Chapter 04
Chapter 04
HIBARI AND HIKARI walked around the side of the house they’d visited countless times as children. One wore a white beanie, while the other wore a black one; both were wearing matching tortoiseshell sunglasses. They exchanged a glance.
“Looks like she’s not home. What should we do? Put it in the mail slot?” Hikari asked, like the ditz she always was.
“But then she won’t know it’s from us!” Hibari argued. “Ugh, man, we didn’t bring anything to write a note… What do we do…?”
If only they could leave a short note, they could simply put the gift in the mail slot and call it a day. But their true goal was to meet with Himari in person. They wanted to thank her for the scarves they were currently wearing.
“Should we just wait around somewhere nearby? It’s really cold, though… Should we go buy some hot corn potage while we wait?” Exhaling a cloud of white fog, Hikari glanced around, but couldn’t spot any vending machines in the vicinity of the Takakura house. “Or maybe some hot cocoa?”
“We can’t just stand around or we’ll be late for our next gig! Good grief, Hikari-chan, get it together!” With a small sigh, Hibari pondered their dilemma. They could try to come back next time they had some free time, but there was no telling when that would be. Besides, they couldn’t be seen loitering around someone’s house in these less-than-subtle disguises or else…
“Hey, you!” a shrill voice shouted, and they both nearly jumped out of their skin.
They whirled around to find a girl in a school-issued balmacaan coat standing there with her hands on her hips, glaring at them. She wore her hair in a casual bob cut, her sharp eyes peeking out from beneath her thick bangs, sizing the other girls up like prey.
“What business do you have at this house?”
Ringo took one look at these girls, dressed conspicuously in sunglasses and scarves, and determined that they were quite possibly in league with that tabloid journalist. Or maybe they were journalists for some other publication. If so, then they probably came to snoop around without permission.
“We…we’re not criminals!” Hikari blurted out, waving her hands.
“She never said we were! Now she’s going to think we are!” Hibari hissed.
“Yeah, I do!” Ringo adjusted her book bag on her shoulder and stood her ground.
“Well, um…we’re really not trying to cause any trouble,” Hibari mumbled, faltering in the face of Ringo’s intimidating glare. Reluctantly, she pulled off her hat and sunglasses, then nudged Hikari to do the same.
“Double H?!” Ringo yelped. It was the same ultra-famous kitschy pop idol unit she saw on billboards every day of her life—what on earth were they doing here? Her jaw dropped as she stared at the celebrity duo, currently clinging to each other with guilty looks on their faces. “Oh my god, it’s really you!”
“We came to see Himari-chan,” Hibari explained.
“We’re old friends from elementary school,” Hikari chimed in with a pained smile. “So yeah…”
But the three of them couldn’t stay together forever. Thirteen years after the subway incident, sickly Himari became even sicker, and all the kids at school started to see the Takakura family in a different light. They were all unified against Himari, and neither Hibari nor Hikari could stand up to them. At the time, they were just as scared as everyone else. Himari’s parents had committed a terrifying atrocity the likes of which they couldn’t even imagine…and since Himari was their daughter, she was terrifying too.
“See, Himari-chan knitted these for us,” Hibari explained, patting her scarf.
“As a token of friendship. She said she wishes us nothing but the best,” Hikari chimed in, blinking back tears.
The teachers told them that Himari wouldn’t be coming back to school due to her illness. The following year, Hibari and Hikari applied to an idol audition, then debuted as a two-girl unit. Their lives became fun and exciting, but incredibly busy, and although they never forgot about Himari, they eventually stopped talking about her. But she was always meant to be the third member of their group, standing right there alongside them.
“So we really wanted to see her in person and thank her for the scarves. This is our only chance…” Hibari looked away.
From Himari’s perspective, perhaps their desires were extremely selfish. But Himari was precious to Hibari and Hikari, and they desperately wanted to make up for the cowards they had been as children. It was their one regret.
“Right,” Ringo nodded sadly. “I’m sorry, but Himari-chan’s not home at the moment, and she won’t be back for quite a while.”
She couldn’t explain to them what was happening to the Takakura family—it wasn’t her place. But Himari had left this house. That was all she could tell them for sure.
“Gotcha.” Hibari and Hikari slumped their shoulders in disappointment.
“Sorry,” Ringo repeated, feeling strangely guilty even though it wasn’t her fault.
Hibari and Hikari exchanged a playful glance, just like they always did on TV. Then Hibari held out the little paper bag she was carrying. “In that case, could you give this to her for us?”
“It’s our new album—we thought she might like to listen to it. We’ll come back to thank her for the scarves another time.”
The logo of their record label was printed on the front of the bag. Ringo took it and peered inside, where she could see a single CD wrapped up in a cute red ribbon.
“Okay, no problem. I’ll give it to her, I promise.”
In her eyes, Hibari and Hikari were taller, healthier, and far stronger than Himari. Sure, Himari was doing better lately, but compared to girls her own age, she was markedly different. Every part of her was small, or pale, or muted, or fragile…and Ringo didn’t even know where she was.
“We named the album after the words that always meant the most to her.”
After a forlorn farewell, Double H put their sunglasses and beanies back on, bowed politely, then jogged off down the street. They must have stopped by between gigs. Ringo waved goodbye, and as they disappeared into the distance, she let out a sigh.
“Oh, hi, Oginome-san,” said a very familiar voice.
“Shoma-kun!” She whirled around to find Shoma trudging in her direction on leaden legs, carrying a grocery bag, his expression dead-eyed and defeated.
