Aoba:

Haga-san! I should bring these packages over there, right?

Haga:

Yes, please do.

Aoba:

(grunting and straining)

Haga:

I’m so sorry, for making you help out with preparations for tamaokuri, Aoba-kun.

Aoba:

Ehe, no, don’t worry about it. You temporarily closed up shop today so we’ve got to keep our spirits up and help out for tomorrow.

Haga:

I certainly am glad that you think so.

Aoba:

Of course! Theeeen, next is…we’ve got to carry all of these chairs over to that venue, right?

Haga:

Yes, I’ll leave it to you. Ah–excuse me! Inada-san! I’ve got something I need to ask you!

Aoba:

All right, let’s see how many I can carry at once! Five…I can probably do six! Heave ho–!

Koujaku:

That certainly looks heavy. Should I help you out?

Aoba:

Nnah–Koujaku!

Koujaku:

Yo! So the store’s closed for tomorrow’s preparations.

Aoba:

Eeh, that’s right. Haga-san’s been running around since this morning.

Koujaku:

Is that right. Then, I’ll help out too. You’re carrying these chairs?

Aoba:

Aah, yeah. There’s a venue over in that square. We can just stack them up flat.

Koujaku:

Got it. Aoba.

Aoba:

Hm?

Koujaku:

I’m sorry about yesterday.

Aoba:

Ah, don’t worry about it. Anyway, it seems like you’re all right now.

Koujaku:

You can tell?

Aoba:

Mhm. It’s in your expression.

Koujaku:

(laughs) I’m no match for you. Well, while I’m feeling fine, why not do some lifting. Here we go!

Aoba:

Eh?! One…two three four five six seven…eight?! He’s carrying eight of them! This guy… I can carry at least that much… Let’s…go! Uwah…oh! (Aoba stuttering and fumbling) Uwah–aah!! (he crashes and falls over)

Koujaku:

Aoba? What do you think you’re doing? All right… (he sets his chairs down)

Aoba:

Ow ow….

Koujaku:

Come on, are you okay?

Aoba:

Mhm. Thank you.

(Koujaku helps him up)

Koujaku:

You shouldn’t push yourself like that. It’s dangerous!

Aoba:

But you were carrying so many. I thought I’d carry a few more.

Koujaku:

My physique’s completely different from yours.

Aoba:

It’s not that different!

Koujaku:

Where’s that? These narrow shoulders?

Aoba:

Don’t touch me! Flirting isn’t helping out! We’ve gotta hurry up and move those chairs.

Koujaku:

Haha, right right. I’ll carry half of these. Aoba, you can take the rest.

Aoba:

Jeeerk. That’s annoying.

Mizuki:

Oh, you two are really working hard.

Aoba:

Mizuki!

Koujaku:

I just started helping out now. Are you helping too?

Mizuki:

Of course. I’m in charge of putting up decorations around the venue right now. I’d better give it my best. You two do the same.

Aoba:

Right.

Koujaku:

Yeah!

Mizuki:

Oh!

Koujaku:

Hm?

Mizuki:

What’s that, Koujaku. You’ve been looking pretty tired lately but it looks like you’ve calmed down.

Koujaku:

Does it look like that?

Mizuki:

Yeah. It’s even better than before.

Koujaku:

Better? Listen you–

Mizuki:

Ahaha. That isn’t something the seductive Koujaku would say, is it? See you!

Aoba:

The seductive Koujaku, huh~?

Koujaku:

That’s the former Koujaku. It’s different now.

Aoba:

I know that~

Koujaku:

Don’t grin at me like that. Come on. Let’s hurry up and move these chairs.

Aoba:

Riiiight!

~interlude~

Haga:

Well then…Aoba-kun, Koujaku-kun, thank you so much for helping out today. You really did a great job.

Aoba:

Thanks for your hard work too!

Koujaku:

Thank you!

Haga:

It’s finally going to be time for tamaokuri tomorrow night. I think we’ll see quite a few people coming in from off the island. Everyone really came together to get ready for it. I’m sure it’s going to be a lovely night.

Aoba:

Yeah.

Haga:

The people of this island truly treasure people’s souls for what they are. To the elderly who know the island well, they pay the greatest respect. To the souls of their loved ones who step firmly on the earth of the island itself, they pay the same respect. Tamaokuri is one event that gives shape to the sentiments of the islanders. Tomorrow let’s reminisce about the souls of those who live on this island.

