Finding parking took a bit of time, but they still made it into the airport proper a few minutes before the navigator had predicted.
But that was just the airport at large.
The entrance before them was one of the largest in the nation. Out of the car, they still had to get to Terminal 2, where Takumi was waiting.
Sakuta was definitely rushing on the way to the elevator.
“Fukuyama said Terminal 2.”
Touko pressed the button, calling the elevator. The down button.
It arrived promptly.
They jumped on, and Sakuta slammed the close-door button, then the button for the second floor—where the departures lobby was listed.
The elevator descended in silence.
Only Sakuta and Touko were on board.
“……”
“……”
Neither said a word. A hush filled the space. Seconds stretched to far longer.
At last, there was a ding.
There was an agonizing delay as the doors slowly opened, and then they were out in the departure lobby.
It stretched out wide in either direction. He looked left, then right, and he could barely see the far walls. The ceiling soared overhead.
In the lobby, there were service desks for the respective airlines, machines for processing check-ins, and security gates beyond those.
Across from those were gift shops, airport eateries, and vending machines.
It was a regular weekday, so not that busy, but it still felt far too large to successfully locate any one dude.
“Gimme your phone. I’ll call him,” Sakuta said, but Touko’s eyes were looking past him.
“There he is.”
She pointed at a clock with a giant 2 at the top.
The man on the bench next to it was definitely Takumi. Jeans, a bulky coat, that old orange scarf around his neck, phone in his hand.
Sakuta took a deep breath and approached.
“Fukuyama,” he said.
Takumi jumped.
“You actually came.”
“I said I would.”
“Outta nowhere? I figured you were pulling my leg.”
He smiled, shaking his head. Very Takumi.
At the least, they were here in time.
Now for the hard part.
Sakuta had yet to work out how to broach the subject. There was no right answer. He didn’t think giving him the whole rundown on Nene Iwamizawa would do the trick. Takumi couldn’t see her. Could no longer perceive her. To him, she didn’t exist.
Still lost, Sakuta looked at Touko. She was standing to his side, a few steps back.
She took one step closer, her lips moving.
“Takumi,” she said. Her boyfriend’s name.
“Well, it’s nice that you’re here, but I’m pressed for time,” Takumi said, eyes on Sakuta alone. Never once glancing Touko’s way. Only talking to Sakuta.
Sakuta could see Touko’s hands tightening around the present.
“Listen, Takumi. Look at me,” she said, but he didn’t respond.
“I gotta put my bags through security, or I won’t make it.”
Their interaction involved no interaction. So Sakuta spoke up.
“Fukuyama.”
“Mm?”
“Your scarf.”
“This?” Takumi grabbed the dangling end.
“Do you remember who gave it to you?”
“Who…? Uh. Huh.”
Takumi tried to answer, then froze.
“……”
His expression filled with doubt. He frowned, as if unsure why he didn’t know. His lips were pursed.
“What the—? Why don’t I…?”
He was talking to himself, but thinking didn’t get him anywhere. He had no answers.
“You’ve forgotten someone important.”
“…Huh? What do you mean?”
Takumi’s bafflement increased.
“That scarf was a present from your high school girlfriend.”
“Nah, man, no way!”
Takumi cackled, taking it as a joke.
“……”
But Sakuta was dead serious. Didn’t smirk or chuckle.
“You really got that from your girlfriend, Fukuyama,” he insisted.
“……”
This time Takumi reacted with silence.
His smile was still frozen—but slowly fading.
“……Sorry, man. I dunno what you’re talking about,” he managed, a full ten seconds later.
“You’ve forgotten her, Fukuyama. More accurately—you can no longer perceive her.”
“……”
Takumi gave him a long look, blinking.
“You can’t remember who gave you the scarf, right?”
“……Well, no.”
“……”
Touko was standing right next to him, watching their conversation, lips taut.
“Cross my heart and hope to die—you had a girlfriend in high school.”
“……”
Takumi’s expression didn’t change. It was stiff with doubt and confusion.
“You went to junior high together, and you asked her out in your second year of high school.”
“……”
No matter what he said, Takumi just kept staring at Sakuta. He was listening seriously but understanding none of this. He must’ve been baffled by how outlandish this story was, but he was still hearing Sakuta out.
“Her name’s Nene Iwamizawa.”
He heard Touko gasp at the name.
But Takumi just said, “Sorry, never heard of her before.”
Nene froze. All emotion drained from her eyes.
“Did I really date her?”
“The scarf proves it.”
Takumi looked down at it.
“……”
For a long moment, he just stared. No emotion on his face.
The silence was stifling.
“Azusagawa, sorry, but…”
He’d never seen Takumi this thoroughly at a loss.
“…I don’t get it.”
This whole thing seemed to be wearing him out.
Takumi mustered a weak smile. He seemed to be trying to wrap up this conversation he could not even begin to understand.
“Think again,” Sakuta started to say—
—but before the words left his mouth, an announcement echoed from the lobby speakers.
“Passengers on Flight 555 for New Chitose Airport, please make your way to baggage inspection.”
“Augh, crap, gotta go.”
Takumi grabbed his suitcase and got up.
“Wait, Fukuyama!”
“We’ll talk more when I’ve got time. Sorry, seriously in a rush.”
They headed toward security, but Sakuta wasn’t letting go.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m not lying!”
“I know you well enough, Azusagawa. I believe that much.”
“This is real!”
“I hear you!”
And that was all the time he had. Takumi tapped his phone to the entrance gate and was through to security. Sakuta didn’t have a ticket and couldn’t follow him farther.
Takumi turned back once to wave.
Sakuta raised a hand in acknowledgment.
“Thanks for seeing me off!” Takumi said—and vanished through the metal gate.
There was nothing else Sakuta could do.
He’d known this was possible.
But he had hoped it would not end this way.
He couldn’t help but be disappointed.
And Touko must feel even worse.
Sakuta turned back to the bench they’d started on.
“Kirishima…?”
No sign of her.
No miniskirt Santas anywhere.
All he found was a wrapped present.
A gift from Santa Claus, left behind where Touko had been standing.