The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa

Author:Sosuke Natsukawa
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Books

Chapter 4:

The Final Labyrinth

Rintaro tipped the white teapot and immediately the aroma of Assam tea rose from the well-used Wedgwood teacup. He added a single sugar cube and plenty of milk, then took a silver spoon and gently stirred, watching the splash of milk gently circle the cup and become absorbed into the tea. He nodded with satisfaction.

‘I’ve got really good at this.’

Brewing tea, that was.

It had been his grandfather’s habit to make himself a cup of tea after cleaning the bookshop every morning. Rintaro had followed the same routine for the past week, and was beginning to feel very comfortable in it.

‘Rin-chan!’

The high-pitched voice came from the direction of the door. Rintaro looked up to see the round, friendly face of his aunt.

‘It’s moving day! Are you ready?’

She’s still calling me Rin-chan, he thought. With a smile he put down his cup and headed for the door.

Dressed in a white apron, Rintaro’s aunt seemed more approachable than ever; she must’ve been over fifty, but her air and mannerisms were those of a younger woman.

Outside the sky was cloudy, but somehow the air was bright, not only in contrast to the dimly lit shop, but also because Rintaro’s aunt always managed to bring a sunny disposition with her that warmed any chill.

‘Will the removal lorry be arriving this afternoon, Aunt?’

‘Ugh, stop that, Rin-chan,’ she replied. ‘When you speak formally like that, my shoulders go all stiff.’

Rintaro saw his aunt’s Fiat 500 parked outside. The image of her stuffed into that tiny car made him smile.

‘I’m going shopping. Wondered if you wanted anything?’

They walked out together. Easing herself into the car she added:

‘I’ll be back by midday. Don’t worry, I’ll bring you some lunch. Make sure you’re ready!’

Rintaro smiled and nodded at this rapid succession of statements. But as she got ready to drive away, she suddenly stopped and looked up at him.

‘There’s something different about you, Rin-chan. You know, I was really worried about you when I saw you at the funeral. It looked as if you were just going to fade away. But it turns out you’re stronger than I thought.’

‘I’m holding up,’ said Rintaro, with the most cheerful expression he could muster. ‘Not perfectly of course, but I’m about as fine as I could be.’

His aunt smiled, then suddenly looked up at the sky and exclaimed, ‘Oh!’ Rintaro followed her gaze, and opened his eyes slightly.

‘It’s snowing,’ she said.

Fluffy white snowflakes fluttered down around them. There was no sunshine, but the glittering flakes made everything seem bright. Passers-by stopped to look up at the sky.

‘I love it when it snows like this. It’s so exciting.’

Rintaro’s aunt always spoke spontaneously like this. She turned to Rintaro, her voice high and girlish:

‘I’ll buy you a cake tonight, Rin-chan.’

‘A cake? Why?’

‘Well, it’s Christmas Eve, isn’t it?’

Rintaro was genuinely surprised. Since his grandfather had passed away, he had lost track of the calendar. He looked around at the street and realized that the trees and the eaves of the houses were decked out in coloured lights.

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