Pathway to Japanese Literature

I

Two Saturdays in a row had been rainy.—Miki had rather wanted to go out even in the rain, but pressed by the thought in Aoki’s invitation letter—wait for the next clear Saturday—he had spent two Sundays consecutively in utterly solitary rest. Whether it was because of that, when he awoke this morning and discovered the serene sky, unexpectedly, “Ah, how delightful!” he muttered, recalling the feeling of a middle school excursion morning. “And Monday is a holiday, so…”

“How nice that you’ll finally get to have a proper talk with Mr. Aoki after so long!” His younger sister said such things with apparent envy. “Which Aoki…?”

Needless to say, Miki was with his older brother Aoki, and Miki’s younger sister had been close friends with Aoki’s younger sister Yukiko since their student days. "But Brother, even if you say that, how could you possibly have a proper conversation alone with Yukiko-san?"

“…”

When Miki was told such things by his younger sister and imagined that scene, he was struck only by a bittersweet joy so intense it tightened his chest. There was a bright grassy hill—a crystal-clear stream flowed where fish swam visible as if one could reach out and touch them—a mountain of mandarin oranges spread its wings to embrace the tiny village within its heart—it must have been when the oranges had ripened considerably—ascending that beautiful mandarin orchard hill, turning midway to look back revealed a tranquil blue sea spreading like a pond…….

Whenever Miki thought of Aoki’s village, the mandarin orange season would invariably rise to mind—there at the forefront would be Yukiko, riding alone up the hill on horseback, reaching out from the horse’s back to pluck a mandarin. His nose was assaulted by the acidic fragrance! Such an extremely trivial impression had lingered all the more vividly in Miki’s memory. “Whoa! So sour!” Yukiko hunched both shoulders in an exaggerated manner and let out what seemed like a scream—then pulled an utterly comical face as she glanced briefly behind her. In that instant, her face became imprinted clearly in Miki’s memory.

“You idiot, did you eat it? You!” Aoki called out to his sister from behind Miki. But Yukiko had suddenly quickened the horse’s pace and galloped to the hilltop, so she didn’t hear the voice from behind. Before long, Yukiko reached the summit of the hill where a small shrine stood beneath a red pine, dismounted from her horse, and—

“I’ll give you one too, Miki-san. Do try to catch it properly.”

No sooner had she spoken than she loftily tossed a bluish-yellow mandarin high toward Miki. Miki, while walking, skillfully caught it with one hand. “Go ahead and eat it.” Aoki cautioned from beside him, “Don’t. There’s no way you can eat that!” Aoki had warned him, but Miki, paying no heed, peeled it. “Yukiko is being mean. “She’s tricking you into eating that stuff and trying to get a kick out of watching you make a sour face.” “Enough already!” “There's no way you can eat such unripe mandarins—Ah, just looking at them makes my teeth ache unbearably!”

Aoki continued to interject in that manner, but Miki,

“I’m fine,” he said, and abruptly tossed it into his mouth.

II

Miki shuddered at the mandarin’s sourness, “This is astonishing!” Ptui! he involuntarily spat it out. When he looked in that direction, Yukiko was clapping her hands and laughing.

“Hey, Miki-san, try catching me. If you catch me, you can give my cheek one good pinch—as punishment for tricking you into eating that sour mandarin—” “But Miss Yukiko will run away on your horse, won’t you? In that case, there’s no way I could ever catch you.” “In that case, I could even lend you Dorian (the Aoki family’s horse). Can you ride?” “I can ride—”

Miki ended up replying. He had never been particularly fond of horses by nature, but he thought Dorian would be manageable. However, that required considerable resolve.

A serene field under early winter’s mild sun—sour mandarins—a playful game—a gallant youth astride a fine steed chasing after a fair maiden under the pretext of pinching her cheek (though he’d never truly pinch her—in that moment, he might instead plant a kiss upon it)—. Miki came to think this whimsical scene resembled something straight from a folktale or myth, and he felt intensely delighted.