Aoba:

Yeah.

Koujaku:

(sighs)

Haga:

Then, that’s all I’ve got to say. Today the women have really outdone themselves cooking for us. It seems like Tae-san’s there as well.

Aoba:

Ah, now that you mention it Granny did say that.

Haga:

If we don’t hurry up and go all the tasty dishes will probably be gone. It sounds like they’re holding it at Inada-san’s house. Shall we go?

Aoba:

Yeah!

(later on)

Koujaku:

Aoba…

Aoba:

Hm?

Koujaku:

Tomorrow…there’s something I want to talk to you about. Is that all right?

Aoba:

Yeah.

Koujaku:

Then…I’ll call you later.

Aoba:

Mhm. I’ll be waiting.

~interlude~

Aoba:

It’s finally tamaokuri, huh…I haven’t seen it in a while, but it’s pretty…

Koujaku:

Yeah…

Aoba:

It’s almost like flowers themselves are glowing while adrift on the ocean. Looking at it like this kind of puts me at ease.

Koujaku:

It does, doesn’t it? It’s incredibly quiet and tranquil.

Aoba:

Yeah

Koujaku:

Aoba?

Aoba:

Hm?

Koujaku:

This is sort of strange and sudden, but do you really think that souls exist?

Aoba:

Ah…souls?

Koujaku:

Yeah.

Aoba:

Hmm…

Koujaku:

Ahaha…it’s pretty strange, isn’t it? Sorry, don’t worry about it.

Aoba:

I think…they do.

Koujaku:

Huh?

Aoba:

We can’t see them, so there’s no way of really knowing, but…it’s like sometimes when you’re thinking of someone and it causes something like a miracle. When you feel like you’ve really conveyed your feelings it’s the same. Putting those feelings together…I think you can call that a soul. In that case, I really think that souls exist.

Koujaku:

Is that right.

Aoba:

Ah, sorry about that. Now I said something weird.

Koujaku:

That’s not it at all. Aoba.

Aoba:

Hm?

Koujaku:

I’ve got a favor I’d like to ask of you.

Aoba:

Ah, okay.

Koujaku:

If you can, this month…no, next month is fine, could you take off a few days in a row?

Aoba:

A few days off?

Koujaku:

Three days or two days is fine.

Aoba:

Ah…I won’t know unless I ask Haga-san, but…why?

Koujaku:

Ah…I thought that we could go to pay our respects*.

Aoba:

Pay our respects?

Koujaku:

To my mother.

Aoba:

Ah…

Koujaku:

That’s what I’ve been thinking about this entire time. Paying my respects to my mother. To be honest I haven’t done it once since I came back to the island. I thought about going, but no matter what emotionally I just couldn’t go.

Aoba:

I thought that maybe that might have been it. I didn’t know it was about paying your respects though. I thought that you were just thinking about your mother.

Koujaku:

(sighs) Really…I’m no match for you. Tamaokuri started up again this year, right? I heard that sort of thing from all over…so I started to think about what I should do. I wanted to go but I couldn’t go…I kept on aimlessly worrying over it. That’s when my customer flippantly asked me out, so I just felt like there was no room left in my heart. I know that she wasn’t wrong, it just sort of came out. But, when you came to my place to see me, I really realized the obvious fact that “Aoba is here.” Then my doubt cleared. I helped prepare for tamaokuri with you, I turned to the day itself like this, and my mind was clearly made up. I’d go to see my mother as well.

Aoba:

Koujaku…

Koujaku:

Her grave’s on the mainland, so that’s why we’d need to take a vacation.

Aoba:

Mhm, but…is it really okay for me to come along?

Koujaku:

Of course it is. Rather, I want you to come.

Aoba:

Ah…

Koujaku:

Won’t you come with me? Aoba. Will you meet my mother with me?

Aoba:

(sighs, then take a deep breath) Yeah. I’ll go. I’ll ask Haga-san for a favor. Not whether or not I can take a vacation, but I’ll ask him if he’d please let me take a vacation.

Koujaku:

Aoba…

Aoba:

Paying respects to your mother…that’s a really important thing. I think it’s a good idea to go now. If you haven’t gone once since you came back here that’s all the more reason why.

Koujaku:

I’m sorry…I’m asking you something selfish because of my own situation.

Aoba:

Not at all. I told you before, it’s something important. Plus, I want to go. I want to go…to see Koujaku’s mother.

Koujaku:

Ah…thank you, Aoba.