6
-
Yoshimi was surprised by the unexpected development - her grandmother’s letter was related to the rattling in this shop.
'Yoshimi-san, what sort of person was Ichiko-san, the writer of this letter? Please tell us in as much detail as possible.’
'About my grandmother?’ She was always a very kind grandmother to us.’
'Where was she born?’
'She was born in this house. My great-grandfather used to manage this shop. My grandmother tended the shop ever since she was young and became knowledgeable in antiques.’
'When did she marry?’
'If I’m not mistaken… when she was 23.’
Natori Yoshimi counted Natori’s rapid-fire questions on her fingers as she answered them.
'My grandfather was a regular businessman with no connection to antiques at all. He first saw my grandmother as the poster girl for this shop when he was a student and recognised her from frequent visits. When he married my grandmother, he was adopted into the family. My mother told me that my grandfather had had many rivals, but he got to marry my grandmother on the condition that he would marry into the family, since my grandmother was the only daughter. My grandfather died before I was born, but I’ve heard that he and my grandmother got along very well.’
'Then, did your grandmother study anything particular besides her knowledge of antiques?’
'I don’t think so. She usually lived here at the shop… to the point that I’ve never heard of her going on trips besides to antique markets and exchange meetings… It was probably a very ordinary and peaceful life.’
'I see…’
Natori had found no clues and was deep in thought.
'But then where and when did she meet Shinichirou-sa… Shinichirou, my grandfather?’
The boy Taki presented a question.
'Who knows. Since the oldest letter I have is from forty years ago, they might have met each other then.’
'So she was already married,’ said Natori.
'There aren’t enough clues. If we at least knew the other letters’ numbers.’
'Ah, if that’s what you need.’
Yoshimi remembered that she had brought the notebook she had copied the numbers from her grandmother’s diary into.
'Would this be helpful?’
Natori took the notebook and flipped through it.
'Very much so,’ he replied.
'These are in chronological order, yes? The left column is from Shinichirou-san’s letters, and the right are the numbers that Ichiko-san sent in reply…’
'Has anything become clear, Natori-san?’
'I see. The first numbers are 4 – 16. Next are 16 – 16, and then 3 – 4…’
'There seems to be no regularity.’
'In the letters from Shinichirou-san, there were ● symbols written before the number, correct?’
'This letter has them too – look.’
The boy Taki showed the letter he had brought. The letter certainly did have '○ 14 – 9’ written on it.
'The largest number is nineteen. Oh, that’s how it is. I see.’
Natori suddenly stood up.
'It has become clear to me, Watson-kun,’ he said to his assistant.
'Is that true, Natori-san!’
'I’m going to look for something that should be in this shop, so wait here.’
After saying that, Natori opened the sliding door and headed towards the shop crowded with antiques.
Suddenly, there was a loud rattling from the shop the moment Natori shut the sliding door.
'Natori-san!’
The boy Watson stood up, opened the sliding door and rushed towards the shop.
'Stay back!’
Yoshimi heard Natori’s voice.
Yoshimi did not know what had happened.
'Natori-san, Tooru-kun!’
Just as Yoshimi thought she would go after them, someone caught her foot from behind, making her fall.
– Eh?
A round figure leapt over Yoshimi’s fallen back and jumped into the shop.
– The cat?
The moment the cat the boy owned jumped into the shop, Yoshimi heard a voice.
'Stop, Sensei!’
Right after that, she heard Taki yell, 'Uwah!’ Then there was the sound of somebody falling, and the rattling stopped.
When Yoshimi finally stood up and tottered over to the shop, Taki Tooru had fallen to the earthen floor, with his cat watching attentively beside him.
'Tooru-kun!?’
'It can’t be helped – even though I told him to stay back.’
'Tooru-kun, hang in there!’
Yoshimi ran over and sat him up. However, he appeared to have fainted.
'He’s fine… probably. He isn’t as weak as he looks.’
'What on earth happened!?’
The shop was in even more disorder than before. The books and scrolls, in particular, were open and unrolled, scattered everywhere as if a sudden gust had blown through.
'I was going to borrow this for a bit when my intentions were misunderstood.’
Natori said that as he showed me an old go board.
'A go board?’
'Yes. This was the game that Ichiko-san and Shinichirou-san played.’
Yoshimi suddenly realised – there were nineteen lines horizontally and vertically. Those numbers represented the placement of the go stones on the nineteen-by-nineteen grid.