When he reconsidered things this way, Yukiko’s figure—standing atop the hill directly above, holding Dorian’s reins while calling out toward him, wearing a vivid yellow jumper over bare feet in shoes without socks, her short tousled hair shining in the sunlight—appeared to Miki’s imaginative eyes as though she were a mythological heroine incarnate.

“That sounds fun. Miki riding Dorian is amusing. I’ll be the judge!” And Aoki also agreed. Miki noticed that both his legs were trembling slightly. He was, by nature, the sort who could never approach any horse. Whenever he occasionally drew near to those goggle-eyed orbs or the robust nostrils with their bellows-like breathing—he would invariably be assailed by a senseless terror, as though he had glimpsed some monstrous creature.

Such fear, the allure of the girl’s plump cheeks, and the faintly sweet intoxication of that fairy-tale mood had sparked against one another before his eyes for a time, but—

“Well, I’ll leave Dorian here. “Since I’m escaping on my own legs, you’ll have to give me a considerable head start, you know.” At Yukiko’s voice, Miki looked up at the hill once more—and there, already having discarded her jumper, the girl’s bare arms and vigorous legs shone dazzlingly. To Miki, her figure appeared as that of the forest goddess Diana entrusting her jacket, shoes, and bow and arrows to a handmaid before descending into the valley to bathe. Diana, enraged at the violation of her chastity when the youth Actaeon gazed upon her, hurled water from her jar and—

“If you can tell someone you saw Diana’s naked body, then try telling them.”

she cried, and loosed her guard dogs—Panphagus, Docius, Shilon, and others so named—leaping toward the youth. For some reason, that terrifying myth suddenly resurfaced in Miki's mind.

III

By the time Miki ran up the hill, Yukiko was already nowhere to be seen. Dorian was eating grass in front of the shrine. “What a spectacle this race has become! “Which side should I even root for?” “But anyway, if you don’t hurry up and give chase, you’ll lose her in no time—after all, the one fleeing is a Lauendelain (forest maiden) who knows every rabbit path under these mountain grasses. A hunter from the capital like you won’t stand a chance.” “—Well then, I’ll settle for watching from here—this most peculiar race in all the world...”

Aoki said such things in a teasing tone while taking Dorian’s reins for Miki, who stood frozen in an unnatural defensive posture, unable to approach the horse.

Miki wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm, discarded his jacket, closed his eyes, and became a man on horseback. And he, in the depths of his heart,

“Even if I die, it doesn’t matter. Like Actaeon—”

he resolved himself. “As long as you stay on without being thrown off, Dorian will surely chase after his mistress on his own. So you just need to focus on not falling.”

Aoki also gave those instructions.

“No, I’m confident with Dorian.” “I’m fine.” “At this rate, even at full speed, I could make a splendid jockey.” After resigning himself, Miki made such boasts and immediately shook the reins to depart, but Dorian showed no sign of starting to move. Like a wooden horse, it simply stood motionless, gazing fixedly ahead. “Giddyup!”

Miki groaned in a deep, authoritative voice, but it had no effect—Miki, growing impatient, kicked the horse’s flank. But Dorian merely blinked slowly and still did not move. “It’s exactly like a bronze statue.” “Your face has that exaggeratedly militant look—quite formidable indeed. You truly resemble a soldier.”

Aoki laughed, but Miki—feigning not to hear—kept desperately trying to start, yet Dorian remained as motionless as if he had truly turned into a bronze statue. “What’s wrong?” “Is Dorian feeling unwell?” Miki asked Aoki with a forlorn air, his face betraying bewilderment. “He won’t move unless he hears his mistress’s whistle.” “However accustomed others might think him to Yukiko—Dorian’s loyalty runs deeper than they could imagine. Even without her here before him, he remains a horse who waits for his master’s command.”

“What a predicament!” Miki inadvertently let out a sigh and looked up at the sky. Yet Yukiko—who should have by now reached the distant hill—was in fact concealed in the shadows of a tree right beside him. She held her breath so as not to be noticed by Miki and hurled a firm mandarin orange toward them with all her might. It struck Dorian’s flank—then the horse let out a light neigh and abruptly began galloping down the hill. Miki slumped forward and instinctively clung to Dorian’s mane.

