“It seems certain that what was depicted there was this camphor tree.”
“To arrive at such a truth from the ginkgo’s hidden tree age…”
Kannabi’s breathing was still irregular. I told you so.
But I agreed with what she was saying. If it had been just me, I would have passed over it—from such a small catch, to arrive at the truth of a legend that had transformed over 800 years—
For a while, we gazed vacantly at the giant tree.
When the wind blew, branches rustled far above, and glossy reddish-brown leaves came fluttering down.
One of them smacked right into Kannabi’s face.
“Ubeh—”
After that strange reaction, Kannabi pinched up the leaf still on her face.
“Falling leaves… at this time of year…?”
Looking at our feet, fallen camphor leaves were everywhere.
“Camphor trees are evergreen broadleaf trees. They keep their leaves year-round to photosynthesize even during winter, and when spring comes they sprout new buds while dropping old leaves. So now is the season for leaf fall.”
“Huh. I didn’t know. Dropping leaves during the height of flowering—what a contrarian.”
“Must be.”
As if in response, the wind blew again, and more dead leaves came dancing down. The camphor tree exposing its lonely figure deep in the forest in spring was a contrast to the cherry tree that had scattered its storm of petals on the hill behind school.
“But… that’s exactly why camphor trees are strong. Discarding old leaves in spring when new buds emerge is a strategy to optimize photosynthesis. Because they keep their leaves even in winter, they don’t lose the competition even in dark forests. They steadily grow in inconspicuous places, and eventually become giant trees like this.”
There’s a way of thinking about sun trees and shade trees.
Sun trees are trees that can only grow in sunlight. Many deciduous trees like cherry and ginkgo fall into this category. It’s a strategy of bathing in full sunlight, growing rapidly, and securing sunlight rights first.
On the other hand, shade trees are trees that can grow even in shade. Many evergreens like camphor trees fall into this category. They’re the type that grows slowly in dark forests aiming for late success.
Naturally, neither is superior. They simply have different survival strategies.
That’s precisely why I had to say this to the camphor tree abandoned by legend.
“…Those who live in shade have their own survival strategies.”
Did that sound like an excuse? Did Iwama guess why I said such a thing? Clearly, this was an unnecessary comment.
An ugly assertion disguised as being about plants, with no need to be put into words. But perhaps even this shameful self-justification before the dazzling cherry tree was a way of life befitting one who lives in shade.
“I’m kind of envious.”
Iwama murmured quietly. A voice close to a sigh, as if it had slipped out accidentally.
While watching the countless leaves fluttering down, Iwama slowly parted her lips.
“Working so hard in these mountains where no one knows, becoming the master of the forest—the world tends to make a fuss over famous cherry blossom spots, but I prefer trees like this, spreading their branches in the forest.”
After taking a satisfied breath, she adds:
“…Somehow, it feels like they’re not lying to themselves.”
As the sun gradually tilts and the temperature begins to drop, we descend the mountain, leave Hachiman Shrine, and head to the next famous spot. It’s not particularly special, but many people stop by—the sea.
We buy warm drinks at a coffee shop in the central shopping district, leisurely walk through the town looking around as we head south, and eventually reach our destination at the coast.
Kannabi says “It’s nothing. Who do you think I am?” so we walk, but it’s quite a distance. The coffee we’ve been drinking little by little along the way has completely cooled. There was a trash can next to the public restroom at the beach entrance, so I finish it off there and throw away the paper cup.
Maegahama. A long, narrow sandy beach stretches along the coastline. The white sand sparkles like glitter in the light of the setting sun. On this cool spring evening, there are of course no daredevils going into the sea—most people are taking walks like us.
We naturally head west, where the sunset is about to sink. The backlight is dazzling. The dry sand is hard to walk on, so we walk along the wet water’s edge. When we step on the sand, the area around our shoes mysteriously swells like ripples.
“Rei was in the astronomy club in middle school, right? She’s planning to choose biology as a science student, same as me.”
Thanks to Iwama’s introduction, I finally get to know one aspect of the mysterious person called Kannabi Rei.
“You were doing astronomy but you’re choosing biology?”
“Yes. I’m bad at formulas, so rather than calculating celestial motion, I just looked at stars.”
“You like stars, huh.”
“Not really. I only joined the astronomy club thinking I could learn astrology. In the end, neither my seniors nor the advisor teacher would teach me fortune-telling, so I studied hard on my own.”
Do astronomy instead.
But well, since she came to Tsunagai High School, she must have studied things other than fortune-telling.
“By the way,”
Iwama looks at us both.
“Where did you two meet? When Rei said she’d invite Delta-chan, I was actually pretty surprised. I didn’t really have an image of you two talking.”
It seems Kannabi hasn’t told Iwama about yesterday’s club activity yet. I wonder why. When I look, she’s wiggling her black eyebrows up and down, sending me some kind of signal. Apparently I should keep quiet.
“…Bread, you see.”
“Bread?”
Iwama tilts her head at Kannabi’s mysterious statement.
“I was running with bread in my mouth, and I bumped into Delta at a corner.”
I wish she’d told a more decent lie.
“Whaat?! Were you okay?”
Doesn’t she feel bad deceiving such a pure person? But Kannabi remains nonchalant.
“Yes. The bread fell and was ruined though. That’s how we met.”
