The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (12 page)

Now everything was clear to Masako – everything that had happened that day. It was as if the mists had risen from her mind and set her emotions free to settle down again. Masako took a breath, then she looked up and smiled at Bunichi and Etsuko.

“I’m all right now. Again, I’m so sorry for making you worry.”

Bunichi and Etsuko both looked relieved.

“Etsuko, I did a horrible thing to you, didn’t I?” said Masako, taking Etsuko’s hand and blushing with embarrassment.

“No, it’s okay.”

“Thanks, Bunichi-san,” continued Masako with unusual politeness. “It’s all thanks to you.”

“You’re so silly, Masako,” said Bunichi, turning bright red again.

“Hey, why don’t you guys come over to my house?” said Etsuko suddenly, brightening the mood. “We have lots of fruit!”

Masako remembered how every autumn Etsuko’s house was filled with pears and grapes sent from friends of her family who worked in an orchard, and together the three of them headed towards her house – walking in a single line down the middle of the bridge, with Etsuko’s pigtails swaying in the cool mountain breeze.

About a week after her visit to the countryside, Masako was walking home from school when she came across Hisako, Atsuko and Yoshio squatting down on the ground and playing a game together.

“Here we go,” said Masako to herself, “playing with the girls again.”

But Masako didn’t really mind. In fact, seeing them all playing together and having fun made her feel warm and happy inside.

I wonder what it is they’re playing?
she thought to herself. And with that, she decided to hide behind a nearby wall and listen in on them.

“You must be tired after a long day,” said Atsuko in a surprisingly grown-up voice.

“Yes, I’m exhausted,” replied Yoshio, imitating his father’s usual comment on returning home every night, and nearly making Masako laugh out loud.

“Did you do your homework?” asked Atsuko.

“Yes, I did,” replied Hisako.

So Yoshio is playing the father, thought Masako. Atsuko is playing the mother and Hisako is playing the child.

Suddenly, Yoshio called out in a loud voice.

“I was fired from my job today. But I don’t mind one bit. Another company insists that I join them. So I don’t care that they asked me to leave.”

Yoshio made it sound as if it was fun to be fired, and Masako buried her face in her bag to stifle her giggles. When she finally felt as if she could breathe without giggling, she lifted her face from her bag and listened in carefully again. But it had suddenly fallen very quiet. So Masako decided to sneak a peek over the wall to see what was going on.

When she lifted her eyes above the top of the wall, Masako saw that the three children had fallen silent. They weren’t playing their game any more, and she could see another boy walking towards them. Oh no! thought Masako.
It’s Hiro! The number-one bully in the neighbourhood!

“So the sissy is playing with the girls again, eh?” said Hiro in a mocking voice. “What a wimp!”

Hisako opened her picture book and started to read it, hoping Hiro might go away. But Atsuko and Yoshio kept their eyes fixed on him as he came closer.

“If you keep playing with girls, you’ll turn into one, you sissy!” called out Hiro, teasing Yoshio again.

“I’m not a sissy!” shouted Yoshio, getting quickly to his feet.

Masako wanted to step out from where she was hiding and give Hiro a piece of her mind. But she decided to wait for a moment first to see what Yoshio would do. From behind the wall, she watched Hiro as he came closer and closer to Hisako and her picture book, and she wondered whether he might take it away from her, or kick it, or do something else stupid. But before he could do anything, Yoshio launched himself at Hiro with tremendous force, sending him crashing over backwards on the ground.

“Be careful!” called out Masako, giving herself away and rushing over to where the two boys had landed.

Hiro was shocked to see her come out of nowhere and quickly got to his feet.

“You sissy!” he shouted one more time, then he ran off back home.

“Masako!” said Yoshio, brushing the dust off his clothes and running to his big sister, who got on her knees and swept him up in her arms.

“Are you okay?” asked Masako, amazed to see her little brother put up a fight. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“No, I’m fine!” said Yoshio in a surprisingly cheerful voice, then he gave her a little smile.

“Hee-hee,” he giggled. “I just got in a fight!”

Masako hugged her little brother as hard as she could.

“Oh Yoshio,” she said in a voice overflowing with kindness. “You’re not supposed to fight! But I’m glad you did. My brave and tough little Yoshio!”

Born in Osaka, Yasutaka Tsutsui is particularly well known for his science fiction. Winner of various awards, including the Izumi Kyoka Prize, Kawabata Prize and Yomiuri Literary Prize, he has been decorated as a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.

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