[Serialized Novel] "Lute of the North Wind" Episode 16

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Episode 16: Clues (3)
The Kohada family home was in a residential area east of the base, across the prefectural road. On a plot of land that looked to be nearly a hundred tsubo, there was a single-story clinic and a two-story residence. Ryuto thought it was quite impressive.
"Oh my."
A refined middle-aged woman, wearing a pale gray blouse and a gardenia-colored flared skirt, stood at the entrance threshold. She quickly tucked the surprise she had momentarily shown under a smile. Her long, narrow eyes, which looked very much like Rei's, were cool. He had heard she was a nurse. Perhaps that was why her movements were so crisp.
"Welcome in this heat, please come in."
Beside him, Jin was standing at attention, stiff with nervousness.
He heard her whisper, asking if Rei wasn't alone.
The father was waiting in the living room they were led into. He stood up from the sofa upon seeing the two of them. A border collie was crouching near the sliding glass door of the living room.
"Bosch, when did you get in here? Go over there," the mother said, shooing it away, but Rei stopped her, saying,
"Mom, Bosch is gentle."
"Oh, but..." she said, looking back at Ryuto and the others.
"I like dogs. Hello, Bosch," Ryuto said with a smile.
"I am Masashi Kohada, Rei's father and an internist."
Ryuto and Jin also handed over their business cards.
"I see, a meteorological researcher and Air Self-Defense Force pilots. How are you related to my daughter? Are you from Tsukuba, Mr. Tenma?"
Though bewildered, they were invited to sit down with a "Well, please, have a seat."
"I met Rei at the air show the other day."
Ryuto sat in the center of the sofa and began. Rei, who had gone to her room to get the instrument, sat to Ryuto's right, facing her mother. Jin was to Ryuto's left.
"It started when Mr. Tachihara discovered a strange red object over the base during an exercise. I, who research abnormal weather, became interested in the social media post he made. I had an appointment to meet Mr. Tachihara, but I didn't like the crowds, so I took a detour to the banks of the Tatsuno River. That was where..." Ryuto pointed to the black instrument case Rei was leaning against the sofa. "...I spoke to Rei, who was playing this."
Rei took the silver lute out of the case.
"Oh, that."
"I'm sorry, I've been taking it out since spring break."
Rei apologized to her mother for taking it out without permission.
"It's going to be yours eventually, so I don't mind. But it doesn't make a sound, does it?"
"It's started to make a sound..."
As she hesitated, Ryuto smoothly took over.
"It seems it hadn't made a sound for a long time. It started to make a sound around February. Why don't you try it, Mother?"
Rei handed the silver lute to her mother, Misa, across the table.
Saying she wasn't skilled with instruments and would only make a noise, she plucked the strings, but it didn't sound.
"See, it doesn't make a sound."
"Let me see," Masashi said, taking it from her.
He adjusted the pegs, but it didn't make a sound at all.
"It seems only Rei can make it sound."
When Ryuto said this, Masashi returned the instrument to Rei with a puzzled expression.
Rei stroked the strings. A soft, high-pitched sound rang out. Ryuto narrowed his eyes, thinking it sounded like the wind rustling through the treetops. Across from them, the Kohadas had their mouths slightly open.
"What does this mean? Why only Rei?"
Without answering that question, Ryuto focused on the mother, Misa.
"Did you know that Rei can see fish swimming in the sky?"
Rei's hands stopped abruptly. Ryuto could even hear her swallow.
"She used to say things like that when she was little, but she stopped talking about it by the time she started elementary school."
"Right," Masashi said, backing up his wife.
"Rei can still see the fish in the sky."
Huh? Misa's eyes lost their composure, darting between Ryuto and Rei.
"Can you see them too?"
Masashi asked Ryuto, lowering his voice.
"Unfortunately, I cannot see them. Though I wish I could."
"Then how do you know Rei can see fish in the sky?"
"The fish Rei sees. I believe that is the form of the wind."
"I, ah, I also realized that, or rather, I was convinced of it."
Jin supported him from the left.
"What do you mean?"
Masashi shifted his gaze from Ryuto to Jin.
"At first, I thought she was saying something strange."
Jin shifted his body to look at Rei, who was sitting next to Ryuto.
"When the wind brushed against my neck, Rei told me that a fish had passed by. I was surprised. It matched the flow of the wind perfectly. I was convinced that she could see the form of the wind."
Misa covered her mouth with an "Oh my." Masashi glanced at his wife and turned back to Ryuto and the others. "You two believed in my daughter. Thank you. We, as parents, should have been the ones to believe in her."
When he raised his head, which he had bowed deeply, Masashi stared at Rei.
"It was around the time you entered elementary school, wasn't it? You suddenly became quiet and stopped playing with your friends, and your mother was worried. That's why we decided to get Bosch. The cause was with us. I'm sorry we didn't listen to you properly."
Masashi grabbed his thighs with his hands and looked down.
"Rei, I'm sorry..."
Her mother, Misa, choked back tears.
To her parents, who were bowing their heads, Rei said, "Bosch can see the fish in the sky too," and looked at the border collie lying by the window.
Everyone's gaze gathered on the black and white dog. Perhaps sensing the atmosphere, Bosch slowly got up, turned to face outside the window, sat back down, and wagged its tail.
"How did you know Bosch could see them too?" Masashi asked.
"When he was a puppy, he used to bark at the fish swimming on the ceiling."
"I see. Are they in this room too?"
"Not right now, the windows are closed."
"What about in the garden?"
"They are, but there are fewer of them."
"Yes, fewer. That is the problem. That is why we came here today."
Ryuto straightened his posture and stared at the Kohada couple.

To be continued