Yuki Rurikawa/Memory of a Distant Winter

The Photograph from Moving Day

Backstage Stories

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Yuki	This should be everything.
Izumi	What’s all this, Yuki-kun? Are you going somewhere?
Yuki	My belongings have been piling up, so I figured I’d take these home and leave them there instead.
Izumi	I see. I suppose there wouldn’t be that much room to keep things in your room when you’re sharing it for two. So does that mean you’re going to stay over with your family tonight?
Yuki	Nah, I’m just going to drop these off. I have plans later today.
Izumi	Oh, then I’ll count you for dinner later, okay?
Yuki	Thanks.
Izumi	Still, it looks like you have plenty to move. Will you be alright? I can drive you to the station if you want.
Yuki	These aren’t as heavy as they may seem, so I’m good. Besides, if I wanted to get someone to carry these for me in the first place, I would’ve gotten Tasuku or Misumi for it.
Izumi	That’s true… You would’ve asked them ahead of time, huh.
Yuki	Exactly. Anyway, I’ll be going.
Izumi	Alright. Take care on your way out!
Yuki’s Mom	You mentioned having plans later today, didn’t you? Are you sure it’s alright for you to take your time?
Yuki	It’s only a little while, it’s fine.
	Oh right, I’ve brought a bunch of stuff from the dorm with me. Can I leave them in the tatami room?
	I just checked if I could leave them in my room’s closet, but it didn’t look like there’s any spare space for me to use.
Yuki’s Mom	Oh yes, the room will need a little sorting but you can leave them there.
Yuki	I’ll go tidy it up then.
Yuki’s Mom	In that case, I’ll go prepare some snacks for you, alright?
Yuki	Alright, thanks.
Yuki	(I guess if I’m going to rearrange things, I may as well take everything out of this space first.)
	Let’s put this here….
	*RUSTLE*
Yuki	(Ah, something just fell didn’t it… Huh, it’s a photograph.)
	Huh, is this… me as a kid…?
	(The boy who’s covering his face beside me… Is that maybe Taichi? Wonder when this picture was taken…)
	……..
	(... Oh, now I remember. This was taken on the day we moved away.)
	(That little squirt from back then— Taichi and I used to play together all the time. But eventually, things happened and we had to move houses…)
	—— —— —— —— FLASHBACK —— —— —— ——
Yuki	I’m going out to play with the lil’ squirt.
Yuki’s Mom	Oh dearie, I told you his name is Taichi-kun.
	Snow has piled up today, so please watch your step and be careful not to slip, alright?
Yuki	The park is nearby, so I’ll be fine!
Yuki’s Mom	Oh, also, I told you this yesterday already, but make sure to tell Taichi-kun about our move, okay?
Yuki	Okay! I’m going out nooow!

Taichi	……
Yuki	(That red muffler… It’s Taichi!)
	*RUNNING THROUGH SNOW*
	… Sorry I took so long, Taichi!
Taichi	Ah, Yuki-chan!
Yuki	That muffler suits you after all. Are you always wearing it?
Taichi	Of course! Since I really like this muffler that you made for me, Yuki-chan!
Yuki	Is that so. I’m glad then!
Taichi	What do you wanna play today? I wanna make a snowman myself, but…
Yuki	That’s okay, let’s make one!
Taichi & Yuki	It’s doneeee!
Taichi	We made such a cute snowman, didn’t we!
Yuki	Yeah! He’s really cute!
	My hands are so cold now though…
Taichi	Yuki-chan, can you give me your hand?
Yuki	Like this?
Taichi	(blows air) … How’s that? Is it warmer?
Yuki	Mh-hmm, a lot warmer now.
Taichi	You might catch a cold, so let’s hold hands and go home like this.
Yuki	Okay… Ah——
	(I have to tell him that we’re moving…)
	Hey, uhm…
Taichi	Yeah?
Yuki	(But if I tell him… Taichi will be sad, won’t he...)
	……
Taichi	What’s up?
Yuki	… Sorry, it’s nothing. It’s cold, so let’s go home.
Taichi	Okay, let’s go then!
Yuki	(We’re moving out tomorrow, so before we have to say goodbye, I told him we should play together today. But…)
	(I still haven’t told Taichi that we’re moving at all…)
Taichi	……
Yuki	Ah, Taichi!
Taichi	Oh hey, Yuki-chan!
Yuki	What are you doing with that stone?
Taichi	The snowman we made together before has already melted, so I’m making him in a drawing instead.
Yuki	Then, let’s draw him together.
Taichi	Alright!
	*ETCHING SCRATCHES*
Taichi	… I think this is good?
Yuki	You forgot his nose.
Taichi	Oh right! Then I’ll draw it like this… There! …Huh? What are you drawing on him, Yuki-chan?
Yuki	A muffler. I know the one we made didn’t have one, but…
Taichi	Wooow, he looks nice and warm now! And it looks like we’re matching too!
Yuki	Yeah…..
	(I should really tell him about our move already…)
	Hey Taichi. You see, tomorrow…..
Taichi	Yeah?
Yuki	(But if I tell him… He’s going to be sad. Maybe even cry…)
	Tomorrow… Will it still be here? This snowman we drew.
Taichi	If he’s gone tomorrow, then we’ll just make another one together!
Yuki	……Yeah.
Yuki’s Mom	This baggage here too, please.
Moving Staff	Ah, please let me handle that!
Yuki	(... I couldn’t tell Taichi.)
Moving Staff	Is there any other cargo left to load?
Yuki	Oh, this too.
Moving Staff	You were carrying this box on your own? What a good kid you are.
Taichi’s Mom	——Taichi…!! Slow down!
Taichi	Yuki-chan, you’re going to leave!? I heard from Mother that you’re going to move away..!!
Yuki	Taichi…
	Yeah. I’m moving away.
Taichi	Uu… UWAAAAHH! I DON'T WANT YUKI-CHAN TO LEAAAAVEE!! NOOOOOOO…!!!!
Yuki’s Mom	Eh, you never told Taichi-kun!?
Yuki	……No.
Taichi’s Mom	I’m so sorry for the trouble. The moment I told him just now, he bolted out the door…
Taichi	YUKI-CHAN, DON’T LEAAAAAAAAAAVE!!!
Yuki	(Taichi’s really crying… I didn’t want to tell him because I didn’t want him to cry, and yet…)

