Chapter 26
Cornwall
Ten days later, after a quick stop in Norway to visit her maternal grandparents, Elyna retreated to western Cornwall to nurse her aching heart.
She’d hoped returning to her den would give her perspective, and a key to smoothing out that impossible crush. But, as she submitted a roadmap of future English assignments to the system for review, her full attention was snatched by the few comments Sano had left.
And when she finally dove into the waves, it was his face that came to mind. Would he love, or hate the cold water of western England? Handle being rolled around by the ocean?
When she watched the cliffs, on top of Tintagel Castle, eyes lost in the beloved caves and sharp spikes of compressed rock, she imagined his hand nestled in hers. His frame engulfing her back as they both contemplated the sunset.
Here, she watched the circle of life dip into the sea; in Tōkyō, it emerged from the depths of the Pacific.
There was no escaping him. When she found a simple bowl of rice more delicious than roasted lamb, miso soup tastier than a cup of hot cocoa, Elyna accepted she was done for. Reeling, she eventually realised her endeavour was hopeless; Sano Kazuki consumed her every thought.
The loud snap of a book being forcefully shut shook her out of her pining. “Meeeeeow!” Nyan darted away in fright.
She watched the ball of fur disappear in the kitchen. “Right then,” David Trewith said, pushing the volume of equations towards Aksel. “I think that’s enough torture for one day. Fancy a ride down to the Smuggler’s Rest? I think we’ve earned it.”
“Oh yeah!” her brother cried, dissolving in his seat. Elyna giggled; physics had a way to suck anyone’s soul. Except for Fujimoto.
Twenty minutes later, they were wheeling their bikes out of the shed, the ritual bringing back countless childhood memories. Aksel bounced on his toes beside his brand-new mountain bike.
“Race you to the crossroads,” Elyna called out, already pushing off with her feet.
“You’re on!” Aksel shot back, his longer legs giving him an immediate advantage.
“Oi!” David Trewith’s voice died in the wind as they laughed ahead. “Careful on those bends, you two!”
Their laughter was snatched by the coastal breeze as they raced out of view. As the wind danced in her hair, bringing in the scent of sea salt, Elyna felt like her time in Japan was but a dream.
Their father caught up with them with the ease of a man used to bike his way around the backcountry; Elyna was almost jealous, especially with that insistent ache pulsating in her wrist. Less than fifteen minutes later, they reached Tintagel’s outskirts and steered clear of the touristic area.
Elyna whooped on her way down, wheeling down the narrow drive that looked like a crack in the cliff.
The Smuggler’s Rest appeared at a bend of the road, akin to a giant stone mushroom.
The sturdy cottage was turned protectively against the western winds, narrow windows and low door typical of a fisherman’s dwelling.
The heavy frame creaked when Aksel pushed it open; immediately, Elyna felt she’d stepped into the past. Everything was familiar here: the smell of wood smoke, ale, and the Cornish pastry her grandmother used to order whenever they came down.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” the barman called out, his weathered face breaking into a broad smile. “Young Elyna Trewith, back from her grand adventures!”
“Ah! Only for a while.” Elyna smiled. “Grandma always said this place had the best atmosphere in all Cornwall.”
“That it does,” her father agreed, settling at the bar. “Usual for me, Tom. And what’ll you have, Elyna?”
The young woman slid on her seat while Aksel almost bounced onto the nearest stool beside her. “Can I have a Coke?” he asked. “And maybe… hey Dad, can we share some good stuff for dinner?”
David Trewith smiled at his youngest’s enthusiasm.
“Sure. Pasty and pork pies?”
The mere mention of Cornish pasty made Elyna’s mouth water, but she had the strange urge to ask for a bowl of rice on the side. Meat, meat and grease, Sano would surely lift a disappointed eyebrow.
There he comes again, intruding into my evening of debauchery. Vade retro!
Elyna studied the chalkboard, noting the local specialties. Would alcohol dull her longing? She had not expected this place to deepen her turmoil further, as if she had drifted out of phase from both her roots and Japan at the same time. Everywhere familiar, nowhere truly at home.
Cornwall had always been her refuge to weather emotional storms, the retreat whenever they could travel back from the other side of the world. And now, as familiar and reassuring as it felt, Elyna wondered if she had not outgrown it. Like a comforter blanket no longer needed.
“Elyna?”
The young woman started at the absence of suffix. Of course, no suffix, you dolt. “Erm… the local cider, please. Just a half.”
Tom nodded approvingly. “Good choice. Those apples are grown just over the hill, and they’re damn good.”
The barman served her first; Elyna didn’t waste time diving in.
The taste was tart and refreshing, hiding a subtle sweetness.
It felt like sipping on Cornwall’s countryside, much gentler than she’d expected, and definitely more pleasant than the bitter ache that had settled in her chest since leaving Japan.
As her father raised his pint, Aksel squinted. “OK. Spill now, and none of that politically correct business. I want to hear about Otakus.”
While the food was served, Elyna laughed good-naturedly at the Japanese clichés Aksel was quoting one after the other.
Biting into her pasty, she told him that no, not everything was pink kawaii with Hello Kitty everywhere, that restaurants were mostly manned by people, not robots, and that not everyone practised martial arts to perfection.
“How about ninjas?”
That boy watches too much TV.
“Mostly extinct by now,” Elyna deadpanned.
Her father piped up with the most ridiculous ideas with his usual dry wit, causing them to dissolve into laughter so often that Elyna had to fight to eat. Little by little, her heart was settling.
“Hey now, don’t tell me there’s not a statue of Godzilla in the streets, I saw it!” Aksel berated her as she gently mocked him on his manga culture.
