Adachi to Shimamura - Volume 8 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Journey There

"Whenever I go visit home, all my parents ever talk about is the past." 
"Right." 
"I used to wonder why, but honestly, it makes perfect sense. You see, for people of their age, the past is longer than the future. That's what makes them talk about it so much." 
"Hmm, I see..." 
"I wonder, will there come a day when that's all we do? Talk about the days gone?" 
"Hmm..." 
I thought about it. 
"I don't think that'd be a bad thing." 
"Perhaps not." 
This was the conversation we were having as we arranged our luggage. 
Well, that's what I was doing, at least. As for Adachi, she was currently watching TV on the sofa; apparently, she would be finishing her packing later that night. The show that was playing was one of those educational programs. A child wearing a space suit I was sure I recognized from somewhere stood side-by-side with a man dressed in all white, the latter of whom was in the middle of explaining something. The child was simply wiggling about. 
I wonder, how much attention was Adachi paying to the show? Like fifty percent? Less than that? 
The tingling warmth of May seeped in through the window screens. The air wasn't quite as moist as it was during summer, and also didn't make me not want to move forward in the same way. All-in-all, I felt about the season exactly like I had last year when it'd come around. 
I chose to interpret that as a positive; if the very way I felt about seasons themselves were to change each passing year, then that would've meant that there was something really messed up going on in my life. 
The apartment we were currently in was one the two of us had rented. We'd chosen it together, and we lived there together. 
Same went for groceries, household goods, and futons. Also snores and yawns. 
All of them we had for two. 
Adachi and I were both 27 years old. 
If nothing else, that was still young enough for me to believe that my future was going to be longer than my past. 
After one last time checking that I'd gotten everything, I closed my bag shut. I closed it like I was crushing it and made sure that it stayed that way. I could only hope that it wasn't going to shoot up open on its own like one of those jacks-in-a-box or whatever. Not before we got to the hotel, at least. I found myself wondering if I should perhaps write myself a note to make sure that I didn't forget and open it by accident. 
Tomorrow, we'd be leaving for the vacation we'd been planning for some time now. 
Our destination: overseas. This would mark the first time I'd ever travelled beyond the country. 
That was to say, there was a lot more to this vacation than what it might seem like at first glance. I could feel a rush of emotions and sentiments flow through me as I thought about it. 
"When was the last time we went somewhere?" 
"Hmm... Our high school trip, maybe?" 
If nothing else, that was the last one I could remember. Assuming it was the right answer, then that'd mean that it had been eight? Nine? Somewhere around ten years since then. That was almost as long as we'd known each other for. 
"The school trip, huh? How nostalgic..." she muttered. 
"Do you remember how it went, Adachi? Like, what did we do out there?" 
"No, I can't. I've forgotten." 
"Really? Because to me, it sounded like you were just reminiscing about it." 
She gave me no follow-up. Under normal circumstances, I would've taken this opportunity to walk up to her and pinch her ears or cheeks or whatever, but since there was no time for that, I instead moved on to filling the next bag. Unlike Adachi, I couldn't simply take it slow and wait for tomorrow to come. Why? Because I needed to go visit my parents before we left. 
I'd received a notification telling me to show up at home before the May holidays came to an end. Considering that we were about to go on a vacation, that left me with only the first day to do that. It was for that reason why I was getting ready so well ahead of time. 
My lack of travel experience was really showing itself; before I knew it, I'd ended up packing my bags full of all sorts of junk. It was quite the challenge picking and choosing what to get rid of, only to realise that the bags were now empty and having to start again. 
"You're not going to visit your parents, Adachi?" 
"Hmm... No, I'm good." 
Having said that, she then changed the channel. What appeared on the screen was a bird singing on a solitary island. They also showed some birds that could be found just near where we lived. That was what they were called? I'd had no idea. The next time I went out on a walk, I was definitely going to be paying extra attention to the birds above me. See? Learning new things was never a bad thing. 
Adachi had not gone to visit her parents once since we'd moved here. 
Perhaps that was for the best given their relationship. 
While I would likely have felt very lonely had I been in her shoes, choosing how to view the situation was ultimately up to none other than Adachi herself. 
It was hardly the case that all matters could be settled once you became an adult. If anything, it felt to me like I was constantly coming up with new ways of ignoring problems that I really ought to tackle at some point. There were even times when I found myself thinking that getting smarter with the years was nothing more than a curse. 
I ended up opening the fridge as I passed by it with my bag on my shoulder. As it was going to be a while since someone next used it, we'd made sure to empty it out. Memories of the noodles dressed with ketchup Adachi had cooked last night came back to me as I closed the door. This caused a wave of cold air to gently stroke the left half of my face, which honestly, felt really nice. 
There was nothing in the fridge, not even tea. This left me with no choice but to drink water instead. Why was it that I could always taste the disinfectants whenever I drank it here? Was it because at my parents' place, the tap water came from deep underground? Perhaps. Whatever the case, the way the water tasted was the one thing about living in the city that I still hadn't gotten used to, and probably never would. 
After filling both the remaining suitcase as well as my shoulder bag with luggage, I quickly turned towards the front door. 
The sound of my footsteps prompted Adachi to get up and come see me off. 
