The Storyteller Girl [Scheherazade] of Sango-minato
1484 Words
The sun was about to set, and I was heading towards my home away from home – a simple yet fully-furnished apartment unit that is part of a two-storey building.
The building itself is roughly fifty years old, according to the owner and landlord, and it was originally built to accommodate the construction workers who were working on the nearby waterway.
The waterway itself is meant to both serve as a popular hanging-out spot for the townspeople as well as a tsunami-dampening measure in case of natural disasters.
It was a typical autumn day.
I should get that mysterious disappearing act of that girl out of my mind and get dinner ready before I indulge myself into another lengthy study session.
Wait a sec... there were no take-home assignments that were dumped on me for today.
So I just had to... chill.
With the sources of all those romantic musings I experienced in the past few days .
Yup, those things called visual novels, romantic films, and love songs.
They that enable me to cope with Noemi's passing.
I could lap at least one of each for a three-hour session before I head to bed... unless my studies get in the way.
Alright, back to dinner.
Let's see. What are the stuff in my pantry and ref today?
Hah... just some bean sprouts and soy sauce, plus some leftover cooked rice from yesterday.
No spices or even cooking oil.
I could just rush towards the convenience store that's not that far away.
And so I did.
Five minutes later...
I was back with the necessary provisions, all contained in a paper bag.
But then...
I noticed something unusual with the unit right next to mine.
The door was open.
And I could hear some rustling sounds inside.
Ah, whatever. I don't want to be slapped with a charge for invasion of privacy.
Alright. Now that I've got the bean sprouts, soy sauce, cooking oil, and spices (specifically, a bottle each of garam masala, basil, and dried chili flakes) ready, I'm about to cook dinner.
Until a stray cicada jumped from outside the kitchen's lone window and straight into the frying pan that was sizzling with oil.
No sooner did the cicada perish in the 100 degree Celsius heat, and I had no choice but to turn off the stove.
What in the world is happening?
One thing's for sure: I don't want fried insects for dinner – unless I'm Thai.
Whatever. Dinner's spoiled.
I could just warm up the leftover rice in the microwave and then season it with the newly-bought spices, as I begrudgingly turned the stove off.
I was fortunate that I would be eating rice, and not bread crusts and mayonnaise, because I'm not broke.
As I was about to enjoy my admittedly spartan dinner...
“Ohnoohnoohno!!! Where's my... Agh! Oh... owie...”
I could certainly hear a girl's litany of pain.
But wait... isn't that girl...
“Someone... please help me... ugh...”
I dashed out of my unit, and noticed that the apartment unit next to mine is indeed occupied, judging by the way the door was open.
It wasn't that way for the past week.
And right before my eyes...
Yup. It's Harumi, alright.
Her legs were incapacitated and swollen from being buried underneath the stacks of shoe boxes that fortunately contained only her garments.
“Are you OK, Harumi? I'm gonna get some bandages!”
One minute later, I had a roll of bandages ready.
I set aside the boxes and inspected her legs.
They were fortunately only some minor bruises on her otherwise smooth and silky legs.
“OK, Harumi. Point out the spots that hurt.”
Three minutes later, I finished wrapping up the bruised spots – which numbered only three.
And she could stand up again without much pain.
“Thanks for the help, Gunpei. And if you don't notice, I just moved here in this town today. I was just sorting out my stuff.”
“And then you went outside for some fresh air.”
“Bingo. Say, you're having dinner yet?”
“Yup. Just some leftover rice with sprinkles of spices.”
“Well, why don't you partake in my absolutely awesome full-course meal?”
She then pointed towards the kitchen of her unit, and she's got some take-out meals from various restaurants.
Man, is she loaded or something?
Five minutes later, we were feasting on both her meals and my rice, which we agreed to share 50-50 beforehand.
In the midst of our shared dinner, I brought up the cliffhanger question.
“Well, it's time to bring up that question again.”
“Yes, Gunpei. I already know the answer.”
