Part 226: 3/3/10 Part 2 - 3/4/10

3/3/10

Ugh, so tired recently. Anyway where was I? Oh yeah, I’d just talked to Mitsuru, so this was when I ran into Hidetoshi.



…I’m glad I caught you here.
There’s something I wanted to tell you.
We’ll still be able to talk to each other next year, but…
I wanted to say this while we’re still both on the student council.
…I’m going to quit the council.
I’m just not going to apply next year.
That cigarette business gave me a lot to think about…
…This may sound odd, but do you think this country is headed in the right direction?
I don’t think so.
I see… Me neither.
Around January, there was a sinister cult growing in popularity.
“A society without a future”… For many people out there, that’s the reality.

Hah, he didn’t even need supernatural powers to decide he was going to get into the world saving business. It’s people like him who’ll really wipe the smile off the face of whoever’s behind this world being so screwed up.



I thought maybe one influential person could start a revolution.
But starting a revolution just because you have the power to do it creates more problems…
That’s what the Nyxist incident taught me. I realized how naïve I had been…
Now, I think the best thing for society is more education.
Things that each of us have to learn before going out into the world…
That’s what’s needed most. So…
I’m thinking of becoming a teacher.
A society is dictated by its people. If we improve the people’s minds, society will be likewise improved.
…Aren’t you going to laugh at me? Say something like “You? A teacher?”
Don’t laugh.
I see… I’ll do my best.
……
…I just wanted to thank you for that.
It’s all because of you. Thanks…
And…
……
I’m not taking back the things I said. I don’t regret them, either…
You haven’t forgotten, have you? That I’m in love with you.
Tell me what you think when I become more worthy of you.
I hope that day comes before you forget about me.
…That’s all. I’ll see you later.

I mean think about it, how the hell did Mitsuru’s grandfather even come up with that crazy idea in the first place? I’m getting off topic, sorry, focus issues recently. Ken, right, I ran into Ken outside the school.



I’m glad I found you. It was kind of strange, coming to the high school campus alone…
Oh, I came today to drop off something that Akihiko-senpai forgot.
You might not think so from the way he looks, but Akihiko-senpai’s a little soft in the head sometimes.
……
Talking about… forgetting something…
Do you remember that person named… Shinjiro-senpai? He stayed at our dorm for a little while…
……
I never had the chance to talk to him…
But every time I think about him, I…
I feel this pain… and sadness… Like there’s something really important…
I get all these mixed feelings that I don’t understand…
It makes me think… that I need to do something.
I don’t know what, though…
I wonder why…
……
Oh… I’m sorry. It was just easy to talk to you…

I keep making all these plans for spring break without bothering about whether I can keep them, bad habits die hard I guess.



Um, why don’t we go somewhere during it?
How about we go see a movie, or go shopping together…?
…It’s been a while since I’ve looked forward to a break like this.
I think… it’s ever since my mom was still alive.
Oh… Did I ever tell you? My mom… died in an accident.
Ever since then… I’ve never looked forward to holidays or breaks.
When I’m at school, I can forget about what happened, but…
……
But now I have you with me, Aelita-san.
I… won’t cry anymore.
Thank you, Aelita-san.
Thank you for not treating me like a kid.
I can look forward to the future because of you…
I’ll be able to live with my head held high… That’s how I feel.
…W-Well then!

I went by the mall to drop by someplace out of nostalgia, and it turned out I got more than I bargained for.



Bartender: He actually called here trying to reach you.
I think he had a message for you…
But I can’t quite remember it.
Just hang on a sec.
> The bartender walked into the club.
Bartender: Here you go, I wrote it down. Good thinking, huh?
But my handwriting isn’t so good… I hope you can read it.

I still can’t believe he actually pulled that off. I mean I literally know miracles are possible and it’s still pretty crazy.



Bartender: “My son’s a good-for-nothing punk, and my wife is frigid as usual…”
“That witch… What? Hey, shut up! I’m on the phone!”
“A lot’s happened, but I apologized a thousand times, and everything’s back to normal now.”
“I guess you could say we’re back in love with each other.”
“I realized…”
“Rather than holding onto my pride… I needed to suck it up and apologize.”
“Thanks to you, Aelita…”
“…Take care, kid. ‘Til we meet again.”
....That’s the end of it. I hope I didn’t miss anything.
He didn’t leave any contact info or anything.
But I’m sure you’ll meet him again somewhere.
Hey, maybe you should become a nun! That crowd all knows each other, right? Hahaha.
Anyway, stop by this place anytime if you want a drink. As soon as you’re over 21, of course.
Seeya.
…Oh yeah.
When I came in to prepare to open, one of the regulars was already here.
Don’t you know him too? He looks so depressed… You should ask him what’s wrong.
Me? Nah.