If I had to point out one thing about Adachi that was different compared to the past, it'd probably be her hair; it was a lot longer now. In addition to that, there was something else about her, something that I didn't quite know how to put into words that made her look a lot more mature. Her face gave off a certain sense of cool, and as far as her attitude went, well, she'd definitely calmed down since her high school days. I wasn't ashamed to admit that there were times when I found myself reminiscing about the way she'd gone all out back then, how she'd always been giving it her absolute best. Not to say that she didn't get like that these days as well, because she absolutely did, as long as you gave her a push first. 
"Alright then. See you at the airport." 
"Yeah." 
That was how I'd decided to do it; I would go straight there from my parent's place instead of coming back here first. 
"It makes sense when you think about it." 
"Does it really?" 
Adachi proceeded to tilt her head to the side in a way that clearly implied that she didn't agree. I distinctly remembered that back in the day, it was always Adachi who would say stuff like this. I wonder, when was it that we'd switched roles? She was now the one acting cool and collected, although as mentioned earlier, that was only on the surface. 
"Personally, I'd always choose the option that lets us spend as much time together as possible." 
"Hmm..." 
"That said, I do believe the vacation will make up for one day spent without you." 
"Hmmm..." 
It honestly felt kinda embarrassing having her say that to me, and it was for that reason that I chose to act cool. I could feel my neck tingling. 
A few moments later, Adachi's ears began to redden. Her skin then assumed a tone matching that of the flowers of a sakura tree—quite the fit for her name. 
Truly, how nostalgic. 
It really did seem like for a second, Adachi had returned to her high schooler self. 
"That's not fair, Shimamura. You say something embarrassing too." 
Now she was just being unreasonable. It was almost as if she'd been stabbed with a sword, and her reaction to it was to try and push it back. 
"Hmm, I wonder. Which one to pick..." 
"You have options ready?" 
Adachi appeared quite astonished. Of course I didn't. I wouldn't need to think about it if I did. Hmm, what to do. I was starting to get a little desperate when something came to me. 
"The other day, I accidentally put on your underwear." 
The mess-up I decided to expose was one I'd committed a certain morning while rushing to get dressed after oversleeping and running late from work. 
It took Adachi a few moments to react. It was almost as if my words had caused her to turn into stone. 
"And where did you go?" 
"To work." 
She paused again. 
"And that's... embarrassing?" 
"It is for me." 
I'd been so incredibly confused when I realised that the underwear I had on didn't belong to me but to someone else. Soon enough, I realised that I'd seen it while doing laundry, and that had helped me calm down. I'd figured that I could simply sneak it into the laundry basket once I got back home and never talk about it to anyone. 
And now, I'd told Adachi. Not that she was really reacting. 
After a few moments, Adachi at last let out a laugh. 
"You seriously have no elegance, Shimamura." 
"What did you say?" 
Never had I expected such a rebuttal. It was as if she'd peered right into my mind. 
We continued talking for some time, until eventually, I decided that it was time for me to get going. 
"Well then. See you tomorrow." 
"Sure." 
Once more, I repeated my words from earlier. 
I was of the opinion that positive promises such as this one could be repeated as many times as you wanted. 
The fact that I was able to talk with someone about tomorrow, it was simply wonderful. 
I opened the door, but right as I was about to step outside, a panicked voice called to me. 
"The underwear, err, what colour was it?" 
The voice of course belonged to Adachi, currently standing at attention for whatever reason. 
"And what would you do with that information, Adachi?" 
Tomorrow marked the beginning of our first trip together. 
I would've been lying if I said that I wasn't excited. 

The thing that immediately shocked me as I got there was the fact that the front door wasn't locked. 
A sigh left my mouth; truly, these people were too trusting. 
I was just about to press the doorbell when I noticed something even more shocking tottering my way. 
That something was a shark with a rice ball in her hand. And not just any shark, but a bipedal one. 
"Ah, I knew it. It was you, Shimamura", the shark stated. A grin then formed on her face: "Welcome back." 
"Thanks." 
As tended to happen every time I came to visit, Yashiro was the first person to greet me. I decided to pick her up to see if I still could. 
She wasn't heavy at all. Really, it felt like I was lifting a cloud. 
"Waah!" 
The way she swung her limbs around made it clear that she was having quite a bit of fun. A decade later, she was still exactly how she'd been when I first met her. 
Her height, her hair, her smile. They were all the same. 
The only change was that, instead of a lion pyjama, she now wore a shark one. She had a habit of changing those quite frequently. Regardless, whether she was in the sea or on the shore, the fact remained that her head was always being eaten. 
 

"It has been a while." 
"No, it really hasn't." 
We'd last met a mere two days ago. For whatever reason, she'd been at our place when I came home. She'd stayed a while and eaten some food, after which she had been on her way. Adachi too had more or less gotten used to having her around, it seemed, and occasionally, I would catch her feeding her as if she was some sort of a stray animal. The distance between my parent's house and our apartment didn't seem to matter to her in the slightest. She could show up whenever she wanted to, just like that. 
I was given the impression that, unlike most people, Yashiro was not bound by concepts such as time or distance—or relationships for that matter. 
In some ways, that was exactly what I had always dreamt of. 
If only I could live life like she did. If only. 
"What's up with that rice ball?" 
"It's my snack." 
It's filled with seaweed, she went on to explain. Not that it really mattered. 
"Would you like a bite?" 
"Hmm. Sure, why not." 
I opened my mouth wide. 
"Just one bite." 
"Yeah, yeah." 
The salty flavour that immediately filled my mouth let me know that this rice ball had been produced locally. I could feel my mind wandering to the sports days I had attended back when I was still a student. 