And so I told Oginome-san that Kanba and Himari had left the house. I needed to tell her something, after all—maybe not the full story, but given how frequently she liked to come over, she was bound to notice sooner or later. She was a treasured friend, especially to Himari, and right now, she was the only person I could talk to about my family situation. It was killing me to keep it all bottled up inside.
There was no one around to hear me say “This is delicious,” or “That’s hilarious,” or “I’m tired,” or “It’s cold.” And I was terrified that I would never get to share those feelings with anyone ever again.
“I went down to the police station with Uncle Ikebe to file a missing persons report,” I muttered as I put the small amount of groceries I’d bought into the fridge.
“Why didn’t she just go to your uncle’s house like she was supposed to?” Oginome-san asked, sitting slumped over the coffee table, her book bag beside her, along with the “gift” she claimed to have received from Double H.
They were old friends of Himari’s from elementary school, and at one point, Himari herself wanted to audition with them. I had no qualms with them wanting to thank her for the scarves she knitted, but given their history, I wasn’t enthusiastic about the prospect, either. Himari struggled with her illness for years—they could have come to see her literally any time they wanted, be it at the hospital or right here at home. Himari would have been overjoyed to see them too; she would have thanked them with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. But now she was nowhere to be found.
“What happened to that penguin hat?”
“Oh, the hat? Yeah, Himari took it with her.”
And yet she left behind the things that tied us together—the pink pirate teddy bear and the old scarf. I sat down on the opposite side of the table, teapot in one hand, two teacups in the other.
“I was stupid. I should have paid more attention to Himari’s condition, both physical and mental,” I muttered to myself half-deliriously.
Oginome-san looked up at me with concern. “Still no word from Kanba-kun? I figure Himari-chan’s probably with him.”
Maybe so. But either way, Kanba refused to take my calls.
On the day Himari left…the day Kanba quite possibly killed someone…I wasn’t feeling well, so I wrapped myself up in my blanket, flopped down on the tatami, and fell asleep without eating anything. Around midnight, I awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. The intense hunger made me feel even sicker.
“Hello?”
“Shoma? Did I wake you?” asked Uncle Ikebe, sounding a little rattled.
“Yeah, sorry… What’s up?” I replied hoarsely.
“Himari was supposed to arrive today, right?”
“Uh, yeah…? Why?”
I looked up at the clock on the wall and checked the time. According to my uncle, he tried to call me several times before dinner, but I was dead asleep after all the crying and vomiting. Hastily, the two of us tried to track Himari down. I attempted to get in touch with Kanba, but he wouldn’t pick up. Figures. Next, I called the hospital. A few seconds later, Dr. Sanetoshi himself picked up—no phone receptionist involved.
“Hello?” His voice was low, leisurely, and playful, just like always.
“Hi, uh, Dr. Sanetoshi? Sorry to call so late, but…um…Himari’s gone missing, and I was wondering if she was with you.”
“No, unfortunately, I haven’t seen her,” he replied apologetically. “I’m not sure where she could have gone.”
“Yeah, me either. Sorry for bothering you, but I couldn’t think of anywhere else.”
“Oh, that’s quite all right. Your sister doesn’t have long left,” he continued in a gentle, sympathetic tone that left me speechless. “So if you need to talk, I’m available anytime. Seems reasonable, doesn’t it?”
“Hold on a minute! Wasn’t your medicine supposed to cure her?!” I shouted.
“The thing about medicine is, the longer your body is exposed to it, the more resistant you become to its effects. Much like falling in love. Hadn’t you heard?” I could practically picture Dr. Sanetoshi’s smile, framed by his long rainbow-hued hair.
“The hell do you know about love?” I muttered before I could stop myself.
“Ah, you Takakura kids are all so very alike.”
“So Himari…?” I fell to my knees, still holding the receiver.
“Yes, I’m afraid she’s going to die soon,” Dr. Sanetoshi replied offhandedly. And with that, he hung up on me.
My mind swam with dizziness and hunger and the memory of Himari’s teary smile.
“Shoma-kun, you’re looking kinda pale. Have you been eating enough?” Oginome-san asked suddenly.
“Oh, uh, yeah,” I replied absently. “But I’m on my own right now, so I haven’t made anything fancy.”
Cooking for one was highly inefficient and not nearly as cost-effective. Plus, I generally wasn’t motivated to make anything nice for myself.
“Okay then…what if I made you some curry or something?” Oginome-san suggested tentatively as she sat up to take a sip of the tea I made. “Then again, curry’s kind of the only thing I know how to make anyway.”
“Good idea… I’ll help. Otherwise I’m just going to forget how to cook anything.”
I forced a smile. Times like these, the best option was to go all-out with tons of spices, grate up a ton of apples and ginger, and make a truly decadent dish. In winter it would keep for a quite a while, too, so we could safely make a big batch.
Oginome-san beamed. “Awesome! In that case, let’s swing by the store later.”
Right, of course. In times of emergency, I needed to make doubly sure I wouldn’t get sick, too. I needed to keep living my life as Takakura Shoma—clean the house, do laundry, eat three square meals a day, do a little studying, and get a full night’s sleep.
At this rate, with Oginome-san commenting on my complexion, I’d never find Himari…and if Dr. Sanetoshi was telling the truth, then I really needed to be by her side, spending the last few moments of her life as her former family.
