Hanasaku Iroha – The Place That Blooms Someday Chapter 1 Primordia 2

Chapter 1: The Winter Days Before The Flower Blossoms

Primordia 2: A Tailwind Once Again

TLed by: TanoshiKara

February 2018, Tokyo—

Three years after Ayato Matsumae's twentieth death anniversary exhibition was held. Ohana, who was still a technical school student at the time, was about to welcome her third spring after finding employment.

"Hold down this corner"

She stuffed the bed sheet between the mattress and the bed frame and held a corner of the bed down.

"Slide the palm of my hand, just like this, gently......"

Smoothing out the creases with her right hand, she pulled the sides of the bed sheet and covered the mattress with it.

"That was the way Tomoe-san taught me, huh......"

An inn and a hotel; They are different businesses, but many of their chores are similar.

While making the bed, Ohana looked back nostalgically on how Tomoe did it, which she recalled all of a sudden, as she gazed at the neat and tidy sheet.

"Well, all that's left is to place the quilt inner and the duvet cover...... There"

After graduating from technical school, Ohana now worked as a part-timer for a hotel in the city center.

She wanted to gain some hands-on experience in preparation for the day that would be upon her; The day when a Tailwind would blow for Kissuisou once again. She wanted to be able to act immediately when the opportunity arose.

She chose to be a part-time worker with the intention of returning to Kissuisou.

'I want to be like Sui Shijima.' The aspiration she had set her mind to fulfilling in the autumn when she was sixteen. Ohana was walking her path in life in order to do that with her own hands, but job hunting in Yunosagi was not on her list of options.

She had decided not to visit Yunosagi until the day a tailwind blew. That was because she felt that the Yunosagi without Kissuisou in business was not the place she should be.

Spreading a bed throw over the bed, she checked the bed again.

"But I wonder when the tailwind would blow. What can I do to cause one?" She murmured despite herself as she fixed the positioning of the pillow, but, as always, she did not know the answer.

As dusk approached the shopping street, the street lights started lighting up one by one.

Thick shadows of buildings, visible from afar, were visible in the cold, clear sky, a mix of the colors crimson, which oozed out from the setting sun, and bluish purple.

"The sunset today is so beautiful...... Gives off a feeling that spring is right around the corner"

The streetlamps in the city flickered, lighting up the shopping street at regular intervals.

"I like this time of the day"

—The lights light up one by one, illuminating my path......

Ohana felt like it would go on all the way into the future, making her excited. 

Raising her head, she swung her hands, which were carrying her shopping bags, and she walked through the shopping street with light steps and hurried home.

An orange light, emitted from a light bulb, was visible through the frosted glass fitted into the door at the entrance. Unlocking the door, Ohana turned the slightly flimsy doorknob, and the door creaked as she opened it.

"I'm hom-......, wait, what......?"

There was no response from Satsuki, who was inside, but there was a pair of beige sheepskin boots lying on the concrete floor.

"Geez, even if you're busy......"

She sighed as she took off her coat.

On top of working as a freelance writer, Satsuki had taken on the role of a contract worker for a major town magazine, making her even busier than before.

Although she was an unofficial employee, she was commuting to the editing department three times a week after rising to the de facto number two position. She even provided guidance to her subordinates, eagerly training the younger members of the editing department. She felt that the job was fulfilling and that she had a massive impact.

Ohana smiled wryly as she placed her shoes side by side, before taking the coat Satsuki had whimsically hung on a hook and hanging it on a hanger.

She then headed for the kitchen.

Perhaps due to the aridness, the floor let out a loud creak, causing Ohana to draw her leg back in a panic. She then stepped on the floorboard with her toes.

"Ohh...... This looks really bad......"

Satsuki had rented this detached house, which was about to reach seventy years of age, from an acquaintance for cheap.

They did talk about mending the house when it got warmer, but it was about time when it would not be strange if something broke.

"Mamaaa"

Responding to the voice, the sliding door to the living room slid open, or so Ohana thought, when Satsuki came out, stretching her body, before collapsing in the hallway.

"Wew!"

"It's doneee!"

Satsuki, who had finished her work, threw her body on the hallway before flipping it around to face Ohana.

"Welcome baaack, Ohana. Sorry, but make me a meal, okay? My stomach's growling and......"