“I see…”
That’s not it at all though.
I think it’s better to change the subject, so I try bringing up a topic.
“Iwama and Kannabi, what brought you two together?”
“Because our attendance numbers are next to each other, I guess? Our seats are far apart in the classroom, but we end up together in other situations. We’re paired in PE. And we found various things in common, like subject choices.”
So that’s how it was.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
Indeed, when divided into groups of five by attendance number, Iwama ends up in a different group from me and the same group as Kannabi. Even without any sense of duty as class representative, there was a reason for them to get close.
I feel foolish for viewing their simple friendship through the lens of being a loner or class representative.
“I have absolutely no ability to cooperate, so Rio being nearby really helps me. Even though our seats are far apart, we’ve been together even at lunch lately. Thank you for always keeping me company.”
At Kannabi’s self-deprecating remark that’s hard to deny, Iwama shakes her head.
“Keeping you company… It’s simply because being with Rei is fun.”
“Is that so? Is it fun?”
“It’s fun! What Rei says is a bit different and interesting…”
It’s certainly true that she’s a bit different. You could also say slightly off. In any case, people who say things you can’t predict are interesting.
I was thinking about that, so I almost missed what Iwama said next.
“And Rei treats me really normally.”
Both Kannabi and I fail to react, and only the quiet sound of waves and footsteps walking on the beach echo.
She must have immediately realized she let it slip. Iwama looks up with a start
“Ah, sorry, I said something weird.”
and said in a somewhat strained voice
Saying she needs to use the restroom, Iwama jogs back the way we came.
Before we could chase after her, her back had already moved away. There’s only one public restroom on the beach. Since it was quite far, Kannabi and I were left alone.
After standing silently for a while, suddenly Kannabi starts walking in the opposite direction from the restroom.
“Aren’t we waiting?”
When I call out, Kannabi doesn’t stop walking and says:
“Rio, you see…”
She seems to have something to say. I follow alongside her.
“Rio wanted to know about you. That’s why I planned today’s outing.”
Though it was sudden, I understood why Kannabi started walking.
There’s something she doesn’t want Iwama to hear. And it will take a while. That’s why we’re walking.
“Iwama wanted to know about me?”
“Yes. You two seem to get along quite well, don’t you? We’re the same type, right?”
Certainly, in that we were in science clubs in middle school and both considering biology, we could be considered the same type.
“But why is Kannabi intervening in this?”
“Because you seemed to be avoiding Rio.”
“…I’m not particularly avoiding her.”
“Really? At lunch break, you always immediately go next to Mizusaki-kun. Like a lover waiting eagerly for a tryst.”
That’s unfair. But metaphor aside, since I wasn’t unaware of it, I counter from a different angle.
“Iwama immediately went to Kannabi’s seat too, didn’t she?”
“Which came first, the egg or the chicken? When Delta disappears, that seat becomes isolated and lonely, so she started coming to me—the expression was softer, but Rio said something like that.”
Is that true? My trust in what Kannabi says had already fallen far below standard, but even so, I don’t see why she’d lie about this here.
“I understand Delta’s feelings too. When someone so wonderful and popular is kind to you, it becomes unbearable. That smile that isn’t directed only at you comes to occupy a large place inside you. You shouldn’t become a stalker of idols.”
I wouldn’t do that even without the warning. My policy is to stand on the shoulders of giants, but not reach for the moon.
But even wanting to deny it, words don’t come out well. We continue slowly along the water’s edge.
“So… by bringing Iwama and me together, what does Kannabi want to accomplish?”
“It turned into a surprisingly fun outing, didn’t it? I wanted to confirm that.”
That’s not an answer.
“That’s not all, is it? Coming to the biology room yesterday also had some purpose. You haven’t actually submitted the club application form, have you?”
“No. I definitely submitted the application form to Tokumura-sensei on Thursday.”
“Without even seeing the biology club’s activities?”
Without answering that question either, Kannabi throws the question back.
“Do you know why Rio didn’t go to the science club orientations?”
“Didn’t go…? I thought she just wasn’t interested in going.”
“Even though she was in the science club in middle school, and it’s obvious she loves science? Of course she’d want to see science clubs.”
“We talked about what clubs she was considering. But she said she’d go to basketball club because she was invited…”
Thinking back, Iwama never stated her own preferences. She just kept talking about what her mother said, what it was like in middle school, things like that.
“Right. That’s the kind of person Rio is. Someone who thinks first about what others expect of her, who can’t clearly say what she wants to do. Precisely because she can do anything, she can’t stick to what she wants to do… and she herself suffers from this the most. Suppressing her true self and providing the self others desire. That’s what it means to constantly be in the spotlight.”
I remember Iwama’s words.
—I’m kind of envious.
Looking at the camphor tree spreading its lush branches and leaves in the forest, Iwama had said that.
That Iwama who bears ‘sakura’ in her name.
“Because her mother and friends recommended sports clubs, she went to basketball club’s orientation. And when I told her that you two had joined the biology club and suggested she go try it out, she held back out of consideration for you.”
“Held back…? Why? There was no reason to hold back.”
“Rio said this—[If I go to try it out… and then I say I’ll join a different club after all, what would Izuta-kun and the others think?]”
My understanding can’t keep up.
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