02 Marimo Girls ~Going to Shiraoi~
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An early July night.
Summer had finally arrived in Akan.
Here in Akan, the temperature drops at night in the summer, and it's cold enough to wear short sleeves.
But it's still the summer we've all been waiting for.
The two Marimo Girls
A singing and dancing show was held at a hot spring inn on Lake Akan.
He makes a living from tips from customers.
The chef, who was a good friend of the two, is said to be in Tokyo.
The letter I received earlier simply said, "I'm working hard in Tokyo."
The two of them kept the letter as a treasure.
A kind old lady from the senior citizens' association passed away last winter after catching a bad cold.
It was such a sudden event that the Marimo Girls couldn't believe it.
Since my grandmother passed away, there have been almost no events at the senior citizens' association.
Because of this, the Marimo Girls' show has also been cancelled.
However, we cannot afford to be discouraged.
The Marimo Girls have something amazing that's different from before.
It is the "home" in which we live.
Although it was called a "house," it was actually a small storage shed that nobody had used for a long time.
They bought it using all the money they had saved from shows.
It was a big purchase for the two of them, and one that took days and days of discussion before they decided.
So when the house became theirs, they were incredibly happy.
I opened the door to the house and went in and out again and again, looking at the shed from outside and grinning.
The two of them stared at the house without getting bored, counting the number of boards on the ceiling over and over again.
There is a huge difference between having a house and not having one.
Not only can they shelter from the rain and dew, but they can also practice their "Marimo Show" without any hesitation.
They were proud to have their own home.
Naturally, we became enthusiastic about practicing for the show.
☆☆☆☆☆
There is an elementary school on the way from the Marimo Girls' proud home to the hot spring town.
Marimo Girls, who have never attended school,
I walked, trying my best not to look at the elementary school.
If you see it, you might feel envious.
However, tempted, the two of them keep glancing at the school as they walk.
During recess, everyone plays tag, chats, and plays soccer in the schoolyard.
Among them, I could see a girl who was always standing alone.
Only that girl never talks to anyone.
I just felt like I didn't know what to do.
Every time the Marimo Girls pass by the elementary school,
I wondered what the girl was doing.
Sometimes I draw in a small sketchbook,
There were times when I just stood there the whole time.
The girl was always alone.
☆☆☆☆☆
The Marimo Girls are hoping to perform the "Marimo Show"
I walked around to each inn making a request.
The Marimo Girls continued to show up at the inn every day.
Of course, it's not easy to get a job, but if you still show up every day,
The singer who was supposed to perform suddenly fell ill and they were looking for a replacement.
For example, to replace the band's plane when it can't make it due to a major storm.
Sometimes I was able to find work.
But things have been going badly here lately.
I went around to inns every day, but I was turned down every time.
There are some people who are mean.
They leave you standing at the entrance for hours even though they have no intention of giving you work.
He pretends not to see the two little ones and gets kicked away.
At this time, the innkeeper
The door was slammed with all its might as the Marimo Girls bowed.
The two were so shocked they couldn't move, and tears began to flow naturally.
Then, out of nowhere
An old lady wearing a yellow apron would always come out and comfort them.
And as I was leaving, he gave me a candy from his pocket.
The Marimo Girls were puzzled by this,
He always returns home stuffed with candy.
Not everyone in the world is mean.
There are some kind people out there.
☆☆☆☆☆
On this day, the Marimo Girls were visiting a new inn on their sales call.
"How about a Marimo show?" "We'll sing and dance."
The person who answered the phone was a young man.
The person simply said, "Okay, try it this evening at 6pm .
"Just once , though," he said.
The Marimo girls were stunned for a while,
I quickly regained my composure and thanked him again and again.
Once the show is decided, it's ours.
They perform songs and magic tricks in front of a group of people who appear to be at a company social gathering.
Perhaps the practice paid off as the Marimo Show was well received and we received lots of tips.
After the show, the Marimo Girls were invited to the office.
They said, "We would like to hold Marimo shows on a regular basis."
The Marimo Girls were very happy and expressed their gratitude.
The young man replied in a good mood.
"My grandmother kept asking me to take a look at it, so I did. It was good."
"The old lady in the yellow apron?"
One of the perched men asked a question.
"That's right. Hirata-san's grandmother. The house next to the lake."
The two of them couldn't sit still.
I asked the innkeeper to draw me a map and then left the inn.
At the location on the map there was a small, old wooden house.