"Alright, alright"

Ohana headed for the kitchen, shopping bags in hand. After washing her hands and rinsing her mouth, she put on a yellow apron. With her hands behind her, she tied the thin strings tightly before taking the ingredients out of the shopping bags with practiced motions.

"What's on today's menu?" Satsuki asked while she rolled around, fiddling with the unlit cigarette using her lips.

"Mama's favorite broccoli," Ohana replied with a straight face, glancing to the side at her mother's slovenly state as she sliced the cabbage into chunks.

"Ugh"

There was the sound of Satsuki getting up from the floor in a panic.

"Just kidding. The actual answer is stir-fried pork with vegetables in oyster sauce"

Using her knife, Ohana pushed the cabbage on the chopping board into the draining basket in the sink before cutting the bell peppers into thin strips.

After Satsuki stood up, relieved. She then placed the cigarette back on the ashtray on the Kotatsu1, before drinking the coffee in her mug that had gone cold.

"Say, Mum, wanna make it miso soup? Or another flavor of soup? I personally recommend the scrambled egg soup though"

"Let's go with that"

Nodding in response to Satsuki's reply, Ohana filled a small pot with water and started boiling it. She then washed the rice before placing it in the rice cooker and pushing the 'Quick Steam' button.

"Well then, there are another thirty minutes until meal time. Prepare the dining table, okay?" Ohana urged Satsuki after she turned around.

Satsuki, who was watching her from the living room, gave a reply as she turned on the TV.

Ohana, who was standing in the kitchen, could hear the announcer reporting the afternoon news. She skilfully made the complex dishes as she hummed to herself.

As she had told Satsuki earlier, steaming hot, freshly cooked dishes were lined up on the Kotatsu after thirty minutes.

"Well, first up, cheers!"

Satsuki, who had finished her work for now and was in a good mood, swiftly opened a can of beer and chugged it down.

"Weeew, I feel refresheddd......"

"Mum sure drinks this merrily, huh. Is it good?"

Satsuki recommended the drink to Ohana, so Ohana brought a low-alcohol Shouchuu Highball can, which Satsuki got from her company some time ago, to her mouth and drank from it little by little.

"Sure seems like I'm living for this. A drink after work's the best!" Satsuki emphasized, the force from her hand, so great that it made a dent in the can.

While Ohana watched as all of this unfolded, she scooped two servings of the stir-fried pork with vegetables in oyster sauce, which was on a huge plate, onto two plates, and placed one of them in front of Satsuki.

"Ah, Mum, put the shoes at the entrance side by side, okay?"

"Okaaay. Mmm, it's delicious, Ohana! It sure goes well with beer...... Ah, another serving"

From what Ohana saw when she got back, Satsuki was working and had probably skipped lunch as well.

"......Well, better than having her being slovenly around men though......" Ohana murmured as she turned her back to Satsuki after standing up.

Satsuki had always led a slovenly lifestyle, but she had been leading a slightly different lifestyle for approximately three years now.

Perhaps it was because she had been unusually busy, but it had been a long time since Satsuki had introduced a boyfriend to Ohana.

"Hmmmm...... Since sleeping with a rolled-up bed sheet is something she has always been doing, did she have change of heart? She looked like she was drunk at that time, though......"

Perhaps it was because Mariko's words, namely ‘your father loved Yunosagi city and your mother deeply,’ were working their magic, but it did not seem like she heard them. However, she might have heard it, but chose to pretend like she did not.

"......No way, right?"

"Say, Mum, during Dad's retrospective exhibition, Mariko-san—"

"Ahhhh!" Satsuki exclaimed, beer in hand, as she rushed back to the living room.

It seems like she reacted to Anjou being shown on the screen.

"Geez, don't shout so suddenly"

As Satsuki was checked-out, she first put the can of beer on the Kotatsu. She then faced the TV before pulling the can closer and pulling its lid.

"He's a fine man on TV, but seeing him in real life sure has a different intensity. Should I have asked to take a picture with him?"

"It's because you were strangely reserved......"

—Ah, did she become reserved after Dad's retrospective exhibition?

Ohana tried to think back to the retrospective exhibition, but perhaps due to the renovation commercial that Anjou was in, she remembered the matter regarding the floor first.

"Ah, come to think of it, the corridor's floor looks like it's about to give way"

"Well, this was built in the seventies after all," Satsuki backchanneled as she continued eating, perhaps losing interest in the TV as the commercial ended.

