Ame's Story: The Encounter Chapter 10

Sai, realizing that his business meeting was dragging on and that he would definitely be late for his meeting with Ame, urged the taxi driver to hurry.

Ame, who had met up with Mika ten minutes before the scheduled time, was holding a bundle of dango wrapped in a furoshiki cloth as if it were precious. Her pale pink kimono stood out, holding its own even amidst the full-bloom cherry blossoms.

I see... I understand.

It turned into such beautiful weather, didn't it?

Yes, it really did. I'm so glad it cleared up. I'm a bit of a rain-bringer, you see. So I was worried, so worried...

I don't think I'm really cursed by the rain that much.

Hehe, then this weather must be thanks to you, Mika.

Oh, no, that's not it at all.

Mika said, admiring Ame's kimono.

Ame, your kimono today is just lovely.

Oh, wow, I'm so happy to hear that. This is a hand-painted Yuzen that I just had made this year.

Ame was as happy as a child and took Mika's hand. Mika tried to find a topic to smooth things over, but it was already past three o'clock.

I wonder what's wrong with the manager. It's already past three... Mika kept checking the time, and Ame said.

Sai is late, isn't he? I wonder if the business meeting isn't going well.

I'll try to contact him.

Let's not, Mika. If he's in the middle of work, it would be a bother.

But...

It's alright, Sai will definitely come. Let's wait.

Just as Mika was thinking that, she received a message from Sai.

Oh, Manager, what's wrong? Ame-san is already waiting for you.

My apologies, Furubayashi. The business meeting took longer than expected. I'm in a taxi on my way now. I'll be there in about five minutes. Where are you exactly?

Um... let's see... where is this?

Mika-san, please lend me that smartphone for a moment.

Oh, ah, sure.

Mika handed her smartphone to Ame. Mika, who had expected Ame to explain their location, was left stunned by what Ame said next.

Is this Sai-san? Nice to meet you, I'm Ame.

Oh, Ame-san? Yes, this is Sai. I am very sorry for being late. I am currently on my way...

Being late for a first meeting is strictly forbidden. That's a strike against you. I'm giving you thirty minutes from now. I'll be waiting inside the park, so please come and find me.

Wait, a strike? A strike, that's...

Ame said this, cutting off Sai, who had been apologizing for being late.

If you haven't found me after thirty minutes, I will assume it wasn't meant to be and I will leave. It is currently 3:10, so you have until 3:40.

Wait a minute. What do you mean, find you?

Well then, see you later. Excuse me.

With that, Ame hung up the phone, ignoring what Sai had to say.

Keep the change, just open the door.

Yes, thank you very much.

As the taxi stopped at a red light at the park entrance, Sai hurriedly got out of the car.

How am I supposed to find her in this huge park? That's right, Mika is with her.

Sai searched for Mika in her school uniform, but there was no sign of her anywhere. Sweat streamed down Sai's forehead as he ran around, gasping for breath.

"Mika-san, could you please move away from me and hide?"

"Oh, yes. But..."

"Don't worry. It's alright, Sai-san will definitely find me."

Handed the package of dumplings, Mika hid behind the shadow of a cherry tree.

"Where are you, Mika?" Sai checked his watch, breathing heavily.

"Thirty-two minutes... I only have eight minutes left. Even if you tell me to 'come meet me,' I don't even know what Ame looks like."

He looked around the park once more, but Mika was still nowhere to be seen.

"It's impossible, where am I supposed to look in this vast park..."

"Come meet me..." Ame's words echoed in his mind.

" 'Come meet me'... That's it. I've only been looking for Mika, but the one I'm supposed to find is 'Ame'."

Rethinking this, Sai looked around the park again, and felt as if one particular cherry tree was calling out to him.

"Ame is over there."

An unfounded conviction moved Sai, and he began to walk toward that cherry tree as if drawn to it. For some reason, Sai felt a deep sense of nostalgia and affection for the woman standing by the tree, dressed in a pale pink kimono.

The cherry blossoms in full bloom used the capricious spring breeze that blew from time to time to make the falling petals dance. Yet, the woman made even the dancing petals her servants, standing dignified and staring straight at Sai as if to flaunt her own existence.

"Beautiful..." Sai murmured as he slowly approached the woman.

"Ame?"

"Yes, you are Sai-san, aren't you?"

"I'm so glad."

Saying that, Sai embraced Ame. As if doing so were a rule between the two of them, a promise exchanged between lovers...

A faint scent of lavender drifted from the incense Ame kept tucked in her bosom.

The two of them looked so natural together that the people enjoying the cherry blossom viewing were captivated by the sight of them embracing, and stopped in their tracks.

“Oh!”

Caught off guard, Mika couldn't move from behind the tree either.

With Sai and Ame at the center, time seemed to stop all around them, as if they had been captured in a single Japanese painting.

“Sai-san, I am happy to be held by you, but... it is a bit too conspicuous here.”

Ame said, whispering within Sai's arms.

“Oh, what have I done? I am so sorry. I have done something inexcusable.”

In that instant, Sai came to his senses, pulled away from Ame, and bowed deeply, apologizing for his impropriety.

“It is alright, I do not mind.”

“Manager, what are you doing?” Mika came running over.

“Mika-san, it is fine, please do not worry about it. You are bolder than I imagined, Sai-san.”

“Oh, no, I am truly sorry.”

To the mortified and apologetic Sai, Ame spoke in a calm tone.

“Now then, let us enjoy the cherry blossoms. Would you like walnut dumplings? Or perhaps you would prefer soy glaze? Mika-san, please give me that package of dumplings.”

Sai and Mika could not hide their surprise at Ame's composure, even in such a situation.

“What, he hugged her! He just suddenly hugged her?”

“That's right! It was such a scene. Everyone around us was staring all at once.”

That night, as usual, Mika was at Shiori's shop. She had come to report the entire sequence of events from the cherry blossom viewing.

Whew... How bold. If it were me, I would have slapped him and turned him over to the police.

Right? That's normal. But Ame-san just said, 'Would you like walnut, or would you prefer mitarashi?' I have no idea what that means.

Haha, so, what happened after that?

The three of us ate the dumplings. The manager didn't say a word; he just kept his head down.

Haha, I can just picture it. I wish I could have seen it live, too.

I'm sorry. It was all so sudden that I couldn't even record a video.

It would have been funny if you had. I wonder what kind of face Sai-san would make if he saw that.

Ah, Shiori-san, you're a devil.

How rude, I'm a little devil.

For the few days after the cherry blossom viewing incident, Sai had no energy, as if his soul had been sucked out. He sat at his desk, spending another day doing nothing.

Hey, the manager is definitely acting strange. What on earth happened?

Eh, don't ask me about that.

When asked for the reason by Yoshida, Mika kept giving vague answers.

...To be continued...

Facebook publication date: 4/5/2019