Kanba continued to bring Sanetoshi money, no different from before. Regardless of whether he and Himari were living together, she would still need to go to the doctor either way. Sanetoshi took the envelope and checked the contents, but instead of pocketing the money, he tossed it down onto the desk. “Stunning, yes, but I’m afraid that medicine won’t work anymore.”
“The hell do you mean?”
Kanba jumped up from the stool and stormed over to him.
“Exactly what I said. The medicine won’t work,” he replied matter-of-factly, tilting his head. Faint blue and green lights rose up from his hair like steam, swirling together in a spiral.
“Then what’ll happen to Himari?”
“She’ll die,” he answered, all too casually, and the lights popped.
“Gimme a freakin’ break!”
After all that, it still wasn’t enough? No matter how much money and how much of his life he offered in trade, he still couldn’t save his beloved sister? Meanwhile, Sanetoshi smirked, enjoying Kanba’s despair.
“I’ll kill you,” he choked out. Then he climbed on top of Sanetoshi and grabbed both of his slender, pale wrists, pinning him to the chair he was sitting in. But his captive didn’t try to escape.
As Kanba tightened his trembling fingers, Sanetoshi’s faint smile never faltered, nor did he groan in pain. Instead, he simply whispered, “You’re wasting your time.”
“I’ll kill you!”
“What if there’s still a way you could save your sister?”
As he gazed up at Kanba, he snapped his fingers, and two shadowy figures appeared behind him. Sensing their presence, Kanba slowly looked up—then relinquished his grip and staggered backwards a few steps. The look on his face was precisely what Sanetoshi anticipated.
There stood Kanba’s dead parents, staring vacantly back at him.
“All you have to do is heed our curse,” Sanetoshi declared, quietly wishing he had a camera to capture the delightful expression on the boy’s face.
As for Kanba, his only option was to comply.
At the KIGA hideout, Kanba sat in front of several large computer monitors, holding a discussion with a group of men in black. The room was practically overflowing with black teddy bears, and their numbers were steadily increasing.
“The time to act is finally upon us. Load each train with fifty teddies.” Kanba looked around at each of the men in turn. “Do we have enough for every train line?”
“Production is underway and proceeding smoothly,” one of the men replied.
“We need three hundred more. Make it happen.”
“Understood. Survival Tactic!” he shouted, flashing a peace sign.
“Survival Tactic,” Kanba parroted back quietly, averting his sharp gaze.
“Bad news!” another man shouted on a different monitor, holding a cell phone in one hand. “Apparently the pigs found the room under the La Terre sculpture in Ikebukuro. A portion of the planning data is still there!”
At this, the men appeared mildly unnerved. “We gotta delete it!”
“I’ll handle that,” Kanba told them without batting an eye, projecting the resolute confidence of a leader. The other men applauded him, but he didn’t notice; he was already thinking about the next order of business.
Regardless of who led the organization, regardless of “talent,” his task remained the same: change the world and save Himari. KIGA was merely a means to that end.
“For now, just make sure to produce enough teddies,” Kanba muttered, then ended the transmission. The monitors all faded to black, and with the curtains in the room drawn, everything went pitch-dark. Pensively, Kanba walked among the stacks of teddies to a large armchair and sat down, his posture perfectly straight.
“Kan-chan,” called a feeble voice as Himari slid her slender arms around his neck from behind.
“What is it?” he asked without looking over his shoulder.
“Oh, nothing. Just felt like it.” She pressed her cheek to his and whispered, “We’ll be together forever, okay?”
Over the past few days they’d spent together, no matter how many times she asked him to quit, he refused to listen. He was clearly concerned for her, asking about her condition and making sure she wasn’t too cold, but when it came to what she wanted most, it was like he couldn’t see it at all.
“I love you, Kan-chan.”
Though they weren’t blood-related, Kanba had always looked out for her and Shoma, and he was an important part of their lives.
“I realized I don’t have to be afraid anymore. You were the one who showed me that, Kan-chan. And now I’m willing to do whatever it takes for the people I love.”
But Kanba didn’t flinch, nor did he afford her so much as a passing glance. The eyes that used to look after her now seemed vacant; it wasn’t clear whether he was actually looking at anything anymore.
“I’m sorry… I can only imagine how much you’ve suffered all this time.”
This outcome was the direct result of Kanba having to carry the Takakura family on his shoulders all the time. Truth be told, she and Shoma had picked up on this, but instead of acting on it, they took advantage of Kanba’s kindness, single-handedly driving him to the brink of self-destruction.
“I made this choice,” he replied in a low, quiet, almost emotionless voice.
“No. You made so many sacrifices…gave me a piece of your life…but I pretended not to see it.” Her arms tightened around his neck.
“Tell me, Himari. Do you remember the day we became a family?” He quietly reached up and touched her feeble arm.
“Yeah, of course.”
“You gave something to me that day.”
“I did?” She tilted her head slightly, then buried her face against his back. His black clothes smelled of dust, but he was warm, and his scent was familiar.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll save you, I promise.”
“Stop. Don’t put yourself in danger!”
No matter how tightly she clung to him, her strength would never exceed his. Still, she couldn’t afford to let go, lest he cross a line that could never be uncrossed. And at that point, he would officially be a stranger to her.
“It doesn’t matter if I die. Just stay here with me.”
Kanba sucked in a breath and held it quietly. Was he listening to her? Or was he thinking about something else entirely?
“You, me, and Sho-chan.”
She wanted to go back to the days when they were just three kids living in the Takakura house, waiting patiently for their parents to one day come home.
“I gotta go.” Kanba rose from the chair, but Himari refused to let go.
