4
Behind the counter, the freshly piped Mont Blancs Sakuta had ordered were being carefully placed in a takeout box.
He’d settled the tab and was waiting for them to finish when a staff member hesitantly called out, “Um, pardon me, is there an Azusagawa present?”
They were holding a phone in one hand.
“That’s me,” he said, confused. Nervous. What could this be about?
“Someone called the store looking for you,” they said.
This was naturally unprecedented, and they had no idea how to handle this.
“Oh, sorry! I forgot my phone today,” Sakuta explained. The truth would just complicate things, so he came up with a convincing lie and took the phone from them. The small receiver looked like an older cell phone.
“Hello?” he asked.
“Sakuta?”
He placed the voice instantly.
“Mai? What’s up?”
“Sorry. I lost Sara.”
“Huh?”
“I was paying for our souvenirs, and she was gone. I checked the area but couldn’t find her.”
Mai was talking faster than usual.
“Where are you?”
“The dove cookie shop.”
That was on Wakamiya Oji, between here and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. He could be there in ten.
“Then wait right there—I’ll come to you.”
“Sorry!”
“We’ll find her.”
Sakuta hung up. He asked permission, then quickly dialed a number he’d only just learned. Sara’s cell.
No answer on the first call.
Or the second.
The third call picked up just before it went to voice mail.
“……”
She didn’t speak, but he could hear her and the noises around her.
“Himeji? It’s me.”
She hung up before he finished. He heard a gasp.
He gave it one more shot.
“……”
But no matter how long he waited, it didn’t connect. Soon enough, he got the automated “I’m unable to answer the phone right now” message.
It didn’t seem like trying again would change much.
Sakuta thanked the staff member and returned the store phone.
“Sorry,” he said. “I’ll be back for the Mont Blanc later. Can you hold on to it for now?”
“Uh, sure…we can do that, but if you take too long…”
He knew why they were hesitant. These expired awfully quick. While he was in line, he’d worked out that this store was a sister shop to the one Touko had taken him to—so their Mont Blancs were also only good for two hours.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, and he left the shop empty-handed.
Kamakura on Christmas Eve was packed everywhere, even on a big road like Wakamiya Oji. The farther he went, the thicker the crowds got.
He kept an eye out for Sara as he headed to Mai’s location. But with crowds this thick, it was hard to even walk straight, much less find someone.
And he reached his destination without spotting her.
The dove cookie shop boasted striking white walls and old-fashioned curtains over the doors. The building was designed to fuse Kamakura’s style with the modern age. Inscribed in black on the wall was the name of their signature product—it really drew the eye.
Mai spotted him coming and ran over, apologizing again.
“I might have pushed her a bit too hard,” she said, looking suitably chagrined.
“You know where any kimono rental shops are?”
“There’s several on Komachi,” she said, taking out her phone and checking. “Yeah, see?”
She showed him a map with pins in three or four spots.
“I’ll go check those. Mai, you check the dango shops and anywhere that sells pink shell jewelry.”
“Got it.”
“Meet back here when you’re done.”
Mai just nodded, not asking why.
A glance at the map had given him a general idea of where the stores were, and Sakuta checked each in turn. Komachi was packed with stores, and tons of couples and families were in every single one. Sometimes foot traffic slowed to a standstill.
Even when he managed to reach a shop, there was no sign of Sara. Being Christmas Eve, every store had couples lining up to change into kimonos.
He finally found a lead at the third store.
Not many customers arrived solo, so the staff remembered a girl matching Sara’s description. She’d finished changing not five minutes earlier and left the shop.
He’d just missed her.
Sakuta thanked them and rushed back out onto Komachi.
He looked both ways but saw no sign of her. With crowds like this, you could barely see five yards in any direction.
You might even lose a grown-up if you took your eyes off them.
Sakuta headed back, checking each shop as he went.
Mai would probably be doing the same.
His assumption turned out to be correct; when he reached the dove cookie shop, he found her coming from the other direction.
She was shaking her head.
“Any luck on your end?” she asked.
“She did rent a kimono.”
