Adachi to Shimamura - Volume Anime Special - Chapter 6

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"Mushasha."

It was all artificial, yet her enjoyment was not lost on me, which I found a bit strange.

One look at the creature next to me—holding doughnuts in both of her hands—made it clear to anyone that spring had come to her. Then again, I suppose it was spring everywhere in this world right now. With cars swooping past me, I searched what little tepid air remained for signs of the season.

Walking by the wall of the apartment building, almost as if leaning into it, I let the air dance around the tip of my nose.

"A lot has happened, huh?"

"Has it?"

It was obviously Yashiro who I was talking to. I'd been walking around randomly, when like usual, she had appeared by my side. Today, she was donning a bird pyjama. What bird was it again? A couple of seconds of racking my brain later, the name "Grey Heron" popped into my head. See? I hadn't read all of those picture books for nothing. What was a bit weird, though, was the fact that she wasn't wearing the hood, and instead had a yellow helmet sitting on top of her head. And yes, I did mean to phrase it like that; it almost felt like the thing had fallen from the sky and landed on her without her noticing. The helmet was worn out and dirty all over, qualities which contrasted heavily with the magnificent flock of wavy blue hair it was standing on. Yet in a way, I suppose that was also what let it stand out so.

Putting all that aside, she sure was being aggressive today.

Two doughnuts. That's what she had asked for. Two whole doughnuts. Unbelievable. Normally I just kept on walking, but today, she had grabbed my arm and insisted. Since arguing back had felt like too much of a pain, I immediately gave in, which is how we ended up here.

"It is a promise."

"I really don't remember."

"Well that is unfortunate."

Certainly didn't seem like that from the way she was staring at her prizes. The first doughnut was a chocolate one, and the second a custard one. Just from holding them her fingers had become totally covered in sugar and oil, and looking at her, I couldn't help but smile a little.

It was also quite surreal seeing her tiny arms poking out from the wings of her costume. Was I just misremembering and they'd always been that long? Or was she maybe able to grow them out when necessary? In either case, it was thankfully far too hot for me to be attempting to solve those sorts of mysteries.

"Mushashasha."

An extra "sha" this time, I noticed. Was it because the flavour was different? I found that whenever I spent time with her, I always ended up making these sorts of pointless discoveries. 

"Sweet things sure are delicious."

"Delicious."

I shook my shoulders. Yashiro sure liked pronouncing that word weird.

"It is impossible to get angry while eating a doughnut."

"I suppose."

I wonder, where did the custard cream she was stuffing her mouth full of go when she had clearly at no point swallowed even once? Another mystery, I guess.

Also, what was that promise she had referred to earlier? I went ahead and thought about it for a few moments, but honestly I had no clue whatsoever. She couldn't be trying to swindle me by pretending I'd promised to give her something even though I hadn't, could she? No, that seemed quite out of character for her. Hmm. If not that, then what? Since Yashiro didn't seem to care and just happily kept on munching on her doughnuts, I figured I probably shouldn't worry about it either. Instead, since she was just the right height for it, I decided to pat her on the head. Or tap her on the helmet, either way. As I did, a bunch of familiar blue particles puffed out, almost like spores. I let one land on my finger and brought it in front of my face to get a better look at it, only for a gust of wind from a passing car to blow it away. How unfortunate.

"Are you not going to eat anything, Shimamura?"

"Probably not. We're having dinner pretty soon."

I was basing that entirely on what the sky was looking like. The sun was gradually growing dimmer, filling me with a sense of relief. Like oil, the waning vestige of spring painted both me and the buildings around, causing everything to feel kind of blurry.

There was something about this time of the year that consistently caused my throat to grow dry, and for droplets of sweat to appear on my nose.

"Is that so."

"I'm sure we'll have some for you too if you'd like."

"Hahaha."

"I don't know what's so funny about it."

I could hear her munching growing faster. Oh, Yashiro.

"Yes. Promises do taste special."

With both of her hands now free, Yashiro proceeded to open and close her fingers like scissors.

"Hey. Wipe your mouth."

