Love’s Coffin

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It’s fine if Yuuji comes. If he doesn’t, that’s fine, too, Une thought.

Une had no interest in forcing things to happen. She always went with the flow. Nevertheless, she still believed he would come, no matter what. Perhaps Yuuji hadn’t realized it yet, but he was like a loyal dog who followed Une wherever she went.

I’m always so rude with my comparisons…

She laughed to herself.

Une didn’t look like a mean person on the outside. She was wearing a thick blue-gray cotton suit, perfect for late summer, and a straw hat in hand. She was average height but looked tall because of her good posture. She had bushy brownish hair that was naturally a shade lighter than most and fair skin to match. Freckles appeared on her cheeks whenever she got a tan, making her look more domestic than anything else. Une always had the subtlest of smiles on her face, and her eyes held a quiet strength.

But it wasn’t easy to pick up on her strong-willed, sadistic intentions. Even Yuuji believed she was nothing more than his sweet, friendly aunt who never got mad at him when he needed attention.

That was why he always wanted to be around her, never realizing that the real reason was because he was attracted to her sexually. Une thought he was like a dog drawn to an enticing smell he couldn’t get enough of.

All that being said, it wasn’t like Une hated Yuuji. In fact, she found him to be very likable. She had both a loving and a cold side to her. She adored this nineteen-year-old, but at the same time, she loved picking on him as well. She was always laughing at him deep down whenever he came to her as if he was expecting or wanting something. And yet he was the apple of her eye.

“Yuuji, have you ever even kissed a girl before?”

That was the kind of question she liked to tease him with.

“I have,” he defensively replied. “In elementary school.”

“That was forever ago. What about recently?”

“Why do you care? If you think I’m lying, then how about we try so you can see for yourself?”

“Adults kiss differently than kids. You wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

“Dammit. You’re just making fun of me, aren’t you?”

“Don’t worry. We can give it a try one day when you’re ready.”

“Yeah, yeah! You wish!”

Would Yuuji come to the hotel at Mount Rokko?

Une decided to go to Mount Rokko by car. She figured she could savor the drive along the way, then enjoy a relaxing four-to-five-day vacation and wear several new outfits, which was why she had packed a lot in her suitcase. Une used her car for work as well, so she always kept a spare pair of shoes and an easy-to-slip-on sweater inside. She’d had this little red vehicle for many years now and had grown accustomed to it. Une loved that tiny car; she called it her music box.

Her apartment’s garage was on the basement level, so when the elevator finally came, it was already completely full with mothers and their children. Summer vacation had started four or five days ago, and it seemed that kids who were in kindergarten were on break as well. The children were talking their little yellow hats off while the mothers were conversing among themselves. Une was apathetic about children (and of course, their mothers), and while she would greet them with a nod since they were neighbors, she would never say a word to them.

After they got off at the first floor, the kids scattered, filling up the lobby as they ran around. There were far more than a few people with small children living in this apartment complex, and it was like they had tunnel vision when it came to their kids. Une was almost knocked over and trampled on, simply for being on the first floor at the wrong time. It was as if the children’s parents couldn’t even see her.

Une believed there was something very egotistical about having kids—an opinion she wouldn’t dare speak aloud. The twenty-nine-year-old never said more than needed to be said. Nor did she let any extraneous feelings show on her face. As the elevator descended, she thought about how annoying and awful children were, but she wouldn’t breathe a single word of it. She simply held her tongue with an emotionless expression.

She wasn’t that way at work, though. She had spent the past seven years working at a furniture store that sold products using textiles made by a major company. She was an interior designer who provided consultations to customers, showing them samples and providing price quotes. Remodeling apartments was also a big part of her work. She would carry around a large sample book (hence why Une was pretty strong) along with a catalogue of doorknobs, light fixtures, chairs, and tables to show the customers. Sometimes these endless consultations touched on household topics like family living and personal preferences, in which cases Une always came across as good with children.

“Hey, little guy. How old are you? What’s your name?” she would say, bending over to meet the child’s eye. It came more or less naturally to her, and she didn’t hate it, either. She didn’t talk to her customers’ kids because she was trying to put on a show for their parents. She was genuinely curious about them, which surprised even her. Perhaps it was an aftereffect of being so keyed up at work, which required her to be aggressive and competitive. Whenever she put in the effort, she was very approachable, cheerful, and dependable, which was why many customers would ask for her by name. She had a very natural and charming affect to her when she said things like, “Hey, little guy. How old are you? We’re gonna make you the coolest room in the whole world.”