"Since it's only the two of us and we are using one of the rooms as a storeroom, I don't mind if it's a little—"

"But it's still in good shape, you know? Top of that, we're renting it at a steal, it's spacious, the shopping street's close, so it's convenient, and a detached house for rent's hard to find, you know?" Satsuki explained as she pointed her chopsticks rudely at Ohana.

While listening to her explanation, Ohana decided to ask something she had been curious about for a while.

"......Don't tell me... Are you thinking of having Madam Manager take me in?"

"No way. After all, Enishi is in Yunosagi, and even if that person can't live on her own, she'd probably never think about living with us in Tokyo"

Satsuki laughed it off, and Ohana could feel the tension leaving Satsuki's shoulders.

"I guess that's true......"

If that were to happen—.

It would be a lie to say that Ohana had never thought about that. However, as Satsuki had just said, it was unthinkable for Sui to come to Tokyo.

"Living together, huh......" Satsuki murmured as she gazed at the can of beer after chugging its contents.

"I never thought Ohana would think like that, but that person's already seventy-five years old. As expected, it seems like she stopped working full-time recently; Wonder how long she's gonna keep up with the waitress job"

"......Jinxing for her to retire is......"

Feeling thirsty, Satsuki brought the Chuuhai can to her mouth.

The only impression Ohana had of Sui was her, dignified as she worked away in her kimono.

In reality, although she was no longer the madam manager, she still worked as a waitress.

"She has her pension too, so there should be no need for her to work if she just wants to support herself, you see," Satsuki said as she drank her third can of beer.

Ohana felt like she was being made to realize the reality that she had been averting her eyes from.

A detached house with a tree growing in the small lawn. As it was built in the seventies, she was uneasy about whether they could stay here for a long time when they moved here, but as Satsuki had said, it was still in good shape.

In that regard, Ohana thought that Sui was the same, but from Satsuki's phrasing, it felt like she thought that it was different for humans.

"......I wonder if Madam Manager is well......"

Even so, her belief that Sui is still in good shape was stronger. She had not seen Sui ever since they parted ways, but Sui seemed well when she asked during their occasional calls and letter exchanges.

"You should just pay her a visit if you're that worried"

"Hmm...... But she'd probably say that I should work if I had the time to do that"

Restless as she ate her meal, she held up her can that had become as light as a feather. The low alcohol percentage might have played a part, as it ran out faster than usual.

"Well, she'd probably say that"

Ohana felt that Satsuki's backchanneling sounded distant.

"That's why I've decided that I'll meet with Madam Manager when......I return to Kissuisou......"

Ohana felt that her cheeks were hot; That she was dizzy; That her voice sounded somewhat distant.

"You'll get a cold if you sleep at the Kotatsu, you know, Ohana...... Welp, guess there's no helping it, huh......"

The surface of the Kotatsu touched Ohana's cheek, and it felt pleasant.

As Ohana's eyes closed little by little, Satsuki gently covered Ohana with the short winter coat that she was wearing.

Tackle, thoroughly, all of the household chores that had piled up after eating breakfast as usual; That was what Ohana decided to do on the single weekday rest day she had.

As the weather was good, she washed their beddings, put their Futon out to dry, and wiped the kitchen until it was sparkly clean.

"I like it when it's like this"

As she wrung the cleaning cloth over a bucket of water, she recalled the cleaning she did at Kissuisou.

"Cleaning the wide hallways with all my might using a cleaning cloth—, just like this......"

Putting strength into her hands, which were on the cleaning cloth, she propelled herself forward with her toes.

"Take this......Ack, ow, ow, ow......"

Even though she knew it in her mind, her body worked away with the same vigor it had at that time.

Hitting her head against a pillar, Ohana let out a self-deprecating laugh as she rubbed her chin.

"I knew this would happen......"

"Ohana, the phone's ringing!" Satsuki called out to Ohana as she smiled awkwardly.

"......It's Nakochi! Hello?" Ohana answered cheerfully after seeing the name displayed on the screen of the phone.

Nakochi—Nako, had worked alongside Ohana in Kissuisou, and they do contact each other occasionally.

"It has been a long time. Are you perhaps in Tokyo right now?"

"Uh-uh. I'm not there—"

After Nako was employed at a local cable TV station, she had the opportunity to visit Tokyo once or twice every year for broadcasting industry study sessions, to interview others during local produce exhibitions, and the like.

Nako had promised to contact her whenever an opportunity like that arose.