“So she’s still in the area.”
“Probably.”
What other clues did he have? What other thoughts had he heard?
“Mai, do you know a temple with bamboo?”
“Hokokuji?”
“Where is that?”
“It’s a pretty long walk. And we’re carrying stuff. We should drive there.”
She showed him the gift bag, then started walking toward the car.
“Mai, let me,” he said, taking the larger bag from her.
Inside the yellow-and-white paper bag was a larger yellow can with a dove on it.
“Bring that to your family for New Year’s.”
“You aren’t coming?”
“Of course I am. Gotta wish them a happy New Year.”
Without further chatter, they hustled back to the car.
The trip to the car took ten minutes, and so did the drive to the temple. The lot near the entrance was jam-packed.
“That looks full—Sakuta, get out and go ahead on foot.”
Checking there was no one on their tail, he opened the door and jumped out. Already the air felt different. They were far from the bustle of Wakamiya Oji and Komachi Street.
When he kicked a stay pebble along the asphalt, it sounded far too loud.
He hurried through the gates onto the grounds.
Inside, the hush only grew more palpable.
Feeling the quiet weighing on him, he pressed forward, spying the bamboo grove up ahead. It was bright green even in the winter chill, full of life.
That drew the eye upward.
Sunlight was streaming between the bamboo leaves. It made the whole place glimmer and feel like he was looking up from underwater. It was magical, almost as if he’d slipped out of this world.
On a narrow path flanked—and topped—by bamboo, he found someone else also peering upward. She wore a kimono, and coupled with the surroundings, it made for a striking scene.
He almost didn’t recognize her. It took him a moment.
The kimono was white with red flowers. Her hair had been done up to match.
But this was who he’d been looking for.
“Even at Christmas, bamboo’s pretty great,” he said.
It made for an unorthodox Christmas tree.
Sara turned around, hairpins swaying.
“Sakuta-sensei! Why…?”
“If you want me to find you, you really should’ve picked an easier location.”
If he hadn’t cheated, he probably wouldn’t have pulled it off. Finding her would’ve been impossible.
He took a few steps toward her.
“Don’t…!”
Three steps out, a wave of panic hit her, and she turned to run.
“Dressed like that…”
Before he could finish, her hem caught on the stone path, and she went down on hands and knees, like a little kid.
“Ow…”
He was with her in a second.
“You okay there?” he asked, helping her up.
“……I got the kimono dirty.”
She brushed off the knees, not brightening up at all.
“I’m asking about you.”
Sara had hit the ground hard, and her hands were definitely red. Fortunately, the scrape wasn’t bad enough to draw blood. He helped brush the dirt off.
“Why…?”
This was likely a very different “why” from the first one.
“My student gets lost, I’m gonna try and find her.”
Conscious of the difference, he chose to answer the first question.
“I don’t mean…”
Why wasn’t he mad at her for vanishing?
Why didn’t he demand an explanation?
That was what Sara’s second “why” meant.
But Sakuta didn’t see the point in discussing that. Knowing the answer wouldn’t salvage the situation for her. Instead, he said what he had to say.
“We need to come up with a plan.”
“For what…?”
Sara definitely wasn’t following his line of thought.
“Himeji, you need a good excuse to head-butt Touko Kirishima.”
That was the actual goal here. But her face fell.
“I said it didn’t have to be the head…,” she murmured, avoiding his gaze. She didn’t sound too confident.
“Then why’d you hit me there?”
He and Sara had bumped heads once, before she became his student.
“That’s when you started reading my mind, right?”
“I didn’t mean to hit you that hard! I can’t believe you even remembered it.”
“You’ve got a pretty hard head. Definitely memorable.”
“That’s the last thing I wanna hear…”
Sara’s voice shrank away.
“Okay, how’s this for a plan? I open the Mont Blanc box and hold it out to Touko Kirishima. While she’s looking inside, you give her the bonk.”
“……Um, Sensei.”
“I leave the head-butt angle up to you.”
“……I can’t.”
“No? Fair enough, let’s think of a plan B.”
