The Passengers on the Hankyu Line

Nigawa Station

‘See, look!’

After the train pulled away from Koto’en Station, Miho-chan – whom everyone except her boyfriend Kei’ichi called Gon-chan – pointed excitedly at the forty-five-degree slope that came almost right up to the railway cutting.

‘See the withered bracken? In summer it was chock-a-block with it.’

She wasn’t wrong. Like himself, Miho came from the countryside and knew how to identify such things, and those indeed were the unmistakable hunched and withered remnants of bracken on the slope.

‘Yeah, that’s definitely bracken. So?’

‘Soon enough it’ll be spring.’

‘Yeah … meaning what?’

‘There are sure to be lots of fiddleheads growing. It’s a secret spot nobody knows about.’

He could tell where she was going with this but he pretended otherwise.

‘And?’

‘I thought I could go pick them.’

There it was. Kei’ichi glared at Miho with a stern look.

‘No way, that’s a terrible idea.’

‘Why do you say that? They’ll go to waste, untouched in the wild like that.’

‘No. Way,’ he repeated, pausing between words for emphasis. ‘Just how do you intend to get down there? It’s along the railroad tracks, yeah? It’s a steep slope, no?’

‘Well, maybe we could tether a safety line at the top to lower me down.’

‘The railway cuts through the slope and there’s a construction site at the top. It’s gated off, isn’t it?’

‘Maybe early in the morning, I could just slip past the barrier. I wouldn’t be going in there to do anything bad, just to pick bracken, and then I’d be on my way.’

‘No way.’

‘But the other day when I talked to one of the construction workers, he said they aren’t doing anything with the bracken … he laughed and said if I could get to it, I could have it.’

Oh boy … she was amiable enough – though in odd places and in odd ways – and old guys took a liking to her. Kei’ichi let out a sigh.

‘I’m sure he was just joking with you because he knew there’s no way you’d be able to get to it.’

‘I can get to it, I’m a country girl!’

‘That makes no difference! What’s gonna happen if you fall? You could really hurt yourself!’

‘Whaaat? There are trees that I can grab on to, especially on that incline …’

‘I’ll be damned if “that incline” isn’t forty-five degrees!’

‘Well then, I could go in from the track side, slip in just a little before the first train.’

‘That’s an even more terrible idea!’ Kei’ichi’s eyes flashed with anger.

Miho pouted sullenly.

Oh boy, he thought again. She really looked pretty when she made that face. And he was head over heels. But no matter how pretty she was – or rather, because she was so pretty, all the more reason why he had to prevent her from doing this.

‘Why are you so hung up on the bracken? It’s not like it’s anything special, you and I both know.’

‘Because the pickings are right there for the taking …’

‘But you could just go back home and pick as much as you like, can’tcha?’

Miho cast her eyes down and grabbed Kei’ichi’s sleeve.

‘If I go home for spring break, I won’t get to see you.’

Damn, she’s cute. In spite of himself, Kei’ichi averted his gaze.

It just so happened that he had spoken to his parents on the phone the night before, and they had asked whether he planned to come home during spring break. Picturing Miho, he had demurred, using the excuse that he’d been back there for the New Year.

Since they both knew from the start that neither of them had any experience with dating, it had the opposite effect of making their relationship feel more relaxed. Neither had to pretend that they knew what they were doing, and they were able to test things out together as they went along. The tempo of their relationship seemed to suit them both, since neither was trying to prove anything.

Even on their first date, eating takoyaki at the food court at the shopping arcade at Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi, they had so much fun together and were smiling so widely, people might have thought they were punch drunk.

Still, it wasn’t until they’d been dating for several months that Miho started coming over to where Kei’ichi lived. She may have suspected an ulterior motive (which he might not have denied), and Miho didn’t have the nerve to admit that she herself wanted to come over.

What finally got them past this stalemate was when Kei’ichi caught a cold.

She showed up at his place using the navigation on her phone to guide her to the address he had texted her.

‘Kei’ichi-kun, you said that you cook for yourself so I assumed you’d have kitchen utensils,’ she said as she arrived with ingredients to make okayu rice porridge, along with canned peaches. He had run out of rice so he was grateful to her for bringing over a two-kilo bag, but when he saw the book of recipes for the sick – for beginners, no less – it gave him pause. Especially when he saw all the pages marked with sticky notes.

After showing her in and then getting back into bed, Kei’ichi called out haltingly, ‘Um, you know, Miho-chan, my rice cooker has a setting for making okayu, if you like …’

He was worried about offending her pride, but Miho smiled as she looked up while she considered which pot to use. ‘That’s good to know,’ she said. ‘I thought it wouldn’t do just to heat up a ready-made pouch, but when I practised making okayu at my aunt’s house it wasn’t all that great … I’m desperately hoping that the second time it’ll come out better – it’s kind of a do-or-die situation.’

Her reply made him laugh, which led to a coughing fit.

He’d gladly try her do-or-die okayu – but on the other hand, he’d just as soon not have to eat something questionable. Even taking his fever into account, he was captivated by how pretty Miho was when she smiled. Maybe he wanted to be mollycoddled a little.