“No!” she shouted, louder than usual. “Go where?!”
Startled, Kanba looked over his shoulder and met her gaze. “Let go of me.”
She glared back at him. “I refuse!”
Then his expression faded, and his eyes grew vacant once more. “Let go of me,” he repeated, grabbing her arms and easily extricating himself from her grip.
Hastily, Himari latched on once more. “No!”
For the first time, Himari discovered her stubborn side. All her life, she had never really put up a fight, choosing instead to let things go without making waves. But now, for the first time, she was being selfish. Extremely selfish.
With a conflicted sigh, Kanba slowly and calmly pulled her arms away. But she only clung tighter, hanging from his neck with her full weight. In the end, he was forced to drag her with him to the front door. Powerless to hold him back, she staggered along behind him on her tiptoes, quickly growing out of breath. Then, after he opened the door, he extricated himself one last time, grabbing her by the arms this time.
“You are my everything. If you die, then the whole world is dead to me, too.”
“Kan-chan!”
Himari inhaled sharply, her face contorted in fear. He pulled away from her, then walked out of the house without looking back. Left alone, she slumped to the floor, biting her lip as she struggled to catch her breath.
At the rate he was headed, Kanba would soon be too far gone to save. He was slowly retreating further and further into some scary place beyond the reach of his siblings. But there was still a way. Himari could still make a sacrifice for him, just as he had once done for her.
For the first time in her life, Himari entered the Sunshiny International Aquarium all by herself. She bought a ticket for one, then walked to the penguin enclosure.
If she could have rewritten her fate, perhaps she could have stopped Kanba from throwing his entire life away in the service of his family. Even if that was the destiny he chose for himself, maybe she could have chosen her own destiny. In her view, she was a weakling who relied on the kindness of others just to stay alive, so she didn’t have the right to complain about what fate chose for her. But now she didn’t really have a choice.
Like Masako said, Himari was acting incredibly entitled. Family or not, she couldn’t rob Kanba of his life. Right now, Masako was taking action to save him; as for Himari, it was time she repaid them both.
“Look! Penguins!” a little girl shouted, dashing past.
“Settle down! No running!” her mother shouted, chasing after her.
Shoma and Kanba were acting strangely ever since their most recent trip to the aquarium. Kanba in particular seemed noticeably different. Since Himari was constantly in and out of the hospital, she just assumed they were walking on eggshells around her, but there were other changes, too. Like the delivery of the penguins, one of which now stood at her feet. Or the days when the boys would skip school or come home really late with no explanation. Perhaps if she’d kept her eyes peeled, she would have noticed even more oddities. Maybe then she could have prevented all this.
Now that she knew the truth, she was terrified of destroying those happy days. She never once imagined that hiding her true feelings would make everything worse.
“But that’s my punishment,” she muttered to herself as she approached the penguin enclosure. Her bare hands, unprotected by her white coat, were already flushed pink from the cold. The penguins didn’t seem to mind the chill, however; they raced around in the water and gathered in tight groups on land, flapping their flippers.
She was being honest when she told Kanba she wasn’t scared anymore. No matter what truth was waiting for her, even if she lost her life, there was nothing to fear. Her heart was chock-full of the precious memories Kanba and Shoma gave her. Thanks to them, every day felt like Christmas Eve in that she was always eager for the day that came next.
But from now on, she was going it alone. She needed to accomplish this goal with her own two hands. She was certain there had to be a God out there listening—and if not, she would just have to make one herself. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.
“Dear Lord, please return everything I stole from Kan-chan while pretending not to notice. Please help him. I’ll give everything back—even my life.”
As she spoke, a warm light shone out from between her fingers. This attracted the penguins’ attention like a magnet, and they all wandered over to the edge of the enclosure, gazing at her.
“Take me back to that special day.”
The warm light glinted off of her white coat, lighting up the vicinity so bright, she could no longer make out the penguins or the rest of the aquarium. Tears fell from her eyes, landing on Penguin No. 3, who collapsed on the spot. And when the light became so bright that she could no longer see herself, she quietly passed out.
God, if you’re out there, please help him. I promise I’ll never come back here again.
“Himari! Wake up, Himari!”
It was Christmas morning. Young Shoma shook Himari by the shoulders as she lay curled up under the toasty warm blanket. He was still in his pajamas, holding a neatly wrapped present that was left beside his pillow.
“Santa came to our house?” Rubbing her eyes, Himari rolled over and looked up.
“There’s one for each of us,” said Kanba as he carried hers over to her. “See? It says ‘For Himari-chan’ right there.”
Back then, Himari didn’t have her own bed yet. What would later become her private bedroom was currently the kids’ room, where all three of them slept in futons. There was a small Christmas tree in the corner of the living room that she dearly enjoyed decorating with her brothers, using sparkly silver pipe cleaners, ribbons Chiemi saved from past gifts, little origami crafts in a rainbow of colors, and even a slightly warped papier mâché snowman.
“I can’t believe it!” Himari sat upright, paying no mind to the chill as her little limbs left the safety of the blanket. Then she buried her face in her hands and giggled.
She never gave much thought to the concept of Santa Claus, but she loved the Christmas storybooks Chiemi would read to her, and when Kenzan told her that Santa would bring gifts to all the good boys and girls, she spent the entire month of December fiercely determined to be the best little girl she could be.
“I’m happy for you, Himari. See? I told you he could still get in without a chimney.” A very bedheaded Kanba thrust out his chest proudly. He held Himari’s gift in one hand and his own, much smaller gift in the other.