"Umm, this is a sudden request, but I would like you to introduce me to the actress, Mariko Sakura-san"

"Eh, what's going on?"

"Actually, Yunosagi has had a slight increase in the number of customers in the recent year or two, you see. And it seems like the demographics of the customers are slightly different from those that had visited previously......"

Nako started explaining the recent state of affairs in Yunosagi.

To summarize what she heard: The people who came to sightsee were not only from nearby prefectures, but from various other prefectures as well; They were relatively young, and rather than the couples, the groups of seemingly modern female customers stood out.

"Although the number of customers has increased, it is not on a scale where the town would flourish. That said, it seems like it is not one of a sudden boon but a gradual increase"

Ohana had experienced a similar tailwind before. When Yunosagi was introduced in the magazine, there were a ton of reservations for several days at Kissuisou.

"Does that mean a tailwind is blowing for Yunosagi?" Ohana asked excitedly.

The tailwind that Enishi and Takako spoke of at that time... Does this mean that tailwind is blowing behind Yunosagi once again?

There was a moment of silence from Nako, who was seemingly troubled.

"I still do not know if that is the case...... That is why I rushed up to each of the inn's receptionist areas to enquire, and all of the 'slightly different' customers mentioned things like 'Mariko Sakura's photo......,' and 'On the SNS......,'" Nako then said hesitantly.

—Aren't they......referring to that photo of Dad's!?

"Wait a minute! Lend me your laptop, Mum!"

Ohana jumped into the living room. Wedging herself between Satsuki and her laptop, Ohana snatched it from her.

"H-Hey, I'm finishing up the documents for the editing department meeting, you know......"

"Sorry, but I'm in a hurry!"

Shooting down Satsuki's complaints, Ohana typed the words 'Mariko Sakura Photo Bonbori.'

When she ran a search for those words, the group photo in question, and the blog posts and comments written by people over these past three years lined the results.

"......So Dad's photo has become famous before I had even realized it......" Ohana murmured.

"Yes, looks like it," Nako backchanneled.

"And so, the broadcasting station I am at has decided to film a TV programme about this. We contacted Sakura-san's team to set up an interview with her, but her manager, Iida-san's guard was tight, and we could do nothing about it, or rather...... He had this stance that he would not entertain a request from a rural cable broadcasting station, and he was like an impregnable castle—"

"Ahhhh......"

Ohana felt like she understood the situation. She had recalled that Iida-san was clearly unhappy when everyone was taking a commemorative photo.

"So why did you think I could introduce you?"

"Well, as compared to many of the other people, it was clearly Ohana-chan that was in the photo. You have not changed at all, so I recognized you almost immediately"

"Have not changed at all, you say......"

"It is because you, Ohana-chan, had not changed since we last met, umm, so much so that, if it is among the many other people, you could still pass yourself off as a high schooler. Ah, in a good way, of course, in a good way, okay?"

Salvage her words, Nako desperately tried, which made Ohana smile awkwardly.

"......By those many other people...... Or rather, it would be impossible for me, who is part of those many other people, to introduce you to her," She then said.

"But the person who took the photo for that panel is Ohana-chan's father, right? So Ohana-chan is special among the many other people"

Nako has, in her own way, done her research and is making a gamble on me, who seems promising.

If she went as far as to say that, I should not turn her down without trying, or so Ohana thought as she broke into a smile.

"Coordinator Iwasaki-san, I'll try asking him. But it's a long shot, okay?"

If I get an organizer such as Iwasaki or Seya to ask Oosako, Manager Iida might just change his stance.

"Okay!"

After emphasizing that point, Ohana ended the call.

After hearing Nako's excitement at the possibility of an interview, Ohana felt like she had caught a glimpse of Nako toiling away enthusiastically, which made her overjoyed as well.

"Don't go inconveniencing Iwasaki and the others, okay? They're busy people, after all" Satsuki, who was observing beside her, reminded her as she took her laptop back.

"I know"

"But if the number of customers is increasing ever so slightly due to that photo, then it may turn into a tailwind for Yunosagi. Well, might be more of a breeze, though," Satsuki murmured, resting her chin on her hand as she glanced through the search results.

"......A tailwind......a breeze...... I'm fine with anything. The winds are blowing for Yunosagi right now!"

I want to know more about the current state of affairs in Yunosagi. I want to see it for myself.

"In times like this, I can count on......"

