Episode 5: Manazuru Town

* * *

The sky was as blue as a kid's grin.

"Wooow... it's amazing! You can smell the ocean! Right, Kotoha?"

Manazuru Town was a small port town southeast of the Hakone volcano. Almost all of it was mountainous, with very little flat land. Being rural, tall buildings were rare, and the roads were wide with oddly winding curves.

(Ah... I really came back.)

Stepping off at Manazuru Station and looking out over the sprawling traffic circle, I felt a strange sensation.

(That place became a drugstore. It used to be a regular supermarket.)

Three years was enough for some things to change, but not enough for others. The supermarket had changed, but the pizza place and curry shop in front of Manazuru Station were still right where I remembered them.

"I'm hungry. Got anything you wanna eat, Mari-chan?"

"I'd love to eat Japanese food!"

mALEEa happened to be on break too, so she'd come to Manazuru with me. She still hadn't made many friends at Azure Academy, so she said she wanted to come along — which made me happy.

Luna-san was supposed to come with us, but the skull-masked man investigation pushed her break start back a few days. She'd be here tomorrow, apparently.

"Oh right, I think there's a fisherman's restaurant that way."

In this rural fishing town, mALEEa with her rainbow hair stood out completely. She was tall, wearing heels, dressed head to toe in the latest fashion. Walking next to a girl that beautiful made me a little nervous.

We settled on a rundown, beach-shack-style restaurant nearby for lunch.

"Mmm♪ The sashimi is delicious! ...But I don't have the courage to try wasabi."

"Haha. It's good once you get used to it."

"But the last time I had sushi I put on way too much wasabi and got that sting up my nose. Scary!"

I used to walk past this place all the time growing up. But I was a middle schooler with few friends — I'd never gone in, always vaguely wondering what they served.

"...Kotoha. You seem a little down?"

"Huh?"

"Because you're not smiling much."

It wasn't that I hated my hometown. While I was in Mexico, I'd even dreamed of coming back someday.

"You're not looking forward to it? Seeing your parents?"

"...I don't know."

My memories with my parents weren't very good. I'd wanted to be loved like any normal kid. As a reaction to that, I'd caused problems when I was little. But to a couple who didn't get along, a creepy child who could see through their hearts was nothing but dead weight.

"What's your family like, mALEEa?"

"Hmm. My parents loved me, and they loved me sooo, sooo much that..."

"Yeah?"

"Going to school was forbidden. Making friends was forbidden. Going to the hospital was forbidden. That kind of thing."

"Whoa, seriously?"

"When I was twelve, they found out I'd been secretly hanging out with a friend, and my papa got really mad. He hit me over and over with his belt. When Alex found out, he just — went completely crazy!"

Alex... that would be Alex Cave. The big blond guy from Corporations. I'd only seen him from a distance, but he looked pretty intimidating.

"That guy is such an idiot. So he stormed into my house and the whole thing turned into a police situation, and he got a criminal record."

"...That's something else."

"But I was even more of an idiot. I was a crybaby, I was weak. I testified the way my papa and the police told me to. Even though... if I'd tried harder... Alex wouldn't have had to go to that facility."

There was nothing to be done about that. She'd been twelve years old. Being able to coherently explain what had happened to her in rational terms — that was just impossible at that age.

"I still get along with my family. We talk on the phone a lot. But... friends are more important to me."

"Huh... I see."

"Hehe. And so, what I felt back then — I turned it into the song that's playing right now."

The music drifting through the restaurant was a mellow Western tune. When I listened closely, I realized it was mALEEa's voice. But no one else in the restaurant seemed to notice.

"Would you like a refill of water?"

An elderly server offered a pitcher, and mALEEa beamed at him.

"Thank you! The food was reeeally, truly delicious!"

We looked at each other and quietly burst out laughing so no one would catch on.

"Ahaha. Hehe. ...Hey, Kotoha."

"What?"

"I hope your parents are doing well."

I found myself nodding at that, honestly. We hadn't been a close family. I didn't particularly like them. But I could at least feel that I hoped they were okay.

* * *

We headed uphill from Manazuru Station, away from the sea. Down familiar roads, through familiar scenery, with the rainbow-haired girl walking beside me. The sunlight filtering through the trees sparkled off her hair, and I found myself a little captivated.

"Don't you have any friends you want to see, Kotoha?"

