[Short Story] Kazuko-san

"Hey, give me a piece."

A woman wearing a scarf the color of a candied apple called out to me.
It was 3:30 on a Wednesday at the hidden gem of Ohno Park. I was just about to eat a chocolate bar on the red swing.

"Um..."

"Sorry, I surprised you, didn't I? It's nothing, never mind."

The woman turned bright red in an instant and buried her face in her scarf. She looked kind of cute, so I broke off a piece of the chocolate bar. It didn't break well, ending up as a piece shaped like a triangle ruler.

"Here you go."

"Thanks. I'm Kazuko."

Kazuko-san sat on the yellow swing next to me and stared intently at the pointed piece of chocolate.

"Tears of chocolate... That might work."

She whispered that and placed the chocolate on the tip of her tongue.

"Yeah, it's sweet! ...Ah, no good. Tears are salty."

Kazuko-san continued talking to herself.
Kazuko-san was a "strange person."

The following Wednesday, when I went to the park as usual, Kazuko-san was swinging on the swing.

"Oh, Miku-chan. Come sit next to me."

Kazuko-san, having noticed me, patted the red swing.

I sat down next to her, but it felt awkward, so I took a marshmallow out of my handbag.
The white marshmallow looked soft, but it was chewy. Kazuko-san watched my profile as I chewed it over and over.

"Would you... like some?"

"Is it okay? Thanks."

Kazuko-san took a few marshmallows out of the bag and tossed them into her mouth all at once.

"Yeah, it's like eating an eraser."

Kazuko-san became a "person I'm not comfortable with."
I gave a bitter smile and started reading a mystery novel.

The Wednesday after next, I went to the park hoping that Kazuko-san wouldn't be sitting on the swing.

But my wish didn't reach God.

I gave a slight nod to Kazuko-san, sat on the red swing, turned the other way, and bit into a rice cracker.
But the rice cracker was crispy, and even though I tried to eat it secretly, the sound echoed.

"That makes a nice sound."

Kazuko-san laughed.

"Would you like some too, Kazuko-san?"

There was a crunching sound in Kazuko-san's mouth.

"It's delicious, isn't it?"

"Yeah. But I like soft, soggy rice crackers."

I had continued the conversation unconsciously.

"Then that would be a wet rice cracker."

"What is a wet rice cracker?"

"It's a rice cracker that's kind of squishy and soft."

"Haha, what is that?"

With just that hint, I couldn't imagine the color or shape. It was a little bit interesting.

After I finished eating the rice cracker, I took out a science fiction novel.
Kazuko-san had disappeared without me noticing.

When I got home, Mom was preparing dinner in the kitchen.

"Welcome back."

"I'm home."

"What did you play today? Was it fun?"

"Yeah. I ate rice crackers with a friend at the park. Mom, do you know what a wet rice cracker is?"

"I do. Haven't you ever eaten one, Miku? I'll buy some next time. Eat them with your friend again."

The Wednesday after that, the wet rice crackers and I waited for Kazuko-san.
But even after waiting ten minutes, twenty minutes, Kazuko-san didn't come.

Before long, it started to rain, pitter-patter.

I moved to a bench with a roof.
I sighed and opened the package of wet rice crackers. It had a savory soy sauce smell. When I took a bite, I was surprised. It really was squishy and soft. Plus, the flavor was strong. I instinctively drank all the tea in my water bottle at once.

I see, this rice cracker isn't a snack to eat alone in a park. It's a rice cracker to eat slowly while drinking warm tea at a kotatsu.

"Sorry, I'm late!"

Kazuko-san came running without even an umbrella.

"Kazuko-san, here."

"Oh, it's a wet rice cracker. How is it, is it good?"

I shook my head from side to side.

"...It's not good. It's not good at all. I don't want this anymore."

A small voice that seemed like it would be drowned out by the sound of the rain. But I was finally able to put it into words.

I have friends too. During recess today, I drew pictures with my friends. We talked about idols. We played dodgeball in the gym.

I don't want to be a loner at school, so I go along with the conversation and pretend to be having fun.

That's why I don't ask people to hang out after school, and I don't get asked.

But Mom says, "Don't you hang out with friends after school?"

I love books. When I read sad stories, I can't stop the tears; when I read adventure stories, I get excited; when I read mystery novels, I get nervous. Books fill my heart.

When I answered, "I want to stay home and read books," Mom looked sad. So, I pretend to hang out with friends on Wednesdays. I read books in the park for about two hours and then go home.
"It was fun playing with everyone," I say, and Mom smiles happily.

While eating a wet rice cracker, Kazuko-san listened to my story. Then, she pointed to a white apartment building in front of the park and said, "That's my house."

"I've always been watching. Watching you, Miku-chan, eating snacks on the swing."

Kazuko-san had known all along.

"Ah, I just want to read a book slowly inside a kotatsu."

"Yeah."

"But I can't tell Mom the truth. She'd surely be sad, right?"

"Yeah."

"But I know. I have to tell her, don't I?"

"Yeah."

"But, I wonder if I can do it?"

"If you can't, we'll just eat snacks together again. But, it would be a problem if you ate too much and got fat."

Kazuko-san pinched the flesh on her flat stomach.

The rain had stopped before I knew it.

When I opened the front door, Mom came running with a towel.

"Welcome home, were you okay in the rain?"

"Yeah."

"Where were you playing? Did you have fun?"

The words "Did you have fun?" floated in my head.

"Rather than fun... I feel relieved."

"Huh?"

I took a book out of my tote bag.

"Mom, do you know this book?"

My treasure book, "Noah and the Giraffe" by Suko Hashimoto.

"You see, it's a story about a girl named Noah who goes on a journey with a giraffe. The giraffe escaped from the zoo cage because it wanted to see the wide world. Then, Noah and the giraffe meet dwarves and wander through a world of ice. The giraffe even gets proposed to by the King of the Zebras."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"And, the scene where they ride the giraffe and run across the desert on a full moon night is so wonderful that I've read it over and over again. That's how much I love books. So..."

I have to say it now. Otherwise, Wednesday will be at the park again.

"I'd rather read books than play with friends. Mom, don't worry, I'm fine. I'm actually having fun."

The giraffe went on a journey. But, in the end, the giraffe returns to the zoo. It realized that talking to the little bird that came near the cage was what made it happiest. You know where you belong yourself.

After that, we had warm tea and the remaining wet rice crackers and talked slowly.
The wet rice crackers became even wetter because of my tears. But, they tasted many times better.

On Wednesday, I swung high on the swing.
Kazuko-san came to the park again today.

"I was able to tell Mom properly."

"I see, you did your best."

"Today, I just came to see you, Kazuko-san."

Kazuko-san ruffled my hair with a crinkly smile.

"This is a thank you for the chocolate, marshmallows, crackers, and wet rice crackers. Please read it if you'd like."

Saying that, Kazuko-san gave me a present in a polka-dot paper bag. When I peeked inside, Noah was looking at me and winking. It was a new Noah novel.

"The great novelist Suko Hashimoto, my real name is Kazuko Hashimoto."

After introducing herself, Kazuko-san, whose ears had turned bright red, gently pulled up the hood of her white hoodie.

Kazuko-san looked like a strawberry daifuku.

The End