Published: August 15, 2025
That day, I was crying.
“Mom… Mom…!”
Tears flowed endlessly, streaming down my cheeks and falling onto the tatami mat. For two months, I had been locked away in my late mother's room. Clinging to the faint lingering scent of her, I had been crying endlessly.
…Even my father was astonished at how I could keep crying so much. To him, mother was just a woman to bear children, and once my younger brother was born, he lost interest. But to me, she was my one and only mother. We had lived together for only seven years. I still loved her dearly and couldn’t even accept her death.
“Mom… why did you have to leave? I love you so much. Why did you have to leave me behind? Why…”
A large hand patted my sobbing back.
“Please don’t cry anymore, young lady.”
Slowly patting me like putting a baby to sleep, a warm hand.
“Your late mother did not leave you behind. She has only gone slightly ahead into the future and is waiting for you.”
“...Waiting...?”
I pulled back my tears at those incomprehensible words and turned around. There were kind eyes the color of the sea. His hair was golden, shining like the sun. He was a menial worker who served the Kioin, about ten years older than me. His name was… Deputy Minister Anjirou.
Looking into his watery eyes, he smiled and nodded.
“I also lost my parents when I was younger than you are now. It’s a little lonely, but also reassuring. When I eventually go there, I won’t be alone. My parents, who arrived before me, will have prepared a soft futon and warm food for me—thinking this way, loneliness and fear disappear.”
“...What are you talking about?”
I frowned. His words truly made no sense to me.
I was only seven—yet already seven. I actually understood death, but I just couldn’t process the overwhelming sadness. I didn’t want fairy tale comfort.
When I glared at him with tear-filled eyes, he furrowed his brows in confusion.
“Hmm, even if you glare like that, I don't have any better words. Like I said, I lost my parents when I was so young I barely remember them. I couldn’t even properly grieve or remember their faces or names…”
Deputy Minister Anjirou folded his arms and pondered for a moment. Then suddenly, he clapped his hands.
“That’s right, let’s do this. From now on, I will be your mother.”
“...Mother?”
I blinked in surprise. Tears spilled down again, but more than that, I was curious about his words. While wiping my cheeks with the sleeve of his kimono, Anjirou nodded.
“Yes, mother. In place of your late mother, I will take your hand and accompany you on strolls along the shore.”
“...Piggyback rides… if I get tired, will you give me piggyback rides too?”
“Of course. Piggyback rides, carrying you, high up in the air, or playing horsey.”
“Horsey is dad’s job, so I don’t need that.”
I said firmly, and he laughed heartily.
“Understood. Then while the lord is in the capital, I shall become your horse. Preparing rice balls and pickles, we will travel down rivers, cross mountains, and go to the capital.”
“To the capital? Deputy Minister Anjirou, you’ll take me to the capital?”
When I asked, Anjirou smiled softly and nodded. My reflection shone in his blue eyes. I wiped away my tears and instead gave a full smile. I didn’t want my crying face reflected in his kind sea-colored eyes.
When I stopped crying, Anjirou laughed joyfully and hugged me tightly. Then he slipped his hands under my arms and lifted me high, almost to the ceiling, spinning me around.
Amazing! I had never seen such a high view before! I squealed with delight and excitement.
After our fun, my stomach growled loudly. Anjirou immediately went to the kitchen to fetch some sweets for me. He asked which tea leaves I liked, brewed them in a teapot, and brought it over. He even brewed some for himself. Together, in my late mother’s room, we relaxed. Although it was the usual sweets and tea, that day they tasted especially delicious.
When I wondered aloud why, Anjirou nodded knowingly.