IV

Dorian galloped headlong down the gently undulating slope to the mulberry fields below. And made a wide detour around the edge of the tobacco field. Miki had absolutely no idea what was going on. Trembling with a dreadful anxiety—as if riding a locomotive whose driver had slipped off mid-dash—he clung to Dorian’s back. But Miki thought that Aoki，watching from the hilltop，believed he had spotted Yukiko and was chasing after her—and furthermore，what a bold rider I was! He must be admiring me—and I indulged in such self-satisfied thoughts.

Even so, how swiftly Dorian ran! Could he have gone mad? “Then I must call for help, but…” Or could it be that Yukiko’s figure had appeared ahead? If that were the case, then at this speed they would catch up in no time—Miki timidly peered ahead through the mane, but instead of Yukiko’s figure, only the tobacco fields surged like raging waves, leaving him no chance to search.

Since Dorian was running, Yukiko must surely be ahead; he would catch up to her soon... Miki, convinced of this, let Dorian gallop as he pleased while holding his breath and clinging to its back. To forget his fear, he meticulously imagined only the happiness of catching up to Yukiko—the surroundings were a vast expanse of tobacco fields. Since the tobacco stalks—taller than a person—spread their fan-like leaves, even if he managed to catch Yukiko here and pressed a fervent kiss to her cheek, the judge on the hill would likely not notice. How would Yukiko accept that?

Miki buried his face in the mane and fantasized about marrying Yukiko.—Dorian circled the tobacco field once more and began ascending toward the hill. A whistle echoed from the hilltop. Suddenly Dorian halted midway up the slope.

“Miki-san—” When Miki heard Yukiko’s voice and looked up, there on the original hilltop—standing neatly beside Aoki—was Yukiko. And the two of them smiled with an air of pity. “You’d made your way back there without me noticing.” “Alright, I’ll go catch you now.”

Miki put on false bravado. "I've been right here all along, signaling Dorian," she said. "My voice carries all the way down there—he was completely at my command." "Didn't you notice at all, Miki-san?" Frustrated yet helpless, Miki flushed crimson. When he tried to climb the hill as before, Dorian again refused to budge under his guidance. —Then Yukiko blew her whistle and gestured. In one go, Dorian charged up the slope.

“Ah—my throat’s dry,” he muttered listlessly and bit into a sour mandarin.

Miki muttered listlessly and bit into a sour mandarin with frustrated abandon.

V

Once again, it was mandarin orange season. Miki recalled that foolish incident from a year ago and gave a wry smile.

Though it was near enough to be reached by a train ride of just over two hours, why had he not visited for an entire year?—Yukiko apparently occasionally came up to Tokyo to visit his younger sister here, but he was always out working during those times; when he thought about it, they hadn't met even once since that Dorian commotion...

When he thought this，Miki found himself unable to imagine any other form of Yukiko beyond what had reminded him of Diana at that time．Only that fierce，gallant impression of Yukiko remained as clearly as a photograph． Around this time，Miki had gained considerable confidence with horses．Spurred by that failure，he had returned to Tokyo and immediately joined a suburban riding club，undergoing considerable training—something he also wanted to boast about to Aoki and others．

Miki, while constantly checking his watch, finally finished a day’s work at the company and boarded the train. A full thirty minutes before arriving at N Station, the sun had completely set, and the lights of night fishing boats could be seen from the window.

At N Station, Aoki was waiting. As soon as Aoki saw Miki’s face,

“Yukiko said she’d be back by evening when she left for Tokyo, but she still hasn’t returned.” “Lately, she’s been insufferably stylish.”

“Well then, let’s wait for the next train in front of the station.”

“We’ve ended up making Dorian into a carriage horse lately—I’ve even brought him along over there.” When Miki looked in the direction Aoki had pointed, Dorian stood docilely hitched to a lightweight two-wheeled cart. From here to Aoki’s village stretched a lonely highway along the stream that required ascending some three ri upstream. The two decided to wait for Yukiko at the station-front café. They laughed about having become such drinkers during their time apart while raising glasses of Western liquor. Miki praised novelist Aoki’s recent works from every angle.

