What unfolded was a shrine of days past: it was tidy, and it had been dusted clean, but everything in the room was as if stuck in time, around 15 to 20 years ago. There was a pressed, clean school uniform hanging from a hanger, a stack of CDs and some shonen manga on a shelf, knick-knacks from popular series from decades ago, half a band of instruments, a basketball and various other sports gear placed here and there.
Harumine hadn’t expected Kagesawa to be into sports, but he did have the height, so it stood to reason they’d recruited him for basketball. The school uniform looked high-end, even if a bit dated. Looking at Kagesawa now, it was difficult to imagine him ever having worn it.
There might be something that fits, but I wonder if anything’s worth wearing.Kagesawa checked the closet.It’s probably going to be awkward, but at least we’ll get something to eat before we go. Did you have a specific train in mind?Kagesawa pulled out a t-shirt and changed into it. Then he picked out a fresh pair of brand name sneakers from a box.
I’ve been getting reports from the students that there’s been trouble on the Hokkaido line. With the sleeper trains discontinued and no privacy on the Shinkansen, the ferry from Oarai should be the safest option.Harumine watched Kagesawa browse through a row of suits and designer clothing as if in a store.
What time does it leave?Kagesawa picked up a leather jacket, shook his head with a hint of amusement, showed it to Harumine and put it back.
19:45,Harumine replied.
Better not stay for dinner then. I wonder if Reika would be willing to drive us to Oarai. Wait here.Kagesawa hurried back downstairs.
Harumine was left in the strange time capsule. Thinking back to Kagesawa’s rickety-ass apartment, it seemed like a giganticlie. Anyone used to this kind of luxury shouldn’t have been able to adjust to such a dump. The only things that made more sense were Kagesawa’s bizarre indifference to money and blindness to housework. The rest of it was a weird fever-dream.
Ah, come on back down. They’re here. Might as well get this over with and go.
It was a shame to end it short since, as strange and jarring as this felt, Harumine was curious to see more. He was rather hoping it would make more sense if he got used to it. He wanted to shake away the feeling he’d been lied to, even if by omission.
Downstairs, Harumine wished he was still wearing the SEU suit and not the clothes he’d worn the day they’d fled the apartment. Kagesawa’s father looked stately and distinguished in his short grey hair and business suit, but it was Kagesawa’s mother especially that drew Harumine’s attention.
She was objectively a beautiful woman. She was clearly foreign, but her ethnicity was difficult to determine from her looks. Kagesawa had inherited her height and hair, but even though they also shared some facial features, the similarity was so subtle, it had never occurred to Harumine that Kagesawa could be half-Japanese.
“Oh, you’re here.” Kagesawa’s father acknowledged his son as if he hadn’t been notified of their visit. Kagesawa’s mother said nothing at all. Instead, she ignored the lot of them and headed off toward the master bedroom. “You’ll have to excuse her. She has a routine. Is Reika still around?”
“I don’t know. She was here when we came, but she had something to do.”
Kagesawa and his father resumed their conversation with zero acknowledgement of the time that had passed since they’d last seen each other. There were no ‘good to see yous’ or ‘how have you beens’, but then again, they were talking past one another not really listening to what the other was saying, their subjectmatter inconsequential, unrelated small-talk. Neither of them was focused enough to care about introductions either.
“Are you staying for dinner?”
“We should be going. The ferry leaves at…”When was it?Kagesawa turned to Harumine, who repeated the time for him. “19:45 from Oarai.”
“You’re not going to take a flight? I can pay for the tickets if that’s the issue.”
“I’m an empath. The pressure stabiliser for the organism is a dead giveaway. You might as well draw an x on my forehead.”
“Right.” Kagesawa’s father looked confused but made no further comment. It was possible to fly without the stabiliser, but the health implications were unpredictable and ranged from nothing to catastrophic. It wasn’t worth the risk. “I guess we could have some ‘tea’—as your mother puts it—before you go to your ferry. I’ll have my driver take you.” He excused himself to go get changed.
Kagesawa headed into the living room.I’ll show you the rest of the house if you want, but there’s not much to see. It’s just a house.
Just a house? The size and scope of it was modest relative to what was available outside of the metropolitan area, but it was still an impressive piece of architecture! The door handles and light-fixtures screamed custom design, and the furniture was expensive foreign import. It was understandable he’d become blind to it, having grown up in this environment, but calling it ‘just a house’ was aggravating.
We used to have a cat, but it’s been so long I don’t think she’s around anymore. She used to like that spot there beside the fireplace. I don’t think they’ve gotten another pet after her. I recall my mother complaining to the cleaner about the shedding. She was a cute cat though. Very sociable.Kagesawa smiled.I’d like a cat myself, but with my track record, I’mafraid I’d forget to feed it.He chuckled and opened the sliding door to the backyard.
There was a rock garden, a koi pond and some pine trees carefully curated and maintained.
Kagesawa sat down on the back porch. The atmosphere was about as stiff as the rest of the house, but he looked somewhat more at ease here. Although the backyard wasn’t suitable for play, Harumine got the impression this had been his favourite spot since childhood.
I wasn’t trying to keep this from you. It’s just depressing to talk about. We’re not what you’d call a close-knit family, and because it’s such a cliché to be estranged when you’re rich, people tend to assume things. It’s annoying having to explain we already had these problems before. My mother is not stuck up because of the wealth, she has other issues. My father has always been a workaholic. We moved here when I was seven and his career took off. It was a struggle to fit in. At least with the money, I had plenty of things to preoccupy myself with.
“I’m glad you agreed to bring me here.” It put things into a context. The time he’d spent linked to Kagesawa had made Harumine realise how little he actually knew and how easy it was to make assumptions. Even when he’d challenged his preconceptions and managed to peel off a layer of the onion, more and more layers were revealed underneath.
No matter how frustrating and tear-inducing the process, Kagesawa was a fascinating onion.
Chapter 36
‘Tea’ was a three-course meal. Harumine had half-expected there to be a chef, but Kagesawa’s mother did most of the preparations with her daughter. Kagesawa was banned from the kitchen for causing trouble, which seemed silly knowing he’d managed to cook for himself for years without burning down his apartment or losing any fingers. The traditional gender roles also seemed alive and well in this household.