Visiting The Depths
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The next morning, I woke up to the sound of rain. It was a good thing that we were in an inn rather than camping out somewhere in the woods. Though it would be nice if this storm didn’t last all day…
“I’m going down to breakfast.”
“Okay,” Saya said as she got off her bed and went over to the door. She opened it with a click, then stepped outside into the hallway. “Good luck!”
“Thanks! See you later.”
After saying goodbye to my sister-in-law, who had been staying at our house for some time now, I headed downstairs where there were already quite a few people eating breakfast. There was no one else here from the village except for me, so everyone seemed surprised when they saw me walking around by myself. But I wasn’t planning on staying long anyway; just enough time to eat something before heading back upstairs to get ready.
As I walked along through the hallways toward the dining room, I could hear voices coming from inside. A group of men wearing work clothes stopped talking as soon as I entered and stared at me. They must have thought I was someone important because their faces turned red immediately after noticing me.
I smiled politely as I passed them by.
Once I reached the dining room, I took off my coat and hung it up behind the counter. Then I sat down at a table near the entrance. As I waited for my food to arrive, I looked around the room. Most of the tables were occupied by couples or groups of friends chatting away like nothing was wrong. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.
It’s strange how normal things can feel even though everything is different.
My eyes wandered over to the kitchen door. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of conversation was happening there right now. I imagined that there were probably lots of people sitting around the dinner table, laughing and joking about whatever happened during the day.
And then I wondered if there were any people like me who weren’t able to join in on those conversations. Or maybe they’d find themselves alone, staring at the wall, wishing they could talk to anyone. Maybe they felt lonely… Or perhaps they were scared, wondering whether they should go home again, or stay here and try to make new friends.
I suddenly remembered what had happened yesterday. How I hadn’t been able to tell anyone anything. That I’d kept it all bottled up inside until I finally broke down and cried.
But instead of feeling sorry for myself, I decided to think positively. If I was being honest, I really did want to meet more people. Even if I found myself unable to open up to them, I still wanted to see other people’s smiles and laugh together with them.
That’s why I started thinking about ways to become involved with others. Perhaps I could volunteer to help out at the local orphanage? Or perhaps I could visit the elderly at the nursing home every once in a while. Those kinds of places were always looking for volunteers, so it wouldn’t be hard to find something to do.
Then I noticed that the person standing behind the counter was giving me a funny look. He was holding two plates full of food: one with eggs and bacon, and another with sausages and fried potatoes. I guess he figured that since I was the only customer, I might not mind taking both meals. I thanked him and placed the dishes on the table.
“Is there anything else you need?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No, thank you.”
He nodded and left the kitchen without another word. After a moment, I realized that I hadn’t told him my name yet. So I quickly called out to him.
“Excuse me, sir. My name is Kojou Akatsuki.”
When I introduced myself, his face lit up brightly.
“Ohh, what a coincidence! You’re the hero, aren’t you?!”
“Huh…? Oh yeah, I am…”
A hero? What does he mean by that? Is he talking about the rumors surrounding me? I’ve never heard of such a thing.
“You know, I read about your exploits in the newspaper!”
“Really?! Well, thanks for reading it, I suppose.”
“Don’t mention it! I hope I’ll be seeing you around town!”
I watched as he hurriedly walked away.
What was that all about? Wasn’t he supposed to be working today, too? Why would he come here just to say hi to me?
Just then, I sensed someone watching me. When I turned around, I noticed a man standing behind me. His hair was black and slicked back, and he wore a suit jacket over his white shirt and tie.
“Um, excuse me,” I said.
The man smiled nervously and bowed slightly.
“Pardon me, Miss. Are you related to the owner of this inn?”
“Ah, yes, I’m her younger brother.”
His smile widened. “I apologize for intruding. I believe I may have seen you around town before. Do you happen to live nearby?”
“Yeah, I’m living here with my family. We moved into the house next to yours recently.”
“Ahhh, I see. It seems we are neighbors after all.”
We exchanged pleasantries for a little while longer, but eventually, I got bored and decided to leave. Once I stood up from the bench, however, I saw that the man wasn’t going anywhere. In fact, he didn’t seem to want to move at all.
“Umm, excuse me, sir. Could I trouble you for some change?”
“Change?”
“Yes, I’d like to use your phone to call my mother.”
I handed him a ten-yen coin. The man stared at it blankly.
“Are you sure that’s enough?”
“Well, I don’t know much about phones, but I thought calling would cost about forty yen per minute.”
“Forty… Hmm, well, let’s see…”
He took out a small notebook from his pocket and began writing down numbers.
“This is a payphone, isn’t it?”
“Yes. But I haven’t used it in quite some time, so I’m afraid there might be a problem with the connection.”
“Hm. Then I’ll give you twenty more coins, okay? Please make a long-distance call for me.”
“All right, I will.”
