Editing Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko:Mini Stories 03

== A Summer Day ==
''Note: This is a mini-story that was posted on the author’s blog (no longer existent).''
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Meme-tan (50 years old) had been running around since early morning, a rare sight. On her days off, she would sleep until near noon unless my daughter or Erio went to wake her up, but today she had woken up of her own accord and was making preparations in the garden.

She was setting up a plastic pool.

It was hot enough today to warrant such a thing.

When she looked up, light and sweat seemed to streak down the nape of her neck.

Once Meme-tan (50 years old) finished the preparations, she immediately changed into her swimsuit and began mimicking a hugging motion from the edge of the pool.

She seemed to be eagerly awaiting her granddaughter’s arrival.

She was like a wild animal lurking by the water’s edge, waiting for its prey.

The girl arrived at the entrance wearing a swimsuit. Upon spotting Meme-tan (50 years old), she raised her hands high.

“'''Cute cute'''!”

“Uhoho!”

The girl took the bait of Meme-tan’s (50 years old) somewhat creepy invitation and began to run.

“Waaah.”

Then, there was a pure white creature attempting to follow behind. The moment I saw it, I thought, “Wait, wait, wait,” and lifted it up by its armpits. Once hoisted into the air, the creature flailed its limbs in mid-air for a moment, but upon realising it wasn’t moving forward, it turned around to look at me. As it moved, a scent of watermelon wafted from its mouth.

“What are you doing?”

“What are *you* doing?”

Yashiro, who had been about to run outside completely naked, tilted her head in confusion. “Hmm?”

“The little one told me that a pool is just like a bath. A bath is a place where you take off your clothes,” Yashiro replied with a hint of pride. “That’s true, yeah,” she added, her eyes darting around sheepishly.

There was someone at home who would go into a bath without taking her clothes off.

“Well, I mean… what about a swimsuit?”

“I have no such thing.”

“Thought so…”

“What is a swimsuit?”

“I expected that much,” I thought to myself once more.

“Something like what my daughter is wearing.”

I gestured with my chin toward my daughter, who was currently splashing around amidst the spray while clinging to Meme-tan (50 years old). Yashiro stared at the scene intently before sticking out her chest and declaring, “Don’t have any.” Don’t stick it out.

Her torso was completely smooth and white, like a piece of ''hanpen''.

“This is outdoors… Letting people play naked is not a good idea.”

Technically she was a female… Probably. Or rather, a girl? Younger than me?

She was a creature of total mystery, but her current appearance was roughly that of a preschooler. I couldn’t treat her carelessly.

Besides, if I let a small child crouch around naked like this, the neighbours might start thinking we were a strange household. Though, it was probably already too late for that. My daughter didn’t have many swimsuits, and Erio wouldn’t ever wear one.

“It can’t be helped.”

I decided to just carry her as she was. It was too much of a hassle to go out of my way to buy something for her, so I would just have to make do.

I headed toward the dressing room in the back and set Yashiro down. The dressing room was often kept dim, and because the curtains were drawn, it was quite dark. The dust I wiped away seemed to appear as a thin, hazy mist in the air.

Beyond those fluctuations, Yashiro’s eyes shone within the faint darkness, reflecting something other than just the eyeballs themselves.

Even though there was nothing there, they shone clearly, without any stagnation.

I wondered if she was truly perceiving the world through those eyes.

So many of her gestures seemed like nothing more than mere imitations of others.

“Hey, hurry up.”

Yashiro brandished her small fist, prompting me to move faster.

“Alright, alright.”

In the first place, why did she seem so at home in this house?

I wrapped a towel around her chest and tied it, then put shorts on her. Well, this should do.

As she stood there in that outfit with her hands on her hips, Yashiro looked almost like a handsome young boy.

“Is it fine now?”

“Yes, yes, go ahead.”

Having received permission, Yashiro hurried off toward the pool, her footsteps pitter-pattering. She seemed to dislike the heat.

Come to think of it, when we first met, she dived in the moment she found a pool. It brought back memories of a time long ago.

“…………………………………….”

The heat brought by the sunlight.

The scent of sun-baked skin inside the house remained unchanged, even as time passed.

“…So.”

I ran into Erio, who was wandering the hallway after emerging from the dressing room. Or rather, she had been lying in wait for me.

“I’m sooooo busy.”

Erio muttered loudly to herself, staring off into space.

“Sounds tough.”

When I offered my words of appreciation, she ostentatiously hoisted up a laundry basket.

“Erio-san is just so busy with the laundry and cleaning. I can’t just play all morning.”

“How splendid of you.”

“Mofu.”

“Keep up the good work.”

Just as I cheered her on and prepared to head toward the pool, a series of rapid footsteps chased after me.

With a soft *thwack*, she tapped me on the back.

“What is it?”