“There was talk about selling Dorian—is that really true?”

“Of course it’s true.” “But you see, she ended up coming back to Yukiko from her new owner’s place before anyone noticed.” “The owner got angry and came to call off the deal, but…”

“Is that buyer the village headman’s son?” “Hmm… Yukiko detests him most—” Aoki began to say something but abruptly shifted the topic—.

“I’ve been thinking I might move to Tokyo soon. And then Yukiko and I might end up having to rent a small house somewhere and live like we’re continuing our student days—otherwise we won’t be able to stay here anymore.”

“That’s the opposite!”

Miki shouted, “I truly want you to finish your work properly here in the countryside!” “Maybe,” replied Aoki.

Aoki was always compliant.

“I don’t care where I end up, but Yukiko…”

At that moment, as the next train arrived, the two interrupted their conversation and went outside. Before they knew it, Aoki had become far more intoxicated than expected—so much so that his steps grew unsteady unless supported by Miki’s shoulder. Miki said in a sentimental voice, “Aoki, what’s wrong? Get a grip!” he blurted out. VI

An anecdote about Dorian’s sale—gossip concerning the village headman’s son—Aoki’s gloomy expression….

Miki imagined from all this that an unfortunate marriage proposal had arisen in Yukiko's circumstances—but since Aoki showed no inclination to speak actively about it, Miki too refrained from pressing further.

Standing beside the ticket gate, the two waited for Yukiko to emerge.

“Once night falls, there are no buses or taxis, so I always have to come pick up my sister like this.” “The road from here to your village, though—it feels most fitting to take a carriage drive through that scenery. Ambling back and forth by carriage there is utterly romantic, and I’ve always considered it one of the pleasures of coming here.”

“For regulars, there’s nothing remotely interesting about it though…” Aoki began before cutting himself off. “What’s this—dragging your feet like some country bumpkin? Hey, Yukiko!” he called out. At a spot four or five *ken* beyond the ticket gate, a woman in a pristine white half-coat—her stride effortlessly chic—raised her arm in response and hurried over. Even when she stood right before them, Miki could hardly reconcile this vision with his memory of Yukiko. He had noticed this Western-dressed woman when she disembarked from the train—

“It’s been a while…” Yukiko greeted Miki with a faint blush coloring her cheeks. “You’ve completely transformed!” Miki saw that Yukiko’s eyelashes—carefully brushed—appeared moist as though wet. He saw that her Western-style light makeup, precisely because it appeared understated, had been applied with meticulous technique. At the exposed décolletage visible from her coat’s collar, a stylish birthstone brooch could be seen. Miki felt that his own thoughts—indulging in such childish reminiscences without knowing Yukiko had grown into such an impressive woman, and imagining that if he visited again today they would go out to the fields and frolic together as they once did—were terribly rude.

Why—like this, he couldn't even touch her cheek with a fingertip—the instant Miki thought this, a strange jealousy suddenly assailed him.

“I’ve gotten strangely drunk… We’ll talk properly once we get home. Until then, I’ll sleep in the carriage.” Aoki, having said that, grabbed a blanket and flopped down heavily onto the rear seat of the carriage.

“Tsk!”

Yukiko clicked her tongue. “I thought I could return home looking refined, but now I’m being forced to drive?! Miki-san, have you grown accustomed to horses recently?” “Was it last year?—when I had that terrible experience because of you—afterward, out of sheer vexation, I joined a riding club and such. At least my fear of horses has vanished.” “Then you’ll take the reins.” “Is the whip under the seat?” “You mustn’t use a whip or anything like that.” “Wouldn’t that be cruel to Dorian—?” “In that case, I’ll sit beside you on the driver’s seat instead of a whip.”

Miki took the reins with Yukiko seated beside him, and when Yukiko lightly tapped the floor with her boot tip, the carriage swiftly started moving.

VII No matter how many times they tried to keep him, Dorian would escape from the village headman’s stable—wasn’t that the story? Upon hearing it, he found himself strangely delighted—and when Miki recounted this tale, Yukiko abruptly said: “That’s… about my marriage, you see.”

