Today is the 20th of June, another hot day, just like any other. Can't this season just pass already? It's been a week since I went to Seta-san's place. I haven't heard anything from her for a while now... which is worrying me a bit. Ever since back then, when we both used the mirror back then, I have been feeling a slight painful burn in my stomach area. I wonder if she is feeling the same as I do... These thoughts have been tormenting me while taking cover from the scorching hot sun on a terrace.
???: "May I serve you something, kind sir?", said a strange man with a fedora. I couldn't quite catch a glance at his face, due to the blinding sun.
Eiji: "No, thank you... I'm just lost in thought..."
???: "Oh, I just thought you could use a drink maybe?"
Eiji: "Sorry, but I try to stay away from alcoholic beverages as much as I can. "
???: "Aw, come on, just one little drink didn't hurt nobody...". How persistent can someone be?
Eiji: "Forgive me, but I just wanted to hide away from the sun-"
???: "Look sonny, here's my business card, give me a call whenever you feel like having a drink or two with someone like me... you seem like you've been through some things in your life..." were his last words before handing me a small card with the name "Oye Aki – Private Investigator". Huh, maybe I will give him a call one day...
Okay, I feel like I can move on now. It's 13:27 already... What a strange encounter though. I'm not very far away from home – I can get there in about twenty minutes or so. But today I felt like taking a stroll, since I have a day off, so I decided to walk through the park to get back home.
Fifteen minutes later and here I am. Figures, the place is filled with people. It's triggering my social anxiety to be honest. I tried looking for an empty bench, but there weren't any in sight. This is such a bother. I'm sweating a lot and it's getting on my nerves. I shouldn't have come here. I begin to space out... while suddenly I see a waving hand in the distance.
???: "...-yama-san.. " huh? "Hirayama-san! Hello? " Oh it's just Minamoto-san...
Eiji: "Hello, sorry about that, I just can't handle heat very well..."
Tadao: "What are you doing here on this fine afternoon? "
Eiji: "You know – I just randomly decided that I want to go on a walk, so I stopped here on my way home. What about you? "
Tadao: "Oh, I was just sitting on this bench, enjoying the fresh air and the cheerful noise of the people, while you just came out of a sudden and stopped in front of me."
Eiji: "Ah um... sorry if I've disturbed you. "
Tadao: "Haha, it's fine don't fuss over it, here, have a seat near me, this bench offers great hiding-from-the-sun service. " I think that's a fancy way of saying that I can stay here and don't get sunburnt. Which is fine by me. "I can't believe that a year has already passed since we met in this very park..."
Eiji: "Jeez, a year has passed already? It's really a coincidence that we met again, in the same place, under the very same scorching sun..."
Tadao: "Indeed… I still remember that very day…" he takes a long pause, staring off into the distance… "So how is work going? Are you still working in an office?"
Eiji: "Yes, I am… you know… I've been thinking about quitting this job and switching to a part-time job."
Tadao: "Huh? Why? Isn't this job paying well enough or what?"
Eiji: "No- it's not anything like that… I just… can't take it anymore. I only need something so that I can pay my rent and food. Plus it's tiring work…" As I said these words… I realized just how weak of a human being I am. No wonder people barely care about me…
Tadao: "Hmm… well it's your life, you can get through it at any pace you want. Every choice you make – no matter how trivial it may be – it can change your future by a whole bunch. So make sure you take your time and think things through." Somehow, there words pierced my chest. It made me think just about how much time I have wasted in the past, doing nothing, and all the things I could have done that could have changed the way I am now…
Eiji: "Thank you, friend, I really needed to hear these words right now…" But I just can't tell him about the mirrors. I don't want to drag him into this mess now.
Tadao: "Well, I will be taking my leave now, farewell…" he said, as he put on a hat on his head and left… I guess it's time for me to leave too…
As usual, I greet the stand owners on my way home, and then I entered my house. Good thing I've left my window open, otherwise it would have been a painful homecoming. I threw myself on the couch and a thought stroke me. I wonder how it would be if I would work at a nearby stand… I'll just see how things go. If – by any chance – I can't keep up with work, I'll try switching to being a stand assistant, maybe one day I'll live as a peaceful stand owner. But I'll have to really think this through… Minamoto-san is right…
I sink deeper into thought… I fall into a deep state of blankness. Everything is empty – I don't feel anything. Maybe it's because of the sun... A heatstroke maybe? I can't move a muscle. I can tell that I'm here, in my own house, sitting on my usual couch, but I cannot do anything. A deafening noise, pierces through my ears and makes me feel really dizzy. Suddenly, everything goes dark. I can't see a thing. Something – or rather – someone is touching my leg…
I am suffocating…
…
I feel time passing, then, all of a sudden my ears start functioning again. Someone's calling my name, I'm sure of it! "Hirayama!" it's a woman's voice "Hirayama please! No!" her voice fades into a strong sob…
Kiyomi: "Get up Hirayama! Are you feeling well?" her sobbing starts getting heavier and heavier. Finally, my eyes open and I take a big gasp for air.
Eiji: "Huh…? What are you doing here Seta…?" boy am I glad that I wake up to the sight of a woman… "How did you get here?"
