Chisato gets slightly defensive. “You’ll get to see it yourself. I mean, you’ll still be coming back to Japan on breaks, right?”
“A few times a year, for sure…”
Before we can continue the conversation, I hear a loud whistle that cuts through and then silences all the chatter in the room. I turn to see Mrs. Sakamoto with her fingers in her mouth, and once again am surprised at how such a small woman is capable of such sheer volume.
After a few seconds, with the assurance that the entire room is now focused on her, she begins.
“Thank you all for choosing to come here today for a bit after graduation! I know I said this last night at the recital, but I wanted to say it again today for all of you. It has been a privilege and a joy to be your instructor this last year, and for some of you, the last few. You’ve all done remarkably well this year, and I wanted to let you know how proud of you all I really am.”
She pauses for a moment to hold up her camera where everyone can see. “If any of you want me to take photos of you and your friends, please let me know…and as for the wall…”
Everyone turns to look at the large cork panels on one side of the room; the ones filled with memories of the past three years.
“Some of you already know how this works, but for those that don’t, please take any photos that you want from when you were first year students,” the teacher says. “They’re important reminders of not just who you are, but everything you’ve accomplished since you came here as well. If you see a really good picture that you want from one of the other years, all I ask is that you limit yourselves to one or two where you’re the only ones in it. I try to take a lot of group photos every year, so you should have some options.”
The murmur picks up again as the students in the room start to shuffle towards the wall. A few people immediately reach up to start picking out the photos that they want, clearly camped out to do so but waiting until getting the official okay from their teacher.
“Did you do this last year?” I ask Saki.
“I took a few pictures with my upperclassmen, but I really didn’t keep any for myself. I, uh…didn’t have many friends in the grades above me.”
“Ah.”
The rest of our group seems okay with holding back a bit, waiting until there’s more room to maneuver…and after a few minutes, there’s enough of an opening for us to wander over.
The recent year’s pictures are mostly untouched, with a few empty holes to indicate where one used to be. Saki spots one that I immediately recognize - the three girls and myself at the cafe next to the recording studio, smiling at the camera as we sit around a table enjoying some snacks.
“Can I have that one?” Noriko asks. “It looks like it’s the only one that has me in it…”
A quick check shows that she’s right. Chisato easily reaches up and plucks it free, handing it to Noriko. There are a few more where Saki and Chisato are present, but nobody makes any move to take them, per the teacher’s request.
Saki’s already looking at the board from last year, and my eyes are immediately drawn to the two pictures of them that were taken at the beach. “I call dibs on those!” she excitedly says.
They’re a little higher up than she can comfortably reach, so Mitsuru does the honors. One has Saki in her sundress and straw hat, while the other one has his girlfriend buried up to her neck in the sand, flashing a defiant smile. He hands the first one to Saki, but hesitates as his eyes linger on the second.
“Do you mind if I take this one?” he asks.
Saki immediately relents. “Of course. I’m sorry we didn’t get any of you and Chisato together for the wall this last year…”
“That’s okay!” Chisato perks up, a forced enthusiasm to her voice that we pick up on but choose to ignore. “That’s why sensei has the camera. We’re going to get a lot of us before we leave today.”
I feel Saki press something into my hand, and look down to see that it’s the photo she just claimed. I flush slightly as she leans into me, giving me a quick and gentle kiss on the cheek.
“Keep this one…okay?”
“Thank you,” I respond, kissing her forehead in turn.
The oldest section of the photo board has mostly been picked clean, with only a handful of pictures left pinned to it. I lean in to take a look, and the few that I had taken notice of over the last year that stood out to me happen to be there.
There are four photos with Kayoko.
Chisato follows my gaze to see where I’m looking, her face saddening a bit. “Hisao…can you grab those?”
“Sure.”
I reach up to the top of the board and gingerly snatch them from the cork surface, fanning them out so the five of us can see them better. The first two seem to have been taken without the subjects knowing; all three girls are in the band room, sitting together in a rough circle with a pile of papers on the desk between them. Saki has her violin sitting on her lap, and Kayoko has a black case sitting on the floor next to her chair.