She muttered in a thoroughly discontented tone. Miki shouldn’t have been particularly surprised—it was something he’d already imagined—but “Marriage?!”

he noticed that his own voice—having reflexively asked back—was terribly flustered and high-pitched.

The carriage proceeded along the moonlit road at a moderate pace, tracing the stream—whenever they encountered young men in groups of two or three, most would call out from the opposite side: “Are you heading back now, Miss?” they would say things like. “Well, he’s the village headman’s son—but really, he’s the one I hate most—or rather, despise most—an old-fashioned delinquent youth.”

According to Yukiko’s account, a debt had remained from Aoki’s late father’s time due to a joint business venture with the village headman’s family. And whenever Yukiko refused marriage proposals, they would impose various obligations tied to that debt.

“It was all so absurd—I got a little spiteful and acted up.” “Well—if they’ve done me such favors, I can’t very well refuse, can I? Though really, I’ve only turned them down because I think it’s too soon for such talk—” I said all that while fixedly staring into the son’s face. “Then that son of his puts on this deadly serious face—‘Between you and me—’ he goes!” “What do you mean, ‘between you and me’?!” “So there I was, biting back my irritation and putting on a solemn face—when he goes, ‘We don’t need such formalities between us’—in this ridiculous, pompous tone like some orator! I had to struggle not to burst out laughing...” “Exactly—it was right around here. When I returned from Tokyo on that train—I never asked how he knew—the son came to meet me properly with Dorian’s carriage… That’s when I almost got kissed by that bastard.”

“A kiss?!” “And how did you escape?” Miki asked back, his chest trembling. “Well, you see—the force of his lunge was truly terrifying! The whole incident felt so vividly coincidental it might as well have been a play… The son, completely disregarding propriety, seemed utterly single-minded in his excitement when he suddenly came crashing down toward my chest—right here in this seat, like this—and just as I jerked sharply backward, the man went ‘Whoa!’” “No sooner had he cried out than he went flying past my chest and into the... there...”

Yukiko pointed to the stream beside them and, “He went plunging straight upside down into the river!” “With a splash—a deafening water sound struck through the darkness—” As soon as she finished speaking, she let out a sharp whistle and urged the carriage to go faster. Miki peered through the light to look down beside the carriage and saw that directly beneath the wheel ruts lay a stream of considerable depth, its surface glittering in the moonlight.

VIII The carriage raced along the edge of the stream at what might be called full gallop.

“At twice this speed, I fled without looking back.” According to Yukiko’s account, before long lawyers and bailiffs began coming and going through the Aoki family’s gate in great numbers. One day, two men who looked like horse experts were intently appraising Dorian in front of the Aoki family’s stable, so Yukiko, feeling displeased, asked them— “Don’t you know? We’ve come to take Dorian—under the Village Headman’s orders—”

they declared pompously. “So, Dorian was bought by the village headman’s house, I take it?”

“Of course.” “Who did you buy him from?” “Miss, you’re quite naive, aren’t you? We didn’t buy him from anyone or anything of the sort. In other words—from your father—ha ha ha... It’s less a purchase than taking him as a token toward settling interest on our loan. That’s about what it amounts to.”

“Do as you please.” Yukiko withdrew to her room in anger and watched the situation from the window. As the horse experts tried to lead Dorian out through the gate by the reins, Yukiko—forgetting herself—let out the sharpest whistle she had always reserved solely for Dorian. —Then Dorian let out a majestic cry and suddenly reared up on his hind legs. Seeing this, the horse experts’ expressions changed as they moved to restrain the unruly horse, but terrified by its ferocious intensity (Dorian reared up, hooves raised as if to lunge at the two men), and instead began to chase after them.) They fled in headlong retreat.

The next morning, when Yukiko went to check the stable, Dorian was nowhere to be seen. However, Yukiko—confident as she was—calmly prepared herself, unusually clad in her riding habit, and went out for a walk while tapping the tip of her whip against her boots. Yukiko was rather pleased this time. When she stepped out onto the main road and suddenly looked ahead, the village headman and his son were riding in a carriage, cutting through the morning mist as they raced along. Though only seeing its back, Yukiko recognized at first glance that it was Dorian. Yukiko quieted her footsteps and pursued the carriage from behind.

