Chapter 32: Longing for Peaches

The bus rolled from the shopping mall toward the neighborhood where Dalan Tao lived, and Runa Onodera sat lost in thought, her chin resting on her hand. Her gaze wandered aimlessly out the window, unfocused and adrift. Three bags rested on her knees—inside, neatly tied with strings, were gifts she’d bought at the mall.

She was eager to convince at least one more client before leaving this job behind; even a single success would add a little to her expected earnings. Runa was observant and had picked out small gifts for several clients she’d researched—those who seemed close to wavering. You always had to bring a token of sincerity when visiting clients’ homes.

She’d spent more than usual this time, thanks to having exchanged for high-end mall vouchers from Mr. Tao at a very low price. Hopefully, these gifts would bring her some luck.

Sunlight slanted through the bus window, warming her face. Winter was past, the air slowly growing milder. The bus moved at a leisurely pace, and Runa’s gaze gradually settled on the cherry trees lining the road. Their leaves had begun to unfurl, one by one. Soon, the cherry blossoms would be in full bloom.

She suddenly remembered the faint fragrance she’d noticed on Mr. Tao that morning. A small, wistful smile crept across Runa’s lips, a smile that was both lonely and determined.

Back when she was still a girl, she’d always looked forward to spring break—the beautiful scene of cherry blossoms in bloom, wearing a cute kimono, sitting beneath the trees, picnicking with friends, laughter echoing into dreams of the future. Back then, it never occurred to her that her own fate, like the cherry blossoms, would blaze brilliantly for an instant, only to wither quickly away.

Now, that kind of feeling no longer belonged to her. Each day, she faced the world as a woman, with an unfinished high school education, carrying the responsibility of raising a young daughter.

But Runa did not feel entirely hopeless—after all, she’d been lucky enough to live in a better era. At least she could always find work, even if the pay wasn’t high. There were times when people had stopped her on the street, offering introductions to jobs that promised much higher incomes. If not for the fortune of living in a time when one could still make a living through honest effort, she might have had to consider making compromises with life.

But, after all, she could not bear to be absent when Miko came home from school.

“So, Runa, this is your life,” she silently reminded herself, drawing her gaze back and setting aside those endless thoughts. She turned her attention to the words she’d use for her next meeting.

Mr. Tsui Okawatsu was an elderly widower living alone; his son had married and moved into his own house.

Runa considered him a promising prospect and had brought along two fine bottles of sake just for him today.

She knocked on Mr. Okawatsu’s door. After a moment, the man—now in his sixties—opened it and, seeing Runa, frowned. “You again?”

She bowed with a bright smile. “Good afternoon, Mr. Okawatsu. Sorry to trouble you.”

“Come in, then…” He stepped aside to let her enter.

“Thank you very much…” Runa said as she entered, “Just a small gift to show my respect.”

Mr. Okawatsu nodded slightly; the bag felt heavier than he’d expected. Though it was somewhat rude, he asked, “Sake?”

Runa was taking off her shoes and smiled. “Yes. I hope you’ll enjoy it.”

He said nothing, watching as she set down the other two small bags in the entryway. After they sat down, he spoke: “Runa, you’ve lived here quite a while. If I sell the house, what am I supposed to do with myself? I’ve told you before—it’s not convenient for me to bother my son’s family.”

Runa, sitting formally, replied, “But you watch the news, don’t you? This area will soon become a construction site, which would be terrible for your health. As for the future, a house in Minato Ward could be exchanged for a lovely single-family home in the peaceful countryside. You’d have your own garden, a healthier environment—isn’t that better?”

“It sounds nice,” Mr. Okawatsu said, “but you’re still young, you don’t understand the power of habit. Runa, your company’s progress hasn’t been fast, has it?”

She bowed slightly. “It was slow at first, but now more than ten households have decided. At this moment, the Most Noble Realty is pressing to speed things up. Mr. Okawatsu, I’m worried they’ll resort to rougher methods.”

His face darkened, but after a moment’s silence, he didn’t take it out on Runa. “Shameless, those bastards. But I’m not afraid!”

“But wouldn’t it be better to spend each day in good spirits?” Runa paused, then spoke dreamily, her voice gentle, “With a large sum of money, you could start searching for your ideal home. Once you find it, you could plan how to arrange and decorate it. You could think of when to invite friends and family over…”

“Is that something you’ve thought about many times yourself?” Mr. Okawatsu teased, watching her expression.

“Ah! Forgive me!” Runa was startled. “I just thought—even after retirement, if life suddenly gained a new purpose, perhaps it would be very invigorating. And Mr. Okawatsu, imagine opening a little shop on the ground floor—a lively new life!”

He fell silent for a good while before saying, “Runa, you really have thought things through for me.”

“I just know it’s a difficult decision for you, so I wanted to help you consider your options. I’m sorry that my perspective is so limited. Surely you’ve thought about it too, haven’t you? ‘If I sold my house, how would I plan for the future?’”

He sighed. “Runa, give up. My problem isn’t something money can solve.”

A chill crept into Runa’s heart, and for a long time, she couldn’t speak.

He glanced around the room. “Every item here holds memories for me. Now, they’re all I have left. Even if the new place is better, all my memories would be stripped away. You’re still young—you don’t understand what memories mean to someone my age.”

“…I understand.” Runa bowed again. “But please, Mr. Okawatsu, consider it once more.”

After leaving his house, Runa stood downstairs, holding the remaining two gifts for a while.

Another failure. It was so hard.

She could only take a deep breath, silently encouraging herself, then set out for her next target.

…

It wasn’t until evening that her day’s gloom began to fade.

When Yosuke Ueno helped her find a small truck to move all her daily necessities at once—and insisted on covering the cost of the move—she couldn’t refuse anymore. He finally said, “Dalan asked me to!”

Runa’s mood improved considerably after that.

Sure enough, new locks had been installed on all the bedroom doors. It seemed Mr. Tao had arranged everything so she could feel secure.

“You’ve worked so hard, and made Ueno go hungry, too!” Runa called as she started preparing dinner. “Is Mr. Tao… coming home for dinner, or…?”

“That guy said not to wait for him tonight,” Ueno replied, a hint of envy in his voice. “He’ll probably be back late.”

He wanted to say maybe Tao wouldn’t come back at all, but somehow, he couldn’t say it to Runa. It felt embarrassing.

In fact, Zhiming Tao did come home late, but not as late as Ueno imagined.

At least, little Miko was still awake.

“You’ve moved in, then?” Tao asked as he changed his shoes. “Miko, do you like it here?”

“I do!” Miko was starting to get used to these two big brothers. She murmured shyly, “Welcome home…”

Runa wore a slightly awkward smile. “Mr. Tao… did you have dinner?”

“It’s late, of course I’ve eaten,” Tao said, loosening his tie.

He moved away to make a call.

Ueno listened carefully—it was that yakuza again.

Damn, did he get a ton of shopping vouchers again? “Yes, bring 540,000.”

With that tone and those words… shopping vouchers worth 600,000? Envy gnawed at him.

After the call, Tao held out his hand to Ueno. “Give me the key.”

“For helping Runa move, how about 50,000?” Ueno blinked hopefully.

“…You’re thinking about Momoko,” Tao said, only taking the key before heading off to change.

“…What do you mean by that?” Runa asked, bewildered.

Why mention Momoko?