[CH.46] Returning Home After a Long Time (Part 5)
**TL Notes: So as not to confuse you all, I made a list of the characters that get mentioned in this chapter that you may have forgotten before. Sumire Matsuda: MC Yoko Ando (Yoko-san): Sumire's manager. Nao & Fumika: Sumire's close friend Touka Kimura: Sumire's close friend and classmate in Tokyo. |
I decided to forget Ma-kun's dialogue that sounded like something from a weird male lead in a shoujo manga. The rest of the holiday passed peacefully. Although he's usually calm and gentle, honestly, it didn't suit Ma-kun at all.
I was going to bring a cake for Fumika's visit, but my mother stopped me at the last minute. Apparently, it's not advisable to bring cake to someone who has had surgery on their internal organs, even if they can eat regular hospital food now. I was told to bring something easy to digest, so I bought an assortment of jelly at the station and took that instead.
While keeping an eye on both of them studying, during the break, we ate the jelly I brought and shared lighthearted conversations, laughing together with Fumika. It had been a long time since I had spent such enjoyable and relaxing time. I hope to introduce my best friend from Tokyo, Touka, to these two someday. I think they'd get along well. But as it is, it seems that Fumika and Touka will be attending different schools when they go to junior high. I may also have a busy schedule this year with movie filming, subsequent promotional TV appearances, and all, according to what Yoko-san said.
When I become a sixth-grader and have more flexibility, it might be nice to invite them to my hometown if Touka's family agrees. They helped me right from when I transferred in, and since it's a rural area, there might not be many exciting things for them, but I'd like to show my appreciation somehow. I'll keep an eye on the situation and maybe consult with Yoko-san and Touka themselves.
As I pondered these thoughts, a little dispute erupted between Fumika and her aunt. Suddenly, Fumika's face turned gloomy, and she blurted out to her aunt, who had been smiling at us, saying something like this:
"Mom, I want to live in Tokyo. Without Suu-chan, it's boring, and I want to be together."
"What are you saying? You can't do that," her aunt replied, expressing her exasperation at Fumika's sudden bombshell.
Fumika usually acts pretty quietly, but she can say or do unexpected things at times. She has a certain determination or inner strength, you could say.
As I listened to their back-and-forth of "I want to" and "No way," Nao and I exchanged glances. Oh, but Nao also has a "I want to" expression on her face. These kids are smart, and without explaining the reasons, just saying "No" flat out can stir up resistance. I feel sorry for causing tension between Fumika and her aunt, and I'm thinking I should support her aunt. Fumika is a reasonable child and can be persuaded through conversation, so there's no need to worry that much, I believe.
"Fumika, and Aunt as well, this is a hospital room, after all. Let's settle down a bit, okay?"
When I intervened, both of them remembered they were in a hospital room and fell silent.
"Fumika, you mustn't trouble your aunt. If you want to live in Tokyo, you have to think about where to live and work. It'll be a burden on your aunt and uncle, and it's going to be very tough, plus it'll require money... I'm sure you wouldn't want your aunt and uncle to go through unnecessary hardships, right?"
"But, Suu-chan... You're doing your best in Tokyo, right?"
"The only reason I can manage in Tokyo is all thanks to Ms. Azusa. She's provided me a place to live, and she's supporting me with the money I need to get by."
Thinking about it this way, my journey into the entertainment world began with my sister's wild ambitions, but I've been lucky. I met Director Kanzaki through that audition, and from there, I formed a connection with Ms. Azusa. Furthermore, I made good connections with the people at the dorm, Yoko-san, the staff at the agency, all of it was just plain good luck.
"Suu-chan, thank you."
As I pondered how to convince the silent Fumika, her aunt placed her hand on my shoulder and said those words. Certainly, it would be better to leave this matter in her capable hands.
"Fumika, Suu-chan isn't in Tokyo just for fun. She's there because she has something she wants to do, even if it means being separated from her family. Do you have something you want to do in Tokyo that's worth giving up your stable life, being away from your family, and being on your own?"
"I don't... but I just want to be with Suu-chan."
As I looked into Fumika's tearful eyes, I felt a mix of happiness and guilt. When Aunt was about to give up on convincing her, Nao, who had been silently observing until then, spoke up.
"Fumika, can't you be with me? I can't be with Suu-chan either, and it makes me really sad, but because you've been with me, I could hang in there because we shared the same feelings."
"Nao, you're wrong. I'm really happy that you're here."
Fumika rushed to say, but Nao's sad expression remained unchanged. Perhaps, in my absence, the two of them had deepened their friendship as kindred spirits. However, it seemed like that was being denied, and Nao felt hurt.
"I'm sorry, Nao. I'm sorry for being selfish and breaking our promise even though both of us decided to support Suu-chan."
Nao burst into tears, and Fumika, despite her pain, approached her and gently hugged her. I'm sure they had talked about many things that I didn't know about. While I was delighted that they both adored me just as I adored them, it was painful to see them crying and hugging in front of me. I always wanted Nao and Fumika to be smiling, but I felt like I was taking away their smiles. It made my eyes well up with tears.
In the end, Aunt yielded, and she allowed Fumika to consider attending a school in Tokyo when she entered university. However, it was not an open-ended decision, there was a condition that she must choose a school with a certain level of academic excellence. It was only natural that such conditions were placed since it was an agreement regarding her daughter's education without prior consultation.
By the way, Aunt also informed Nao's aunt about what happened today and promised that if Nao's academic performance met a certain level at the time, they would advocate for her to consider Tokyo for her education. While Aunt apologized for not being able to do more since it was another family's matter, Nao was happily smiling.
What the future holds for the two of them, competing at times and collaborating on their studies, is something we can't know at this moment.
---
"Good morning! I've come to pick you up, Sumire."