The village headman and his son seemed to be heading amicably side by side toward the neighboring town.

“Good morning— Mr. Village Headman.”

Yukiko called out from behind like this. At the same moment, the carriage came to an abrupt halt. “Miss Yuki!”

The village headman and his son simultaneously suggested that Yukiko ride with them. With an air of utter obliviousness—

“There’s something I really want to buy for you—why don’t you come along with us to town?” “My father says he wants to get you a ring and necklace.” “In fact, we went out this morning just to buy those things.” “Since the timing’s perfect, let’s go together.” The Village Headman and his son layered honeyed words upon sweet words to press Yukiko into joining them. “Wasn’t the diving the other night fun?”

The village headman’s son’s attitude was so transparently insincere that Yukiko thought, Maybe I should ask him something like this...

IX

However, Yukiko—needless to say—declined to accompany them. “I only came out saying I was going for a short walk over there—and this outfit? Well, I meant to borrow a horse from relatives across the river. As for Dorian... I’ve grown tired of him anyway, so this time I’ll take one from my uncle’s...”

Yukiko had intended her words to be sarcastic. And she was stating this with a bright smile feigning nonchalance as much as possible, but—

“As for Dorian, I’ve already—” But as she said this, an unbearable sadness suddenly welled up, choking her throat.

After tossing out only “Goodbye—”, she spun on her heel and retreated. For a while, she ran half in a daze when—from behind— “Hey—Yukiko! Wait for me!” “I can’t go along with you. I’ve got other urgent matters—” “Turn Dorian around for me! You’re causing trouble! Hey! Hey!” Hearing these shouts, Yukiko turned to see Dorian—still bearing the village headman and his son—swiftly pivot the carriage toward her, following obediently whether she walked or ran.

Yukiko’s heart was filled with both sorrow and joy. If it had been only Dorian, she would have wanted to cling to his face and weep. And then—unstoppable tears began to spill down Yukiko’s cheeks. —Yukiko broke into a sprint. The carriage also broke into a sprint. “Hey— Yukiko! Wait…” “Stop for a moment—I’m going to jump off!” “We’ll miss the train time!” “Dangerous, dangerous! If you keep running like this, we can’t keep up! Yukiko, save me!”

On the carriage, the village headman and his son—in a half-frantic state—lurched upright, tumbled onto their backsides, and called out desperately for Yukiko to return, but Yukiko could do nothing but keep running at full speed all the more fiercely. The commotion that had arisen on the quiet morning thoroughfare—did the field workers looking down from the terraced fields on the hill mistake it as the village headman and his son pursuing Yukiko to take her for themselves? They mistook it as such. And two or three young men immediately reported to the Aoki household.

Rounding the shrine’s forest at the bridge’s edge where the Aoki house came into view, Yukiko encountered her brother, who had rushed over with three young men. The Village Headman’s carriage also stopped right behind Yukiko.

The Village Headman, who had lost his hat along the way, remained slumped over the seat, his round back heaving like a toad’s as he gasped for breath. The son was at a loss for how to explain himself. He seemed utterly perplexed; after alighting from the carriage, he spent some time blankly staring at the sky, but upon noticing the water conduit nearby, he helped his father down and offered him water.

Everyone was silent. Yukiko, too, was utterly perplexed and found herself at a complete loss for explanation; thus, she began to run in a fluster toward her home, whereupon Dorian—obedient as the girl’s shadow—followed after her, the empty carriage’s wheels clattering loudly behind. Since then, it seemed the village headman’s household had abandoned their attempts to seize Dorian—

