Miyuki unties the envelope with nervous anticipation. The first thing
she retrieves is a card with an unsigned poem. The dedication reads, To
my beloved Miyuki-sama. Miyuki guesses, quite accurately and with
growing emotion, that the poem in her hand is the first that Tamao has
written since she had claimed to have stopped writing poetry altogether.
Rainbow's End
I waited in the rain
For a rainbow that never came
Never came for me
Though I waited
Though I knew its colors
Though I searched its end
(Do rainbows end?)
But then I found you
While waiting in the rain
And if that rainbow ever came
I may know its colors
I may have searched its end
But I already have you
My love, my rainbow's end
Behind the card, Miyuki finds three sheets, a brochure and a pamphlet.
Each sheet contains an invitation for a job interview from three of the
most prestigious publishing companies in Japan. The brochure belongs to
a nearby private university. The pamphlet contains details on
scholarship applications. At the very bottom of the pile, Miyuki finds a
small note in Tamao's hand that reads: Be free, Miyuki-sama. Be free and
live. It is only when the teardrops mar the note's ink that Miyuki
realizes that she is crying. But for the first time in her life, they
are not tears of pain.
~~~~~
Tamao sits quietly outside the greenhouse, waiting for Miyuki's
response. She honestly does not know how the older woman will react. She
knows that neither she nor Shizuma have given Miyuki a real solution -
only a possible way out. It will still be up to Miyuki to apply for the
jobs, to apply for the university, to apply for the scholarship, and
most importantly, to refuse her arranged marriage and to risk being
disowned by her family. Tamao knows how difficult the choice will be for
the older woman. And that is why she waits, hardly hoping, hardly daring
to hope. It is Miyuki's only chance. It is their only chance.
~~~~~
"Tamao-chan."
Tamao hears Miyuki's soft voice behind her. She turns around, almost
frightened by what she will find. But what she finds, on Miyuki's face,
is an expression of indescribable love and tenderness. Tamao sobs, a
small strangled cry of relief, and throws herself into the older woman's
arms. Miyuki buries her face in the younger girl's hair. She asks
quietly:
"You did all of that...for me?"
Tamao sighs her response into Miyuki's neck.
"I had some help. But I would do it all over again if I had to."
Then Tamao draws back and looks Miyuki searchingly, and somewhat
nervously, in the eye.
"Are you...absolutely sure, Miyuki-sama? You'll probably be
disowned...You'll only have yourself to depend on."
Miyuki smiles gently.
"It will be the hardest thing I'll have ever done in my life. But you're
wrong, Tamao-chan. I don't just have me. I have you."
This time, when the dawn finds them in each other's arms, there are no
tears.
Chapter End Notes:
The poem Rainbow's End here is a reference to the Rainbow poem written
and recited by Tamao in Episode 2 of the series. When I reviewed Rainbow
for the purpose of having a literary reference for a new poem, it seemed
to me that Tamao was using the idea of a "rainbow" to refer to Nagisa.
Rainbow also seemed to contain hints of Tamao's foreknowledge that her
crush on Nagisa would not necessarily end happily, though the poem also
contains hints of her willingness to take that risk. ("Rainbow, you are
an illusion...Is the ocean of tears just several paths ahead? Or is it
at the edge of the ravaged earth? Despite that I do not lament. And
within that cold winter light, I try to die in that freezing place...).
I wrote Rainbow's End with the intention of sustaining Tamao's literary
voice and symbolism. Hopefully, that attempt succeeded.
Regarding the job interview offers that Miyuki finds in the envelope, it
was in order to obtain these that Tamao approached Shizuma for help in
Chapter 8 of the story. Tamao needed Shizuma's family connections to
wrangle job interview offers from three prestigious firms in a highly
expedited fashion. The choice of finding a career for Miyuki in the
publishing world has been foreshadowed in the story through previous
episodes that highlight Miyuki's editorial skills. As for the university
and scholarship applications, Miyuki can choose to apply for either the
September or April terms, depending on how well her preparations for the
university exams go.
As a final note, I took liberties on the concept of "disownment" in this
chapter, given my absolute lack of knowledge on how it actually happens
in Japan. In the context of this story, I use the idea of disownment to
refer to a child being no longer recognized as a member of his or her
family, with the withdrawal of complete familial and financial support.
Poor Miyuki does face tough times, but lest the reader forget, she
likely possesses an extremely impressive academic record that should
help open educational or professional doors (Episode 9 implies that she
is a diligent student, and there is the rather obvious fact that she was
the Student Council President).
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