The Place You Called From Chapter 6

The Place I Called From

August 1st was a designated all-school attendance day at Minagisa First High. Arrive by 9 AM, get a long list of tasks from your teacher, then take a thirty-minute break. Then starting at 10, a talk from the principal in the gym. Once that was over and you got back to the classroom, then began the students’ favorite: discussions for the culture festival. The class attractions, the assignment of duties, the time of your next meeting (if necessary) - it all had to be decided within the day. Depending on the class, talks could go right up to 7 PM, the school’s ultimate closing time. 

Surprisingly enough, the principal’s talk wrapped up in less than ten minutes. Retreating from the sweltering gym stuffy with every single student’s warmth back to the classroom, as the room was filling with excitement to let the festival prep begin, I leaned over and talked to Chigusa in the seat beside me. 

“This could get long, so let’s sneak away.” 

Chigusa blinked a few times, then grinned. 

“Ten minutes, next to the gate,” I whispered. 

Chigusa quickly prepared to leave, and altogether casually slipped out of the classroom. A few eyes gathered on her bold escape, but since she was so natural about it, the witnesses all seemed to rationalize it with various interpretations. 

One person harbored doubts: Nagahora in the seat in front. “Is she feeling sick? Ogiue never leaves early.” 

“Maybe,” I said ignorantly. “Or maybe it’s simple sabotage.” 

“No way.” Nagahora laughed with a raised eyebrow. “That word couldn’t fit anyone in this class less than Ogiue.” 

“I guess that’s true,” I agreed, then grabbed my bag and stood up. 

“Whoa, don’t tell me you’re leaving early too?” 

“You come to class too many days to count anyway. Those who skip win.” 

“You truly are bad, Fukamachi,” Chigusa remarked, finding it too funny to bear. “So, where might we be headed to now?” 

“Then let us sit down somewhere and think it over together.” 

We went into a nearby bus stop. It had a roof, so it was the perfect place to do some thinking while protected from the sunlight. A bus only came once every hour or two, so we wouldn’t even be mistaken for passengers and cause drivers any trouble. The sheet iron walls had holes in places, and posters and tin signs for used car places and consumer loans were plastered all over them like a mosaic. 

Seeing Chigusa sit and stretch her legs, I finally realized what was amiss earlier. Her skirt was shorter than usual. That said, it was at most 15 centimeters above the knee, and plenty of girls at Minagisa First High wore skirts that length. But for Chigusa who essentially never deviated from the uniform, it was something unheard of. 

Until then, I had never thought deeply about the beauty of knees, and only classified them as thick or skinny. But when I saw Chigusa’s knees, I had to recollect my thoughts. Knees, just like the eyes, the nose, and the mouth, could be a strongly defining body part. Just a few millimeters difference had such a massive change in impression, a delicate yet eloquent feature. And Chigusa’s knees were more ideal than any I’d ever seen. Painting an elegant curve with no wrinkles, her knees brought to mind a carefully-cooked white porcelain vase. 

“Is that another way of "letting your parents down”?“, I asked, looking at her knees. 

"Ah, so you noticed.” Chigusa lifted her bag onto her lap to block my gaze. “That’s right. I made it shorter. I feel somewhat restless.” 

“It feels really fresh to see you dressed like that.” 

“Do you think so…? Thank you very much.” 

With her head still bowed, she thanked me ticklishly, but didn’t budge the bag on her lap. 

“Have you thought of something?”, Chigusa asked, moving the bag on her lap to the side. 

“Countless times.” 

Chigusa jumped on it. “Tell me more about that day, please.” 

“We sneakily bought cigarettes from a vending machine, then had a party in Hinohara’s room. Oh, Hinohara’s the one guy who apologized to you last night, Ogiue. His house was a bar, so he had plenty of alcohol. We didn’t really know how to drink at the time, so we just kept drinking without stopping. I remember both of us getting drunk in no time, and throwing up in the toilet together.” 

“Wonderful. That sounds fun,” she said with a smile, then seeming to have an idea. 

“Let us do that.” 

“I mean, we should party at my house.” 

“Are you being serious?” 