“So what did you ask for, Himari?” Shoma asked, blushing.
“Well…” Back then, what she wanted was a big, poofy princess dress with a glittery pale blue-layered skirt. But what she asked for was something entirely different.
“Himari?” Shoma tilted his head.
At the top of the little Christmas tree was a big yellow origami star. She already had a set of colored pencils that she took good care of, and as long as she had her pink teddy bear, she didn’t need any other plush toys.
“Himari, what’s wrong?”
Kanba offered her the gift box, wrapped in star-patterned paper with red and green ribbons. The three gifts were all different sizes, each with a card attached that had the recipient’s name clearly written on it, and the room was filled with the chilly excitement of Christmas.
“I don’t remember asking for something this big.” Himari grabbed the box with both hands, raised it to her ear, and shook it. “Is my gift really in there?”
“Of course it is! You earned it for being good!” Shoma shouted excitedly.
“Yeah, Dad said so,” Kanba chimed in.
“But…” She found it hard to believe. Had she really earned whatever magical gift was contained inside this giant box? Even then, there was no guarantee it was something she actually wanted.
“Oh, you’re all awake,” Chiemi commented as she slid the door open. Himari took one look at her mother’s beautiful smile and started to cry.
“Mom, we got presents!” Shoma exclaimed happily.
“Himari’s so shocked, she can’t even remember what she asked for,” Kanba laughed, shaking his head, as he crouched beside her.
“You can’t remember? Oh dear. Well, you’ve been a very good girl, so I’m sure it’s something nice.” Chiemi bent down and stroked Himari’s hair.
“Really? Have I really been good?” she asked, anxious from the bottom of her heart.
“What’s the matter, Himari? What are you so worried about?”
Chiemi smiled softly and stroked Himari’s tear-soaked cheek with her soft, cool fingers. Meanwhile, the tears kept falling.
“Aww, sweetheart, why are you crying? I know for a fact you’ve been a good girl, and Santa knows it, too. Come here.”
Himari sprang out of the futon and onto Chiemi’s lap, clinging to her and breathing in the smell of her sweater until the fear (and tears) went away.
“Don’t cry, Himari.”
“You don’t have to feel bad! Let’s open the gifts!”
Her brothers came over to reassure her, and by that point her feelings swelled up so much that they started leaking out of the room.
“What’s wrong?” Kenzan asked quietly, peering in through the open door. “Is Himari crying?”
“I’m afraid so. It sounds like she’s scared that she didn’t earn her Christmas present. Is that right, Himari?”
There in her mother’s arms, she shook her head slightly. Truth be told, she knew she hadn’t been a good girl. She knew about Shoma’s fears and Kanba’s suffering, but she didn’t do a thing. She was powerless.
“I didn’t, Mom. I’m not a good girl… Kan-chan left us… I was a bad girl, and now the whole family’s split apart!”
In a blink, Himari was suddenly her teenage self again, sitting on the warm blanket, surrounded by her family from days gone by.
“There’s nothing to cry about. Come on, let’s all open our gifts together. There might be something fun in there!” Chiemi insisted matter-of-factly, smiling softly as she took Himari by the hand and reached for her gift.
“So what did you ask for?” Shoma repeated.
“Let’s open ’em right now!” Kanba’s small, warm hand gently cupped her face.
Himari slowly untied the ribbons and neatly peeled off the wrapping paper. Inside was a white box with a lid. Before she opened it, she glanced around at the others. They were all smiling at her.
“I’ll try to be a good girl from now on,” she mumbled as she lifted the lid. “So please…”
Her family cheered. Inside the box was a multitude of stars, shining so bright she could scarcely keep her eyes open, blowing her hair back, making it sparkle. Chiemi’s distant voice lingered warmly in her ears: See? You were such a good girl. Enshrined in light, Himari’s tears dried up.
I’ll never call myself powerless ever again, she thought to herself. I refuse to give up, even if it kills me.
Yuri sat in a chair beside Tabuki’s hospital bed, thinking about how he must have felt when he shielded her from the attack.
As far as she knew, the two of them were never in love, but…that night at the ramen shop, when a black-clad Yuuki Tsubasa tried to stab her, Tabuki stepped in to take the blow. The knife sank deep into his gut, and when she pulled it out again, his blood chased after the blade, falling to the floor in an arc.
“How could you?!” Yuri screamed, glaring at Yuuki.
“It…it’s not my fault! I loved you, but you betrayed me! In love and sin, you’re always baroque!” Yuuki screamed, her complexion ashen.
“Then pick up that knife and stab me, too!” Yuri deeply regretted the way she had treated Yuuki’s heart like a plaything, especially now that she saw the devastating repercussions of her faux-romance. “Either way, your life as an actress is over!”
Trembling, Yuuki fled the building, leaving the bloody knife behind.
“Tabuki-kun!”
Instead of chasing after Yuuki, Yuri bent down beside Tabuki and touched his wound. As he groaned in pain, she silently vowed to save him at all costs. She needed him.
“Yuri, I finally realized something,” he said after a moment, forcing a smile, his forehead slick with sweat.
“Don’t talk! You can tell me all about it later, so for right now, just hold on!”
If he had died at that moment, she probably would have followed suit shortly afterward. Never mind beauty or ugliness—she would have thrown it all away in a heartbeat. The memories of her time with him and Momoka were the only thing keeping Tokikago Yuri sane.
