Strong in the rain
Strong in the wind
Strong against the summer heat and snow.”
“He is healthy and robust.
Free from desire
He never loses his temper.
Nor the quiet smile on his lips
He eats four go of unpolished rice.
Miso and a few vegetables a day.”
“He does not consider himself. In whatever occurs . . . his understanding. Comes from observation and experience
And he never loses sight of things.”
” He lives in a little thatched-roof hut.
In a field in the shadows of a pine tree grove
If there is a sick child in the east
He goes there to nurse the child.
If there’s a tired mother in the west
He goes to her and carries her sheaves.”
“If someone is near death in the south.
He goes and says, “Don’t be afraid.”
“If there are strife and lawsuits in the north. He demands that the people put an end to their pettiness.
He weeps at the time of drought.”
“He plods about at a loss during the cold summer.
Everyone calls him Blockhead.
No one sings his praises.
Or takes him to heart . . .”
“That is the kind of person I want to be. ” She whispered ever so quietly.
Sumire extended her hand out; what a vast sky. Such a vast and far away sky. It’s not something that can be reached by merely extending her hand out.
It’s something she understood well. If it is something that others can reach that easily, then there probably wouldn’t be any more hardships. There would not be any suffering and misfortunes. When that happens, will she finally be able to confront the past she left behind?
‘I’m so happy regardless. I really am. These past few weeks have been like a dream. I thought to myself like this was normal. And maybe I could have said it properly too.’
“I was so very happy, I was…’
As of late, it became painful to bear. Almost suffocating even, she couldn’t breathe whenever she thought about what happened that time a few months ago.
Why did she suddenly remember it? Even though after that night, Aki-san took her away, and she cried for three days straight. Even after that, she didn’t bring it up again. She acted like her usual self…
Perhaps for a little while, she was able to forget about it. After all, so many things happened during the time frame of the month afterwards. For a little bit, she was able to forget this pain. This longing and desire, the desire for a person she can no longer have.
Her thoughts broke of when she hears the door behind her open, and she had been sitting out on the steps outside the bar.
“Sumire? What are you doing out here? It must be cold.” Atushi said, appearing through the doorway.
“I was watching the stars.”
‘I’m also running away from Yuhi, but there is no need for him to know that.’
Atushi joins her. “I see. It’s almost time, huh? ”
“Yes.”
“It’s almost been a year since then.”
Almost a year since when she put on that heartful performance conveying her feelings. To her most important person. “Atushi, do you think I’ll be able to become a true idol?”.
“Hmmm, I wonder about that..you are quite a clumsy person.”
Hey! At that comment, she glared harshly at him.
But he continues. “Let’s admit it, and you’re not exactly the friendliest person in the world when you meet new people. Also, your personality is bad, your rude, harsh, and a violent person. Really when I first heard about it, I was worried. Though you can sing and dance, with all those traits, I wondered if you’d be alright.”
When she heard those words, Sumire could only sigh. ‘I can’t deny such things.’
“Isn’t it difficult traveling back and forth?” She decided to change the topic swiftly.
He shook his head but paused as if something came to mind.
“Well. If you call getting showered by freebies since I became a well-known member and VIP treatment, then I guess you can call it difficult.”
At that comment, she merely rolled her eyes, really what a fool. But quite, some time has passed since the two of them last spoke like this. She wasn’t the only one who had such thoughts.
“Quite some time has passed since we last spoke to each other this way. You’ve been rather busy, and so am I; though we see each other in raids, we don’t have much time to speak with each other properly. ‘ The student council president’ and yet also ‘ Akagaumi’s number two, with that said I’ve also been quite busy eh?”
Sumire smiled softly. “You shouldn’t complain.”
He sighs, ” Iroha-san is quite the handful.”
“Ah, speaking of which Iroha-chan and that person appear to be getting along now? It seems like they tweet to each other often. Though it appears to be quite one-sided, that girl isn’t a person for words. Oh, but you know, during the movie premiere a while ago, she seemed hyped up.”
Lately, she has logged onto her social media again. She saw all the posts and interactions from her friends back home on her feed. The others appear to be doing well, thank goodness.
‘Time has moved forward for them.’
The more she spoke, she noticed a gentle smile appear on Atushi’s face. “Atushi…?”
“I remembered how different you are now, in contrast to how you were before. In middle school, I mean. I was surprised, you know? When I came to Tsukuhara and saw how much you changed. Though I only caught a glimpse of it at first since you moved classes for awhile. You knew everything from advanced maths to being a master of liberal arts subjects.
You amazed me. But those things I always felt you held back anyway, so that wasn’t what surprised me. When I saw you with the guys, it made me think about you more. It was the first time, after all, that I saw you with such a smile on your face. After all, back then, you were looking far into the distance as if you were searching for something. Then again at that time, I – no, I understand you as much as I claimed.”
To think he had such thoughts this entire time. Ever since he came here, he has not said much and silently watched over her. But, Atushi can probably see the changes in her. Everything is changing because of Yuhi.
