[Ten Views Of Shonan -Island-] - Aomi Route Short Story
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Gentle beams of light fell upon the tranquil stage.
30 students stood with their eyes facing forward
as if on the verge of accomplishing something great.
The conductor guided them with his hands.
The accompanist’s fingers ran across the piano.
The telephone downstairs was ringing.
I shot from my futon like an arrow and grabbed the receiver.
The morning was silent save for the chirping of a single cicada.
Aomi: “Good morning. This is Aomi.”
Oosaki: “G- Good morning.”
Stumbling over my words, I bit my tongue.
Aomi: “My apologies for calling you so early.
I hope I didn’t wake you.”
Oosaki: “Not at all. I was already up and getting ready.”
I raked my fingers through my disheveled hair.
Oosaki: “Where are you right now?”
Aomi: “At our accommodations. I just finished seeing off my students.”
In that case, I’ll head over shortly.”
Aomi: “My sincerest apologies.”
Hearing those words, I finally, fully woke up.
Aomi: “Regarding our plans for today…
Could we reschedule them for another time?
I’m afraid something urgent has come up.”
Oosaki: “Of course. Whatever you need to do comes first.”
Aomi: “I apologize again.
Still clinging onto the receiver,
I stared at the morning sun streaming through the glass door in a daze.
Beyond the window, summer was already here.
However, I felt like its arrival didn’t concern me at all.
It would appear I’d be spending it alone regardless.
Urgent business, emergencies—these kinds of things happened to everyone.
That’s why one should always have a back-up plan to fill the rest of their day.
However, I seriously couldn’t think of anything else to do. Was I truly that dull?
A second cicada began to chirp.
Shizuma: “...Well, don’t you look free today?”
It was Shizuma-san who had spoken.
He was a scoundrel of a man,
with eyes that smirked as he looked at me.
Shizuma: “Why the glum face so early in the morning?
Received a bit of bad news?”
Oosaki: “It’s none of your business.
Speaking of, I see you’ve invited yourself over again.”
Shizuma: “I like sleeping in your hallway. It’s nice and cool.
I won’t come over during the winter though, so you won’t have to worry then.”
He was a man who reminded me of summer.
Cicadas and evening storms and sunsets and—
Summer was full of surprises.
Unlike the gradual blooming and fading of spring cherry blossoms,
and the slowly dropping temperatures and accumulating snows of winter,
summer’s temperament was completely different.
It always came and went as it pleased.
Finally returning to my senses, I put the phone receiver down.
I began rolling up the futon in the hallway.
Shizuma: “If you haven’t got anything else to do, why don’t the two of us go for a drive?”
Shizuma: “Aw, let me take you out for the day.”
Oosaki: “It’d be a bother.”
Shizuma: “What do you want for lunch?
Some kind of meat? Like yakiniku? Or steak?”
Oosaki: “That’s just what you want to eat.”
Shizuma: “Fine then, what would you like?”
Oosaki: “Nothing. I’m going back to sleep.”
Shizuma: “Sigh, you don’t get it do you?
Let your big brother take the loneliness away.”
Shizuma: “And since you just got rejected, I’ll even make you an extra special deal.
Just for today, I’ll do anything you want. A-ny-thing at all.”
In that case, please get out of my house.”
Shizuma: “Okay, okay, okay.
I’ll see you again sometime.”
Shizuma-san whistled sadly as he trudged out of the house.
The sound of his car engine began to fade into the distance.
I didn’t think he’d actually leave.
Did I really look that miserable?
—It was the beginning of August. The world was on summer break.
Aomi-sensei and his students had come all the way from Ooshima to Tokyo
for the preliminary round of a choir competition.
The dream I had this morning
must have been a manifestation of my worries for him.
The competition was yesterday,
so he was supposed to spend his free day today with me.
I had missed my opportunity to ask what he meant by that.
Should I go to his accommodations anyways?
Would that be a burden on him?
As I stared at the receiver,
the phone began to ring again.
Aomi: “—It’s Aomi. Is this Oosaki-san?”
