Pathway to Japanese Literature

Koujirou

Beniko

Kiichirou

A house in a Tokyo backstreet with an inconvenient layout where one had to pass through the family room to reach the six-tatami inner room from the two-tatami entryway.

In the living room sat a single Seto round brazier with a violin case placed in the alcove.
The family room contained a crude dressing table.
A woman's outdoor clothes layered with a haori jacket hung sloppily on the wall.
Both the straw hat lying upside down on the household shrine and the object straddling the living room and family room—neither quite a chabudai table nor a desk—with its kettle and ink bottle placed side by side somehow drew attention.

It was a winter evening.

The master of the house, Koujirou, turned up the collar of his coat and came bustling in through the entryway.
He abruptly entered the living room and crouched halfway to hold his hands over the brazier.

Koujirou (calling toward the kitchen) “I'm shocked!”
“Wherever I go, everyone’s out, I tell you.”
“Kajiyama hasn’t come back since leaving last night, they say; Sugino went to a relative’s wake, they say; and Urata just changed into a kimono and went out, they tell me.”
“This guy’s whereabouts are usually known, but when others are around, that bastard puts on this weirdly stubborn act—makes it hard to talk to him.”
(When the person he intended to speak to neither responded nor showed any sign of appearing, he gradually grew concerned and peeked toward the kitchen.) “Hey, you’re not here?”
“What? Not here either?”
“Huh?”
“Then where are you?”
(Pause) “So you’re not here after all.”
“If you’re not here, then say so!”
(Returning to his original seat, he held his hands over the brazier) “What? The fire's out?”
(Giving up, he stood up, took out a futon from the closet, wrapped himself in it, and lay down—but suddenly lifted his head) “Hey! What about dinner? Dinner…!”
(This time, he pulled the futon completely over his head and rolled over in one motion.)

Eventually, the front lattice door opened; a popular song in soprano-like tones carried the presence of a woman fresh from bathing as Koujirou's live-in partner Beniko entered.

Beniko (turning on the light to find Koujirou lying before her with only his feet protruding) “What’s wrong with you?”
“What time did you get back?”
“Are you drunk?”
(Pause) “Aren’t you drunk?”
(Pause) “Are you asleep?”
(Pause) “Aren’t you asleep?”
(Pause) “Are you going to answer?” (Pause) “Aren’t you…?”

Koujirou did not respond.

Beniko: “You’re not going to answer, are you.”
“Alright then…”
“Just you remember that.”
Without another word, she sat before the dressing table and began applying makeup. “Good.”
“That sort of behavior is downright shameful.”
“Adults ought to act like adults.”
“Just because you haven’t found work for a month doesn’t mean you need to play the unemployed man right away.”
“I did say if things still look hopeless after another month, I’ll go out working too, didn’t I?” She left an extremely refreshing smile behind as she headed toward the kitchen.

Koujirou slowly rose and headed toward the kitchen as well.

Beniko’s voice: “It’s no use looking there—there’s no charcoal in a place like that.”
“If you’re going to light a fire, use the portable charcoal stove.”
“We’re using gas now…”
“Come on, move aside, move aside…”

Before long came the sound of a fan stoking the portable charcoal stove.
The sound of Beniko singing followed.

After a while, Koujirou appeared with a charcoal shovel loaded with embers, blowing on them as he came.
He transferred the embers to the brazier.
As they threatened to die out, he struggled determinedly to keep them from extinguishing.
As the fire gradually began to kindle, he became somewhat more cheerful.
Before he knew it, he started singing along to Beniko's song.

Beniko’s voice: “Oh, a telegram came earlier.”
“It’s right here, so come get it…”

Koujirou: “Telegram...?”
“From where…”

“…………”
“Who’s it from?”
“Who it is…”
“What’s it say?”

Beniko: “So why don’t you just look at it then?”

Koujirou could probably read katakana. He told her to go ahead and read it out.

Beniko: “I don’t know who it is, but the notice says they’ll arrive at six tonight.”

Koujirou (with slight unease): “Six o’clock...”
“Who...?”
“Bring it here.”

Beniko: “My hands are full right now.”

Koujirou (going to retrieve it): “If it says six o’clock, then it’s already six o’clock, isn’t it?”

Beniko: “That’s right.”

Koujirou (emerging while looking at the telegram): “No good—they should’ve told us sooner…”
“It’s already too late, isn’t it?”