X

On a moonlit night road, in a carriage advancing with a leisurely rumble, Miki heard from Yukiko the story of that rather comical disturbance—but he couldn’t bring himself to laugh at all. “Just like that, Dorian returned to me along with this carriage—but this carriage belongs to the Village Headman’s family.” “They must’ve thought it’d be awkward to come retrieve just the carriage, so they never came to take it back. —And then, there was another really funny thing that happened then.” “‘Well then, since there’s no other way, let’s at least return Dorian for now—’ said the Village Headman, so we unharnessed Dorian from the carriage and said, ‘Please take the carriage back—’ Whereupon the son declared, ‘Alright, I’ll just pull it myself!’ He grabbed the shaft—the part where the horse should be hitched—and tried to lift it… But no matter how strong he was, a human alone couldn’t possibly replace a horse!” “‘It wouldn’t budge an inch!’” “‘Fine—we’ll pull it ourselves with two people!’ snapped the Village Headman. He and his son each grabbed one end of the shaft and tried to drag it away, but it was hopeless. Ha ha ha… Everyone burst out laughing despite themselves.” “So then—the Village Headman and his son, clearly wounded in their pride, turned bright red and left with a terrifying parting threat: ‘Just you wait—we’ll take back Dorian and everything else without fail!’” “At the time, I didn’t hear it myself, but apparently they were saying (‘We’ll take Yukiko along with the carriage too—so you’d better be prepared!’)…”

Yukiko kept laughing uncontrollably at the memory, as if she found it unbearably amusing, but Miki, his ears intently fixed on the sound of Dorian’s hooves, responded in a reverent tone that seemed barely able to contain his admiration: “Yukiko-san and Dorian are exactly like Diana and her guard,” he murmured. “It’s not a joke. But… if I were to marry somewhere, no matter what I did, I think Dorian would end up coming with me…” “I could never manage city life.”

Miki muttered in a lonely voice. “That’s right—if Dorian weren’t here, I’d want to go to Tokyo even starting tomorrow. Even if I go out to play, I end up coming right back like this because I worry about Dorian…”

Miki had intended to mutter it inwardly, but the words suddenly surfaced on his lips.

“Diana’s guard exists to protect Diana’s eternal virginity...”

“Huh?” “If it's something that can be told—go tell others you saw Diana's naked body—those words came back to me.” “What's wrong, Miki-san— Is that theatrical dialogue?” “As long as Dorian exists, no one can tempt Miss Yuki! When I realized that—right this moment—I felt strangely exhilarated! Isn't that thrilling?”

Miki suddenly declared such things in a loud voice, “Let’s dash!” With that, he shook the reins vigorously. “If I were to marry, it would have to be into a household with a stable.” “The only household with a stable is the village headman’s.” Yukiko said these things as if singing a teasing song.

XI

"What in the world should I do? When I think of Yukiko, I can’t help but feel depressed."

If I kept lingering in the village like this, Yukiko might ultimately have to go to the village headman’s household after all—Yukiko did possess that degree of sacrificial spirit toward Dorian...

“But then Yukiko would be too pitiable.” Bathed in the balmy morning sun, Miki and Aoki were on their way to the mandarin orange orchard for a stroll when Aoki tilted his head with a peculiar wry smile. The hill was covered with mandarin orange trees that had just begun to take on color. Miki was deeply nostalgic for how the scenery around him appeared in exactly the same colors as when he had visited a year before. Miki—at a complete loss for how to respond to Aoki’s anxieties—idly stretched out his arm to pluck mandarin oranges.—Could I ever own a house with a stable? he wondered, mocking his own miserly daydreams even as he longed to somehow acquire such a home.

“This is such an absurd worry that I can’t bring myself to discuss it with others, but since I understand Yukiko’s feelings all too clearly, I’m utterly at a loss.” “Not just absurd—it’s a serious incident, isn’t it?” Miki, forgetting himself, bit into a bitter mandarin. “When I imagine the scene where Yukiko ends up having to depart for another land no matter what, a tragic tableau worthy of a Greek tragedy rises vividly in my mind.”

Aoki started to say something but swallowed a deep breath instead.