The later ones were one thing, but the initial ones that had taken place while I was in elementary school, I remembered myself having been so incredibly excited for them. 
Like scars that had healed over time but were still visible, that sensation of the passion that lingered within me rushing to the surface still remained with me. 
Yashiro proceeded to take a bite out of the remaining rice ball. Given how small her face was, she really did have quite the large mouth. 
"Eating this rice ball has made my stomach ten percent full." 
"That's not much." 
She was the sort of creature who already needed more food after only a hundred or so steps. 
"I've been meaning to ask, what's up with this pyjama you're wearing?" 
"Shou gave it to me", the girl stated, all the while flopping her fin from side to side. 
"But why this?" 
Now that I thought about it, that girl had always liked sea animals, hadn't she? 
Well, not that it had anything to do with this. Probably. 
I let Yashiro down, and while at it, picked my bag back up. As for the girl, she quickly licked her fingers clean of any rice grains before tottering off. I followed her into the living room, and there, I saw my sister, sitting in front of the TV with her legs spread. The sound of Yashiro's footsteps prompted her to turn her head, after which she shifted her attention to me. She didn't seem particularly shocked nor surprised. 
"Oh, Sis. You're back?" 
"Just got here." 
"When Yachii ran off, I figured she was just going to go get sweets or something." 
Come here, come here, the girl gestured to Yashiro with her arms open. She did just that, and after sitting between my sister's legs, what she got for her efforts was a cookie. Sounds of delight filled the room as the cookie—shaped like an animal—disappeared inside her mouth. It had to be quite the treat to make even a shark want to gulp it down. 
Still, I had to wonder, how had Yashiro known to come greet me before I rang the doorbell? 
The image that came to my mind was that of a dog—or a cat—all of a sudden turning their head to look above them when there was nothing there. 
"Where's Mom?" 
"In the kitchen." 
I focused my ears, and among the sounds of the TV, I could hear mixed in a knife hitting a cutting board. 
After placing my bag in the corner of the room, I went ahead and sat down slightly off to the side behind my sister. Viewing her from this angle, she really did look like me back when I'd been in high school. The length of her hair, the way she carried herself, they were all the same. It was honestly kinda strange looking at her. Then again, given that I'd never seen myself from behind, it might have been a case of me simply making up things. 
I had always been of the opinion that it would've been for the best if she didn't grow up to be like me, but I suppose this was where we were now. 
Like a ball rolling, she had filled the hole left in my wake. 
My sister used her finger to lift Yashiro's shark hood. This revealed the girl's hair, blue like the ocean and covered in particles of light. Laughing, she went ahead and stroked it, causing strands of hair to pass over her fingers as if they were waves. She then took out another cookie and placed it into Yashiro's mouth, and immediately, she began munching on it. 
Although the difference in height between the two was much larger than it had been in the past, it appeared that they were still just as close. 
If anything, it felt to me like it was much easier to make sense of them now that it had been back then. 
"You'd probably be better off not overfeeding her." 
Ten years late, yes, but I decided I'd say it anyway. Regardless, my sister didn't seem to share my concerns. 
"Hmm. But, she's just so cute." 
Aren't you? she followed as she shifted her attention towards Yashiro. 
"Yes?" the girl asked back while munching on the cookie, her eyes opened wide in a very innocent manner. Just like they had back in the day, the two still very much looked like a pair of sisters, one older and one younger—even if they weren't actually that far off in terms of age. 
"It looks like Mom's really taken to her too." 
"You can't live off just being cute..." 
That being said, thinking about it some more, she did resemble a household pet in a lot of ways. 
Dogs especially were cute. 
"We told the neighbours that she's from overseas." 
"Overseas, huh?" 
"I come from the sea. Haha." 
I wasn't really sure what she meant by that. Was she talking about the ocean of stars, also known as space? Perhaps. Whatever the case, she just kept on munching on her cookie—this one shaped like a frog. Doing so revealed her teeth and showed that they too shone with the same blue light as her eyes did. Truly, what a mysterious creature she was. 
"The ocean..." 
I was going to be crossing one come tomorrow. I wonder, what would that be like? 
It kinda made me feel fluffy inside imagining it being similar to flying through a TV screen. 
Would I be able to find other creatures like Yashiro there? I suppose we would see soon. 
"Is it too much to ask that you greet me when you come home?" 
Someone smacked me on the head. I quickly moved to turn around, only to be smacked again before I could. 
The repeated smacks were really starting to annoy me. I turned around to put an end to them, this time for real, and there above me, I saw Mom smacking my head with both of her hands. The woman paused for a second, only to then go for my forehead. Thankfully, I was ready this time, and as such, managed to fling her attack off. Mom quickly gave up on trying and stood up straight. 
What remained was the smell of raw onion. 
"Hey, say it. Say the greeting", she demanded with her palm turned up. What she was doing here, it really made me want to do the opposite. 
"...I'm home." 
That said, given that I didn't have a clever comeback or anything like that prepared, I kinda had to. 
"Welcome. See? That wasn't so hard. Seriously, where have your manners disappeared?" 
"I was going to do it. I just hadn't gotten to it yet." 
"Hmph!" 
Truly, what a rude reaction. Mom then turned around and ran back inside the kitchen. 
While the woman could certainly have chosen nicer words, it was true that in the end, the fault lay within me. 
"Wow, Sis. You're not making any progress." 
Mom was always getting angry at me whenever I came to visit, just like she had done in the past. As for my sister, she too appeared to still enjoy making fun of me. 