She followed the rice cooker’s manual and managed to make a passable okayu, and when she brought over a bowl to him, he asked her to feed him.

As usual, Miho’s cheeks went up in flames.

But she obliged, tentatively spooning up porridge and blowing on it before bringing it to his lips. She also fed him the chilled peaches, using a fork to break the fruit into smaller bites.

‘That was delicious, thank you.’

‘Thank your friend, Mr Rice Cooker.’ With a bashful smile, she gestured at the machine as if she were making an introduction. ‘The next time this happens, though, I’ll be the one doing the cooking … or at least I hope to be.’

He welled up with laughter at the way she backed out in the middle of making this declaration, which led to another painful coughing fit.

‘Quick, lie back down.’ Miho helped him get under the covers and then asked if he had any medicine.

‘I still have some of what I bought.’ As he was speaking, he realized how close her face was to his.

… Uh, is this about to be our first kiss?

‘I don’t want to give you my cold,’ he warned her.

Miho said she wasn’t worried.

‘My exams are over for the semester, and I’m not going home until the festival … so if I get sick my aunt will take care of me. Plus, I’m pretty healthy.’

As she enumerated her excuses, she brushed her soft lips tentatively against his chapped, feverish ones.

It was at Christmas when they took their relationship to another level.

Though they were both students with limited means, the plan was for them to have a little feast at Kei’ichi’s apartment, complete with Christmas cake for two. They called it a feast but Miho was still inexperienced with cooking and Kei’ichi’s repertoire was limited to simple dishes. So the menu was a choice between temaki sushi or nabe, and they decided on nabe because it was nice to sit around the hot pot in winter.

They had already picked out their presents for each other: matching Swatches that they’d found at the Loft department store in Umeda. Kei’ichi had bought hers and Miho bought his. Still not entirely used to being a couple, they were a little embarrassed about going to the part of the store that sold his-and-hers rings and accessories.

On that Christmas day, neither of them had to worry about catching a cold, and they both probably expected that the evening would end with a kiss.

When the time came to exchange gifts, Kei’ichi handed her two packages.

‘Wait, what’s this for?’

‘Well, the men’s watch cost more. So this is to make up the difference.’

‘You didn’t have to do that! I live with my aunt so I have more flexibility …’

‘Are you saying I’m to be pitied? I can’t have that.’ His hometown accent had inadvertently crept into his voice. ‘C’mon, just open it.’

They’d been dating for more than six months so he had a pretty good idea of her tastes. He was confident that she would like what he had chosen.

Inside was a necklace with a hand-blown glass pendant. The design was delicate, in pale pastels of mostly pink and green.

In the weeks before Christmas, Kei’ichi had saved up by working more hours at his part-time job, so this was within his budget, plus he had occasionally seen Miho wearing something similarly understated.

The saleswoman had also given him the hard sell, emphasizing how reasonably priced it was for such a unique item.

‘Since it’s hand-blown glass, each one that the artisan makes will have subtle variations in colour and shape. So you could say it’s one of a kind.’

His tone was slightly apologetic – the necklace had not been expensive – but all the same, Miho put it on right away.

‘I love hand-blown glass! Thank you!’

Come to think of it, now he remembered that Kyushu, where she was from, was famous for its hand-blown glass.

‘Ah, I forgot!’ Miho said, clapping her hands together. ‘I have another one too! It’s a Christmas present that my friends gave me today …’

She rummaged around in her bag, retrieving an oblong package that she held out with both hands.

‘It’s probably sweets of some sort. I thought we could have it with the cake.’ She began to unwrap the Christmas-themed paper – but then she suddenly became rigid, almost dramatically so.

‘… Miho-chan, those aren’t sweets.’

The packaging featured cute childlike characters, but it was plain that the items inside were intended for adults. Miho was not so naïve that she didn’t recognize what they were.

Miho’s cheeks went up in flames. This time, even her hands that had been unwrapping the package were flushed.

‘I guess I … was wrong …’

It was painfully clear that she hadn’t known what was inside. Her agitation made him burst out laughing.

‘Wha— I can’t believe it! Why on earth would they have given this to me?!’

‘Your friends probably wanted you to open it in front of them. They wanted to see your reaction!’ Miho’s friends could not have known that Kei’ichi would get to enjoy the display all to himself.

‘What the hell were they thinking?! I can’t bring something like this back to my aunt’s house!’

Miho could just imagine her old friends making fun of her. Why don’t you leave them at your boyfriend’s place?

Kei’ichi suggested it himself. ‘Why not just leave them here? Your aunt goes into your room sometimes, doesn’t she? To clean it or something?’

Of course it would be terribly awkward if Miho’s aunt happened to find these.

‘But don’t your friends come over here to hang out?’

‘Guys wouldn’t think anything of it … If you’ve got a girlfriend, it’s totally normal to have them around. That packaging might be a little embarrassing … but it’s no big deal – it’s fine to keep them here.’

From Miho’s wide-eyed look, he realized that he’d said too much.

She raised her hand and asked quietly, ‘Do you … have some?’

It was a difficult question to answer truthfully.