Taichi	Uuu…. (whimper)
Taichi’s Mom	Taichi, this won’t mean that you two will never meet again, you know.
Taichi	Mhhm…. (sniffle)
Yuki’s Mom	Oh I know. Taichi-kun, why don’t you two have one last photo together? Would that be okay with you?
Taichi’s Mom	Come on, Taichi. Won’t you let Auntie take a picture of you together?
Taichi	(sniffle)... Uu….
Yuki	Taichi, come on.
Taichi	Uuu… uu… Mh-hm… Okay.
Yuki	(I wonder if it's fine to hold hands for the photo…)
Yuki’s Mom	Okay, I’m taking the picture. Say cheese!
	*SHUTTER SOUND*
Taichi’s Mom	Lift your chin, Taichi. Your face won’t show in the photo.
Taichi	Uuuu….
Yuki	……
Yuki’s Mom	Perhaps it’s a little difficult for him right now, no?
Taichi	Uu… (sniffle sniffle)
Moving Staff	Excuse me for disturbing you, but it’s almost time for us to get going…
Yuki’s Mom	Ah, of course. We’ll get ready.
	Well… We’ll be seeing you again, Taichi-kun. Yuki too, come say your goodbyes.
Yuki	Taichi… Let’s play again someday.
Taichi	(sniffle) Y-Yeah… We’ll play again. I know because I’ll definitely come to see you, Yuki-chan!
	—— —— —— —— FLASHBACK END —— —— —— ——
Yuki	(Taichi was crying so much that day that it left me shocked. His eyes and his face were so red…)
	(I’m certain that the reason I didn’t tell Taichi about our move was because I didn’t want him sad——)
	(But thinking about it now, I must’ve felt just as lonely knowing I was going to part with him…)
	(We never got to meet again since that day. So who would’ve thought our reunion would actually happen so many years after.)
	(More than that, we became troupe mates, and even live in the same dorm now… Strange how it came to this.)
	Seriously, life is just full of surprises, isn’t it.
Yuki’s Mom	…Yuki, how is it? Can you fit your things in there?
Yuki	Oh. Yeah, looks good. I’ll put them here then.
Yuki’s Mom	Oh my, what’s that photo you have there?
Yuki	It fell as I was sorting stuff.
Yuki’s Mom	Eh, is that so?
	It must’ve come unstuck when I took out the photo album a while back.
Yuki	Were you sorting the photos?
Yuki’s Mom	I was reminiscing with your sisters, so we looked through these old photos while we were talking.
Yuki	Is that so…
Yuki’s Mom	This boy in the picture was one of our old neighbors, wasn’t he? … I think his name was Taichi-kun, am I right?
Yuki	Yep. Lil’ squirt.
Yuki’s Mom	There you go calling him that again.
	I have snacks ready for you, so come back to the living room when you’re all done.
Yuki	Got it.
	(I should make sure to stick this photo in properly into the album so it doesn’t fall off the album again.)
Taichi	….
Yuki	… Sorry I took so long.
Taichi	Ah, Yuki-chan!
Yuki	….
	(Calling for my name as he turns around with that cheery look on his face… I guess Taichi hasn’t changed a bit since those days.)
Taichi	Something wrong?
Yuki	Nothing. Here, hold the basket.
Taichi	Roger! Are we buying plenty today too?
Yuki	It’s a sale, so of course. We’re buying everything we’re lacking and everything we’re about to run out of. I trust you’ll do your gofer job well today.
Taichi	Leave it to me!

Dita