Back in the day, such a statement would've earned her a hefty punishment, but now, I found getting up to do it to be too much of a hassle. I suppose that was the essence of becoming an adult. 
At some point, I had let go of the rope of youth that bound us together. 
"And that's it. That's all the cookies", the girl stated as she tossed the last one into Yashiro's mouth. She proceeded to munch it down with very exaggerated movements. "Back when I was still in high school, I used to spend what? A third of my allowance on Yachii's snacks? Something like that." 
The way she said that led me to believe that she didn't actually mind it all that much. 
"Well, I guess there is something nice about being able to buy happiness." 
Especially when it doesn't cost much, she continued, this time doing so while pulling on Yashiro's cheeks. 
The sound of her laughing filled the living room as her face stretched like a piece of mochi. 
I couldn't help but nod my head as I stared at the two. They seemed so satisfied. 
It wasn't like I didn't understand where she was coming from. 
Me spending the money I earned on Adachi, it was basically the same thing. 

What we were having for dinner that evening was okonomiyaki with noodles and eggs. 
"All fried stuff?" 
"Yes? Isn't that what you like?" 
"Well, it is, but still." 
"I like it too." 

{I do, I do}, Yashiro raised her hand. Was there anything that she didn't like? Not as far as I could tell. 
Yashiro was currently occupying the chair that I had used to use. It was the chair right next to my sister's, and thinking about it that way, it kinda made sense. In any case, this left me sitting where Dad would've been. 
"Where's Dad?" 
"He's out fishing with the old man from next door." 
"Hmph. He really likes doing that, doesn't he?" 
I wasn't sure when exactly it had happened, but at some point, Dad had gotten completely hooked on fishing. It was to the point where he'd randomly yell out stuff like "Got one!" when walking down the hallway. Was that really a good thing? I wonder. 
Putting all that aside, it sure was nice being home. I could lay down, and soon enough, food would simply show up. 
What a wonderful thing indeed. That was what I thought to myself as I took a bite out of the okonomiyaki. The sweet taste of cabbage and onions quickly filled my mouth. 
At the same time... Huh? I tilted my head to the side. I used my chopsticks to cut a piece from a different section and tossed that into my mouth. 
It was delicious, yes. But, there was something missing. 
"This okonomiyaki doesn't have any meat in it." 
"It doesn't. I thought we might have some left in the fridge, but as it turns out, we didn't." 
Hahaha, Mom laughed calmly. On a closer inspection, the noodles too were all cabbage and no meat. 
"It's like in that old show. Sauce beam, seaweed flash!" 
Don't worry, don't worry. Okay, happy, she added, putting an end to the topic. 
"It happens often." 
Watching my sister quietly slurp her noodles, I got the impression that she was more than used to this. 
"Hmm... Well, whatever." 
Was this what people meant by the unique taste of home cooking? Possibly. 
Next up, I went ahead and tried out the eggs. These ones were not supposed to contain meat in the first place. 
The sweet, fried taste of them enveloped both my teeth and my heart. Truly, this tasted like home. 
And yet, the one clearly enjoying it the most was not a member of our family, but rather, a stranger who had lived here for nearly ten years. 
"It must be fate." 
"Given your appearance, I'm shocked how shameless you are..." 
I found myself feeling slightly out of place as I stared at her. It was as if the plates and pots might start speaking any second now. 
As for Yashiro herself, she didn't seem to pay any attention to me. Rather, she just kept on munching. 
A few moments after we were done eating, my sister who had always been sitting with us got up. 
"Alright. Let's go take a bath, Yachii." 
Having said that, she then grabbed Yashiro's hand. 
"I'm good for today." 
"No you're not." 
The girl's attempts at escaping were met by my sister dragging her away by the nape of the neck. You can wiggle all you want, little shark, but you're not getting away. Then again, I kinda doubted that she was actually even trying. 
With her prey in her hand, my sister turned around to look at me. 
It almost felt like I was staring at my old self. Well, not that I'd ever seen myself like that, but still. 
"I feel like I now understand how you used to see me, Sis." 
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she said that. I was left with the impression that this was a fond memory to her. 
"You do?" 
"Yep. Now then, let's go, Yachii." 
My sister then began running. It wasn't an easy task making a shark take a bath. 
"How did I look at her? Hmm..." 
Like a little sister, perhaps? 
The answer wasn't coming to me, and honestly, that was kinda freaking me out. 
Obviously, there was no way that I could ask her to give me an example. That'd just be way too pathetic. 
Though the TV had been left on, the show that was playing barely registered in my mind. I was far too preoccupied thinking about my sister's words. 
As it turned out, it was quite difficult spotting the obvious. 
"Hmph." 
That wasn't me sighing. I lifted my head, and there, I saw Mom standing. 
"Yes?" 
"I heard you were going overseas on a vacation?" 
The way she phrased her question really confused me. For whatever reason, it sounded like she was asking me about this for the first time. 
"I'm pretty sure we just talked about this on the phone not all that long ago." 
"Yes, I know. I remember." 
The woman then proceeded to shrug her shoulders. Seriously, what was up with her? I could barely remember the last time she'd managed to confuse me this badly. 
"...And?" 
"Right." 
Despite herself having been the one to bring up the topic, she was left simply tilting her head to the side. 
"Well, whatever." 
She then walked off. Apparently, that settled it for her. 
"Huh? What?" 
