Part 55: Episode 40: Resolution

We touch down in a field of silver grass. It is like nothing we saw inside the egg, or in the beautiful dream kingdom.


Goon!

I guess everyone else hit the ground before us, because Ryouta’s voice came from nearby.

Ryouta! I’m so glad you all made it out okay!
Yeah. And we knew you’d get out just fine, Goon.

I’m fine.
Coooooooo! (Nageki is tough! He has the soul of a buff, manly man!)
I don’t want to think about where we’d be now if you two hadn’t broken through back there.

…Right.
Hmph! You call yourself a hero of justice, but you can’t even get by without relying on your juniors, can you!?
Well, that’s a little harsh. I’d never seen anything like this before, either--Can't you cut me a little slack?
Hmph! You are too sloppy! You never manage to do anything without slipping up.

Why thank you. That alone makes all this worth it.
Merry Christmas! (Miru and Kaku will praise you, too!)

It was good to see that apparently everyone else was in good spirits.

Hey, there! Looks like everybody’s together again!
Oh! Mr. Migrant!

I thought he would’ve disappeared as soon as we were done! But he seemed to be talking to the doctor.

……
Aww, come on! Do you have to look so angry, old friend? Your forehead’s gonna end up permanently creased!
Wait… You know the doctor?

Ouch… That’s cold…
Anyway, let me introduce my new friends! Over here, guys!

New friends? Who could he--


More of the pushy peasants! I’ve heard enough out of you lot!
Don’t worry! They’re all going back to being migrants, like me.
Aaaah, my shoulders are so stiff!
That was a long nap… Man, I could eat a horse!
Wow, what a dream! Wow!


Hey! Don’t go stealing my lines!

…The birds The King has absorbed?
Yeah, that’s them! We’re all going to go back to wandering the night sky. You too, of course!

Wait, there are even more birds here? Just how many--


The music stops.

Where’d he come from!?

Mr. King, you’re way too quiet! I didn’t even realize you were here!
I’m so tiny now… Just leave me alone…!
That’s no good. If we left you on your own here you’d just do the same thing again, wouldn’t you?
Besides, traveling the stars isn’t that bad! You don’t need to be scared.

Nope! That’s what traveling’s all about!
Waaaaaahhhh!
You made The King cry, mister! You meanie!
Wait, you mean me!? Since when am I the bad guy!?
It looks like you are now.
L-look, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean it like that… Uhh…



We make all sorts of memories while we’re alive, right? Good ones and bad ones.
All that baggage is too heavy. We can’t carry it with us into our next lives. So we journey through the night sky, letting our memories go a little bit at a time.
I don’t want to! Forgetting is scary!
But if you keep clinging to your memories, you can never be reborn.
We’re like stones washing down a river. You might start out as a big, jagged lump, but as you keep washing along you get worn down until you’re round and smooth. The sparks as your corners chip off are what make the stars shine.

Back there again!?
Don’t you want to be reborn, Mr. King?
Nooooo! I don’t want to go through all that again!
Come on, it won’t all be bad!
…Well, I guess it might be. You never know!

The music stops.

Waaaahhh!!!
You made him cry again!

This roundabout conversation was cut short by the sound of an approaching train.



The King’s Station! The King’s Station!

A familiar bird emerged from the train, calling for passengers aboard its galaxy express.


Leaving on a journey? Heading home? This is the line for you either way.
This is the Earth-Southern Cross line, that’s right. The train to Earth will be coming next. Don’t get on the wrong one!
It’s the train! Come on, before it leaves!

-sniff-…
Beautiful scenery! Jolly companions! What a wonderful day! Come on, let’s go.

The ex-citizens pushed the hesitant King along with them towards the train, and the migrant began to leave as well before turning to face us once more.

…Oh, right!

…Please, don’t act so familiar.
Let me give you a present before I leave! As proof of our friendship.
Hmm, give me a minute… What do I have…? Sorry, I can never keep my things straight.
Indeed. You’re always picking up useless gew-gaws, and you never put them in order.
Uhh… Aah, here we are! I picked this up in Orion’s Belt.

…Are you a child?
Hey, geology is fun, too! You should try going on an excavation sometime. I bet you’d love it!

And you!
…? Me?

Err… Yes, it is, but why are you giving it to me?
I actually meant to give it to you a long, long time ago…

I…

Before Ryouta could respond to the migrant, he had already made his way into one of the train cars. The conductor approached our group.

All aboard for the Southern Cross! We missing anybody?

Oh…
I completely forgot. We fought The King with all we had so we could all go home, including Nageki, but…
Maybe that’s not where he needs to go.

What do… What do you want to do, Nageki?
I…
I want to stay on Earth a little longer. There’s still so much I want to see.
Maybe this is greedy of me. Maybe I’m being selfish, like The King. But--
There are still important things that I need to remember. I can’t release memories into the night if I don’t have them.

I dunno, kiddo. We never recommend haunting as a deathstyle choice, you know? Too easy to go all black and bitter.
You mean Nageki could turn into something like The King? I really don’t think he would do that…
If I start turning bad, I’ll get on the same train as The King.
Is Nageki not allowed to stay with us, Mr. Conductor…?
Like I said, I can’t recommend it. But you said you’ve lost your memories?

And mister, you burned up your free pass.
You don’t look like you have any other tickets, so you’ll have to wait until they’re reissued anyway.
So, Nageki can…!

…All right.
Yay! I’m so glad, Nageki!
For better or for worse, I suppose.
This is definitely for better! You wanted to go home yourself, after all.
And if the conductor has tried to force you on he would have gotten a taste of my right straight, left uppercut combo anyway!
Hey now, I’m not looking for any trouble!

Last call for the Southern Cross! The train’s pulling out!

The conductor jumped back onto the train and gave the whistle a loud blow.
The train climbs upwards into the starry sky. I hope The King and the others have a nice trip!
The music stops.

Come on, everyone. Let’s go home!

We all made our way to the stop, waiting for the next train to take us back home, safe and sound.





I can’t escape mine. I can only go on and make more. But…
When I touched his wing…









We had quite an adventure this evening, didn’t we? I had a lot of fun with my friends, but I think it’s about time that we returned to where we belong. Who knows what kinds of adventures await us on the other side?