Page 24 of The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop

‘By the way, I forgot to mention something earlier. Apparently, there’s a theory that humans are also neotenous.

You know how we have relatively less body hair and bigger heads?

These are typical traits of juvenile mammals, you see.

And that got me thinking. If that theory is true, then the people who have chosen to live their entire lives as children must be the ones who started playing around with words.

They’re the ones who created a distinction between adults and children, and invented such a term as “neoteny”, and began diligently analysing themselves as well as other creatures.

And that made me go, “How funny is that? It’s like one massive comedy, right?

Or maybe it’s a bad joke.” But yeah … that’s all, really. ’

As she listened to Shiho in a daze, Kaho was also thinking to herself.

Eventually, I will forget about the boy who never got the chance to grow up.

While I may never forget him completely, I will find a place for him somewhere deep inside my heart and keep him locked away.

But my sister will not; Shiho will forbid herself to forget.

She will forever resent the passing of time as she and Shoma grow further and further apart in age.

It’s all equally tragic, Kaho thought. For me, for Shiho, and most of all for him.

The whole way home, Kaho couldn’t get these thoughts out of her mind. The surface of the river was scattered with cherry blossoms. A school of small fish – different from the carps – glimmered in the sunlight.

As soon as they walked through the door with a ‘ Tadaima ’, they heard the sound of their mother’s slippers flapping against the floor as she came running towards them.

Instead of greeting them with ‘ Okaerinasai ’, she spread out her arms and exclaimed, ‘Ta-da! Isn’t this outfit so cute?

It arrived today. I was so excited, I had to put it on straightaway. ’

Their mother was wearing a different set of clothes from when she saw them off. This time, it was a trouser suit with faint pink stripes over white.

‘Shiho-chan, there’s going to be an induction ceremony at your university as well, right? I’m thinking of wearing this. What do you think?’

‘Yeah, why not?’

Taken aback by her sister’s cool response, Kaho gave her profile an icy glare.

Shiho continued, ‘But Dad mentioned to me that he would come to my ceremony, and send you to Kaho’s. The dates are so close together, he said it’ll be tricky for both of you to attend both ceremonies.’

What? Where did that come from? Flustered, Kaho began to say, ‘Is that for real?’ But her mother interrupted.

‘Really? He hasn’t told me any of this!’ she said.

‘He said that he didn’t really have a choice because “Tae-chan might not be able to get back here safely from Tokyo on her own.” I think he has a point, to be honest.’

‘But you’ll be with me, Shiho-chan. So I’ll be fine.’

‘I don’t think you’ve thought that plan through.’

Their mother considered this for some time. Then, she eventually said, ‘Oh, I see. I’ll be on my own on the way back, won’t I?’ Nodding triumphantly, Shiho proceeded to make the most outrageous remark.

‘Also, Kaho is going to make you a grandmother soon, so you might want to start preparing yourself. Your outfits are a bit much, to be honest.’

‘Huh? Shiho, what the?—’

‘ Ohh? Kaho-chan, do you have a special man in your life, then? You don’t tell me anything.’

Their mother puffed out her cheeks and puckered her lips sulkily.

I guess that Tae-chan … Mum will probably never change, Kaho thought silently. And she gets to be the way she is because Dad takes care of her so wholeheartedly. I wonder if a day would come when my heart would fill with this kind of overwhelming, almost painful warmth for someone.

Kaho looked at her sister out of the corner of her eye. Her sister, who had passed through such emotions much too young, long before Kaho realised it. All of a sudden, she felt a deep affection for her. The intense emotion that welled up from within her strangely carried a trace of nostalgia.

Catching Kaho’s gaze, her sister raised her eyebrows (‘What?’), to which Kaho responded with just her head (‘Nothing.’).

Then, putting on the cutest voice she could muster, she said, ‘What’s for lunch, Tae-chan? I’m so hungry.’

‘Omelette rice topped with hamburger steak. I went all out today.’

It was then that Kaho noticed her mother was wearing disposable gloves.

The sisters made their way to the bathroom to wash their hands.

Next to the bathtub, the white lily dress they’d seen that morning had been left to soak in the washbasin.

It appeared to be an attempt to remove a stain – there was a ketchup mark on the chest of the dress.

Peering over her shoulder, Shiho said, ‘She’s quite organised when it comes to these things, isn’t she? She does it straightaway.’

‘She’s just obsessed with her clothes,’ Kaho snorted.

‘But maybe it’s a quality worth emulating.’

‘I’d rather learn to cook from her. But wait?—’

‘What?’

