3:56 p.m., Tengo Kawana
back home from trip
.
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At the same moment that Tengo appeared at the entrance, a door somewhere
opened wide and Ushikawa felt reality returning. Like air rushing into a vacuum, his
nerves were instantly sharp, his body filled with a fresh vitality. He was again a useful
part of the outside world. There was a satisfying click as things fell into place. His
circulation sped up, and just the right amount of adrenaline surged through his body.
Good, this is how it should be. This is the way I’m supposed to be, the way the world
is supposed to be
.
It was after seven p.m. when Tengo appeared at the entrance again. The wind had
picked up after sunset, and the temperature had dropped. Tengo wore a sweater under
a windbreaker with faded jeans. He stepped outside and stood there, looking around,
but he didn’t see anything. He glanced at where Ushikawa was hiding, but didn’t pick
out the observer.
He’s different from Eriko Fukada
, Ushikawa thought.
She’s
special.
She can see what others can’t. But you, Tengo—for better or worse you’re an
ordinary person. You can’t see me sitting here
.
Seeing that nothing had changed outside, Tengo zipped his jacket up to his neck,
stuck his hands in his pockets, and walked out onto the main road. Ushikawa
hurriedly put on his knit cap, wrapped the muffler around his neck, slipped on his
shoes, and went out to follow Tengo.
Tengo strolled slowly down the street and turned around to look behind him a few
times, but Ushikawa was careful and Tengo didn’t see him. Tengo seemed to have
something on his mind. Perhaps he was thinking about Fuka-Eri being gone. He was
apparently heading toward the station. Maybe he was going to take a train
somewhere? That would make tailing him difficult. The station was well lit, and on a
Saturday night there wouldn’t be many passengers. Ushikawa would be extremely
conspicuous. In that case, it would be smarter to give up.
But Tengo wasn’t heading toward the station. He walked for a while and then
turned down a nearly deserted street and came to a halt in front of a bar named
Mugiatama. It was a bar for young people, by the look of it. Tengo glanced at his
watch to check the time, stood there pondering for a few seconds, then went inside.
Mugiatama
, Ushikawa thought. He shook his head.
What a stupid name for a bar
.
Ushikawa hid in the shadow of a telephone pole and checked out his surroundings.
Tengo was probably going to have a couple of drinks there and a bite to eat, so it
would take at least a half hour. Worst-case scenario, Ushikawa would have to stay put
for an hour. He looked around for a good place nearby to kill time while he watched
the people going in and out of the bar. Unfortunately, though, there was just a milk
distributor, a small Tenrikyo meeting hall, and a rice wholesaler, and all of them were
closed.
Man, I never get a break
, he thought. The strong northwest wind blew the
clouds swiftly by. The warmth of the daytime seemed like a dream now. Ushikawa
wasn’t relishing the idea of standing in the freezing cold for thirty minutes to an hour,
doing nothing.
Maybe I should give it up. Tengo’s just having a meal here. There is no need to go
to all the trouble of shadowing him
. Ushikawa considered popping in to some place
himself, having a hot meal, then going home. Tengo would come back home before
long. That was a very attractive choice. Ushikawa pictured himself in a cozy little
703
restaurant, enjoying a piping hot bowl of
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