Figuring that she probably wouldn't do it on her own, I ended up doing it for her. While I was at it, I also cleaned her fingers.

"Hohoho. I am most grateful."

"Feel like it's not the first time I've heard that."

All of the stains came off extremely easily, leaving me astonished as to just how smooth her skin was. As for Yashiro, she first smacked her stomach, and then placed her hands on her hips as if proud of what she'd done. I followed her gaze and took a look at the sky, yet all I could see there were flower petals slowly fluttering towards the ground. Like cats and dogs, perhaps there were certain things only Yashiro was able to see. Perhaps.

"Let us get going then."

Flapping her arms—or rather, the wings of her costume—Yashiro set off. The way in which she walked caused her hair to swing behind her, which in turn caused my eyes to move back and forth as if trying to follow it.

"To where?"

She was going in the opposite direction from where I lived.

"To somewhere nice", she stated, turning around after putting quite a bit of distance between us. "Will you join me, Shimamura?"

As she turned, I could smell the scent of the falling petals pouring onto me.

Her own particles combined with the flowers, forming the shape of a helix which danced around her.

Did I understand how that worked? No. Did I care? No. It was simply beautiful to look it.

"Hmm... Somewhere nice, huh?"

What did that mean for Yashiro? The only place I could think of was a candy store.

"It will be fun."

She flapped her wings again as if to prove her point. It couldn't be that she wanted to buy a third doughnut, could it?

"Well, why not. It's not like I have other plans."

Or did I? I was quite terrible at keeping track of these things.

Surely I must have been going somewhere if I'd gone out, but where, or what I'd intended to do, that was now lost to me.

As if I'd been soaked into the tepid weather down to my shoulders, the screen which was my mind was now a blurry haze.

Walking up to Yashiro, I could see a soft smile having formed on her face. It was an expression of pure joy, as if there were no other thoughts in her mind. A clear, eternal smile. Since the day we'd met, her expression had not changed one bit.

It was for that reason that I found it impossible to dislike her.

"Now, where in this town might you have fun?"

There was the shopping mall, which was where I always went to when I didn't have another place in mind, but other than that, not much else.

"At this place. It is a very fun place, you see. Lovely, serene, kind, hopeful, and it smells nice too. Very much worth visiting, would you not say?"

"Huh..."

She sure was hyping this place up.

"Is it like a cake buffet?"

"That would be very nice."

Her voice and stride alike were equally light. Whatever this place was, I was just hoping I wouldn't get banned for bringing her.

Or maybe I was. That could be enjoyable in its own way.

On our way to this strange place, we passed by an older woman, as well as a younger but still pretty old woman walking a bike with a bag of groceries placed in the basket. Needless to say, the sight of Yashiro was enough to turn both of their heads. Yashiro herself didn't seem to mind the attention, and in fact, whenever she met anyone on the street, she would always greet them with a bright smile. It appeared that she had grown quite used to this town. I guess that was true for anyone; people always tended to blend into their environment one way or another.

Yashiro fit well into the season of spring, I felt. And summer and winter too, let's be honest. She just had that kind of adaptability to her.

I suppose that was one of the perks of being pretty.

Really, there were few bad things you could say about her, her being a massive glutton being a rare one.

Leaving the downtown area, the scenery around us quickly started turning green. Modern buildings disappeared from sight, being replaced by wide country roads and paddy fields. The sensation I felt as we walked was quite a strange one, with the usual being mixed with the unusual.

"Is this place far away? I don't want to be home that late."

"It will be fine."

Not really much of a response to what I'd asked, was it? I was about to say something, but right before I could open my mouth, a flower petal floated past my face, as if gently suggesting that I stay silent. I reached out my hand, grabbed the petal, only to notice that the ground in front of me was littered with them.

Petals sure were falling today, weren't they? As beautiful as flowers were, I was quickly finding myself getting tired of them.

All this flower viewing had apparently caused me to lag behind, as Yashiro, already a dozen steps ahead, turned around to see what I was doing.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, just flowers."

"Flowers."

Was she a parrot now? Speaking of, just then, a petal landed on her head, followed by another.

