Chapter 3 Chapter One
One month after my tenth birthday, my parents and I visited the cemetery where my grandparents and younger sister rest in Kobe for the first time.
The three of them have been dead for five years.My parents come here every year but never bring me here once, not because it is three hours away by Shinkansen.Rather, they worried that they would evoke the memory of the earthquake disaster in my mind.
My mother told me that she decided to bring me here because I was growing up healthy and free of PTSD symptoms, but it must have been because I stopped saying weird things.
——Yuke, this is the tomb of Qiue.
Next to the majestic tomb, there is a small tomb carved with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. The engraving of "Qiuhui · At the age of five" came into view, and I took a deep breath.I always thought that my younger sister would be buried in the same cave as my grandparents, but I never expected such a tomb to be built.
I was not born alone.The couple who met in Hokkaido in winter named their twin daughters Qiue and Xuee.Competitive ball-e and quiet snow-e.The two never quarreled and were always inseparable.until that day.
The Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake.His father's old house in Kobe was completely destroyed and burned to the ground, and the bodies of his grandparents and a five-year-old girl were found among the rubble.
It was Qiue who died that day.
My mother, who is a child psychologist, didn't say to me, "I have to work hard to draw the ball together."Because everyone is too busy to take care of themselves just to live a good life.
——Yuke, as long as you live like Yukie.
I've always told myself this, but I don't have the confidence to hold my head up and declare my name.So, I must go.
I am going to Paradise.so that I can be myself—
It has been a week since Yukie disappeared.She was supposed to be sleeping next to me, but when I woke up, she was gone. Eight in the morning.Will it be the first class to go to class?However, I had no impression of hearing the alarm clock go off.She can't get up in the morning at all, and on the days when she has to get up before eight o'clock, she has to specially adjust the alarm clock with a very loud volume, so I will definitely wake up along with her. As usual, I wake up Yukie first.So what happened today?I looked on the low table for a note, but there were only five empty cans of sparkling wine lying there.The phone didn't receive the text message either.Did I do something to make her angry? I think back to last night's conversation.I just ate curry (one of the few dishes she would cook) and mentioned her birthday was coming up. —Now you can drink in a fair manner.However, if you commit a crime, your full name will be published, and you will have to be responsible for your own name in the future-I may have said these things a little bit because I turned twenty years old three months earlier, but she should not be like this Just get angry.Because I made a lot of money by working part-time, I said generously, "You can ask for any gift." At times like this, people who are not very good at expressing their emotions are troublesome. No, I was thinking too much.It's not that I know Yukie's actions like the back of my hand, and I don't feel uneasy because I don't know.The two dated for three years, and one morning they had to go home suddenly, so naturally they wouldn't wake up each other to report. I thought it was usually like this, so I went back to sleep again. When I woke up around noon, a text message came to my phone.It was made by Yukie. ——There is something urgent, I have to go home for the time being. Has a family member had an accident?Did she rush home after receiving a text message in the middle of the night?Although I was curious about what the emergency was, I was relieved to know her whereabouts. However, she didn't come home. I just found out a few hours ago.A classmate in the third year of high school sent a letter saying that the tutor was going to marry Mr. Matsumoto, who taught home economics, and everyone wanted to help celebrate together, and asked me to tell Xuehui.So I called and found out her phone was off.I thought to myself that maybe I had to go to the hospital for something, and I forgot to turn on the power after I turned it off, so I decided to call her home.I prayed in my heart that it would not be her mother who is a university professor who came to pick it up, but the professor's voice came from the other end of the receiver. ——Yuke is not here. Doesn't sound like a lie.As soon as I gave my name, she thought of me. "Oh, you're a classmate from the art club," and then asked "What are you doing now?" Obviously I don't know about my relationship with Xue Hui.I said I wanted to inform everyone that I was going to help my mentor celebrate her wedding, so she said rather unsuspectingly, "Do you want to call her cell phone?" Tell me the number already in my address book.After I said thank you, I hung up the phone and called the cell phone again, but it still didn't connect. Where did she go?And lie. I have the key to Yukie's place, but I've never been in it when she's not around.Because she wouldn't do that to me either.What's more, opening the drawer without authorization, even if she is with me, I will not do it.However, now is an emergency. Her suite was tidy and tidy.There are always confiscated painting utensils, and they are also kept well in a corner of the room.Moreover, there is a dead mobile phone on the coffee table.It was almost like never going back to this place. Is there any clue? I opened the desk drawers, looked through the bookshelves, looked around the room - nothing. painting.I once drew a picture of No. 5 and gave it to her.I thought not, and opened the desk drawer again.Our high school graduation trip was to Taiwan.After I saw the identity proof of what she used the passport issued at that time, I kept the passport here. The passport is gone.
