Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris has a rather unusual design.

And it’s enormous.

Maybe that’s only fitting for Paris, the fashion capital of the world. Even the airport is lined with boutiques from famous luxury brands.

We still have a little time before our flight, so I decide to look for the macaron shop my parents asked me to stop by.

Macarons are one of those sweets that practically symbolize France.

If I had to compare them to something Japanese... maybe they’re like the French version of monaka?

They’re small, round, and come in all kinds of bright colors, with an incredibly sweet cream or jam-like filling sandwiched between two delicate shells.

They’re really pretty to look at.

They’re just a little too sweet for me.

Still, they’re incredibly popular as souvenirs from France, so I’m planning to bring several boxes back for relatives and for people who’ve helped me over the years.

After wandering around the airport for a while, the macaron shop turns out to be surprisingly easy to find.

The first thing that catches my eye is, of course, all the color.

Pink, yellow, green, purple—

It might be fun to choose each flavor myself and have them arranged in a box, but that would probably take forever.

In the end, I pick out several boxes that are already assorted and packaged.

Just as I finish paying, an announcement echoes through the terminal.

“Attention, passengers traveling on XX Airlines Flight 12 to Tokyo. Boarding will begin shortly. Please have your boarding passes ready and wait near Gate 3.”

At an international airport, announcements are constantly being made in all kinds of languages.

No matter how long you live in another country...

No matter how well you learn to understand its language...

There’s something about hearing an announcement in Japanese that makes it slip effortlessly into your ears.

As if it passes straight through the web of foreign languages around you and finds its way directly to you.

After paying, I turn toward the small figure standing behind me.

“That’s our flight. Yo-chan, the plane’s going to be leaving soon, so let’s go wait at the gate.”

I bend down a little so I can look into Yoichi’s face.

“Grandpa and Grandma are sooo excited to see you. It’s been such a long time since you’ve seen them. Aren’t you excited?”

The little boy with curly black hair blinks his big eyes up at me.

“Hey, hey, Kana-chan.”

“Hmm?”

“Are we going to live in Japan forever now?”

There’s a slight tremble of uncertainty in his voice.

“Am I... really going to be okay? Does my Japanese sound weird?”

“You’ll be fine.”

I answer without hesitation.

“Your Japanese is really good, Yo-chan. You studied so hard, remember?”

I smile at him.

Yoichi still looks a little worried, but he gives me a small nod.

Just then, another announcement in Japanese rings through the terminal.

“XX Airlines would like to make an announcement for passengers traveling on Flight 12 to Tokyo. Passengers on XX Airlines Flight 12 to Tokyo may now board through Gate 3. Once again—”

It looks like boarding has started.

“Oh! We’d better hurry. Come on, Yo-chan.”

I adjust my bags and take Yoichi’s small hand in mine.

Then, holding tightly to that little hand, I hurry with him toward the boarding gate.

To be conitued...