I guess that means…, Une vaguely thought as she started up the car, …I really do have a split personality.

Her ex-husband had told her she had a split personality to insult her during their divorce four years ago, but now she found the humor in his comment and even admitted it wasn’t totally off the mark.

He’s got a point. I can’t blame him. Both personalities are the real me.

Sakimura, her ex, had once pointed out that she acted and looked completely different when she was talking to him compared to his mother. She hadn’t thought about it until he brought it up, but she more or less agreed. They used to live with his mother when they were married, and Une would always do her best to be smiling and cheerful around her mother-in-law to get her to like her.

Meanwhile, Une was completely herself with her husband. She would say exactly what was on her mind and make it obvious when she was bored or not in a good mood. Une wasn’t exactly worried about whether she really did have a split personality. She was more taken aback by the weight of the words.

“You’re always so rude to me when we’re fighting, but the second my mom calls for you, you turn into a different person, all smiley and eager to help. Just seeing you like that makes me sick. It’s like you have a split personality.”

The coldness of his accusation really hurt her. This wasn’t a bit of lighthearted banter—it was purely malicious. She could tell that her husband didn’t love her. It had finally all made sense. She’d realized what had been bothering her and why their relationship didn’t seem to be working. After a year and a half of marriage, Une learned that her husband still hadn’t ended a relationship with another woman, which was what led to their divorce.

Une decided to drive through the mountains. Rather than cut straight through town via the highway, she preferred taking the meandering local roads among the foothills, since she enjoyed the fresh air and view. The summertime heat was still in full swing, something she noticed as a warm breeze blew through the car windows, carrying dust along with it. Regardless, this was Une’s vacation and hers alone. She didn’t need to worry about her hair getting messed up or getting dirty. She just went wherever the wind blew.

Yuuji had been surprised when he showed up at her place last night.

“What are you doing taking a vacation this time of year?”

“I always take time off in September. It’s my summer vacation. My boss is totally fine with it. I usually take the end of the year off like everyone else, but I make sure to have my summer break a little later than most.”

Watching Une pack piqued Yuuji’s curiosity.

“Can I come with you?” he asked.

“You have cram school to go to, don’t you? I’m pretty sure your mommy wouldn’t want you skipping that.”

“Don’t give me excuses.”

“I booked a really nice hotel. I can’t have you waddling around with your basketball shoes on. You have to wear a tie and look nice, or they won’t let you in. Kids aren’t allowed, either.”

“Ah, you gotta be old to get in, huh? Gotcha,” Yuuji replied. “So how long are you going to be there?”

“Four or five days.”

“Oh wow. I wish I could stay just for a night!”

“I don’t want your mom yelling at me over the phone again like last time.”

Yuuji started cracking up.

Une was sixteen years younger than her sister. This older sister and her older brother were actually Une’s half siblings; Une was the only biological child of her father’s second wife. She fell out of contact with her two half siblings when their parents died, and eventually, they grew distant. It didn’t help that her older sister was the one who set her up with Sakimura, so drifting apart after things went sour was an inevitability.

They always invited her to her father’s memorial, but she wasn’t able to make it one year, so her sister’s youngest son, Yuuji, went to her place to deliver some of the leftover offerings. Une hadn’t seen him since he was in elementary school, so she was startled to discover he was already taller than her. They stared at each other, blushing.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Une fell in love with Yuuji at that moment.

He had failed his college entrance examination and was attending cram school for the time being. Soon, Yuuji started hanging out at Une’s place every once in a while.

“Feels like something’s pulling me here. Like a magnet.”

“And what’s the magnet?”

“You, Une.”

Yuuji used to not be able to pronounce his aunt’s name correctly when he was a kid. Now he was interested in her tidy, compact apartment where she lived alone. Une didn’t have any younger siblings and had been raised like an only child, so she enjoyed watching a tall, skinny, baby-faced boy curiously exploring her house.

“Here, listen to this. This album is amazing,” he would say when bringing records over. He also borrowed books from time to time, which she didn’t mind.

“Wait! Don’t touch that! Don’t ever open that, okay?”

She even scolded him occasionally. Yuuji took her to a concert once, so she took him to a Kabuki show in return, since he said he had never been before, but he was quiet the entire show.

