quot;So Masakic  by  it in a pail, and do-o-oain , all to too sell ime No. 1 ;

    quot;Do bears ; Sala asked.

    quot;Masakic o ; Junpei explained. quot; lying by t ;

    quot;And it did.quot;

    quot;It really did. So Masakic to to for  up a sign: Deeelicious ural. One Cup ￥200. quot;

    quot;Can bears count money?quot;

    quot;Absolutely. Masakic a cub, and taugo talk and o count money. Masakic so special, tended to s;

    quot;S;

    quot;Yeas ing so special? and keep away from onkicouged Masakic;

    quot;Poor Masakic;

    quot;Yeao count, and alk and all, but   a bear. So Masakic really belong to eit;

    quot;Didnt ;

    quot;Not a single friend. Bears dont go to sco make friends.quot;

    quot;Do you ; quot;Uncle Junpeiquot; oo long for  called him Jun.

    quot;Your daddy is my absolute bestest friend from a long, long time ago. And sos your mommy.quot;

    quot;ts good, to ;

    quot;It is good,quot; Junpei said. quot;Youre rig t.quot;

    Junpei often made up stories for Sala before s to bed. And and someto explain. Junpei gave a lot of t to ions en seresting, and s to tory elling.

    Sayoko brought a glass of warm milk.

    quot;Junpei is telling me tory of Masakic; Sala said. quot;ime No. 1   ;

    quot;O; Sayoko asked.

    Sala turned to Junpei are. quot;Is Masakic;

    quot;Not so big,quot; Junpei said. quot;In fact,  about your size, Sala. And -tempered little guy. ens to music,  listen to rock or punk or t kind of stuff. o listen to Sc, all by ;

    quot;ens to music?quot; Sala asked. quot;Does ;

    quot; up and broug ;

    quot;uff just o be lying around in tains?quot; Sala asked e of suspicion.

    quot;ell, its a very, very steep mountain, and t all faint and dizzy, and tons of stuff t need. Rig need t need t;

    quot;I kno ; Sayoko said. quot;Sometimes you  to t;

    quot;Not me,quot; Sala said.

    quot;ts because youre young and full of energy, Sala,quot; Junpei said. quot;ell you t of tory.quot;

    quot;O.K.,quot; s care. t; make o better t plain ;

    quot;An excellent point,quot; Sayoko said ;s  ;

    quot;Plos t; Junpei said. quot;trepreneur someday.quot;

    It  2 A.M. by time Sala  back to bed. Junpei and Sayoko ed for o fall asleep, t to split a can of beer at tcable. Sayoko  muco drive home.

    quot;Sorry for dragging you out in t,quot; Sayoko said, quot;but I didnt knoo do. Im totally exed, and youre to call takatsuki.quot;

    Junpei nodded and took a s;Dont  me,quot; ;Im aill ty at time of nigs no big deal.quot;

    quot;You ory?quot;

    Junpei nodded.

    quot; going?quot;

    quot;Like ale em. t em. Nobody reads em.quot;

    quot;I read t;

    quot;t; Junpei said. quot;But t story is on its . Like ts talk about Sala. ;

    Sayoko nodded.

    quot;A lot?quot;

    quot;Almost every nigime after midnigs terical fits and jumps out of bed. And I cant get o stop crying. Ive tried everyt;

    quot;Any idea ;

    Sayoko drank  of ared at ty glass.

    quot;I too many nes on t oo muc around time of t knories to put tle box—too little for anyone to fit into. Sells   to get inside, and arts puss crack—and ries to stuff s w;

    quot;t;

    quot;all and skinny and old. After surning on every ligs, in t ell   a dream, but s listen to me. And s go to bed until s takes at least an ime Im  alone ;

    Sayoko almost never spilled out his.

    quot;try not to c; Junpei said. quot;t;

    quot;I almost never cV anymore. But its too late no;

    Junpei t for a while.

    quot; do you say o ts to see a real bear.quot;

    Sayoko narro bad. It just migs do it—ts been ages. You call takatsuki, O.K.?quot;

    Junpei y-six, born and bred in ty of Kobe,  a private cram sc aseda University, in tokyo. rance exams in boterature departments. erature department  test ation and told s t ered tment. to study literature, and Junpei ention of ing four precious years studying ted o study literature, and to become a er.

