After the quake blind willow, sleeping woman dance dance dance

something
other than farming. It’s inconceivable that sales 
of produce are the only thing financing the large-scale expansion they have been 
undergoing. Whatever this other thing they’re developing may be, their absolute 
secrecy has given the local people the impression that it must be something they can’t 
reveal to the general public.” 
“Does this mean they’ve started some kind of political activity again?” Tengo 
asked. 
“I doubt it,” the Professor answered without hesitation. “Sakigake always moved 
on a separate axis from the political realm. It was for that very reason that at one point 
they had to let the Akebono group go.” 
“Yes, but after that, something happened inside Sakigake that made it necessary 
for Eri to escape.” 
“Something did happen,” the Professor said. “Something of great significance. 
Something that made her leave her parents behind and run away by herself. But she 
has never said a word about it.” 
“Maybe she can’t put it into words because it was too great a shock, or it somehow 
scarred her for life.” 
“No, she’s never had that air about her, that she had experienced a great shock or 
that she was afraid of something or that she was uneasy being alone and separated 
from her parents. She’s just impassive. Still, she adapted to living here without a 
problem—almost too easily.” 
The Professor glanced toward the door and then returned his gaze to Tengo. 
“Whatever happened to Eri, I didn’t want to pry it out of her. I felt that what she 
needed was time. So I didn’t question her. I pretended I wasn’t concerned about her 
silence. She was always with Azami. After Azami came home from school, they 

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would rush through dinner and shut themselves up in their room. What they would do 
in there, I have no idea. Maybe they found a way to converse when they were alone 
together. I just let them do as they pleased, without intruding. Aside from Eri’s not 
speaking, her living with us presented no problem. She was a bright child, and she did 
what she was told. She and Azami were inseparable. Back then, though, Eri couldn’t 
go to school. She couldn’t speak a word. I couldn’t very well send her to school that 
way.” 
“Was it just you and Azami before that?” 
“My wife died about ten years ago,” the Professor said, pausing for a moment. 
“She was killed in a car crash. Instantly. A rear-ender. The two of us were left alone. 
We have a distant relative, a woman, who lives nearby and helps us run the house. 
She also looks after both girls. Losing my wife like that was terrible, for Azami and 
for me. It happened so quickly, we had no way to prepare ourselves. So whatever 
brought Eri to us, we were glad to have her. Even if we couldn’t hold a conversation 
with her, just having her in the house was strangely calming to both of us. Over these 
seven years, Eri has, though very slowly, regained the use of words. To other people, 
she may sound odd or abnormal, but we can see she has made remarkable progress.” 
“Does she go to school now?” Tengo asked. 
“No, not really. She’s officially registered, but that’s all. Realistically speaking, it 
was impossible for her to keep up with school. I gave her individual instruction in my 
spare time, and so did students of mine who came to the house. What she got was 
very fragmentary, of course, nothing you could call a systematic education. She 
couldn’t read books on her own, so we would read out loud to her whenever we 
could, and I would give her books on tape. That is about the sum total of the 
education she has received. But she’s a startlingly bright girl. Once she has made up 
her mind to learn something, she can absorb it very quickly, deeply, and effectively. 
Her abilities on that score are amazing. But if something doesn’t interest her, she 
won’t look at it twice. The difference is huge.” 
The reception room door was still not opening. It was taking quite a bit of time for 
Eri to boil water and make tea. 
Tengo said, “I gather Eri dictated the story