Chapter 9

The shop wasn’t open on Mondays, giving all three of them time to rest.

“So, what do you want to do today?” Kenji asked.

The three of them were having breakfast in the dining room. On Mondays, Amaya would cook only for breakfast, and they had to find their own food for lunch and dinner.

“You can stay home or go around on your own, if you want. Or I can show you around town.”

Despite being here for a week, Tsukiko hadn't seen that much of the town yet. She saw the hospital, the road between the hospital and this area, and the police station. That's about it. Kenji knew some other interesting places, some only opened after she left for the mainland. A day wouldn’t be enough.

“I don't mind going around with you.”

“Just be careful,” Amaya said all of a sudden. “Brother will definitely go around introducing you to his friends, claiming you're his girlfriend.”

“I will not.”

Tsukiko sat there and smiled. Kenji could feel her glare drilling him.

“Seriously, I won’t. Ignore whatever Amaya said.”

“… Alright.”

“Hey, that's evil! You hurt my heart.” She pretended to cover her eyes and looked down. Zero chance she wasn't lying.

“What a gremlin,” Tsukiko said.

“Who are you calling a gremlin!?” Amaya barked.

Kenji didn’t know what a gremlin meant, but he decided not to ask.

After that, the two decided to straight-up ignore Amaya, much to her annoyance. After breakfast, they went to the garage and headed out. Kenji drove his white truck down the road.

“... Did you fix this as well?” she asked.

This wasn’t the first time Tsukiko got into his truck. She seemed comfortable, despite the truck’s age. The truck lacked many of the modern features found on newer trucks. It didn’t have AC, no infotainment screens, and a barebones radio system playing pop songs from the 80s. They had the windows rolled down, enjoying the natural breeze.

Despite all that, Tsukiko never complained.

“Yep. To be fair, it was already in good condition when I bought it. I just did a little fixing.”

“Impressive. You really can fix everything.”

“Not really everything. But, for most things, there are ample resources on the internet about how they work and how you can fix them.”

“So you study them?”

“Yeah. Sometimes, it took a lot of trial and error, but I always found it satisfying.”

The frustration of failure, the excitement of success. That gratifying feeling when he finished a project he had spent many hours on. He treasured those feelings, and he wanted to continue experiencing them. Hence why, despite not always succeeding, he found himself continuously taking risks. Buying broken items and figuring out how to fix them later.

“What's the thing you struggle with the most?”

Kenji pondered the answer as they waited at a red light. His answer came right before the light turned green.

“Our washing machine, I think.”

“Washing machine?” Tsukiko asked in disbelief. What answer was she expecting?

Tsukiko helped the siblings with household tasks, so she had used the washing machine before. Unlike the items in the antique shop, the machine looked neither old nor broken.

“It’s been a while. The thing just won’t spin.”

That day, it was his sister’s turn to deal with the laundry. She came running straight to him, demanding that he fix it.

“It took me a week before I figured out what was wrong.”

For an entire week, the two went to a self-service laundry. It cost a considerable sum.

“It's that difficult?”

“A lot of damaged parts, and I never touched a washing machine before.” Even now, Kenji sometimes wondered why he couldn’t get it working right away. Granted, there were some items that he didn’t fix. Maybe, had he put in more effort, those repairs would have taken more time, taking the one-week record away.

“... This reminds me…” Tsukiko gazed at the sea beyond. The blue waves seemed endless, extending to the corners of the world.

“My grandfather used to take us on drives.”

Being close friends, Kenji knew Tsukiko's grandfather before he became his apprentice.

“You're right. It was a lot of fun.”

They spent countless hours together. At some point, Kenji thought Amaya would be by his side forever.

“Which reminded me… didn’t grandfather say that I’ll marry you one day?” Tsukiko snickered.

“O- Oh, did he? I forgot?”

Kenji actually remembered the event. 

“Yeah. We were like a couple, although sometimes Amaya did come with us.”

A couple with their daughter. Kenji had the truck’s windows rolled down during days like these, allowing the breeze to help cool the vehicle. He glanced at the mirror, his reflection staring back at him. His cheeks had reddened slightly. He could only hope that Tsukiko didn’t notice.

“Amaya didn't talk a lot back then, though.”

Kenji let out a wry smile. He knew just how much his sister had changed over the years.

“I wonder how he reacted to seeing the current Amaya.”

“Quite surprised.”

It was a gradual change, though, so Tsukiko's grandfather got used to it over time.

“Amaya will definitely bonk you if she hears you talking about her.”

“Bonks…?”

“You don’t know bonk?”

Kenji had heard the word before, but he couldn’t remember the context that came with it.

“Hit. She’ll hit you.”

“Oh, yeah, I can see her doing that. Anyway, here we are.”

They arrived in front of a tall lighthouse painted red and white.

“Come on, let's go in.”

The sign next to the entrance stated that this lighthouse is twenty-five meters tall, built all the way back in 1898, even older than Tsukiko’s grandfather.

“Had I seen this… no, I'd still crash.”

“Well, navigation wasn't the issue.”

This side of the island did have a lot of rocky beaches, hence the need for a lighthouse. Right before they entered, a family of four got out and entered the only car parked in the parking lot.

“Whoa, an entire lighthouse all for ourselves,” Tsukiko said, watching them as they drove away.

“Some people might have walked here.” Kenji looked up at the tall building. “Just making sure, you’re not scared of heights, are you?”

