Minami no Hanashi : Yume - Adagio
The next morning, Minami got up as usual. Still groggy, she was greeted in the living room by Shinsuke. She quickly noticed Narumi and Azumi were missing.
"Where are they?"
"Hm? Narumi starts later than usual today. As for your mom, I told her to rest."
Minami still didn't seem satisfied. "And you? Don't you have work?"
Shinsuke placed a box near the couch and headed toward the kitchen. "No, I'm on vacation."
"Seriously?!" Minami exclaimed.
Shinsuke looked at Minami with a hint of disbelief on his face. "I said it at dinner yesterday, but apparently only Narumi listens to me."
A huge grin spread across Minami's face. "That's awesome! We can do stuff together! Like endurance training at the big park!"
"If you want to run, I can always take Lapis with you."
Minami's mood instantly dropped. "No, no, that's fine. I'm not Leon."
"Speaking of which, how's that kid doing? Have you run into him again?"
While pouring cereal into her bowl, Minami tried to recall his face and presence. "No, I haven't seen him at all since."
Shinsuke had a strange smile on his face. Minami noticed, stared at him for a few seconds, then a few minutes, before suddenly snapping out of it. "DON'T TELL ME YOU DID SOMETHING TO HIM?!"
"Of course not," Shinsuke replied firmly. "What kind of person do you think I am? By the way, do you want anything else with your cereal?"
"No, this is fine, thanks," Minami answered, her mouth still full of cereal.
Shinsuke pulled an envelope out of the box with "Minami KATAYAMA" written on it. "Here, your allowance."
Minami nearly choked and jumped out of her chair. "Awesome! Thank you so much!"
Shinsuke sat down next to her, curious. "How do you even spend your money?" A brief silence hung in the air as he continued, "Your sister spends hers on clothes and outings with her friends, but you?"
"Uh…" Minami pulled out her phone to check her expense tracker. Both stared at the graph on the screen. "Food?" Shinsuke read aloud. "You're not short on noo—oh… No way, Minami?"
Shinsuke gave her a disappointed look. Minami quickly defended herself. "No, no, no, no! That was last month! Normally, I mostly buy… books! And some collector's editions from my favorite authors!"
"Oh, honestly, I don't care. As long as it makes you happy, that's what matters."
At those words, Minami's face lit up with a wide smile. It wasn't just a warm smile; it seemed to radiate its own light, a tangible reflection of the affection and gratitude she felt for her father. It was a smile imbued with deep sincerity, where every glimmer seemed to weave an invisible but unbreakable bond between them, revealing all the love she had for her father.
He smiled back and added, "Want me to drive you somewhere?"
"If you promise not to do anything weird, yes! And we can stop by the convenience store on the way!"
"Those cereal bars Jun bought you are already gone?"
"No, not at all. I just want to buy a new pen at the store! You know, the ones with the big animal heads on top? Mine's out of ink."
"Oh, you mean the kind of pen you gave me?"
"Yeah! By the way, what did you do with it?"
"It's on my desk at work. I use it, don't worry."
Minami burst out laughing. "You don't have to, you know! I can just imagine the look on your employees' faces, seeing someone as intimidating as you writing with such a ridiculous pen!"
"Excuse me? I don't think it's ridiculous at all."
"Sure, sure, Dad. Come on, let's go, or I'll be late."
Once they arrived at the convenience store, Minami was horrified to see a sign that indicated bad news. She could feel it deep inside. She didn't need to step closer to understand, but she did anyway, followed by her father.
The sign, solemnly posted on the closed door, read: "Thank you for all these years of support. Unfortunately, the shop will soon be closing its doors. We are deeply grateful for your loyalty and friendship."
Those simple words carried an immense weight, like an epitaph for a place that had been both a pillar and a rare source of comfort for Minami.
A tear escaped her eye, betraying the deep sadness in her heart. Despite this, several questions flooded her mind: "What happened to Mrs. Ishikawa? What will happen to the exclusive products she sold?"
Shinsuke noticed the heavy silence and chose to break it, though he said nothing. Instead, he gently patted his daughter's back, offering moral support. He understood how much this place meant to her.
The convenience store had been the first place Minami had ever gone to alone and where she had made her first purchase.