‘Did she get changed with her gloves on?’

‘I guess so. She must have forgotten to take them off.’

‘See? That is not a quality I wish to emulate. That outfit is brand new, right? She must have bits of raw mince stuck to it.’

‘Maybe it’s okay-ish because the pink will camouflage it? Kind of?’

After that, the three of them had lunch together.

The demi-glace sauce poured over the omelette rice was a little on the rich side, just how her sister liked it.

Their mother, who was sitting opposite them, eventually asked, ‘What would you like for dinner, Shiho-chan?’ For a moment, Kaho wondered why she was being left out, but soon realised that her sister wouldn’t be eating their mother’s cooking for much longer.

Mum must be conscious of how many more times she’d have the chance to cook for her, Kaho thought.

* * *

That afternoon, Kaho spent some time alone in her room.

‘It is only the gay and innocent and heartless who can fly.’

Just as she lay down on her bed, the girl’s voice resonated through her.

I wonder if we can still fly.

If so, is that a good thing?

As her thoughts wandered, Kaho dozed off for a little while. It was a dreamless sleep.

After dinner, Kaho knocked on her sister’s door again. When it opened, the room looked even barer than the night before, but it somehow felt a little warmer.

‘I think you should keep this, Shiho.’

As Kaho said so, she tentatively held out Peter Pan and Wendy . Glancing down at the book, Shiho touched her glasses with her fingertip.

‘No, thanks. You keep it. It’ll look out of place in a medical student’s room.’

Kaho was tempted to argue back, but thought better of it.

‘Fine. Can I put it in your room after you’ve moved out, then?’

‘I suppose so?—’

Shiho told her that she could put it on the bookshelf on her desk after she’d left. Kaho nodded and said that she would.

‘So, is that all? Or was there something else you wanted to say?’ her sister said as she lowered herself back into her desk chair.

Shiho’s tone suggested that she was happy for Kaho to leave her room now, and so Kaho defiantly plonked herself down on the floor.

She placed the book beside her. Since her sister had asked, Kaho began to speak the words that popped into her head, but now, she started to wonder if this was, in fact, why she had knocked on her door in the first place.

‘After you leave, we may never sleep under the same roof again?—’

‘Actually, I plan on coming home for all the big holidays as well as during my breaks, so that definitely won’t happen. Unless of course, you plan on eloping with the imaginary father of your imaginary child. I guess it also depends on how busy I’ll be with my studies, but…’

‘You’re missing the point. What I’m trying to say, is that … well, I thought that maybe we should like … hug? You know, to mark the occasion or something.’

‘A hug? Now? You and me?’

‘Come on, just this once.’

‘If you insist. It’s the request of my precious little sister, after all. I’ll do it, for you.’

But then, Shiho crossed her arms on her chest.

‘If we’re going to do this, let’s make a bet,’ she continued.

‘What?’

‘I would say chances are very slim – not even one in a million – but if one of us starts to cry, then that person loses.’

‘I’m in. What are we betting?’

‘How about something like, even if your ice-cream goes missing, you have to turn a blind eye?’

‘What about taking a photo in one of Tae-chan’s fanciest outfits? That’s a consequence you’d want to avoid.’

‘But if Tae-chan found out, she’d make us both get dressed up.’

‘True. Let’s go with the ice-cream, then.’

Shiho got out of her chair and sat across Kaho.

‘Ready?’

‘Let’s go.’

In similar motions, they both spread their arms wide and wrapped them around each other’s backs in a tight embrace. For a while, they stayed that way in silence. It was Kaho who spoke first.

‘Take care, okay? Don’t forget to eat properly. And you know that you can message me anytime, right?’

‘Thanks. You take care of yourself, too. Oh, and please look after Tae-chan and Dad.’

‘Okay. Hey, Big Sis?—’

Kaho choked on her words. Her sister gently patted her back.

‘I haven’t even told Dad yet, but as soon as I get my medical licence, I plan on going straight to America to study.’

Well, well. My big sister is still determined to fly, after all.

Suddenly, Kaho felt the urge to laugh. When she did, tears began to spill from her eyes.

There was a gentle push on her shoulders before her sister’s face appeared right in front of hers.

Shiho reached her hand out and gently wiped her tears away.

‘Well, I will be claiming that H?agen-Dazs tomorrow. That was the deal.’

As Shiho spoke triumphantly, she, too, had a damp glimmer at the corner of her eyes. But for once, Kaho pretended not to notice. She figured that it would make the perfect parting gift.