I have to say I can empathize with this guy’s main problem in life.



Man Drinking Alone: Hm…? Oh, it’s you… We meet again.
Looks like I’ve got no other choice but to get married now.
…My girlfriend’s pregnancy test was positive.
Congratulations!
Man Drinking Alone: …Hm? O-Oh, yeah.
That’s what people would normally say, huh…? Haha…
Anyway…
> The man looks over at you.

Anyway he’s silly, because even when dreams turn out bad they let you do all sorts of things you never thought you could. He’s also silly to be worrying about them with a kid on the way.



Man Drinking Alone: I told you about the bizarre dream I’ve been having, right…?
Do you think… I keep having those nightmares because I betrayed my girlfriend…?
I don’t think so.
Man Drinking Alone: Haha… it’s stupid to think there’d be some connection between that and my dreams, isn’t it?
That’s what I thought too, at first…
But I know it’s unbelievable…
That rumor about dying if you don’t wake up before hitting the bottom in a dream…
I’m wondering if I’m gonna die in my dreams eventually…
…Oh, sorry. I keep saying crazy-sounding stuff, don’t I?
Hey, remember me, okay?
This is probably the last time I’ll be able to drink freely like this…
If I ever see you again, I’ll tell you more of my story.
…Of course, it’ll probably have nothing to do with your problems.
…Man, I really unloaded on you.
Normally, it’s the adult who should be listening to the high-schooler’s problems…
I feel like dirt…
…Be careful on your way back home. There’s a lot of weirdos out there.
…See ya.

Sorry for the smudges, I just got a bit sad for a minute. No reason. Anyway, nostalgia.



Of course it wasn’t there, it’s not like that door had anything left to give me. Since I was already wandering about town, I decided to drop in on Bunkichi and Mitsuko.



You’ve grown so much since the last time I saw you!
Come on, dear, there’s no way she could have grown that much in so short a time…
What must have happened is that we shrank! Right, Aelita-chan?
Ah! Good point, good point! You’ve got me there.
…By the way, Aelita-chan.
I’m thinking of giving this old place a remodeling.
I’ll make it even showier than the wing they’re adding to Gekkoukan!
Speaking of which, the school’s decided to move the persimmon tree to another field.
It’ll be replanted on a hill where you can see the whole campus.
So our son can still watch over the school and its students…
I know that tree isn’t really our son. But it still makes me happy…
Once my dear wife heard, she couldn’t stop crying.
C’mon, smile! Bahhh!
Don’t yell, dear… your dentures will fall out.
Anyhow, we’ll support the Gekkoukan High students as best we can.
You look very mature now, Aelita-chan.
You must have been working so hard…
Come visit us anytime!

As I was walking by the shrine I noticed someone oddly familiar and decided to stop by. Not that I’d ever seen her, but I mean she and her son look a lot alike.



Middle-Aged Lady: Oh…
You must be…
Um, by any chance is your name Aelita-san?
Yes.
Middle-Aged Lady: I see. So… You’re Aelita-san…
…Oh, excuse me. I’m… Mrs. Kamiki.
Akinari’s mother. My son talked about you a lot…
I was just thinking about him…
If you have time, could you sit here and talk about him with me?
Okay…
Mrs. Kamiki: That’s wonderful. Please, sit down.
Today is… a special day.

It’s funny how things happen that we ran into each other.



Mrs. Kamiki: It must be another of God’s tricks…
……
Today is my son’s… Akinari’s birthday.
He’d be 20 if he was still alive.
Only 19 years…
…It wasn’t long enough.
He was almost an adult, but he never made it…
He had a genetic disease. Me, I’m healthy as a horse, but him…
……
The doctors detected it at birth… They knew he wouldn’t live to see adulthood.
Every day, I wondered if he’d wake up the next morning… I blamed myself for what he inherited…
But…
He said something to me near the end.

Now of all times.



“I’m glad to have been given life.”
“I’m glad to have been your son.”
“Thank you so much for the life you have given me…”
Mrs. Kamiki: That’s what he said…
He was the one who suffered so much, and yet he said that to me…
……
But… my son brought me a lot of joy, too.
Holding his warm body in my arms just after he was born… Those tiny hands… That first smile…
Hearing him breathe easily at night…
Every day, I gave thanks for him being alive… Every day, I found new joy in him.
And now… I’m so lonely, and there’s nothing I can do…
But my boy gave me so much…
That I have to keep on going, looking straight ahead… That’s how I feel.
……
I’ll eat the finest foods, visit the most exotic places.
Everything my boy could never do…
I’ll have so many stories to tell him about the things I’ve done.
On that day… when we meet again, on the other side.
If I didn’t have that to look forward to… I don’t know how I cold go on.

