The Passengers on the Hankyu Line полностью

‘No. Way,’ he repeated, pausing between words for emphasis. ‘Just how do you intend to get down there? It’s along the railroad tracks, yeah? It’s a steep slope, no?’

‘Well, maybe we could tether a safety line at the top to lower me down.’

‘The railway cuts through the slope and there’s a construction site at the top. It’s gated off, isn’t it?’

‘Maybe early in the morning, I could just slip past the barrier. I wouldn’t be going in there to do anything bad, just to pick bracken, and then I’d be on my way.’

‘No way.’

‘But the other day when I talked to one of the construction workers, he said they aren’t doing anything with the bracken … he laughed and said if I could get to it, I could have it.’

Oh boy … she was amiable enough – though in odd places and in odd ways – and old guys took a liking to her. Kei’ichi let out a sigh.

‘I’m sure he was just joking with you because he knew there’s no way you’d be able to get to it.’

‘I can get to it, I’m a country girl!’

‘That makes no difference! What’s gonna happen if you fall? You could really hurt yourself!’

‘Whaaat? There are trees that I can grab on to, especially on that incline …’

‘I’ll be damned if “that incline” isn’t forty-five degrees!’

‘Well then, I could go in from the track side, slip in just a little before the first train.’

‘That’s an even more terrible idea!’ Kei’ichi’s eyes flashed with anger.

Miho pouted sullenly.

Oh boy, he thought again. She really looked pretty when she made that face. And he was head over heels. But no matter how pretty she was – or rather, because she was so pretty, all the more reason why he had to prevent her from doing this.

‘Why are you so hung up on the bracken? It’s not like it’s anything special, you and I both know.’

‘Because the pickings are right there for the taking …’

‘But you could just go back home and pick as much as you like, can’tcha?’

Miho cast her eyes down and grabbed Kei’ichi’s sleeve.

‘If I go home for spring break, I won’t get to see you.’

Damn, she’s cute. In spite of himself, Kei’ichi averted his gaze.

It just so happened that he had spoken to his parents on the phone the night before, and they had asked whether he planned to come home during spring break. Picturing Miho, he had demurred, using the excuse that he’d been back there for the New Year.

Since they both knew from the start that neither of them had any experience with dating, it had the opposite effect of making their relationship feel more relaxed. Neither had to pretend that they knew what they were doing, and they were able to test things out together as they went along. The tempo of their relationship seemed to suit them both, since neither was trying to prove anything.

Even on their first date, eating takoyaki at the food court at the shopping arcade at Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi, they had so much fun together and were smiling so widely, people might have thought they were punch drunk.

Still, it wasn’t until they’d been dating for several months that Miho started coming over to where Kei’ichi lived. She may have suspected an ulterior motive (which he might not have denied), and Miho didn’t have the nerve to admit that she herself wanted to come over.

What finally got them past this stalemate was when Kei’ichi caught a cold.

She showed up at his place using the navigation on her phone to guide her to the address he had texted her.

‘Kei’ichi-kun, you said that you cook for yourself so I assumed you’d have kitchen utensils,’ she said as she arrived with ingredients to make okayu rice porridge, along with canned peaches. He had run out of rice so he was grateful to her for bringing over a two-kilo bag, but when he saw the book of recipes for the sick – for beginners, no less – it gave him pause. Especially when he saw all the pages marked with sticky notes.

After showing her in and then getting back into bed, Kei’ichi called out haltingly, ‘Um, you know, Miho-chan, my rice cooker has a setting for making okayu, if you like …’

He was worried about offending her pride, but Miho smiled as she looked up while she considered which pot to use. ‘That’s good to know,’ she said. ‘I thought it wouldn’t do just to heat up a ready-made pouch, but when I practised making okayu at my aunt’s house it wasn’t all that great … I’m desperately hoping that the second time it’ll come out better – it’s kind of a do-or-die situation.’

Her reply made him laugh, which led to a coughing fit.

He’d gladly try her do-or-die okayu – but on the other hand, he’d just as soon not have to eat something questionable. Even taking his fever into account, he was captivated by how pretty Miho was when she smiled. Maybe he wanted to be mollycoddled a little.

She followed the rice cooker’s manual and managed to make a passable okayu, and when she brought over a bowl to him, he asked her to feed him.

As usual, Miho’s cheeks went up in flames.