When he later learned from Kazu and Nagare about the annoying rules that applied when travelling back in time, he was astonished that anyone would want to make the journey. If it is not possible to change the present no matter how hard you try while in the past, then why bother? He became very interested in learning about the people who, even after knowing the rules, decided to go back.
‘…It was rude of me, I know, but I decided to look into the people who have returned to the past here.’
Kiyoshi bowed his head at Nagare, still paused in the entrance to the kitchen, and Kazu, who was standing behind the counter.
‘I found out from my investigation…’ Kiyoshi brought out a small black notebook before continuing, ‘…that over the last thirty years, forty-one people have sat in that chair and travelled back in time. They each had their own reasons for doing so, to meet a lover, a husband, a daughter, and so forth, but of those forty-one people, four returned to the past to meet someone who had died.
‘There were two last year, one seven years ago, and then there was your mother twenty-two years ago… four people.’
Listening to Kiyoshi’s explanation, Nagare’s face seemed to turn blue.
‘How on earth did you learn all that?’ he asked. In contrast with Nagare’s troubled expression, Kazu was staring into space vacantly.
Kiyoshi inhaled slowly.
‘Kinuyo told me all this before she died,’ he said sympathetically, and looked at Kazu.
On hearing his words, she lowered her gaze.
‘The last thing she told me was that she thought of you as her daughter,’ he said.
Kazu closed her eyes slowly.
‘I was very curious. I wondered why there were four people who, despite knowing the rule that you cannot change the present no matter how hard you try, were able to go and meet people who had died.’ Kiyoshi turned the page of his notebook.
‘There was one woman who went back to meet her younger sister, who had died in a road accident. Her name was Yaeko Hirai… I assume you know her, right?’
Only Nagare replied. ‘Yeah.’
Hirai’s family ran an old travellers’ inn in Sendai, and as the eldest child she had been meant to take over. But she didn’t want to, and when she was eighteen, she left to make her own life. Her parents disinherited her. Only her sister stayed in contact. Year after year, she had visited Hirai, trying to persuade her to return home. Then, tragically, she had died in a road accident on the way home from one such visit.
Hirai travelled to the past to meet her sister.
‘After visiting her sister in the past, she immediately returned to the inn and took it over. I wanted to hear her side of the story, so I went to Sendai.’
Seven years had passed. Hirai was now thriving as the manager of the inn.
‘I asked her, “Why did you go and meet your dead sister, even though you knew that the present would not change?” She laughed at my rude and nosy question, and then said this.
‘ “If I had led a sad life as a result of my sister’s death, then it would have been as if her death had caused it. So, I thought I mustn’t allow that to happen. I swore to myself that I would make sure that I was happy. My joy would be the legacy of my sister’s life.”
‘On hearing this, it occurred to me what I had been missing. I had always thought that because my wife had died, I, on my own, should never be happy.’
After he stopped talking, he slowly looked down at the present he was holding in his hands.
‘Your wife is no longer with us, then?’ Nagare asked in a soft voice.
Kiyoshi seemed determined not to let this news dampen the atmosphere.
‘No. But it happened thirty years ago,’ he said, trying to tone down the impact.
On hearing this, Kazu asked, ‘So it was your late wife’s birthday?’
‘Yes,’ he replied and looked over at the centre table. ‘That day, we had arranged to meet here, but I couldn’t make it because of work. Back then, none of us had mobile phones, so she waited until closing time. Then, when she was walking home, she got caught up in a mugging that took place in the neighbourhood.’
When he finished talking, he adjusted his hunting cap so that it fitted snugly on his head.
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I must have sounded rude before…’ said Nagare, bowing his head low. He now felt bad for questioning Kiyoshi’s need to go back to the past just to deliver a gift.
Of course, he wasn’t to know that Kiyoshi’s wife was dead, so it couldn’t be helped. But still, he was chastising himself for acting so rashly.
I jumped to conclusions when I should have listened to the full explanation.
‘Oh, no, no. On the contrary, I should have explained from the beginning. I’m sorry for the confusion,’ Kiyoshi said hurriedly, bowing his head.
‘For these thirty years, I have lived with a constant regret. If only I had kept my promise, my wife would not have died, and everything would have been different. But…’
He paused, and slowly turned his gaze to Kazu.
‘No matter how much I regret it, it won’t bring back the dead.’
Moved by Kiyoshi’s words, Nagare’s eyes widened. He looked at Kazu.
He seemed to want to say something, but he couldn’t find his voice. Kazu was staring into the distance in the direction of the woman in the dress. Kiyoshi looked down lovingly at the box that contained the necklace.
‘And so, I want to give this to my wife while she was alive,’ he said quietly.
Dong… Dong… Dong…
The clock on the wall struck eight times, and the sound reverberated through the cafe.
Kiyoshi stood up.
‘Please allow me to return to that day when my wife was still alive thirty years ago, her last birthday,’ he said, bowing his head deeply.
But Nagare’s expression remained dark.
‘Er, Kiyoshi, there is something you should know…’ he began. It was obviously something he found difficult to say, and he was struggling with how to word it. ‘Um… you see… well, it’s like this…’
Kiyoshi cocked his head to one side, looking at Nagare. It was Kazu who spoke next, with her regular cool expression.
‘Well, due to certain circumstances, it is no longer possible to return to the past under my pouring,’ she stated.
While Nagare clearly found the situation awkward, Kazu spoke matter-of-factly as if announcing that the lunch menu had finished.
‘Oh…’ Kiyoshi appeared to be stunned by the news. ‘Well, if that’s the case,’ he muttered and slowly closed his eyes.
‘Kiyoshi…’
He turned to Nagare, who was beginning to say something.
‘No, no, that’s fine… I sort of sensed that there was some issue when I came in just now,’ he said with a smile. ‘It’s disappointing of course, but it can’t be helped, right?’
He was doing his best not to let his disappointment show, letting his gaze wander around the room for no reason and avoiding eye contact with the others. It would have been reasonable for him to ask why he couldn’t return to the past. But he didn’t. Even if he had, his detective’s instinct, which he had honed over his long career, told him that he would not get an answer, so there was no point in hanging around. He had no wish to waste their time. He nodded politely.
‘…Well, I guess you were just about to close,’ he said, reaching for his zipped portfolio to put away the birthday present.
Just then…
Flap!
The sound of the woman in the dress shutting her novel echoed throughout the room.
‘Oh,’ said Kiyoshi involuntarily.
The woman in the dress rose slowly and started walking towards the toilet without making a sound. The chair was vacant. A person sitting there could travel to the time of their choice. Kiyoshi couldn’t help but be completely preoccupied by the empty chair. But then he remembered. There is no one to pour the coffee.