Ohana navigated her phone's menus and called Yuina.

The call was picked up almost immediately.

"Comment allez-vous, Oaana?"

A French-style greeting, one lacking the 'h' sound, and with the 'Na' sound nasalized, could be heard coming from the other end.

"How do you do, Ohana-chan?"

After returning a little while ago from studying abroad......or rather, returned from mainly having fun, and studying abroad at hotels in America and Europe, Yuina had told Ohana that she became the person in charge of Kissuisou's management.

"Does Oaana......mean Ohana......?"

Having experienced studying and having fun abroad, Yuina's unique speech pattern became even weirder.

"Rather than that, listen to this!"

Ohana started explaining the matter she heard from Nako in a short but fervent manner.

At first, Yuina would occasionally interrupt Ohana's explanation, but she was, perhaps, intimidated by Ohana's enthusiasm, as she eventually listened to the very end without interrupting any further.

"Say, what does Yuina-san think about this? Is this a tailwind? Or is this a breeze?"

"There's no mistaking that some sort of wind is blowing, but I'm still not sure if it's a tailwind. ......Hmm, rather, it might turn into a headwind"

"Headwind? Why?"

The unexpected words coming from Yuina made Ohana press her handphone tightly against her ear.

"Hmm. Why, you say...... Many of those slightly different customers were inspired by Mariko Sakura's 'Bonbori and The Beauty' and came to take selfies, right?"

"Ah!" Ohana exclaimed after hearing Yuina's explanation.

What many people were eyeing - the Bonbori Festival - is only held once a year. The Bonbori themselves were put up before the day of the festival, but they were not put up for the entire year. In other words, they would not be able to take the photo if they missed the timing.

"It'd be fine if there are other things, besides what they're eyeing, that would generate buzz, though......"

With a grim expression, Satsuki showed Ohana, who was wincing as she listened to Yuina's murmur, her laptop.

When Ohana took a look at the comments on the blogs, among others shown on the screen, there were, mixed in with an overwhelming number of 'Young Mariko Sakura is cute' and 'How adorable~',  comments which could be considered as the headwind that Yuina mentioned such as 'I went to the location, but there were no Bonborissss,' 'There's nothing but plain old hotsprings,' and 'There were huge birds flying about which was offputting.'

"In the first place, the one in the photo is Mariko Sakura, and the person who took it was a first-rate photographer, so it's adorable. Meaning it's not something that can be easily replicated just by thinking you wanna take it on your own"

"......Thank you very much"

Ohana bowed to Yuina, who was on the other end, overjoyed that she called her father first-rate.

"But those customers who visited because they wanted to see that scenery...... Is there any way to satisfy them?"

"......You mean to put up the Bonboris all year round?" Yuina asked, sounding slightly troubled.

Ohana shook her head when she heard Yuina's question, which was hesitantly strung together.

"Say, Yuina-san, is the Bonbori Festival Yunosagi's only CHARM? Do you really think so?"

Even if we assume that people are visiting for the Bonbori Festival's scenery, Yunosagi has a lot more to offer. I'm happy that some sort of wind is blowing for Yunosagi, but I cannot disagree more with the opinion that the Bonbori Festival is Yunosagi's only charm.

"Si!" Yuina, seemingly feeling the same, replied in an exaggerated foreign accent.

"S-Sui?"

"Means I don't think so. There's no way that the Bonbori Festival is the only Charm. Ohana thinks so, too, right? Even I think the same......"

Yuina's tone changed mid-conversation.

"......Ah, Sirs and Madams, this business is not in operation. It is dangerous, so do not enter, si'l vous plaîttt"

Ohana was immersed in the conversation, so she did not realize it, but it seemed like Yuina was outside. Ohana could hear gritty sounds of stones being stepped on, the sound of people leaving, perhaps, after they were cautioned by Yuina.

"Where are you right now, Yuina-san?"

"Patrolling Kissuisou"

"I see. You are now the person in charge of managing Kissuisou, huh"

Now that she mentioned it, that was the sound coming from the nostalgic gravel pavement leading up to the main entrance.

However, there was something else that worried Ohana.

"......But what do you mean by it is dangerous?"

"Some cracks have appeared here and there, you see. I've been properly managing it together with the union, but it's been seven years since people have entered, so there's a lot of, you know. It'd be bad if something happened after some unknowing selfie-taker entered, right?"