☆☆☆☆☆
The Marimo Girls are standing in front of a frosted glass door
"Good evening," I called out loudly.
"Yes."
The Marimo Girls were surprised when they saw who opened the door.
It was that girl alone in elementary school.
The girl was also so amazed by the little duo in front of her that she was speechless.
Then an old lady wearing a yellow apron peeked out from behind and said, "Oh my."
☆☆☆☆☆
My grandmother's house was an old, one-story wooden building.
In the tatami-floored living room, there was an old-fashioned chest of drawers and
There is only an old-fashioned low table here.
"Oh, so you came to thank us," Grandma says as she makes tea for Marimo and the others.
The girl is reading a book alone in the corner of the room.
More and more questions came to mind for Marimo and the others.
Why do grandmas work at so many different inns?
Do you always wear a yellow apron?
Why is this girl I see all the time here?
However, the guys were not very good at speaking and didn't know how to ask the question so they remained silent.
The old lady was smiling but silent.
The only sound I could hear was the ticking of the clock hands, which was unusually loud.
Unable to bear the silence any longer, the Marimo Girls said to the girl:
"I saw it at school" "I'm always drawing"
However, the girl didn't look up from her book and simply said, "I see."
Only the ticking of the clock can be heard again.
Marimo wondered if she had asked in the wrong way.
I bowed and said, "Please tell me what it is."
But the girl pretends not to hear.
"Oh, are you drawing a picture? What kind of picture is it?" my grandmother came to my rescue.
Then the girl
Suddenly stand up
"I didn't draw a picture!"
I yelled at the perches.
Both Grandma and the Marimo Girls were very surprised.
☆☆☆☆☆
"I'm sorry you took the trouble to come all the way here."
said Grandma.
"He's actually a kind boy, but since coming to Akan he can't seem to make friends."
Grandma walked Marimo and the others part of the way,
On the way, I heard that the girl was living apart from her mother in Shiraoi Town.
The two of them went into the house in silence.
Today was a day where a lot of things really happened.
The Marimo Girls took off their Marimo hats, put them on the shelf, and went to bed.
I can't fall asleep easily.
In the darkness, one of the Marimo said, "I wonder if it's a white oyster picture?"
"Maybe it's Mom's drawing," the other Marimo replies.
They both thought they had done something wrong.
☆☆☆☆☆
The two went to a nearby park to practice their masterpiece, the "Marimo Tower," which they would be performing at the show.
And there it was, that girl.
I'm sitting alone on a bench with my sketchbook.
The Marimo Girls ran towards the girl.
"Marimo, you said something bad!"
"sorry!"
I apologized while crying profusely.
The girl wiped away the tears of the Marimo girls who were desperately apologizing at her feet.
Then he said, "Look," and showed me his sketchbook.
It was a beautiful picture.
It's like there's a forest and a house on the lake.
The blue sky, green grassland, and lake seemed to burst forth from the screen in all their glory.
There was also something that looked like a boat drawn in the middle of the lake.
"It's called Shiraoi Porotokotan," the girl told me.
"It's beautiful," Marimo said, and the girl smiled.
The Marimo girls showed us how they practiced for their show.
The girl was very happy.
The Marimo girls saw the girl smile for the first time.
The delighted Marimo Girls began to perform magic tricks, songs and more.
The girls were very interested in the Marimo Girls' serious performance.
The girl said she would tell him an interesting story as a thank you.
This is a story the girl heard from her mother in Shiraoi.
☆☆☆☆☆
Koropokkuru means " people who live under butterbur leaves. "
Although no one had ever seen the Koropokkuru, everyone knew about it.
It's because you're in trouble because you don't have food.
This is because the Koropokkuru bring them food.
So even though everyone was wondering about the Koropokkuru,
I am very grateful and have passed on this story.
One day a young man said:
"What's a Koropokkuru? It's strange that no one has ever seen one!"
In contrast, the elder
"There must be some reason. It's polite to leave them alone."
He advised him,
But young people don't listen.
"No, I'll definitely see you."
When the young man returned home he hid all the food.
And then I thought, "Oh, I'm hungry. I don't have anything to eat, so I'll go to bed now."
I let out a loud cry and threw myself down on the floor.
It was late at night.
The young man saw a fish's tail from his window.
The young man was very surprised and said, "You really came!"
The fish are pushed in through the window little by little.
The young man's heart was pounding, but he held his breath and moved to the window below.
