Golden Time:Volume3 Postscript

At last, mid-summer...! Isn't it...! At the moment it's ninety degrees in our house... yes! It's hot! With the window wide open, the electric fan running, somehow or other, we will handle it.

Even as it is, just facing my computer, my T-shirt is completely soaked with sweat. When I was younger, the sweat streaming from my skin was different in quality, somehow it was strangely thick and dense. Drip... drip... From my face, red chili sauce. From the middle of my back, lard. But now, in my thirties, it's become more runny. Every pore on my body opening fully, secreting oil like crazy. Know what I mean? Thinking back on it, it must have been a mystery for my mother. How could this be? From my discarded, sweat-soaked clothing, an overwhelming aura of grown woman, nearly to the point of standing up on it's own, swaying ominously... What should she do already? By the time this summer ends, there probably won't be anything left of us after we've dried out.

Every year walking outside, the air conditioning in the stores and vehicles was always on too strong, making it a necessity to put something on even on hot days. But this year, they're in power-saving mode all over, cutting back on that kind of air conditioning. Since then, what is this, taking a walk under the blazing sun, staggering, arriving after a struggle at the goal, the book store, and even entering, whaa...! With that 'whaa!', I can't even breathe, standing there stiff.

Beginning to lose hope, in a corner of my fading awareness, I thought, "I want a cucumber roll, I really want to eat cucumber." It's so hot... A plate... it's disappearing... Fresh cucumber, cooled by river water, I really want to eat some... When I'm soaked, I could even supply the salt content... Having no relation with this whatsoever, I was even thinking about my favorite strangely fishy amphibian (what?) dish, which seemed amazing to me at the time. All of you, please be careful. If you see cucumber rolls, you're already in danger. Heatstroke is dangerous. Don't make eye contact with any passing amphibians!

Well then, with this and that, even "Golden Time", if you've noticed, has made it up to three volumes. All of you that have taken them in hand, we truly thank you! Have you been having fun and enjoying it? Once more, our college students haven't been studying... "Is that all right with you!?", I was writing steadily while wanting to dig in deeper. If I were to look back at myself, I have a feeling I could have been a little more diligent. Or rather, lately I've lost 10 kilos, from my sweat drying. Not even a mosquito have I eaten. Nothing at all lately. The bugs don't come and visit. Why might that be? Have I become too ripe? This body...

I am thinking we will deliver the next volume around the start of the new year. By all means, please stick with us. To master Komatsu Eeji, and the guidance of Yuasa-sama, I am indebted to their staying with me.

And finally, to everybody who suffered from the Sendai Earthquake, we send our heartfelt condolences.

竹宮ゆゆこ

Takemiya Yuyuko