Beniko (following him): “What…?”
Koujirou: “What do you mean ‘what’? It’s about going to meet him!”
Beniko: “Moto... who’s that...?”
Koujirou: “This is trouble—him showing up unannounced.”
Beniko: “Who on earth are you talking about?”

Koujirou still hadn't said anything about it...
He was supposed to be alone here...

Beniko: "Who on earth are you talking about?"

Koujirou: "When did this telegram arrive...?"

"It came after noon."

Koujirou: “Why’d you leave it untouched till now? If it came after noon，you could’ve prepared.”

Beniko: “Never mind that—just tell me who’s coming.”

Koujirou: “It’s written right there，ain’t it? Big bro.”

Beniko: “From back home… But… Oh right．From Brother Kiichiro then.”

Koujirou: “Quit that—look at this part．Can’t you see where it was sent from?”
(Pause) But why’d he come now of all times? I told ’em to send money，but nobody ever mentioned sightseeing．

Beniko: “You’re really scared of your brother, aren’t you.”

Koujirou: “I’m not scared of him.”

Beniko: “But...”
“When we got this house, you kept saying how troublesome it’d be if your older brother found out—that’s all you ever talked about.”

“Actually, it’s troublesome,” Koujirou said with a sigh.

“Are you that worried?”

“You probably don’t realize it—this older brother isn’t your average sibling. First off, we’re a full ten years apart.”

“He must be like a father to you.”

“If he were just an old man, that’d be one thing. But since he’s acting as Father’s proxy, all he does is wield that passive authority. Ever since I was a child, I was always watching this guy’s every expression. Mother left everything up to Brother—every last one of our joys and desires got entrusted to his hands. Rebelling against him felt like losing every hope I had as a kid. Up through elementary school, nothing scared me more than when this older brother would glare and say ‘Ada zo!’”

Beniko: “What do you mean, 'Ada zo'...?”

“It’s short for ‘I won’t play with you.’”
(Pause) Yet when I graduated middle school and declared I wanted to go to Tokyo—even then—Brother didn’t oppose me.
He said he’d cover my tuition for five years.
Around that time, my feelings toward Brother had gradually begun shifting—I’d even started sensing a certain warmth—but when he sent word the very next month after I graduated music school saying he wouldn’t send a single yen as promised, I cursed him to hell.
But then again, that reaction was only natural.
A model youth who knew nothing of the world—hounded by taxes yet clinging to ancestral mountain forests—he remained convinced graduating from a Tokyo school alone would secure his desired position.
(Pause) I too had stubbornly dug in my heels at first—not only avoiding asking for money but making grandiose claims—so when my teacher took me at my word and started meddling unnecessarily...

Beniko: “The talk about arranging a bride for you…”

Koujirou: “Yeah.”
“That conviction that only he gets to choose his younger brother’s bride—that’s Brother through and through.”

(Pause) Anyway, given there'd been that kind of talk before, if he saw how things were now, there was no telling what problems might crop up.
That's what I hated.

Beniko: “For example… what kind of problem…”

Koujirou: "What kind of problems? Aren’t there tons of troublesome problems?"
Beniko: "There are problems that can’t be solved by your will alone..."

Koujirou........
Beniko: “That can’t be.”
“Then...? (Pause) You’re just scared of being scolded by Brother, aren’t you?”
Koujirou: “That’s not it.”
Beniko: “Exactly.”
Koujirou: “As long as he hasn’t even come to beg for money, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Beniko: “Then I should stay away today, shouldn’t I.”

Koujirou: “It’s fine if you stay…”
Now that she mentioned it—this was still that same old feeling he carried toward Brother.
He felt unreasonably indebted.
All right—this time he’d confront him properly.
A direct clash.

Beniko: “But why deliberately pick a fight? If you can settle things peacefully, you should.”
“If my presence complicates matters, I can leave for a while.”

“You say you’re going, Koujirou? Where exactly would you go?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine—depending on how he plays it, I’ll just give some harmless answer.”
“If needed, I’ll tell him you’re like a maid or something.”

Beniko: “Please consider my circumstances too.”

Koujirou: “Of course. So if the conversation naturally heads that way，I'll praise you.”
“I'll tell him that as long as I've got this woman here，I don't need any damn wife.”

“If you say that，it’ll only make him suspicious.”
“So I’ll handle that part smoothly somehow.”
“With this—if she were just a bit more educated or something…”

“If I were Brother, I’d say you’re just right.”
“Ah, seems like it.”