“But why the disappearing act? Were you offended? If so, I'm sorry.”
“Nope. Not offended. I simply just had my fill of this town's coastal breeze.”
“Phew. Good to know.”
“Anyway, I know you still doubt me deep inside. But as you can see from my eyes, I have no hidden intentions. Yeah, we may be both at an age where we can be considered mature, but I'm not into that sort of thing yet. I may be someone whom you've never met before, but believe me when I say I know more about Noemi than you think.”
“Well, it's natural. We've just met today, anyway.”
We then continued with our dinner silently, until we were all finished with the chow.
Since she was in the mood for some more talk, I comfortably engaged her.
***
Until she waxes philosophical.
“I thought reincarnation is just the stuff of fairy tales; and I'm not much of a religious person, anyway.
“After all, we Japanese believe that we're all born Shintoist, we marry as Christians, and we all die Buddhist.”
“Yup, I remember that quote too.”
“Integrating three religions into our daily lives is a double-edged sword. On one end, we are considered one of the most religiously tolerant people in the world. But on the other... we all still have lingering doubts on where we will end up when we finally shed our mortal coils. Will we sleep eternally? Move onto heaven, hell, purgatory, or just a plain generic afterlife? Or our souls move onto another being who has just began its life on this very earth we're all living in?”
“But even with that uncertainty, we all still have obligations to do great things, so that when the hour comes, we can confidently say we've made it.”
“Indeed. And then... one day, a month ago...
“Something warm suddenly dwelt within me.
“The soul of a girl whom I've never met before.
“She introduced herself as... yeah... Noemi Kuroyanagi.”
“So then... you claim to be her reincarnation... just because you felt it.”
“Yep. I justify being Noemi's reincarnation because her soul... or to be more precise, a part of it... is now mingling with mine.
“And it reminds me of one quote I've read in a gripping novel not too long ago...
“Death is a symptom of life.
“The body replaces itself with a new set of cells every 7 to 10 years. We are constantly dying without realizing it, as a new being takes our place.
“If you replace all the parts of a ship over a period of time, after all the parts have been replaced, is it still the same ship?”
“Yeah. The same thing goes for a car or any other machine. Replace the parts if they exhibit signs of wear and tear, or if they are damaged by some incident.”
“That makes sense, alright. You are delving into the world of engineering, after all.”
“It's all about the core component – the nucleus, the heart, the soul. A person is still the same person, because their parts remain the same in spirit. So they're not dying, no. And they're still the same ship, car, or machine.”
“As for me... I'd say it's about the abstract sentiment of the entity that makes it what it is as a whole rather than just a collection of its parts.
“Physically, no; it's not the same thing. Whether you choose to call it the same thing or not is up to others to perceive.”
“I see. From the way you speak, you are indeed credible. But I still have some lingering doubts.”
“That's OK. Trust and doubt are both sides of the same coin.”
“So... I guess I have to be comfortable being your neighbor, alright.”
“Indeed. And I'm more than just a reincarnation of a girl you've loved and lost.
“Remember it well. I'm the storyteller girl – the Scheherazade – of Sango-minato.
“I may or may not be your new lover, but one thing's for sure: I'll be your companion from now on.”
“You really are bombastic. In a good way, that is.”
“Tee-hee.”
“Well... this talk's getting long-winded. I have to go to bed.”
“Yup, and expect me telling a story every sundown, to stave off your boredom or whatever.”
“As long as it doesn't get in the way of my studies.”
“I'm pretty sure it won't. So... I won't delay your sleep any longer, Gunpei. Nighty-night!”
“Yup, good night, Harumi.”
The next thing I know, I'm now curled up in my bed.
The question dominating my mind right now is...
What kind of stories Harumi have to offer?
Yeah, she calls herself the Scheherazade of this town, and I know the history of the woman behind the collection of fairy tales that she apparently draws inspiration from, having learned of her back in junior high.
Whatever stories she will dish out starting tomorrow night, I sure will be the attentive Shahryar.
- Writer