The third has the trio eating lunch together sitting on the grass outside the main building, and finally the last picture has Saki and Kayoko playing their violins back to back.
In every picture, you can see how vibrant Kayoko’s smile is, her red hair and green eyes barely dulled at all from the age of the medium she’s enshrined in.
Well…one of the mediums.
I turn to look at Saki as she carefully examines all the memories spread out before her, complicated emotions playing out on her face.
“She would have been proud of you,” I say to her, my voice barely a whisper.
She sniffles a bit, quickly bringing up her free hand to dab at the back of her eyes. “I hope so. I really hope so.” Without any comment from the others, Saki delicately picks up the one of her and Kayoko together.
“I’ll take this one,” Chisato says, reaching out for the one of them eating lunch in the grass.
The remaining two don’t seem to prompt any response as to who should have them, until Saki speaks up.
“Noriko? Hisao? Mitsuru? Would, uh…would you like any of these?”
Noriko exchanges a quick glance at Mitsuru before clearing her throat. “I think that you two should have them,” she says. “She was your friend, and it seems that she loved both of you very much.”
“I agree,” Mitsuru offers. “I never even met her, although I wish I could have.”
“...they make good points,” I agree.
Since both pictures are nearly identical, Chisato takes one for herself and slides the second over to Saki, who frowns slightly.
“Actually…I was wondering…”
She lifts her head to look around her, settling her attention on Mrs. Sakamoto. The older woman seems to have found time for a quick break from taking pictures of the band members, but is putting the time to use by wrestling the cellophane off of a small box.
Saki turns back towards us. “Follow me.”
Cane in hand, she confidently strides over to her teacher, once again stopping just short of being intrusive and waiting to be noticed. We follow suit, curious to see what she has in mind - although I already have an idea.
“Ah! Miss Enomoto and company. Were you able to get all the pictures off the wall you wanted?”
“We were,” Saki begins a bit awkwardly, then holds out her hand towards her sensei…gently clasping the final photograph.
Chisato instantly picks up on what’s happening and moves to speak. “Sensei…we want you to have this one.”
Taken aback, Mrs. Sakamoto can only blink a few times before managing to respond. “Are…are you sure, girls?”
“Yeah. We are.” Saki confirms, her face giving a soft smile.
Chisato continues. “We never would have been able to do what we did last night without your help. Neither of us would be going to Tokyo if we didn’t have your support and…if you weren’t there with us, these pictures might have been the only way we have to remember her.”
Their mentor considers this for a few more seconds, blinking again - but this time not quickly enough to stop tears from coming out. She delicately takes the photo, and as soon as she does, her free hand has to move up to take off her glasses.
“Just…just come here,” she says, opening her arms wide to pull them both into a tight hug.
Mitsuru, Noriko, and myself simply watch the outpouring of emotion from all three of them as they hold each other. I can hear them murmuring words of thanks and encouragement. My own eyes mist up at seeing how much they care for each other…like family.
A family that I’m also a part of, one I’ve found…and one that I’m indescribably grateful for.
Abruptly, Mrs. Sakamoto ends the hug, trying to regain some composure and almost succeeding. “Come on, you didn’t come here today just to give this old woman a hug.” She holds up her camera. “Let’s capture a few more memories.”
“Sensei? Can you get a picture of all of us?” Chisato asks.
“Of course. I can take one for each of you, if you want it.”
“I want one!” Noriko exclaims, and I nod my head in agreement.
We awkwardly shift our positions a few times as the teacher finds the best angles with her camera, the flash causing a bright afterimage on my retinas every time it goes off. Saki and Chisato take two together, arms over each other’s shoulders and smiling. I get pulled into two with both them and Noriko, and finally a few of all five of us together.
After the camera cycles a few more times, we end up breaking apart. Noriko immediately grabs two of the square pieces of paper, shaking them in the air to get them to develop faster.
“I’ll take this one,” she says, holding out the second copy towards us for anyone who wants to grab it. Mitsuru takes her up on the offer, carefully grabbing and squinting to inspect it.