Sure enough, a voice asking for directions could be heard from the front.

“Shall we go out and see?”

“No—wait. I’ll go,” said Koujirou.
(He headed toward the entryway.)

Meanwhile, Beniko gave the area a quick tidy and slipped into the kitchen.

Koujirou’s voice: “Don’t open that one.”
“It’s on the left.”
(The sound of a lattice door opening) “Ah—Brother?”
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
“I meant to come greet you, but I’d been out since morning and only just returned... Though apparently the telegram had arrived past noon...”
“Did you come by taxi…?”
“Huh?”
“By train…”
“You managed to find your way here all right.”
“Is this all your luggage…?”
“Huh?”
“Cabbages?”
“Thank you very much for that.”
“They must have been heavy—so many of them...”

Koujirou led his older brother Kiichirou inside.

“Better place than it looks, isn’t it?”
“It’s cramped.”

Kiichirou: "What a waste for just one person."
(As he said this, he surveyed the room.)
Though women's kimonos and a dressing table were plainly visible, he deliberately ignored them. "Isn't this more cramped than a boarding house?"

Koujirou: “That’s not necessarily true. According to the newspaper, there’s been heavy snow—was your train all right?”

Kiichirou: “It was fine—I arrived right on time. But the station’s changed so much, it threw me off.”

“Ah, Ueno Station—it must have changed quite a bit.”
“Tokyo has completely lost all traces of its former self.”
“It’s become quite impressive.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll show you around properly.”
“By the way, Isobou must have grown quite big by now.”

“He’s grown big.”

A long silence.

“What’s wrong with Sister’s eyes?”

“Finally, one side’s gone.”

“Has she lost her sight?”

“She went to a doctor in Haramachi for six months.”
“That was like throwing money away.”

Koujirou: “With all the various expenses you’ve had to cover… Well…”

A long silence.

Beniko brought in tea.

“Welcome.”

Kiichirou: (Silently nods while looking back and forth between Beniko and Koujirou) "There’s no need to fuss over anything."

When Beniko withdrew again, Kiichirou’s expression abruptly turned stern. Koujirou, at a loss where to direct his gaze, frantically stirred the ashes.

Kiichirou: (Suddenly) "Hey, Koujirou!"

“Huh?”
“What’s... that.”
“Are you asking about *that*?”
“Surely she’s not a maid.”
“What does she look like?”
“It’s not about whether I can see her! Tell me the truth.”
(He seemed unable to speak, something caught in his chest)

Kiichirou: “Why are you hiding it from me?”

Koujirou (confrontationally): “I’m not hiding anything!”

Kiichirou: “That woman—where’s she from? What kind of woman is she? Why is she here?”

Koujirou: “She’s an unfortunate woman I met at a certain place.”
(At this moment, Beniko had slipped into the family room and was listening to the conversation from behind the sliding door.) “She had parents, but was sent away as a foster child since she was little...”

Kiichirou: “More importantly—what are you doing here now? Let’s hear it.”

Koujirou (quivering his lips): “Stop interrogating me like that. Do you think I have any obligation to answer you?”

Kiichirou: “Hmm… I see now. This was my failing.”
“Truth be told, I’d been waiting since earlier for you to broach that matter yourself.”
“I’ve no particular intention to meddle if you handle your own affairs through your own efforts.”
“What I cannot countenance is when your conduct drags down the honor of the Kambara house.”
“I may be inept, but I hold an honorary post in our village.”
“Should word spread that my brother’s taken up with some woman and lives dissolutely—that alone would shatter my standing utterly.”

“However, there are various circumstances involved here.”
“You won’t understand unless I explain in detail, but as I said earlier… no—rather, if I were to speak of what motivated her to start coming around recently, it’s like this.”
“It was last spring.”
“One evening at my boarding house, while practicing the violin as usual, a young woman was shown up to my room by the maid.”
“Finding it strange, when I asked why she’d come, she remained silent for a while with her eyes cast down before finally saying: ‘Actually...’”
(Beniko suppresses her laughter) “‘I live just behind here. My mother has been bedridden with a serious illness for some time now, and she says she simply can’t sleep because of the violin sounds coming from your room.’”
“‘So… I’m terribly sorry to ask this… but could you please play a little more quietly?’”
“I immediately agreed.”
“After that, when I watched carefully from my window, sure enough I saw that girl going out to buy ice or sometimes rushing off to call a doctor. Secretly imagining how diligently she must be tending to her nursing duties, I then one day unexpectedly encountered her by the roadside.”
“Then—looking quite flustered—she approached me and said hesitantly:”
“‘Um… I’m truly sorry to trouble you again… but she says she still can’t fall asleep… So could you please play just a little more quietly for a while longer?’”
“Hearing that made my face turn red.”

