Page 31 of The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop

As she did so, she remembered that she was wearing a grey suit. It sort of reminded her of her junior-high-school uniform. Why did I choose this outfit again? she asked herself at the back of her mind. But then the doorbell rang out, and her thought disappeared immediately.

‘I’m back!’ a voice called out from the front door.

‘It’s Daddy!’ Her daughter jolted and twisted around, apparently forgetting all about the purin . Oh dear , Kozue thought. Can’t she stay still for one second?

‘Your father is here. He’s waiting in the car.’

‘Thanks. Let me double-check that the stove is off. Oh, and I’ll lock up, too, so could you take Sakura with you? I’ll be right there.’

‘Sure.’

Sakura would soon be starting elementary school, and it was Kozue’s father’s idea to plant a cherry tree to commemorate the occasion.

It appeared that when it came to his granddaughter, author Kazuhiko Tonami’s generosity knew no bounds.

Kozue learned that every year, in early March, an event was held in the city for the purpose of planting cherry trees, and so they decided to participate.

A few relatives who were available, as well as some other guests from Tokyo were also due to attend.

Her father’s guests were people from the publishing world, and among them was the artist who created the illustrations for his book.

She was apparently stopping by as she had an errand to run in the city.

Although Kozue was excited to meet her, she felt bad that a busy artist was going to be making time for them.

Still, Kozue concluded that her father’s good reputation had earned her kindness.

Fortunately, it was a sunny day, but this being early spring, the air outside was still chilly.

Once the sun went down, the temperature would plummet.

As Kozue sat in the passenger seat, she wondered if the visitors from Tokyo would know to dress warmly.

From the seats at the back, she could hear her daughter asking her grandfather for new crayons.

‘Don’t spoil her too much,’ Kozue intervened.

Glancing at the rear-view mirror, Kozue saw her daughter puffing out her cheeks.

In that moment, Kozue thought: Ah, how lucky am I?

They arrived at the venue an hour before the ceremony was set to start.

The trees that had been planted in the previous years stood in neat rows, but their buds had not begun to swell yet.

Kozue had wondered if they’d arrived too early, but soon enough, she was greeting guest after guest as they continued to trickle in.

After a short while, her father introduced her to the artist.

‘This is Ms Mio Kisanuki. She created such wonderful illustrations for the book.’

Kozue bowed her head.

‘Nice to meet you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us. I am his daughter, Kozue. My surname is Shimaoka as I’m married now. I’ve always wanted to thank you in person, so I’m very happy to be able to finally meet you today.’

‘Oh, not at all. It’s your father’s work that is wonderful.’

Kozue learned that Kisanuki-sensei had started contributing to manga magazines while at university, and that she’d been publishing a manga series for a long time.

Just when she’d begun thinking about branching out to other types of work, she was invited to produce the artwork for the book.

She explained that the book opened more doors for her, leading to more opportunities in cover art.

‘So, I’m the one who needs to say thank you.’

The purple shawl draped over her shoulders looked quite warm.

Just as a wave of relief washed over Kozue, someone called out to her father.

Excusing himself, he stepped away. Looking around, Kozue saw her husband holding their daughter’s hand – but really, it was she who was leading him as she ran around in an open space.

Kozue found herself alone with Mio Kisanuki. There were people around them, but no one seemed to be paying attention to them. It was now or never, but even before this thought occurred to Kozue, the words were already tumbling out of her mouth.

‘There’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for a long time. How were you able to illustrate the shop so accurately? And the girl and the cat as well. The clothes, and even the pattern on the cat?—’

Kisanuki-sensei’s eyes widened in surprise, then, after slightly puckering her lips, she replied, ‘You make it sound as though you’ve been to that place before.’

Her intense gaze made Kozue hesitate for a second. But she figured that there was no point in being dishonest.

‘I think I’ve been there, just once. It was a very long time ago.’

As she spoke the words, Kozue momentarily wondered if this was true. Was it really that long ago? When I fell asleep on the sofa earlier after reading my father’s book, it felt like I’d been dreaming for a long time. Could that be because ? —

But such thoughts were wiped from her mind as soon as Mio Kisanuki spoke her next words.

‘I’ve been there once before, too. Just after my mother passed away. That’s why I knew.’

It was Kozue’s turn to be wide-eyed. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. In that instant, her legs suddenly jolted. Her daughter had jumped into her.

‘Found you, Mummy.’

I don’t remember taking part in a game of hide-and-seek. But before that thought fully formed in Kozue’s head, Mio Kisanuki spoke.

‘Your daughter?’

‘Yes, her name is Sakura. Sa-ku-ra in hiragana characters.’

‘I see. That’s a lovely name, isn’t it?’ The artist smiled at Kozue’s daughter.

Then, bowing her head, she said ‘See you,’ before turning on her heel and walking away.

It seemed that she was going to join Kozue’s father and the people from his publisher.

Kozue’s daughter was still clinging onto her legs.

‘Hey, Sakura, it’s your big day – you’re the main protagonist today. Don’t fall and cry or anything, okay?’

‘I won’t!’

‘You sure?’

As she exchanged such words with her daughter, Kozue wondered if her mother had spoken to her like this when she was little.

Then, placing her hand on her daughter’s head, she looked up at the sky.

One day , she thought, when these new cherries mature into a row of wondrous blossoms, I hope that Mum and Kobako will look down at them, from wherever they are.

The sun poured over them. Despite the chill in the breeze, the light that enveloped them felt like the warmth of life itself.