And before I could even think of a suitable farewell, the wind picked up and took the Summer Ghost in its wake. As the tall grass once again began to sway and the insects resumed their songs, the sparkler fell from my fingertips onto the asphalt—and for a second time, I was left standing on the runway, alone with my thoughts once more.
Neither Aoi nor Ryo said a word as I recounted the events from the night before. By the time I finished, all of the ice in their glasses had melted from the white-hot rays of summer sun that poured in through the window.
Now that I was finally done speaking, Ryo reached into his bag and pulled out a handful of pill containers. He took one each of a variety of different capsules and tablets, downing them all in one go with a swig of water.
“So…they still haven’t found the culprit, then?” asked Aoi.
“Nope,” I said. “But Ayane-san says she doesn’t care all that much about bringing him to justice. She doesn’t really bear him any ill will, apparently. If anything, it seems like she mostly feels bad for leaving her mom behind with no real way of ever learning the truth. If you ask me, that might even be the main reason her soul can’t find closure.”
“So in other words,” said Ryo, “you think that’s why she’s still stuck in limbo, just floating around town as a wandering spirit?”
It seemed a likely enough explanation for why a deceased person’s soul might not be able to rest in peace—a lingering regret that kept them bound here to Earth. Ayane almost certainly regretted getting into an argument with her mother that night and running out of the house on a sour note that never she was never able to resolve. She hadn’t told me that herself in any explicit terms, but when I recalled the deep sorrow I sensed in her eyes last night, it was the only explanation that made sense.
“So what do you want to do about it, Tomoya?” asked Ryo.
“Sorry?” I replied. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I mean, why did you call us out here to tell us all of that? Sure, yeah, we know that the bit about the Summer Ghost being a woman who committed suicide was made up now, but what exactly does her being murdered have to do with us?”
“I mean, nothing, I guess. I just figured I’d debrief you guys on my encounter with her last night.”
“You sure that’s all this is about?”
I knew what Ryo was getting at. I hemmed and hawed for a moment.
“Well, to be completely honest, I guess I just wanted to hear your guys’ takes on the whole situation,” I admitted. “What do you two think? If we put our heads together, do you think we could find Ayane-san’s body?”
Ryo clearly assumed that the conversation would eventually take this turn, so he seemed unfazed by this question. Aoi, on the other hand, was downright flabbergasted.
“What? You want us to go dig up a body?!” she cried. Her voice was so loud that other customers at nearby tables started casting suspicious glances.
“Pipe down, you idiot,” Ryo whispered harshly, bonking her lightly on the head. “You’re gonna make a scene.”
“Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting that, okay?!”
“Anyway,” I said, pivoting, “the main reason Ayane-san gave up on finding her body is apparently because even if she found it, she wouldn’t be able to dig it up herself. But with our help, we could even find a way to get her remains back home to her mother.”
Ryo let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. “And why exactly would you wanna do that?” he asked. “It just seems like a huge pain in the ass to me.”
“I know, and believe me, part of me is right there with you. That’s why I’m so conflicted about the idea and wanted to get your opinions.”
After all, I had no obligation to go so far out of my way to try to do this for Ayane, especially when she neither asked nor expected me to.
“Well, I don’t have much longer to live, dude. And I’d really prefer to spend the time I have left doing stuff I wanna do, no offense. Sorry if that makes me selfish.”
And with that, Ryo stood up from the table and reached for his wallet.
“No, no, no,” I said, holding out my hand to stop him. “I’ve got it.”
Ryo gave a slight nod, then shambled his way back toward the entrance. Aoi and I just sat there and watched him go until the door closed behind him.
“Do you think maybe he resents us a little bit?” asked Aoi.
“Resents us?” I said. “Why would he?”
“I mean, you and I are making the choice to kill ourselves when we could just as easily go on living… But for Ryo, that’s not an option. He’s only doing this because the alternative will be more painful in the long run. He wants to go out on his own terms. …From his perspective, we must seem like a couple of ungrateful little brats.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that so much, honestly. He wouldn’t have joined the forums and started messaging with us if he really felt that way, I don’t think. Anyway, what do you think about the idea of trying to find Ayane-san’s body, Aoi?”
“I think it’s a nice idea, but I guess I’m just not sure how realistic it is. It feels like there’s no way we’ll actually find it,” she said doubtfully. “Don’t get me wrong—I’m still really grateful to have met her, and I’d love to help her out. But it’s not like she’s asking us to do it either, is she? I mean, did she even so much as insinuate that she wanted your help finding her body?”
“Nope. Not at all.”
“Yeah, then I think maybe we should just leave it be. It could be that she’d rather we not poke our noses into her business. Plus, it might even be kind of cruel, in a way.”
“How so?” I asked.