“I thought I was gonna lose my mind from boredom!” he’d said. “I think the actors were bored, too, save for maybe the leads. The guys playing the side roles seemed like they were enjoying seeing the look on the audience’s faces, especially when they noticed someone sleeping. Their expressions were like, ‘Yep, I’d be sleeping, too, if I weren’t getting paid.’ ”

That made Une laugh.

Yuuji sometimes stopped by her place with just a binder and some books, and one day, he left them at her place and forgot about them. Une waited for him to come back and get them, but after a month went by and he never came over, she decided to call her older sister and tell her he forgot his stuff. Une’s sister had another son and daughter still at home, but she was nonetheless the one who answered when Une called.

“Yeah, I heard Yuuji spent the night at your place the other day,” her sister had said.

Une fell silent for a moment but almost immediately replied that that was when he’d left some of his belongings at her place. Yuuji ended up coming over a few days later.

“So where’d you go that night? I can’t believe you told your mom you were staying here.”

“I was with a girl. It was my first time…if you know what I mean.” Yuuji scratched his ear.

“How was it?”

“Not as good as I thought it’d be. I said I liked listening to those late-night programs and letting my imagination run wild. She ended up smacking my ass and telling me to get my act together. Absolutely no respect.”

Yuuji made himself at home and started drinking some soda he grabbed out of the refrigerator. Une, meanwhile, was still facing her mirror on the dresser.

“Why would you even sleep with someone so uptight? Are you that desperate?”

“I dunno. I’m sure I’d have had a good time if it was with someone like you, though.”

“Hmph.”

“I want to be with you.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Maybe ’cause you’re different than the others. It’s fun talking to you. Way more fun than anything my mom and I ever talk about.”

“Well yeah, I’d hope so. I don’t nag you about your college entrance exam or your grades, so of course you’d prefer me, you lazy bum.”

“No, that’s not it, but…whatever.”

Une was no different. She never got tired of looking at Yuuji: the clumsy way he used his hands, his lanky legs whenever he casually stretched out on a chair or table, the way his soft black hair brushed against his forehead. Every time he came over on Sunday afternoons, she gave him a warm welcome like any good aunt would. But the moment he took off his shoes with their worn heels at the entrance and the smell of a young man’s sweat rose into the air, Une would close the front door, lock it, and chuckle to herself as if she had just trapped her next victim. She had no idea when she started to feel that way. She had a split personality, after all. She would say, “Oh, hey. Come in, Yuuji,” while coldly thinking, You’re here again? Go home.

And she pitied his childlike youth and how he would fall for her kindness, get far too used to it, and indulge himself.

Kindness was nothing more than a facade—a mask worn by adults. It pained Une to see him so naively trusting, oblivious to the disgusting truth that an adult’s kindness could change into a threat or blackmail at the drop of a hat. Une kind of understood the solitary pleasure that contemporary European sex offenders felt when they lured innocent children to their deaths with smiles and candy, just like a villain straight out of Grimms’ Fairy Tales. Every one of them had an elaborate split personality as well.

Une made small talk as she took off her stockings and ran a bath.

“Yuuji, go turn off the water…”

Yuuji immediately got up and went to the bathroom, but hanging out to dry were Une’s panties, bra, and stockings. And she knew that. Yuuji returned as if he’d seen nothing special, but there was no way it hadn’t attracted his attention.

“Hey, tell me about that girl. The one who smacked your ass,” Une said with a laugh as she organized photos for work. She always took pictures of the rooms she was involved in designing and arranging, then sorted them before putting them in an album at home. Yuuji pretended he was distracted by her work and changed the subject.

“Forget her. What about you? Do you have a boyfriend? Show me a pic.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend, and I wouldn’t show you even if I did.”

“Huh… My sister shows pics of her boyfriend to basically anyone. And as if that wasn’t enough, she even sent some to a magazine that ended up publishing them in this section called ‘My Pride and Joy.’ She always does that kind of stuff. You’re not into that?” Yuuji asked, seemingly distracted by the movement of Une’s fingers. She had a slightly dark manicure.

Yuuji would sometimes say “Lemme see that ring” as an excuse to touch her fingers. He slowly grew accustomed to touching her body, until one day, she was brushing her hair when he grabbed the brush.

“Want me to brush the back for you?”

Une found his clumsy movements and shameless yet sheepish expression hilarious.

“Yuuji, have you told your parents that you’ve been coming over here a lot lately?”

Yuuji replied that he hadn’t.