“Ah, so busy, so busy!”

She even began wiping the sweat from her forehead. She was being quite blatant about demanding something… Hmm.

“Do you want me to take over?”

“Fu fu fu, Cousin, you don’t know the ropes and will be useless.”

She flashed a triumphant grin, as if the words “I win” were written right under her eyes.

“I suppose you’re right. Well then.”

This time, after I had taken only a single step away, she tapped my back twice in quick succession. Just what did she want?

“Then let’s do it together so we can finish early and get in the pool… Is that okay?”

“Hmm.”

Her nod was powerful, as if she were saying, “I finally said it.”

Ignoring her entirely wasn’t an option. And replacing her wasn’t allowed either. The only correct answer was, “Please let me help.”

“What a pain you are…”

I wondered why she couldn’t just nicely ask for help. Man, she was definitely looking down on me.

“Cousin, you should try to act like Erio-san is your role model.”

“Yes, yes.”

Well, I suppose this kind of thing was fine once in a while.

When you’re working, housework inevitably tends to get neglected.

And so, I helped with the chores.

It wasn’t particularly fun, and I only seemed to accumulate more sweat. It reminded me of how my mother used to move around the house during summer vacations as a child, drenched in perspiration. I thought to myself that I would have helped back then but realised it was far too late.

Once the cleaning was finished, Erio stripped off her clothes right then and there. It seemed she had been wearing a swimsuit underneath.

I thought she looked like an elementary school student, but I found myself focusing more on the swimsuit itself. It looked familiar.

How many years has it been since I last saw it at the beach?

“Is that your swimsuit from a long time ago?”

“Hmm.”

“…Can you even wear it?”

She didn’t have much of a, well, physique. That was a problem. From what I could see, nothing had changed since those days.

“Erio-san has always been good at holding onto things.”

“I don’t think that’s the actual issue here.”

The white one-piece swimsuit didn’t seem to show even a trace of the ten years that had passed.

…Perhaps since she was the daughter of Meme-tan (50 years old), age simply didn’t mean much to her.

In the plastic pool outside, Meme-tan (50) was swimming around with my daughter and Yashiro perched on her back. Her movements resembled a crocodile swimming on a TV programme. As I watched that clever way of moving, wondering how she managed it, Erio joined them on her back. Moreover, Meme-tan’s (50 years old) momentum showed no sign of waning.

“How does she do it?” I muttered, shrugging my shoulders.

Meanwhile, I was so hot, my body felt so heavy, and I couldn’t even lift myself off the ground.

I looked up at the sky, pressed my hand to my forehead, and let out a sigh.

Clad in my usual clothes, I dipped my feet into the water. The difference in temperature made the back of my thighs quiver.

I sank into the pool with a series of bubbles and sat down.

As if lost in the ripples on the surface, the sensation of gravity lightened just a little.

“Is it time to go get you a haircut soon?”

It was after noon, and I made the suggestion while combing my daughter’s still slightly damp hair.

“Really?”

“It’s got quite thick.”

If I brushed it forward, it looked like it might envelop her face and turn into a clump of knots.

“Thiiiiick<ref>Let’s note that “thick” in Japanese is ''musa-musa'', which is why the daughter finds the word amusing.</ref>!”

For some reason, my daughter frolicked with excitement. Even if I didn’t understand the reason, she was simply adorable.

“Oh, are we going to the hairdresser? Let’s go, let’s go!”

Yashiro, who had been rolling around in front of the electric fan, sat up joyfully. Despite it being a summer day, she had changed into long-sleeved panda pyjamas. Maybe she liked them, because she was always dressed like that.

“Are you coming?”

Your hair grows and shrinks all on its own, doesn’t it? How scary.

However, Meme-tan (50 years old) could do something similar. It was hard to tell which of them was the most bizarre.

“Because if you behave, you get a candy.”

My daughter explained. So that was the reason?

“But you won’t get any if you don’t behave, right?”

Hum? I glanced at Yashiro. With her arms crossed, Yashiro nodded.

“I’m a very, very good girl.”

Yashiro declared it without a shadow of a doubt.

Her sheer audacity was almost dependable.

“Well, fine then.”

And so, with my daughter and Yashiro in tow, we headed toward the barbershop.

Before leaving, I put a white hat on my daughter. Yashiro was wearing her panda hood.

“Eri-chan is a good girl, too.”

My daughter waved to Erio, who was outside bringing in the dry laundry. Erio noticed her from a short distance away and began waving her arms back with such vigour that she ended up striking her hand against the drying pole. She hopped up and down while clutching the spot where she had hit herself. Eri-chan was full of energy.

“You must call her ‘Mom’!”

I reprimanded her while waving back again. My daughter simply called out, “Eri-chaaan,” as if she hadn’t heard me at all.

I let out a small laugh, “Hahaha,” while watching both of them.