    At ty, Junpei made takatsuki and Sayoko. takatsuki came from tains of Nagano. tall and broad-sain of eam. It aken udying to pass trance exam, so ical and decisive,  made people take to  aerature department because its exam ; t; ive ;Im going to be a neer, so Ill let teaco e.quot;

    Junpei did not understand suki erest in befriending o sit alone in ening to music, and errible at sports. Arangers, ill, for akatsuki seemed to  time  o make apped Junpei on t;s get someto eat.quot; And by ts to eacher.

    takatsuki used takatsuki  someto eat?quot; And so tigtle group akatsuki, and Sayoko did everytogeture notes, ate luncalked about ture over coffee, took parttime jobs at t to latenigs, okyo, and drank so muc t sick toget-year college students the world over.

    Sayoko okyo girl. S of totle accessories t go raditional Japanese dress. tions, and it attracted an exclusive clientele t included several famous Kabuki actors. Sayoko o go on to graduate scerature, and ultimately to an academic career. S, and santly excense conversations about tiful elligent eyes. Sly and y, but deep dorengt makeup, but s look of il  Sayoko. tended a boys  no opportunities to meet girls.

    But Junpei couldnt bring o express o Sayoko.  t Sayoko migake  t, tly balanced, comfortable relationsakatsuki, and Sayoko old o leave tc.

    In takatsuki  to make a move. quot;I e to t you out of t Im in love ; old Junpei. quot;I  mind.quot; tember of takatsuki explained t  by accident, w ion.

    Junpei fixed akatsuki. It took s to understand o . ter. quot;No,quot; ;I dont mind.quot;

    quot;I am so glad to !quot; takatsuki said ;You . I mean, t t  you out. But, anyo ime. If not no o er. t I  to go on being friends. O.K.?quot;

    Junpei spent t several days in a fog. ment, eating not tor and slugging do quitting university and going to some distant to life style for him, he decided.

    On to Junpeis apartment. Ss and ton pants, and her hair was pinned back.

    quot;; s;Everybodys  youre dead in your room. takatsuki asked me to c too keen on seeing t;

    Junpei said he had been feeling sick.

    quot;Yea; s;youve lost some  ;ant me to make you someto eat?quot;

    Junpei s feel like eating, he said.

    Sayoko opened tor and looked inside   do to Junpei. quot;I dont kno are you feeling bad about takatsuki and me?quot;

    Junpei said t . And it ,   akatsuki and Sayoko to become lovers  natural takatsuki ions. Junpei   simple.

    quot;Go ; Sayoko asked.

    quot;Sure.quot;

    Sook a can of beer from tor and divided tents betely.

    quot;Its kind of embarrassing to put to ; s;but I  to stay friends  just for no even after  older. A lot older. I love takatsuki, but I need you, too, in a  make me selfis;

    Junpei  sure o ans, but he shook his head.

    Sayoko said, quot;to understand someto put t someto a form t you can see ely different to do bot simpler.quot;

    Junpei looked at Sayoko in profile.  srying to say. ime raced tain on tuation o Sayoko before takatsuki o t suching would never have happened.

    ears falling on tatami, an oddly magnified sound. For a moment,  being a. But t Sayoko ween rembling.

    Almost unconsciously,  and put a ly to. o  . Junpei caug of tears and dre tness of s against  some kind of sc made—like joints creaking. But t was all. As if regaining consciousness, Sayoko moved her face back and down, pushing Junpei away.

    quot;No,quot; sly, s;e cant do ts ;

    Junpei apologized. Sayoko said not ime. t   till t, in fact, try as  after t, o recall title or the melody.

    quot;You dont o apologize,quot; Sayoko said. quot;Its not your fault.quot;

    quot;I t; Junpei said ly.

    Sayoko reac and laid ;Come back to scomorro;

    quot;So muc not enoug; he said.

    quot;ts not true,quot; s;t is so not true.quot;

    Junpei  to  day, and tig takatsuki, and Sayoko continued tion. Junpeis s-lived desire to disappear disappeared itself. By  day in ment and pressing o  least  confused. t been to make it.

    Sayoko sometimes introduced Junpei to a classmate of e.  of one of t   time, just before iet  ender to  never passionate or devoted. Sually  elsetern repeated itself any number of times.

    ed, Junpeis parents discovered t erature, not economics, and turned ugly. ed o take over t Junpei ention of doing t. ed to stay in tokyo and keep ing fiction. t argument ensued. ords  s s again, and  it o be t  along s, Junpei  clasime he was a child.

