I could think of a few different theories.
First, this could be a dream. In fact, I hoped it was. But no amount of pinching or slapping my cheeks was helping me wake up.
Second, this Grandpa could be a ghost. After all, I remembered wishing he would come back as one. But when I summoned all my courage to reach out and touch him, he was solid and warm, like a living person.
Third… I really wanted to believe it wasn’t the case, but…I could have simply lost my marbles.
With no clue what was going on, my only option was to stay calm and slowly ferret information out of my family. After a short while, I was forced to arrive at a single indisputable conclusion:
This was not my world.
In this world, when my parents got divorced three years ago, I had chosen to live with Dad instead of Mom—which would make this a “parallel world,” like in an anime or something. In this reality, I didn’t live in this house; I lived with Dad. That’s why Mom kept asking about him, and why Grandma was so excited to see me.
I’m not sure how I accepted this revelation so readily. I wasn’t even worried about getting back to my home world. No, there was only one thing on my mind—in this world, Grandpa was still alive, so maybe I could get that key after all!
✦ ✦ ✦
It took a lot of courage to talk to Grandpa. After all, back in my world, we barely spoke. However, I was dead set on opening that treasure chest, so for the first time in two years, I headed to his bedroom of my own free will.
“Hey, um, Grandpa?”
“That you, Koyomi?” he asked from inside.
“Can we talk for a sec?”
“Of course, of course! Come on in!”
He was so nice to me, it caught me completely off-guard. Back in my world, I was sure he hated my guts, so I was always scared of him. But then I remembered…he used to be as nice as this Grandpa, prior to the airsoft gun incident. After that, I avoided him for the next two years, and then he died.
Belatedly, I started to wish I’d talked to him a little more. Maybe we could have patched things up, and he would have given me that key… Now I was even more desperate to open the treasure chest. If he was as kind and loving as this world’s Grandpa, then what in the world was his parting gift to me?
“Hey Grandpa, do you have a treasure chest?”
“A treasure chest? Can’t say I do.”
Apparently, this wasn’t going to be quite that easy. This version of Grandpa didn’t even have the box my world’s Grandpa had given to me. Maybe it was something he bought just for me—in that case, it made sense that this Grandpa didn’t have one. After all, my parallel self didn’t even live here.
“Need a box for something? I’ve got plenty of old candy tins you can use,” Grandpa suggested quickly. He must have seen the abject disappointment on my face. Sadly, that wasn’t what I needed. “Speaking of which, would you like a piece?”
He rose to his feet, opened the tallest drawer, and pulled out my favorite candy, just like old times. How long had it been since I last got a piece of candy from Grandpa? This version of him even kept it in the same place! Two years ago, that drawer felt like it was miles above me, but now that I was taller, it might be just barely within my reach.
I popped the candy into my mouth and savored its sweetness for the first time in years. That was when it occurred to me: as different as this world was, it still shared some commonalities with mine. And if this Grandpa kept his candy in the same spot, then perhaps he had the same mindset as my Grandpa…
“Hey, Grandpa?”
“Hrmm?”
“The reason I asked about the treasure chest is…my daddy gave me one. Except he hid the key somewhere and told me to try to find it. So I was wondering, if you were in his shoes, where would you hide your key?”
In this world, I lived with my dad, so I came up with this cover story. If this Grandpa had the same ideas as mine, then perhaps he could give me a hint that would help me find the key back in my world.
“Well now, that sounds fun!” Grandpa laughed, then started to consider it. “There are two ways to hide something: one for when you don’t want it to be found, and one for when you secretly do. If it’s a treasure hunt, that would suggest the latter…”
“Yeah, I think he wants me to find it. Why else would he give me the treasure chest?”
“Yes, that sounds right. Smart boy, Koyomi! In that case, if I was the one who gave it to you, and I hid the key hoping for you to find it…” He paused for a moment, then arrived at his answer. “I think I’d choose a spot I know for a fact you’d find in the future, even if you couldn’t see it right this moment. That sounds fitting.”
“Like where?” I asked.
“Well, I don’t know what your dad’s house is like…”
“No, this house! Where would you hide it around here?”
“This house? Hmmm, good question…”
Ultimately, Grandpa couldn’t think of an answer to my most crucial question. This was a big house, so there were probably tons of hiding spots. But then his tone dropped suddenly.
“That reminds me how Yuno used to hide my shoes, that little rascal.”
This came as a surprise to me. As far as I knew, Yuno never misbehaved like that. Then I remembered: right, this is a parallel world. The Yuno here differed from mine. Also, since this world’s version of me didn’t live here, it was probably a good idea to act as though I hadn’t seen her in a while.
“Has she been having fun?” I asked.
Grandpa smiled. “Oh, I’m sure heaven is lots of fun.”
At this, I very nearly screamed. Heaven? This world’s Yuno…was dead?
“You know, I adopted her back when you were born.”
He started to tell me a story I’d heard countless times before, along with a famous poem that I could practically recite offhand.
“‘When you have a child, get a dog.
In infancy, a guardian;
In childhood, a playmate;
In adolescence, a shoulder to cry on;
And in adulthood, with its death, the value of a life.’
Koyomi, you must be strong and selfless, just like Yuno always was.”
Grandpa had adopted her just for me, even though I rarely ever came to visit. And the same was true in this world.
“She really used to hide your shoes…?”
“Oh, you bet. When she was a puppy, she got into all sorts of mischief.”
“But then she stopped when she got older?”
“Yes, because I disciplined her. An untrained dog could bite, and I didn’t want any tragic accidents.”
At long last, I finally understood.
All this time, I assumed Grandpa was an unfeeling monster who hated my guts. But his scolding was never motivated by hate. When he took away my airsoft gun, it was only because I was too young. He just didn’t want any accidents—he didn’t want me to get hurt! And if this world’s version of me got an airsoft gun at age eight, then this Grandpa would surely have done the same.
In both worlds, he always loved me!
“…I miss Yuno…”
I wanted to go back to my world. Here, Grandpa was still alive, but Yuno was gone. In my world, Yuno was still alive, but Grandpa was gone.
“Sadly, you won’t be seeing her for quite a while. But I might get to see her myself sometime soon,” Grandpa joked…and I understood what he meant.
If this parallel world shared a lot of commonalities with mine, then maybe he had the same illness my Grandpa did. Maybe he didn’t have a lot of time left. And after I got back home, maybe Yuno’s time would run out too. Then they’d both be truly gone…and I’d have no way to see either of them.
Belatedly, I felt the grief of Grandpa’s passing rise inside me, and for once, I regretted something that didn’t involve the treasure chest.
“Hey, Grandpa?”
“Mm?”
“Can I sleep in here with you tonight?” I asked.
“Oh! Why, of course you can, my boy!”
When I saw the way his eyes crinkled with pure delight, for some reason my heart ached even harder—but I choked it down. “Also, can I have another piece of candy?”
“No. You only get one per day.”
Oddly, his reply came as a relief, and I laughed. He really was the same guy. And that night, as I drifted off to sleep next to him, I suddenly realized I might know exactly where he’d hidden that key.