KINGDOM OF TONGA / TONGATAPU ISLAND Tongatapu Island, the largest island in Tonga where the capital Nugualoufa is located.The plane flew to Nugua Loufa International Airport on the south side of the island.Look at the timetable on the plane: 2:50 a.m. local time.Stepping out of the plane, what greets the eyes is a building that glows slightly in the dark, like a rural elementary school gymnasium. This is the international airport?I went down the stairs step by step.Every passenger walks towards the terminal.I followed behind a tall white man.As soon as you enter the building, you will go through customs inspection.A female clerk as tall and strong as a sumo wrestler asked me a few simple questions in the English pronunciation that was close to Roman alphabet that we were used to hearing in class.I also answered with a really unsophisticated pronunciation. I was visiting from Japan - she stamped it right away. After taking the luggage and going outside, it was eerily quiet.Someone from Tonga must have come to pick them up. They walked towards the parking lot next to the terminal, and people who looked like tourists also got into the hotel's shuttle bus. I - I didn't make a reservation.I knew it was a three hour flight from New Zealand and it would arrive in the middle of the night.It will be dawn in another three hours. It is a waste to pay for one night's accommodation for these three hours.The airport in New Zealand is very bright in the middle of the night, and there are a lot of people, even if you stay at the airport until dawn, you won’t feel any uneasiness, but... Not to mention the accommodation facilities around here, you can't even see a light.It seems that there will be no one in the airport in five minutes.Don't have a tourist service center? As I was looking around, a Tonga man suddenly appeared.This man also has the physique of a sumo wrestler.He showed his white teeth and smiled. "Siapani? Alu ki fe?" Is this Tongan?I can't understand it at all, and he has tattoos on his arms, which is horrible. "You go town? 10 pa'anga only." Half-toned English.It looked like he was a taxi driver trying to solicit business from me.It should be fine in the city, right?However, it is scary to take a taxi alone at this time. At this moment, I regretted my sloppy and no plan, thinking that there will be a way when the time comes.If you have made an appointment in advance, someone should come to pick you up.The taxi driver was still talking.Which homestay do you live in?It's just a headache because I didn't order it. "Is it Japanese?" Someone behind me said to me.It's Japanese.When I turned around, it was a Japanese woman who was about the same age as my mother. "yes." "Where do you want to live?" "I didn't order it." "Sure enough. Occasionally there will be Japanese like you. Although the law and order here is good, it is not enough to sleep in the open. I am running a homestay. If you want, would you like to live with me?" "……please." My legs went limp.As soon as she turned around, she started walking quickly.I also hurriedly followed.The taxi driver seemed to be saying that was great, smiled and waved to me. The white man who was walking in front of me was sitting in a white van in the parking lot.The Japanese woman said something like "Tony, it's been a long time" to him.Thanks to this Mr. Tony, I was able to get through the night safely.As soon as I sat down next to him, he extended his right hand with a friendly smile, and I shook his hand gratefully. "By the way, my name is Shangmei. Here, my business card. How about you?" Sister Shangmei turned around from the driver's seat and said. "Hamano...Tamae, written in katakana, Marie." I replied while putting my business card in the pocket of my side backpack. "Marie? Then maybe something good will happen to you in this country." Sister Shang Mei finished speaking and started the van. Maybe something good will happen.I heard someone walking loudly.I woke up when I almost shouted "Yuta, you're so noisy!"How could it be Yuta?This is Tonga.I shook my still-awake head and looked around. As soon as I arrived at the B&B, Sister Shangmei gave me a bed sheet and took me to the nearest room on the second floor.At that time, only one light was on in the corridor, so I didn't even know the structure of the building or what the interior looked like. I lay down with a sheet on the bed closest to the door and lost consciousness. This room seems to be for people to share.There are four beds in total.There was a little Japanese girl who was not in primary school, running around the room.A person who looked like her mother was sleeping soundly in the inner bed.As soon as you walk out of the room, you will find the living room next door.There are chairs and bookshelves, and there are quite a few Japanese novels.Downstairs is the big common kitchen and dining room, where Mr. Tony is having breakfast.Across the restaurant is the door with the service counter, and a Tonga girl about my age is sweeping the floor. "That's Mei Rui who works here, my husband's niece." Sister Shangmei came out from the room behind the counter. "Did you sleep well?" "Very, very good, slept soundly." "Have you decided where to go today?" "I want to visit the Hapai Islands." "There is no plane today. You really have to go wherever you go. We also have a sightseeing trip, do you want to try it?" "Okay, that's troublesome." Although I couldn't make up for my rashness at all, I still bowed obediently.