"I thought I smelled flowers."

Seriously, where were all of these petals even coming from? Ever since we'd left the city, it felt like there was just no end to them. With Yashiro tracing their trajectory with her fingers, we continued walking, first passing a supermarket, then a gasoline station. Again, no idea where she was taking me, but at this point, I almost felt like I had no choice but to follow her.

We eventually made our way to a floodbank with a clear view of the river. The surface of the water was perfectly smooth, almost like a mirror, and as I accidentally glanced at the sun reflecting off it, I found myself blinded for a brief moment. After recomposing, I shifted my gaze towards the rocks that formed the riverbank. There was something about them that reminded me of both summer and winter at the same time.

An image of summer, an image of winter. Both painted by the same brush, producing different colours.

"It is difficult indeed."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Did she have to be this cryptic all the time? Honestly, it was kinda starting to annoy me. Even when I pinched her cheeks, Yashiro just kept on laughing.

"Still, I suppose this too could be said to be part of the promise."

"What. Are. You. Talking. About?"

"I have not been to this place either."

"Wait, what?"

I took a couple of glances at my surroundings. Yeah, no, I definitely recognized these sights. Moreover, I had a distinct memory of Yashiro having been with me when I'd passed through here.

What was it again... Ah, right. The festival. I could swear that I'd brought her along. Had she forgotten?

A narrow, undecorated bridge crossed over the river, and before it, Yashiro stood. With no cars in hearing distance, flower petals continued swimming through the silence. Staring at them, it almost felt as if I'd been transported into space. Not even the sound of the wind blowing could reach my ears.

If there was no wind, then I wonder, what was it that was causing the petals to dance?

"Are you ready, Shimamura?"

"Ready for what?"

My eyes jumped around, chasing after the falling petals, until eventually landing on Yashiro.

In her eyes—shining brilliantly like the milky way displayed against the night sky—I could see an image of myself.

Me, wearing my school uniform, floating in space.

"Please walk straight from here."

With that, the girl circled behind me. Or slid, rather. Wait, wait. Wait.

"I'm more curious as to how you just did that."

"Hohoho."

I guess that was of no concern to her. Not that anything was.

The same couldn't be said of me, however.

"The promise dictated that I bring you here. The promise dictates that you walk forward."

"This again..."

This supposed promise. I couldn't imagine myself forgetting something like that, but what other explanation was there?

I was always quite sleepy during springtime, so maybe this was something she had brought up right after I woke up? That was the best I got.

"If you're ready, then please, walk."

"Okay, okay. If you insist."

Regardless, I still felt quite safe going along with her. It wasn't in her nature to mess with people like that, after all.

"If this is really such a fun place, then shouldn't you come as well?"

"I have already had my fun."

Not much of an answer. Not that it really mattered, I suppose.

If one of us was missing something, it was far more likely to be me.

What did I base that assumption on? Absolutely nothing. I just felt that way.

The petals soon filled the gap between us.

It might not have been wind, but there was something else here. Some sort of a flow.

A flow which could not be contained.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

"I'll buy you a doughnut when we next meet."

The rest was left unsaid.

Let's make sure there will be a next time.

For whatever reason, I found myself unable to finish the sentence.

Still, as if able to pick up on that, Yashiro replied to me with a smile.

"Without a doubt."

"Right", I replied with a bow.

Meanwhile, Yashiro removed her helmet, letting free the part of her hair that was tied behind her head and allowing it to flap like the wings of a butterfly as she ran off.

Watching her go, I couldn't help but find myself feeling a bit lonely. Why? We were going to be seeing each other in a day or two anyway.

"How strange..."

Was it the smell of the flowers that was making me feel all sentimental? Yeah, that must have been it.

With Yashiro now gone, I turned back towards the bridge, and began taking steps forward.

Apparently, she wanted me to cross this bridge. Didn't need to be a genius to figure that one out. What was there on the other side of the river? I could see a hotel. And a mountain. This seemed exactly like the kind of place tourists would like to visit.

Not sure what was supposed to be so fun about it, though.

