Dz™‡•‘‡ǡ”‹‰Š–ǫ‡…ƒŠƒ‰‹–‘‘—”„ƒ‰•ǡƒ•ƒƒ”‘ˆ‘—” ‡„‡”•Š‹’Ǥdz DzŠǥ„—–ƒ”‡ǯ–•‡…”‡–•‘…‹‡–‹‡••—’’‘•‡†–‘not stand out?dz Dz ‡‡œǡ›‘—•–‹ŽŽ‘ƒ„‘—––Šƒ–ǫ–ǯ•ˆ‹‡ǡƒ‡†‡ǨǯŽŽ„‡–Š‡‘‡–‘™‡ƒ”‹–Ǥ ‘—Œ—•–‡‡’›‘—”••‘‡™Š‡”‡•ƒˆ‡Ǥdz›–Šƒ–’‘‹–ǡ‹›‘•Š‹™ƒ•ƒŽ™ƒ›• calling me by my given name. I eventually ended up putting my keys on the keychain, though I never told her that. Then, another time. And another time. And another time. I came to realize that Akiyoshi was spending the majority of her time at university with me, and so just once, I had to ask. DzŠ‘—Ž†ǯ–›‘—„‡Šƒ‰‹‰‘—–™‹–Š‘–Š‡”‰‹”Ž••‘‡–‹‡•ǫdz Dz’”‡ˆ‡”Šƒ‰‹‰‘—–™‹–Š‰—›•Ǥ‘—†‘ǯ–Šƒ˜‡–‘™‘””›ƒ„‘—–•–—ˆˆ ƒ•—…ŠǤdz It had occurred to me that Akiyoshi probably had very few people she could call friends, and I understood that life in feminine society must be difficult for a person like her. There were plenty of times when she did not smile. Her face hardened ™Š‡•Š‡”‡ƒ†–Š‡‡™•ǡƒ†™Š‡•Š‡‰”‡™ƒ‰”›ƒ–•‘‡‘‡ǯ•‘’‹‹‘ǡ she cut them with a sneer. By the time I realized that though, I was already well beyond thinking that she was someone to be avoided. I recognized this, and I understood her. The embarrassing behavior, the naiveté that she possessed, always chasing after her ideals, after the truth, were things that I did not share. Dz›–Š‡™ƒ›ǡƒ‡†‡ǤŠƒ›‘—ˆ‘”ƒ……‡’–‹‰‡ǡdz•Š‡•ƒ‹†•—†denly one day, sometime after our first meeting, I believe when we were on the way back from some museum we had visited. DzŠƒ–†‘›‘—‡ƒǫdz Dz‡ŽŽǡ‡ƒǡ›‘—‘…‡–‘Ž†‡–Šƒ–›‘—–”›–‘ƒ˜‘‹†‰‡––‹‰…Ž‘•‡–‘ people, so that you can avoid hurting them j—•–„›Ž‹˜‹‰Ǥ‘ǡǯ‰Žƒ†–Šƒ– you accepted me as your friend when you could have just turned me away –Š‡ˆ‹”•––‹‡‡˜‡”•’‘‡–‘›‘—Ǥ‹–Š‘—–›‘—ǡǯ†„‡”‡ƒŽŽ›Ž‘‡Ž›ƒ– •…Š‘‘ŽǤdz By then, I was already beyond thinking what an embarrassing thing that was of her to say. Akiyoshi was the sort of friend who could think those things and say them aloud.