Kiichirou: “What?”

Koujirou: “My face...”
“My face turned red.”
“I told her I thought I’d been quite careful and apologized as much as I could—the girl must’ve taken a liking to that attitude.”
(Beniko barely suppressed laughter) “She said flattering things like ‘I love the violin—I listen every day, enjoying the sounds that drift from your room.’”
“After that, whenever we met anywhere, she’d always smile at me first.”

Kiichirou (clicking his tongue while turning his face away)

Koujirou: "It's true. When she came to tell me her mother's illness had improved and asked me to teach her the violin then, I didn't have the courage to refuse."

Kiichirou: "Enough. I don't need to hear any more of this. But you do know everything about those parents, right? They know you're living together like this too, right?"

Koujirou: "They must know—since they're apparently furious... The daughter says she absolutely won't go back. The mother came once to pick her up, didn't she..."

Kiichirou: "In any case, things can't stay like this. How about entrusting this problem to me?"

Koujirou: “In what way?”

Kiichirou: “I’ll consider your future and make sure that girl’s reputation remains untarnished.”
“Stop this undisciplined behavior for good starting today.”
“Nothing narrows one’s world more than illicit relationships.”
“A woman of unknown background—I don’t want to call someone like that my sister-in-law either.”

At this moment, Beniko slid open the sliding door and strode boldly up to Kiichirou.

“Would that be referring to me?”

Kiichirou (slightly flustered): “That’s right.”

Beniko: “How exactly can’t you comprehend my lineage? Have you made any inquiries?”

Kiichirou: “No need for inquiries when you’ve run off with some man against your parents’ will—”

Beniko (cutting in): “With a man—? Well now, if not a man, pray tell whom should one marry?”

Kiichirou: “Outlandish notion. You two even share the same manner of speech. Koujirou, remove yourself yonder. There’s a matter I must discuss with this young woman.”

“What could you possibly have to say that requires my absence?”
“That will become clear later. I have my own plan. Go over there and stay.”
“No, I won’t go.”

Kiichirou: What?

KOUJIROU (summoning all his courage): “This is my house.”

BENIKO (soothingly): “Since Brother insists this way, I’ll talk with him alone for a bit.”
“It’s alright.”

KOUJIROU: “We’ve got nothing to fear.”
(Stands up and enters the adjoining room)

KIICHIROU (suddenly sliding open the door behind him): “If you stay there, you’ll hear everything!”

BENIKO—go wait in the kitchen.
“The other side’s warmer.”

Koujirou reluctantly retreated toward the kitchen.

Kiichirou: “I may be a country simpleton and clumsy with words, but do try to grasp my meaning.”
“By society’s measure, it’s only natural for an elder brother to fret over his sibling’s waywardness.”
“That’s precisely why I’d have you comprehend this.”
“Had matters come to such a pass, you ought to have sought my counsel first—hence my earlier remarks.”
“Yet my objection stems not from your involvement alone.”
“I simply mean to say there’s a proper order and custom to all things.”

Beniko…

Kiichirou: “That’s why if people call me old-fashioned, I’m fine with that. Whether something’s old or new, as long as there’s no mistake in how the world works, I think that’s just fine. But mistakes tend to be more common in new things.”

Beniko…

Kiichirou: “Needless to say, Koujirou is my brother. Having gone to Tokyo for education, he may have ten times more capability than country folk like us. But regarding youth and weak resolve, I still believe I must keep guiding him by the hand.”
“No matter how much he resists, there’s no helping it.”
“In reality, that approach brings better results.”
“What’s happened until now proves this.”
“If we discuss it calmly, even he should understand that point.”
“In my previous letter too, I wrote that to battle through their future life, they’d still need to depend on my help for now.”
“I wrote that whether he could establish himself in society as a full-fledged musician depended entirely on my protection.”

Beniko………….

