My sister took 12 years to fulfill her "dream" ~ Pushed by my sister ... May 5 at 29:18

Her older sister "Ayu" and younger sister "Ku-chan".

Sisters who called each other this way and were close like best friends.

On that day, Ayu's life was suddenly taken.

Ku-chan, who was 10 years old at the time, stopped talking about Ayu after that.

Twelve years have passed since then. This spring, Ku-chan got the job she dreamed of. What pushed me back was the presence of "Ayu" that had been in my heart for a long time.
(Director, Political and Economic and International Program Department, News Bureau Eika Tsuda)

"Ayu" and "Ku-chan" were good sisters who were like best friends

Kurumi Kikuchi was born and raised in Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture.

My older sister, Ayumi, who is 16 years older than me, was an irreplaceable presence that always kindly embraced me.

We call each other "Ayu" and "Ku-chan" and have never quarreled.

She laughed and listened to what Mr. Kurumi said, and when she quarreled with her friends, she kindly consulted with me.

Kikuchi Kikumi
: "She was very relaxed even when we talked about various things, and she always laughed at what she said, and when I consulted with her about school, she often calmed me down just by asking, 'Oh, yes, that,' which I was grateful for."

Sudden breakup with the sister I loved so much

In March 2011, when Kurumimi was 3 years old and Ayumu was 10, the sisters were forced to break up abruptly.

It was the Great East Japan Earthquake.

In fact, six months before the earthquake, Ayumu, who had married and lived in Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture, returned to his parents' home in Sakata City, gave birth to his first son, Rin, and spent time with him.

Ayumu and Rin returned to Onagawa.

Two months later, the earthquake struck.

Ayumu could not be contacted, and his family had to go to Onagawa Town to look for him, but due to the many aftershocks and danger, Kurimi, who was an elementary school student, was left at his aunt's house in Sakata City.

The family drove to Onagawa Town and continued looking for Ayumu and Rin.

In the room on the fourth floor of the apartment where Ayumu and the others lived, it is said that the aftermath of the tsunami that surged almost to the ceiling was left.

Ms. Kurumi was waiting at her aunt's house for her family to return.

It is said that Mr. Kurimi's aunt played a DVD of comedy that she had borrowed from a video rental store so that she would not be worried and did not let her touch the news of the earthquake as much as possible.

However, when she saw her family returning from Onagawa, she felt a heavy atmosphere.

Kikuchi Kikumi
: "I had never been told by anyone that I didn't know his whereabouts, but I feel like I understood it naturally. I wasn't sure when I was in elementary school, but I felt that something might have happened to Ayu."

Two months after the disaster, Ayumu was found on the beach in Onagawa Town.

Kikuchi Kikumi
: "I didn't understand what kind of situation it was like, and I felt stunned. I don't want to think it's real, I remember escaping from reality. Somewhere in my heart I knew we would see each other again."

The family was able to hear from someone who witnessed the two people evacuating immediately after the earthquake.

Ayumu was trying to climb the stone wall to a higher place.

I put my hand on the stone wall, but I couldn't climb it with Rin in my arms, and then the tsunami came in.

At that time, Ayumu was shouting, "I will never let go of my baby" and "I will not let go of this child."

Rin's whereabouts are still unknown.

From that day on, I didn't tell my mother or my friends about my sister.

After the disaster, she hardly told her friends and people around her about her sister, whom she loved so much.

When asked about his brothers and sisters in elementary school, he only said, "I have an older sister," and tried not to ask him any more deeply.

At home, when I saw my mother, Machiko, changing the channel when a TV commercial showed images of her baby, I began to think that it was better not to talk too much about the earthquake disaster and my sister to my family and those around me.

Kikuchi Kikumi
: "If I talk about the earthquake, my friends might darken it, so I tried not to show it too much. I didn't touch [my mom], I was watching from my side. Because when you touch it, the sadness becomes deeper. I felt like I was watching by my side."

On the other hand, her mother, Machiko, also had mixed feelings.

While he was grateful to Kurumi, who tried to make her laugh as cheerful as possible, she didn't know what was true in her heart, asking Kurumi, who was less likely to talk about Ayumu and Rin, "Do you remember much?"

Mother: Machiko:
"I was 10 years old at the time of the earthquake, so I didn't talk about the earthquake or Ayumu and Rin.

Supported by the deceased Ayumu, "Dreams Grasped"

Now that she is in high school, she is ready to decide on her career path.

Since I was often worried about relationships, I was worried that the same situation would continue even if I went to university.

At that time, the person who encouraged me in my heart was Mr. Ayumu, who was always on my side and cheered me on.

"Ayu (Ayumu-san) will surely be watching over you."

Wanting to connect her work to illustration, which she had loved since she was a child, she decided to go to an art university.

It was a big challenge for Mr. Kurimi, but he continued to practice painting for the practical exam and was able to pass the university of his choice.

With my mother, Machiko, I had more opportunities to talk about my sister Ayumu and Rin, which I hadn't talked about much before.

"What kind of child will Rin become when he is in elementary school?"

Kikuchi Kikumi:
"Unlike when I was a child, I have a lot of imagining what it would be like to have two people, and I feel like I've become able to put my thoughts into words."

Then, in March, Mr. Kurumi graduated from university and started working as a new member of society at a game company.

Ms. Kurimi's departure was also a milestone for her mother, Machiko.

In the midst of the deep grief of losing her daughter and first grandchild, she says that the tension she had been feeling about raising Ms. Kurimi, who was still in elementary school, became a little lighter.

Mother: Machiko
: "There was always a feeling that I had to be firm, and I spent 12 years thinking that if I failed, if I collapsed, if I got sick, I wouldn't be able to do it. When I told Ku-chan, "No matter what you've been doing lately, there are times when you feel sad," she said, "I understand," so I realized that I had grown up. I don't talk much about the two of them, but I think there was a sadness in Ku-chan's own way. I thought of the same person, but in a different way of grief."

I want to tell my sister, "I've worked so hard."

In 2023, this year will be the 13th time.

The family ran a ritual near the coast of Onagawa Town, where Ayumu was found.

Twelve years have passed since that day.

Mr. Kurumi had a desire to convey to Mr. Ayumu.

Kikuchi Kikumi:
"I want to tell [my sister] that I've worked so hard, because I felt like I was able to pass the university entrance exam in one shot, and that I was able to get a job that I wanted to get a job, and that I did my best. I felt that the reason I was able to do that was because of my sister's emotional support. I feel like they're going to say, 'Congratulations.'"

Pushed by Ayumu in his heart, Mr. Kimi got the job he wanted.

It has been nearly two months since I joined the company, and although there are times when things do not go as expected, I am moving forward with hope.

Kikuchi Kikumi
: "My goal is for someone to enjoy the game work I was in charge of, and I want to continue to be positive and have fun because I am living in the present."

Keika
Tsuda, Director
of the Political Economy and International Program Department, News Bureau 2005 Transferred to the Sendai Bureau in 2016 after the
earthquake and continued to cover the damage caused by the
huge tsunami and the thoughts of the bereaved families.