After going down a long, winding hill, the lake smell grew stronger. Chigusa’s house was in an intricate residential district. 

I’d already had the thought when escorting her home yesterday, but it was a model semi-rich family’s house. Made of brick, with a mowed lawn, a shined-up expensive car, a garage full of tools, and a porch lined with decorations in good taste. It was all above average, yet you could clearly see where the family was making compromises. That kind of house. Of course, there was no doubt it looked pretty wealthy compared to my place. 

Chigusa led me into the house through the back door. Built on an incline, the house had entrances on both the first and second floor. The second-floor entrance, facing a wide path, seemed to be used as the front door, whereas the first-floor, facing a thin path, was the uncommonly-used back door. It was the ideal design for Chigusa to sneak in without her family noticing. 

Not turning on the hallway lights, we proceeded down the hall with extreme care not to make any noise, my eyes on Chigusa’s back. The reversed roles of first and second floors wasn’t limited to the entrances; the living room and kitchen were on the second floor, with the bedrooms and nursery on the first. Though a relatively minor difference, I felt extremely restless, like I was driving backwards down a one-way road. 

After we entered Chigusa’s room and she locked the door, I let out a deep sigh. The room was air-conditioned and comfortable. “Take a seat,” she told me, so I sat in a chair in front of a coffee table. Starting with the chair and table, I noticed the room furniture had a matching dark brown color scheme. Maybe it was a little too calming for a sixteen-year-old girl’s living space. Or maybe girls’ rooms were just like this nowadays? 

“I’ve secretly brought a boy into the house,” Chigusa said. “It would be dreadful if my parents found out.” 

“Since what’s more, it’s former bad boy Fukamachi.” 

“Just so I know, what would happen if we were found?” 

“Indeed. So you need not worry, Fukamachi.” 

Chigusa opened a cabinet and took out two white cups, then three marine blue bottles from a lower drawer. The labels had a mermaid drawn on them, and “Mermaid Tears” written in pale white letters. A local drink that any citizen of Minagisa would know. 

“For some reason, my family frequently receives alcohol. But since no one drinks it, it only piles up. There are six more of the same in the kitchen. If you want them, go ahead.” 

“Yeah, it’s surprisingly dry.” I finished my cup too and poured a second. “So, how does it feel indulging in underage drinking?” 

The cup headed for Chigusa’s mouth stopped at her chest, and she faintly smiled.

“It’s very thrilling.” 

“…Ah, yes. Hold on a moment.” 

Chigusa then opened the cabinet again and put a small glass bottle on the coffee table. 

“Use it as an ashtray. You smoke, do you not?” 

“Please, smoke. I wish to try it, too.” 

I took a pack from my bag, pulled out two cigarettes, and handed one to Chigusa. 

“Wakaba,” Chigusa read from the packaging. 

“What do you understand?” 

Chigusa snickered. “No, it’s really only a faint smell. Normally, one wouldn’t notice it.” 

After finishing our cigarettes, we again filled our cups. 

“You don’t have to push yourself to drink a lot, okay?”, I advised after seeing her down a third cup. 

“Right. But if I’m drinking, should I not try to get drunk at least once?” Then she poured a fourth cup. 

Brown cicadas buzzed outside the screen door. Due to the brightness outside, it felt dark and gloomy in the room. It was an August-esque, languid summer afternoon. Having aimless conversation, we leisurely continued to drink. 

Chigusa seemed to be a heavier drinker than appearances might have indicated. I tried to keep up with her pace, and soon felt my senses growing hazy. 

“What’s the matter? Fukamachi, are you sleepy?”, Chigusa asked in an oddly good mood, maybe because of the alcohol. Last time I checked, she was in front of me, but now she was beside me. Maybe I was the one who moved? The order of events in my memory was hazy. 

“Seems I’m a little drunk,” I replied. 

“I may be as well. I’m oddly enjoying myself,” Chigusa remarked without any slurring. “Fukamachi, Fukamachi. What typically happens when people get drunk?” 

“Depends on the person. Some people change completely, and some don’t change at all. Some are merry drinkers, and some are sobbing drinkers. It’s just different habits. Some start suddenly preaching, and some get nice beyond recognition. Some fall asleep comfortably, some get quick to fight, some get all touchy-feely…” 

“Well, that’s me.” 