There really was no making sense of this woman. And I don't mean just in terms of her behaviour and what she did; I was just as incapable of wrapping my head around the way her appearance changed. From the very moment I was born, both of my parents had already been adults. Not only that, they'd be so till my death. This was to say, even now ten years later, I truly struggled to point out anything about her that was different. 
I guess her hair looked a bit whiter than it had previously, but that was pretty much it. 
Not that I'd ever dare to say something like that to her. Who knows, she might end up pinching my eyelids and stretching them out or something crazy like that. 
After spending some more time watching TV and coming to the conclusion that I really couldn't focus on whatever program it was that was currently playing, I went ahead and turned the device off. I then opened the glass door leading to the garden outside, and instantly, I could feel the cold night wind on the tip of my nose. 
I sat on the floor and let the wind blow past me. 
It was still far too early to be getting excited. 
I was at my parents' house, and yet, with each hour that passed, I could feel myself losing what remained of my cool. 
I wonder, had I felt this way the day before our school trip as well? 
A few moments passed till I could hear footsteps behind me. I quickly turned around. 
No longer was the girl currently tottering towards me a shark. 
"Wow. That's pretty fancy." 
What she now had on was a blue yukata. Her hair appeared to still be wet, and as she ran forward, she sprinkled droplets of water all around her. 
Those droplets too carried with them the same glimmer her hair did. 
"Mommy gave me this to sleep in." 
I was really starting to get the feeling that all of her clothes were ones that'd been given to her. Well, I guess it was true that if you simply left her on her own, she wouldn't wear anything. 
"Mommy?" 
"I've become good friends with Daddy too. Sometimes, I go fishing with him." 
"Mommy, Daddy... Are you talking about my parents?" 
Yes, Yashiro nodded. She then sat down on the floor next to me. 
"I asked them what I should call them, and that's what they told me to say." 
"Hmm..." 
In case you're curious, I had always called them Mom and Dad, even when I was little. The same was true of my sister. 
I just found the terms "Mommy" and "Daddy" to be really embarrassing for some reason. It was to the point where simply hearing someone else use them was enough to make me feel uncomfortable. 
"You're all so kind. You included, Shimamura." 
"I guess so." 
It was difficult to imagine someone who wasn't kind treating a child who'd basically shown up from nowhere this way. 
"Hmm..." 
Was it perhaps the case that, in moments like these, good intentions took precedence over worries? 
Putting aside whether it was smart to let a stranger child into your house in the first place, the one thing we'd discovered was that Yashiro showed no signs of returning to whatever home she had come from. She also didn't grow any older no matter how many years went by. 
That was... how to put it... perfect for us? Or was it not for me to say? 
"Mommy gives me slices of cabbage every now and then." 
"That just means she doesn't know how to treat you..." 
Did she perhaps think that Yashiro was a rabbit or something? 
We spent the next few moments like that, with the wind cooling me down from one side and Yashiro warming me from the other. What did I mean by that? Well, you see, the girl's nose and cheeks were bright red and were practically radiating with warmth. They also emitted light, which was why I could tell their colour in the first place despite it being dark outside. I once again found myself shocked: What sort of a creature was she even? 
I was certain that I was not going to find someone else like her beyond the seas. 
"I'm leaving on a vacation tomorrow. I'm going overseas." 
"Ooh." 
The way she reacted sounded kinda random at first. However, it did not take long for her true desires to surface. 
"I'll be waiting for a souvenir." 
"I kinda expected you to say that." 
Staring at her as she stared at me back with a glimmer in her eyes, I really did feel like I understood how my sister felt when she bought her sweets. 
The amount of pure and innocent joy she showed, it was not accessible to normal people. To reach it, you first had to be as simple-minded as she was. 
"Hmm. Still, it is strange." 
"Strange?" 
"Yes." 
Gently stroking Yashiro's hair, I went ahead and explored my feelings. 
Back when we were still children and in high school, neither Adachi nor I could ever have travelled overseas. We lacked the ability to go anywhere all that far. And yet, now, we could. We could go anywhere our hearts desired; just like there was no one telling us to do it, there was also no one stopping us. 
We had to make these decisions ourselves. We had to choose our own path. 
At some point, I'd stopped being a child and had become an adult instead. 
That was not meant to be a smooth transition. You were supposed to one day get up and leap over the gap. And yet, I couldn't remember when I'd done so. 
"I wonder, when did it happen that I became an adult?" 
I wasn't sure why I had decided to say that out loud. It wasn't like I was speaking to anyone in particular. 
"Was it perhaps when you met Adachi?" 
Being a creature straight out of a fairytale whose only concern in life was getting more sweets to eat, Yashiro couldn't exactly sympathize with my worries. That was why her reply came out so casually. Really, the fact alone that she'd given me one in the first place really shocked me. 
Never had I expected her to be the sort of person to reply to other peoples' philosophical quandaries. 
"No matter the reality, you and Adachi are always fated to meet", the girl then followed. It sounded like mere idle gossip to me, like something she'd picked up from somewhere else. 
Given that no one had the ability to go back and relive their life, there could only exist one reality. 
Regardless, as Yashiro had not tried to excessively coat her words, I decided to meet her on her own simple terms. 
"Really?" 
Yes, she nodded back. Her reply made it sound like this wasn't all that big of a deal to her. 
For whatever reason, I found myself wanting to believe her. 
"That always marks the moment when you begin to change, Shimamura." 
The girl's tiny hand pressed against my shoulder. 
