Chapter 2: Challenge
Yun
I have always hated winter.
My uncle and aunt ran a small ryokan near Kamifunaro Station and my days were spent helping around the small inn and running errands. In winter, the inn would be packed with tourists who would flood in for ski season. It was usually the busiest time for us and this meant little time for anything else. Cold and dark days abounded and winter winds were relentless in Hokkaido.
Even though others have told me that my chilly personality reminded them of winter, I liked Spring because its arrival meant that I could get back to the roads.
“I’m off to Daisuke-ojisan’s.” I padded towards the door.
“Fang Yun!” The sound of a plate crashing onto a pile of dishes rose from the kitchen and the next moment, my aunt was in the hallway. “It’s already so late. Why are you still going out?” The clock on the wall pointed to ten minutes past ten. Her eyes were burning circles into my face. Her expression was as dark as the midnight shade of my helmet.
I pulled out my smoothest voice. “I promised to help Daisuke-ojisan at his shop once Spring arrived, remember?”
“Have you thrown out the garbage? The collection is tomorrow and…”
“Yes I have. I have folded and stacked all the towels too.”
“How about the garden? The front lawn?”
“Yes I swept it earlier. I have prepared the soil for planting tomorrow and I will do it after I come back.” I stepped into my boots and zipped them up quickly.
“What time are you coming back?” Aunt’s voice rose.
I grabbed my jacket and opened the door. “By lunch tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?! What are we going to do? A-nata!” She turned to Uncle Ryousuke who was reading his paper silently. He didn’t respond.
“Ittekimasu!” I almost shouted as I ran out of the house.
“Why don’t you take the truck? Ah Yun!” Aunt’s voice echoed from behind as I ran towards the garage.
Aunt Sujuan took me in and brought me to Japan soon after my parents passed away. Uncle Ryousuke accepted me willingly and they raised me like their own son. Over the years, they had developed the sharp parental instincts like they were my real parents. In many ways, they were.
I knew it wasn’t the chores that Aunt Sujuan cared about. They knew where I was going. After a traffic accident killed my parents, Aunt had been fearful of me being in or on any moving metal. To this day, she would sometimes blame our neighbour, Uncle Ichiro, for introducing me to motorcycles.
I lifted the canvas over Tara and watched her gleam in the dim light of the garage. Like me, she was raring to run. Aunt Sujuan had nearly threatened to lock the garage when I tried to bring Tara out for a few rounds over winter. “The roads are too slippery!” She would always say.
I strapped Akira’s helmet to the backseat and pulled out my own. Akira was my best friend whom I got to know after I moved here. It was Akira who introduced me to the other kids in the neighbourhood but we developed a friendship that exceeded that of others. We went to school together; watched our first porn movie together; drank ourselves silly when we lost girlfriends and bought our first bikes together.
“Patience, girl. “ I stroked the cool metal of her tank. “We’ve only warmed you a few times during winter. I will fix you up at Daisuke’s and we’ll be on the road soon.” I turned on the ignition and listened to her purr to life.
There was still snow on the side of the roads but there was enough room for me to run a little speed. I felt the cool night wind tickle my neck as we picked up speed. As I neared the lavender fields of Nakafurano, I could almost imagine the smell of lavender that the winds would carry in a few weeks’ time.
It was during this pleasant moment that I heard a strange sound from Tara. Maybe I had worked her too hard too soon? I slowed down to a stop and in the silence of the night, Tara’s growl resounded off the walls of the house nearby. I was suddenly aware of how loud I might have sounded to the residents. I lifted my visor and was about to remove my helmet to get off the bike when I heard the muffled sounds of piano music from the dark house.
It was a familiar song, one my mother used to play me often when she was alive. The notes however, were more urgent, almost like someone was slamming down on the piano keys. The tune sounded different from the one in my memory. It carried whispers of sadness and inexplicable loneliness.
Suddenly, the music stopped.
Trepidation filled me momentarily when a figure in white peered out from the second floor window. She resembled the female ghost in horror movies that were once all the rage. I squinted for a closer look and realized I was staring at a young girl.