Before I could respond, Chigusa collapsed on my shoulder like a puppet with cut strings. 

“What’s this?”, I asked, hiding my bewilderment. 

“It’s all right. I’ll apologize later.” 

Being coaxed with incomprehensible logic, I lit up another cigarette to conceal my increasing temperature. 

“Fukamachi, are you the type that doesn’t change when drunk?”, she asked. 

When I opened my eyes, the sun was going down, and the room had gotten pretty dark. The cups were dried up and let off a sharp smell. 

I had a rough feeling on my cheek. That quickly reminded me that I had fallen asleep in Chigusa’s room. I quickly shot up, and heard a yelp at my ear. 

“G-Good morning,” Chigusa awkwardly smiled. 

After four or five full thoughts, I realized what kind of situation I’d been in. 

Apparently, I had been sleeping using Chigusa’s thighs as pillows. 

“Was I asleep?”, I said rubbing my eyes, concealing how flustered I was. “You should have woken me up.” 

Chigusa coughed quietly. “…I should just mention, you fell over into my lap.” 

“I did?” I tried to recall falling asleep, but my memory seemed to cut off somewhere. “Sorry. Are your legs numb?” 

“It’s all right. You’re a lightweight, Fukamachi,” Chigusa remarked with faint smile as I fumbled. 

“No, I should be sorry.” 

We bowed our heads to each other, then an unspeakable silence persisted. I tried to light a cigarette to fill it, but I reconsidered and put it in my pocket. 

“We should get some fresh air.” 

The residential district was brimming with assorted smells at night. Smells of dinner on the wind - fish, miso soup, meat and potato stew - and the smell of soap from a bathroom window stimulated my nose. 

Chigusa’s walking beside me seemed unstable. Hardly tottering or anything, but she swung from side to side. 

“Were you perhaps drinking while I was asleep?”, I asked. 

“Is that right? Tell me if you get sleepy, lightweight Fukamachi,” Chigusa said cockily. 

“Now, it’s finally night. The ideal time for ne'er-do-wells. What badness do you wish to do?” 

“Might be one at the shopping district. Yeah, I want to say they do one around this time every year.” 

“While we’re near, would you like to go see it?” 

“Won’t you try the goldfish scooping?” 

“Right. They haven’t noticed us yet.” 

“Fukamachi.” She looked toward my hand. “Do you mind if I take that shaved ice?” 

“Sorry,” Chigusa said out of breath. 

“But that was good. Very relieving. Very delinquent.” 

“Agreed.” 

After downing the sports drinks and throwing away the empty bottles, we entered a supermarket just before closing time and bought fireworks. And we spent a while walking around in search of the least appropriate place to use them. 

“Perhaps we might as well sneak back into the school we deserted at noon, and launch them on the field somewhere?”, Chigusa suggested. “Don’t you think that’s sufficiently mischevious?” 

“I just happen to know. I had a friend who did the same thing in middle school.” 

That was a lie, of course. Once, I was invited by some friends to sneak into the pool at night. There were clouds covering the sky all day, and the pool that night was colder than anything. It helped a little that we jumped in with our clothes on, but ten minutes later, our lips were purple and we were running home dripping wet.

“I didn’t think about the temperature,” Nagahora said with admiration. “Bet you’d want to pick a day that’s especially hot. Around the start of August would be perfect…” 

Then Kasai opened the door into the classroom, so the conversation was cut short. That was ultimately the only time we discussed sneaking into the pool. Since then, I’d completely forgotten Nagahora ever mentioned it. 

I didn’t really feel the urge to swim. Sure, this was miraculously the hottest day of the year, and thus the perfect day for night swimming. The water should have been clean for the swim club’s practice. However, it wasn’t Nagahora with me, but Chigusa. I couldn’t make her join me in something so ridiculous as this. 

Still, I figured just walking around the poolside would be fun., so I told Chigusa what I’d heard from Nagahora. And she showed incomparable interest in this stupid idea. “We simply must to do that, let’s do that right now,” she urged. 