It’s funny, people are afraid of dying but it’s living that’s really scary.



Mrs. Kamiki: But when I was cleaning out his room, I never found the notebook…
He said he was going to show it to you first, when he was done.
I asked why not me, and he laughed and said, “You’ll be the second one to see it, Mom.”
I suppose… he wasn’t able to finish the story…
He gave me the notebook.
Mrs. Kamiki: ......! My son… He was able to give it to you?
> You explained how you received the notebook from Akinari, and that you heard the entire story from him…
Mrs. Kamiki: I… I see…
I’m so glad… That was my only regret…
It was awful to think that he wasn’t able to finish his project…
I see…
…You should hold onto that notebook. I’m sure that’s what my boy would’ve wanted.
I’ll wait for him to tell it to me himself, when I see him again…
Heh… Now I have something else to look forward to…
> Mrs. Kamiki stood up quietly…

I’m terribly sorry, everything’s getting all smudgy again.



Mrs. Kamiki: …There is one piece of advice I’d like to give you, as an old lady to a young one…
Take good care of the ones dearest to you.
If you wait until their time has come, and you’re clinging to their cold bodies… then it’s too late.
…Everyone who’s born will die someday.
Not just Akinari, or me, or you. It happens to everyone…
So before that happens…
It doesn’t take a grand gesture. You don’t have to make a big production of it, but…
If you love someone, let them know it.
We all go through life with the same struggles, the same heartbreak…
We should be able to prop each other up with the same love and kindness as well…
I’m sure you have something precious you can share with people…
Always remember that…
> Mrs. Kamiki left without looking back…

Oh god, so I bumped into Maiko’s dad after I was done talking with Mrs. Kamiki.



Maiko’s Dad: Aelita-san, right?
I’m… Maiko’s dad.
If you have a minute, could we sit and talk for a while?
Sure.
Maiko’s Dad: Then… Mind walking with me for a while? I’ll buy you takoyaki.
There’s good takoyaki there… But I bet you know that already…

Maiko’s doing well with her mom, which is great to hear.



Maiko’s Dad: She came here when she ran away from home, too.
She really loved the takoyaki…
…She was a good kid, huh?
Yes she was.
Maiko’s Dad: She’s so good that I wonder if she’s really my kid sometimes.
I got a letter from Maiko.
It’s long, and full of details about her new life over there.
She says she’s made a lot of friends.
Let’s see… She’s in charge of the rabbits at her new school, and she has to get up early to clean the cages.
They yelled at her for forgetting her P.E. uniform… she forgot her homework and had to copy a friend’s…
…I never knew she was that forgetful…
Oh, and she did so well at her recorder test, that she was asked to perform in front of everyone.
Then she goes on to talk about how she plays at the park right by the school with her friends every day…
Her mother’s doing well, too… They’re having a lot of fun together.
……
Having fun… Sounds nice.
Nowadays, I come home to an empty house… The rooms seem so big without them.
…I wonder if she feels the same way about her house, now that there’s no dad in it.
We put that kid through so much on account of our own problems…
I feel terrible about it all…

By the way I can see why he and his wife split up because holy crap what a creeper.



“I love Aelita.”
“I hope we can become family for real.”
Maiko’s Dad: …
I was thinking…
……
Um… W-Would you be willing to g-go out with me?
Er, I mean, don’t misunderstand. I just thought Maiko would like that…
Uhh…
O-Of course, I’m talking about after you turn 18. The law’s the law, right?
Oh, er…
That didn’t come out right, huh. What am I saying…?
No… huh?
Sorry, forget what I said…
G-Goodbye.
> Maiko’s dad ran off…

I’m glad I didn’t have to go get Officer Kurosawa to like savagely beat him, Maiko would have been sad. Koro-chan’s been hanging around the shrine most of the time since the battle, he’s doing okay.



Arf…
> Koromaru is nuzzling you with his nose…
> You petted him softly…
* whine *
> Koromaru seems content…
> He won’t budge from the front of the shrine…
> Could he be remembering the priest who used to live here…?
* whine *
> Koromaru is staring quietly at the shrine…
> …You spent some time with Koromaru.

Someone forgot to turn the TV off when they left in the morning, so I caught a hilarious news report as I walked in.