Wiping her tears, Minami turned around, murmured a few words, and headed toward her father's car. "Let's go, Dad. I have to get to school." Without another word, Shinsuke followed, sharing in her sadness.
Once they arrived at the school, Shinsuke said, "I'll look into it for you, okay?"
"Thank you, Dad," she whispered, barely audible.
"Come on, smile. It suits you so much better."
Thanks to her father's support, Minami managed to smile again. Nearby students noticed her presence and began whispering to each other:
"Who's that man?"
"Do you think he's a new teacher?"
"He's so handsome!!!"
Minami glared at them, and they quickly scattered. She then turned to her father, arms crossed.
"See? This is why I don't want you coming here."
"How is that my fault?"
"Still! Now they're going to ask me a ton of questions. Shoo!"
Shinsuke chuckled before leaving. The same students who had noticed him continued murmuring among themselves. But Minami paid no attention and walked into the school.
As soon as she stepped inside, she bumped into Tishiku, who seemed to be in a hurry.
"Whoa! Sorry, Minami! Are you okay?" he asked, extending a hand to help her up.
She grabbed his hand gratefully. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. But where are you rushing off to?"
Tishiku shook his head with a carefree smile. "I forgot to lock my bike when I arrived! I want to secure it before class starts!"
Minami sighed in understanding. "Oh, that's it? Don't worry, I'll cover for you. Take your time!"
Tishiku thanked her and walked away more relaxed. As Minami prepared to do the same, he suddenly turned back.
"By the way, I wanted to tell you…"
"Yes?" she asked, curious.
"This morning, as usual, I was reading A Thought for the Day. Not only does it boost my faith, but it also offers some really interesting reflections."
The Thought for the Day app provides a daily Christian meditation. Ever since its release, the passionate Tishiku hadn't missed a single entry.
"And after reading it, I felt like telling you these words: 'Be strong and courageous! God sees much farther than we do.'"
Lost in thought, he gazed into the distance before continuing, "We don't always understand the situations we face at the moment, but often, we understand them later. Everything contributes to our growth. God wants to lead us further!"
Fascinated by Tishiku's personality and mindset, Minami simply listened. She couldn't help but smile. Noticing her reaction, the passionate boy added, scratching his head, "Hopefully, that motivates you! Or maybe it doesn't make sense now. But who knows?"
"Thank you so much, Tishiku. Thank you for sharing that with me!"
"Thank you for existing!" he replied before walking away.
Finally, Tishiku arrived in the classroom before the teacher. He still thanked Minami from a distance with a thumbs-up. The twins noticed this and simultaneously turned toward Minami with a slight smirk. A smirk that Minami didn't particularly appreciate, prompting her to glare at them.
Later, during class, Minami flipped through her notebook, her thoughts drifting to the closure of the convenience store. Suddenly, a thought invaded her mind: "Wait… I didn't dream at all last night!?"
She froze for a moment, and Sanae noticed, chuckling softly: "You look like a robot, Minami."
The day went by quickly for Minami. Classes passed without much happening, and soon, she was back home in the evening.
As she opened the door, she saw Narumi crouching down, playing with Lapis. The moment Minami laid eyes on the dog, she yelled: "DAD! WHY DID YOU BRING THIS DOG HERE!?"
Narumi stood up and explained, "No need to yell! Dad left—I don't know where he went. Oh, and Mom went with him."
"Why is he here!?" she demanded, pointing at the dog.
Lapis lowered his head and lay on his stomach. Narumi, finding the dog adorable, stroked him while speaking in a baby voice: "Aww, look at how big sis calls you names even though you're so cute!"
"Whatever! Just keep him away from me, okay! I don't want him near me!"
"Geez, relax! We're keeping him for the whole weekend, so—"
"WHAT? You're kidding, right? Don't tell me… You're the one who begged Dad to bring him here!"
Narumi whistled innocently, avoiding eye contact with her sister. "Come on, Lapis! Don't worry, Minami, I'll take care of him!"
Narumi and Lapis moved out of Minami's way, and she quickly rushed to her room.
She dropped her belongings and kept thinking about the convenience store. After several minutes of lying on her bed, she suddenly got up and sat at her desk to start her homework.
