Ch.372IF Side Story: Seems I’ve Arrived a Bit Early (69)

I’ve been to other parts of Tokyo before with Kagami and Dad.

Even when we visited the grave of the person who saved me, it wasn’t near our home.

It seems we are indeed being monitored.

But it’s not obvious. Is it because it’s a government matter? Or perhaps Mako’s father is particularly skilled in this kind of work.

I thought there might be a chance they wouldn’t monitor Kagami and me separately—but no, that’s probably not the case.

Well, this is “Tokyo” after all.

If we lived deep in the mountains, anyone watching us would stand out immediately, but in the city center, someone hiding among the crowds wouldn’t be particularly noticeable.

The sound of waves wasn’t very loud. The busy noise of the city was enough to drown it out.

No, more than that, there were far more people than I expected. Well, since it’s right next to the city center, many people can visit without having to take time off.

“Youth in its prime,” Dad said.

I think I understand what he means.

The beach of Japan’s largest city.

Well, how should I put it—the atmosphere wasn’t really suited for serious swimming, but there were still many people. More folks who had come out for a brief respite rather than those in swimwear.

There were couples sticking close together, and many family groups like us. Groups of boys running around, girls standing in a line with their feet in the water. Since summer vacation had started a little while ago, there weren’t any students in uniforms, but from my previous memories of visiting, there used to be many of those too.

If I were to compare it to somewhere from my past life memories, it would be most similar to Han River Park. It would be like Han River Park with a sandy beach where you could enter the water.

Youth movies and youth dramas were unfolding everywhere. That was the atmosphere.

However—

I tapped Dad’s arm.

“Hmm?”

“Dad, saying things like that makes you sound old.”

“!?”

We’re not really a married couple, and Dad has his own family elsewhere, but still, if we’re going to act as a couple, I’d prefer if he matched my age range.

Kagami is still young too. Honestly, by the standards of the era I used to live in, she would still be considered “young.”

Kagami smiled at us. A wide-brimmed hat and a white dress. It was an outfit that suited Kagami extremely well. Even though she already had me as a daughter, she exuded an air of innocence.

For reference, I was wearing the same outfit and hat as Kagami. Several passersby glanced in our direction. If I were alone, such looks might have been a bit scary, but receiving those glances while the three of us were together made me feel a little proud.

I held Kagami’s hand.

Due to the hot and humid weather, Kagami’s hand was slightly damp with sweat. But I didn’t mind that much.

Kagami seemed pleased that I was holding her hand and squeezed mine in return.

“Kotone!”

From a distance, Souta called my name.

Beside him, Shii was waving her hand.

Neither of them had come prepared to go into the water. Still, they seemed to want to dip their feet in, as they were barefoot.

I looked up at Kagami.

Kagami smiled at me and showed me the camera hanging around her neck. Even through all that chaos, Kagami had carefully protected her camera. It always had film inside, and that film always contained pictures of me.

I understand her desire to capture my image.

Kagami has only me. No matter how many people around her try to help, ultimately, Kagami’s guiding principle is to protect me.

I also understand her wanting to remember all of my childhood.

However…

However, it bothers me if that prevents Kagami from enjoying things she could enjoy.

For now, I ran over to Souta and Shii.

After giving her time to take a few photos, I’ll take Mom to dip our feet in the sea. That should be fine.

Shii ran to me and grabbed my hand, pulling me along.

Her smiling face no longer showed any trace of shadow. As if she had completely forgotten her unhappy childhood.

Hmm.

Perhaps Shii is rewriting that lost childhood.

Instead of the parents who treated her that way—

I looked back at Kagami and Dad. The two of them were slowly approaching us. Meanwhile, Kagami was taking several photos of me with her camera.

It might be a bit mean to say this about Kagami, but honestly, the camera doesn’t really suit her. Kagami is tall, but apart from certain parts of her body, she has a slender frame.

The white dress and wide-brimmed hat suit her well though.

I waved at Kagami. She smiled at the three of us. Somehow, having that smile nearby was reassuring, so I let out a small sigh and looked ahead again.

Beyond Tokyo Bay, other buildings were visible. Actually, it was a bit different from the atmosphere you’d imagine when thinking of the “sea”—but well, this had its own charm too.

Midsummer, a sea in the heart of the city.

We blended in among the countless youths in their prime.

From a distance, it might look like an ordinary scene, but to us experiencing it up close, it was an extraordinary sight.

At least, the photos of Odaiba Beach that Shii and Souta took this time wouldn’t be empty.

*

“…Huh?”

A girl with dyed blonde hair suddenly turned around.

She held one slipper in each hand. She hadn’t worn socks to begin with, and her pants were short enough that they wouldn’t get wet.

In contrast, her friend with porcelain-white skin stood beside her with a somewhat dissatisfied expression. The hem of her sleeveless dress had gotten slightly soaked with seawater.

Following the blonde girl’s lead, she had accidentally stepped into the water and had to take off her shoes and socks separately.

“…What is it?” Yuu asked.

Harumi tilted her head.

“No, I thought I heard something.”

“What kind of sound?”

“Hmm.”

Harumi hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should mention what she’d heard.

After that incident, Yuu had been down for quite a while. Although she said “quite a while,” it was actually close to a year.

While she didn’t openly show it, Yuu seemed to think of Kotone almost like her own sister.

Harumi also considered her a best friend.

It had been almost two years now. Though the two girls hadn’t lived long lives yet, spending about half of their short lives together with someone meant that person’s existence was definitely significant.

Harumi’s home situation wasn’t particularly problematic, but Yuu’s was different after that.

Now Yuu knew exactly what kind of work her father did.

It would have been better if only Yuu knew, but the children at school seemed to be figuring it out one by one. After all, people living in the same neighborhood might hear such rumors.

And Harumi knew too.

What would it have been like if Kotone had been around during those times?

Sometimes like a younger sister. Sometimes as a best friend, and sometimes like an older sister.

Thinking back now, Kotone didn’t seem to just follow Harumi around. Whenever the two faced difficulties, Kotone was there to help. Perhaps Kotone was already so mature because she had experienced much more difficult things than either of them.

If they had at least said goodbye properly, like a student transferring schools, perhaps the memory wouldn’t have lingered so much—

After such an ordinary conversation that night, Kotone disappeared with her mother. And there was no contact afterward.

Harumi and Yuu, who had vaguely sensed Kotone’s family situation just as they were becoming aware of their own, could only worry for a very long time.

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Kotone isn’t a particularly unique name. It could be the name of any one of the many people here, or she might have misheard a similar name.

Harumi thought there was no point in bringing it up again and stirring memories.

“Harumi, Yuu!”

Fortunately, she didn’t need to dwell on it for long. From a distance, someone was calling the two of them and running toward them with all their might.

“Mako!”

Mako couldn’t join them right away because she had gone somewhere with her father.

They had told her to take her time.

Seeing the plastic bag swinging in Mako’s hand as she ran, Harumi couldn’t help but smile.

It seemed she had bought ice cream or something similar.

Yuu also smiled slightly at the sight of Mako.

Harumi relaxed her shoulders a bit and waved her hand widely toward Mako.

“Over here, over here!”

And she shouted unnecessarily loudly.

If what she had heard earlier wasn’t a mistake, perhaps that girl might hear it too.

A bit disappointingly, there was no response.