Utsusemi

Life was at a crossroads.
The age before I really knew myself.
The age before I really knew pain.

Try hard, they tell you, but I didn't know how. I didn't know how to scream.
Not even realizing that I was lost, I was lost. I ran away, and met the girl.
Pretty like a doll, sleeping in the rain, pretty Saori.
She was reticent. There was something so different about her.

I learned about behavior from her. My behavior.
It was hard for me to make friends. I was weary of the complexities of people.
But with Saori, I was completely enthralled.

This is my love story.

-- The trailing days of that summer, 1970. Showa Year 45.
One week before autumn. Those were the days.