I hadn't had many friends my age. I'd stood out at school. I used to hang out sometimes with Sojiro-kun's group from the neighborhood, but we'd drifted apart after we ended up in different classes.

"A long time ago... I had this friend called Micchan. We lived together at the same temple."

"Oh?"

"She was a girl who could barely speak, always crying, and I hated her at first."

But because she was so quiet, she never told lies. To a kid like me who went around saying I couldn't trust people — because I could read hearts — that was something genuinely valuable.

"Before I knew it, she was always trailing behind me wherever I went... 'Kokoro-nii... Kokoro-nii...' like that."[^1]

She was quiet, but her heart was always swirling with emotion, and being with her was fun. We'd go fishing, go to festivals. After school, I was usually with her.

"One time I chased her with a praying mantis, and she started crying without a sound. I seriously panicked."

"The worst."

"Come on, I was just a kid."

"But when I was little, Gray caught an opossum and tried to make me hold it, and I hated that. Looking back, I really should've just slapped him."

[^1]: Opossum: A marsupial with resistance to powerful toxins. They've been appearing in urban areas recently. When attacked by predators, they play dead while releasing foul-smelling chemicals. Famous for their parenting behavior.

"...I want to see Micchan."

I wondered what she was doing now. At the very least, I hoped she was doing well.

(Somehow, I'd felt like coming back to my hometown would make everything return.)

The heavy middle school bag. A home without much conversation. An awkward classroom. Sometimes Micchan would call, and I'd do most of the talking. I kept saying that once I saved up enough from my part-time job I'd come visit, but in the end, I never made it to her house even once.

"Ah."

When I turned the corner — there was my childhood home. The house I was born in. The house I'd lived in for so long. The familiar house at the end of the familiar road was engulfed in weeds that had grown wild and thick.

"This sign. It says 'For Sale.'"

The house was empty, and it was obvious no one had lived there for several years. The yard was completely overgrown, the windows cracked. The mailbox was covered in rust, and an old watering can was breeding mosquito larvae.

"Somehow... I feel a little relieved."

"Really?"

"I didn't know what I'd even talk about if I saw them now."

There was loneliness. There was sadness. But this was something I'd given up on long ago. It felt like a hole had opened beneath my feet and I was falling — but that was all.

"...Let's go."

Just as I turned to leave, mALEEa had her hand on the doorknob.

"Oh, it's unlocked!"

"Wait, seriously?"

She went inside without waiting for an answer. I followed her and pushed open the old front door.

"...It smells dusty."

But beneath the smell of dust and age, I caught a scent so nostalgic it made me want to cry. Tatami. Incense. Air freshener. Old wood.

"Kotoha! Over here!"

I followed mALEEa's voice into the living room. Furniture and dishes had been left out. Clothes were scattered carelessly around the room. It was like time had stopped.

(They probably did a midnight flit.)

Even when I'd lived here, they'd been deep in debt. And yet my father still went to the pachinko parlor every week.

(Nobody even looked for me—)

A flash of rainbow hair caught my eye. mALEEa was staring at the low table.

"Kotoha, look at this—"

"What is... this? A flyer?"

On the table was a flyer with a boy's photo printed on it, carefully laminated.

"Isn't this... you, Kotoha?"

It read: 'Looking for family. Kotoyorozu Kotoha. My precious person.' In neat, meticulous handwriting. A handmade flyer, carefully crafted — you could feel the desperation in every stroke.

"Your family was... looking for you, Kotoha."

"...No."

Because this wasn't my parents' handwriting. They didn't write this neatly. They would never call me their 'precious person.' This meticulous, almost too-meticulous handwriting was—

"This is — Micchan's handwriting."

"Ah..."

"She was... I see... She was looking for me..."

Drops fell from my eyes, one by one.

I realized that large tears were overflowing.

"She... didn't... forget about me..."

I'd been scared. Scared that if I came back to my hometown, no one would remember me. So scared I'd been looking away somewhere, avoiding reality. I couldn't bear to face it.

"When I was little... no one ever helped me. So... I thought everyone had forgotten me. Ah, I'm... I'm completely... alone... I always thought... always..."

A hand gently rubbed my back. mALEEa smiled softly, holding me steady. If she did that to me now, there was no way to stop the tears from overflowing.

— I wasn't alone.

"That's wonderful."

mALEEa kept gently rubbing my back. In that dusty, ruined house, I kept shedding tears.