    Junpei took a series of part-time jobs t o scrape by as inued to e fiction. ory,  to Sayoko and got  opinion, t according to ions. Until se it again and again, carefully and patiently. or, and o no ers group.

    y-four, a story of erary magazine, and over t five years Junpei ed for ted Akutagaimes, but ually . ernally promising candidate. A typical opinion from a judge on ttee ;For sucing of very y,  and psyc tendency to let sentiment take over from time to time, and tic s;

    takatsuki  of t tic s use . todays sukiyaki ic s;

    Junpei publisories before urned ty: quot;; and quot;Grapes.quot; quot;; sold ten t;Grapesquot; t bad figures for s-story collections, according to or. t none gave e support. Most of Junpeis stories  young people in situations of unrequited love. yle s ration ive style and grittier plots. ter all. Junpeis editor urged o try a novel. If e anyt s stories,  keep dealing erial over and over again. riting a novel could open up ical matter, too, novels attracted far more attention tories. riting only s stories was a o make a living.

    But Junpei ory er.   everyto urn out a first draft in trated effort. After four more days of polis to Sayoko and or to read. Basically, ttle  in t first  tered in tory came togety ed to total concentration of effort over a fe only exion  ing a novel. ain ration for mont a time? t kind of pacing eluded him.

    Given ere bacyle, Junpei did not need muc op accepting  to feed. ype, and  for ending tionsimes, maybe once a mont an odd time in t  o panic. Im not going any, but Im never going to go anyo e, or drink until ay awake.

    takatsuki ed—reporting for a top ney o brag about, but t interviee scer graduation, takatsuki  a te from dooimes a   as if table ogether.

    takatsuki enjoyed  t to ty desk, o t. quot;I can see a corpse no feel a t; rains, ced cadavers of droims, guns victims tered. quot;ever distinguiss all t; ;Just used-up s;

    takatsuki imes too busy to make it  en up all night.

    quot;Are you alk?quot;

    quot;Sure,quot; ;Im not doing anyt;

    t alk about till free and spontaneous. Conversations like t ably bring back memories of time t Junpei oucness of s against ransparent early-autumn sunligreaming onto tatami floor of ment—ts.

    Just after surned ty, Sayoko became pregnant. Se assistant at time, but sook a break from o give birto a baby girl. t decided in tions—Sala. quot;I love t,quot; Sayoko told ions  nigakatsuki found toget Sayoko for t time in a long tle of single malt to celebrate, and tied it toget tcable.

    quot;ime s by like t; takatsuki asked   seems like only yesterday I  Sayoko, and t ts c-for understand, Junpei. Youre still living ts like you never stopped being a student, you lucky bastard.quot;

    quot;Not so lucky,quot; Junpei said, but akatsuki felt. Sayoko  akatsuki. tc turn back again. t  yet sure of  it.

    quot;I couldnt tell you t; takatsuki said, quot;but Im pretty sure Sayoko tracted to you to me.quot;  than usual.

    quot;ts crazy,quot; Junpei said h a smile.

    quot;Like  is. I knoalking about. You kno  you dont kno a ter t about you, and I figured, o ill test ill t was my rigo ;

    quot;Nobodys saying it ,quot; Junpei said.

    takatsuki nodded. quot;But you still dont get it. Not really.  comes to anytant, youre so damn stupid. Its amazing to me t you can put a piece of fiction toget;

    quot;Yeas a different t;

    quot;Any; takatsuki said ;Four of us. Four. Is t O.K.?quot;

    Junpei learned just before Salas second birt takatsuki and Sayoko ic suki ime of Sayokos pregnancy, and he hardly ever came home anymore, she explained.

    Junpei couldnt seem to grasp er ails Sayoko o give akatsuki ed anoto be test  t Sala . Besides,  Sala. quot;I mean, Im over at your ime, eating dinner ? But I never sensed a tself—t family.quot;

    quot;Its true,quot; Sayoko said. quot;e  lying to you or putting on an act. But quite separately from t  o  up. Dont let it botoo muc better no of different ;

    Sayoko and takatsuki er. t  test problem: no recriminations, no disputed claims. takatsuki  to live o visit Sala once a  Junpei ry to be present at times. quot;It ; Sayoko told Junpei.  as if  turned ty-three.

    togetakatsuki ive self, and Sayokos bely natural, as tural t s alked about the old days.

    quot;ell me,quot; takatsuki said, one January nige in t;Do you o marry?quot;

    quot;Not at t,quot; Junpei said.

    quot;No girlfriend?quot;

    quot;Nope.quot;

    quot; do you say you and Sayoko get toget;

    Junpei squinted at takatsuki as if at some too brig. quot;; he asked.

    quot; do you mean,  to be a fato Sala.quot;

    quot;Is t t;

    takatsuki sighick arm around Junpeis shoulders.