Anyway, occasionally glancing at the river, I began making my way past the bridge. There were no cars around, nor people. The only sounds I could hear were those of my own footsteps.

With petals falling down from every which direction, it was honestly becoming a little difficult for me to see straight. Speaking of... What was the name of this flower again? I was certain that I knew the answer, yet for whatever reason, the name escaped my mind. I knew that it was a flower which bloomed in spring, one that every single year without a fail decorated the town with its beauty. Yet, I couldn't put a name to it.

It had a very faint colour to it, reminding me of the way relationships would change in colour when they came to an end.

I reached out my hand towards one of the many petals floating in the air, and immediately, a dozen or so landed on my palm. They entered the gaps between my fingers, covered my skin, and then, flew away. I recalled a children's story about a bunch of fish scales coming together to form a giant fish.

Glancing beyond where the petals were falling, I could suddenly hear cicadas beginning to sing.

Conscious, yet unconscious at the same time, my feet froze. I blinked, and as my eyes opened, I could see a familiar-looking staircase in front of me. Running my eyes along the right-side wall, memories of all sorts filled my mind. Some related to the spring and the cicadas, some not. I turned around, but the bridge was gone, and so was the river.

The hotel and the mountain were no longer there either, replaced by the dry smell of dirt.

It would seem that Yashiro had tricked me.

"Hmm..."

I climbed up the stairs, and found a door waiting for me.

I placed my hand on the doorknob—cold as if the spring had been replaced by winter—and turned.

In the darkness which awaited me, I could see no one. Only the cicadas continuing their song.

"Well, well."

I might not have been able to see them, but that hardly meant that they weren't around.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

Now, let's see...

I ran my hand across the ping-pong table, having been left there since the previous game. The sensation of dust against my fingertips perfectly tickled a particular part of my memory. It had laid dormant for many years, yet now, its sprouts were starting to push through the dirt.

There was a spot near the wall safe from the sun shining through the windows. Squinting, I could almost see a figure sitting there, all alone.

Should I just stay here and wait? I recalled that working when I'd done it in the past.

Wait, no. Other way around. I'd been the one who had shown up, not the one who had been waiting. Regardless, what I knew for certain was that I'd met with someone in this place.

My skin remembered the warmth of this place, the sensation of sweat dripping down my neck.

The sound of the cicadas singing weighted down on my head like a heavy stone.

And yet.

"Forward... Just keep walking forward."

All that there was in front of me was an unused ping-pong table, and the wall. Was this the end? Or perhaps...

With ever-shorter steps, I slowly made my way towards the table. Praying, praying that something might happen, I drew towards the wall. If nothing did happen, then I'd probably fall down like a turtle, and be unable to get up again. A step, followed by another. The wall was getting dangerously close.

My nose now mere inches away from the wall, I decided to simply push into it.

As I did, the wall vanished, revealing an entirely different scene behind it.

And the sound, like an explosion of cicadas.

I'd arrived at my grandparents' house on the countryside, the roof of which was covered in a thousand flower petals.

I couldn't remember ever coming here during spring. No, this was more of a place I'd visited during my summer vacation, as well as the New Year's. Perhaps that was the reason why I couldn't see our family's car parked in front of the house. What I did see, however, was the blue roof of a familiar-looking dog house, appearing just as I remembered it to have.

The door to the house opened, and two figures walked out. Those were my grandfather and grandmother. Talking amongst themselves about something, they quickly noticed me.

They smiled.

Welcome, they said.

Thanks, I almost replied.

There was a third figure behind them, a smaller one. I almost ran to it.

Do you want to come in, they asked me.

Yes, I almost said again.

Just then, I could hear someone calling my name. Shimamura.

A couple of flower petals fell between us.

"No, sorry. I have somewhere else I need to go."

I would likely have been happy just staying here.

And yet.

Respecting my decision, the two took turns patting my head without a single word.

There, feeling a certain tightness in my throat, I finally realised what was happening to me.

I then crouched down in front of the dog standing between the two.

