CHAPTER 506: EXTRA · HORIZON (2)

The place we’re headed to this time is a typical small countryside in Japan.

The purpose of this trip is for their batch of liberal arts students to do sketching research.

It could also be considered a university field trip.

After the bus left the station, under the leadership of Professor Okuno, they arrived at an inn to stay.

The inn offers lodging and meals, somewhat like a leisure vacation in a Japanese farm stay.

An old man over seventy runs this inn. He’s quite hale and hearty, with several young people working as helpers. They usually aren’t too busy, so they tend to idle away their time.

Country houses are typically very spacious.

In front of the dining guest room, there is a garden pond under the eaves. Before meals or when ordering, the old man would personally catch a few fish with a net for ingredients.

Ordinary vegetables and fish, once handled by him, become unexpectedly delicious.

Because of the scenery-like garden pond, the dining guest room has a large window to view the rain scene.

Today, being their first arrival, everyone talked freely all day.

Uesugi Sakura occasionally joined in on a few conversations with close classmates, but eventually preferred to sit quietly by the window, gazing at the osmanthus tree in the rain behind the pond.

"It’s a pity it’s autumn now and it’s raining; otherwise, osmanthus flowers soaked in tea would be especially fragrant."

Professor Okuno, holding a cup of tea, sat on the cushion beside Uesugi Sakura.

"Why not talk more with everyone? I notice you’re quite popular among the few girls in our school, haha."

The wide window let in light from outside, outlining Uesugi Sakura’s upright, dark silhouette.

"I just... want to watch the rain."

"Rain, huh," Professor Okuno’s gaze also followed his, looking at the swaying osmanthus tree in the rain, "Rain is a marvelous thing; do you know how much literature has been devoted to describing it?"

"How much?" Uesugi Sakura turned to ask.

Professor Okuno clapped his knee and laughed heartily, "Haha, I don’t know either.

"But one who can guess rain’s thoughts must have been nurtured by rain and battered by it, creating ripples of emotion as it falls to the ground."

"How do you interpret that?" Uesugi Sakura asked blandly.

"It varies by person, like me, seeing nature’s myriad forms and varying tones on this pond. They fall, and they’re music when I’m happy, noise when I’m low."

"Can you understand such an artistic conception?" Professor Okuno asked with a smile, "Right now, how does rain appear to you?"

Uesugi Sakura looked ahead and said coldly, "Gray, without color."

"And that green osmanthus tree?"

"Turned gray by the rain."

Professor Okuno looked into his eyes and felt that even the hot tea in his hand was cooling considerably.

...

"Professor, I’ve been thinking about something lately."

Professor Okuno took a sip of hot tea, "Hmm, go on."

"When watching movies, everyone loves the characters, feels joy at their reunion, sorrow at their parting, and even moved or heartbroken when the film ends.

"This emotion is especially intense right at the film’s conclusion, but shortly afterwards, it suddenly fades away. People no longer feel passionate about the story, and it becomes like... forgetting the moving parts..."

In the courtyard, the sound of rain ebbed and flowed.

Professor Okuno stared out the window, saying, "Sakura, when people encounter a TV show they love, how do they feel when it’s only halfway through?"

"Eager to see the next part."

"Yes, they feel that way. During this period, people eagerly discuss and share emotions on social media, forums, and comments.

"They want to see discussions about the TV characters, to see if others share their opinions. When this beloved group is in the majority, they attack those offering dissenting views, and even feel disgust at negative comments about certain characters.

"This is—the power of emotion."

"Works transmit emotion; it’s also called expression or even selling, but often, works sell for the sake of selling, depicting conflict as excessively satisfying, but once it’s over, emotions subside, leaving emptiness... People naturally forget, as there isn’t constant stimulation; the connection between mind and body is always strong, and most often, physical perception outweighs mental."

"Professor."

"Let me finish first."

Professor Okuno interrupted him.

"Have you seen ’The Truman Show’?"

"I have."

"The essence is in its ending.

"When viewers see Truman break free from his shackles, escaping a false life during the broadcast, they’re so excited they shake tables in joy, cheering for Truman’s story. But when the show ends, two policemen’s cheers suddenly vanish as they casually say, ’Let’s see what’s on next.’

"So... what does that story mean to them?"

"Truman was just a story for their leisure."

Professor Okuno laughed, "Most modern emotions are cheap and fast, because there are many works; once moved here, they’ll just go find the next place to be moved. My advice to your question is to experience the present."

"But what if... the feeling still won’t go away for a long time?"

"Live in the moment, emotions will change."

...

Uesugi Sakura sat up in the night, hugging her arms around her knees.

Darkness enveloped all around.

Only the sound of raindrops hitting the tiles reached her ears.

Uesugi Sakura disregarded the cold seeping through her body, lost in her thoughts.

Her white dress still swayed gently in the silver wheat fields.

"Are you thinking of me, Hanabi..."

Her body grew colder.

She remembered that day, a rainy night as well.

The room full of candlelight, blue flames flickering.

Uesugi Sakura tried to push away the memory of that day, got up, and walked to the cabinet. From the top of her backpack, she took out the diary.

She turned on the flashlight function on her phone, sat back on the bed, and covered herself with the blanket.

In the small space filled with light, she gently opened it.

The graceful handwriting on the inside cover was gently stroked. The more she looked at it, the more vivid Hanabi’s smiling face when she gave it to her as a birthday present came to mind.

She said, "This is this year’s birthday gift!"

Uesugi Sakura waved the diary, joking about how cheap it was.

Just a phrase of complaint.

Little did she realize how anything, no matter how cheap, is incredibly precious.

This diary was almost full.

Uesugi Sakura pulled out the pen from the diary and wrote down today’s events.

"It’s still raining today.

Professor Okuno said not to worry too much about emotions conveyed by stories.

They’ll all change, all fade, even if you truly loved the characters in the story.

But I feel, if Hanabi were just a character in a story,

all the beautiful moments we experienced together would eventually be abandoned by everyone. Wouldn’t that be too much of a pity...

Emotions will change.

But I feel I’ll still be thinking of you, Hanabi.

If even I forget your joyful smile, won’t you go back to being that lonely young girl who celebrated her birthday alone?

Don’t be sad, Hanabi, I’m still thinking of you, your birthday.

We went to school together, watched fireworks, held hands...

It’s just a pity... I never got to see you standing in front of me wearing a wedding dress.

I think... You’d be happily crying at that moment with tears of joy...."

"Hanabi..."

The pen lingered on the ellipsis, reluctant to end.

Uesugi Sakura hugged the closed diary, lay back down on the bed, closed her eyes, imagining entering that golden wheat field with rolling waves once again.

She looked up at the moon occupying half the sky on the horizon, running eagerly forward, striving to chase the girl’s moonlit silhouette swaying in the wind.

Uesugi Sakura knew.

No matter how far, her white dress... always sways on her beating heart.

...