Dear my stars

17 Taichi and...1

I’m Sakura Yoshida.

This name comes from the flowers which blooming at the end of March.

I hated this name form a young age.

I was somehow cold-bred by boys, often teased as “Sakura-chan!”

I’ve never called first name in the school days-primary school, junior high school, and high school.-

At least, it was good for me to enter high school for girls.

But my Yoshida family doesn’t have enough money to let me go to private school.

Anything, I have younger twin sisters.

They’re different from me, their names don’t come from flowers.

They’re Ai and Mai.

Once, I asked my parents why our name aren’t unified.

And my mother answered.

“Because Sakura is so pretty name!”

She put her hands on her cheeks and tilted her head to the side.

My father nodded to agree with her.

“Also as your parents, we put in power our first child.

That’s it, Sakura.”

Since that, I try not to ask about my name.

Because I only get angry about the answer I can’t understand.

After graduation high school hating blooming cherry blossoms, I got a job as medical clerk.

Because in my workplace, there’re only women, I’m not teased about my name.

Rather, I envied the name of Sakura.

But at the hospital site it was not so.

When I stand behind counter as a front officer, of course I meet male patients.

I’m often called “Sakura-chan!” by younger men and older men.

It was the worst day when the man who is as young as me came because of catching cold.

He was aware to call my name, coughing for me.

This day, there were more male patients than female.

Probably the majority of patients would have a bad physical condition as a result of repeating an unrepentant life.

The faces of many patients got red, and they were coughing all the time.

In that time, I met him.

“Hey, Mr. Tsutsumi. Mr. Taichi Tsutsumi”

He’s a man, too.

I called this name, thinking that.

Then the tall man came to counter.

Mr. Tsutsumi was rare because he wore mask on his rip, catching a cold.

He had a temperature of as much as 38 degrees.

So his message was so strong.

“ Your name Sakura is so beautiful.

If I was born as a woman, I wanted to be named this name.

Because, blooming cherry blossoms are like stars. Don’t they?”

“Excuse me…if you talk one more time, you might damage your throat.”

The moment when I was said, I didn’t understand the mean .

Also, I didn’t try to understand what he said.

But, after the last patient left, in one of the room of hospital, older staff talked to me.

“Sakura, the man who came today was so handsome, wasn’t he?”

“Yes, yes, how refresh he was!

I wanted to ask if he caught a cold really.”

“Many male patients came here today, too.”

When I shook my head, they gathered and shook my their heads to the side.

“No!”

The workplace has more female staff has merit and demerit.

The chat after working between female staff is the demerit.

Usually I quietly hear the contents, but only about male, I could not like.

That content came to me.

“Hey, he praised your name. Well…”

“Like stars”!

I agree with his words after hearing that.

The refresh man said what is different from other men.”

“Uh…I must be going now.”

To escape from female staff who enjoying talking, I left my workplace quickly.

I wanted to escape from that message, and him.

My twin sisters welcomed me when I reached my home.

“You got in home, Sister Sakura”

“I’m home.”

The place and people who came to me, but the name calling me.

I often think I want to live alone.

But I wanted to save much money, I go to workplace from my original home.

Even I got a job.

One of my younger sisters called my name, I remembered what Mr. Tsutsumi said.

“Your name Sakura is so beautiful.

If I was born as a woman, I wanted to be named this name.

Because blooming cherry blossoms are like stars. Are not they?”

I couldn’t forget his message for ever.

One week later, he came to the hospital again.

He looked palate better than last week, but his message was still strange.

“Your name is so beautiful. I don’t know why men tease yours.”

His smile was too pure, I couldn’t the word I should answer.

The female staff who watched us said “How about talking at terrace?”

I couldn’t understand what she means, but I couldn’t help to nod it.

It’s the way to live in female society, I understood enough after being adult.

On the other hand, Mr. Tsutsumi looked so happy to hear what she said.

I think if he didn’t wear mask, I could see his smile clearly.

As soon as, I and he moved to the terrace in the hospital.

I asked about things small but worrisome to him.

“ You said that blooming cherry blossom was like a star.

But how about double one?

I think that it has too many petals and doesn’t look like a star.”

Then, his eyes were shining and he said.

“That’s right!

It’s sure that what you said- double cherry blossom isn’t like a star-.

But it’s one of example.”

“What do you mean?”

“The form of stars isn’t only one.”

He confused me more and more.

Because he said that my name is a star, and now says one of example.

I wanted to leave here as soon as possible.

But my body couldn’t move.

“You know my name, right?

Taichi means the sun, my father said.

The Sun is also a star.

So double cherry blossom is like a star, too.

Because the Sun’s sunshine and stars’ light in the night are like double cherry blossom, aren’t they?”

I was inadvertently drawn into his words.

I nodded, thinking he had been named

“You talk like a teacher.”

He smiled, putting his big hand on his mask.

“Because I’m a teacher of junior high school.”

I think it was not especially for him, but was premium information for me.

And, I’ve never talked with men.

But I don’t know why I could talk question to him or words.

He answered me one by one.

I guess he’s a science teacher.

He often talk about star.

I asked to him about it, too.

And he nodded, talking about why he became a science teacher.

“A human is one of shining star, of course you, too.

Even in the life with mountain valleys, the earth seems to be repeating the four seasons.

I wanted elucidate the thinking of my grandmother, so I choose the both way of a teacher and a scientist.”

To that extent, he never told me a difficult technical term against me.

I thought why he wanted to hear such gentle voice forever.