“No?”

“Good, Amaya will cry if I bring her up there.”

“Amaya?”

Kenji nodded. “You’ll be surprised at how incompetent she is at certain stuff. She can't swim, is scared of heights, and isn't good in the dark.”

“That… sounds like pretty normal fears.”

“But you’ll have to admit, she looks pretty perfect from the outside, right?”

“Guess so.”

The two began ascending the many steps leading to the top floor. Inside, small windows provided lighting for the stairs. The lack of artificial lighting made the interior quite dark. Tsukiko struggled to keep up.

“...” Kenji stopped and waited for her.

“Sorry,” she said.

“No, it’s fine.”

Should I…?

A gentleman would offer her a hand and assist her up. But would it be alright? Tsukiko wouldn’t think of him as weird, would she? Surely, all he needed to do was offer her a hand. If she didn’t need help, that's fine. Yet, at the same time, Kenji couldn’t say the words. He couldn’t admit that he wanted to help. He didn’t want to belittle her.

“Umm…”

“Is everything okay?” Tsukiko asked.

Yeah, she’ll be fine. 

“No, it’s nothing.”

Kenji continued stepping up. Just then, he heard something knocking against the walls. He jerked his head around, seeing Tsukiko breathing heavily, hanging onto the handles, her left leg against the wall.

“A- Are you alright?”

“That spooked me… But don’t worry, I’m fine.”

“I- I’m sorry!”

Tsukiko stabilized herself, planting both feet back on the stairs. She then looked up at him. “What are you apologizing for?”

“I… It’s my fault-”

Tsukiko laughed, her cheeks red. “What are you talking about? I was the one not being careful. But damn, it really is dark in here.”

“B- But…”

Had he offered a hand, then she wouldn’t have slipped in the first place.

“Come on, let’s continue.” She urged him onward. 

The two continued their climb for quite a while. Kenji tried to walk carefully, maintaining his pace so he didn’t get separated.

“Whoops-”

“Tsukiko! Are you alright!?” He stopped and turned around.

Tsukiko held the handles tight, letting out a wry smile. “I’m a bit clumsy today. Maybe I didn’t get enough sleep last night?”

Kenji didn’t see it, but he could guess who caused that. His heart filled with regret. All he needed to do was offer help, then she wouldn’t fall twice.

“... You’re looking like I had tumbled down the lighthouse or something. Just to be clear, I haven’t fallen.”

Even so, she slipped. Twice. Anyone else would have offered help. He knew his sister would.

“By the way, this is a bit embarrassing, but can you help me up? It’s a bit too dark for me.”

Tsukiko reached out her left hand. It was as if she gave him permission. Gently, he took her hand and guided her upward. Her hand was small, soft, and warm. Kenji’s heartbeat quickened as she gripped him tight, relying on him to provide stability.

“It’s embarrassing, isn’t it?” Tsukiko asked with a smile. Kenji glanced backward, then brought his eyes to the stairs in front of him.

She’s… pretty.

Kenji always knew that. He stayed by her side for so long; of course, he would fall for her. Still, he didn’t deserve to be by her side. To be the one she chose for life.

“N- No, I don’t think so-”

“You never hesitated when you helped me.”

“I-“ Kenji turned around, his breath caught in his throat.

The way Tsukiko smiled at him reminded him of his childhood. When they didn’t care about the world. A pair of children running around together in their small town. When having fun was the most important thing. When he could say whatever he wanted to say, no problem. When being kind was natural for him. Not something he needed to think about.

“But you’ve always been reliable, Kenji, so I guess it’s no surprise.”

Me? Reliable? That couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Tsukiko looked up, gazing at the space above them. “It- It’s quite tall, isn’t it?”

“Ye- Yeah… We need to be careful... But... we're almost there.”

“Yep. Wouldn’t want to fall again,” she said in such a cheerful voice. If anything, that made Kenji even more concerned.

The two continued their climb, eventually ending up on the top floor of the lighthouse. A large piece of glass occupied the center of the floor.

“This is called a Fresnel lens. A lot of lighthouses use these lenses.”

“I see…” Tsukiko got as close as she could, observing the lens from all angles.

It had a unique shape compared to regular lenses. It looked pretty; that’s for sure. Kenji then took her outside, the cool breeze hitting their faces.

“It’s beautiful up here.”

They could see the mainland from here, along with the city and the two large bridges that connected the island. Traffic filled the bridges; boats sailed the waters. The people in the distance looked like ants from this far up.

“Interesting, right?” Kenji smiled, looking at the view. “I often come up here just to kill time.”

“You don’t find it boring?”

He shook his head. “Sometimes I imagine the sights of a hundred years ago.”

Neither bridge existed back then. The island was less crowded, and there wouldn’t be as many concrete buildings around. Wooden buildings and traditional housing dotted the island. Most people would be walking, with some on horses and others riding a carriage, maybe a car or two.

“It’s… an interesting sight.”

“I know, right?”

Every one of them has their story.

Their failures, their struggles. Their regrets. Things they wanted to do but couldn’t.

Countless stories, all a part of history. Kenji always finds it fascinating. Stories that continued to shape their current lives, long after the people who created them left this world. The lighthouse watched as generations came and went, and while it no longer worked, it would continue watching over the people as the future arrived.

What kind of future awaits someone like me? Kenji wondered, his thoughts floating into the wind.