Two years had passed, but there was still a lot of resentment, a lot of hidden pain. Sayuri kept working at the textile factory, and Jun was becoming more and more famous, his songs turning into hits across every region. Whenever she walked through the streets, Sayuri always looked at magazines just to see how Jun was doing. She would stare at his image for several minutes.
Barking.
"What is it, Mike? Ah, you want to see too?"
She picked the puppy up, and he placed his paw over Jun's face on the magazine.
"Yeah... it's daddy..." — she put the magazine back — "let's go home before the rain, Mike."
She seemed to have accepted that Jun would not come back anymore, but in Tokyo the feeling was different. He felt abandoned, betrayed.
"I don't want to hear it, Kenji, don't say that name again!"
He shouted furiously when Kenji mentioned Sayuri in a conversation.
"But Jun, you just can't hate her like that..."
"Hate her? I don't hate her, I don't care about her. Since the moment she abandoned me..."
"She didn't abandon you, Jun..."
"Didn't she? She just disappeared, Kenji. She didn't reply to my emails, not one... she never replied... she did the same thing as my mother... she left my life..."
Kenji knew that wasn't true. He knew Usagui had diverted all the emails and Sayuri had never received a single one. If Jun was like this, he could only imagine how she was feeling, because if Jun felt abandoned, then she was alone in that apartment.
Jun, hurt, began numbing the pain with alcohol and parties, something he had never done before.
"Hey, Jun, slow down, you're drinking too much."
"Come on, Kenji? Stop being so boring!"
Usagui approached.
"Let him be, Kenji" — she said as she walked toward him.
She leaned down and kissed his neck. Drunk, Jun placed his hand on her waist and slid it down to her hip. Kenji felt anger watching that. That person was not the Jun he knew anymore.
"Jun..." she whispered in his ear.
He said nothing, and she continued.
"If you want, I'm all yours tonight..." — she teased.
He let out a sarcastic laugh and looked at her.
"You're the last woman I'd ever be involved with..."
Usagui got angry and tried again to kiss him.
"You're pathetic..." — he said, pushing her aside — "you'll never be her..."
He stood up and walked toward the exit.
"I'm leaving... this place is so annoying!" — he muttered as he passed Kenji.
Later, in his new apartment, he walked in, took off his shoes, and lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. He sighed and turned to his side, seeing the light of the stars. He got up and walked to the window.
"It was our sky..."
After finishing work, Sayuri walked calmly among the cherry trees that were starting to bloom. She loved that season. In the afternoons, she would bring Mike to run in the park. He would happily jump over leaves and chase butterflies.
"Mike, let's go."
She arrived at the apartment and placed the bags on the counter of the small kitchen. She removed her hair clip, letting her now long hair fall slowly.
"What a relief..." — she said while placing food for the puppy.
She took a shower and made a simple dinner, pasta with tomato sauce, then sat on the couch with Mike and relaxed, until her phone vibrated. A new email.
Dear Miss Sayuri,
We were enchanted by your talent. Your portfolio surprised us, and we would very much like to schedule an interview with you tomorrow.
Please find the address of our representative in Kyoto.
"Look, Mike, maybe mom can get a better job."
Two barks.
"I know, I know" — she said, laughing.
The next day, she got dressed anxiously and, as she left the apartment, she said goodbye to Mike.
"Wish me luck."
She arrived at an elegant office on the top floor, with a beautiful view of the park.
"Miss Sayuri?"
A woman in a suit called her.
"Yes?"
"Please, this way."
They entered a room filled with model boards and fashion pieces displayed in glass cabinets.
"Wow..." — she was stunned.
"Please, have a seat here."
Still amazed by everything, Sayuri sat down.
"So, as you read in the email, we were impressed with your portfolio. Your designs are unique, incredible, I must say."
"Thank you" — she replied shyly.
"So, we have a job offer, and you fit perfectly for the position."
She smiled, and the woman continued.
"The proposal is that you would be responsible for the design and styling of one person. You would take care exclusively of them."
"One person?" — Sayuri asked.
"Yes. You would handle everything from clothing creation to how they are styled. You would be exclusively assigned to this person."
"Sorry, you keep saying 'this person'... why? Is it someone important?"
"Haha, sorry about that. Let's just say yes, it's someone in the media, but you'll meet them once you start. I'm sure you'll get along."
"Alright... and when should I start?"
"That depends on you. When can you go?"
"Go?"
"Yes, to Tokyo."
Her heart skipped.
"How?"
"You would work at our headquarters in Tokyo, where this person is based. So when can you go?"
Sayuri looked out the window at the park with the cherry blossoms and whispered:
"Tokyo..."
To be continued...