'Shinichirou-san was ●, the player who goes first, and Ichiko san was ○, the player who goes second.’
Yoshimi remembered seeing that go board. It was always placed near the register. Though the go stones were lined up beautifully, she could not remember ever seeing her grandmother move them.
'You can’t touch this.’
When Yoshimi had mischievously moved around the go stones to play, that was what her grandmother had said to scold her.
'Before your grandmother died, this was probably lined with go stones, but your relatives may have cleaned them up.’
'But my grandmother didn’t play go…’
'She might have practised secretly.’
Was that it? If it were, did Yoshimi’s grandmother lie in front of her granddaughter?
'In any case, I think I will bring this to an end soon.’
'Bring this to an end?’
'I’m saying that I’ll bring the game to an end too.’
After Natori said that, he continued, 'Let’s see… Something for the vessel.’
Natori’s eyes landed on the dream catcher Yoshimi had around her neck.
'You’re wearing something nice. Could I borrow that for a short while?’
'Eh? This?’
Natori took the charm necklace from Yoshimi and compared that with the go stone container next to the go board. 'This will be fine,’ he said with a nod.
'I’ll borrow the notebook you showed me earlier. Yoshimi-san, please bring your grandmother’s notebook and Shinichirou-san’s letters quickly.’
'Eh? But.’
'Please. Hurry!’
Yoshimi did not understand. She really just wanted to stay here and hear the whole situation. However, something had happened and Taki Tooru-kun had collapsed, and Natori’s order raised the tension, so she hurried.
'I understand. I’ll bring them right away.’
After saying that, she flew out of the room. For a moment, she thought she might have just been politely chased out, but since she could not go right back into the shop after exiting it, she decided to run home. When she left the shop and closed the door, she heard Natori’s sharp voice from inside.
'I said, didn’t I? That I wouldn’t forgive you if you harmed my friend.’
When Yoshimi returned, everything had finished, just as she had thought it would.
-
Notes:
Mizu youkan (水羊羹) is a type of Japanese dessert made of red bean paste, agar and sugar to form a jelly (the youkan). Mizu youkan has more water in it.
6
-
Yoshimi was surprised by the unexpected development - her grandmother’s letter was related to the rattling in this shop.
'Yoshimi-san, what sort of person was Ichiko-san, the writer of this letter? Please tell us in as much detail as possible.’
'About my grandmother?’ She was always a very kind grandmother to us.’
'Where was she born?’
'She was born in this house. My great-grandfather used to manage this shop. My grandmother tended the shop ever since she was young and became knowledgeable in antiques.’
'When did she marry?’
'If I’m not mistaken… when she was 23.’
Natori Yoshimi counted Natori’s rapid-fire questions on her fingers as she answered them.
'My grandfather was a regular businessman with no connection to antiques at all. He first saw my grandmother as the poster girl for this shop when he was a student and recognised her from frequent visits. When he married my grandmother, he was adopted into the family. My mother told me that my grandfather had had many rivals, but he got to marry my grandmother on the condition that he would marry into the family, since my grandmother was the only daughter. My grandfather died before I was born, but I’ve heard that he and my grandmother got along very well.’
'Then, did your grandmother study anything particular besides her knowledge of antiques?’
'I don’t think so. She usually lived here at the shop… to the point that I’ve never heard of her going on trips besides to antique markets and exchange meetings… It was probably a very ordinary and peaceful life.’
'I see…’
Natori had found no clues and was deep in thought.
'But then where and when did she meet Shinichirou-sa… Shinichirou, my grandfather?’
The boy Taki presented a question.
'Who knows. Since the oldest letter I have is from forty years ago, they might have met each other then.’
'So she was already married,’ said Natori.
'There aren’t enough clues. If we at least knew the other letters’ numbers.’
'Ah, if that’s what you need.’
Yoshimi remembered that she had brought the notebook she had copied the numbers from her grandmother’s diary into.
'Would this be helpful?’
Natori took the notebook and flipped through it.
'Very much so,’ he replied.
'These are in chronological order, yes? The left column is from Shinichirou-san’s letters, and the right are the numbers that Ichiko-san sent in reply…’
'Has anything become clear, Natori-san?’
'I see. The first numbers are 4 – 16. Next are 16 – 16, and then 3 – 4…’
'There seems to be no regularity.’