“You look so relaxed,” she laughed to herself as she watched him sleep. Just then, he stirred awake. Their eyes met, and they smiled at each other.
“Did you say something?” he asked calmly.
“No, not at all. I was just thinking I wouldn’t mind taking a bath with you.”
She was wearing an oversized beige cashmere dress with black ankle-length leggings and black high-heeled ankle boots, and her hair was tied back in a tight ponytail—a modest look with no statement jewelry. She was wearing only a small amount of makeup with a gray-beige manicure. No wedding ring.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tabuki snickered.
“I don’t know. It was just a thought,” Yuri replied, giggling along with him. “But you shouldn’t laugh too much or your stitches will split open.”
“Then don’t make me laugh!” As he spoke, he reached over to the bedside table, grabbed his glasses, and carefully slid them up the bridge of his nose. “Yuri, I finally realized why we were the only ones who survived.”
“And why is that?” Yuri asked as she peeled an apple with a paring knife.
“You and I were lost children right from the start—but in this world, most children are. That’s why I needed someone to tell me they loved me, even just once.”
Momoka must have instinctively sensed this using her special power. That was how she had the compassion to help so many people. And it was that mindset that he and Yuri needed to inherit.
When she received an invitation from Yuri to meet up in the hospital cafeteria, admittedly, Ringo hesitated for a moment. But she had a lot of questions about Tabuki Keiju and the diary, so ultimately she agreed to it. After school she usually got in touch with Shoma, but this time she decided to wait until after her little rendezvous.
“I apologize for making you come all the way out here on such short notice,” Yuri said with a good-natured smile. Her neat ponytail and modest makeup afforded her a delicate appearance, reminiscent of the time they first met at Tabuki’s apartment, especially the eyes and lips.
“No, that’s okay. But, um…”
Ringo hadn’t forgotten about Tabuki Keiju or the situation with Yuri. According to all the entertainment news programs, the wedding reception was postponed due to the groom’s poor health, but rumor had it that Tokikago Yuri had already ended the marriage. Honestly speaking, Ringo foresaw that she would encounter her again sooner or later. Assuming she was still after Momoka’s diary and the diary was still needed to save Himari, there would always be conflict between them…which was why she wasn’t expecting it to be this peaceful.
“Believe it or not, Tabuki’s upstairs in a hospital room as we speak,” Yuri explained with a slight frown. Ringo’s eyes widened.
“Wait, so when they said the reception was postponed due to poor health…?”
“Oh, that was a lie I told the media to buy myself enough time to track him down. I never meant for it to actually come true.” Her long lashes fluttered as she looked away.
“What happened?”
“Just a couples’ spat. Trust me, you don’t want the details.”
Something about her tone of voice set Ringo at ease. Apparently something happened between Yuri and Tabuki after the incident at the construction site…but that was their business, not hers. Besides, it seemed like they resolved it on their own.
“I know the two of us have put you kids through a lot, but I can promise you this: you won’t have to worry about us anymore.” As she spoke, she gently set half of Momoka’s diary on the table. “So you can have this back. It took me a long time, but now I realize that Momoka wanted you to have it.”
It felt like an eternity since Ringo last laid eyes on the diary. Gingerly, she reached out and took it. After all this time, had fate brought it back to her?
“Find the other half and complete the diary. Then you’ll find the fate transfer spell written inside,” Yuri explained intently.
“The fate transfer spell…?” Ringo looked down at the half-diary, trying to remember if she’d ever come across anything resembling a spell during her past read-throughs.
“Yes. If you use it, you can save someone you care about.”
“I don’t know… I’ve never thought about changing someone’s fate.”
“I’m not surprised. But Momoka entrusted this diary to you and you alone. She must have known you would need it someday.”
Yuri’s words resonated deeply in Ringo’s heart. Her older sister, who was special and unique, had chosen her to inherit her diary. Surely there was some meaning in that.
Outside the hospital, the sky above her was chilly, but clear. With a smile, Ringo hugged the diary half to her chest and set off walking. Perhaps there was still something she could do to help.
Up on the rooftop of the office building, Kanba stood at the safety fence and glared down at Ikebukuro Station Square, one hand clutching at the chain links. His focus: the area surrounding the La Terre sculpture.
“The police have already caught on to your organization’s little plot. They have eyes on you right this very moment.” Masako stood behind him, dressed in a trench coat. “Now’s your last chance to back out.”
“I have to make this plan succeed. I have to save Himari’s life,” Kanba muttered to himself, as if he hadn’t even noticed her standing there.
“And how do you intend to do that?”
Masako was reminded of something Sanetoshi once said to her: Your parents failed to make their dream come true. So instead, I’m going to pass that duty down to their children. And if her interpretation was correct, then that “dream” was another nightmare waiting to happen.
But Kanba didn’t answer her question. Instead, he put his cell phone to his ear. “Look sharp. We’ve got an unmarked police car staking us out at the roundabout.” His lips curled in a smirk as he listened to the reply. “All right, just leave it to me.” With that, he hung up. Then, without so much as a glance in Masako’s direction, he left the rooftop and headed back down the stairs.
She promptly followed suit, one hand holding her curls in place as the wind ruffled them. Ahead of her, Kanba’s black jacket looked like a red-hot flame…but this time, she couldn’t feel the heat of his burning passion. Not to suggest he was perfectly in control or anything of the sort—rather, that his fire was out of reach.
Arriving at the roundabout, Kanba slowly walked to the center, his eyes glued to his cell phone screen. Masako frowned, noting his unnatural behavior, and slowly trailed behind him.