Aomi: “I apologize for my abruptness earlier.
I’m sure you have several questions.”
Oosaki: “Don’t worry about it.
You were in a rush, weren’t you?”
I was also wondering if you might be available to come too.”
Aomi: “In that case, meet me on Enoshima.”
Oosaki: “Understood… Eh?”
It’s spelled with the same ‘e’ as in ‘Ooe,’ ‘no’ written in katakana, and the character for ‘island’.”
I’ll head for Enoshima right away.”
On the other side of the receiver,
I could feel Aomi-san on the move again.
I, too, hurried to get ready.
—Enoshima is a small island located within Sagami Bay.
It hosts a shrine to the goddess Benzaiten,
and is known as a tourist destination second only to Kamakura in the area.
The bridge connecting it to the mainland had been swept away several times in the past,
but this current iteration was built entirely of concrete
to support foot traffic to and from the island—
I had no idea what sort of business would bring someone to Enoshima,
but I headed there anyway.
Strange as the situation was, I didn’t feel the slightest hesitation in my steps,
and before I knew it, I was blending into the crowd like any other tourist.
I was first to reach the nearest station.
However, before long, the train from the city arrived.
A man descended, his clean-cut silhouette unmistakable.
Our eyes met immediately.
His suit was black. He wore a high-collared white shirt.
And in his hand was a frilly woman’s parasol—
Aomi: “Thank you for coming all this way.
It’s been a while hasn’t it, Oosaki-san.”
Aomi-san opened the parasol.
The ocean breeze ruffled its frills.
He leaned part of its shade towards me.
Aomi: “I’d like to apologize for earlier once again.
I must’ve troubled you with the phone call.”
Aomi: “Let’s get going then.
Although his voice was soft,
he moved with conviction—
The island and the mainland were connected by Benten Bridge.
There was nothing to obstruct the sun’s rays,
causing a hazy mirage to appear
and make the island seem further away than it truly was.
Cumulonimbus clouds rose in the distance behind Enoshima.
As if to hide from their stormy gaze,
we shaded ourselves with the parasol.
Aomi: “I’ve already said this, but I’d like to apologize again.
Especially since you took the time to come out here during summer break.”
Oosaki: “My line of work is flexible anyway.”
Oosaki: “By the way, how was the preliminary competition?”
Aomi: “We were eliminated.”
Oosaki: “That’s surprising.”
The club was only established this April,
but I heard the students were all passionate about winning.
Not to mention, they were all under Aomi-san’s leadership.
Aomi: “Our division simply didn’t have the qualifications to win.
There were 7 members. 0 accompanists.
Since none of our students could play the piano, I had to take the role myself.”
The image of a small chorus in the midst of a large auditorium materialized in my head.
It would appear that the stage I had dreamed of this morning
was not meant for them, but some other school.
However, what I was most worried about was—
Oosaki: “How are your students?”
Aomi: “Focusing on the next competition and refining their strategy.
It was difficult. But they seemed to enjoy themselves. Everyone should be heading back now.”
I should’ve known to expect more from a club of volunteers.
It would take more than defeat to drain their spirits.
We walked down the bridge without incident.
There was sweat glistening on everyone around us.
However, I suddenly began to sweat for a different reason.
Aomi-san had his teaching expression on.
He was wearing a suit. His posture was stiff.
In comparison, I looked far too carefree.
My shirt was open. My bangs were thrown back.
…I had to get out of this immediately.
Yet, Aomi-san didn’t even look my way.
The island was the only thing in his sights.
Aomi: “—One of my students ran away from home.
The school contacted me this morning.”
At the entrance of the island was a bronze torii gate.
Various souvenir shops were crammed together along the slope.
This shopping street, Nakamise Doori, led up to the shrine
and was already filled with tourists.
Oosaki: “Was it a member of your club?”
Aomi: “No, just another student.”
Oosaki: “I’ll keep an eye out for him then.
Aomi: “He’s most likely out of uniform.
And I’d imagine his hair’s a mess too.
