested in this whole getting married and having kids thing, then that’s great news for me – I mean, I’d be so grateful.’

At a loss for a reply, Kaho told her again that no one can predict the future.

‘Time to go home?’

‘Yeah. I’m getting hungry.’

So they agreed, and got to their feet. As they did so, Shiho began to speak.