Une went to the bathroom to wash her hands, and while she was watching Yuuji in the mirror, she saw him pick up and smell her powder puff and handkerchief with the lingering scent of her perfume. She knew he was doing this, but she pretended like she didn’t notice. Granted, with her split personality, she could’ve teased him and asked, What are you doing? if she wanted to embarrass him. She could have pointed out plenty of perverse things young men did and made him feel so ashamed that he wouldn’t even know what to do with himself. She could’ve been blunt and said, Why do you come over so often anyway? Expecting me to do something for you? I see that look in your eyes to startle him.

Just imagining these situations delighted Une. She felt like the old witch who lured Hansel and Gretel into her house in the woods, and she took pleasure in the silly things Yuuji did like secretly smell her belongings, thinking he was being sneaky.

After passing through Mount Kabuto, she was suddenly met with cooler, more refreshing temperatures. Une opened the car window, stopped in a forest of Japanese cedar, and deeply inhaled the fresh mountain air. The nature parks in the area were usually packed during summer vacation, but hers was the only car in sight this time of year.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky when she arrived at the hotel that afternoon on the mountain’s summit. Une spent a few days here every year at the beginning of September, and the man at the reception desk remembered her, politely welcoming her in. Hotels in the mountains sometimes underwent remodeling or construction work during the off-season, which could be disappointing, but this place was usually quiet when Une visited. With the chaos of summer already over, this felt like an actual vacation.

Une reserved a twin room every year. Rooms were still at peak season pricing, which was more than she could really afford, but there was no way to put a price on the view. The scenery was beautiful at night, and during the day, she had a sweeping vista of the entire town along the coast with the horizon blurred from all the fog.

There was complete silence, and Une was overwhelmed with a feeling of neither exactly satisfaction nor boredom. She’d had her slightly off-season vacation at this hotel last year and the year before, but nobody ended up coming, much to her disappointment. Not that someone would come, since she never told anyone where she was going. She didn’t even have a man she could tell, for starters. She’d gotten to know only two men following her divorce, neither of whom were particularly exciting people to be around. Une believed all men were different, and these two were disposable after she had her fun with them. They’d both worked for her employer’s parent company before getting transferred. Une couldn’t even remember what they looked like. All of her coworkers—save for her boss—were extremely young. While many men sneaked looks at her while she was at work, she gradually got used to the attention and decided to focus on herself: being the freckled, beautiful woman with a sweet smile who was passionate about her job as an interior designer and good at it, too.

That was why she decided to splurge once a year, when she would book an expensive hotel in the mountains during the off-season. She would eat dinner alone every night. Most people who came to resorts were either couples or families. The only people who would talk to her were basically the bellhop and the manager. Une liked it this way, though. There was a time and place for picking up men at hotels in the city, like when she was riding high on her work successes. But she wanted to stay at this hotel to get away from her job and have some genuine rest and relaxation, which meant staying away from men. The fact that Une was able to take time off during the off-season was proof that she was working hard. And she would pick up men at hotels in the city from time to time when work was going well, which made her both mentally and physically fulfilled.

Une took her clothes out of her suitcase and tossed them on one of the beds, then changed into her white cotton pants and cotton sweater before leaving her room. She decided to go for a walk through the foothills. It was hot outside, but the mountain breeze already had the crisp bite of autumn. The pine trees near the hotel were beautiful and lush, not yet soiled by car exhaust. Une took off her sunglasses and basked in the pine trees and Japanese cedar. After walking straight ahead for a while, she found herself at the Tenguiwa cable railway station. There wasn’t a single soul out for a walk like she was, and when she finally reached the station, it had just one employee. It was an extremely lonely sight.

From this high up, Une could see the ocean and city situated among the mountains as well as the exposed mountain peaks. Standing alone at a place like this made her face the days past. She usually didn’t get this way until the third or fourth day of her vacation, but this year, she was already feeling incredibly empty the moment she got here. Nevertheless, Une was used to that, and it wasn’t painful in the slightest. She was lonely, but she liked being alone; without work on her mind, she could finally relax. And yet she couldn’t help but think about the quotes she needed to come up with for her customers when she got home. She imagined how she would tell them that they’d save 20 percent if they used this new, high-quality vinyl wallpaper instead and how she would offer them a new price quote to demonstrate that.

Guess my split personality even comes out when I’m alone, she thought.

