“I’m sorry… I know I put you through an awful lot. You didn’t deserve that…”
“Yeah, and if you think I’m gonna let you off easy, you’re dead wrong!” she said, still sniffling uncontrollably. “I swear, if you ever run off on me again…!”
“I know, I know… But don’t worry. I’ll never leave you behind again. From now on, we’re gonna go the distance together.”
“…You promise?”
I took Anzu by the shoulders and pulled her head away from my shoulder so I could look her in the eye. Her face was drenched with tears, sweat, and snot. Even so, it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I took a deep breath, then brought my face close to hers and took her lips in mine. I went in so fast that our teeth knocked awkwardly together, but she didn’t seem to mind, so I decided to lean into it. It lasted all of five seconds—and cost us another several hours—but it was worth every minute. Finally, I pulled my face away. I’d never kissed anyone before; the slight taste of salt lingered for a good while on my lips. I stood and extended a hand to Anzu, who was still in a bit of a daze after that.
“Come on, partner. Let’s go home.”
Forty-seven hours, fifty-six minutes. That was the total amount of time I’d spent inside the Urashima Tunnel. When converted to real world time, that came out to…
Thirteen years and forty-five days.
My body was still seventeen, but from a legal standpoint, I was a thirty-year-old man. Anzu, meanwhile, had waited five whole years before entering the tunnel to come after me, and thus was a full-grown, twenty-two-year-old woman.
When we finally did emerge from the Urashima Tunnel, we were greeted by the most beautiful September sunset you could ever imagine. Even when we made it to the main road, I really didn’t feel at all like I’d been gone for thirteen years. Kozaki was every bit the sleepy little seaside community it had always been, and even Kozaki High—which I’d always figured would be demolished and consolidated into one of the bigger nearby high schools before long—still stood tall and proud over the town. Probably the most surprising thing was the newfangled types of phones I saw people playing with on the train. They were all tip-tapping around on the screens with their bare hands, and I had to wonder how the glass didn’t constantly get smudged with fingerprints.
Since I was still in pretty bad shape from running around and getting all beat up in the tunnel, we stepped into a random clothing store along the way to get me a fresh outfit, then checked into a cheap business hotel in the city. We took turns using the shower of our unassuming twin room, then sat on our beds and talked about anything and everything that had happened since we saw each other last. I told her about the crazy things I had seen in the Urashima Tunnel and how I really had managed to reunite with my little sister, if only for a little while. She told me about her new life and what it was like being a serialized manga creator. We spoke animatedly for hours on end and quickly lost track of the time. Before we knew it, it was well past midnight. Eventually, we got to the subject of where exactly we saw ourselves going from here.
“I’m going to keep writing manga,” Anzu assertively declared. “I’ll rent a condo or something and pour everything I can into making my big comeback. I figure I’ve got enough money left to keep myself fed for another two years or so while I come up with something, and it’s really the only thing I’m good at, so…yeah.”
“Hey, sounds good to me. Not that I’d have any right to tell you otherwise.”
“What about you, Tono-kun? What are you going to do now?”
I floundered at this, mainly because I had literally no plan of action. I honestly hadn’t given much thought to what might happen after I left the Urashima Tunnel. I had been too preoccupied with seeing Karen again, so I’d kind of just shrugged it off and told myself I could surely find some way to make a living if only I worked hard enough. Anzu putting my carelessness under a microscope made me feel like the most pathetic moron alive. Even so, I had no intention of lying to her.
“Sorry, I really haven’t given it much thought,” I answered honestly. “I know I’m gonna have to find a job of some sort, obviously.”
Anzu shot me a concerned look, then started rubbing her chin between her fingers. “Mmm… But you’re supposed to be thirty, as far as the government is concerned, right? I mean, the same can be said for me, obviously, but I feel like it’ll be pretty tough to find stable employment with a thirteen-year gap on your record, especially when you didn’t get your high school diploma.”
She was extremely correct. So correct, in fact, that my heart sank to the pit of my stomach. Just as I opened my mouth to assure her I’d find a way regardless, she cut me off in a loud and declarative voice. “Speaking of which, I’ve been thinking about moving to Tokyo.”
“Wait, seriously?”
“Yes. It’s just more convenient for someone in my industry when you can be there in person for things. I’ve also been thinking of hiring an assistant.”
“Oh? What kind of assistant?”
“Ideally, someone who could help me draw to lighten my load. Adding half-tone shading, filling in all-black areas, maybe drawing some simple backgrounds if possible. That sort of thing.”
…I honestly wasn’t sure I was capable of doing even that much. I’d only taken two or three semesters of art class, and I really didn’t have an artistic bone in my body. I wondered how “simple” these backgrounds she envisioned were supposed to be. If it were just, like, sandy beaches or scorched-black plains or something, maybe I could manage, but… No, there was no way. As I mulled over what I might actually be capable of, Anzu giggled and let herself fall backward onto the bed.
“On the other hand, it might be more useful to have an emotional support person who could help me out around the house. Someone who could give me pep talks or feedback when I’m feeling down or in a creative rut, and be my live-in assistant twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year. You wouldn’t happen to know anyone who might fit the bill, would you?”