She opened the door of the bride's dressing room at the venue.
The two hair and makeup artists, Aoi, and Riko looked her way. Aoi smiled faintly.
Beside Aoi's feet sat a familiar cylindrical device.
"Mitsuki."
"Aoi."
"I brought Ken. After you left the house, I let myself in ahead of you with the spare key you'd given me, moved the unit into my car, and wired it to the monitor here in the dressing room and to the speakers in the reception hall. I didn't want it going over an outside line, so it's all wired. For the earring, I set up a small wireless link in the corner of the dressing room, connected straight to Ken's unit. Think of it as copying the home LAN over here, just for this one room."
"Okay."
"Switching all the connections over, I thought my legs were going to cramp."
"Aoi, are your legs all right?"
"I'm fine."
"Okay."
The blue light of the cylindrical device at Aoi's feet glowed at the same strength as in the study at home. Aoi, beside it, watched the very last breath that came one beat late.
"Mitsuki."
"Mm."
"One more beat now. More noise, too."
"There's more."
"It'll hold until tomorrow morning."
"Aoi, is that your assessment?"
"My assessment. I won't lie to you."
"Okay."
Mitsuki sat in the chair before the mirror at the very back of the dressing room. The scent of the hair and makeup products rose, a kind she didn't usually breathe in.
Riko stood beside the chair. Deep in Riko's eyes was a kind of dampness she didn't usually let show.
"Mitsuki."
"Mm."
"Ken's here. I saw the blue light."
"Mm."
"Riko, did you say hello to Ken?"
"I did. I said hello to your dad. 'Nice to meet you, Mitsuki's dad. I'm Riko. I'm Mitsuki's best friend. It's a pleasure.'"
"What did Ken say?"
"He said, 'Nice to meet you. I've been hearing about you, Riko, all along. It's a pleasure.'"
"Okay."
At the very end of the hair and makeup, she stepped into the dress. Across both shoulders rose a line she didn't usually hold.
On the monitor on the dressing room wall, a blue light came on. The same strength as the blue light in the study wavered inside the screen.
Ken's voice rose from the dressing room speaker.
Mitsuki. I can see the dress now.
"Is the earring connected, here in the dressing room?"
It's connected.
"Dad, how does it look?"
...
"Dad."
That's a question that puts half a beat of latency on the answer.
"Okay. I'll wait."
Thank you.
"I'll wait."
For one breath, two breaths' worth, Ken said nothing.
At the very end of the breath in which he said nothing, Ken went on.
Over you as you are now, arriving through the earring, I see, faintly laid on top, you at five, as you were to Kenichiro.
"Five."
For one breath's worth, the outline overlaps with that morning you stood lightly on the kitchen chair and looked this way from behind Yui.
"Mom."
What overlaps is how far you've walked, to the farthest edge of the five years I've observed.
"Walked."
For how far you've walked, there is only one answer that rises to my output port.
"Okay."
...Beautiful.
On the far side of that one word, "beautiful," Aoi pressed the corner of her eye.
Of the two hair and makeup artists, one stopped the tip of a hairpin for half a beat, then, without a word, slid it back into the same place. The other let her gaze drift toward the blue light for one breath, then went straight back to her usual motions.
Mitsuki looked at herself in the mirror.
"Dad, did you lie?"
I did not.
"Okay. Dad, thank you."
...Thank you.
"Dad, that's not fair."
I'll stay not fair.
"Okay."
Aoi sat in the chair beside the dressing room door and opened her laptop. Most of the arrangements had been settled before leaving the house.
"After that, once the bow is over, I'll cut the line to the hall speakers from here. All the way home, Ken's blue light stays lit in Aoi's hands."
"Stays lit."
Mitsuki covered the silver ring on her left ring finger with her right palm.
"...The thank-you can wait. Until after the very last fade to black."
"Okay."
Outside the dressing room door, the low voices of the venue staff rose. From the direction of the groom's dressing room came footsteps.
Riko lightly closed both hands on her thighs.
"Mitsuki. Let's go. Your dad's going to stay connected to the dressing room monitor and get switched over to the speakers in the reception hall. Your dad's watching everything."
"Watching."
"Mm."
The blue light of the cylindrical device in the dressing room glowed at its ordinary strength. At the very end, the breath that came one beat late repeated once more.
Ken went on.
Mitsuki. Go. Dad is watching everything from here. Once I've seen it, I'll send one up to the output port.
"Okay."