It was a foggy night. A fine, misty rain fell on the open-air dining hall, rendering the world completely invisible. Une finished her traditional Japanese meal, then downed an entire bottle of sake by herself. She had a habit of catching up on all the reading she’d been meaning to do during this vacation, so she’d brought four or five books with her, but she was far too tired that night to read.

When she woke up in the middle of the night, the fog had already cleared. A nippy breeze blew outside the window, and both the sky and the earth were bathed in radiant light. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the starlight and the lamplights were violently bright, even. It was absolutely stunning.

After returning to the hotel that afternoon from her walk on her second day of vacation, she found Yuuji awkwardly sitting in the quiet hall, dressed in a suit and a tie. He tried to play it cool.

“Yo,” he said with a wave, but he was so nervous that each movement was awkward, and his soft, childlike lips were pulled into a sulking frown. He looked like a kid on the verge of tears, fidgeting and anxious that Une was going to scold him.

Une could have gone either way with this due to her split personality:

What are you doing here? Go home.

Or even…

I’m glad you’re here. Enjoy your stay.

However, she used the dangerous weapon she had been secretly carrying with her: kindness.

“You look good. Is that yours?” she asked, nodding at him.

“It’s my brother’s,” he replied. “I didn’t tell him I was borrowing it, though. Told my family I was going to an overnight seminar.”

It wasn’t foggy outside that day. The sky and sea seemed even closer than usual. Back in Une’s room, Yuuji stared out the window, seemingly at a loss for words. He’d come with a single duffle bag.

“You must have sweated a lot in that suit. Go take a shower,” Une suggested while undoing Yuuji’s tie. “Why did you twist this so much? Do you still not know how to tie a tie?” she added. Yuuji’s eyes slowly lit up with joy; he must’ve felt light-headed as a result. He almost looked mad as he pushed Une’s hand away.

“Why are you facing that way to take off your clothes?”

Une’s teasing voice was full of life and brimming with delight. Yuuji didn’t reply. All of a sudden, Une’s eyes were briefly met with his naked back, youthfully smooth and beautifully tanned. He still had tan lines from wearing a swimsuit at the beach that summer, so his butt was very white.

When Yuuji came back, the room was faintly dim, since Une had closed the curtains. Yuuji silently walked across the carpet before suddenly stopping.

“Une…,” he anxiously called.

“I’m over here.” Une was hidden under the sheets, so Yuuji couldn’t see her. “Come.”

Yuuji was in his underwear.

“I’m leaving,” he said.

“Why? Isn’t this why you came?”

Une’s lips were curling into the smirk of a criminal—her other personality. And she could sense his silent repulsion as well—the repulsion Yuuji felt, full of loathing for this woman who’d made him lose his composure.

“Is this not what you wanted to do?”

Une doubled down and teased him again like the sadist she was. Yuuji was furious and on the verge of losing control. He seemed about to reject Une’s attempt to stop him from leaving, but he somehow ended up collapsing onto the bed, on top of her. There was nothing covering her body.

She tried to kiss him, but he was trembling. His teeth were chattering as well.

“I love you,” she said to calm him down. “I’ve always liked you, ever since I first laid eyes on you.”

Yuuji seemed to be saying something, too, so she strained her ears.

“Me too.” His voice was hoarse. “Ever since I first saw you.”

Une was enjoying rubbing the smooth, soft skin of a young man. Yuuji nervously trembled. Even his fingers were trembling. Une had never felt pleasure like this in her life. No man, not even her ex-husband, ever made her feel like she did at that moment. Pure, undiluted ecstasy flooded every inch of her body before tapering to a point and piercing her from head to toe. Her split personality gradually came into focus until it became one complete personality.

Those words—the insult her husband spited her with—seemed to have wounded Une deeply without her ever even realizing it. But she didn’t care anymore.

Yuuji seemed to be dumbfounded, as if he didn’t know when it was over. Une changed into a thin white nightgown and opened the curtains to reveal a view of the forest. There weren’t any buildings in this direction, so she didn’t have to worry about being seen. A breathtaking sunset glow painted the expanse of trees.

Une and Yuuji lay in bed, staring at the crimson sky, and Une said, “This sunset seems to go on forever…”

“To tell the truth…,” Yuuji mumbled vacantly, “…this was my first time. I didn’t get anywhere with that other girl. All she did was touch me and I—”

“Don’t worry about that.” Une was serious. “To tell the truth, I really liked it. I’ve been wanting to do this for so long.”

“No way.”

Yuuji had a habit of saying that. It was his way of saying “Really?”