I picked him up, and for one last time, squeezed him tight. There were no words between us. Just a bark which sounded like blood pouring out from a wound that had already healed.

Letting him go—or him slipping out, one or the other—I proceeded forward, and before I knew it, the paddy fields and clear skies were gone, replaced by something else.

That something else being the apartment building the two of us had first moved into.

Peeking into the bedroom, I saw a pair of stuffed animals—a seal and a walrus—sitting in the corner. I waved them goodbye.

I saw our sofa as well, always so comfortable. I didn't sit down on it, though; I knew from experience that once I did, I would have a hard time getting off it. Instead, I kept walking. Through the window, out the balcony, into the sky. Not even for a second did I hesitate.

Was it the ground I was walking on, or the sky? Before I could answer that question, the scenery around me changed once more. As if my body's temperature was growing, I gradually became aware of where I was and what was happening to me. What might I be shown next? My own grave? I prepared myself, but just then, I fell.

The sky suddenly became oh-so distant.

My shoes were touching the ground, that I could tell for certain.

No longer suffering from a sense of deja-vu, my eyes were at last able to relax.

I was surrounded by a multitude of things, fixed, stable, through which I danced, flower petals raining down all around me.

This was a place I had absolutely no recollection of. It belonged neither to my home town, or the university, or our apartment, or my workplace, or the parking lot of the super market, or any of the places we'd travelled to, and certainly not the house where I'd spent my final days.

Where I now found myself standing was a park shaped like a half-circle. I could see a piece of playground equipment nearby, with a green ladder, a yellow slide, and red pillars. In a way, it looked kinda fancy. The park was surrounded by a fence—far too short for it to be of any practical use, I reckoned—beyond which spread a townscape I'd not seen once in my life.

There was a sign located near the entrance, though the text written on it was awfully blurry, leaving only a handful of letters legible.

mura. That was all I could make out.

In the middle of the park stood a large tree, perhaps planted there to grant some shade.

Next to it stood a figure, her hair and skirt fluttering in the wind.

I was greeted by a sweet scent, and a flood of memories.

The tip of my tongue tingled, and a word formed on my lips.

Ah. Now I remembered.

The name of these flowers which had been falling this whole time.

Such a long time.

Slowly, silently, as if leaping up, her voice reached out to me.

She was delighted, of course, but she'd also had to wait a long, long time.

The girl—wearing the same school uniform as I was—had been waiting for me for so long.

Her voice had the same colour to it as the falling petals.

It was so lovely, so peaceful, so kind, so full of hope. And it smelled good, too.

Her face twisted into an ever-deeper smile. So did her voice, rendering her words unintelligible.

In all possible ways, it felt like she'd become her old self.

"Hooray. We're both young."

She stared at me for a moment, and then responded, sounding almost a little panicked.

"H-Hooray."

The way she did that, awkwardly lifting both of her hands into the air, ah how I'd missed that. My heart was elevated to such heights it made me feel like I was soaring through the sky.

"It's quite nice. If we'd come here as old ladies, I bet both of us would've been secretly hoping that the other was young."

"I... I'd love you regardless of how you look!"

"Really? Well then, what if I turned into an old lady right now?"

A deep silence ensued. She was clearly thinking about it. That straight-forwardness of hers always made me smile.

A couple of moments later—enough time for a whole pile of flower petals to culminate near our feet—she finally opened her mouth.

"Please stay young..." she spoke in a voice tinged with shame.

"Knew it!"

I feel the same way, I added laughing.

After laughing with her for a bit, I could feel my throat starting to quiver.

"So, we were able to see each other again."

Which one of us said that, it was neither clear, nor did it matter for we both felt the exact same way.

"A promise..."

Her voice, her words. Everything she gave me tickled me so.

There'd never been any guarantee that I'd see her again, yet I was glad I hadn't stopped on my way here.

Perhaps I'd given up on my memories, but that mattered not.

For we could still make plenty more.

Adachi

and

Shimamura

Wanna go explore the ocean?

The ocean?

We have a boat now, so we can go anywhere.

Okay. Let's go.

The two of us, to eternity.