It was not the fin of a shark or the paw of a lion, but the hand of Yashiro. 
"Hehehe. Truly, a good encounter." 
Why did she sound so proud of herself as she laughed? I wasn't really sure. 
"Hmm..." 
I couldn't help but think that it would've made Adachi really happy hearing that had she been here. 
On some level, it felt like such a waste to me. 
"Now that I think about it... Yeah. You said something similar when we first met." 
"Yes?" 
Did she perhaps not remember? That was certainly what the way her head rested tilted to the side seemed to imply. 
"You told me that I'd been born so that I could meet you." 
"Indeed." 
Again, her reply came out extremely swiftly, almost without any delay at all. So, she did remember after all. 
The conversation soon continued. 
"The reason why this world exists is because you met me." 
"Huh? And what do you mean by that?" 
"Well, you see, the thing we call the world isn't actually all that flexible. Who is born, what sort of events take place, what you eat daily, those things are mostly the same across all possible realities. For a banana to be banana, it first needs the allocations to make it a banana. Do you understand what I'm saying? The world already has those allocations predefined, and as such, cannot function in a way that doesn't match them. It simply isn't possible. That is why most realities are mostly the same. You meeting Adachi, that too is something that happened because of the way the world is set up." 
Her voice just as innocent as ever, her tone like that of a child, Yashiro quickly took on a form far more bothersome than usual. 
To be perfectly honest with you, only about half of what she said actually entered my mind. I felt like I needed a blackboard in front of me for this. 
"The one thing separating those other realities from this one is that I am here. My presence is what makes the difference." 
"......" 
Me, the girl repeated. Her hair—appearing slightly deeper in its blue tone than usual thanks to the darkness spreading around us—swayed from side to side as she did so. 
"There is no one else. Only me." 
I wasn't sure why, but in a weird way, I almost got what she meant. It was one of those things that was impossible to put to words. 
"You're a real big shot then, huh?" 
"Hehehe." 
Nothing about the way she spoke gave me the impression of timidity. Was that due to courage, or perhaps overconfidence? That, or maybe for Yashiro, the concept of the world was something that she understood perfectly. Devices such as the TV or the phone might be scary at first when you didn't know how they functioned, but once you did, you quickly realised that there was nothing to be afraid of there. Perhaps it was like that to her? Not that I could really say for certain. Moving on. 
"Well, more accurately, I should be talking about our existence..." 
"Hmm?" 
"I am here because you are, Shimamura. That might seem like the same thing at a glance, but what's important is that it had to be you. No one else would've sufficed. That is the reason why I believe that you were born to meet me." 
While the individual words that Yashiro was using weren't all that complicated on their own, when you put them together like this, the whole thing kinda went over my head. 
All-in-all, this topic was one that wasn't nearly as easy to accept as the way she said it made it out to be. 
Truly, there was nothing more difficult than conveying something to another person without them misunderstanding you. 
The concept of sincerity could only exist when it went both ways. 
"So, in other words, it's destiny then?" 
"Yes. Destiny." 
That familiar word all by itself turned our complicated relationship so simple. 
"I get you that far, but beyond it, I don't really understand." 
"Hmm? But, it's so simple." 
Once more, the girl placed her hand on my shoulder. She appeared just as proud of herself as she had the last time she'd done it. 
"Hehehe. Truly, a good encounter." 
Was that it? 
I found myself averting my eyes. 
What was it that I'd gained after meeting Yashiro? 
Let's assume that she was speaking the truth. 
Let's assume that I had been born so that I could meet her. 
So then, again, what had I accomplished? 
This line of thinking was not going to lead anywhere. It was all hypothetical, based on mere assumptions. And yet, for whatever reason, I found myself incredibly curious about it. 
The small sparkle of light off in the distance continued to twinkle. The only question I knew how to answer was one far more mundane. Had I, or had I not found it fun meeting Yashiro? 
With a smile on my face, I turned my eyes back towards her. 
"Hmm..." 
I then patted her head, almost as if scooping out some of that light for myself. 
"Ah, Yachii. There you are." 
The person who spoke was my sister. She was wearing a pyjama with worn-out sleeves, giving me the impression that the article in question was quite an old one. I could see a bit of steam floating out from between her skin and the bath towel hanging off her shoulders. 
"You too, Sis." 
"It's me." 
I went as far as to make peace signs with my fingers as a joke, but sadly, this attempt at being funny was completely ignored by everyone. 
"Come on. How many times do I have to tell you? You can't just run off before I dry your hair. Just look, you got the floor wet again." 
"It's warm, so I came here to cool down. Why don't you join us, Shou?" 
"No thanks. I don't want to get eaten by bugs. Anyway, here. I brought you some ice cream. It's adzuki bean flavoured, your favourite." 
"Hyaah!" 
No sooner had my sister revealed what she was holding behind her back than Yashiro leapt up and began galloping towards her. Where had I seen this exact thing before? The answer came to me almost immediately: Adachi. The other day, she too had used ice cream to catch the girl's attention. It was the same for her as bait was for the fish. I distinctly remembered the way Adachi had muttered out her thoughts regarding the matter. Let's just say, she hadn't sounded amused in the slightest. She'd even gone as far as to call Yashiro a "weird creature", or something akin to that. Her circle of acquaintances had definitely expanded over the past ten years, even if only just a little bit. 
Was that Adachi's flight? Had I missed it? 
I turned to face the night sky. Come tomorrow, we'd be somewhere else entirely, under a whole different sky. 