If you look closely, you can see tiny hands holding the fish.
The young man quickly grabbed the hand.
A small scream of "kya" came out.
The little body was pulled into the house.
The young man saw it.
It was a very tiny girl.
They are really only big enough to live under butterbur leaves.
Young people are losing their voice
The girl said with a sad look on her face.
"God told us:
"If you see someone having trouble catching fish, help them.
But you must not be seen, because if they see you, they will not let you go.”
The girl continues.
"I've been seen and can no longer enter here."
With that, the girl ran outside.
The young man was stunned by what had happened and watched the man's back go.
Has it really disappeared since then?
No one saw him anymore.
(Quoted from the Ainu legend of Koropokkuru)
"It's over," said the girl.
☆☆☆☆☆
"A girl under the leaf!" exclaimed the Marimo in surprise.
"Isn't it amazing?" the girl boasts.
"I'm surprised!" Marimo says, raising her hand.
"I was surprised too!" said the girl.
The three of them laughed out loud, squealing with laughter.
We're now good friends.
But suddenly the girl lowered her head.
The boys in my elementary school class were looking at me.
Marimo and the others bowed to avoid being rude, but their classmates just grinned.
"Let's go over there," said the girl as she turned to leave the park when she heard laughter from behind her.
I hear people say, "Your family is poor, so you can't go on a school trip."
The laughter of her classmates echoed through the park, but the girl ignored them and continued walking.
Marimo and the others chased after her, but the girl ignored them and just walked away.
Unable to keep up, the Marimo girls say, "See you tomorrow!"
But the girl just went away.
☆☆☆☆☆
"Oh, Mr. Hirata, it must be tough, your grandma's in the hospital too."
said the postman.
The postman was a very talkative and friendly man.
Even if there is no mail, Marimo will come and visit her house.
"New student..."
"That's because that old lady works three jobs a day, even at her age.
"I'm trying to earn money for my grandchild's school trip, but in the end it ends up paying for my own hospital bills."
After the postman left, the Marimo Girls were silent.
The grandmother was hospitalized, and the girl couldn't go on the school trip.
The two of them were thinking about the Koropokkuru they had learned about.
☆☆☆☆☆
The Marimo Girls worked hard.
They perform several shows a day and make sales calls in between shows.
I don't have time anyway.
After staying up all night for several days in a row, I strangely began to lose feeling in my fingertips.
My shoulders are numb and I can't move them.
Still, the two continued to work.
When your hands won't move, switch to singing
When he lost his voice, he performed a pantomime-like show.
☆☆☆☆☆
"A Shiraoi performance?" the girl asked, her eyes wide.
"What's that? Are you doing it in Shiraoi?" the girl asked excitedly.
"The Marimo girls are in trouble," said one of the Marimo Girls.
"I don't know how to ride the bus," says the other person.
"That's easy, just show your ticket when you get off," said the girl.
"The marimo crickets are white, I don't know."
"Shiraoi, follow me."
Here was the Marimo Girls' plan.
They lie and say that Marimo Show has been invited to perform in Shiraoi.
Then, while the elementary school was on a school trip, I asked the girl to come with me.
We take him to Shiraoi and let him meet his mother.
This way you won't have to miss school.
"But I don't have any money," said the girl.
"The bus driver will bring it out," said Marimo, doing a cheer.
"One for me too?" the girl asked anxiously.
"If you imitate me, I'll give you my share," said the other Marimo, cheering.
The girl was delighted and said, "I'm going to see Grandma," and returned home.
Now all that's left is the bus fare.
The Marimo Girls took all their hard-earned money and
I looked for a bus to Shiraoi.
☆☆☆☆☆
"Two Marimo and one child please."
"No good, please give me some."
The Tomarimo Girls said.
The bus driver seemed surprised by the little girl in front of him.
I remember a fellow driver talking about the "Marimo Girls" a while ago.
"That's right. I guess the two Marimo's will have two kids. Three in total."
He read out the price list from his notebook.
"The round trip fare for a child is 6,000 yen, so for three people it's 18,000 yen."
The Marimo Girls were shocked.
After all, the amount of money I managed to save up was only 8,251 yen.
This is not even enough for a one-way trip, let alone a round trip.
But we can't give up now.
"We'll do a Marimo show on the bus."
"We also do bus washing and bus polishing."
"Please use this to seat three people!" he said, handing over the crumpled coin.