'In the letters from Shinichirou-san, there were ● symbols written before the number, correct?’
'This letter has them too – look.’
The boy Taki showed the letter he had brought. The letter certainly did have '○ 14 – 9’ written on it.
'The largest number is nineteen. Oh, that’s how it is. I see.’
Natori suddenly stood up.
'It has become clear to me, Watson-kun,’ he said to his assistant.
'Is that true, Natori-san!’
'I’m going to look for something that should be in this shop, so wait here.’
After saying that, Natori opened the sliding door and headed towards the shop crowded with antiques.
Suddenly, there was a loud rattling from the shop the moment Natori shut the sliding door.
'Natori-san!’
The boy Watson stood up, opened the sliding door and rushed towards the shop.
'Stay back!’
Yoshimi heard Natori’s voice.
Yoshimi did not know what had happened.
'Natori-san, Tooru-kun!’
Just as Yoshimi thought she would go after them, someone caught her foot from behind, making her fall.
– Eh?
A round figure leapt over Yoshimi’s fallen back and jumped into the shop.
– The cat?
The moment the cat the boy owned jumped into the shop, Yoshimi heard a voice.
'Stop, Sensei!’
Right after that, she heard Taki yell, 'Uwah!’ Then there was the sound of somebody falling, and the rattling stopped.
When Yoshimi finally stood up and tottered over to the shop, Taki Tooru had fallen to the earthen floor, with his cat watching attentively beside him.
'Tooru-kun!?’
'It can’t be helped – even though I told him to stay back.’
'Tooru-kun, hang in there!’
Yoshimi ran over and sat him up. However, he appeared to have fainted.
'He’s fine… probably. He isn’t as weak as he looks.’
'What on earth happened!?’
The shop was in even more disorder than before. The books and scrolls, in particular, were open and unrolled, scattered everywhere as if a sudden gust had blown through.
'I was going to borrow this for a bit when my intentions were misunderstood.’
Natori said that as he showed me an old go board.
'A go board?’
'Yes. This was the game that Ichiko-san and Shinichirou-san played.’
Yoshimi suddenly realised – there were nineteen lines horizontally and vertically. Those numbers represented the placement of the go stones on the nineteen-by-nineteen grid.
'Shinichirou-san was ●, the player who goes first, and Ichiko san was ○, the player who goes second.’
Yoshimi remembered seeing that go board. It was always placed near the register. Though the go stones were lined up beautifully, she could not remember ever seeing her grandmother move them.
'You can’t touch this.’
When Yoshimi had mischievously moved around the go stones to play, that was what her grandmother had said to scold her.
'Before your grandmother died, this was probably lined with go stones, but your relatives may have cleaned them up.’
'But my grandmother didn’t play go…’
'She might have practised secretly.’
Was that it? If it were, did Yoshimi’s grandmother lie in front of her granddaughter?
'In any case, I think I will bring this to an end soon.’
'Bring this to an end?’
'I’m saying that I’ll bring the game to an end too.’
After Natori said that, he continued, 'Let’s see… Something for the vessel.’
Natori’s eyes landed on the dream catcher Yoshimi had around her neck.
'You’re wearing something nice. Could I borrow that for a short while?’
'Eh? This?’
Natori took the charm necklace from Yoshimi and compared that with the go stone container next to the go board. 'This will be fine,’ he said with a nod.
'I’ll borrow the notebook you showed me earlier. Yoshimi-san, please bring your grandmother’s notebook and Shinichirou-san’s letters quickly.’
'Eh? But.’
'Please. Hurry!’
Yoshimi did not understand. She really just wanted to stay here and hear the whole situation. However, something had happened and Taki Tooru-kun had collapsed, and Natori’s order raised the tension, so she hurried.
'I understand. I’ll bring them right away.’
After saying that, she flew out of the room. For a moment, she thought she might have just been politely chased out, but since she could not go right back into the shop after exiting it, she decided to run home. When she left the shop and closed the door, she heard Natori’s sharp voice from inside.
'I said, didn’t I? That I wouldn’t forgive you if you harmed my friend.’
When Yoshimi returned, everything had finished, just as she had thought it would.
-
Notes:
Mizu youkan (水羊羹) is a type of Japanese dessert made of red bean paste, agar and sugar to form a jelly (the youkan). Mizu youkan has more water in it.
