Chapter 3: Spring: Among Showers of Blossoms
on a Spring Festival day 6
"Kanalu, What is it?"
She asked panting for breath. Kanalu saw her dancing performance, it was amazing.
She added Oharu's passion with Ryoko's own color to the dance which was inherited from girls of Turpan.
"Well, your performance was beautiful. I want to say thank you."
When Kanalu said that, a blast wind blew through the cherry trees and cherry petals showered on them. A swarm of petals fell over the two as if the gods were blessing them. The eight million gods resided in each petal.
Kanalu read the first half of a haiku.
"My dear love's wide shoulder."
Ryoko opened her eyes widely. Nobody knew that haiku because she wrote it in her RUICA yesterday. She did not expect that her haiku would reach him, nor had the intention to send it to him. Kanalu read the haiku loudly. She felt a lump in her throat suddenly and could not say a word. Then the April gentle wind blew over them. Cherry flower petals fluttered down Kanalu's shoulder. Ryoko continued the second half of the haiku,"
Wishing to become the wind that carries flower petals" but tears filled her eyes, she could not see. There were Kanalu's shoulders she swore not to touch.
Although she wanted to touch him, he was just far away.
She wanted to become the wind that would carry flower petals and stay there for a while.
With full of love, she composed this haiku when she saw Kanalu from far away in the crowd at the festival yesterday.
Kanalu looked for this haiku out of the massive data.
Tsubasa stood and saw them. Both of them did not talk but conversed in their mind.
He remembered that his grandparents did communicate in this manner when they came to the town for the first time.
He wanted to call Ryoko but somebody stopped him.
"Leave them alone. You would be better to take a hot spring now."
It was Oharu. She handed him a towel.
"They would decide what will happen next."
She winked at him and rolled her wheelchair. She read Tusbasa's mind.
Tsubasa thought he had given way to a senior citizen. Feeling embarrassed,
he left there in a hurry. The hot water of Takafu-cho was white and acid as usual and
Tsubasa had sore eyes when he dived into the hot spring. He splashed water on his face talking to himself
"I am not crying. The water hurts my eyes."
Tsubasa loved the hot spring.