“Kanba, what are you looking at?”
She peered at his phone screen and saw a basic CG image of the surrounding area. She looked up and glanced around. Sure enough, the buildings, cars, and pedestrians were all faithfully replicated in the image. Then Kanba tapped one of the parked cars, and its silhouette began to flash.
“What did you just do?”
Before he could respond, the resulting explosion made her duck down. When she looked up again, the parked car was lying on its side, exuding dark smoke.
“What have you done?!” she hissed. Panicked, she tried to snatch his phone out of his hands. “Stop it right now! That man is using you, Kanba! He won’t actually help us!”
Kanba deftly evaded her hands. As he walked toward the La Terre sculpture, he tapped around casually, detonating every car in his way.
“Open your eyes, Kanba! This isn’t right!”
All around them, the situation was slowly escalating. Using the smoke as cover, Kanba felt around for the little KIGA symbol carved into the base of the bronze statue. The door opened, and he slipped inside.
“Wait!” As sirens blared somewhere behind her, Masako ducked down and barreled through the door after Kanba.
The space inside the statue was too small to be called a room; all it contained was a single computer. In the darkness, Kanba pulled a jackknife from his pocket and jammed it into the system unit as hard as he could. Sparks flew, and the space filled with smoke. But Masako knew the computer wasn’t his only objective. Maybe his job was done for today, but come tomorrow, he’d get dragged into an even bigger scheme…and she couldn’t afford to let him add anything else to his list of crimes.
Desperate to calm her racing mind, she exhaled quietly. Her fingers brushed the slingshot gun concealed inside her pocket. If it came down to it, she was prepared to abduct Kanba by force. But right before she pulled it out—
“We have you surrounded! Cease all resistance and come out with your hands behind your head! I repeat: we have you surrounded!” a man’s voice shouted over a megaphone—most likely a police officer.
“Kanba, we have to surrender. I’ll come with you.”
“You are going to drop your gun and go home. Just tell ’em I took you hostage or something.”
As he spoke, he felt around on the floor with his foot, then pressed down hard. A small panel opened, revealing a secret spiral staircase leading down into the darkness. He started down the stairs without the slightest hesitation.
“Do not follow me.”
But for Masako, no such option existed. She chased after him. “Where are we?”
“The Tokyo underground is a labyrinth of branching passageways. No map of them exists, and most of them haven’t been disturbed for decades. This is one of them. Trust me, no one will find us in here.”
“You really think you can outrun the police forever?” Her heels clacked on the stairs as they descended deeper and deeper.
“If that’s what it takes to save Himari’s life,” he replied without missing a beat.
She stopped short. “Why are you doing this? She’s just a stranger!”
And if you insist on helping her, then why won’t you admit you love her?
“She’s my sister.”
No matter how emotional she became, Masako rarely ever lost control. Generally, she suspected that most of her anger died along with their grandfather. But emotions always found a way to reignite. She seized Kanba by the arm, digging her nails into his jacket, and yanked him back as hard as she could. As he whirled around to face her, she registered the look in his eyes, clearer and sharper than ever before.
“Look at me! I’m your sister!” she pleaded, gazing at him with narrow eyes that matched his, though hers were damp. “Snap out of it! That man has put a curse on us!”
But Kanba simply stood there in the darkness, silently enduring the pain of her fingers digging into him.
“I know you’re aware of the vile, unspeakable things our father has done. And you saw where that got him.”
All this time, Masako waited and waited for her father and brother to come home, all the while protecting Mario and protecting the Natsume family legacy. But her father never returned, and at this rate, Kanba wouldn’t, either.
“Our dad is dead,” he revealed to her without even batting an eye.
“That’s not true.”
Her grip on him weakened; he yanked himself free and continued down the stairs.
“That’s not true!” She pulled out her gun and aimed it at his back.
“Yes, it is. He’s been dead for more than eight years. You know this.”
He heard the click of her gun, but didn’t stop.
“All this time, I’ve been fighting to keep hold of everything I’ve got left. I refuse to accept that our father is dead, and I refuse to let them steal you away from me, too. If you don’t stop, they’ll use you and throw you away, just like they did to him! They’ll crush you!”
“Don’t care.”
As she stood there, frozen, he walked off down the spiral staircase. She aimed a shot at the back of his head, but despite her best efforts, her laser sight was unsteady.
“I don’t want to lose you a second time!”
Hands shaking, she fired the gun. The bullet missed by a wide margin, hitting the stairs ahead of him and breaking apart. Startled, he came to a stop and looked up.
“Say it. Say I’m your one and only sister. Say it just once, for old times’ sake, and I’ll commit to this curse with you for all eternity.”
“Masako…”
For the briefest of moments, it felt like her fingertips grazed the fire burning inside him. Just then, a searchlight flared up, blinding them. Masako turned away reflexively. Kanba hastily leaned over the railing, peering down at the light shining up from below.
“There is no escape! Now give up and surrender! We have you surrounded! Cease all resistance immediately!” the policeman from earlier shouted over his megaphone.
Kanba crouched down, pulled out his cell phone, and started tapping around. “Get down,” he told Masako, and a moment later, the sound of a rolling metal ball echoed through the vast underground space. She promptly crouched down next to him, listening to the sound.
“We have you both surrounded!” the policeman repeated, right before a deafening explosion filled the area, accompanied by thick smoke. As Masako clutched at her head in horror, a piece of ash landed on her hand, leaving a tiny burn mark.