Climbing over the fence less than two meters tall, we touched down by the pool. Obviously, it was pitch black, and the pool was a deep blue, the bottom not visible. The wind made small waves on the surface, breaking against the edge and making quiet splashes. Occasionally, the smell of chalk unique to school pools struck my nose. 

I took off my shoes and felt the rough poolside, neither warm nor cold. I rolled up my pants and put my toes in the water glittering in the moonlight. It was just the right coldness to feel good. “That’s good,” said Chigusa, who took off her loafers and socks and drew an ellipse in the water with her right toe. 

I resolutely sat on the pool edge and soaked my legs below the knees in the water. My legs hot from running around were thoroughly cooled, and felt revived. The energy left my body, and I fell back onto the poolside like a deflating life preserver. 

Listening to the sound of the water, I looked up at the night sky. The sole light sources from the parking lot didn’t reach the distant pool, so while not a match for the roof of the hotel, it wasn’t a bad place to view the stars. 

Once I thought about stars, my chest clouded as I was unable to avoid remembering a certain person, but I forcibly put her out of mind. I couldn’t worry over what had already come and gone. 

I heard a sound from the end of the pool. Before I could process that it was Chigusa taking off her uniform, I heard a loud splash. Drips of water hit my cheek, and I sat up in a hurry. 

At first, I thought Chigusa had fallen into the pool by mistake. But seeing her discarded blouse and skirt, I realized she jumped in intentionally. And if her clothes were there, that meant Chigusa, sticking her head out of the water, was wearing nothing but underwear - if that. 

I was so surprised, I had no words. What in the world was she thinking? 

“Don’t scare me,” I finally uttered. “I thought you slipped and fell.” 

“Apologies. But it’s nice and cool,” Chigusa said, wiping her forelocks. Her white shoulders poked out of the water, and I worried for where to look. 

Not brave enough to swim with her, I stayed sitting at the rim of the pool. Then Chigusa walked up to the water’s edge and held out her hands to me. 

“Lift me up, please.” 

I gulped, and grabbed her hands while trying not to make eye contact. But the moment I was about to pull, she forcefully pulled me. I tried to stand my ground, but my feet didn’t make it, so I lost balance and fell into the pool. 

It was pitch dark in the water, so I had no idea where anything was. After struggling a while, my feet found the bottom. I stuck my head out of the water and wiped my face, then looked around for Chigusa. I heard laughter behind me. “Hey, remember what I said about telling me…”, I said as I turned, and found Chigusa’s face right in front of my nose. 

We met eyes at a close distance. 

The expression she had was a kind I hadn’t seen before, neither happy nor joking. If I had to find the closest description, it was a look of surprise. Like the kind when you’re cleaning a room and find a precious childhood photo you thought you lost. 

There was a long short silence. Or maybe a short long silence. 

I slowly averted my gaze and put my hands on the edge of the pool. 

“Let’s look in the storage room. Might find something interesting.” 

Lastly, we played with toy fireworks in the corner of the parking lot. Water still dripped from our clothes and hair, making dark stains on the dry asphalt. My wet shirt and underwear took my body heat, making me a little chilly. We had no candle to light the firework, so I used my lighter to scorch the ends of two Long Peonies. Once both were lit, I handed one to Chigusa. 

The flame transferred to the main part of the firework, and one after another, shots fired off like plant roots into the darkness. After proceeding through the stages of peony, pine needle, willow, and chrysanthemum, the ball’s purpose was complete and it dropped off, making a low splash in the water that dripped from our bodies. 

We silently went on lighting fireworks. We were exhausted after leaving the pool and didn’t say much to each other, but it wasn’t the awkward kind of silence. 

As the last two fireworks began firing off, Chigusa spoke. “Fukamachi.” She’d gone back to using my last name. 

“You were thinking about Hajikano just now, weren’t you?” 

I didn’t deny it, but asked her back. “Why do you think so?” 

Chigusa giggled. “Why, indeed? Well, my bad premonitions are often correct.” 

I dutifully answered honestly. “Your hunch is right, Ogiue.” 

“See, what did I tell you?”, she said jokingly. “Furthermore, I suppose not only now, but several times while we’ve been together, Hajikano has come to mind.” 

