Ah, it’ll happen sooner or later.
In order to attend the wedding of a relative, after several years, I have once again stepped onto a train. My aunt and cousin who are with me are cutely making sounds…..especially my aunt, the 45 years old aunt, the aunt who’s appearance after five years remain unchanged.
“That person isn’t human.”
A while ago I saw my father, he said that. After being around her for too long I was already used to it, after being adjusted by my father, I turned back to normal.
What is she? “Just Meme-tan~”, calmly interrupted by someone after hearing my question.
Ah, I’m already used to it, that’s why I wasn’t scared…in the end I was used to it.
My aunt and cousin, which is Touwa Meme and her daughter Touwa Erio.
Erio’s clothings today was cautious: she hid her aqua colored hair in a wide-brimmed white hat. Her undisguised hair might be even more eye-catching than the bride - Meme-san probably was worried about that. Anyways, today she needs to keep the sparkles under control. That being said, her bared bangs was already sufficiently conspicuous.
Unlike her mother, these five years, Erio’s face more or less became mature. Of course the area around her eyes is alike Meme-san, but her facial line was more compact than her mother, her contour was more clear too. Never around worldly air, among the temperament of the residents from another world, seems to bring a wee bit of realistic atmosphere.
Sometimes I think, the ones actually becoming realistic with time, could it be Erio’s eyes that I have been monitoring? Maybe even the sparkles that Erio’s hair emits might one day disappear from my sight.
“Huh? Itoko, what’s the matter?”
Noticing my sight, Erio tilted her head. “Nothing” I said, I patted her bangs.
Her insides practically didn’t change. No, towards me she’s become more “mighty”.
You guys probably want to ask, is it okay to bring her to a wedding where relatives will gather? The answer is no problem. Several years ago my returning parents once visited without notice, Erio was caught red-handed, the matter naturally couldn’t be hidden anymore. Therefore, Meme-san finally explained the situation. But, that was a good thing.
After all keeping the secret away from the relatives was troublesome. Ah, it’ll happen sooner or later.
When Erio was first introduced, the relatives’ reaction was varied. But my father seemed to have read something from that aqua-colored hair, practically not having any emotional turbulence. Furthermore, you can say he just squinted his eyes, and nostalgically said “I see”, and then accepting the truth. “Ah! Onii-chan is so smooth-“-afterwards a little sister who went nuts stuck onto my father, the introduction was ended. It was probably planned beforehand.
Anyways, through one way or another, of course I’ve already graduated high school for four or five years, but I’m still living in the Touwa household. Most likely I’ll be here for another while…I proceeded to predict.
After sitting 40 minutes of the train to the neighboring county, we arrived to the wedding location. Luckily the location was next to the station, so we saved the effort of walking. After several rituals, the groom and bride threw the bouquet in the aisle. The bride threw it pretty hard, the unmarried Meme-san used all her might to get the bouquet, and then she screamed: “Mako-kun, I got it!”, and with that the moil started in the ceremony.
The one marrying this time was a relative onii-san called Niwa Sei. The bride seems to be called Yuki-san or something, I don’t remember. The two sat together. The bride seemed a bit prudish and was always staring at the ends of her dress, the groom carried a smile that seemed to say “I can’t handle you”, and was quietly looking at his nervous wife. Rather than husband and wife, the two of them seemed more like a gentle onii-san and a naughty little girl.
“Itoko, don’t be picky about your food-“
“I’m not picky, see.”
I showed my empty plate to Erio. Basically any food that was presented in the ceremony, I ate it all – except for carbonate drinks.
Erio also presented an empty plate in pride:
“Hmhm. Itoko being so good, is all thanks to my guidance.”
“What have you ever guided me in?”
I couldn’t think of something no matter how much I thought.
This meaningless conversation then fell into an end. I was a bit unable to bear the heat into closed off hall.
The wedding seems to be going to last for two hours, which means there is still half-way to go….Honestly, I really can’t handle meetings such as weddings and funerals.
Mostly because it’s boring.
“I’m going to the washroom.”
Actually I wanted to go outside to kill some time. This kind of stuff I was very not used to.
“One person is okay?”
“Just let me go.”
You don’t have to follow me – I pressed on Meme-san’s head while standing up. It was then, a burst of contempt of laughter sounded. Actually the sound itself couldn’t be called contempt, but the expression of the source of the laughter gave me that feeling.
“Fufufu…”
“What are you laughing at?”
“Itoko who always say ‘Erio-san’, ‘Erio-san’ while chasing me learned to act cool.”
“………….”
“Ah, don’t ignore me.”
I was giving face already by ignoring. I lightly waved my hand, and walked out the wedding hall.
Once outside, I felt the change in atmosphere and let out a breather. I took in a breath of clear air that wasn’t steam, the haze around my face instantly cleared, my stomach that was restless also calmed down.
