Dance! Episode 19: The Dancer Steps in a World Without Sound

“Now, finally, Saburosuke-san. Shall we hear your story?”

When I spoke to him gently, Saburosuke-san, who is deaf, simply wore his usual good-natured, smiling expression. I pulled the inkstone toward me and wrote characters on paper with a brush to show him. I wrote down what the 'hand gestures' and 'foot stomps' I had taught Minosuke-san and Bunji-san earlier meant, one by one, to convey them to him.

Saburosuke-san followed the characters I had written with a serious look on his face, then clapped his hands and nodded deeply, saying aloud, 'I see, so that’s what they meant!' Although he cannot hear, he is able to speak normally. I continued to move my brush.

“Your voice will reach the two of them. If you do not understand the meaning of Minosuke-san’s hand gestures or foot stomps, do not just answer based on a misunderstanding; instead, use your voice to tell Minosuke-san that you would like him to use the Iroha chart.”

After reading that, Saburosuke-san laughed brightly, saying, 'Oh! That way, there won’t be any mistakes!' With this, through Minosuke-san’s foot stomps and hand gestures, Bunji-san’s hand gestures and voice, and Saburosuke-san’s voice and the Iroha chart, the three of them were now able to exchange almost all information correctly.

Once the means of communication were established, I asked Saburosuke-san about the fireworks accident earlier by writing it down.

“Did you also lose your hearing in the Sumida River fireworks accident?”

The moment he saw those characters, Saburosuke-san narrowed his eyes and wore a nostalgic expression, as if looking at something far away.

“Yes. ...Thinking back, before I met with that accident, my life was smooth sailing. I was hailed as the best 'Tachikata' (dancer) among the young performers, and just by stepping onto the stage and striking a pose, I would get cheers from the audience. Ah, those were the days when I was full of myself.”

Saburosuke-san scratched his head bashfully and laughed heartily.

“Besides, I loved sake more than three meals a day! The taste of the sake I drank with my friends after basking in the applause on stage and working up a good sweat was incredible! We’d drink until dawn, with enough momentum to empty a sake barrel in one night, and the next morning I’d go to practice with a hangover and get scolded by my master again. ...The laughter from those rowdy times, and the lively sounds of the shamisen and drums, still ring happily in my head even now.”

He spoke of his glamorous boasts from when he could hear and his memories of his beloved sake with the cheerfulness typical of an Edokko. However—a dark shadow suddenly fell behind that smile.

“...But all those lively sounds disappeared along with the explosion of the fireworks that day. I protected a little girl named 'Shizuka' along with Bunji. I lost my hearing completely. I have no regrets about saving the girl, but... well, without sound, I can only enjoy the taste of that delicious sake about halfway.”

After smiling a little sadly, Saburosuke-san also frowned, just like Bunji-san.

“Besides, I’ve reached my limit as a dancer. Since I can’t hear, even if I dance by stomping my feet, I don’t know if my movements match the sound of Bunji’s shamisen. And since Bunji can’t see my movements, we can’t coordinate with each other. As things are now, it just doesn’t work out.” (As I thought... as long as they stay in their current roles, they cannot fully compensate for each other’s shortcomings.) I continued to move my brush.

“I heard you were also learning the shamisen along with Bunji-san.”

“Yes, well. I learned it while training as a dancer, so I can play it to a certain extent.” I borrowed the shamisen from Bunji-san, handed it to Saburosuke-san, and urged him, 'Please, try playing it.'

Saburosuke-san held the shamisen and brought down the plectrum. Even though he shouldn't have been able to hear, what he played was a perfectly tuned Nagauta piece. It seems that the 'timing' and 'muscle movements' of the music are ingrained in his body as a former dancer. As long as it is a song he knows, he can play it without any problems. Furthermore, he laughed nonchalantly, saying, 'Even when learning a new song, I can play it by watching and imitating if I see the finger movements and the tension in the arms of the person playing it with my 'eyes.' After all, I can see perfectly well!'

The final, distorted gear needed to create the greatest stage in Edo. I stood up slowly and looked over the three of them.

"The three of you. With this, the new etiquette for you to exchange words is ready. And I have also come to understand well the unreasonable burdens you are each carrying in your current positions."

At my voice, which sounded like rolling bells, the three of them stared at me intently.

"It is late today, so please get some rest. ...Tomorrow, I will tell you your new 'positions'."

A miraculous connection formed by clumsy people to create the most difficult 'silent guessing game' in Edo. Escaping the shackles of a long, dark past, I waited behind my fan, looking forward to the arrival of a thrilling morning where their true power and unconventional schemes would explode.