Thinking about what that actually meant, what it entailed, I could feel my breathing grow slightly faster. 
I was excited, but also just a bit nervous. 
I suppose travelling might have been one of those things that you eventually got used to once you did it enough times. 
Given that I'd yet to, I found my mind filled with all sorts of thoughts, worries, and prayers, all of which I cast towards the night sky. 
Truly, emotions were best consumed fresh. 

The next morning, I found myself munching on the cabbage slices that'd been handed to me. 
"Am I a rabbit too?" 
Yashiro was sitting there besides me with a cabbage of her own, a piece of which hung out from the side of her mouth. 
As for my sister, she was still in bed. It didn't seem like she was going to get up to say goodbye to me. 
I suppose it didn't really matter; I'd be coming to visit again during summer anyway. 
The atmosphere in the morning kitchen was very light. Unlike the sun of summer, the one currently shining lacked the strength necessary to push people down, to make them feel oppressed. In fact, it had the exact opposite effect on me; I could feel all tiredness leave my body as I slowly grew able to move it as I pleased. 
After washing my face and putting on makeup, I went ahead and sent Adachi a text message. 
"Are you awake?" 
It only took moments for a reply to arrive. 
"I should be asking you that. You didn't sleep late, did you?" 
"Who do you think you're talking to...?" 
Seriously, what sort of a person did she see me as? 
"Hmm..." 
That said, it was true that about half of the time, I did my morning preparations and left the house while still barely conscious. Coming to my senses only to realize that I was already on board the train that I took to work was a common occurrence for me. I wonder, was it possible to fully grasp that sensation of shock that came with it? I kinda doubted that there were all that many people out there capable of such a feat. 
"I'm just about to head to the airport." 
"Me too." 
Whereas it took me some time to write my reply, Adachi's again came almost immediately. It'd always been like that. I wonder, what if anything was this difference between us based on? 
I'd found myself pretty fond of thinking about these sorts of topics as of late. One reason why was that it helped me sleep better at night. 
I headed towards the front door. There, I gave my bag a quick smack, and also confirmed with my own eyes that Yashiro was standing next to Mom. Alright. 
"Yes?" the girl asked me, sounding a bit confused. 
"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to make sure." 
If she did what she'd done the last time, we'd be in big trouble. 
With my bag over my shoulder and my suitcase in hand, I pulled myself up. 
I could feel the entire upper half of my body trembling slightly under the weight of the luggage. 
"Alright then. I'll be going now." 
"Yes, yes", Mom waved goodbye to me. She appeared to be more focused on brushing her teeth as she was on waving. As for Yashiro, well, she was really just swinging her limbs back and forth without any sort of sense to it. 
Today, she was a lion. This one I was far more familiar with. 
"Take care." 
"I will." 
"Still, I have to say, you sure are horrible at packing luggage." 
A deep sigh left the woman's mouth as she stared at both me as well as the bags I was carrying—the latter taking up way more area than my body. 
"You're not going to use even half of that." 
"Shut up." 
"Plus, it'll be pretty difficult for you to bring back souvenirs." 
Never once had I said that I was going to be buying her any. Hmm, well... But I guess a box of local chocolate wouldn't be too heavy. 
"Oopsie." 
I hadn't meant to say that. Rather, the noise had simply come out of my mouth on its own as I did my best to drag the bags with me. 
"Need help, grandma?" 
"Again, shut up." 
I was being mocked like a child. That said, it was way too much effort for me to actually turn around, and so I didn't. 
What I did instead was push the door open. 
The cool morning wind brushed my eyes and my face, wiping away the last remaining bits of sleepiness. 
"Hougetsu." 
The sound of my name being called out loud pulled me to a stop. This time, I did turn around, albeit in just a slightly stiff manner. 
I saw Mom standing there with her arms crossed and the toothbrush held in her mouth. That was all. 
"I sure did give you a good name, even if I do say so myself. Yes, yes." 
She was just singing her own praises. I decided to wait a few moments to see if she'd do something else. 
Yashiro was standing there beside her as well. Her tail swayed from side to side. 
"...And? Is that all?" 
"Yes, that's all. Off you go now", the woman stated bluntly, followed by her waving her hand at me. 
"Oh, sure..." I muttered to myself as I turned back around and began walking away: "Seriously, what's up with that woman?" 
There was such a thing as not caring about the world around you and going at your own pace, and then there was this. Then again, it was true that every now and then, Adachi would say the same exact thing about me. Wait... No. No, no. 
No way was I as bad as her. At least, I didn't think so. 
"Of course that wasn't all." 
"Whoa!" 
The sudden voice was followed by an impact that caused both me and the heavy—or so I'd thought—luggage to shake up and down. 
Wearing sandals and with the toothbrush still in her mouth, Mom had latched onto me from behind. 
She was followed by a certain lion, tottering towards me not far behind. 
"Have fun out there." 
Those words were what the woman said to me as she rustled my hair, doing so in a way that I might even be inclined to describe as being violent. 
And just like that, all the time I'd spent doing my hair fell wasted. 
I wanted to stop her, to protest. However, right as I was about to do so, I noticed just how thin her arms had grown. I ended up doing nothing at all. 
"As long as you're happy, then that's all that matters to me." 
"Right." 
For a moment, we stayed like that, the woman continuing to mess up my hair even further. 
That lasted until she'd had her fill. The toothbrush still sticking out from the corner of her mouth, a wide grin then appeared on her face. 