It has been a week since Yukie disappeared.She was supposed to be sleeping next to me, but when I woke up, she was gone. Eight in the morning.Will it be the first class to go to class?However, I had no impression of hearing the alarm clock go off.She can't get up in the morning at all, and on the days when she has to get up before eight o'clock, she has to specially adjust the alarm clock with a very loud volume, so I will definitely wake up along with her. As usual, I wake up Yukie first.So what happened today?I looked on the low table for a note, but there were only five empty cans of sparkling wine lying there.The phone didn't receive the text message either.Did I do something to make her angry? I think back to last night's conversation.I just ate curry (one of the few dishes she would cook) and mentioned her birthday was coming up. —Now you can drink in a fair manner.However, if you commit a crime, your full name will be published, and you will have to be responsible for your own name in the future-I may have said these things a little bit because I turned twenty years old three months earlier, but she should not be like this Just get angry.Because I made a lot of money by working part-time, I said generously, "You can ask for any gift." At times like this, people who are not very good at expressing their emotions are troublesome. No, I was thinking too much.It's not that I know Yukie's actions like the back of my hand, and I don't feel uneasy because I don't know.The two dated for three years, and one morning they had to go home suddenly, so naturally they wouldn't wake up each other to report. I thought it was usually like this, so I went back to sleep again. When I woke up around noon, a text message came to my phone.It was made by Yukie. ——There is something urgent, I have to go home for the time being. Has a family member had an accident?Did she rush home after receiving a text message in the middle of the night?Although I was curious about what the emergency was, I was relieved to know her whereabouts. However, she didn't come home. I just found out a few hours ago.A classmate in the third year of high school sent a letter saying that the tutor was going to marry Mr. Matsumoto, who taught home economics, and everyone wanted to help celebrate together, and asked me to tell Xuehui.So I called and found out her phone was off.I thought to myself that maybe I had to go to the hospital for something, and I forgot to turn on the power after I turned it off, so I decided to call her home.I prayed in my heart that it would not be her mother who is a university professor who came to pick it up, but the professor's voice came from the other end of the receiver. ——Yuke is not here. Doesn't sound like a lie.As soon as I gave my name, she thought of me. "Oh, you're a classmate from the art club," and then asked "What are you doing now?" Obviously I don't know about my relationship with Xue Hui.I said I wanted to inform everyone that I was going to help my mentor celebrate her wedding, so she said rather unsuspectingly, "Do you want to call her cell phone?" Tell me the number already in my address book.After I said thank you, I hung up the phone and called the cell phone again, but it still didn't connect. Where did she go?And lie. I have the key to Yukie's place, but I've never been in it when she's not around.Because she wouldn't do that to me either.What's more, opening the drawer without authorization, even if she is with me, I will not do it.However, now is an emergency. Her suite was tidy and tidy.There are always confiscated painting utensils, and they are also kept well in a corner of the room.Moreover, there is a dead mobile phone on the coffee table.It was almost like never going back to this place. Is there any clue? I opened the desk drawers, looked through the bookshelves, looked around the room - nothing. painting.I once drew a picture of No. 5 and gave it to her.I thought not, and opened the desk drawer again.Our high school graduation trip was to Taiwan.After I saw the identity proof of what she used the passport issued at that time, I kept the passport here. The passport is gone.