"Something happened......"

The way she said it makes it sound like Kissuisou is a dangerous place.

"Don't tell me Kissuisou is falling apart?"

"Hmm......hard to say"

"Hard to say?"

"......Honestly speaking......it is not like there are places that aren't falling apart"

"Ehh!? Where and how are they falling apart? Is it so bad that we can't resume business!?"

"It is old to begin with, so it's on a 'there's no helping it' level, I guess? Well, there might be......parts that look like they are about to be demolished......to outsiders"

"D-Demolishedd!?"

When Ohana thought of the one-in-a-million chance that it might happen, she felt like she could not stand by and watch.

"Just things some people would gossip about"

"That is an absolute no-no! I'll be heading there right now after all!"

"No, no, Ohana-chan, it's not so serious that it would collapse right now or something, so there's no need to wo-"

Without even allowing the panicked Yuina to finish her sentence, Ohana cut the call. She then pulled out a well-used light red suitcase from the closet.

"H-Hey, what's going on!?" Satsuki asked, astonished by Ohana, who was packing her suitcase in front of Satsuki, her face ghastly.

"I'm heading there right now," Ohana replied, talking like a machine gun, seeming like she even wanted to save on the time used to turn back.

"By heading there right now, you mean Yunosagi?"

"Uh-huh"

Nodding, Ohana stuffed as much of her clothes she had in view as possible into her suitcase.

"You have work tomorrow, right? What are you gonna do about that?"

"I'll drop by my office and have them change my shift. I'll be asking them to give me quite a number of days off, so I'm fine even if they can't, and I'm fired"

Even though it is the start of spring, Yunosagi is still very cold, or so Ohana thought as she grabbed several thick outerwear clothes and stuffed them into her suitcase.

"You sure throw out being fired lightly, huh...... Why the fixation on Kissuisou?"

"Because Kissuisou is Sui Shijima"

—Because I want to become Sui Shijima.

"......You sure are stubborn as well"

"Women of Shijima are stubborn," Ohana replied as she stuffed her belongings into her suitcase, closed the lid, and fastened one of the belts.

She then pulled the cord of the light bulb, and it turned on with a click.

In the room that was well-lit all of a sudden, Satsuki, leaning against the sliding door, gazed at Ohana as she stuffed as much of her belongings as possible into her suitcase, as she let out a puff of smoke, seemingly astounded.

"So you're really heading there, yeah?"

"Yeah. I'll regret it for sure if I don't go right now"

Pushing down on the suitcase, Ohana fastened the other belts and carried the suitcase out of the room.

"Anyway, I'm going there. I'm heading outtt!"

Ohana's expression when she turned back was most serious. Satsuki, having no words to offer her, saw her off by waving her hand.

"......She seriously left. Well, in this situation, it's useless even if I stop her, though......"

As she heard the humming sound of the suitcase's wheels fade away into the distance, she stubbed her half-smoked cigarette out.

"I want to become Sui Shijima......huh"

The words that Ohana had written on her wishing plaque seven years ago popped up in Satsuki's mind as she staggered to the drawers.

"I should......prepare myself as well"

Pulling the topmost drawer open, she took out something small wrapped in cloth and unwrapped it gently.

She then slowly traced the words written on the wooden tag with her thin fingers.

* * *

The last bullet train to Kanazawa.

After submitting her resignation at the hotel, she rushed on board a train ca,r and it was emptier than expected.

Exiting the vestibule, Ohana gazed at the suitcase that she placed at the corner of the baggage area as she conversed with Kouichi.

"......Huh? You resigned?"

"I might be staying in Yunosagi for a long time after all. The company advised me not to, but I can't inconvenience them any further"

Ohana was still the same as before, taking action before thinking carefully once she made up her mind. She had experienced many failures due to this and had reflected whenever she failed, but she felt like, in the end, the same thing would repeat itself.

"You sure are reckless as always"

Although it was a little too late, when Ohana thought about it after calming down, she felt her actions were questionable for an employee, but on the other side of the line, Kouichi merely laughed a little, seemingly astounded.

"I might not be able to meet Ko-chan for a while. I'm sorry," Ohana said, leaning against the wall as she fiddled with her side bangs.

Kouichi laughed all of a sudden.

"......I was busy recently as well, so I should be the one to apologize...... But I'll be waiting. It is because you are like this that I—" He then continued.

"Huh, what did you say?"