Kiichirou: “I don’t understand a thing about music—what sort of talent that guy has, whether he’ll amount to anything in the future. But precisely because I want to let whatever can grow in him grow, I’ve been straining myself to make it happen.”
“To lay it bare—we’re eating one meal and skipping the next.”
“As everyone says, the countryside these days isn’t worth discussing.”
“That too—he ought to know it.”

Beniko………….

Kiichirou: “That’s why, just when I’m about to make one last push, all I can worry about is whether he’ll go off track.”
“No matter how you put it, the most common problem is getting tangled up with some no-good woman.”
“It’s when he ruins himself over some woman.”
“If only this weren’t an issue, I believe he could reach where he needs to be.”
“It might sound odd to say this, but for my brother’s sake, I’m prepared to sacrifice myself.”
“If it’s possible, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Beniko………….

Kiichirou: “From what I hear, it seems you also care about Koujirou.”

From this moment, Koujirou appeared in the family room and listened quietly and intently.

Kiichirou: “In other words, this is for his sake—and at the same time, yours. Won’t you put an end to this unnatural, so to speak, needlessly difficult life and let me have him study properly?”

Beniko ………… (raised her face)

Kiichirou: “I won’t make unreasonable demands.”
“For the time being, entrust everything about you two to me.”

At this moment, Koujirou became so engrossed that he collided with the low dining table at his feet and overturned the kettle.
Then, panicking, he hid back toward the kitchen.

Kiichirou (lowering his voice a notch): “My opinion is this. You should temporarily return to your parents’ home. And wait for the proper timing.”

Beniko: “But I can’t possibly do that now.”

Kiichirou: “You must endure that part… There’s no need to stubbornly override your parents’ opposition. This fundamentally depends on how you choose to act. Even if we call it your parents’ opposition, you deliberately provoked that reaction yourself, didn’t you?”

“That’s not true.”
“They’ve been against me being with him from the very start.”
“For what reason…”

Beniko: “Well, it’s because they don’t understand something like music… And partly because when my mother was ill…”

Kiichirou: “She had to listen to that racket...”

Beniko: “Yes, that’s right. That may be so, but I don’t believe it constitutes a valid reason. Moreover, first of all, the fact that if he doesn’t succeed it won’t make money seems to be what’s making them anxious.”

Kiichirou: “That’s exactly the point. So just wait until he succeeds and see.”

“There’s no telling when that would ever happen.”

Kiichirou: “If even you feel this way, it leaves things too uncertain. You’ll wait until I properly settle matters from my end.”

Beniko: “I refuse. No matter what anyone says, I won’t consent. He’s already lost all credibility with my family.”

Kiichirou: “Why?”

“My father says he can’t bear to look at his face anymore.”

At this moment, Koujirou peered out from the kitchen again.

Kiichirou: “If that’s how it stands, it becomes rather troublesome—but there must be some misunderstanding at play here.”
“In any case, we must redo everything from the beginning.”
“Unless he himself—naturally—and I, as his older brother, apologize for everything thus far and have a proper discussion, that misunderstanding will never be resolved.”
“For that to happen, you absolutely cannot remain by Koujirou’s side as things currently stand.”
“No matter what, you must return home first.”
“Depending on circumstances, I could even accompany you there myself.”

Beniko: “No, no, I must decline that.”
“If you were to do such a thing, that would be the end of it.”
“I don’t know by what method I might be rendered unable to move.”

Kiichirou: “Since you’re not a child either, when the time comes, there should be a way for you to make up your mind.”
“By breaking down the matter to seek understanding first, then if it truly becomes unavoidable, I’ll silently permit what you both do.”
“I’ll become your ally too.”
“Until then, as my duty, I must do what I can.”

Beniko (in a tearful voice): “I understand.”
“When you phrase it that way, it makes steeling my resolve easier.”

Kiichirou: “It must be painful, but steel yourself and do this properly once.”

Koujirou had, before he knew it, pressed his ear against the sliding door.

Suddenly, Beniko burst into tears with a loud cry.

Koujirou (suddenly pushed open the sliding door): “What’s wrong?!”
“I knew things would turn out like this.”
“Beni-chan, you don’t have to listen to anything Brother says.”

Kiichirou: “Now, sit there.”

Koujirou had already understood the conversation without needing to hear it.

“Get out!”
“Get out of here!”
“Even if you’re my older brother, you don’t need to meddle to that extent!”

Kiichirou (calmly): “Getting agitated won’t help. Getting agitated...”

