Homecoming
“Doors and windows, locked”
“Both the gas and electricity have also been properly turned off. Anything you forgot?”
“It’s probably fine”
“Let’s go then, shall we”
Mid-August. We left the house on the first day of Obon, which is said to be when the spirits of your ancestors come back. We will spend about 3 days from today at Yae’s family home.
“Hot……”
“Today seems to be an above-35℃ day. Well, our hometown is in the mountains, so I think it will be more or less cooling”
Our family home is in a small village roughly halfway up the mountains. The residents pretty much all know each other. Honestly, what I was surprised by the most when I came to this place here was the number of people after all.
“But I’m looking forward to seeing Okaa-san and others”
“Me too. We know that they are doing well since we have exchanges through texts and whatnot, but as I thought, there is peace of mind in seeing their faces huh”
“Un. I want to quickly meet them”
The Nakamatsu family is a very tight-knit family. I think the other side is also eager to quickly meet Yae. That’s precisely why a text like this was sent to me after all.
We, who walked all the way here to the train station under the blazing sun, bought the tickets and got on the train. We do have IC cards1 as far as it goes, but we cannot use them at the train station nearest to our hometown. As expected, it is not actually a deserted train station, but such elements give you the feel of the countryside.
“It’s long from here on out……”
“It is the same thing as always. Let’s go relaxingly”
There were a handful of passengers inside the train chilled with the cooler. I think the train that goes in the opposite direction is a little more crowded, but the one on this side is empty all year round. We can sit for certain thanks to that, so it is nice though.
It takes a little over an hour from here all the way to our hometown. I open a book to pass the time since we have to ride on the train for a long time. Yae seems to be listening to music with earphones as well.
A short while after the sound of the train moving being the only thing that resonated in the vicinity. As I was in the middle of reading the last book I brought, something heavy lay on top of my right shoulder.
“Yae?”
“……”
Perhaps she got sleepy as she was being shaken on the train, Yae ended up falling asleep with my shoulder as her pillow. Let’s let her sleep since there is still time until we arrive. It seems she slept late yesterday because she was looking forward to today after all.
I bring my eyes back to the book. We are inside a well-cooled train. And yet time passes quietly while I’m feeling a faint warmth on my right shoulder.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
“Yae, wake up”
“……nn……morning”
“Good morning”
I wake Yae up since we will be alighting at the next stop. Perhaps she still hasn’t slept enough, she is rubbing her eyes sleepily. But I have to wake her up.
“Look, we are alighting”
“Nn”
I take the luggage placed on top of the rack in my hands and alight from the train. It is still hot outside, but as I thought, it is somewhat cooler because it is the mountains.
When we slot our tickets in, go through the gate, and leave the station, there is a woman over there. That woman who is shorter than me runs over here when she catches sight of us and carries on to hug Yae tightly.
“Yaeー!!”
“O-, Okaa-san!?”
Who this woman is is Yae’s very mother, Nakamatsu Mina-san. She is a good person aside from her slightly over-the-top skinship, and she is my culinary mentor as well.
After staring at the mother and daughter’s touching reunion with a smile, when I head in the car’s direction to load the luggage first, there is a fierce-looking man in the driver’s seat. Of course, this person is Yae’s father, Nakamatsu Shigeo-san.
“Welcome home”
“Yes, I am home”
