All she wanted was for Tomoya to forget about this gruesome episode as fast as he could and find himself another girl.
Though it probably was the right thing to do, Tomoya couldn’t bring himself to take even the first step down that road. His feelings for Saori were worth more than that.
It wasn’t yet six by the time he got to Namiki-ya. He assumed the restaurant would be empty, so he got a surprise when he slid open the door. Every single table was occupied.
As Tomoya stood there waiting, Natsumi bustled up from the back. “Oh, hi. Sorry. This group here will be leaving any minute.”
“Excuse us,” said a woman sitting at a table in the middle of the restaurant. Tomoya had met her a few times in the restaurant. It was Maya Miyazawa. She ran the biggest bookshop in the neighborhood. She was tall, quite muscular, and she exuded an air of reliability, like everyone’s dependable big sister.
Maya Miyazawa had a notebook open on the table in front of her. It took Tomoya a minute to realize that all the fifteen or so people in the restaurant were facing her. Then the penny dropped. Of course, it was a preparatory meeting for the annual parade! Maya Miyazawa was in charge of the local team this year.
A couple of people sitting at a four-person table moved up and offered Tomoya a seat. Grateful for their kindness, he sat down.
“Here’s a final checklist,” said Miyazawa, rising to her feet with a notebook in her hand. “Group A should finalize the costumes and the props. Group B are responsible for editing the music and checking the sound equipment. Group C, I want you to coordinate the final rehearsal and check the giant inflatable. That’s everything, I think. Any questions?”
“People keep asking me what the theme of our performance will be this year,” said a young man in a bandanna. “Are we supposed to keep it secret until the big day?”
“Absolutely, you must,” said Maya Miyazawa. “I say the same thing every year: Surprise is a big part of the entertainment. Please remember that. Anything else?”
There was silence. “Okay, then,” said Maya Miyazawa, shutting her notebook. “That’s enough for today. Only a few days until the big day. Let’s do a great job, everyone.”
“Yes, ma’am,” came the cheerful reply, as the whole group started getting to their feet.
Natsumi brought a cold towel to Tomoya. “Sorry for the delay.”
“No problem. Tell me, is it really true? That Hasunuma came here?”
Natsumi’s face clouded over instantly. She gave a curt nod.
“What does the guy think he’s even doing?” chimed in Maya Miyazawa, as she got ready to leave. “I couldn’t believe it when I heard. That man is guilty, plain and simple. And still he shows up here — I mean, what was that all about?”
“He said he wanted us to pay him damages and that he’d keep coming until he got them.”
Tomoya was confused. “Damages?”
“He was like, ‘It’s your fault that I was treated like a common criminal, so I want compensation.’”
“What sort of nonsense is that?” Maya Miyazawa spat out the words. “Is the bastard completely crazy? And what about the police?”
“A detective showed up a few minutes after Hasunuma left here. That probably means they’ve got him under surveillance. He asked us if Hasunuma had caused any trouble.”
“I heard he’s still in the neighborhood,” said the young man in the bandanna.
“Seriously?” Maya Miyazawa’s eyes bulged in their sockets.
“There’s stuff on social media. A friend told me.”
Maya Miyazawa clicked her tongue. “I wonder how long he’s planning to stay here in Kikuno. And do you think he’s serious about that damages thing?”
The young man with the bandanna twisted his neck awkwardly as if to say, Don’t ask me.
Tomoya got to his feet, cleared his throat, and looked across at the young man with the bandanna.
“Did your friend know anything about where Hasunuma’s staying?”
The young man, starting to look a little out of his depth, shook his head. “No, the post he saw didn’t go into that much detail.”
“Natsumi!” someone shouted, before Tomoya could respond. It was Yutaro Namiki. He had emerged from the kitchen. “Natsumi, what are you doing? Have you taken Tomoya’s drink order?”
“Oh... I was just about to...”
“And we’re just about to get really busy. Now’s not the time to go dopey on me. I’m very sorry, Tomoya.” Yutaro Namiki nodded apologetically.
“No worries,” Tomoya said. He sat back down and looked up at Natsumi. “Could I possibly get a beer?”
“Coming up,” said Natsumi, heading for the back of the restaurant.
Maya Miyazawa turned to Yutaro. “If there’s anything we can do to help, Mr. Namiki, you only need to ask. If you want to keep Hasunuma away from here, I’m sure we can figure out a way to make that happen.”
With the merest hint of a smile, Yutaro whispered, “Thank you.”
“Right, we’ll be on our way,” said Maya Miyazawa.
She and her group left the restaurant.
Natsumi brought a tray with a bottle of beer, a glass, and an appetizer to Tomoya’s table. “If you don’t mind?” said Yutaro, sitting down across from Tomoya and pouring his beer for him. “Was it Natsumi who told you that Hasunuma had been here?”
“Yes, earlier today.”
Yutaro clicked his tongue disapprovingly and turned to confront his daughter. “You really shouldn’t bother people when they’re at work.”
“Yes, but—” Natsumi pouted and hung her head.
Yutaro turned back to Tomoya. “We’re all very grateful that you still care about our dear Saori. Still, you’ve got your own life and your own future to worry about. The time’s coming when you will need to move on.”
Tomoya put down the glass of beer he was carrying to his lips.
“Are you telling me to forget about Saori and what happened to her?”
“I don’t expect you’ll ever manage to forget her completely. I just think that holding on to her memory probably won’t be good for you in the long term. As a family, we can never get away from what happened to her. That’s enough victims for one tragedy. We don’t want our problems to bring other people down.”
“Problem? It’s not a problem,” replied Tomoya forcefully. “As Ms. Miyazawa said, I want to support you any way I can. I just can’t understand how that man was released.”
“I appreciate your kind words. As far as I’m concerned, knowing that you feel that way is enough for me. There is one thing I have to say to you. If you do decide to move on and put this whole sad business behind you, I won’t hold it against you. I know you’re not a cold- or hard-hearted man.”
“Put it behind me? What do you mean?”
“Nothing mysterious. Just what I said. Have a nice evening,” said Yutaro. He rose to his feet and headed back into the kitchen.
Tomoya watched him walk away with mixed feelings. He couldn’t understand what Yutaro was trying to say.
There was the clatter as the door slid open. A new customer had arrived. Tomoya looked up. It was Yukawa, though everyone just called him “professor.”
The professor recognized Tomoya and gave him a friendly nod.
Natsumi brought Yukawa a cool towel. “Good evening. Will you have the usual?”
“Yes, the usual. And a beer.”
“Coming up,” replied Natsumi, who went to the back of the restaurant.
As Tomoya ate his dinner by himself, he wondered why Yutaro had said what he said. He couldn’t help but feel there was some deeper meaning to his words.