True Love [Chapter 1]

[Free Talk: This is Sugiyama Miwako’s new series. This is a preview of the first chapter. The story is about a forbidden love between an older brother and a younger sister. Hm..incest and the title is true love. ^^; Anyway, the names are guesswork Ai for 爱衣 and Yuzuru for 弓弦]

Yuzuru fetches his younger sister at a child care center. Upon seeing her brother, Ai quickly dashes towards him and jumps into his embrace. The teacher says that Yuzuru is always fetching Ai. Ai says that it is because her parents are on a business trip. The teacher asks if she is lonely. Ai says no, because she is always with her brother. The teacher comments about it being ‘brother love’ wherein the one whom she likes most is her brother. A boy named Kenta [健太] start asking how come it is always the brother who is fetching and not the parents. He teases Ai for being a baby when she is going to be in elementary this coming spring. Kenta continues to tease Ai that she will immediately cry for her brother. The bullying stops when Yuzuru shoves a harmonica into Kenta’s mouth and walks Ai out. Outside, Yuzuru holds out his hand to Ai but she refuses for she is no longer a baby. Yuzuru tells her that it will be dangerous but she runs off and says that she wants to be in the same school with him so that she can be with him forever. Yuzuru smiles and says that she will be in spring when they go to the same elementary school. He suggests that she practice by giving his backpack for her to carry. When they arrive home, they notice the car at the driveway. They realize that their parents are home. Just when they are about to call out to their parents, they can overhear their parents arguing from outside the door wherein they are both tired of their relationship. The kids go out and walk by the river. Yuzuru says that they have wished at the firefly and Santa.. Ai says yes and starts to cry. Yuzuru smiles at her and puts his scarf around her. He tells her that they find some shooting stars and wish upon it before it falls, then, their wish will come true. So, that night, they wish upon the shooting stars they see about their parents making up and for everyone to be together. All dirty, they arrive home and are happy to see their parents not quarreling. Their mother is going to prepare some hotpot and scolds them for being all dirty. Later on, the whole family went to a winter outing together and had fun. They went to a shrine and their father gave them some coins to pray at the shrine. As they pray, Ai notices how serious Yuzuru is while praying. That night, the kids are happy for they had fun and they believe that their wish came true because their parents are smiling and everything. Their happiness is short-lived because they hear their parents quarreling again about already at their limit and maybe they should divorce. Ai starts crying over this so Yuzuru suggests that they look for shooting stars. They dress up and head out but there is a snow storm outside. Yet, they still head out.

While their father is contemplating over the divorce paper, his wife arrives and tells him that the children are gone. Since their winter clothes are also gone, maybe they head outside. Outside, Ai is already crying that she can’t move anymore and she wants to go home. Yuzuru removes some snow from her feet and tells her that they have to continue doing their best. Ai asks what will happen to them if they couldn’t find the shooting star. He assures her that he will find it and he promises that he won’t let her be all alone for they will always be together. Then, Ai falls down a cliff when the ground gave way. Yuzuru quickly jumps down, too and grabs her hand. While lying down on the snow, Yuzuru asks if she is fine. Ai says she is okay and exclaims how amazing it is for him to fly towards her. Still lying down, Yuzuru says that it is good that she is energetic. He pats her head and happily exclaims that it’s great that she is okay. Then, some people exclaim that they found the kids. And it has been 9 years since they failed to convey their wish to the shooting star and since that winter day, Ai hasn’t seen her brother again. At some provincial town in Suwa, Nagano, Ai calls out to her grandmother that her mother won’t be coming home today and she’ll bring back washed clothes upon her return. Ai heads out to school while riding her bicycle. She is currently 14 years old, third year junior high student. Just when her grandmother comes out to tell her to go to grandfather, Ai is already gone. Grandmother notices a mail. It is address to Ai and there is a picture of a shooting star with a note ‘Went to see you’. She is puzzled for the name of the sender and address is not written. When Ai is 6 years old, their parents divorced. The reason is because they are both professionals that they can’t get along with each other. She is taken by her mother to her hometown where she lived with her grandparents. When she lived in Tokyo, she went to Disney and Ueno zoo but she forgot all about it. She only remembers two things: wishing on shooting stars, the painful feeling of running while looking up the sky and then..  Ai arrives in school and greets her two friends. The long haired girl says that she brought their new cake and she would want to know their opinion about it after they eat it. It is made of pineapple and turnip. Then, her friends tell her to look at the gate, there is a good looking guy there. Is he an exchange student? He looks a bit older than them. Ai looks surprised when the guy turns to look at her and smiles. He suddenly pulls her to him and hugs her. He says, “Ai..you’re slow.” Ai starts to cry and starts calling out to her brother. Narration: “And that is our happiest memory. Before falling in love, the time when we are still siblings.”

Comment: This chapter is more on the effects of absentee parents who always quarrel whenever they are around. It seems to somewhat made the children cling on to each other more and wanting to be always together forever. It doesn’t help that Yuzuru is more of a ‘hero-type’ who is always there for her and would do things to make her happy. I guess Ai possibly can’t find anyone better than Yuzuru and same goes with Yuzuru. Well, it is possible that Yuzuru already likes her during that time whereas Ai is more innocent about her want to be with him forever. About the parents, it is kind of sad to see how children can be badly affected by quarrelsome parents that they would wish on anything just to keep the family together. Anyway, I wonder what happened for them to start having romantic feelings. And when they do, that would be the start of the problem since it is incest and disapproved by society. Scans by DayDreamy.

Quote of the day:

If there's a single lesson that life teaches us, it's that wishing doesn't make it so. ~ Lev Grossman.