Kiyomi: "I saw… I saw you walking past me, didn't you notice? It's been a whole week since we've talked. How did you not see me?" She barely manages to sneak in a few words through her tears. "So I followed you home. I was worried sick… Good thing you left your door unlocked. Who knows what would… have happened if nobody came for you? My heart dropped when I saw you… sitting on your couch with your eyes blank and mouth open…"
Eiji: "I'm… terribly sorry that you had to see me this way. I don't really know what happened to me. I suspect that the heat messed with my head pretty badly."
Kiyomi: "As long as you're alright I am fine… If you ever feel bad, give me a call. Let's hang out from time to time…" She wipes her tears from her face, and gives me a smile.
Eiji: "I really appreciate you coming over to check on me, even though you have to forgive me for not seeing you back then, I was lost in my own thoughts, I suppose." It's already dark outside. I keep losing precious time like this. What is going on with my life?
Kiyomi: "Stay where you are, I'll make us something to eat." Wait.
Eiji: "What do you mean by us…? Are you staying over?"
Kiyomi: "Of course I am, do you think I'll let you alone like this? For the time being, relax, and let me pamper you for a while."
Eiji: "T-thank you… I don't know what to say…"
Kiyomi: "Don't say a word." She said, as she turned around and headed for the kitchen. From where I was sitting, I could see her every move perfectly. It was obvious that she knew her ways around a kitchen. I hope I didn't scare her with my lack of cooking ingredients… I went next to her to grab a glass of water, my throat was dry as any good joke that I can think of. "W-wow… so many glasses…!" Yeah I guess that's the most reasonable reaction someone could have. At last, the food was ready. It's been a while since I had omurice as good as this. It may not seem much, but just her presence made my day better.
After we finished eating, I insisted on washing the dishes. While taking care of them, a thought struck me…
Eiji: "Have you been well during this past week? I didn't hear anything from you, so I've been wondering…"
Kiyomi: "To be fair, a few days after what we both saw made me wonder about what happened in my past life. It's still weird to me that I saw you. Could it have been a coincidence?"
Eiji: "Probably it could have been a coincidence. " After letting the dishes dry, I sat on a chair next to the woman I respect the most now, Seta-san. "Let's try making sense of this strange phenomenon. So far we have no lead to the origin of these mirrors. But we do know for a fact that time passes rather quickly while we look into them, and we seem to be entering a state of trance while observing the reflection."
Kiyomi: "The first time I felt extreme thirst… what could this mean?"
Eiji: "Same here… honestly I have no idea what's the meaning of this…"
Kiyomi: "Do you feel any different from before?"
Eiji: "Actually, I feel a deep strain in my chest ever since the first time I put my hand on this blasted mirror, but I tried ignoring this pain."
Kiyomi: "Do you regret anything?" she said, in a serious tone, and in an emotionless face…
Eiji: "H-huh…?" my hands start trembling and my vision gets foggy, all while feeling tears falling down my warm cheeks... "I…I don't think I have any regrets yet…" who am I lying to… of course my life is full of regrets, but I just cannot tell her that I've been a useless human being that wasted his whole life, accomplishing nothing…
Kiyomi: "Your tears tell me otherwise…" looking at her, that emotionless face begins transforming into a saddened one. I can tell that she is trying to hold it in…
Eiji: "I just wish the past was a little different, I guess…" No. This still doesn't feel right. Somehow, something else is bothering me. Suddenly, a strong burning feeling reaches my stomach area.
Kiyomi: "There's nothing we can do about our pasts. You should just focus on your future. This may sound like a cliché, but it's true. At the very least, this is how I managed to get past some unpleasant things that happened to me a while ago." She's absolutely right. I have to admit, she has better reasoning than my poor little mind could.
Eiji: "Thank you, for being here, I don't know what would have happened to me if you weren't here…"
Kiyomi: "This is the least I could do." She said while yawning. "It's getting pretty late, we should get some rest."
Eiji: "Don't tell me you're staying over!"
Kiyomi: "Are you out of your mind? It just feels natural to stay over the night. It's dark outside and I am scared. What if something bad happens to me? This poor old me?" Persistent as always. I guess this is what a reporter's life is all about.
Eiji: "Okay, okay, you can stay over. But there's only a problem. I don't think I have enough room for another person to be sleeping in. My bed can fit only one person-"
Kiyomi: "It's fine, the couch looks comfy enough."
Eiji: "No way! You deserve sleeping on the bed, at least let me repay you somehow… "
Kiyomi: "I refuse. Go sleep in the bed. After what happened earlier, you should get enough rest."
Eiji: "I insist --" this went on for minutes and minutes… we came to the conclusion that she should get the bed and I get the couch. Personally, I don't mind sleeping here, but she is right in her own way… what happened to me this afternoon wasn't normal at all. I never experienced this. While trying to fall asleep, I hear the door to my bedroom open.
Kiyomi: "Good night!"
Eiji: "Good night." It's been so long since someone said this to me. Even in my childhood I barely heard these words… She closed the door and I faintly heard her getting in bed. A single tear drips from my right eye. I don't know how long this happiness will last on for… Hopefully it will last for the rest of my useless life. Heh, as if this would even happen, let's be real…
As my eyes close, a looming danger draws near, I can feel it.