☆☆☆☆☆
"Miyuki-chan, can I have three round-trip tickets for children between Akan and Shiraoi?"
The driver handed the money to the ticket counter.
"Huh? Tanaka-san, why are you buying a ticket?" asked the woman at the ticket counter.
Well, that's the thing, the driver said, explaining the situation he had heard from Marimo and the others.
At first, the sales staff were listening out of curiosity.
"Please stop it. I'm weak to that kind of talk!" she said, tears streaming down her face.
"No, I just happened to have 10,000 yen in my wallet.
"I thought it would be better than using it at a bar," the driver said, scratching his head.
☆☆☆☆☆
Intercity express bus from Akan to Shiraoi
We leave Akan at 11pm and arrive in Shiraoi town at 6am .
When the Marimo Girls and the girl get on
The bus began to quietly run along Lake Akan at night.
Around here, the lights in the shops go out at 11pm .
You will be immersed in darkness all around.
As soon as an intercity bus starts moving, the interior lights are turned off.
The bus runs through the night and passengers wake up to find they have arrived at their destination.
Even when the lights are turned off, the eyes of the three remain open.
The girl was looking out the window into the dim darkness.
Eventually, the girl whispered, "Let's go to bed quickly. We have to check out the venue in the morning."
The Marimo Girls thought about their Shiraoi performance, which had no destination in mind.
Because I mentioned my manager as an excuse to take him out
The girl was very excited.
Even in our hometown of Akan, it is difficult to find a venue to perform our shows.
Is it possible to suddenly put on a Marimo show in a town you've never been to before?
Even if it were possible, would customers come in?
The Marimo Girls have been thinking about this for a long time.
The temperature inside the bus is kept just right, neither too hot nor too cold.
The driver drives carefully and quietly, thinking about the customers.
A pleasant vibration fills the interior of the car.
One of the marimo closed his eyes.
The other Marimo thought it would be great if the bus kept running like this forever.
As I was thinking about this, the sound of the bus changed.
The bus entered the tunnel.
The tunnel at night is mysterious.
The inside of the tunnel is made of orange light, so it is bright even at night.
Oranges repeatedly come in through the window and then rush out again and again.
It feels like you're going ever downwards, ever downwards.
Perhaps we'll end up in a mysterious underground place.
The other Marimo also closes her eyes.
The bus continues to descend through the tunnel.
Eventually, the bus descended too deep and reached an underground water vein.
Bubbles of light shining through the bus windows passed by.
But the bus continued to move underground.
He was spat out to the bottom of the lake with a huge bubble of air.
The bottom of the lake shone a steady blue, the water quiet and majestic.
Far above you can see the solitary green light of Lake Akan.
When I looked to the side, Lake Polotokotan appeared as a bluish-white point of light.
Lake Akan and Lake Poroto were connected.
If we keep swimming, we may be able to come to life at any time...
☆☆☆☆☆
"I've entered Shiraoi!"
The Tomarimo Girls were woken up by a girl.
Before we knew it, we both had fallen asleep.
In reality, the bus runs along the coast of Shiraoi town.
The morning light was reflecting off the waves.
"It brings back memories."
The girl exclaimed in admiration, her forehead pressed against the window.
"Thank you all for your hard work. We will soon be arriving at Shiraoi."
I heard the bus announcement.
(I got caught)
Tomarimo felt a little distressed.
Will they be able to find a place to perform the Marimo show? Will the girl find out about their lie?
Thinking about it like that makes both of them speechless.
The bus came to a halt with a whoosh, almost like a gasp.
The girl will surely
You'll probably be suspicious when you get off the bus and no one is there to pick you up.
What should I answer if asked that?
The Marimo Girls were confused and unable to organize their thoughts.
Unable to bear the sight, the girl picked up the Marimo Girls and headed towards the boarding gate.
When the girl tries to hand over her ticket from her pocket, the driver looks out the window with a blank expression.
Outside the bus
With a handmade card that read "Welcome to the Marimo Girls group"
There were people waiting.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Actually, this is what happened.
Let's go back in time a little, to Akan before the bus departs.
The ticket office immediately afterwards.
"Huh? What's wrong? Are you crying?" asked Sasaki, the manager of the Akan Sales Office.
Director Sasaki is a strict person who is called "the devil" by everyone,
If a staff member starts crying, you can't just leave them alone.
The ticket seller cried as he explained the situation.
She is very emotional, and the more she talks, the more tears flow.