* * *

After that, the two of us — mALEEa and Kotoha — spent the time wandering the town and visiting places from his memories.

(I've never seen a boy cry like that before.)

I still didn't know Kotoha very well. But when I thought about his scarred body, the fact that he'd originally come from the surface before ending up at Azure Academy — piecing the rest together wasn't hard.

"A girl who can't speak? I'm not sure we ever had anyone like that here..."

We were visiting the elementary school Kotoha used to attend. In the faculty room, Kotoha bowed his head deeply. The elderly male teacher twisted his face in thought.

"Please. I have to see Micchan."

The phone number on the flyer searching for Kotoha had been disconnected. So we'd been going around town, trying to find out where "Micchan" was.

"No, and I've been looking — there's no record of a child like that."

The teacher furrowed his brow as he flipped through student lists from several years back.

"I can't imagine I'd forget a child with such distinctive characteristics..."

This teacher had apparently been in charge of that grade level during the time "Micchan" was supposed to have been in this town. He asked the other teachers too, but none of them knew of any such girl.

"...What... is going on...?"

After that, we visited various places around Manazuru Town. The temple where Kotoha used to live, the children's center where he often played, the neighborhood house that had sometimes looked after him.

But everyone we talked to said the same thing — they didn't know any girl named "Micchan."

(Maybe she's what they call an... imaginary friend?)

I remembered how Gray used to play by herself in the closet a lot when we were kids. Everyone has their imaginary friend at some point in childhood. Though if that were the case, who made those flyers?

"Sorry, Mari-chan. Making you stay out this late with me."

The sky had started to grow dark. This town had very few streetlights, and walking around after sunset looked like it would be difficult. We headed toward the hotel we'd booked in advance.

"No, not at all! I had so much fun! The scent of the mandarin orchards. The smell of the sea. There were so many wonderful things. Hey, remember that house with all the wind chimes? That was so pretty, wasn't it?"

I couldn't tell him this, but searching for "Micchan" had been fun too. It was just like a detective drama! Sure, it ended without us figuring anything out — but this was reality, not TV. You can't have everything.

"Then... I'm glad too. Thanks, Mari-chan."

He was such an earnest kid, I thought. The kind that makes you want to see him smile more. In that way, he was a bit like Kate.

"Ah, there's the hotel — wait."

Kotoha noticed. The colorful group walking ahead of us had turned around and was looking our way.

"Oh, it's Koito-senpai and the others."

"Heeey, Kotohaaa!"

Koito-senpai, Mef, Nyao, and Luna. And looking rather uncomfortable — Teru-senpai too.

When Kotoha saw them, he smiled and broke into a light jog toward them.

(......hmph)

That was the first time all day I'd seen such a relieved, happy smile on his face. It made me feel a little put out.

"Koito-senpai, didn't you say you'd be meeting up with us tomorrow?"

"We finished up a bit early. And if that's the case, there's no reason not to go on vacation! The beach! Hot springs! Delicious food! We're going to enjoy ourselves to the fullest with what little time off we have!"

Koito-senpai had dark circles under her eyes from exhaustion, and they were slightly bloodshot. But she was breathing heavily with excitement, clutching her travel guide and wearing a straw hat for vacation.

"The captain will have to head back for work the day after tomorrow, so..."

Mef must have been working just as hard. She looked utterly exhausted, rubbing her shoulder.

"Anyway, that means hot springs! I've hardly ever been in a big bath before, so I'm excited!"

"...C-Captain. Do we really all bathe naked together? Without swimsuits?"

"In Japan, there's a saying for this! It goes: bathing together builds friendship!"

"Eeeeek!"

In Japan, everyone apparently gets naked and bathes together. I'd never done that either, so my heart was racing a little. Still, I was kind of looking forward to it.

"...K-K-Kotoyorozu. Hot springs are... separated by gender, right?"

"That's right, Teru-senpai."

"...Phew. Thank goodness. Seriously. Dodged a bullet there."

In the corner of my vision, the boys' team was whispering among themselves. Paying them no mind, Koito-senpai made an announcement.

"After the hot springs, we eat a delicious dinner, and then everyone gather in front of the hotel!"

"What's happening?"

"I've prepared a super special event!"

* * *

"Woooow! Luna-san, look, look! It's so beautiful!"