It takes me a few seconds to notice, but as Mitsuru looks over the picture, I can see him shrink slightly as he gives a sad smile. He reaches up with his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, pushing up his glasses and trying unsuccessfully to hide his distress.
“Can I ask you all for something?”
“What is it?” Chisato asks.
“Can…you all sign this for me?”
Our mood takes on a more somber tone when he says this. I’m the closest one to Mitsuru, who hands me both the photo and a pen.
I don’t really know what to say, being put on the spot like this. I’ve been excited for the graduation ceremony, and Saki saying yes to my proposal to her, but now that the former is over, there are more and more reminders that…I might never see some of these people that have been my friends and colleagues the last year again. I’d gladly love to meet any of them in the future, simply because of our shared experience with Yamaku, but…
…well, I guess it’s better to take that one day at a time. Same as everything else.
Now, what to write?
Thank you for the yukata! Good luck in Korea!
…yeah, it’s probably a bit lame, but…I can’t think of what else to put down, as I pass the items to Noriko.
Chisato has picked up on the mood shift, and stoically waits for her turn once Noriko finishes writing a sentence or two and hands them to Saki. While her friends scribble on the back of the polaroid, she fidgets with her hands and reaches into her bag, pulling out a small envelope that she grips tightly. Curiosity gets the better of me as I see Mitsuru’s name written on it in her clean, immaculate handwriting, but once I see it, I decide that discretion is the better part of valor.
Chisato hesitates when she grabs the pen, clearly upset. When she does start writing, none of us try to read over her shoulder. In fact, we all turn our heads away to give her as much privacy as we can manage.
I try to take my mind off the subject by taking another look at the picture of Saki in her sundress and hat. “I still can’t believe you convinced me to go skinnydipping,” I quietly say to her, shaking my head at the memory.
She grins. “You had fun. Admit it.”
“I didn’t say that was a bad thing. I probably would have at one time.”
“That was a good night,” she responds, her hand snaking down to link fingers with mine.
“It was,” I smile.
Chisato finishes with her message to Mitsuru, and then with a slight hesitation, opens the envelope to drop it inside. I catch a glimpse of a folded letter, black writing crisp across its surface before she brings the envelope up to her mouth to wet and close the flap.
“Chisato?” Mitsuru asks, clearly worried about her.
“H…here,” she says, handing the sealed envelope to him. “Don’t read it until you get to Korea, okay?”
Mitsuru’s mouth hangs open for a second or two before he closes it, nodding somberly. He’s about to speak up again when an incessant chirp begins to sound out from his pocket. All of us stiffen up, anticipating what’s coming as he pulls out his phone to check it.
“It’s my parents,” he says, his voice quiet. “I, uh…I need to go.”
His girlfriend is by his side instantly, the look on her face showing how much she’s been dreading this moment. The two of them clutch onto each other tightly, no words being exchanged. I can see Chisato shake slightly as she pulls away.
“I’ll walk you to the entrance.”
“...I’d like that.”
Noriko goes in to hug him, wishing him luck in Korea with heartfelt platitudes. Saki and I follow suit, trying to be positive for his sake.
“You’ll have to come visit us when you get the chance,” I tell him, giving his back an encouraging slap. Saki eagerly gives a noise of approval.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he says.
Chisato and Mitsuru start to pull away, but before he goes two steps, he turns around to face the three of us. His hands go to his side as he gives us a bow. “Thank you for everything this last year. All of you.” When he stands upright again, he pats himself down one last time to make sure that he has everything he needs, his hand lingering over his heart where Chisato’s note is being held for safekeeping in his coat pocket.
Chisato hesitates for a brief instant. “Give me a second. I’ll meet you at the door, if that’s okay?”
Her boyfriend nods and begins to make his way back towards the entrance of the music room. She watches him for a moment before turning back to us.
“Are you going to be okay?” Saki asks softly.
Her friend puffs out her chest, but there’s no fire behind it; just as quickly she deflates and shakes her head.
“I’ll catch up with you three later before I leave tonight,” Chisato says, more as a statement than an answer. “I love the three of you, but…I kind of think I want to be alone for a while.”
(continued...)
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