"Well then. See you later." 
Her sandals could be heard clacking against the ground as she turned around and returned inside. 
"See you later." 
Imitating the woman, the lion too waved me goodbye before tottering after her. 
"Hey, Mommy. What are we having for dinner today?" 
"Leftovers from yesterday." 
"Hooray!" 
"Haha. I like you. Everything I say makes you happy. It's so simple." 
The two were so different—especially in terms of height—and yet, they seemed to get along really well. Watching them return inside, I couldn't help but find myself laughing a little as well. 
"Hmm, I wonder..." 
Neither of them had changed one bit. 
Mom had been an adult for as long as I'd been alive, and for as long as I'd known her, Yashiro too had been a child. 
Both below me and above me, I had someone completely irreplaceable. 
I caught myself thinking about both my sister and my father as well as I stared at the walls of the nearby buildings. 
All of their existences filled my heart with warmth. 
Whereas Adachi had completely left her home and family behind, I didn't think that I could ever do that. 

Just like I'd discussed with Adachi, I had not visited an airport since I'd still been in high school. 
For whatever reason, I found myself getting kinda excited as I stared at the various types of messages scrolling through the displays hanging from the ceiling. Why was that? I wonder. The floor here had been polished to a shine, leaving the red partitions that were being used in place of walls to reflect off it. All around me, I could hear a mix of footsteps, announcements, as well as the sound of machines. It appeared that there were a bit more people here than usual, which I suppose made perfect sense given that it was currently holiday season. 
I pulled out my phone to message Adachi. I kinda got a hunch that she might already be here waiting for me. 
"Shimamura." 
In the next moment, my name was spoken. Despite the crowd of people around us, I'd still heard her voice perfectly fine. How strange. Quickly, I lifted my head. 
A faint smile could be seen on Adachi's face as she walked over to me. 
The vast majority of time, it was she who showed up first whenever we decided to meet somewhere. I kinda felt bad for always making her wait, although that being said, even when I did try to come sooner, she'd still somehow manage to be there before me. Putting all that aside, what caught my eye right away was the fact that Adachi was carrying far less luggage with her compared to me. 
I raised my hand and greeted her. 
"Hay." 
"H-Hi." 
You could see her panic a little as she attempted to match my greeting. Let's just say, she failed at it pretty badly. 
"A—Err... Adache." 
"You don't think it's a little early to be acting all foreign?" 
"Fain, fain." 
I guess that was true; we'd not even gotten off the ground yet. That said, the scent floating through the airport did certainly make me feel like we were currently somewhere far away. Was that because I'd never actually experienced what it was like beyond the seas? Perhaps. 
I got the impression that someone like Hino might be able to answer that question. 
"I actually studied some English in preparation. Figured I might as well use it." 
"Doesn't look like you got anywhere with it, though..." Adachi mumbled quietly. Pretending like I'd not heard her, we then set off. 
The sound the wheels of my suitcase made filled me with comfort; it really felt like I was moving forward. 
"I couldn't help but notice that you brought a lot more luggage than I did, Shimamura." 
That was exactly what Mom had told me. I almost ended up grunting at her, but thankfully, managed to stop myself in time. 
"If you ever need something, just let me know." 
I got it all, I went ahead and added. A short laugh left Adachi's mouth. 
She then checked her watch before letting me know that we still had "plenty of time". 
"If anything, I feel like me might have too much time." 
"Hmm... Well, whatever. Wanna just talk while we wait?" 
"Sure", Adachi nodded, sounding more than happy to do so. 
"It's been a while since the last time I flew on a plane." 
This comment of mine caused Adachi to hang her head. After a few moments, she then nodded slightly. 
"You didn't forget, did you?" 
"I did. But, I remembered it again." 
Her memory was just like the traffic lights; both had a tendency to flicker on and off. 
"Hmm. Somehow, I get the feeling that you actually remembered the whole time." 
That'd been our first trip together, after all. 
"A lot sure happened, huh?" 
"It did." 
This time, she gave me a real answer without trying to act dumb. 
...Well, I say that a lot happened, but looking at it from an objective point of view, none of those things had been particularly significant. We'd simply gone on a school trip as children tended to do and had done all the usual things. 
Was it really all trivial? Was it all without a point? Perhaps. 
And yet, despite that, I could still remember it. I felt like it was there the meaning and value of memories really showed. 
"Also, once we're there, I look forward to being on a boat. That should be fun." 
"Hmm..." 
"There are other things I'd like to do too, at the ocean." 
I followed that statement by listing out a few of my plans—still very much in the development phase—prompting a faint smile to appear on Adachi's face. 
She really had gotten a lot better at smiling. It brought me great joy silently watching her take these small steps of progress. 
We spent the remaining time till the plane was ready to be boarded staring outside through the large window next to us. We were like children, stuck to the glass. What caught my eye was not so much the planes themselves as it was the runway. I had to squint my eyes a little as I stared at it. That's just how bright it was outside. 
"I've come so far... Or something." 
I hadn't actually meant to say that out loud. The words simply left my mouth on their own. 
"We haven't even boarded the plane yet, you know?" 
Adachi appeared quite puzzled by my strange statement. 
"Right." 
Once we did that, once we got on the plane, we'd be able to go somewhere even farther away. 
What lay there, that was still part of a dream. A dream which I was excited to uncover. 

And so, we set off. 
We were flying, together, travelling further than we ever could have as children.