Kays Translations

Interlude: Spring Storm

When I became a university student, I thought about moving to Tokyo.

Seeing Tokyo on Instagram, I felt like it had everything I wanted.

My hometown was just an ordinary provincial city. Everyone went to the same middle school and high school, and it felt suffocating.

Fed up with that atmosphere, I found solace in my smart phone. The small screen of my phone felt like a window to the fresh air of the city, blowing away the stagnation of the countryside.

I didn’t want to spend my four years of university as a nobody in the town where I was born and raised. I wanted to be reborn as a new me in Tokyo.

So, I worked hard for the entrance exams.

I wasn’t smart enough to get into a national university, so I aimed for a private one with fewer subjects.

In February, I came to Tokyo for the exams.

Feeling dizzy on the long train ride, I was determined to come to Tokyo no matter what.

I don’t know if it was due to that determination, but I passed.

Even my parents, who initially opposed my move to Tokyo, smiled when they saw my acceptance letter.

“It’s good that you worked hard,” they said, and I became a college student in spring.

My first time in Tokyo, my first time living alone.

I discovered that living alone was very quiet, and there were more cherry blossoms in Tokyo than I had imagined.

Although my family wasn’t wealthy, my father rented a secure apartment with an auto-lock system for my safety. The rent was 80,000 yen, which made me wonder how many hours I would have to work based on the hourly wage in job listings.

I felt embarrassed for having resented my father during my rebellious phase.

In that room that was all mine, I tried cooking for the first time.

And I failed miserably.

Perhaps due to the layout of the apartment or maybe that’s how all Tokyo apartments were, there was only one burner on the stove in my room. I burned the tamagoyaki (rolled omelette) unintentionally due to my lack of skill. I felt a little down because I couldn’t even make such a simple dish.

I realized how amazing my mother was for cooking for me all these years. I used to nitpick about the meals she prepared, but now I knew it was impossible for me to do the same.

Although I had longed for this dream of living alone, when I actually did it, I felt lonely. I ended up spending more time on calls with my friends.

About a week before starting university, I received a LINE message from my mother after a long time: “Did you submit the change of address notification?”

This change of address notification was necessary to borrow a scholarship.

I realized that I hadn’t done it yet and replied, “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Immediately, my mother sent another message, “You always procrastinate with these things,” and I threw my phone on the bed, feeling annoyed. I appreciated that she used to cook for me, but I found such things bothersome.

Well, I could still submit it in time at the ward office, right?

With that thought in mind, I went to sleep.

However, if I couldn’t borrow the scholarship, I would be a delinquent student in terms of tuition fees. I didn’t want my long-awaited move to Tokyo to be unexpectedly interrupted, so the next day, I went to the ward office just in time for it to open.

It was my first time doing paperwork alone.

I didn’t know what was required, so I clenched my bag, which had my seal and my Individual Number Card, and entered the ward office. Despite being a weekday morning, there were already many people.

Amid the crowd, a beautiful woman from the ward office approached me.

“What brings you here today?”

“Um, the change of address notification…”

“Yes, the change of address notification. Please fill in the necessary information in the black-framed section of this document. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

Although all I could say was “change of address notification,” the woman handed me the document and kindly pointed out the sections I needed to fill in with her finger. I thought, “There are kind people in Tokyo too,” and filled out the document titled “Notification of Residency Change.”

From now on, I feel like I won’t have to do things like this alone anymore, and that made me feel like I’ve grown up a bit. It’s kind of nice.

When I brought the paper with my address written on it to the counter, the lady there gave me a numbered ticket. My turn came quickly, and I handed over the necessary documents to the receptionist. Instead of my documents, the receptionist gave me a pamphlet with “Citizen’s Newsletter” written on it.

When I opened it, there were notices about things like garbage collection days written on it. I realized I should pay attention to these kinds of notices.

While I was putting it in my bag, my application for moving in was accepted.

I felt a mix of emotions – the realization that I had become a Tokyo resident and the feeling of surprise that my dream from high school had come true more easily than expected.

In the end, I didn’t need to use my seal or My Number card, and I finished my business at the ward office. It was still too early for lunch, and I was wondering whether to go home first or have lunch somewhere when my feet stopped in front of the bulletin board at the entrance of the ward office.

The board had “8 Notices for Residents” written on it, and my eyes were drawn to it, with the thought that since I was becoming a member of this town, I should read the notices.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

[8 Notices for Residents]

To all residents of the ward,

This is everyone’s town.

Let us be considerate of others.

1. Garbage collection days must be observed.

2. Greet the people in the neighborhood.

3. If you see a suspicious person, do not approach them for a conversation.

4. If a suspicious person approaches you for a conversation, do not respond.

5. Do not remove the posters affixed to utility poles.

6. Do not answer calls starting with “003.”

7. All notifications from the ward office are lies.

8. Do not read this text.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The moment I read the last notice, I felt something was wrong. A cold sensation ran through my spine, and I felt the urge to escape, but my feet were firmly rooted and wouldn’t move.

“T-The n-notices…. I must read them properly.”

A creepy voice came from the bulletin board, and arms and a mouth suddenly emerged, tightly gripping my arm. The grip was so strong and painful that I tried to scream, but only a hoarse voice came out of my throat.

Fear and confusion overwhelmed me, and I tried to call for help, but…

“Wh-why?”

Everyone else seemed completely unaware of me and just passed by as if I didn’t exist. No one noticed me. No one looked at me.

The incomprehensible presence pulled me towards it. Despite trying to resist with both my legs, it was futile, and the large mouth opened wide and remained frozen.

In the blink of an eye, the arms that were grabbing me fell to the ground.

Then, the mouth that was left facing the entrance of the ward office.

I involuntarily turned my gaze in that direction.

There, a little elementary school boy was standing.

Strangely enough, that boy was looking at me. Only he was looking at me.

The protruding mouth from the bulletin board moved hesitantly and said…

“Y-you, you can’t harm people… It’s written in the notice, right?”

“‘Do not affix posters without permission’ is also written in the notice.”

“But that’s… It’s my… business…”

The mouth moved, then split in half and turned into black mist before disappearing.

Then, the flyer on the bulletin board, “8 Notices for Residents,” peeled off by itself and scattered in front of me like magic. I stood there in amazement, not knowing how to thank the boy who had saved me.

The boy’s mother-like woman and a girl who seemed to be his sister came over.

“Itsuki, what’s wrong? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Now that we’re done with our business, let’s go home.”

As the boy’s mother said that and led him away, I couldn’t help but call out to him.

“W-wait!”

The boy glanced back at me without saying anything.

“Thank you for helping me!”

He smiled gently, moved his mouth to say “You’re welcome,” and then left with his mother.

The cherry blossoms of spring swayed in the wind, and strangely enough, I thought coming to Tokyo was a good decision.

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