> The news is on…
Newscaster: Coming up next…
A special report on the Amazing Commodities Corp., of the “Tanaka’s Amazing Commodities” program.
President Tanaka’s failure to account for certain expenditures has caused a media stir lately…
We now join our field reporter, live from the scene.
Field Reporter: I’m reporting from the Amazing Commodities head office, where a swarm of journalists has convened.
Word has it that President Tanaka will be coming out shortly to make a statement.
The tension in the air here can’t be denied.
Newscaster: Thank you, and we’ll be looking forward to updates as soon as anything happens. Back to the studio.
The unaccounted expenditure has sparked a massive investigation. Some theorize that tax evasion is the cause—
Commentator: Oh, there’s no question about that! I remind you that this is President Tanaka we’re talking about!
He tricks his own viewers for a few extra bucks! I bet he’d slit his mama’s throat for a five-yen piece!
No matter how high his net worth rises, he’ll never be satisfied!
He’s lower than the scum on an earthworm’s belly! All that money and no charity’s ever seen a dime!
Newscaster: W-Well, I’m sure he’s not as bad as all that… Oh, this just in—something has happened at the scene.

The best part is that he could have totally told them he’s been supporting a charity, but instead just messed with them because that’s just how he rolls.



Field Reporter: He’s carrying a microphone! It looks like he’s going to… sing!?
Singing Voice: Here comes Tanakaaaaa Over the airwaves to youuuuu
Granter of your desires!
Hiii, everyone! Amazing Commodities is here for you year-round, rain or shine!
We have a monopoly on the cheapest, highest-quality goods! Our customers ecstatic screams cause noise pollution!
Our stocks rise so high they’re a hazard to birds, and we make losers every day out of people who don’t buy!
We’re the only miracle left in this sad, desolate world! That’s the Amazing Commodities guarantee!
We look forward to your business!
> President Tanaka’s car drove off…
Field Reporter: Oh… H-He’s gone!
Commentator: What the hell are you doing!? You call yourself a journalist!?
If you can’t get one lousy comment out of him, it’s as good as free advertising!

Only Tanaka could turn an investigative report into free advertising, he’s scary good at that.



Newscaster: I-It’s from President Tanaka! The message reads…
Hiii! This is Tanaka, the best friend your pocketbook ever had!
And what’s in my pocketbook is my own business.
It’s not my company’s money—so what’s it to them how I use it?
But let me make one thing clear: I’m not ashamed of a single thing!
My conscience is clear, dear viewers—so buy my products, guilt-free!
Amazing Commodities, here for you year-round, rain or shine! Buy now or drown in bitter tears!
Bye-bye!
Newscaster: …Apparently, he had no intention of revealing his use for the funds.
Commentator: Has this Tanaka no shame!?
Just because he’s made some money for himself doesn’t mean he can toy with the common man’s emotions!
As self-appointed representative of Joe Q. Public, I have something to say and I’m not afraid to say it!
Fat pigs like him who gorge themselves on the excesses of capitalism should be—
Newscaster: Thanks very much, as we wrap up our special report.
With no new clues as to how the funds have been used, we can only hope that they went to humanitarian purposes.
Next up, your daily glimpse into the stock market…
…Where Amazing Commodities’ stocks are skyrocketing on the strength of the bizarre “revelations” just now.
> The report continues…

Anyway nobody else was around, I guess they’re all busy.



> It doesn’t seem like the others have returned yet.
> They all must be enjoying the peaceful evening…
> ……
> …Even though you’ve just returned from school…
> …you are feeling very tired.
> You should go to sleep early tonight.

The media’s still talking about Apathy Syndrome long after the last case cleared up.



Newscaster: –-news up next.
Another look at the mysterious Apathy Syndrome…
As of last month, all patients have recovered, and there have been no further recorded cases.

Ugh, that nap was clearly not long enough. I’ve still got tomorrow to do that thing I need to do, though, so I’m just going back to bed.

3/4/10

Okay, I got it done.



……
Ah, I give up.
But I feel like it’s something I really gotta remember…

That’s it, then.



> …You are feeling tired.
> You can’t keep your eyes open…
> You should rest…
> Tomorrow is Senior Graduation Day.

You know I didn’t really know why or who I was writing all this down for, I just sort of did it.



Newscaster: –almost finished cleaning up the graffiti, and the posters are almost all torn down.
The whereabouts of the cult at this time is…

And this is where this particular story ends. You’re probably looking for something profound here on the last page, but if I had any of that in me today it pretty much got used up in that letter, so sorry this is all I got.



> You should rest for today…

Never forget that I will always love you.