He’d been trying to gain the attention of a pretty, short-haired girl in his swimming club. They were desperate measures for desperate people, but Toshi was desperate. I had never been interested in group dates. I met Miwako Sumida at a goukon organized by Toshi, a friend of mine. She’d wanted to tell me something, and I had to find out what it was. The sweet scent of summer strawberries, ripe and bursting with flavor.Įight months later, Miwako Sumida hanged herself.īut I wouldn’t let her death slip past me. I kept my eyes on my book, but she was so close I caught a whiff of her shampoo. One afternoon, she took the seat next to me in the library. She always looked like she was daydreaming. When Miwako read, she would tilt her head, resting it on her slim fingers as if it were too heavy. How she tied her long hair back and adjusted her glasses. I constantly watched where she went, what she did, what she wore. Whenever I was on campus, my eyes unconsciously sought her out. Part Oneīefore I knew it had happened, I’d fallen in love with Miwako Sumida. She could almost hear the forest spirit calling her, beckoning her to join souls with it, just as Miwako had, to remain here forever. Had Miwako died here? Now that the thought was planted in her mind, the mountain felt anything but peaceful. The question sparked a series of troubling thoughts. “Do you think this is where Miwako hanged herself?” Ryusei asked.Ĭhie stopped walking.
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