She was pale and seemed even more so under the moonlight shining onto the window. She had one hand resting on the sill and another hidden behind the wall. She did not say a word but she was staring straight at me.
Interesting. She wasn’t afraid of a stranger standing under her window in the middle of the night.
“Why did you stop?” I asked after we stared at each other for nearly a minute.
“A-anata… dare desu ka?” Her voice was a little shaky. I stifled a laugh. Not as brave as she seemed, I see. I crossed my arms and sat back. “I asked you a question first.”
“I stopped because you came. Now you answer my question.” Her voice took on a little more confidence. By now, she had stepped fully into the light. She was clad in a white nightgown that stopped at her calves. Dark long hair, clear eyes and rosy lips. She was pretty.
“I’m nobody. I just wondered who could be playing the piano so late at night.”
“It’s none of your business what time I play my piano.”
In street racing, everyone knows that one must never back down from your opponent during the handshake before the race. That was the time when both parties sized each other up and everything from a fierce gaze to a fearless handshake set the tone of the race. Right now, she was jabbing at my inner racer. There was no way I was going to back down.
I grinned. “The speed was wrong.”
Her eyes widened at my comment and her lips tightened. It was plain that my opponent was bursting at the seams just trying to keep her burning gaze up. It was almost laughable.
I had driven past this house many times but I have never stopped. Usually, I don’t chat girls up either. That was Akira’s specialty.
So it might have been her cute pouting lips or the blaze in her defiant eyes. It might have been the coy wind or the brazen moon. It might have been anything really, but before I knew it, I did something that I never thought I would do.
“Come out.”
She stiffened. Her large eyes widened even further.
“Come out,” I repeated and reached my hand out. “Or I’m coming in.”
She looked at my hand and studied it for a moment. I thought she would not have the guts to answer and was about to pull my hand back when she climbed over the window sill. I straightened up and held my breath as she balanced herself gingerly.
I lifted myself off Tara and strode to the ground under her. She looked into my eyes again.
I took a breath and held my arms out.
She jumped.
I have always hated winter.
My uncle and aunt ran a small ryokan near Kamifunaro Station and my days were spent helping around the small inn and running errands. In winter, the inn would be packed with tourists who would flood in for ski season. It was usually the busiest time for us and this meant little time for anything else. Cold and dark days abounded and winter winds were relentless in Hokkaido.
Even though others have told me that my chilly personality reminded them of winter, I liked Spring because its arrival meant that I could get back to the roads.
“I’m off to Daisuke-ojisan’s.” I padded towards the door.
“Fang Yun!” The sound of a plate crashing onto a pile of dishes rose from the kitchen and the next moment, my aunt was in the hallway. “It’s already so late. Why are you still going out?” The clock on the wall pointed to ten minutes past ten. Her eyes were burning circles into my face. Her expression was as dark as the midnight shade of my helmet.
I pulled out my smoothest voice. “I promised to help Daisuke-ojisan at his shop once Spring arrived, remember?”
“Have you thrown out the garbage? The collection is tomorrow and…”
“Yes I have. I have folded and stacked all the towels too.”
“How about the garden? The front lawn?”
“Yes I swept it earlier. I have prepared the soil for planting tomorrow and I will do it after I come back.” I stepped into my boots and zipped them up quickly.
“What time are you coming back?” Aunt’s voice rose.
I grabbed my jacket and opened the door. “By lunch tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?! What are we going to do? A-nata!” She turned to Uncle Ryousuke who was reading his paper silently. He didn’t respond.
“Ittekimasu!” I almost shouted as I ran out of the house.
“Why don’t you take the truck? Ah Yun!” Aunt’s voice echoed from behind as I ran towards the garage.
Aunt Sujuan took me in and brought me to Japan soon after my parents passed away. Uncle Ryousuke accepted me willingly and they raised me like their own son. Over the years, they had developed the sharp parental instincts like they were my real parents. In many ways, they were.