KINGDOM OF TONGA / TONGATAPU ISLAND Tongatapu Island, the largest island in Tonga where the capital Nugualoufa is located.The plane flew to Nugua Loufa International Airport on the south side of the island.Look at the timetable on the plane: 2:50 a.m. local time.Stepping out of the plane, what greets the eyes is a building that glows slightly in the dark, like a rural elementary school gymnasium. This is the international airport?I went down the stairs step by step.Every passenger walks towards the terminal.I followed behind a tall white man.As soon as you enter the building, you will go through customs inspection.A female clerk as tall and strong as a sumo wrestler asked me a few simple questions in the English pronunciation that was close to Roman alphabet that we were used to hearing in class.I also answered with a really unsophisticated pronunciation. I was visiting from Japan - she stamped it right away. After taking the luggage and going outside, it was eerily quiet.Someone from Tonga must have come to pick them up. They walked towards the parking lot next to the terminal, and people who looked like tourists also got into the hotel's shuttle bus. I - I didn't make a reservation.I knew it was a three hour flight from New Zealand and it would arrive in the middle of the night.It will be dawn in another three hours. It is a waste to pay for one night's accommodation for these three hours.The airport in New Zealand is very bright in the middle of the night, and there are a lot of people, even if you stay at the airport until dawn, you won’t feel any uneasiness, but... Not to mention the accommodation facilities around here, you can't even see a light.It seems that there will be no one in the airport in five minutes.Don't have a tourist service center? As I was looking around, a Tonga man suddenly appeared.This man also has the physique of a sumo wrestler.He showed his white teeth and smiled. "Siapani? Alu ki fe?" Is this Tongan?I can't understand it at all, and he has tattoos on his arms, which is horrible. "You go town? 10 pa'anga only." Half-toned English.It looked like he was a taxi driver trying to solicit business from me.It should be fine in the city, right?However, it is scary to take a taxi alone at this time. At this moment, I regretted my sloppy and no plan, thinking that there will be a way when the time comes.If you have made an appointment in advance, someone should come to pick you up.The taxi driver was still talking.Which homestay do you live in?It's just a headache because I didn't order it. "Is it Japanese?" Someone behind me said to me.It's Japanese.When I turned around, it was a Japanese woman who was about the same age as my mother. "yes." "Where do you want to live?" "I didn't order it." "Sure enough. Occasionally there will be Japanese like you. Although the law and order here is good, it is not enough to sleep in the open. I am running a homestay. If you want, would you like to live with me?" "……please." My legs went limp.As soon as she turned around, she started walking quickly.I also hurriedly followed.The taxi driver seemed to be saying that was great, smiled and waved to me. The white man who was walking in front of me was sitting in a white van in the parking lot.The Japanese woman said something like "Tony, it's been a long time" to him.Thanks to this Mr. Tony, I was able to get through the night safely.As soon as I sat down next to him, he extended his right hand with a friendly smile, and I shook his hand gratefully. "By the way, my name is Shangmei. Here, my business card. How about you?" Sister Shangmei turned around from the driver's seat and said. "Hamano...Tamae, written in katakana, Marie." I replied while putting my business card in the pocket of my side backpack. "Marie? Then maybe something good will happen to you in this country." Sister Shang Mei finished speaking and started the van. Maybe something good will happen.I heard someone walking loudly.I woke up when I almost shouted "Yuta, you're so noisy!"How could it be Yuta?This is Tonga.I shook my still-awake head and looked around. As soon as I arrived at the B&B, Sister Shangmei gave me a bed sheet and took me to the nearest room on the second floor.At that time, only one light was on in the corridor, so I didn't even know the structure of the building or what the interior looked like. I lay down with a sheet on the bed closest to the door and lost consciousness. This room seems to be for people to share.There are four beds in total.There was a little Japanese girl who was not in primary school, running around the room.A person who looked like her mother was sleeping soundly in the inner bed.As soon as you walk out of the room, you will find the living room next door.There are chairs and bookshelves, and there are quite a few Japanese novels.Downstairs is the big common kitchen and dining room, where Mr. Tony is having breakfast.Across the restaurant is the door with the service counter, and a Tonga girl about my age is sweeping the floor. "That's Mei Rui who works here, my husband's niece." Sister Shangmei came out from the room behind the counter. "Did you sleep well?" "Very, very good, slept soundly." "Have you decided where to go today?" "I want to visit the Hapai Islands." "There is no plane today. You really have to go wherever you go. We also have a sightseeing trip, do you want to try it?" "Okay, that's troublesome." Although I couldn't make up for my rashness at all, I still bowed obediently.