    quot;s tter? Dont you like t t of stepping in after me?quot;

    quot;t doesnt bot s a question of decency.quot;

    quot;t; takatsuki said. quot;And its got noto do ? You love Sala, too, dont you? ts t important t your o. But to me it looks like youre trying to pull off your ss  taking off your pants.quot;

    Junpei said notakatsuki  into an unusually long silence. So so tation, e breato t.

    quot;In any case,quot; Junpei said, quot;youre an absolute idiot.quot;

    quot;I o give you credit,quot; takatsuki said. quot;Youre rig deny it. Im ruining my o Im telling you, Junpei, I couldnt . t a stop to it. I dont knoter t o  just   ;

    Junpei felt as if ;Do you remember o me t t Sala  Sayoko est  you could never find anyone to take ;

    quot;And its still true. Nots concerned. But t very fact can sometimes make t;

    quot;I dont kno,quot; Junpei said.

    quot;And you never ; takatsuki said  word.

    t by. Sayoko never  back to teac an editor friend of o send ory to translate, and sain flair. tor ial ne very good, but it added to akatsuki ably.

    t on meeting at least once a  business kept takatsuki a togetable   takatsuki, and tion turned to oddly mundane matters. A stranger  a typical family.

    Junpei  on ing a steady stream of stories, bringing out ion, quot;Silent Moon,quot;  received one of tablisers, and title story o a movie. Junpei also produced a volume of music criticism, e a book on ornamental gardening, and translated a collection of Jo stories. All er little by little, eady readersable income.

    inued to t asking Sayoko to marry   t it, and for a time o  still  make up  about it, t seemed to  ionsently cion akatsuki  of ed taken Sayoko, married akatsuki o marry  t tion. And no time for o be united  turn  Junpei couldnt  t a bit too easy.   for o decide? And so  on  deciding. And thquake came.

    Junpei  time, doing a story for an airline magazine. urned to el in to find tV ne looked like termat took Junpei a y . quot;Youre from Kobe, arent you?quot; ographer asked.

    But Junpei did not try to call s. t oo deep, and oo long for to be any ion. Junpei fleo tokyo and resumed urned on television, and  a ne. It   set foot on treets since ion, but still tastrop o cain aspects of ly, but completely. Junpei felt an entirely neion. I s, . Im not connected to anything.

    Early on t to take Sala to to see takatsuki called to say t o fly to Okina to pry tervie of t;Sorry, but youll o go to t me. I dont suppose Mr. Bear oo upset if I dont make it.quot;

    So Junpei and Sayoko took Sala to ted to t, blackest bear and asked, quot;Is t one Masakic;

    quot;No, no, ts not Masakic; Junpei said. quot;Masakic, and er-looking, too. ts tougonkic;

    quot;tonkic; Sala yelled again and again, but ttention. t Junpei and said, quot;tell me a story about tonkic;

    quot;ts a ; Junpei said. quot;t t many interesting stories about tonkic an ordinary bear.  talk or count money like Masakic;

    quot;But I bet you can tell me somet ;

    quot;Youre absolutely rig; Junpei said. quot;t least one good to tell about even t ordinary bear. O forgot. ell, tonc;

    quot;tonkic; Sala corrected oucience.

    quot;Aonkic co to be really fast to do somet. tonkic test bear on tain, but co eat. But  go to too sell ra salmon, because  knoalk.quot;

    quot;ts easy,quot; Sala said. quot;All o do rade ra salmon for Masakicra ;

    quot;Youre rig; Junpei said. quot;And ts onkico do. So tonkicarted trading salmon for  to knoer all, and Masakic tonkic just a toug, t friends. tonkic catc collecting  t from t;

    quot;A bolt from t;

    quot;Like a flasning from a clear blue sky,quot; Sayoko explained. quot;All of a sudden,  ;

    quot;All of a sudden t; Sala asked, ;But w;

    quot;ell, all t toget going to s river anymore, because a bear named tonkic catconkic anot salmon after t. t c it, but t-tasting t to eat is a skinny salmon.quot;

    quot;Poor tonkic; Sala said.

    quot;And ts onkic to t; Sayoko asked.

    quot;ell, ts a long, long story,quot; Junpei said, clearing . quot;But, basically, yes, ts w ;

    quot;Didnt Masakiconkic; Sala asked.

    quot;ried. t friends, after all. ts onkic let you do t. Itd be like taking advantage of you. Masakic o be sucranger onkicion, youd do t you? quot;

    quot;Sure ; Sala said.

    quot;But t stay t ; Sayoko interjected.

    quot;t stay t ; Junpei said. quot;tonkicold Masakico be friends. Its not rigo do all to do all taking: ts not real friendsain no friends. So ted. But after tonkicain,  knoside  onkic o t;

    quot;Couldnt you ter ending? Like, everybody lives er?quot; Sayoko asked Junpei later.

    quot;I  t of one yet.quot;

    togetment. Sayoko boiled a pot of spagti and defrosted some tomato sauce co Sala from a picture book, but wime came sed.

    quot;Please, Mama, do trick,quot; she begged.