I knew it wasn’t the chores that Aunt Sujuan cared about. They knew where I was going. After a traffic accident killed my parents, Aunt had been fearful of me being in or on any moving metal. To this day, she would sometimes blame our neighbour, Uncle Ichiro, for introducing me to motorcycles.
I lifted the canvas over Tara and watched her gleam in the dim light of the garage. Like me, she was raring to run. Aunt Sujuan had nearly threatened to lock the garage when I tried to bring Tara out for a few rounds over winter. “The roads are too slippery!” She would always say.
I strapped Akira’s helmet to the backseat and pulled out my own. Akira was my best friend whom I got to know after I moved here. It was Akira who introduced me to the other kids in the neighbourhood but we developed a friendship that exceeded that of others. We went to school together; watched our first porn movie together; drank ourselves silly when we lost girlfriends and bought our first bikes together.
“Patience, girl. “ I stroked the cool metal of her tank. “We’ve only warmed you a few times during winter. I will fix you up at Daisuke’s and we’ll be on the road soon.” I turned on the ignition and listened to her purr to life.
There was still snow on the side of the roads but there was enough room for me to run a little speed. I felt the cool night wind tickle my neck as we picked up speed. As I neared the lavender fields of Nakafurano, I could almost imagine the smell of lavender that the winds would carry in a few weeks’ time.
It was during this pleasant moment that I heard a strange sound from Tara. Maybe I had worked her too hard too soon? I slowed down to a stop and in the silence of the night, Tara’s growl resounded off the walls of the house nearby. I was suddenly aware of how loud I might have sounded to the residents. I lifted my visor and was about to remove my helmet to get off the bike when I heard the muffled sounds of piano music from the dark house.
It was a familiar song, one my mother used to play me often when she was alive. The notes however, were more urgent, almost like someone was slamming down on the piano keys. The tune sounded different from the one in my memory. It carried whispers of sadness and inexplicable loneliness.
Suddenly, the music stopped.
Trepidation filled me momentarily when a figure in white peered out from the second floor window. She resembled the female ghost in horror movies that were once all the rage. I squinted for a closer look and realized I was staring at a young girl.
She was pale and seemed even more so under the moonlight shining onto the window. She had one hand resting on the sill and another hidden behind the wall. She did not say a word but she was staring straight at me.
Interesting. She wasn’t afraid of a stranger standing under her window in the middle of the night.
“Why did you stop?” I asked after we stared at each other for nearly a minute.
“A-anata… dare desu ka?” Her voice was a little shaky. I stifled a laugh. Not as brave as she seemed, I see. I crossed my arms and sat back. “I asked you a question first.”
“I stopped because you came. Now you answer my question.” Her voice took on a little more confidence. By now, she had stepped fully into the light. She was clad in a white nightgown that stopped at her calves. Dark long hair, clear eyes and rosy lips. She was pretty.
“I’m nobody. I just wondered who could be playing the piano so late at night.”
“It’s none of your business what time I play my piano.”
In street racing, everyone knows that one must never back down from your opponent during the handshake before the race. That was the time when both parties sized each other up and everything from a fierce gaze to a fearless handshake set the tone of the race. Right now, she was jabbing at my inner racer. There was no way I was going to back down.
I grinned. “The speed was wrong.”
Her eyes widened at my comment and her lips tightened. It was plain that my opponent was bursting at the seams just trying to keep her burning gaze up. It was almost laughable.
I had driven past this house many times but I have never stopped. Usually, I don’t chat girls up either. That was Akira’s specialty.
So it might have been her cute pouting lips or the blaze in her defiant eyes. It might have been the coy wind or the brazen moon. It might have been anything really, but before I knew it, I did something that I never thought I would do.
“Come out.”
She stiffened. Her large eyes widened even further.
“Come out,” I repeated and reached my hand out. “Or I’m coming in.”
She looked at my hand and studied it for a moment. I thought she would not have the guts to answer and was about to pull my hand back when she climbed over the window sill. I straightened up and held my breath as she balanced herself gingerly.
I lifted myself off Tara and strode to the ground under her. She looked into my eyes again.
I took a breath and held my arms out.
She jumped.