You’ll definitely know as soon as you see him.
Even if you’ve never met before.”
What a mysterious description.
Awaiting us at the end of the road was a second torii gate and a set of stone steps.
Enoshima Shrine was nestled within these mountains.
Aomi: “We aren’t heading toward the shrines,
but to the other side of the island.”
Oosaki: “Let’s go this way then.”
Enoshima was shaped like two mountains pushed together,
resulting in its rugged terrain.
However, on its right side was a gentle path that circled the perimeter of the island.
It was a shortcut that could be used by people in a hurry.
There was no one on the path beside us.
Since the area was thickly shaded with trees,
Aomi-san closed his parasol.
Aomi: “The student was a truant.”
Oosaki: “Was there something he didn’t like about school?”
As far as I know, he wasn’t being bullied.
He always made it to music class
and seemed to get along with his friends.”
Oosaki: “Then perhaps there were problems at home.”
Aomi: “His family was wealthy.
There was nothing he lacked.”
The gentle hills rolled on and on.
The droning of the cicadas grew louder.
I wanted to pause to wipe off my sweat,
but Aomi-san didn’t stop for even a second.
His face held the same, stoic expression as always.
Aomi: “It was a winter night. Long ago.
I, too, ran away from home.
I was dissatisfied with my life.
I felt like I couldn’t stay there.
Even now, I can still remember the cold sting of trudging barefoot through the snow.”
Oosaki: “I’ve done something similar too.
Although my reason was more immature.
I was simply curious and went all the way to a distant rice paddy.”
The long stalks of rice had chafed against my fingertips.
It was a wholly unpleasant feeling.
As soon as I realized just how big the world was,
What I had felt was loneliness.
Aomi: “Back then, was there anyone who came for you?”
Oosaki: “As soon as I turned around, my grandmother was right there.”
Aomi: “In the end, adults can see right through children, can’t they?”
probably had someone to pick him up,
and brush the snow from his body.
Passing through the double mountains, the view suddenly opened up, clear and blue.
We made it to the other side of the island.
There was no one else who had ventured this far.
As we descended the stone steps, the two of us paused.
Ooshima was visible across the ocean.
The island where Aomi-san and his students lived
looked striking against the horizon.
Oosaki: “This is the place
I wanted to take you today.”
Oosaki: “I’m sure you’ve seen the ocean enough times by now.
However, I thought the view of Ooshima from here was quite breathtaking—”
He didn’t take his eyes off the sea.
Aomi: “When you go to see a mountain, you don’t praise another mountain.
The same is true for islands.”
Oosaki: “Did your mother teach you that?”
If you do, it’ll cause the goddess of that land to grow jealous.”
Oosaki: “What a curious legend.”
Aomi: “No one wants to incur the wrath of another being. And neither do I—”
I was certain that Aomi-san had looked right at me
as he finished his sentence.
Pondering what he meant, I suddenly realized I’d been left behind.
Aomi-san was quickly descending the rest of the staircase.
He rushed to the end of the viewing platform,
and began to wave the white parasol in the air.
Aomi: “Oosaki-san. Raise this umbrella as high as you can.
We need to reach that yacht.”
Floating on the water was a Snipe.
It had come from Ooshima,
and was sailing straight toward us.
I began to wave it around like he asked.
The sunlight reflected off of it.
Noticing the price tag on the handle,
I realized Aomi-san must have bought the white parasol for this reason—
The yacht’s sails billowed in the wind and reflected a light back at us.
Of all the stupid things.
A tiny yacht sailing from Ooshima to Enoshima…
Aomi: “His family realized he had run away after noticing the yacht was gone.”
The outline of a larger ship appeared in the distance.
Unsurprisingly, it seemed this young man hadn’t anticipated any adults to make a move.
We moved down into the rocks to help guide the yacht to shore.
Noticing the situation, people began to gather along the coastline.
Every time the hull skipped along the water,
a cloud of fine mist sprayed into the air.
It was a risky situation,
and everyone was watching with bated breath.
Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to blame the boy.