I sat on the pink sofa in front of the hall door, my arms leaned on my bent over knees. Propping my shoulders like that, I felt tired as I wasn’t doing anything. After opening some distance from the warm atmosphere inside those doors, I closed my eyes. After seeing somebody else’s life’s turning point, it’s time to look back at myself.
I graduated high school a long time ago, my parents already came back, meaning, I have a home to go back to.
However, I’m still living in the Touwa household.
After several choices, I stayed here. Of course I lost something, two or three things if serious.
But, these five years that I chose myself, I lived them very happily.
Being able to make such an assertion, I felt it’s something to be proud of.
I lifted my head while carrying a upbeat attitude, but found today’s main character- the bride sitting on the sofa too. She was wearing a wedding dress, yet she’s crossed her legs, and placed her arms on her knees while holding her face.
My side suddenly becoming so glaring, I was a bit scared.
“Ah….when will it end, this ceremony.”
“Ha?”
I was thinking what she was sighing about, so she was grumbling.
I accidentally let out a sound, and met eyes with the bride. When looked at closely, the bride is pretty beautiful, but probably she’s not that good at make-up, the make-up on her face seemed a bit frivolous.
Maybe because her grumbling was heard by someone else, she became a bit embarrassed – the bride ambiguously smiled while scratching her face:
“No, what I wanted to say….don’t you think this ceremony is a bit boring?”
“Eh, eh…..”
Why is today’s main character saying something like that? She’s like a child who was forced here by her parents. Seeing my flustered face, the bride waved her hand and added:
“Ah, nonono, I’m very happy, um, I’m very happy I got married, very happy to be so blessed. But I’m honestly no good with obediently staying in that kind of seriously overdone atmosphere. From the beginning my personality wasn’t the kind to be quiet.”
She stomped her feet making a patapata sound. Rather than saying she’s like a child, it’s better to say this person is a child. To think even our Erio is so well-behaved.
Meme-tan too. Of course her feet are always busy under the table.
“….I understand your feelings too.”
Because it was for similar reasons that I came out here to kill time.
Seeing me agreeing, the bride seemed to gained interest in me. She asked while curiously looking at me:
“Sei’s relative?”
“Ehh, that’s right.”
“Hmm…ah.”
The bride suddenly picked up her head. As I was confused and didn’t know what to do, she started saying her worries:
“Can I really be a wife? I’m really worried, I’ve been worried ever since I decided to get married.”
“There is division between whether or not you can be a wife?”
The bride didn’t answer my question. After she bent over her body and sighed for a bit, she suddenly raised her head again.
She is a really emotionally unstable person. It could be that she is not confident about herself.
“Okay I’ve decided, I’ll play the guitar as entertainment.”
“Huh? Huh…”
The bride who seemed to have found some sort of determination stood up, and disappeared towards the lounge. Very quickly she came back and held a guitar as if she was declaring something.
A wedding ceremony site would have something like that available?
“That….did you being it?
“That’s right. Youngster, listen up.”
The bride waved towards me. Her posture of wearing a wedding dress and holding a guitar is inexplicable eye-beholding.
All I saw was she bit her middle finger tip and pulled off her glove, and then put out a peace symbol.
For some reason she directed it at me.
“You have to find happiness, yeahhhh.”
After leaving behind this overdone perfect message, the bride went back to the hall. Looks like she really is going to play the guitar. So just as I was thinking about going back to listen and stood up, the door opened again.
“Ah, I’ve found Itoko.”
This time the bride’s been switched with Erio. I just saw her holding the hat and came towards me.
Even though usually she holds up her look, the way she moves that accentuates her flaws still hasn’t change.
“What is it?”
“I was worried that Itoko was lost, so I came looking.”
“…..yes yes, thanks for your care.”
I’m looking at Erio with her hands on her waist with pride. I walked in front of her and held her nose. No, it’s because she held her nose too high.
“Naa, naa.”
Erio who was shaking her head in protest accidentally knock off her hat. I picked it up from the ground, said “don’t move” and then put it on her again. Originally I was a bit apologetic, but then Erio sweetly smiled while pulling her hat. The smile was exactly the same as Meme-san, seeing that I had to bitterly smile.
Thanks to the sudden music and the bride shouting “Eccentric”, I found a chance to return to the hall amidst the chaos. Erio stood beside me while rubbing her nose.
Before she would love to shrink behind me, now she loves to stand beside me.
Perhaps this could be considered to be a good change.
As I stretched my hand towards the front door, Erio griped on my arm.
“Itoko.”
The call that hasn’t change since before. The girl that doesn’t know my name. But if she now changed and called my name I would feel awkward, being called Itoko was the most reassuring.
Perhaps this is what represents our relationship the best.
“Would we get married too?”
Being asked up front even I would get embarrassed.
But the answer was set already thus I vaguely nodded.
The distance between us that is the most appropriate, hasn’t changed even after 5 years.
“Ah, it’ll happen sooner or later.”
“Mhm.”
If we didn’t introduce Erio to the relatives; all sorts of trouble would come up.
For example, when we get married.
2013-05-19, 07:05