An hour later, Narumi entered the room with a plate of flambéed bananas. "Hello! A special delivery for Miss Katayama!"
"Oh, thank you so much, Naru—Not him. Lapis, get out."
Lapis sat at the doorway, simply watching them. "I wanted to talk to you, but it looks like you're busy with homework!"
"Pfft, it's nothing. Go ahead, what's up?" Minami replied while enjoying the flambéed bananas.
Narumi sat on Minami's bed and exclaimed, "You were completely right! Today, I talked to her normally, just like I talk to you. I was completely myself—even super rude and blunt at times."
"Whoa… I never told you to do all that!"
"Well, she took it really well! I even made her smile! I think she's starting to like me!"
"Oh, I'm glad to hear that!" Minami replied, happy for her sister.
"It's still surprising, though. Anyway, enough about me! How are you doing?"
Minami took a deep breath and prepared to share the bad news. "Grandma Ishikawa's convenience store is going to close."
The room fell silent as the weight of the news sank in. The sound of the front door unlocking echoed through the silence, catching Lapis's attention. It was, of course, Azumi and Shinsuke.
As the sisters exchanged a solemn look, Azumi called for Minami from the other room.
Both sisters knew exactly why Minami was being called. They headed out together.
In the living room, everyone sat down, like in a formal meeting. Azumi spoke first: "Your father told me everything. We went to look into it, and it seems, yes, the store is indeed going to close."
Narumi interjected dramatically, "Is there really nothing the mighty Katayama family can do?"
Shinsuke and Azumi exchanged a glance before responding in unison, "No."
Azumi elaborated, "It's far more complicated. It seems the town hall has already sold the land to a company. We couldn't get more details."
"So that's it," Minami murmured.
"You're the one who's closest to Grandma Ishikawa," Azumi said gently. "I have her address if you'd like to visit her in person."
A spark of hope lit up in Minami's eyes. "Yes! I want to!"
Seeing her daughter's energy return, Azumi smiled broadly. "But not right now, okay? Tomorrow's the weekend. I'll prepare a dish for you to bring to her."
"Perfect, then!" With those words, Minami returned to her room. But without her noticing, Lapis followed her. Knowing how much Minami disliked dogs, the family quietly smiled, waiting for the inevitable yell.
"LAPIS, NO!! NARUMI!!"
Shinsuke turned to Narumi with a laugh. "Go on, Narumi, rescue your sister."
"On it!" she called out, racing upstairs.
In the hallway, Minami tried to chase Lapis away by throwing a cereal bar at him.
"What's wrong with you, Minami?! Poor thing!" Narumi scolded.
"Well, he shouldn't be following me!"
"Fine, but don't give him stuff with chocolate—it's dangerous for him. He can't handle it."
Minami crossed her arms and leaned against her doorframe. "Oh, really? Hahaha…"
"You're acting really suspicious, Minami. You're not going to hurt him, are you? He trusts you! If you hand him something, he'll take it without hesitation!"
"Not very smart for a guard dog," the elder sister replied, glaring at the dog.
Narumi frowned and defended him: "He's super cute! And really well-trained! He just trusts us a lot. He likes you, you know. Since you love running, you should take him out to play."
"No thanks." Minami stepped back into her room to resume her activities.
Minami immersed herself in her homework while Narumi spent the entire evening playing with Lapis.
As night fell, Minami finally drifted off to sleep, her thoughts lingering on the "Jun" from her last dream. She eventually dreamed again.
In her dream, she was back at the same children's theater as before. Neither the "Jun" nor the people on stage were there anymore.
"Well, I guess I still have to find that puzzle. But seriously, my dreams transition so weirdly!"
"Who are you talking to?"
The sudden voice startled Minami, and she turned to see the "Jun."
"You again?! Hey, have you seen some kind of puzzle piece?"
The "Jun" responded enigmatically, "Do you really think there's a puzzle piece here?"
Minami scanned her surroundings, determined. "Yeah… But the cloud sent me here to find one. It has to be here…"
Lost in thought, she climbed onto the stage and looked around nostalgically.
As she did, she recalled the plays she'd watched as a child.