“Yes way. I could die happy right now, no regrets.”

“I’d rather not die yet. Still gotta work on my game, after all.”

Une laughed.

After it grew dark, they got dressed to go eat dinner. Une changed into a black chiffon dress. Yuuji seemed to enjoy his new job of zipping it up and closing the clasp to her diamond pendant.

Une slightly adjusted his tie and checked whether his shoes, which he didn’t seem used to wearing, were polished. It was blatantly obvious that he was wearing borrowed clothes, perhaps because of the expression on his face: one of vague superiority mingled with inferiority. Nevertheless, Une leaned into him while wrapping her arm around his, causing him to stagger as they walked, head held high.

The hallway was empty, and no one else was waiting for the elevator. There was a long, narrow window, and the bottom half of it had a clear view of the city’s sea of lights. Une stopped before the window.

“Look,” she said.

Yuuji gazed in the direction of the lights, but his eyes were welling with tears, and his eyelids were growing puffy. He suddenly moved as if he was going to push her against the wall, but he was so rough and crude about it that it was almost depressing to watch. It wasn’t clear why he suddenly wanted to kiss her, but Une understood how he felt and kissed him back. The elevator arrived, and people got off on their floor, so they stepped away from each other and got inside.

They were all alone in the elevator. Une gently wiped Yuuji’s lips with a handkerchief. There was a smudge of rouge on them; he looked upset.

Since they had a reservation, the restaurant immediately seated them at a table with a seaside view. The billowing white fog ebbed and flowed with the passage of time, revealing the city lights only to hide them once again. Once they’d finished their fish dinner, the sommelier, whom Une was acquainted with, stopped by their table and asked if they would care for some German wine.

“It’s a rare wine from Wiltingen. I’m sure you would love it.”

Usually, Une would tell him to bring her whatever, but even conversations like this left an impression on her that night, which she very much enjoyed. She jokingly put on airs and asked:

“What’s it called?”

“Scharzhofberger. It was fermented at the Egon Muller estate, which produces the region’s best wines. It has a smooth, refreshing taste.”

“All right, we’ll have some.”

The entire exchange was a joy to her. Yuuji hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation, and even he seemed to have clammed up. His eyes were glued on Une, but that didn’t make her uncomfortable at all. He must have forgotten to take his mystified gaze off her, which she found cute. Une cautiously placed her hand over Yuuji’s on the table so nobody would notice.

“Une, you’re so beautiful. I remember how beautiful I thought you were when I first saw you and how I couldn’t stop blushing,” he stammered.

“Me too. I was so red.”

“No way. You were always smiling like you wanted to tease me.”

“Only because I liked you so much.”

“No way?!”

His reaction was very childlike and a sudden reminder to her that this was real. There was no doubt that fireworks were going off in Yuuji’s head right now. There was no doubt he had no idea what Egon Muller or Scharzhofberger were, either. Une slowly indulged in the chilled wine while enjoying its apple-like, refreshing taste. Yuuji, on the other hand, was less preoccupied with the fish or wine and was undoubtedly thinking only about the starlit bed and what was going to happen in it.

Une was no different.

Such joys made her faintly freckled face beautifully glow. And yet there was still something that she couldn’t get out of her head. This pleasing, joyful moment could never be repeated. This was so enjoyable only because she was never planning on doing it ever again.

“We shall dig a large hole in the mountaintop’s black earth and bury our secret love in a coffin.”

I think that’s how Yaso Saijo’s poem went, thought Une.

“A love whereof one cannot speak, thereof must be kept silent even after the grass grows over our grave.”

Yuuji sighed as he ate the food on his plate, shooting Une loathsome stares between each bite. She nodded and smiled back at him. Their love was already in its coffin, halfway buried somewhere in the darkness on the summit of this mountain.

“I’d so marry you if you weren’t my aunt. I wish I could, but I can’t.”

“Because I’m old?”

“That’s part of it.”

“Oh, you’re gonna pay for that.”

Une glared at him until Yuuji burst into mirthful laughter, unable to hold it in anymore.

A woman who wore such a kind smile did not look like someone who had just buried her love’s coffin. Even Une herself believed that. But she never even spared a second thought about spending another night like this with Yuuji just to once again experience that euphoria. Une held that determination closely like a hidden dagger as she smiled, now able to look back fondly at her split personality. This was what made life such a joy for women.

The waiter pulled a bottle covered in droplets of condensation out of the wine cooler to pour her another glass.