A breeze passed through the thicket, rustling the bamboo leaves.
“No, I mean,” she blurted, talking over him, “I can’t do it anymore.”
“……”
“I can’t see anything.”
Her voice was a rasp.
“I can’t hear a word.”
Sara hung her head sorrowfully.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking. I can’t hear Yamada or Yoshiwa or anyone else. That’s what spooked me so bad that I ran off. I’m so sorry…”
“Should we try knocking heads again?”
He held out his forehead, but Sara didn’t perk up. Eyes firmly on the ground, she gently bumped her head against his chest. Like a cat rubbing against him.
“Why…why can’t I hear them anymore…?”
Two, three times she bumped him.
The second was stronger, the third stronger still.
“Why…?!”
Sara herself knew the reason. She’d figured it out as she talked to Mai. How she felt. What it was she really wanted.
Before she could bump him another time, Sakuta put a hand on her forehead, like he was taking her temperature.
“Let go!”
“If you keep hitting your head, you’ll lose all your brain cells.”
“Still…”
“Congrats.”
“Don’t celebrate!” Sara’s voice rose to a squeak.
“Curing Adolescence Syndrome is a good thing,” Sakuta said, in a much more normal tone.
“No it isn’t! How am I supposed to help you now?!”
“Don’t sweat it.”
“I want to help you, Sakuta-sensei! I wanted it to be thanks to me! Now there’s no point in me being here at all!”
“I’m already grateful you chose to become my student.”
“I don’t want to be just a student!!”
Sara wasn’t running from her feelings anymore. She was laying it all out there. And that’s why it hit Sakuta so hard. It felt like a hand clamped around his heart—because his answer was set in stone.
“Honestly, it’s a bit of a relief.”
“……”
“I’m glad I don’t have to use your Adolescence Syndrome.”
He meant every word of that.
It had been bugging him ever since they made those plans.
Sara likely knew that.
And Mai had almost certainly worked it out—which was why she’d joined them.
“So I’m glad you’re cured.”
“Why…?”
“I mean it when I say: thank you.”
“You know what I did with my Adolescence Syndrome! I was spying on everyone! Toying with their emotions—and you know why I was coming after you! How can you just be nice to me?!”
“Well, that’s the kind of person I want to be.”
“You should be mad! Or at least upset! Now I don’t know what to do! You’re not fair, Sakuta-sensei. None of this is.”
“Grown-ups aren’t really fair. Not in my experience.”
“Now you’re acting like I’m a kid! We’re only three years apart!”
“I’m three whole years more grown-up than you, Himeji.”
“……So not fair.”
Sara’s head stayed down, and she sniffed once, like she was fighting back tears.
She did that again and again, her shoulders heaving.
But in time, she settled down.
“Sakuta-sensei,” Sara said, her voice choked up.
“What, not done grumbling about me?”
“I’ll never stop doing that.”
At last, her head lifted. Her eyes still wet with tears, she caught his gaze and held it. There was a determined gleam in her eye.
“I wish I’d been able to fall in love with you properly.”
“Our teaching manual says not to get romantically involved with students.”
“In that case…”
Sara wiped her eyes with her fingers.
Then forced a grin.
“If I get into my first-choice college, I’ll ask you again.”
She was setting up an appointment two years ahead.
This was the same advice Sakuta had given Toranosuke. He hadn’t expected it to come back to haunt him.
“Brilliant idea,” he said.
He had only himself to blame.
“So how long are you gonna snuggle?”
He turned at that voice and found Mai holding her keys and looking cross.
“You have everything, Mai! Let me borrow Sakuta-sensei for a minute. I’m younger—you can afford to indulge me a little.”
Sara was certainly not holding back here.
It seemed like a huge weight had lifted off her shoulders.
“Sakuta belongs to me,” Mai said firmly. She headed back the way she’d come.
But a few steps later, she turned back to Sakuta and Sara.
“You’ve still got to get to the college and find Touko Kirishima, yes?”
“Oh, right. I guess I do.”
That was today’s entire goal.
He no longer had any way of reading her mind, but he still had things he had to know.
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