— Nighttime Manazuru. The dark beach was covered in colorful sparks.

"Koshiba-chan. This side's amazing too. Behold, dual-wielding."

"...! So cool!"

Nyao and Luna were running around the beach with sparklers blazing in brilliant colors.

"I'll win this time. ...Ah, it fell again!"

"Haha, I'm pretty confident with sparklers, you know."

Kotoha and Mef were making their sparklers crackle near a bucket. Of everyone in Koito-senpai's squad, Mef was the one I'd grown closest to. Back in Tokyo, we'd often had lunch together.

"mALEEa. How is it? Getting used to our squad?"

A pleasant sea breeze swept over us as Koito-senpai came to stand beside me.

"Yeah, thanks. Koito-senpai. Everyone's such a good kid."

"Hehe. I know, right? They're all my pride and joy."

Her cherry-blossom pink hair swayed gently. Koito Hikari — the person who, until recently, had been my enemy.

"Koito-senpai, don't you... dislike me?"

When I asked, her eyes went wide.

"I mean, not too long ago, I was trying to assassinate you."

"...That's true. But do you still want to kill me?"

"No... I don't, but."

Koito-senpai had surely been Kate's goal. Her goal as a person. Her goal as a woman. The Endpoint of Caitlin's life. That wasn't my Yearning.

"Then it's fine. I don't care either way."

She didn't care. What a frightening person, I thought. Frightening in a different way from Kate or President Amelia. She had an immense, tree-like quality — terrifying in scope. That was my impression of her.

"Koito-senpai. Will you hear me out?"

"What is it?"

"During that battle, I thought I wanted to win no matter what. Even if it meant using up my own life."

"...I see."

"And yet, here I am, still healthy. ...It's ridiculous."

We had all braced for death. No matter the cost, we wanted Caitlin to win. Because she was that desperate.

"I couldn't reach Endpoint."

"...That story. Please don't tell my squad about it. They don't know."

Endpoint. The deepest power of Gunscars, Slashes, and Half-Wings. It manifests only when fighting one's true despair in order to fulfill one's true Yearning. Because it's a power of extreme risk, the Apocalypse Stagnation Committee keeps it secret.

"Half-Wings — and Gunscars too — are the power to grant wishes."

"Huh?"

"To reach Endpoint, it has to be something you absolutely want for yourself. You have to fight your own despair for something you love. Someone else's despair won't do."

Defeating Koito-senpai had been Kate's wish. Kate's despair — having lost the people she loved because of her own weakness. That had been her battle. That's why I couldn't truly challenge it.

"But, mALEEa. Remember this. It applies to you too, you know?"

"To me? What does?"

"You're one of 'my kids' now too. So don't try to reach Endpoint."

Koito-senpai smiled like night cherry blossoms. Not her usual smile like a grand flower in full bloom — but a terribly gentle, somehow sad one. After spending these few days together, I'd come to like her.

"Koito-senpai. Thank you... for letting Kate live."

"......"

"I really wanted that girl to win, you know. I wanted her to overcome her despair. But actually... actually..."

This was a feeling I'd never told anyone. And one I'd probably never speak of again.

"Actually — I wanted her to live."

"Yeah."

"Even if it was pathetic... even if it was sad... even if it was painful... I wanted her to live with a smile."

"I understand."

"So... thank you, Koito-senpai."

She patted my head gently. It made me happy somehow, and a little ticklish, and I couldn't help but smile just a little. And in that moment, I realized what my wish was.

(I must want... everyone to keep smiling.)

That's why I'd obtained this Half-Wing that delivers songs. Because I want lots of people to be happy and smiling. Now that I thought about it, it was obvious. Someone with a wish like that could never have wielded Endpoint on that battlefield.

"I hope you can see Kate-chan again someday."

"...Do you think I can?"

When I asked, she just smiled gently.

"I'm sure you will. Because — she's a strong person."

On the beach of nighttime Manazuru, colorful sparks danced alongside everyone's joyful voices. It became an unforgettable night for me. Everyone was happy, everyone was smiling, and even the stars and the wind shone softly.

(Ah, I...)

My rainbow hair fluttered in the night breeze.

(This is what I sing for.)

I wanted to see Kate, I thought. Because my voice now was probably a little different from before. Knowing her, she was surely somewhere out there, fighting desperately against something.

Until that day, I wanted to protect this world — I thought that, strongly.