…Yukiko leaned halfway out of the train window; along the railway-adjacent road raced bare Dorian; as the train’s speed increased, so too did Dorian’s pace quicken… The clatter of wheels and the rhythm of hooves… “Dorian will keep running until he collapses… My sister will watch Dorian collapse from the train window… When that happens—will you get off at the next station?” “And whenever that topic comes up, I ask Yukiko.” “Of course I’d get off”—Yukiko answers—“and then, as always, all our consultations about personal matters end up collapsing completely.” “It wasn’t imagination—the very same incident had occurred just a month ago.” “When Dorian collapsed and was nursed by Yukiko, he revived instantly… Yukiko ultimately sacrificed even love and has lived with Dorian ever since.”

“Was there a love affair?” “Since it was something worth sacrificing, it was Platonic, but…” “So she left to meet her lover?” “Well, but Dorian simply wouldn’t leave her alone. Even if she tried sneaking out—Yukiko being Yukiko—she couldn’t stay away once night fell. Such a karmic bind.” “What’s the lover’s name?” Miki pressed urgently, glaring into Aoki’s eyes.

………… “That fortunate man you speak of—?” “Do you think this is happiness?” Aoki took Miki’s hand with his hot one and groaned sorrowfully. “If you can call this happiness—if you’re willing to give up over something as trivial as a horse—then you’re free to imagine that the name of this faintly Platonic partner… is your own.”

XII “I wonder if Yukiko-san has taken offense at us talking only about ourselves and gone out somewhere—haven’t seen her since morning—” “No, she’s the type who couldn’t resist coming out to ride Dorian even when her old man died—as long as the weather was decent.” “Moreover, with the horse race approaching, she’s been spending evenings at the racecourse these days.” “Is she planning to become a jockey herself and ride—” “We won’t enter Dorian in the actual race—but during practice…” “Once we cross this mountain, we’ll reach the racecourse—shall we go see it?”

“All right, I’ll borrow a horse too and try racing Yukiko-san.” “You could never possibly match her.—Even the jockeys are so intimidated by her that…”

Aoki and Miki crossed the hill while mainly discussing Yukiko and Dorian. From behind them came a call of “Aoki!” When they turned, they saw the village headman’s son accompanied by a horse. “I bought this one to replace Dorian,” he said. “I’ve been training daily at the racecourse—Dorian doesn’t stand a chance against him.” “Yukiko-san must be green with envy.” “This steed puts carriage horses to shame.” Though its coat remained hidden beneath a blanket, the son strode past them proudly making these claims while tugging at the reins.

It was a racecourse in a mortar-shaped basin, positioned to be viewed from atop the hill. About ten horses had come out to the racecourse and were in the midst of fiercely practicing racing. "Yukiko-san doesn’t seem to be here, does she?"

Miki borrowed a pair of binoculars and peered down. Both the jockeys and the horses were the size of toys when viewed from the hill. “I wonder if she’s not here?” Aoki also searched intently. Before long, “Ah, there she is!” The Village Headman’s Son was approaching her side and saying something, gesturing toward his prized horse—. “He’s trying to get Yukiko to ride his horse, you know.”

“I can’t tell. Let’s go down a bit more to see.” “The one wearing the maroon shirt is Yukiko.” “Is she wearing a hunting cap?” “Whenever she comes here, she’s always dressed like that.” “Because looking like a woman would be troublesome—” The maroon-clad jockey, having apparently rebuffed the son’s words, broke away and was wholly engrossed in practicing solo starts. Though Miki had almost no knowledge of horse racing, the freedom of her galloping form and the smartness of her movements were so striking that he couldn’t help but watch in awe. The other jockeys too, when her warming up began, all turned to watch her.

“No matter how I try, I just can’t believe that’s Yukiko-san.” “For one thing, she doesn’t look like a woman.”

“From here, you should even recognize her face—watch carefully through the binoculars as she comes galloping this way.” “Though I must say, her usual face transforms in the strangest way when she’s got Dorian at full speed—.” “I truly envy only that state she enters—the mystery of what they call a trance sinks deep into me.” “No wonder it seems like there’s nothing left but Dorian...” Even so, Miki couldn’t bring himself to believe the rider was Yukiko. He pressed the binoculars to both eyes with single-minded focus, sustained only by an earnest longing to glimpse a fantasy world where he’d become master of a house with its own stable.