‘Oh … well … just in case. It’s not as if I don’t have those desires.’

‘Um, you mean, to use with me?’

‘Don’t make me mad!’

Her question offended him. She apologized and gazed at him with upturned eyes. When used with the right person, it was the strongest weapon in any girl’s arsenal – it made her invincible. And he was the right person.

‘It’s Christmas … we could take them out of that embarrassing package and put them to use?’

Having fired the starting gun, Miho took off the necklace she had just put on, ‘just to be on the safe side’.

But neither of them had any experience with what came next.

He didn’t want to hurt her or force himself on her – whenever she stiffened up, she’d apologize and say she was fine. But he could tell by the tension in her body that she was fibbing.

‘… Sorry, I don’t know what I’m doing so do you mind if I turn on the light?’

He thought it’d be easier if he could see whether things were going all right, but she rejected his request with a yelp.

‘I don’t want you to … if we keep trying, I’m sure we’ll get there.’

Little by little, going by what didn’t seem to hurt, they finally found their way, although by that time it was long past midnight and he didn’t want to think about how many of the items from that embarrassing package they had wasted.

Miho fell asleep, whether from exhaustion or just from it being over, and as he looked at her sleeping face, he hated to wake her.

‘Miho-chan, don’t you need to go back home?’

He could not have predicted the confession that she now made.

‘It’s OK … I said that I was staying out all night at a karaoke club with my friends.’ She opened her sleepy eyes. ‘I didn’t know whether or not this would happen tonight, but even if we were just sleeping, I wanted to stay over at your place. I’m only rarely allowed to stay out, for special occasions.’

‘Just sleeping’ – he wasn’t sure that it ever would have worked out that way.

He wondered if she hadn’t concocted that story with her friends’ help, which might have explained their present.

Kei’ichi got into bed too. After the night’s desperate struggle, they would greet the morning together for the first time.

Apparently Miho had consulted with her friends about how to do it so that it wouldn’t hurt as much, which led to them teasing Kei’ichi for a little while.

Whatever it is, Miho-chan always wants to know the best way to do things, but I wish she would have thought about how awkward this is for me … Then again, it seemed that the advice Miho’s older and wiser friends had given her had helped, because she no longer grimaced during the act.

It turned out there was something to be said for finding the best way to do something.

‘OK, then.’ Kei’ichi nodded.

‘Huh, really?’ Miho’s voice was upbeat.

‘That slope is too steep, it’s still out of the question.’

Even if she could figure out the best way to do it, this wasn’t something he would ever go along with.

Her expression suddenly brightened when he said, ‘Instead, once spring comes around, we can do lots of hiking. You can forage for all the bracken and sansai, as many edible wild plants as you like. If we go deep into the mountains, I’m sure a couple of country kids like us can find them.’

‘Hooray!’ Miho clapped her hands and whooped like a child.

Is that really how college girls acted nowadays? This was something he wondered every so often, but that was also what he found so irresistible about her.

‘If we get off at Nigawa, there’s a trail at Mount Kabuto that supposedly takes about two hours. We could go check it out today? Even just walking on the dry riverbed, I bet we could find some wild rocambole and strawberry saxifrage.’

‘All right, let’s go!’

Miho paused and cocked her head. ‘But strawberry saxifrage, isn’t that only used medicinally in a tincture …?’

‘Actually, I looked it up in a foraging field guide, and it said that the leaves are surprisingly delicious fried in tempura. It seems like there are lots of hiking trails along the Hankyu Line.’

Miho stared at Kei’ichi, without blinking.

‘… What?’

‘You went to the trouble of looking it up?’

It was a straightforward enough question, and all he could do was stammer in response. Miho had mentioned the bracken along the railway cutting in between Koto’en and Nigawa a while ago, and though he’d rejected that idea, he had come up with an alternative plan.

He couldn’t allow her to attempt the forty-five-degree slope alone, nor did he want to go along with her to do the thing that she had set her mind on. He suspected that the reason she wanted to pick bracken was because it was something she did with her family. Maybe she was feeling a little homesick.

‘No, I just thought it would be fun too. I’ve got nothing against going to the mountains. That’s why,’ he said, and Miho slipped her arm through his.

‘Thank you. It makes me very happy that you would do that with me.’

And now for the clincher.

‘… So, the forty-five-degree slope is off limits, right?’

He made her pinkie-swear and then he changed the subject.

‘So anyway, whatever happened with that torii gate? When we first started dating, didn’t you say that you would get up the nerve to go and ask them about it?’

‘Hmm … I think I might prefer to let that lie. I’m not sure I need to know.’

When he asked her why, she laughed.

‘Because that’s how we met. My heart goes pitter-patter whenever I think of it and I want to hold on to that feeling for as long as I can – and to keep the mystery.’

Kei’ichi pursed his lips and glared at Miho, and then he flicked her forehead with his index finger.

‘Ouch! What’s that for?!’

Kei’ichi looked away as she put a hand to her forehead.

Because you just casually said something that made me want to take you in my arms and hold you tight – but we’re in public.

The train stopped at Nigawa and they got off, Miho holding his hand while she rubbed her flicked forehead with the other hand.