Incidentally, Meme-tan (50 years old) was taking a nap to make up for waking up early.

She was saying something like, “Meme-tan is having a nappy-nap time.”

I decided to pretend I hadn’t heard any of it.

I walked through the town, leading my daughter and Yashiro by their hands. Touching Yashiro’s hand reminded me of moonlight. It was the kind of moonlight that felt chilly even on a summer night, making one’s spine shiver. Although it wasn’t truly cold, even though it was a season that should feel warm if one kept their palms pressed against it, for some reason, a chill seeped into whatever touched my skin.

If I were to suddenly reach out and touch the moon floating in the night sky, I imagined I would feel a shudder go through me.

Well, outwardly, it was just a little panda.

“The pool was fun, wasn’t it?”

“Mhm, refreshing.”

My daughter and Yashiro were patting each other’s cheeks. They had moved behind me while still holding hands, which made walking a bit difficult. As the summer breeze clung to my protruding shoulders, one of them asked,

“Did you say thank you to Meme-tan?”

…I had intended to say “Grandma”, but for some reason, I had reflexively used the name Meme-tan.

Was I under some kind of curse?

“I said it! And then, I was huuuugged!”

“Hmm?”

I sort of could understand and also didn’t.

“I said it too, because I’m a really good person!”

“Yes, yes.”

She had already begun asserting herself. I wondered if one could actually become a good person just by going around announcing it.

Still, I found myself thinking that providing concrete proof of being a good person might be difficult.

That train of thought eventually led us to a hairdresser. And a barbershop. It seemed the barbershop and the salon were joined together, with the salon on the right and the barbershop on the left. They shared the same owner, separated only by a single, simple partition. Naturally, the prices differed, so my daughter sat in the barber chair provided. There were apparently no other customers.

The lethargic midday air mingled with the chill from the air conditioner.

The atmosphere was a blend of yellow and a pale, whitish blue.

“Hello.”

“Hello!”

My daughter responded energetically to the manager’s greeting. If I recalled correctly, she was Ooi-san. When I first met her, she was a little girl peeking at me from the back of the shop, and she was about the same age as my daughter is now.

Back then, I was just a child, and now I had become a parent.

I felt the passage of time.

“She’s become quite restless, hasn’t she?”

“She certainly has.”

“Still, no matter how many times I see it, her hair colour is amazing.”

I placed my daughter’s hair in the palm of my hand and watched as it slid through my fingers.

As the cutting cape was draped around her, my daughter looked just like a little ''teru teru bouzu'' doll. Seeing her reflection in the mirror, she was in high spirits, smiling broadly as if she were having the time of her life. She seemed to find joy in even the smallest things. In her young eyes, so many things in this world must still look fresh and dazzling. She was enjoying life so much that it made me envious.

As for me, I had become someone who would succumb immediately to the summer sun, looking down, and unless I made a conscious effort to notice them, I’ve come to live my life letting many things pass me by.

…Well then. I cast a glance at the little panda sitting compactly beside me.

“Be a good girl and behave.”

“Leave it to me.”

Yashiro replied lightly, brimming with confidence and letting out a little laugh.

…Though, if she lasted even five minutes, I would have considered it a triumph of patience.

Sure enough, after about three minutes, her legs began to fidget. Her feet swung back and forth as if she were walking. To think they had just begun cutting my daughter’s hair. Yashiro hopped down from her chair and padded over toward my daughter.

Her retreating figure looked perfectly suited to the silly, rhythmic sound of her flip-flops.

I moved around to the front to peer at my daughter. I continued to watch the haircutting process, but it felt as if I was getting in the manager’s way.

“You’d better be a good girl!”

My daughter looked at Yashiro through the mirror. “Yes, yes, exactly,” I nodded from behind her.

“You’d better be a very good girl!”

I raised both hands, making a very obvious yet shallow attempt at persuasion.

“Don’t get too close; it’s dangerous, ok?”

The manager cautioned with a smile, her scissors snipping rhythmically.

“That would be problematic, very problematic.”

When I beckoned Yashiro to come back, she trudged back toward me, behaving like a very good girl. It was amazing how a single piece of candy could make her so obedient. However, she still lacked any sense of composure. Even when she went outside, she would return in about ten seconds. Even when she sat down, she couldn’t stay still for more than five seconds. She wandered about aimlessly, and rather than approach my daughter, she just drifted around the same spot.

While all this was happening, my daughter’s head suddenly tilted to the right.

“Oh, she fell asleep.”

“She was frolicking in the pool all morning, after all.”

“Her sleeping face looks just like her grandmother’s.”

I peered in and laughed. Being told she looked exactly like Meme-tan (50 years old) left me at a loss for how to react.

Aside from her being full of energy, there was really no need to imitate her.

“Well, then, I think I’ll go to sleep too.”