“Yeah, you’re not wrong there.” 

“Were you thinking, "What if it wasn’t Chigusa Ogiue in front of me, but Yui Hajikano”?“ 

The ball on Chigusa’s firework dropped before it fully burned, meeting a sudden end. 

"Thank you for joining in my selfish whims today,” she said without waiting for a reply. “I had a great deal of fun spending the day with you.” 

My firework still went on burning. 

“But, Fukamachi. If there’s really something that strikes your interest, if there’s really a person that you’re wondering about, please don’t concern yourself with me, and settle that issue first. You still have a lingering affection for Hajikano, don’t you? Isn’t that why you occasionally forgot about the girl standing in front of you to think about her?” 

She picked up the used-up fireworks and put them in a bag, tied a knot, and gradually stood up. 

We walked to the school gate in silence. I couldn’t find any words to say. Everything Chigusa said was an accurate truth, and anything I said would just sound like an excuse. 

“…You haven’t yet exhausted everything you can do for her, have you?”, Chigusa suddenly spoke. “Then you should see that through to the end.” 

After passing the gate, she came to a stop. She bowed her head to me to say “this is far enough.” 

“Today really was a pleasure. Thank you for the wonderful day.” 

“Yeah,” I nodded, though not getting why she was asking. 

Once, because of the inferiority that came from the birthmark covering half my face, I thought I had no right to love Hajikano. And if you inverted that, it meant that if only I didn’t have my birthmark, I would have the qualifications for her to love me. 

But maybe that was just a one-sided impression of mine. While it could have possibly been accurate four years ago, at least in the present, the disappearance of my birthmark had never once aided in coming closer to Hajikano. In fact, more than that. It was preventing any progress. 

The day I visited Hajikano’s house to determine the truth of what Kasai told me, in a dark room with curtains closed, she touched my cheek and rubbed it again and again. As if in search of the birthmark that should have been there. Maybe what Hajikano really needed now wasn’t a person to kindly console her, but a companion with the same injury - that suddenly occurred to me, looking back on that day. 

And once I came to have that mindset, this scenario the woman on the phone had put together started to seem coherent. She claimed to have made this bet as fair as she could. I thought my odds of success were far too low for that to be true. But maybe she was telling the truth, and the bet was being carried out fairly. In other words, she had prepared a path for toward victory for me, too. 

Removing my birthmark took away an obstacle between me and Hajikano. That was my thought at first. But was the truth the exact opposite? Had removing my birthmark taken away a red thread of destiny connecting us? Maybe the true nature of this bet wasn’t asking, “Can a normally-impossible love happen with the removal of an obstacle?”, but that woman saying, “Can I add an obstacle to set back a love that normally wouldn’t be held back?” 

By personally renouncing the birthmark-less face I was temporarily given for the bet, I could advance my relationship with Hajikano. That was a situation the woman on the phone intentionally created. I was being tested to see if I would give up the ideal body I was granted for the girl I loved. Looking at it that way, would I? 

If I was right about this, I needed to regain my lost ugliness. I had to prove to that woman there was nothing higher-priority to me than Hajikano. 

But while I had to “get my birthmark back,” a simple bruise would heal in no time. I wanted a semi-permanent mark of ugliness. So I thought to use the iron. 

Where my birthmark had once been, this time, I would give myself a large burn. 

If I’d had a little more good judgement left in me at the time, I could probably see how foolish it was from an objective standpoint to burn my face with an iron to get Hajikano’s attention. Yet with the combination of the short remaining time on the bet and the confusion Chigusa caused me last night, I had a narrow perspective. You could say I was deranged. I was possessed by the naive thought that strong pain had to have a high return. 

The hand I held the iron with was damp with sweat and trembled. The peak of the pain would probably be in the first instant. But the problem came after that. If I cooled it off too quickly and adequately treated it, the burn would just fully heal. If I wanted to make it “part of me” like my former birthmark, then after firmly burning my face at max temperature, I would probably have to not cool or treat the burn for an hour at least. Imagining that hour made my legs buckle. 