He wrote down another number and gave me the coins. I dialed the number and waited for someone to pick me up. Eventually, the phone rang. A woman answered.
“Hello? This is Mrs. Amano speaking. Who is this?”
“It’s me, Yukina Amano. Can I speak to Mommy?”
She seemed surprised when she heard my voice.
“Yukina? Where did you get this number?”
“From your husband, Mr. Amano.”
“My husband!? No, he doesn’t have any business cards or anything like that. How did you find out his cell phone number!?”
“Uh, well, um… I happened to overhear it somewhere…”
Her tone was suddenly very cold. She must have been really angry.
“Wait, wait, hold on! Just calm down! Don’t you recognize me, Mommy? It’s me, Yukina!”
“Who do you think you’re talking to, young lady?! You better watch yourself!”
“Mommy, please! It’s me, Yukina! There’s no way you could possibly mistake me for anyone else!”
“How dare you! I don’t know who you are, but if you try to pull something on me again—”
“Okay, okay! Calm down already! I swear you’re always yelling at me!”
“That’s because you’re always doing things behind my back! If you ever show your face in front of me again, I won’t hesitate to tell your father!”
“I promise I’ll never bother you again! Now, can I talk to Daddy?”
“Fine, fine. Go ahead.”
After saying goodbye to her, I hung up. The man had been staring intently at the whole conversation, but now he looked even more nervous than before.
“Sorry, I should have given you a warning first,” I apologized.
“No, no, I understand. Thank you for not telling her about me.”
“Oh, uh, yeah… Well, I mean, I wouldn’t have told her anyway,” I added hastily.
“Thank you very much. I appreciate your discretion.”
“Uh, no, it’s nothing. And, umm…”
I hesitated for a moment.
“Is there something wrong, miss…?”
“Huh? Oh, no, it’s nothing.”
A few seconds later, I left the phone booth and headed toward the entrance of the plaza. As I walked through the gate, I started thinking about what just happened. Why would Mrs. Amano have overheard her husband’s phone number? Wasn’t that kind of obvious?
Then I remembered the mysterious man who was sitting behind me. He seemed so familiar, yet I couldn’t place where I knew him from.
***
When I got home, my parents were both waiting for me outside our door. My mom was carrying a big box full of food, while my dad was holding a pair of rollerblades.
“Welcome back, Yukina! Did you have fun today?”
“Yes. Thanks for everything.”
My mom smiled as she set the box down on the table.
“You’re welcome. Let’s eat together tonight. We made plenty for everyone.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
The rest of the day passed quickly, and soon enough it was time for dinner. After we finished eating, my dad asked me to go out with him for a little bit. He wanted to show me his new rollerblades.
“Let’s go, Yukina. Time to put these babies to good use,” he said, taking off his shoes and socks.
“Really? Okay, then let’s go.”
We went into the living room, where my mom was watching TV.
“Can you take care of Yukina for a while, Mom? She needs to practice skating. She hasn’t done it since elementary school, remember?”
“Of course. I’ll keep an eye on her.”
As my dad took off his shirt, I put on my jacket.
“Here, wear this helmet. It protects your head in case you fall.”
“Sure.”
He handed me a black helmet that looked almost identical to mine. I slipped it over my hair and tied the straps around my neck.
“Ready to roll, Yukina?”
“Yeah!”
My dad gave me a push, and I started rolling across the floor.
“Ooh, look at you go!”
My mother clapped her hands excitedly.
“Wow… That’s amazing!”
“Yeah, I’m pretty fast!”
Once I’d gotten used to the feeling of the wheels beneath me, I picked up speed. At first, I kept going straight, but after a couple of minutes, I began to move in circles. When I realized that I could also turn, I tried looping around the furniture.
“This is really cool,” I exclaimed. “It feels like flying!”
“Good job, Yukina! Keep practicing. You’ve got some real talent.”
“Are you sure I haven’t done this before?”
“Hmm… No, I guess not,” my dad admitted. “But you seem to be picking it up pretty quick.”
“Well, I’m glad I can do something right for once.”
“Don’t worry about that. Just focus on having fun.”
“Okay.”
With that, I skated around the living room for another half hour or so. Then, when my legs started to get tired, I decided to call it quits for the night. I rolled slowly toward the exit.
“Bye-bye, Dad. See ya tomorrow!”
“See you then, Yukina. Have fun skating.”
“I will.”
As I slid through the doorway, I heard my mom calling me from inside the house.
“Yukina, wait!”
She sounded panicked.
“What is it, Mom?”
“Did you leave any clothes here?”
“Clothes?”
“Your uniform, Yukina. Please don’t forget it.”
“Oh, sorry. I completely forgot.”
I turned around and went back into the house. Once again, I found myself looking at the closet.
“Mom, I think I left it in my locker.”
“That’s fine. But please return it to my room when you’re done wearing it, okay?”
