[EN] Ep.6｜The Ghost
From My Closet To You
〜Narrative essays, weaving fashion and heart〜
1. Yuu’s Days
“You’re baaack.” Sensing Kasumi’s presence, I call out toward the front door. “I’m back, Yuu! So tired…everything feels heavy.” Kasumi kicks off her shoes and pulls a DVD out of her bag. “I finally found it!” “Thank yoou!!” It’s an old ghost movie that isn’t even on any streaming service. I’m sure the two of us will have a great time. Kasumi sets the DVD on the table and smiles. “Lucky you, Yuu. Ghosts don’t get tired or feel heavy, right?”—Yeah, that's true. I’m not human.
2. Kasumi’s Days
—Two years ago. I met Yuu at a shrine near my place. Just sitting…thinking about that guy, feeling so heavy. There was nowhere else to go. “Hey, you. My head and chest hurt because of you.” Startled by the voice, I turned around. A girl was standing behind me in a tracksuit. She looked about my age. “Talk to me. Here, I can see your memories.” Her hand touched my shoulder. But I didn’t feel anything―…Not human…? "It suuucks that we’re both hurting, huh?" she said, sounding cheerful yet somehow sad. It stirred something in me. “Thanks, um…” That was how we began.
3. Yuu’s Feelings
Kasumi’s place is a small one-room apartment, but it’s crammed with trendy clothes. “I’m going out tomorrow afternoon,” Kasumi says, pulling out some clothes. “Hiiim?” I ask her. “Yeah, tennis.” Ugh, again! “That’s complicaaated.” “Yuu, that's snarky.” Her guy friend―they’ve been friends a long time, so many years! She once said something like, “We both have feelings for each other.” Some nights, he tells her to come over. Even sooo, I’ve heard that he doesn’t hold her hand. She’s tied to him. “Hey, let’s watch the movie first.” The B-movie where a ghost possesses people. It’s so us.
4. Kasumi’s Feelings
After the movie, we pick out my outfit for tomorrow. “Kasumi, have you ever played tennis?” “...No. I’m just going to watch.” Yuu sighs. Still, she helps me choose and listens while I talk about fashion. “Hmm, trends…they’re the heart that wants to move beyond the past. Trying to move forward, to change our values. You know…it's wonderful, isn’t it?” Yuu furrows her brow. “So you can change your values? I mean, about him.” My chest aches deep inside. “...He’s the only one who’s ever really listened to me. Um, well, Yuu too!” Yuu says as she disappears, “It’s all just a whim.”
5. Yuu’s Pain
I come to around noon. Kasumi is wearing the sweats set we picked out yesterday―a pale blue cropped hoodie and an A-line mini. “Isn’t that skirt a bit too shooort after all?” I blurt out. “No problem! It’s actually a skort. Okay, I’m off!” Kasumi flips up the hem to show me. “Riiight. Have fun.” After she’s gone, I return to the dark. Quiet and cold. Sleep creeps in. My consciousness―Suddenly, pain grips my chest. I can’t breathe…Suffocating! This is Kasumi’s pain.
6. Kasumi’s Pain
My apartment door is right in front of me. …How did I get back? I open it. Yuu is there, waiting. “How was your day? So what happened?” My legs give out and I just sink to the floor. “...He was weird. Not like he usually is…and then I…” The words get stuck in my throat. Yuu sits beside me in silence. “He...he had a girlfriend…I found out.” Tears won’t stop. Anger flashes across Yuu’s face. “...Hey, don’t see him again.” “But we’re friends―” Yuu cuts me off. “How long are you going to keep being his ghost!?”
7. The Two
The air is tense. “...That’s not it.” Kasumi’s voice is weak. Yuu continues. “He’s messed up! Not your friend at all, just using you as a stand-in for something else.” Kasumi lowers her head. Her hands are shaking. “Even if there’s nothing physical between you, he’s using your heart.” “You don’t understand us!” Kasumi’s hand hits the floor, the sound echoing―A long silence. Yuu stands up. “There’s no point.” She vanishes. And then, Kasumi’s eyes lose focus. “…Back to when there was nothing.” Kasumi walks out the door. “A ghost…that suits me. Take my place.”―Morning comes.
8. The Only
Everything feels heavy. I wake up. Is this…a shrine? Looking around, the windows of the worship hall catch my eye. The morning sun reflects off the glass—the face in it is Kasumi’s. ...No. I’m “Yuu.” In that instant, pain shoots through my head and Kasumi’s memories flood in—Take my place—Her intense wish. Her heart. I understand. It’s me. I cornered Kasumi. “…I’m sorry. He’s not some trend. …He’s your only…” The morning glow envelops me―I'll be waiting. Until the day you come back. I’ll keep being your only ghost the whole time.
Fin (Ep.6 The Ghost)
© Hilda Tutu. All rights reserved.
◆Related Content
▷ Ep.6 Aterword –Hilda's Voice– ◁
▷ [Reel] Ep.6 Piece Guide ◁
▷ Japanese Version ◁
*Coming soon：Ep.6 Reading Fashion
◆Series, Fashion & the Author
▷ About “From My Closet To You” ◁
▷ List of Available Pieces (Stand-Alone Episodes) ◁
▷ Fashion Writing ◁
▷ About the Author ◁
― Hilda Tutu ―
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