That evening, walking back to the station alone, Sachi stopped in front of a small gallery she’d never noticed before. Tucked between a laundromat and a shuttered ramen shop, its windows glowed with a soft, amber light. A single painting was displayed in the window: a woman’s back, half-turned, standing at the edge of an unseen sea. Her hair was undone, blowing in a wind that Sachi could almost feel.
That night, when Haruki came home and kissed her forehead, murmuring an exhausted apology, Sachi smiled her gentle smile and said, “It’s okay.” kimi wa yasashiku netorareru 1
He picked up his bag of vegetables, gave her one last, unreadable look, and walked into the gallery. The door chimed softly. The amber light swallowed him whole. That evening, walking back to the station alone,
Sachi stood there for a long time. When she finally walked to the station, her train arrived, and she boarded it, and she went home to the apartment she shared with Haruki. He was still at work. She made tea, sat on the couch, and opened her book. But the words blurred. All she could see was the woman’s back, her hair in the wind, and the sea that never arrived. Her hair was undone, blowing in a wind
He reached across the table and squeezed her fingers. “You’re an angel. Next weekend, I swear. I’ll clear everything.”
“That’s a sad thought,” she whispered.
End of Part 1