――――My older brother, had disappeared.
Tatsumi Kitano hadn’t gone to school for 3 days.
There wasn’t even notification of absence.
Even if I tried to call him, there’s no answer even if I rang the bell and proceed to the apartment.
There would’ve been a notification, from the teacher in charge at the Tokyo high school where my big brother goes to.
For example bad friend wandering through the night, the teacher in charge also knew that my brother wasn’t that sort of type, and we also knew it.
Even so, I didn’t think that it would be such a serious matter at the start.
Suddenly, I remembered his way of playing as such, or such a friend could’ve done that, or……
My father then started saying “when I was young, I too……,” surely, mum was probably reassured by that, but…..
I had decided to go to Tokyo, because my father had signed up for a planned overnight overseas business trip, and my mother’s physical condition has terribly dropped.
I had the key to my big brother’s apartment.
Rather I came forward by myself.
Right, my middle school life’s last regular exams had finished, and I was also completing my recommended entrance exams.
Tamaki: “I’ll go. Papa has important work, and it’ll be bad if you don’t get any proper sleep, Mama.”
Mother: “But, Tamaki.”
Tamaki: “I said I’ll be fine. I won’t be staying there now in secret, all day long.”
Mother: “That’s not it. Listen, Tamaki, a girl shouldn’t be walking by herself――――”
Tamaki: “I’ll, be a high school student soon.”
For a while mother had been against it, “It’s dangerous for a middle-school girl going too far by herself,” although since I’ve been visiting my big brother’s apartment countless times during summer and winter vacation……
Rather, I thought “what time should I go by myself now?”
If by chance, Tatsumi had collapsed and had been taken out by a fever, wouldn’t he’d not be able to respond to me calling out from the outside――――mum was very worried.
I feel, that father wasn’t that worried.
He said, “When I was young I could do whatever and play at night.”
I, wonder how he felt.
If I’d opened the door, my big brother who couldn’t move about with a high fever would be collapsing.
Or, had my big brother become a delinquent who was like another person when I met him during winter vacation
No.
Both were wrong.
But for some reason.
Tatsumi: “What is it, Tamaki? Is something wrong?”
Saying it like that, I could’ve imagined my smiling big brother’s figure.
Tamaki Kitano.
My name, which had been printed in my middle school’s student’s handbook.
Right beside the photograph of my uniformed self.
I was photographed relatively cutely.
Although I would’ve told my big brother that we look alike, I thought I resembled my mother who would say “it was both.”
Was it surely around spring break, at the end of March last year that my older brother said, “Isn’t photogenicity good, right?”
It was his response when he showed me his student notebook when it was just brand new and he had become a 3rd year student.
My older brother made a face that was seemed unusually happy.
What kind of response should I have returned?
Something like lightly whacking my older brother’s shoulders, and surely, saying, “Don’t stare at me like that.”
Tamaki: “……..There it is. Hikari No. 4.”
JR Hiroshima Station―――――while taking out his student notebook which was lined up with the green ticket window, and checked the display on the electric signboard.
20 minutes later the bullet train came.
If I rode that, while expecting to arrive at Tokyo Station in the afternoon, I could go to my older brother’s apartment until 3:00 pm.
At a time like this, I think that it’s good to be living in the city of Hiroshima close to the JR station.
I hadn’t felt that it was normally that convenient, besides I also hadn’t felt that it was inconvenient.
Compared to Setagaya, Tokyo where I spent a bit of 12 years in since I was born, even if there was a different point as it was, it was worth mentioning that the uncomfortable feeling which was close to panicking wasn’t in Hiroshima.
Rather, Hiroden――――the one which came out of downtown Hatchobori if I had rode the streetcar for a few more minutes, might’ve been more convenient than from when I lived in Setagaya when it was bad.
It was different from a big city like Shinjuku and Ikebukuro, and it was sufficient enough to go to large bookstores, look at clothes, and play with my friends, etc.
Even so would it be enough if there were Okonomiyaki chain shops, and like Hamburger chain shops, if they were something forcibly raised?
Unlike Tokyo, this Okonomiyaki would she bake it by herself, without the salesclerk baking it?
I was a bit surprised as expected.
I thought that because of the shock, ahh, if it was my older brother the colour of his face would’ve turned blue.
Because my older brother, wasn’t a skilful person to that extent.
He especially, didn’t pride himself on turning something over, on that reason, she would grumble about not being able to make fried fish well even if he did live alone.
At that point, I, was in a prided class of both Okonomiyaki and fried fish.
I could treat my older brother to fried fish as he said that he doesn’t normally eat, to me, after all it was an established event which came about in long term breaks.
Tamaki: “Should I maybe, go do some shopping?”
I bought a reserved seat ticket.
While I received the cut ticket from the station attendant, I got into the bullet train which entered into the platform, into the non-smoking section of train car no. 10.
I found my seat, and sat down.
Tamaki: “…..Like I thought, fried fish?”
She muttered with a sigh.
At any rate, he probably hadn’t eaten much decent food.
If I give him something I made, first I shouldn’t buy ingredients.
In most cases, my older brother’s refrigerator was mostly empty, because it was becoming a situation where she knew with a glance.
If I showed it in that state to my mother, she’d certainly sigh and roll her eyes.
Actually, there was also a reason that I became a candidate for going to Tokyo this time.
There was no question, that some kind of accident and misunderstanding had occurred――――in all probability, it was probably that thing, although――――if my older brother was usually in the room, right, mother would certainly first be terribly disappointed as my older brother’s single life wasn’t an ideal life.
It could’ve been enough to destroy his physical condition.
Tamaki: “Because I’m prone to worrying.”
I looked through the outside window.
The weekday bullet train wasn’t crowded to that extent, so I easily took the window seat too.
The city of Hiroshima, which I could see beyond the heavy glass.
It had a sky which continued to the ocean.
The sky was grey.
It was a colour that I didn’t like very much.