Director Sasaki, who had been listening to the story in silence,
"Wipe your tears and get back to work"
With that, he went straight into the director's office.
And then I started to do some research.
☆☆☆☆☆
"That's late," Nakamura muttered.
I've been thinking that I'll go home after this phone call is over.
The phone call never ends.
Mr. Kaneko, who is answering the phone, keeps bowing his head.
In his hand he held several faxes that had just arrived and said, "Yes, yes."
I'm taking notes as I reply.
"This must be from someone very important," Nakamura thought.
The Shiraoi Bus Office is a laid back workplace,
Other than these two, everyone was there right on time.
As I returned home, all I could hear was Kaneko's reply.
"Yes, I understand. Definitely. Yes, leave it to me."
With that, Kaneko hung up the phone.
"Who is it?" Nakamura asked, shouldering his backpack.
"The devilish Director Sasaki," replied Kaneko.
Nakamura was surprised and asked, "Mr. Sasaki, are you from Akan?"
The name of the devilish Director Sasaki resonates here at the Shiraoi Sales Office as well.
"Sasaki-san asked me to do something. Could you help me out a bit?"
"What is it?"
"Nakamura-san, do you know anyone at Shiraoi Town Hall?"
"At the town hall? I have a junior colleague in the tourism department. I know his cell phone number."
"I don't care if it's a lie, but I want you to set up a location for the Marimo show."
☆☆☆☆☆
Nakamura is holding a cardboard box that reads "Welcome to the Marimo Girls group."
(Actually, my wife and I made it ourselves.)
Kaneko is holding a handmade flyer for the Marimo Show.
Several other people came to greet us with sweets and other treats.
Last night, the two of them called everyone they knew and asked for their help.
"Please come in and let me show you around the venue first," Kaneko said.
I told the Marimo Girls and the girl.
Led by Nakamura-san holding up a cardboard box, the Marimo Girls and the girl
And Mr. Kaneko, who was behind me, walked away handing out flyers.
The marimo don't know why this happened.
Looking up at the girl, I saw her peeking out of a second-floor window of a shop.
I was waving at the cat that was sleeping with my aunt.
The aunt is also smiling.
It was a pleasant day in July in Shiraoi town.
The Marimo Girls and other girls walk with their heads held high.
The wind from the sea makes the trees lining the street rustle with a pleasant sound.
The laid-back streets you pass through have a nostalgic and gentle atmosphere.
Walking in the warm, pleasant afternoon sunshine
The Marimo Girls thought it was great that they all came to this town.
Cross the railroad crossing and pass by the shrine.
A stone building came into view.
"This place is called KURA . It is a renovated stone storehouse that was built over 100 years ago.
It was turned into an event hall.
Please hold a Marimo show in this main hall."
☆☆☆☆☆
The venue was full.
The Marimo Girls are
They performed their usual songs, magic tricks, and a "Marimo Tower" which was like a gymnastics routine.
Looking out into the audience amidst the thunderous applause, I saw a little girl waving with her mother.
The customers
"I'm going to do a fake show last night, so can you please come and join us?"
I received a call and came over.
But how is it a fake show?
Marimo Girls, girls, mothers and customers are all enthusiastic about the event.
Everyone lost track of time watching this wonderful performance.
They continued to cheer forever.
☆☆☆☆☆
next morning.
A summer morning in Shiraoi in the calm air
The red flowers in the flower beds along the road also look happy.
Marimo Girls, girls and their mothers all holding hands
I was waiting for the bus to come.
The green grass was rustling.
The three girls are stuffing their cheeks with candy that the girl's mother gave them.
Eventually the bus arrived.
As the door opened, a gentle voice said, "This train is bound for Akan."
The voice belonged to the driver again.
The Marimo Girls stared intently at the faces of the girl and her mother.
The mother is desperately trying to hold back tears as they threaten to burst into tears.
Then the girl
"I have to go because I'm their manager."
He said.
Mom nodded repeatedly.
He then said, "Please come to Shiraoi for another performance."
Both the girls and the Marimo Girls nodded vigorously.
And so the bus began its journey towards Akan.
The bus runs along the coast of Shiraoi.
We all listened to the sound of the engine quietly rumbling.
I watch the clouds move.
"Let's come again," the girl muttered.
When I looked up to reply, the girl began to snore softly in her sleep.
The Marimo Girls were looking up at the summer sky while listening to the gentle breathing of their sleeping companions.
The end.
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