    Sayoko blus;Not no; s;e .quot;

    quot;No, ,quot; Sala said. quot;Junpeis not a guest.quot;

    quot;s t?quot; Junpei asked.

    quot;Its just a silly game,quot; Sayoko said.

    quot;Mama takes s it on table, and puts it back on again. So keep one able. And ime !quot;

    quot;Sala!quot; Sayoko gros just a little game  s not meant for anybody else.quot;

    quot;Sounds like fun to me,quot; Junpei said.

    quot;Please, Mama, s once. If you do it, Ill go to bed rig;

    quot;Os t; Sayoko muttered. Sook off al c to Sala. quot;No going to give me any more trouble about going to bed, rig ready to time me o t;

    Sayoko er. S botable and counted, quot;One . . . t; Like a turtles racting into its s  back-scratc. Out came t   up its sleeve. Sayoko turned  a bit, and t  e bra—a small one,  test ed motion, t back up t again. t  t again. ted   on table.

    quot;ty-five seconds,quot; Sala said. quot;ts great, Mama, a ne time so far y-six seconds.quot;

    Junpei applauded. quot;onderful! Like magic.quot;

    Sala clapped oo. Sayoko stood up and announced, quot;All rigime is over. to bed, young lady. You promised.quot;

    Sala kissed Junpei on t to bed.

    Sayoko stayed il eady, t;I o make,quot; s;I ced.quot;

    quot;Ced?quot;

    quot;I didnt put t pretended. I slipped it out from under my ser and dropped it on t;

    Junpei laug; a terrible mot;

    quot;I ed to make a ne; s seen  simple, miscime. time s axis inside Junpei, like curtains stirring in a breeze. ook ogetrong embrace. ite naturalness, t ime teen.

    quot;e so begin ; Sayoko o ;But you didnt get it. You just didnt get it. Not till t;

    took tly. t time. took time, until t last Junpei entered Sayoko and she drew him in.

    None of to Junpei. In t,  as if ed bridge t  on and on forever. ed to come, but , once it hing would vanish.

    t creaking sound. t from took turned to see Sala standing against t. Sayoko . Gat to s, so straighe hair on her forehead.

    Sala  crying or screaming.   stood t t seeing notiness.

    Sayoko called her name.

    quot;to come ; Sala said in a flat voice, like someone  of a dream.

    quot;t; Sayoko asked.

    quot;told me to tell you. ing ell you t, and you and.quot;

    Sala slept in Sayokos bed t nigretc on t, but  sleep. tV faced time ared at t ting  a cter ed, it did not go away.

    rying to sleep and  to tc at tcable to drink it, but  somet. It ill lying t up and  on t ion. It cness .

    Junpei t about ill akatsuki t time t, saying, quot;s get someto eat,quot; in t sukis friendly smile t seemed to say, quot;Relax. t going to keep getting better and better.quot;  t time, Junpei  hing special.

    quot;o go to lunc; Junpei  day. takatsuki tapped emple e confidence. quot;I alent for picking t friends at t times in t places.quot;

    And takatsuki  been , setting cable. uitive knack for picking t friends. But t  enougo love over te a different matter from finding friends. Junpei closed  about tretcime   to t as somet any purpose.

    As soon as Sayoko o marry  e anote. taking care not to make a sound,  Sayoko and Sala sleeping bundled in a comforter. Sala lay o Sayoko, ip of irred. o ted floor by t to cheir sleep.

    Eyes fixed on t about t of tory for Sala. o find a o end tale of Masakiconkico be a o save tonkicraced tory from to sprout in tle by little, it took shape.

    tonkic as Sala:  Masakiced to bake  didnt take o realize t alent for making crisp, delicious ook to too tonkic tonkico separate again: ter in tains.

    Sala o love t to e stories t are different from tten so far, Junpei t. I  to e about people  to end,  t rigo stay c anyone—not anyone—try to put to t crazy box, not even if th a roar.