Before he could finish his sentence, a loud rumble reverberated throughout the train, so Ohana could not hear anything.

"I entered the tunnel, huh...... The call was cut"

As she gazed at her screen, she noticed that the antenna, representing cellular signal strength, was flickering.

"If I remember correctly, the tunnel continues for quite a bit"

Even when she gazed out of the window, it was pitch-black, so she could not see anything. Even if the bullet train exited the tunnel, the scenery by the railway tracks at night was mostly enveloped in darkness.

"The first time I boarded a train bound for the Hokuriku2 region was when I was sixteen, huh...... I was still a child back then," Ohana murmured as she gazed at the reflection of her own face.

Ohana felt, now that she looked at her face at twenty-three, that she was a little more mature than she was at sixteen.

"......Sure was dramatic......"

Pressing her cheek against the cold glass window, she closed her eyes.

I got out of the tunnel, huh. The locomotive noise is a lot quieter now.

"After the train chugged through the long tunnel, I saw the vast ocean...... Was it sparkling under the sun......?"

She opened her eyes after reminiscing about that very day, but the scenery outside was still enveloped in darkness.

"I wonder where I am right now"

There are hardly any street lamps, so I may be in the mountains.

As Ohana absentmindedly basked in her memories, she realized something all of a sudden, so she sat up once again.

"Ah, I gotta book a room at a hotel!"

I am scheduled to arrive in Kanazawa at twenty-three hundred hours.

"Oh noooo, it's another tunnel!"

She remembered that she needed to book a room at a hotel, but the bullet train entered another tunnel.

After Ohana reached Kanazawa slightly later than scheduled, the Drum Gate, bathed in bright, colorful lights, welcomed her.

Exiting the station, Ohana looked across the city of Kanazawa behind the Drum Gate, which stood out in the darkness of the night.

Although it was late, the decorative lights and decorations put on the trees along the streets did not make Ohana feel that way.

"......I've returned......"

Beyond the brightly lit lights, she saw the scenery of the city she had once lived in.

As she walked slowly around the city, among the people walking on the streets, beautifully illuminated by lights, made her feel

* * *

After spending the night in the room she barely managed to book at a business hotel by the station, Ohana headed for the station platform to take the first train.

"Ughhh, so cold. ......Does this, perhaps, mean that ice will form?"

Even though it was March, the early morning was cold, and her surroundings were slightly Misty, as if there was a fog. 

Noticing that the light reflected by the puddle of water looked slightly different, Ohana put some strength into the tips of her toes, and the thin layer of ice cracked.

"Won't it come any faster?"

As she warmed her hands using the white puffs of air she let out, she waited on the mostly deserted platform.

When the sun finally showed itself in the eastern sky, and the clouds began to be dyed in the color of the morning sun, the first train pulled up slowly to the platform.

"Thank you very much!"

Alighting at Yunosagi station, Ohana headed for Kissuisou while passing the shops that had yet to open.

The morning air was cold, but Ohana could tell that her cheeks were getting flushed due to the nostalgic scenery.

Ohana walked up a gentle slope and crossed the bridge. It was there that she rapidly increased her pace.

"Good morning"

She greeted the dragonflies and beetles carved on the retaining wall, and walked under the cantilever signboard with the word 'Yunosagi' written on it.

After entering the hot spring town, she started hearing the murmur of hot water flowing from the lake into the stream.

The grey heron, standing amidst the quiet town of Yunosagi, still deep in slumber, jumped, seemingly startled by Ohana's presence. It then spread its wings and flew off in the direction of the lake.

"Just a little more, just a little more, and I'll reach Kissuisou"

As she climbed up the stairs, she panted, letting out white puffs of air. She then left her suitcase behind and sped up. She ran up the stairs as she gasped for air, and beyond the stairs she had climbed was Kissuisou.

"......It's Kissuisou......"

I was sixteen, and still a bud back then. Now I am—.

"I've returned. I've returned, you know!"

After treading through the overgrown grass, Ohana stood on the top-most stone step before the front door. She turned around and took in enough air to fill both of her lungs.

"I'm homeeeeeee!"

Her yell echoed across the many mountains of Yunosagi.

1 - A table with an electric heater underneath and quilt on the sides

2 - Northwestern part of Honshu, which includes prefectures like Niigata, Toyama. You can find out more here.

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Thank you very much for reading, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! I also wish you a merry Christmas!