“No problem.”
After I hung up my jacket, I walked upstairs to my room. The door was closed, which meant my brother must still be asleep. I didn’t want to wake him if I could help it, so I quietly opened the door and peeked inside.
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
My eyes widened as I saw my brother lying there in bed. His face was covered by the blanket, but I thought I recognized him.
“Kazuki…”
“Huh? Who are you?”
“Umm… My name is Yukina. I live next door. Is Kazuya awake?”
“Nope. He’s still sleeping.”
“I see. Well, thanks anyway.”
Then, I ran downstairs and headed back to my own bedroom. I grabbed my backpack, changed into my uniform, and stuffed my dirty clothes into the laundry basket.
“Okay, now I’m ready. Let’s go.”
***
I arrived at school early that morning, and I had just finished putting my books away in my locker when someone tapped me on the shoulder.
“Morning, Yukina.”
“Hi, Koyomi.”
“How did your practice go last night?”
“Pretty well. I’m getting better at turning.”
“You should work on your balance more. And try not to fall down too much.”
“Got it.”
“All right, then. I have to go to class, so I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay… Bye.”
When he left, I zipped up my bag and headed toward the classroom. As usual, I found Koyomi sitting alone in the corner.
“Hey, Koyomi. What’s up?”
“Nothing. Just waiting for class to start.”
“So, what happened with you and Mr. Oomine yesterday?”
“Oh, nothing. We were talking about the school festival, and he asked me to come help out today.”
“Really? Cool! So, who else is helping him?”
“Just me. Actually, I might be working all day long.”
“Ahh, that sucks. I wish I could help, too.”
“Maybe we can ask our teacher for an extension. If we give him plenty of time, he should be able to finish everything without us.”
“Yeah, maybe that’s true.”
We chatted for a while longer, but soon enough it was time for homeroom. After that, I went to my Japanese class.
“Today, we’re going to learn how to say ‘thank you,'” Mrs. Yamada announced. “First, let’s review the words we learned last week. Can anyone tell me what they mean?”
“Thank you very much,” one student answered.
“Right. Now, let’s practice saying them together. Repeat after me.”
The students repeated her instructions, and the class began to chant:
“Thank you very much.”
“Great job! Next, let’s use those same words to thank someone. How would you say, ‘Thank you to your parents?”
“I’d like to thank my mother for cooking dinner every night.”
“And how do you say, ‘Thanks for taking care of me? To your friends?”
“To my best friend, I’d say, ‘Thank you for always being there.'”
“Good answers. All right, let’s move on to some other ways to say ‘thanks.’ First, we’ll practice using these words to express gratitude to people in our lives.”
Mrs. Yamada continued teaching the class until lunchtime. When I got home, I took off my uniform and put it in the laundry basket. Then, I washed my hands at the sink before heading to my room.
“Wow. You look great!”
“Yukina?!”
When I entered my room, I saw my mom standing near the window. She was wearing a pink blouse and blue jeans, and she looked beautiful.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to check on you. Did something happen?”
“Um, no. Why?”
She seemed surprised by my response.
“Well, you look really nice. Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Thanks.”
“Are you sure? Do you need anything?”
For some reason, my mother sounded worried. Maybe she was seeing things that weren’t there.
“No, I’m good. I’m just tired from my practice session.”
“That sounds rough. Well, I’ll leave you alone, then.”
I wanted to tell her that I loved her, but I couldn’t find the right words. Instead, I smiled weakly and turned around. My mom walked out of my room and closed the door behind her.
After she left, I sat quietly for a few minutes. Eventually, I decided to call Yukina over.
“Yukina, come here.”
“Huh? Is something wrong?”
“It’s nothing. Come here.”
“Okay…”
Once she arrived, I told her about what had happened earlier.
“My mom said that I looked pretty, but I don’t think I do.”
“Didn’t you just say that you felt fine?”
“But when she asked if I needed anything, I didn’t know what to say.”
“Don’t worry. It happens to everyone. Every once in a while, even adults get tongue-tied.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Even though they’ve been alive for decades, sometimes their minds still feel young. That’s why they mess up during important moments. Like when someone asks them how old they are or where they live.”
“You make it sound so easy… But I guess I have a lot more growing up to do.”
I sighed, and Yukina giggled.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t laugh at you.”
“No, it’s not your fault. I’m the one who messed up.”
“Then, what did you want to say?”
“I wanted to tell her that I love her. I mean, she takes care of me every single day. And I wouldn’t be here without her.”
“Ahh, I see. So you were trying to thank her for all the hard work she does for you.”
“Exactly. I wish I could show her that I appreciate everything she’s done for me.”
“And that’s why you were stumped.”
“Yeah.”
I explained my feelings to Yukina, and she nodded along with me.
“So, what’s next?”
“Next, I’m gonna try again.”
“All right. Let’s go.”
The End