After Dark

Walking down a side street, Kaoru declares that they should go someplace to drink. Mari is too young to drink, but Kaoru tells her to get a nonalcohol beverage. At a small bar, Kaoru drinks a beer and Mari has a sparkling water. They discuss Guo, and Kaoru asks Mari about herself. Mari is in college studying Chinese. She wants to be a freelance translator to avoid the 9-to-5 work grind. Mari explains that, growing up, her parents told her to study hard because she could not rely on her looks like her sister, Eri. Kaoru affirms that Mari is good-looking, saying, “You’re plenty damn cute. It’s true: I’m not just saying it to make you feel good. Let ‘em get a load of me if they want to see ugly” (67).

Growing up being told she was “ugly” took a toll on Mari. She eventually developed a phobia of school, and it was not until she found a Chinese school in Yokohama that she felt comfortable again. Her parents were not happy. They wanted Mari to go to a prestigious school: “They had our roles picked out for us: the elder sister, Snow White; the younger sister, a little genius” (69).