On the final day of the long weekend, a little after 9 in the morning, Yoko-san came to pick me up. She mentioned that she had sent all unnecessary belongings to Tokyo through a courier service. Following her lead, I decided to send any luggage other than what I needed for today to be shipped by my mother later. My backpack was only about half full, so I felt considerably lighter compared to when I arrived.
I had considered walking to the station since my luggage had become lighter, but my father brought a car borrowed from a neighbor, so I decided to ride with him. Father took the driver's seat, Mother sat in the passenger seat, and I, along with Yoko-san, got into the rear seats as the car slowly started. By the way, I turned down any farewell parties. It's going to be a busy day from tomorrow, and I didn't want to get emotionally shaken. I want to focus solely on acting for a while, as a minimum courtesy to Director Kanzaki and Ms. Azusa who chose me.
Yesterday, I received lots of energy from Nao and Fumika with many touches at the hospital, so I am fully charged now. While there may still be moments of loneliness just like before, I've realized how much both of them care about me. I believe I can do my best.
"Wait, Sumire. Did you have that bracelet with you?"
"I received it from my childhood friend yesterday. I was surprised too, it was so sudden."
Yoko-san noticed the bracelet peeking out from the cuff of my long-sleeve t-shirt. It's a thin leather one that's originally meant to be wrapped twice, but I have small wrists, and besides, I'm still a child, so wearing one extra loop makes it fit just right.
This bracelet happens to be a gift from Ma-kun. He came over last night and gave it to me quite unexpectedly, so I didn't understand what was going on at first. However, when he told me, "If you ever feel lonely, just look at this. You're not alone, Sumire," I felt touched. Even though he doesn't have a lot of allowance for a middle schooler, it made me really happy that he spent it on me. I didn't want to just accept it, so as a small gesture of gratitude, I handed over a white ribbon I use, saying, "I'll tie it to my music stand. Thank you." I was relieved he didn't seem to think it was unnecessary. But maybe a colored or patterned ribbon might have been better for the music stand because it rusts and gets dirty, but before I could bring that up, Ma-kun had turned on his heels and left, so it stayed as it is.
"Hmm, would a middle school boy just give such an adult-looking bracelet to his childhood friend?"
When I explained the circumstances of receiving it, Yoko-san teased me with a comment like that. I think it's not a good idea to relate everything to romance, I felt like she was tarnishing Ma-kun's genuine concern for me, so I pouted my cheek to show my feelings.
"That slightly clueless side is also one of Sumire's cute qualities, but you're in the fifth grade already. Even if Ma-kun is just an acquaintance and not like that, you should be careful about approaching boys carelessly. It's not just about avoiding scandals, it's also about protecting yourself from physical danger," Yoko-san advised.
I understood what Yoko-san was saying and nodded. Strangely, my parents, who were in the driver's and front passenger seats, also nodded in agreement with Yoko-san's words, leaving me tilting my head.
As we talked, we arrived at a parking lot near the station, and my father smoothly parked in an available space. I told them it was fine until here, but my parents insisted on seeing me off at the ticket gate, so I accepted their offer. Since I was taking the Shinkansen, I went to buy my ticket. As I watched Yoko-san pay the fare and receive a receipt, I suddenly remembered making a few mistakes in my previous life when working part-time at a convenience store. I forgot to put something under the receipt paper when writing on the duplicate copy, ruining a few receipts. In this life, I made a mental note never to make the same mistake again. I'm not sure if I'll work at a convenience store, but I'll make sure to be careful.
At a spot where I wouldn't obstruct people entering the ticket gates, I turned to face my parents, and my mother hugged me tightly. While I only felt a sense of returning to my home base in Tokyo, from my mother's perspective, her daughter was leaving her behind to go far away, which must be a feeling of despair. To ease my mother's worries even a little, I smiled softly, conveying that I would be fine.
When my mother let go, a large hand extended down from above and patted my head. I received a short, encouraging message: "Do your best," and I nodded firmly.
It seemed like my father wasn't particularly interested in the details, as long as I was doing well. This entire long weekend, he hadn't asked much about what I was up to. I had been visiting Fumika at the hospital, and my father had been busy with work, going to the office even on his days off, and spending consecutive days at the pachinko parlor. So, we didn't have much time together, but we watched piano performance videos and communicated, which made me satisfied.
In my previous life, I had heard from my mother that my father didn't like the piano, so it was quite a revelation that he didn't mind well-executed piano performances. Ordinarily, this shouldn't have been a surprise, but I had developed a phobia against the piano due to being subjected to poorly played music. I had wrongly assumed that my father hated all things related to the piano. Now, knowing that he was fine with it as long as the performance was decent, I felt more at ease. I wouldn't have to worry when watching movies that featured the piano either.
When my mother bowed her head along with my father and said, "Ando-san, please take good care of our daughter," Yoko-san responded with a smile, nodding in agreement. These kinds of exchanges were quite embarrassing for me. Alongside a sense of rebellion, I felt that they treasured me, which made me realize that they cherished me. My expression must have been quite complex.
I waved my hand and turned around to bid farewell to my parents as they saw us off. After getting our tickets checked, I waved one more time to my parents, and Yoko-san and I entered the ticket gate. We had our tickets stamped and then turned to face my parents one last time before heading to the platform. I thought that I could come back to this small countryside town whenever I had some free time. With lots of stories to bring back, I would work hard at my job again starting tomorrow.
"By the way, Yoko-san, how did you spend your time after we parted?"
"I went to various places. I had so much fun!"
Yoko-san replied with a sparkling expression to my question and began to tell me in detail about the places she visited and the events that took place during her trip. Her travel stories continued on the Shinkansen, keeping me entertained without a break until we reached Tokyo.
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