As they arrived at the bottom floor, Masako gasped at the gruesome sight that awaited them. Kanba was controlling something that possessed far more offensive power than any measly slingshot gun—and with just his cell phone.
“Now maybe we’ll have some peace and quiet,” he remarked quietly as he scanned the bodies of the policemen twitching amid the smoke.
Masako’s gun fell to the ground.
Perhaps Kanba was too far gone. Even then, she didn’t care. If he was willing to love her as his sister, if he needed her more than anyone else, then she would follow him to certain doom, cursed or crushed as the case may be.
“Kanba, please, answer me. What were you about to say just now? Will you let me be cursed alongside you?”
But as he turned back to speak, the opportunity was stolen from him once again.
“Masako!”
A hail fire of bullets shot out from the darkness, aiming squarely at them. Screaming, Masako watched as sparks flew like shooting stars. Oh, how dearly she wished they were stars instead. A beat later, everything went dark and quiet, as if a curtain fell on the stage.
Beneath the night sky, she could smell her beloved brother’s familiar scent. It took her back to the days when he cherished her as his sister. Was there once a time when he held her like this? His arms were warm, imbued with sweet, soft love that she couldn’t possibly oppose, even if what lay beyond was a hopeless future. When she opened her eyes a crack, she realized that she was somehow completely unharmed.
“Kanba?”
He was collapsed on top of her. Then her back started to ache, and she realized he must have tackled her to the ground. When she shook his shoulders, she felt something warm and wet.
“Kanba!”
With a shriek, she wriggled her way out from under him. His back bore the gunshots meant for her; his skin smelled of gunpowder, and blood was pooling beneath his body. Then his fingers twitched slightly, and she grabbed his hand in both of hers, squeezing tightly. He was still conscious.
“You cannot escape, Takakura Kanba! Cease all resistance!”
There was nowhere left for them to run. But if they surrendered, he might survive.
“We will give you ten seconds. If you do not surrender, we will open fire! Ten!”
Masako slowly rose to her feet. There, in her path, stood a group of men dressed in black. They surrounded her and Kanba, preventing their surrender.
“Move! Kanba’s going to die!” Masako shouted, pleading.
“It’s pointless. Our crimes can never be forgiven. If we go out there, they’ll execute us,” one of them muttered.
“No…!”
Either way, Kanba was going to lose his life. As he struggled to breathe, she reached out and cupped his cheek.
Nine. Eight.
“I’m sorry, Mario-san. I failed to save you.” As she spoke, she removed her trench coat. “I’ll be the decoy. You take Kanba and get out of here!”
Seven. Six. Five.
She peeled off his black jacket riddled with bullet holes and pulled it on, using the collar to conceal her gorgeous curls. Dressed like this, they might mistake her for Kanba.
Four.
“Move!”
As the men all hesitated, she shoved them out of the way and took off running.
Under the leadership of Natsume Sahee, the Natsume family was driven by greed. In this world, the ambitious took charge; anything less was unworthy of fruit. Masako believed that this was her grandfather’s curse, and so when her father threw it all away and went into hiding, she believed him to be a pure-hearted, selfless person. But then she saw his coffin, vague and formless and beautiful.
There could be no light without shadow. Kanba had rescued her and Mario from that shadow and sent them into the light—into the sunshine. But Masako was a mere child who couldn’t see that, just as Yuri had said. This time, however, she would be the one to save him. She wouldn’t let him die here in the dark.
“Goodness, I’d better crush them soon!”
She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see the group of men scatter in all different directions—one of them carrying Kanba.
Three. Two.
His black military jacket carried a warm, reassuring scent that put her at ease.
One.
On an especially snowy day, Masako’s father took her and Mario by the hand and instructed them to say goodbye to Kanba.
“Masako, Mario, you’re going to stay here.”
Here was an apartment KIGA leased. Normally it was packed full of people who gave long speeches; Kanba and Masako always stood side by side, listening intently. She was convinced that her grandfather was a greedy tyrant while her father was a good person, so she always did her best to pay attention when he talked, even if she didn’t really enjoy the speeches. Still, she could tell it wasn’t an ordinary apartment.
“The two of you are going to help me with my work.”
The two of us? Then what about Kanba? Masako looked at her father anxiously.
“Dad, no! Let Masako and Mario go back home to the Natsume estate. Let them be normal kids! I’ll stay here instead!” young Kanba pleaded, clinging to his father’s legs.
Masako looked at the two of them and realized what was going on. She grabbed Mario’s mitten-clad hand; he blinked and looked at her.
Her father and brother were doing great work that their grandfather could never hope to replicate. Eventually they would come back to the Natsume estate to live with her and Mario, but for now, she needed to go back there and keep Mario safe until she finally managed to crush her accursed grandfather…or so she chose to believe, anyway. Otherwise she herself would have been crushed by the weight of her everyday life.
When she learned that Kanba was adopted by the Takakura family, Masako instinctively realized that their father must have died. As she watched him from a distance, Kanba’s face clouded over more and more. Oh, how she wished to one day clear up those clouds and live with him in the sunshine… At least, that was what she told herself. But perhaps it was never meant to be.
And so, on that fateful day, she was unceremoniously stuffed into a car her grandfather had sent. Through the window, she could see Kanba standing out in the snow. And as he disappeared into the distance, she made her teary farewell.
The city was draped in a blanket of snow, and it was so cold, it felt like her tears would crystallize on her cheeks. After that, her father and brother never came home.