Oosaki: “Are you going to scold him?”
I was surprised by how meek my voice sounded.
Aomi-san’s eyes widened slightly
before he looked away self-consciously.
Saying this, his gaze drifted back to the sea.
Aomi: “The phone call I got from my school
was actually instructions to return to Ooshima immediately.
They wanted to ask me about the student.
However, I declined the invitation and came here instead.
Once that student set out to sea, he would neither return nor drown.
I understood this since the day I heard the sound of his piano—”
Aomi: “He would arrive here no matter what.
I simply thought it’d be lonely if there was no one to greet him.”
Oosaki: “I hope I was able to lend a hand.”
Aomi: “I believe so. Thanks to your guidance,
I think I was able to find myself an excellent, new pianist.”
The yacht suddenly hit a rock,
and capsized in a matter of seconds.
I immediately jumped into the sea,
and pulled the student into my arms.
The waves smashed the boat into pieces.
However, upon seeing his teacher’s face,
the student sighed in relief and shut his eyes—
We took a ferry back to the front of the island.
In the back seat of a taxi, the student had fallen asleep with Aomi-sensei watching over him.
There were no other passengers.
Aomi: “—I’ll take him home from here.
My apologies for not being able to thank you properly.”
Then, the taxi coldly, mechanically drove away.
And just like that, I had been abandoned at the head of Benten Bridge.
…How was I supposed to get home looking like this?
My eyes landed on the station telephone.
I could call Shizuma-san and have him drive me.
A man like him probably wouldn’t mind his car getting a little wet.
Though, even if he did complain, I wouldn’t really care.
However, my feet refused to move.
—When you’re on an island, you shouldn’t praise another island.
Suddenly, those words flashed through my head once again.
It was dusk by the time I returned to familiar scenery.
I had chosen to walk to dry myself off,
but since I was by the coast,
my entire body was sticky with salt from the sea breeze.
and my bangs refused to loosen up,
so I had no choice but to sweep them back
and trudge home in defeat.
I had gone out of my way to buy a new shirt for today.
There wasn’t a single speck of dust or hint of odor on it.
The pomade I’d used was even recommended by a hairdresser.
When they asked if I was going on a date, I hadn’t denied it.
If anyone saw how I looked now, the only apt description would be “miserable.”
However, if they asked me what I felt,
I would probably describe it as “happiness.”
I had been moved by Aomi-san’s dedication.
This was the first time I’d seen his teacherly side from up-close.
It was everything I had wished to see—
With the sunset blazing orange behind me, I opened the front door.
Inside the house was a dignified,
deep blue silhouette waiting for me.
Aomi: “Please pardon my intrusion,
Oosaki: “I thought you were going home.”
Aomi: “That was the original plan.
However, my student’s parents came to pick him up by plane.”
Oosaki: “Wealthy might be an understatement…”
Aomi: “The household owns five boats on the island.
In addition to three cars.
I suppose he must’ve been bored
having grown up in such a family.”
It sounded like a luxury.
However, for the person in question,
possessing such things might have been just as burdensome as not.
In any case, that chapter was now closed.
Aomi-san stood up, and slightly bowed his head.
Aomi: “I’ll be in your care for the next three days.
Oosaki: “Please, come inside—”
Aomi-san was here once again.
He began to unpack his meager belongings in a corner of the room.
he moved like he already belonged.
Taking off his suit, Aomi-san changed into Japanese clothing.
As he finished tying his obi,
he cast me a glance from over his shoulder.
Aomi: “Your cologne. It smells nice.”
Aomi: “Your clothing and hair had the same fresh scent today.”
I didn’t do anything special.”
Aomi: “Then, I suppose it was just your scent, Hiiro-san.”
Summer truly was full of surprises.
The sunset suddenly intensified,
bleeding light across our field of vision.
Oosaki Hiiro: “Kaede-san.”
Oosaki Hiiro: “Welcome home.”
He wasn’t anyone’s teacher,
At this moment, all he was,
[Ten Views of Shonan -Island-] 1958. Aomi Route
