Chapter 21: Pursuit 2

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Translator: Soafp

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June 8. Saturday. 7:18 PM. I am 16 years old. The anniversary of Kai-chan's death.

I finally understood where Kai-chan was trying to take me. When I tried to stand up at the station where the train didn't stop, an invisible Kai-chan pulled my hand back towards the seat, making me sit down again.

When we reached Fuchu-Hommachi, this time I felt my hand being pulled toward the train's exit. …Could it be that Kai-chan wants to take me to the Tama General Medical Center where Mom is hospitalized?

I thought about it, and tried to get off at Nishi-Kokubunji, but again, I was pulled back towards the seat. Huh? Is it not here? Just as I thought this, the doors closed. The train, having left Nishi-Kokubunji, entered a long tunnel after a while.

“Hey, Kai-chan. Where do you want to go?”

Even calling out to the invisible Kai-chan over the roar of the tunnel yielded no response. At the next stop, Shin-Kodaira, my arm was pulled.

…Oh, I see. Kai-chan wants to go home.

To the small white apartment where Kai-chan and Mom lived in Kodaira. It's small, but it was the home where my beloved younger sibling lived.

It wasn't like my house, a pretend family. It was Kai-chan's real home, full of love. I loved that place and visited countless times. It was undoubtedly a real home for me.

From the semi-basement platform at Shin-Kodaira, I took the long escalator, exited the rotary facing Ome-kaido, and turned left towards Kai-chan's house.

…Or so I thought, but Kai-chan's figure ran off to the right. Huh? Isn't it home? I rubbed my heavy stomach and chased after Kai-chan for about five minutes.

Entering a narrow alley, I lost sight of them in front of a beautiful white-walled house. Pretty white roses bloomed on a lovely fence. It was a beautiful house, looking quite affluent. But where could Kai-chan be?

As I looked around, I was struck by realization.

Morita.

That was the name on the nameplate. And underneath the gate of this stylish, rose-blooming house, there was a small, white note about the size of a PASMO card.

It was sealed with a cute four-leaf clover sticker. The four-leaf clover… Kai-chan used to wear it as hairpins and straps. For me, the image of Kai-chan is a pink bear and a four-leaf clover.

And there was something written on it.

“To Riku-kun”

Why is there a letter like this in such a place?

Is this what the little Kai-chan wanted to show me…? Did Kai-chan call me from Minami-Oosawa just for this?

I put the small letter sealed with the four-leaf clover sticker into the left pocket of my uniform skirt.