While lost in her memories, the "Jun" interrupted: "We could watch another play if you'd like. All you have to do is take a seat."
"No, no, I'm fine. This Jun is really strange."
As she watched him, Minami noticed a strange dark aura surrounding him. A flashback suddenly hit her: "The dark shadows! Don't tell me you're one of them!!"
The "Jun" took a step forward and tried to grab Minami's hand. "Wait—"
Before he could reach her, she pushed him away. "OF COURSE! The shadows are the cloud's enemy! Obviously, you're here to sabotage us!"
"Minami, you shouldn't help—"
Suddenly, a brilliant light began flickering through the "Jun." Minami stared at him, backing away.
"No… You've been hiding the puzzle piece all along! Give it back to me!"
Seeing that talking was no longer an option, the "Jun" attempted to leave but was stopped by Minami.
"Give it back, or I'll rip it out of you."
The shadow remained silent. Minami raised her hand as if to strike him.
"Last chance. I have no idea what'll happen to you, but I have to get that puzzle piece to move on."
The "Jun" didn't resist. But as Minami prepared to strike, he whispered, "We will protect you. No matter what."
With a swift motion, Minami pierced through 'Jun's' body with her enhanced strength. Her hand struck the place where the light seemed most intense. Then, 'Jun' dissipated into a dark cloud and appeared to vanish into the air. Suddenly, an intense pain erupted in her head, so severe it caused her to lose her balance within her dream. For a brief moment, everything turned black, and Minami felt her consciousness falter without fully leaving the dream world.
Shortly after, she sat up again, still surrounded by the dream's landscape, as if she had merely collapsed onto the ethereal ground. In front of her, a shimmering fragment lay on the floor. Picking it up, Minami examined it closely: "What's this supposed to represent...?"
She stared at it intently. The longer she looked, the more something seemed to take shape within it.
"Ah... It's a monument of Kaizen... So that's the word I heard from the cloud. The word Kaizen. But now, what am I supposed to do–"
Before she could finish her sentence, she found herself once again in the endless space, standing before the cloud.
"Huh!? Already back!? That was super fast!!"
"Fast? Seriously?"
The cloud seemed excited, darting around in all directions. "Did you find the puzzle piece or not??"
"Yeah, but honestly, it doesn't look like a puzzle piece at all! It's just a weird fragment!"
"Yeah, yeah, fine. Hand it over!"
Minami held the fragment above the cloud, which seemed to engulf it. "Perfect! Now we can move on to the next one! Heads up, though, it's going to hurt again, but–"
"I saw... a shadow on the other side. And... when I... I don't even know if I killed it, but when I retrieved the fragment, the pain was so intense that..."
"That you passed out?"
"Yeah! I mean... it's weird since I'm in a dream... But anyway, can you explain it to me?"
"I don't know why it hurt you! The shadows won't ever harm you; they're after me. But that doesn't explain how they got in!"
The cloud spun in circles before continuing: "In any case, if they're blocking our way like this, it must mean we're on the right track!"
Minami shook her head as if trying to wake up, then asked, "But why are they after you? What did you do to them?"
"I have no idea... I've told you that already... Maybe it's just because I exist?"
Seeing the cloud's sorrow, Minami chose not to press further. But it added: "I'm sure things will change once we find 'lalala'!"
"Yeah, 'lalala.' Can we play hangman or something? That way, I can at least put a name to this 'lalala.'"
"I can't believe you suggested that. But fine, why not. Summon a pencil!"
Suddenly, a pencil appeared. The cloud tried to grab it, but its hand passed right through. The sound was oddly satisfying, so Minami repeated the action, again and again.
"Alright, will you stop that!?"
"Okay, okay, sorry. So? How many letters?"
"░░."
Noticing even that was censored, she dropped the pencil and held her head, trying to endure the pain.
"Censored?" the cloud asked.
"Censored," she replied, staring into the void.
"The shadows are too strong!"
"Yeah. They're censoring based on context alone. I can't wait to figure out who you're looking for and, most importantly, UNDERSTAND!"
"Then let's move on! Brace yourself for the headache!"
"Wait–"
"████, ████, ██████████, ██████."
Before the cloud could finish, Minami collapsed. Suddenly, the world around her began to dissolve, colors blending into a swirl of black and white.