Yashiro rolled over on the chair and curled herself into an even tighter ball. She settled in with such skill that it looked more like a panda or a cat sleeping. Well, as long as she stayed quiet and slept, that was for the best.

For a while, the only sound to be heard was the rhythmic snip of the scissors. The sound, in sync with the ticking of the clock on the wall, steadily stimulated my ears, making my own eyelids feel heavy. It was cool and comfortable.

It felt as though my consciousness was being encased in cold earth.

In the midst of that, the manager spoke to me, and I jolted awake.

“It must be hard work, having two mischievous daughters.”

Two daughters?

“…Do I really look like that one’s father?”

“Oh that kid,” I thought, as I placed my hand on Yashiro’s head. Yashiro opened her eyes slightly, muttering, “Hmm?” I closed her eyelids for her from the outside, saying, “Go back to sleep.” When I did it as a light-hearted joke, she simply drifted off to sleep once more.

Watching this through the mirror, the store manager paused for a moment and said, “Hmm. It doesn’t feel particularly out of place.”

“This is absurd…”

“But I feel like that child was much bigger the last time I saw her.”

“Exactly, exactly, exactly that!”

I had no memory of having a child this utterly mysterious as a daughter. Or rather, I had been feeling somewhat uneasy because no one at home had mentioned anything regarding that point.

However, the store manager also brushed it off easily, saying, “Well, it must just be my imagination.” Did people expand and contract based on the intensity of their doubts?

To begin with, I wondered if Yashiro had any parents at all. It would be strange if she didn’t, but I wondered if she was truly fine on her own. Did her parents not worry about her? Was it even alright for us to keep her here?

I tilted my head, unable to find an answer.

Keeping my head tilted, I looked at Yashiro.

Her eyelids were lowered, and the light emanating from her eyes had fallen into silence.

And then.

“There, all done.”

A final blow-dry on the hair signalled the end of the process.

The length hadn’t changed much, but it was now tidy enough to have transformed from a frizzy mess into something silky and smooth.

Yashiro was the first to react to the result. She sprang up and ran over to the manager with light, pattering footsteps. The store manager held out toward Yashiro a handful of colourful candies, which had been heaped to the brim in a transparent container.

“Just one.”

She warned sternly. After a moment of hesitation, Yashiro took an apple-flavoured candy.

She immediately tore open the wrapper and popped it into her mouth, wearing a wide, grinning expression alongside her daughter.

“Daddy too was a good boy too, so please, have one too.”

“Ha ha ha.”

I accepted the candy with a somewhat careless laugh. Since it was yellow, was it pineapple flavoured?

My daughter smiled brightly while gripping my hand.

“That’s great, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

At least I got to see a beautiful smile just now.

I paid the fee and left the barbershop. Once outside, we held hands again.

Two daughters, huh?

…Don’t joke around like that…

A wave of unmanageable emotion welled up from deep within me, a sensation somewhere between a twitching cheek and a laugh.

As I rolled the candy around in my mouth, the sweetness clung to my somewhat dry tongue.

Looking down, I saw that the bag of candy still remained in my daughter’s swinging hand.

“Oh, did you get two?”

“W H A T?” Yashiro reacted with envy. Her cheeks puffed out as she mumbled through the candy.

“This one is for Eri-chan.”

My daughter said with a beaming smile, holding the candy in her palm up for me to see.

“And I got one for Meme-tan, too.”

She showed me another piece of candy, a purple one, as if it were a precious treasure.

“Hmm.”

If she had received it from her granddaughter, someone like Meme-tan (50 years old) would have been so moved that she would have tried to save it without even licking it.

“Mmmmm. Ah, actually, I have around twenty-seven family members too.”

I pulled on Yashiro’s hand as she tried to turn back as if she had just thought of a brilliant idea and carried on our way home.

“Gueh…”

What kind of unenthusiastic death rattle was that?

“Is Eri-chan being a good girl?”

“I’m sure she is.”

My feet moved in time with my daughter’s pace, which sounded as if it were brimming with excitement.

The world I had grown so accustomed to appeared dim, even under the sunlight.

As for me, I had become someone who would succumb immediately to the summer sun, looking down, and unless I made a conscious effort to notice them, I’ve come to live my life letting many things pass me by.<ref>This whole sentence features earlier in the story and was probably accidentally copy-pasted here by the author.</ref>

…But, looking at it another way, it meant that as long as I remained mindful, I could change it however I chose.

I tilted my gaze slightly upward. The intensified light seared my eyes and the landscape.

And beyond that, there was a breeze.

A lukewarm wind blew low and slow, as if fanning the air.

In that wind, which felt as though it were suspending time itself, I was spending a wonderful day.

I truly, deeply felt that way.

“If she wasn’t, then give it to me.”

“…Read the room.”