The days went by.
It was unclear how much time meant in the afterlife, but if you counted the seasons, it had been five years. Akuto and the girls should have gotten older, but their appearances hadn’t changed.
Akuto probably wasn’t going to age, given who he was, but the others seemed to be not maturing at all. All the students of Constant Magical Academy graduated and the school was shut down, but then it reopened as a community center. The teachers stayed on as staff, or got other jobs in public service.
The city itself grew, and there were subtle differences in people’s relationships. But nothing really changed beyond that.
Because there were no new deaths.
And no aging.
And more than anything, there was no way to flee this world.
“I’m not going to feel well tomorrow if we do this... But um, it’s not like I don’t like it.”
Junko said as Akuto got into bed. He’d lost count of how many times he’d slept with the three of them since then, but it wasn’t always fresh and surprising. The first year one of them had been in his bed every night. With three of them, each of them had two days when they slept alone. So they were always willing, but by the second year they’d calmed down enough that some nights they just lay and talked.
“Have you ever actually not felt well? ...I mean, I’m asking strictly out of curiosity. Not that I really want to do it tonight,” Akuto said.
He and Junko looked at each other.
“Well, no... No, I haven’t. I do... put on weight, though,” Junko said after a moment’s thought.
“Some people think that the person you are today and the person you are tomorrow are different people.”
“Yeah. That’s right. But what does it mean if you don’t change at all? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yeah. I know that scientifically, some percentage of my body will be new cells by tomorrow. But I don’t know if that’s how it works here. But our relationship has developed... and changed a little.”
He leaned forward and gave her a kiss. Their tongues intertwined for a moment before he moved away.
Junko narrowed her eyes and spoke.
“I said we’re not doing it today.”
“...You’ve stopped blushing. Of course, I don’t mind. But before you came here you wouldn’t even let me kiss you,” Akuto said. Junko’s expression froze.
“Don’t tell me... you’ve fallen out of love with me.”
“Sorry if I scared you. If you love someone even more, that’s still a change in your relationship. Anyway, our bodies don’t change, but our feelings do.” Akuto said with a serious look on his face. Junko nodded.
“That’s true, but... Why are you saying something like that when you know it’s going to spook me?”
“It’s been bothering me more and more, lately. The true nature of this world.”
“Stop it...” Junko said with an expression of fear on her face.
It was less a natural expression and more like something she wanted Akuto to see. Akuto knew this.
“I know, but I’m scared, too.”
“Scared?”
“My life right now is like the definition of happiness. I have a fulfilling job. People appreciate me. I have people to love, and people who love me...”
“I’m never going to stop loving you,” Junko said hurriedly, but Akuto shook his head.
“I know. That’s not what I’m saying.”
“You’re scared that it might not last?”
“That’s not it either. I’m scared that it will. We’re not going to die. We’re not going to fall out of love. Which means... we’re finished,” Akuto said, biting his lip as if he had trouble getting the words out.
“Finished?”
“We’re not going to create anything new. I’m trying to reform those thugs, but the method I’m using is an old one, and it’s almost weird how they never do anything I don’t expect them to. In other words, there’s basically nothing left for me to do.”
“But you said it was fulfilling...”
“Yeah. But to me, it’s basically grunt work. I like the work, it doesn’t bore me. But there’s nothing new to be done.”
“But what do you mean by finished? You’re actually more scared of not dying, or something?”
“It’s similar, but... Well, for example, if you had eternal life, and maybe we do, what would you do?”
Junko seemed confused by the question.
“I’ve never thought about it. But I know I’d be bored. Is that what you mean?”
“It’s like boredom. But different. I’ve been thinking this whole time, because of the way I am, you see: Would I be bored with eternal life? But that wasn’t it. What scares me is that everything’s finished, but I have to keep going. To keep talking when there’s nothing left to say. To keep writing when there’s nothing left to write. It’s the same with reforming those thugs. They’ll eventually talk the way I tell them to. But it’s just an echo of me. Love is like that. We’re going to become one. Inseparable. But that’s an ending. And even though it’s an ending, I have to keep going.”
Akuto began to ramble, like a dam had burst.
“Why do you keep going? What kind of question is that? If you just want to keep living your life, you can take it easy and relax. Or are you talking about doing something else? Akuto, you’re not making sense.”
Junko held his hand tightly, worried. Akuto looked her in the eyes.
“If we’re characters in a story, our story is over. If we want to do anything more... even just live peacefully... we have to do something. And the reason we have to do something... in other words, the truth... we have to find it.”
“So what? Why? No, for who?” Junko was almost starting to yell. But Akuto just quietly nodded.
“We have to find that out, too.”