Koujirou: “What right do you have to interfere in people’s lives? Where does your confidence even come from? How much of human destiny can someone like you possibly grasp? What kind of world have you seen while playing village treasurer? What philosophy could a Reserve Infantry Second Lieutenant possibly have?!”

Kiichirou: “What did you say? Who do you think you’re speaking to with that tone?”
(advancing)

Koujirou (somewhat intimidated): “It’s not aimed at anyone.”

Kiichirou: “You idiot!”

A long silence.

Kiichirou: "You do not regard your older brother as an older brother at all, do you? Think back to when you were little. Who was it that played all day at the riverbank until exhausted, then slept soundly on my back on the way home?"

Koujirou...

Kiichirou: "Who was it that rushed out and saved you when you were acting all cocky and about to get assaulted by young men from the village?"

Koujirou...

Kiichirou: "If I were to list such things, there are still countless more."

“Shut up!”

“If you find it so bothersome, I won’t say another word.”
“Recall it yourself.”
“It was when you first started elementary school.”
“Do you remember nearly getting run over by a steam train on the iron bridge?”

Koujirou…

Kiichirou: “You remember，don’t you?”
“It was me who stopped that steam train back then.”
(Pause.) “To these eyes，the you from those days and the you now are one and the same.”

“Shut up!”

“Annoying or not‚ I’ll say this much‚”
“I’ll keep holding your hand until the day I die‚”

“That’s unnecessary‚”
“Enough‚”
“Go home‚”
“You’re in the way‚”

Kiichirou: “In that case, I’ll leave.”
“I brought money with me, but what should I do about it?”

Koujirou: “I don’t need that anymore.”
“From now on, I won’t rely on you for anything…”

Kiichirou: “I see.”
“It can’t be helped.”
(Slowly stands up)

While Kiichirou was heading toward the entryway, Beniko stared fixedly at Koujirou’s face. But as if suddenly remembering something, she chased after Kiichirou.
Their figures disappeared.

Koujirou slumped limply into a seated position there.

Koujirou (after thinking for a while): Hey, Beni-chan, take the money from older brother.

Kiichirou: No—I can’t hand this over now.

Koujirou: Leave [it]!

Kiichirou: I’ll do some Tokyo sightseeing for the first time in ages on my way back.
“I’ll allocate it to cover those expenses.”

“Leave half here!”

“No, no—I’ll use half to buy souvenirs for my return trip.”

Koujirou (in a low voice): “Remember this!”

The sound of the entryway lattice door opening.

Kiichirou’s voice called out: “Farewell to this ‘Beni-chan’ or whatever.”

Eventually, Beniko appeared.

Koujirou (feigning energy): “Ah… exhilarating, exhilarating…
Today I finally told that older brother—the one I’ve never been able to stand up to until now—everything I wanted to say.
Now there’s nothing left under heaven to fear!
The crown of my head suddenly feels refreshed.”

Beniko: “But you didn’t need to go that far with your words. I thought you’d be completely clueless, but you actually spoke rather well.”

Koujirou: “What the hell are you on about?”

Beniko: “In the end it amounts to the same thing, but what older brother said isn’t without reason.”

“Are you saying we should break up?”

“It won’t come to breaking up.
If the discussion doesn’t work out, I mean, we can just leave home again.”

“Huh?”

“He’s already given his consent to us being together.”

“Did he say that?”
“You didn’t know that… you…”
“Then why were you crying?”
“Because somehow the idea of temporarily going back home made me sad.”

Koujirou (making a face that said the story had changed)

Beniko: “And also，Brother’s kindness struck my heart in a strange way.”
“This kind of thing has never happened before.”

Koujirou: “He’s all smooth talk.”

Beniko: "That's wrong."
"I want you to trust Brother."
"Look at this."
(She pulls five bills from her obi and holds them out)

Koujirou: "What's that...?"

Beniko: "He gave it to me at the entryway just now."

About Koujirou-kun……
(After a long pause) Oh no……
(As if to dispel some obsessive thought, shaking his head while picking up the violin from the alcove and beginning to play recklessly)

Beniko: Brother is pitiable too.
"After going through all that trouble coming from the countryside—now he has to search for an inn in this cold."

Koujirou…
Beniko: “Hey,” should we call him back one more time?

Koujirou (throwing down the violin) Damn it!
The crown of his head had gone and gotten heavy again.

CURTAIN.