Ch.239Epilogue. The Festival (5)

The next day, we closed the café a little early as planned.

I had asked Kagami to come a bit later.

No matter how naturally Kagami blended in with the students, she was still my mother. Even if she had a somewhat youthful sensibility, even if she had a somewhat cute side, an adult is still an adult.

Satisfied with having spent all of yesterday with me, Kagami complied with my request today.

Thanks to that, we all gathered in outfits that looked like they belonged in a café from a century ago… No, to be honest, they might have been hard to find even in cafés back then, and wandered around together.

We ate food sold by other classes with cream smeared all over our mouths, and even entered another maid café while wearing our maid uniforms, taking up a table.

Today, Nanami also helped out at our café, so she was wearing the same maid uniform. Shii wasn’t officially enrolled in our school yet so she didn’t work at the café, but I didn’t want her to stand out by being the only one in different clothes when we were all together, so I had her change into a maid uniform I had prepared in advance.

We’re planning to run a similar café next year anyway, and by then Shii will be a member of our club too.

Souta was… the only one in his school uniform. But that wasn’t really a problem. Our school uniform is a sailor uniform and gakuran that would have been nearly extinct even by 2000s standards. Souta’s gakuran outfit was quite similar to our “literary café” maid costumes.

If the literature club continues to exist into the 2020s, could this café become a famous feature of our school? A few years or even a decade might be considered too short, but twenty years would be a significant enough timespan that couldn’t be ignored.

Maybe I’ll come back every year to check.

“What are you thinking about so intently?”

Yuka asked me that, probably finding it strange that I was walking absentmindedly while the others were chattering around me.

I almost habitually said “Nothing,” but I decided to change my mind.

It’s not like it would be a problem if the kids heard it anyway.

“I was wondering what things might be like twenty years from now.”

To be honest, there’s something a bit scary about it too.

Reality doesn’t always flow the way you want it to. Even if a story has a happy ending, you never know what might happen in the reality that follows.

I have to live in this world for the rest of my life.

Not all problems were solved in the 2020s. Some problems actually got worse, and there were events in between that could clearly be called tragedies.

Twenty years. In twenty years, will I still be able to meet all these kids and happily visit this school together?

“You’re talking about such a distant future…”

Yuka responded with a somewhat blank expression.

Despite her words, she seemed to be recalling that era without realizing it.

“Is there something you want to do in the meantime?”

“…Yes.”

This time too, instead of evading the question, I answered honestly.

First of all, YouTube came out this year.

Actually, I’ve recorded videos but haven’t uploaded them yet. Kagami bought me a computer, but I’ve just stored the raw footage because I’m too lazy to edit the videos.

Considering the first-mover advantage, it might be better to upload as early as possible, but personally, I want to prepare a bit more and upload properly.

Timing-wise, probably the year after next would be better. If I can get into university without issues, I’ll be able to record videos with peace of mind.

I also want to go see anime films when they’re released in theaters. It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was young.

Unlike Hollywood blockbusters that cost hundreds of millions to make, Japanese animations tend to be released later in Korea. In some cases, they’re only released in theaters long after the DVD has come out in Japan.

Watching new anime on TV… I’m already doing that.

Personally, I had quite a few things I wanted to try, like spending a night at a PC café, things I wanted to do if I ever visited Japan.

Of course, there were even more things I wanted to do with my friends.

“I see.”

Seeing my expression and sensing my sincerity, Yuka smiled.

“You’ll be able to do all of that.”

At Yuka’s words, I nodded.

“Yes.”

We walked.

Even though it was a school festival, the space was limited.

Half a day yesterday would have been enough to enjoy everything.

But still, we enjoyed ourselves over and over.

Because everything that happened today was also included in all the things I wanted to do over the next 20 years.

After all, the future becomes the past before you know it.

*

“Come on, everyone, move a little closer together.”

Kagami, who arrived late in the afternoon, said that while holding a camera at the end of the hallway.

The café was already closed so there were no customers, but we had been wearing maid uniforms all day. We should at least take one picture all together like this.

Actually, I brought my camcorder and recorded videos with everyone.