She woke slowly, dizzy, and saw blood on her pillow—it had come from her nose. She got up carefully from her bed, holding her head, still numb from the echoes of the dream. For a moment, she sat, trying to distinguish the blurry line between dream and reality.
She then left her bed to get some water in the living room. Lapis, despite trying not to disturb anyone, woke up. He watched Minami silently. She glanced at him as she poured her water.
After drinking three glasses, Minami tried to return to her room but lost her balance and silently fell. The pain still lingered, and it was hard for her to act as if it wasn't there. Lapis went to grab a cushion from the living room sofas and brought it to Minami. He also fetched one of the blankets Azumi had left on a chair.
Within moments, Lapis had brought Minami everything she needed to sleep. She smiled and said to him: "You're actually really sweet. You're not just any dog; you're officially a Katayama!"
The dog showed his affection by nuzzling his head against her. "Alright, alright, easy now."
Exhausted, she accepted what Lapis had brought and fell asleep beside him.
The next morning, when Minami woke up, she was in her bed, with Lapis lying in the middle of her room. "There's no way you carried me here, is there?"
She got out of bed and went to the bathroom to do her morning routine. Twenty minutes later, she joined her family, who were having breakfast in front of the TV.
"Look who it is! Miss Katayama, who hates dogs!" teased Narumi. "Dad showed us the pictures! We saw everything!"
Minami gave her father a look of mild disdain. "Was it really necessary to take pictures? He's sweet, okay, I admit it."
"That's what I've been telling you all along!" Narumi sighed.
Azumi turned away from the screen and fixed her gaze on Minami. "What were you doing lying on the floor like that?"
As she went to grab something from the kitchen, she answered lazily: "If my bloody pillow is gone, then you already know, don't you? Why even ask?"
Everyone stopped eating and stared at Minami in silence. "W–What? Dad? You proudly show them pictures of me sleeping with the dog, but you don't tell them about the blood on my pillow??"
All eyes turned to Shinsuke. "I... I didn't think you wanted me to mention it. I thought... well, never mind. I don't have to justify myself. If you have a problem, you can talk to us if you want. We're not going to force you."
They all gave him neutral looks. "He didn't really think it was... no, how would that even happen on my pillow? Anyway. I had a nosebleed while I was sleeping. I went downstairs to get water, and my head was in the clouds with a side of pain. Lapis brought me stuff to sleep with, I was tired, and it was cute, so I accepted. Satisfied?"
Everyone nodded.
"And you're feeling better?" Narumi asked, concerned for her sister.
"Yeah, perfectly fine!" She plopped onto the couch, eating an apple. "So what are we watching today?"
"Ask Mom. She's the one who put this on. I'm on my phone, and Dad's on his laptop."
Minami groaned as she got up.
"Put your devices down already! Especially you, Dad! For once you're on vacation, no working in secret!"
"I'm actually planning something related to the vacation," he replied, sipping his coffee.
Minami took Narumi's phone and sat next to Azumi.
"So, Mom, what are you watching? What's it about?"
"Honestly, I wasn't really paying attention. But if you want to watch something else, go ahead."
"You're all hopeless, I swear." She unlocked Narumi's phone and began scrolling.
Narumi noticed and said confidently, "Can I have my phone back? You don't know my password; you're going to lock it."
"I'm your older sister, of course I know your password."
She unlocked the phone without Narumi realizing it and stumbled upon a chat with someone named 'Annoying Guy.'
"Who's 'Annoying Guy'?"
"Hey!? How did you do that!?"
Suddenly, Azumi took the phone from Minami's hands and handed it back to Narumi.
"We don't snoop through other people's stuff like that, Minami."
"Unbelievable. And weird phrasing, Mom. Anyway, who is it? Your boyfriend?"
"Not at all. It literally says Annoying Guy, no hearts in his name."
"So there is someone with a heart in their name?" Azumi asked, smiling curiously at her.
"No!"
Azumi stood and headed to the kitchen.
"Alright, Minami, let's see what we can make for Mrs. Ishikawa. Unless you've changed–"
"No, I haven't changed my mind! I'm coming!"
END OF CHAPTER