Paradox

20: Soseki Hisa

Slideshow of Gyakusetsu members on the right.

20: Soseki Hisa

Under one of the myriad cherry blossom trees, a young man handed, a little nervously, a decorated box of cookies to a young woman. She graciously took the gift from him, her happiness evident by the ruddiness forming in her cheeks. Several feet away from them, there was another couple walking together, enjoying the first buds of spring. The woman entwined her fingers with man’s hand. He smiled at her and she smiled back, looking at him shyly from under her beautiful, long eyelashes.

Etsuo wasn’t sure what to think of it, but he envied the couple in front of them. He stole a glance beside him and found Sonya admiring the trees above them. He felt his cheeks burn when she looked at him and smiled.

“What?” he asked.

“What do you mean what?” Sonya arched an eyebrow.

“Nothing, never mind,” Etsuo dismissed with a shake of his head.

“We should get back before Izo goes to the apartment. He’s going to bring me my guitar.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Etsuo waved it off. “We left a note. It’ll be fine.”

“Okay…”

Nothing much was said as they paced leisurely together in the park. The silence wasn’t awkward, and Etsuo found it rather enjoyable just walking with Sonya. He did wish they had something to talk about, but he didn’t know what, and Sonya wasn’t saying anything either.

Time passed and with the sun high up, the trees overhead cast mottled shadow patterns on the grass, allowing a game of imagination between Etsuo and Sonya as they walked along the path.

Etsuo wrinkled his nose. “That’s not a pineapple,” he declared, looking at the shadows closer. “It looks more like an overgrown potato to me.”

“Fine,” Sonya laughed. “But you’ll have to agree that one looks like a pig’s face.” She stopped walking and pointed towards the shadow right in front of her.

It was Etsuo’s turn to laugh this time. “No kidding! If that’s a pig then this has to look like Hideki! Look.”

He bent over and traced his fingers above the patterns on the pavement, while Sonya moved around in semicircle to have a better view.

“This here, is his glasses and this one’s his stubble…” Etsuo moved his hand over the shadows.

Sonya nodded and smiled, and then took out her phone to take a picture. “It’s like an optical illusion! I gotta show him this!”

After tapping on several buttons and uploading the photo on Facebook, Sonya placed her phone back in the pocket of her shoulder bag.

“He’s bound to comment on it in a few minutes…” Etsuo laughed as he stood back up on his feet. “So,” he paused for a while and resumed walking with Sonya falling in step with him.

“So?”

“About this printing company… Have you started already?”

Sonya grinned. “That’s your attempt at small talk?”

Etsuo’s face remained placid, but felt himself cringe from the inside and his defenses rising up almost immediately.

“I’m joking, Etsuo,” Sonya said right away, apparently seeing the abrupt change in his expression. “You don’t have to be like that with me. I mean, you can say anything you want to say.”

Etsuo instantly felt the walls break down.

“You don’t have to try to put your best foot forward, if that’s what you’re doing. I already know who you are,” Sonya smiled. She stopped under a large tree and sat on the grass, patting the space beside her as an invitation for Etsuo to take a seat.