It would be nice if, 20 years from now, all the kids here could gather and watch the videos together. It will surely be very embarrassing to watch again.

Embarrassing, and nostalgic.

Because youth never returns.

Thinking about that makes my heart race. It’s even a little scary.

By this time next year, Izumi and Kaoru might not be with us when we take pictures again.

Even if they are, they won’t be meeting us as fellow students.

They’ll both be university students, meeting us as outsiders rather than as students of the same school.

It’s not like our relationship will end, and we’ll still meet and hang out regularly… but it won’t be the same as now.

That’s why passing time is scary. It’s both exciting and frightening.

Click.

The camera made a shutter sound.

“Mom.”

“Yes, my daughter.”

“Come join us for the picture.”

The kids laughed at my words.

That’s right.

I didn’t want Kagami to be left out just because she was taking the photo.

Kagami laughed just like the kids, then fiddled with the camera for a moment.

She must have set a timer, because she placed the camera on the windowsill and quickly came over to take a spot with us.

We all made V-signs with our fingers toward the camera—

Click.

This time, Kagami was captured in the photo with all of us.

*

Before cleaning up the club room, we took photos and videos.

The literary magazine we made. The tables we brought. The walls we decorated. All of it would disappear after today.

I wanted to remember, even long into the future, that we all worked hard together to accomplish so much.

And—

“And now, our former club president, Izumi senior.”

“Oh, oh, are you filming me? Um, heh, V.”

Suddenly finding the camcorder pointed at her, a flustered Izumi stumbled over her words before finally smiling and making a V-sign.

“Peace, peace! This is the last event of the year.”

This time it was Kaoru.

Everyone is so young and pretty.

“Here, Kotone, I’ll film you too.”

Yuka took the camcorder from my hand and filmed me.

“Um…”

Now that I was on camera, I wasn’t sure what to say.

After thinking for a moment, I smiled shyly at the camcorder and said:

“Today’s cultural festival was really enjoyable. Memorable enough to recall later.”

“…”

When I said that, the kids got a little quiet.

Did I say something strange?

As I was getting anxious, Kagami started clapping.

One by one, they all started clapping and each said something.

“Wow! It was fun!”

“Good job, everyone!”

“Ah, it was really fun!”

“…I won’t forget it.”

Koko, Mako, Harumi, Yuu.

“Let’s, let’s do our best next year too!”

“I’ll work hard too! Following your example, seniors!”

“Everyone really did well. Good job.”

“…Yeah, I… had fun too.”

Tsuneda, Shii, Souta, Nanami.

“…”

Kagami, just looking fondly at me and Koko.

“…I’m glad I came to this school, really.”

And finally, Yuka, whose face wasn’t captured but whose voice was surely recorded.

I took the camcorder from Yuka’s hand and filmed her face.

Yuka, with tears welling up in her eyes, quickly covered her face.

I recorded all of that clearly too.

…That’s right.

I’m really glad that I was reborn here.

Because I was able to meet everyone like this.

*

“Kotone, what are you doing?”

As I was working on the computer after returning home, Kagami looked over my shoulder at the screen.

I was probably the most computer-savvy person in our house. Kagami could handle simple devices well enough, but she was awkward with computers that required installing and operating programs. She was pretty good at internet surfing though.

Koko didn’t show much interest in computers to begin with.

“Editing videos.”

Though all I did was use a basic program to stitch videos together and insert photos here and there.

I’m planning to keep all the original videos too, but I think this would be good enough for my first upload to a streaming site.

I got permission from my friends too.

I don’t have plans to be fully active yet, but I can at least do vlogs, right?

“…Everyone looks good.”

Kagami commented as I was watching the nearly 10-minute video one last time for confirmation.

“Yeah, everyone looks good.”

The video quality wasn’t exactly great, to be honest. By this era’s standards.

But for now, that was enough.

I logged into the site.

With a slightly nervous heart, I clicked the upload button.

With this, I’ve created a time capsule to open 20 years from now.

Well, it’s just an uploaded video that can be opened anytime, but still.

Perhaps that’s what makes it even more reassuring?