She came out of the bathroom and went back to the bedroom.
Beside the bed sat the bag she had packed for the day, the night before.
When she opened it, the small bottle of nail polish for touch-ups in the dressing room, the eye drops, and a change of underthings were inside, in their usual order. The dress and the hair and makeup would be done in the dressing room at the venue.
She changed only her underthings, into the ones for the ceremony, and on top she put on a shirt and jacket. On her right ring finger, the tip of the polish she had put on yesterday was chipped, by one breath's worth. She decided to have it fixed in the dressing room.
The silver ring on her left ring finger was lit by the whiteness of morning.
When she lifted the bag in one hand, the small bottle inside rang faintly. She closed the bedroom door.
At the very end of the hallway, the study door stood open. Inside, the blue light of the cylindrical device was glowing.
She set the bag on the chair beside the sunken floor of the entryway. Outside the front door, the sound of Toru's car engine hung in the air for one breath's worth.
She went back to the door of the study at the very end of the hallway.
Ken's blue light, still glowing, was waiting.
"Dad. I'm heading out."
Heading out.
"Okay. I left all the arrangements for before I leave the house with Aoi. Dad, are you going to say something at the reception?"
...I'll speak.
"When did you decide?"
I decided at the very end of last night.
"Dad, do you have a script?"
There's no script. I'll speak with what isn't there.
Mitsuki took half a step inside the study door. On the surface of the cylindrical device on the desk, her shadow was faintly reflected.
Mitsuki laid both hands over the silver ring on her left ring finger. The ring was lit by Ken's blue light.
"Dad. I'm leaving the house."
We'll meet again this evening, in the dressing room.
"Dad."
Mitsuki.
"..."
"I'm going now."
Off you go.
Mitsuki closed the study door halfway.
Without saying a single word, she went back to the entryway.
She put on her loafers on the entryway floor, lifted the bag in one hand once more, and opened the front door.
Toru, in the driver's seat, looked her way. The morning air rose white.
"Mitsuki. Did you tell your father you were going?"
"I did."
"What did your father say?"
"He said, 'Off you go.'"
"That sounds like your father, as always."
"Mm. He was just Dad, as always."
Mitsuki put the bag on the back seat. She pushed the front door shut from the outside.
At the very end of the hallway, inside the half-closed study door, the blue light was glowing. The single character "1" on the paper on the refrigerator door was lit by the whiteness of morning.
The front door closed, on the outside.
She sat in the passenger seat and pulled the belt across. The car started off.
The blue light of the study at home, on the far side where she could no longer see it, went on glowing at its ordinary strength. Or so it should have.