Still, I had already made my decision. Slowly but surely, I got accustomed to the image of me burning my face. Once it reached a certain point, I was suddenly able to accept it all naturally. Or maybe logically, you could say I went fully mad. I closed my right eye, and pushed the iron plate heated to the necessary temperature toward my face, 

when the phone rang. 

If that noise had come a tenth of a second later, I’m sure the iron would have had no problem burning my face. At a distance close enough to scorch my eyelashes, my hand stopped. 

The ringing came from the phone in the first floor hallway. I couldn’t be sure, but from the timing and the way it echoed, I felt sure it was the woman who orchestrated this bet. 

I put the iron back in the stand, ran down the stairs, and took the receiver. 

“Hello?” 

There was no reply. 

Usually, there would be a one-sided dialogue of telling me some business, but this one time, I heard nothing. But just because I couldn’t hear anyone didn’t mean there was no one there, and I sensed there was a living person’s breathing on the other end. The person seemed to be quietly listening to my breathing. 

The silence went on. Just as I opened my mouth with impatience, with the suddenness of a hidden track on a CD after leaving it alone on the last track for over ten minutes, the person on the other end spoke. 

“Who are you?” 

It wasn’t the usual woman’s voice, but it was one I’d heard before. 

A moment later, my head was filled with questions. 

“Hajikano?”, I asked. “No way, is that you, Hajikano?” 

I heard her swallow. From that reaction, I was convinced the caller was Hajikano. 

“How?”, the person I thought to be Hajikano said. “How did you call here?” 

That sentence repeated in my head. How did I call here? It was a strange way to put it. She made it sound like I had called her. 

“Answer,” Hajikano said. “How did you know I was here? Are you nearby?” 

There seemed to be a discrepancy here. I got my head in order and decided on what the most important matters to have clarified were. 

“Listen, Hajikano, stay calm and listen,” I said soothingly. “You just asked me "How did you call here?”, right? Are you telling me you didn’t call me, but you just answered the phone?“ 

There was a silence as if for thought. I assumed that to be proof and continued. 

"Well, same here. I was at home, and I heard the phone ringing, so I answered. And then I heard your voice. Where are you? Not at home?” 

“…Chakagawa Station.” 

“I see.” 

There was a thoughtful silence. 

“I don’t know,” Hajikano said with concern. “I was sure you felt pity for me now, and that’s why you were so overly concerned. I thought you just sympathized seeing me with the same problem you once had.” 

“Well, I’m not that mature of a person.” 

“A personal problem?” 

“When I see you, I go mad with jealousy,” she said with a light sigh, as if embarrassed with herself. “That said, it’s not your birthmark being gone that I’m terribly jealous of. It’s because you’re a strong person who was able to accept his birthmark and live a decent life, and I’m a weak one who’s been unable to do that, and fallen to such lows in less than half a year. That fact hurts me more than anything. When you’re in front of me, I have to constantly acknowledge it. That’s the hate that’s led me to put distance between us.” 

Hajikano was silent for a few seconds. Somehow, I felt I could see her purse her lips and rub her birthmark. 

“At this point, this birthmark isn’t such an issue. The issue is my weakness that will let one blemish ruin me. When I see you now, Yosuke, my chest could burst from sheer misery.” 

“I think you’re still misunderstanding me,” I interjected. “If you saw me as accepting my birthmark and living a decent life, you’re mistaken. The truth is, I was saddled with a feeling of inferiority. Every time I looked in the mirror, I thought how nice it would be to just be reborn.” 

I switched the phone to my right hand and toyed with the cord with my left. 

“I didn’t get through it all by myself. You were a big support to me back then. Because you accepted me, Hajikano, I could feel like accepting my birthmark. The birthmark I’d come to think of as such an ugly, dirty thing, I could think of as a mere piece of discolored skin once you touched it. That’s how significant Yui Hajikano was to me.” 

“…It really never seemed that way,” Hajikano said doubtfully. 

“Why?” 

“I didn’t want to accept that deep down, I strongly desired contact with someone else. And more than that, I was scared of you and those around me realizing the feelings I had for you. I felt like they’d scorn me. "You think a guy like you has the right to love Yui Hajikano?” So when I was with you, I tried to kee

Chapter end