Almost Transparent Blue by Ryu Murakami Read Free Book Online Page A

doorway. Her cap bore some company insignia, the shoulders of her navy jacket were damp—I thought she must have come to read the gas or electric meter. When her eyes got used to the dim light, she noticed me, started to speak, seemed to think better of it, and stepped outside again. She glanced back once more at me, naked and smoking a cigarette, then went off toward the right, her head cocked to one side.
    Through the space outside the door, now open a little wider, passed two grade-school girls, talking, gesturing, wearing red rubber boots. A black soldier in uniform ran by, leaping over the muddy spots just like a basketball player dodging a guard to shoot.
    Beyond Lilly's car, on the other side of the street, stood a small black building.
    Its paint was peeling in places; "U-37" was written in orange.
    Against the background of that black wall, I could clearly see the fine rain falling.
    Over the roof were heavy clouds, looking as if someone had smeared on layer after layer of gray pigment. The sky in the narrow rectangle that was visible to me was the brightest part.
    Thick clouds swollen with fever. They made the air damp, made Lilly and me sweat. That's why the crumpled sheets were clammy.
    A thin black line slanted across the narrow sky.
    Maybe that's an electric wire, I thought, or a tree branch, but then it rained harder and soon I couldn't see it anymore.
    The people walking in the street hurriedly put up umbrellas and began to run.
    Puddles appeared on the muddy street even as I watched and widened out in a series of ripples. Played on by the rain, a big white car moved slowly along the street, almost filling it. Inside were two foreign women, one adjusting her hairnet in the mirror, and the other, the driver, watching the road so carefully that her nose was almost pressed against the windshield. Both were heavily made up ; their dry skin appeared to be caked with powder.
    A girl licking an ice cream bar passed, then came back and peered in. Her soft, blonde hair was plastered to her head, and she took Lilly's bath towel off the kitchen chair and began to wipe herself dry. She licked ice cream off her finger and sneezed. When she raised her head, she noticed me. Picking up the blanket and covering myself, I waved at her. She smiled and pointed outside.
    Putting my finger to my lips, I signaled her to keep quiet. Looking toward Lilly, I laid my head on my hand to show she was still sleeping. So be quiet, I gestured again, my finger to my lips, and grinned at her. The girl turned toward the outside and gestured with the hand holding the ice cream. I turned my palm upward and looked up in a pantomime of noticing the rain. The girl nodded, shaking her wet hair. Then she dashed outside and came back drenched, carrying a dripping bra that looked like one of Lilly's.
    "Lilly, hey, it's raining, do you have washing hanging out? Get up, Lilly, it's raining!"
    Rubbing her eyes, Lilly got up, saw the girl, hid herself behind the blanket, and said, "Hey, Sherry, what are you up to?" The girl tossed the bra she was holding, yelled in English "Rainy!" and laughed as her eyes met mine.

    Even when I gently peeled the band-aid off her ass, Moko didn't open her eyes.
    Reiko was rolled up in a blanket on the kitchen floor, Kei and Yoshiyama were on the bed, Kazuo was by the stereo, still holding tight to his Nikomat, Moko lay on her stomach on the carpet, hugging a pillow. There was a slight bloodstain on the band-aid I'd peeled off, the hurt place opened and closed as she breathed, reminding me of a rubber tube.
    The sweat beading her back smelled just like sex juices.
    When Moko opened the eye that still had false eyelashes, she grinned at me.
    Then she moaned when I put my hand between her buttocks and half turned her body.
    You're lucky it's raining, rain's good for healing, I'll bet it doesn't hurt much because of the rain.

    Moko's sticky crotch. I wiped it for her with soft paper, and when I stuck in a finger, her naked