“Son,” their father snickered, stealing the last chip to avoid them fighting over it. An old habit that had yet to evolve, even though they were both adults now.
“No, that one is…”, she started, before a familiar voice reached them from the pub’s door. Elyna twisted in her seat, delighted to recognise Mrs. Pemberton; she and Aksel used to bike around with her sons to pilfer apples in the countryside.
“Well, well! Isn’t that little Elyna Trewith?”
The older woman was beaming at her, grey hair pinned back in the same style she’d worn for decades. “My goodness, you’ve grown! I never thought I’d see you here!”
Behind her hovered her eldest son… and Elyna’s childhood crush Oliver.
6 years more than me, I’ve always been into older guys after all.
Oliver had completely transformed from the teenage boy she’d once followed around with her little pigtails.
His skin was bronze from the summer sun, and he sported a confident smile; the type of expression worn by people who found the world simple.
Elyna felt slightly awkward when his hazel eyes landed on her, the phantom of old feelings looking childish now.
“Elyna!” he exclaimed with a wide grin. “Bloody hell, look at you! Mum’s been going on about your adventures in the Far East. It sounds absolutely mental…”
Her puzzlement caused him to backtrack. “In the best way, of course.”
Oliver slid beside her, leaning against the bar as if he’d lived here his whole life; she could almost feel his restless energy leaking between her and Aksel.
“Japan must be incredible,” he said, flagging down Tom for a pint. “All that technology and crazy food. Did you see any real geishas?”
The uninterrupted flow was jarring, and Elyna couldn’t help but compare him to Sano’s quiet grace, or Haruki’s stoicism. Even Katayū, in his worst stormy moods, didn’t overwhelm her senses as much.
“It’s a very complex society,” she said carefully. “The culture is very different from here, and more… nuanced?”
“Right, all that bowing and formal stuff. Must have been a bit restrictive after Cornwall, eh?” He leant slightly closer, smile widening as his eyes roamed over her without an ounce of shame. “You do look well, though. Perhaps a little thin.”
Elyna’s cheeks heated up; after Japan’s restraint, she felt… invaded. How was it that Sano had expressed the same concern about her weight without it feeling so jarring? Better respond to the compliment.
“Arigatō gosaimasu,” she responded by reflex. Then translated: “it means thank you”.
Oliver blinked, retrieving his pint with flourish. “Ah, sure. It sounds nice.”
Elyna sought Aksel’s eyes briefly, radiating distress. Oblivious to the silent exchange between the Trewith siblings, Oliver continued: “We should catch up properly sometime. I’d love to hear more about your adventures over there.”
“Actually,” Aksel suddenly interrupted, his voice sharper than usual, “we were just about to go out for a tidbit. See ya later, Ollie?”
Before Oliver could respond, her little brother grasped her wrist and pulled firmly. The stranded young man shouted after them one puzzled, “OK, see ya?” while they navigated the stacked tables. Wood smoke and warm air gave way to salty air as Aksel pushed the heavy backdoor.
Elyna took a long, deep breath on the terrace, watching a horde of gulls crying a warning to all fishermen. The white birds circled the boats that bobbed gently in the harbour.
“That was soooo rude,” Elyna lamented, hiding her face into her hands.
Aksel sighed, looking sheepish. “Yeah, I know. That tosser was all over you, and Ollie doesn’t get better with alcohol in his system.”
Elyna emerged from her self-assigned prison with a curious “Oh?” Aksel only shrugged, showing that boys were privy to information carefully kept away from females.
“Well, thank you,” she murmured, her attention captured by the sea of masts that danced down below. “That was getting uncomfortable.”
Aksel’s eyes flared with indignation. “And he’s six years older, damn it!”
Aha, super old. Embarrassment flooded Elyna; Sano was probably closer to thirty than twenty-five, if not more.
“Ellie?” Aksel suddenly pinned her with a look caught her off-guard. When had the teenager become so perceptive? “Don’t tell me you’re still interested?”
The thought was so preposterous that she laughed. The only reason he’d been her childhood crush was the lack of significant competition. “I, uh, yeah. No, I told you I’m not last time.”
One inquisitive eyebrow climbed over her brother’s forehead. “Not anymore?”
She reined in the urge to swear; whether because they grew up as siblings, or stuck together to survive their parent’s divorce, Aksel always saw through her facade with alarming ease.
“Hush, you!” she exclaimed, swatting at his arm for good measure. “And no, not anymore. I’ve just…” Have someone in my heart, and I can’t get him out.
“OK, spill now. I’ve waited long enough. Who’s the secret crush?”
Elyna’s breath caught. “Shhhh,” she scolded with a fierce glare. Then sighed: “It’s complicated.”
Aksel folded his long arms over his chest. “Try me!” Elyna bit back a smile; perhaps when he’d filled out, the posture would actually be intimidating.
She gestured towards the low stone wall that overlooked the distant harbour.
With the eastern wind, their voices would drift at sea, protecting them from eavesdroppers.
“OK,” she relented, straddling the wall like an old companion; how many times had she climbed over those weathered stones? Walked, jumped, even cartwheeled until her father went red in the face? Aksel settled sideways, one eye keeping tabs on the terrace like a spy.
“Swear you won’t breathe a word to anyone. Not to Dad. No one.”
Aksel gave her his pinky finger, eyes twinkling in the settling night. “Cross my heart, hope to die,” he said, his face serious.
Elyna chuckled. She longed for a good sencha tea to centre herself. Already, her soul thrived on Qi Gong routines and a pair of warm, golden eyes.
Despite herself, she found the words beginning to flow.