“Okay, here’s your luggage. I packed for you. You’re terrible at packing, right? For the time being I put food, clothes, and supplies that will help you survive wherever you end up.” Nobuko held out Yuki’s favorite white with red polka dots backpack—it was bursting at the seams.
“Oh, right. Take this too for protection. Think of it as a kind of protective charm.” Kaito pulled a tubular case from somewhere. “It’s an archery set. I bought you a new one. Be sure to keep it with you.”
Nobuko strapped the backpack around Yuki’s chest and stomach instead of her back. She wasn’t sure what was inside, but it was heavy and awkward hanging from her chest. Something was strapped onto her back next.
“This is a parachute. Make sure to use it if you end up falling from midair.”
“Huh? Midair?”
“Listen up, okay? Be sure not to follow any suspicious people anywhere. Even if they offer you food. Also, I’d be worried about the water, so if it doesn’t taste right, make sure you distill or filter it first.”
Kaito bent down to eye-level with Yuki who was wearily listening to Nobuko’s lecture. He peered into her eyes before finally speaking.
“That world may still be dangerous. So Yuki, if you happen to manifest powers, you mustn’t use them indiscriminately in front of others. Promise me you won’t.”
“Powers? I have no idea what you’re going on about. Come on, guys, aren’t you taking this joke a little too far?”
“Take this seriously. You’ll probably be able to communicate with the locals, and the food isn’t half-bad there either. They aren’t modernized or technologically advanced like Earth, so I’m sure there’s a lot of stuff you’ll have a hard time with. Also, they have no weapon laws like Japan, so it’s normal for people to have a weapon on them. Be careful.”
“What’s with that? It sounds dangerous! I mean, what fantasy story did you pull this from?”
Kaito forced a smile and wrapped his hands behind Yuki’s neck.
“Come now, I understand you don’t believe us Yuki, but listen closely. For your own good. This is the only thing I brought with me from there. Use it if you’re ever in any trouble. Never let it leave your side. Treat it like it’s a part of your body.” Kaito clasped a chain around Yuki’s neck. A ring dangled from the chain.
“Aah, geez, just how much effort are you guys putting into this? It’s not even April Fool’s Day.”
“Why are you so impatient, Yuki? I guess you get that from Nobuko. Ah, right, let me tell you my name in that world as well, just in case. It’s Leuco Cahn—”
“You don’t have to go as far as thinking up a fake name.”
“…It’s not a fake name, though.”
“All right, time to jump,” Kaito said after he and Nobuko finished getting Yuki geared up for her trip, while she stared on in blank amazement at how far her parents were taking their joke.
“Huuh?”
“Like I said, time to jump from the balcony,” he said like he was explaining to a young child. Yuki looked from the balcony to Kaito.
“Yeah, but this is the fourteenth floor? Where do you want me to jump from? Are you trying to kill me?”
“I’m not. I fell from a precipitous cliff into the ocean. So falling from high places has to be the way between worlds. Not that I’d ever want to do it again,” Kaito said with a mischievous smirk. He hugged her tightly.
“I hate having to put you through the same thing, but I want you to find happiness as the beautiful young lady you are meant to be, instead of trapped as you are.”
Before she knew it, Yuki was stuck in a hug between Kaito and Nobuko.
“I wish our family could be together forever, but I shouldn’t say something so selfish,” Nobuko said stepping away. Kaito scooped Yuki up.
“Hey! Wai—Papa! Wait a minute!”
“No, I won’t wait. My resolve will shatter.”
The inside of the room gradually moved away as Kaito carried her. Nobuko must have opened the balcony glass door, because Yuki heard the rattle of the door sliding open. A cool spring breeze blew into the room. Buildings surrounded every angle, and she could no longer see Tokyo Tower.
“Stop it. I’m scared. It’s impossible. I’ll die from this height!” Yuki protested.
“You’ll be fine. You’re our child. You won’t die, Yuki. Upsy-daisy.” Kaito sat Yuki on the edge of the balcony’s stone rail.
Terror shot through Yuki at the drop to the alley below as she was held firmly on the balcony’s railing. Their condo was positioned in such a way no one could see their balcony, not even from the building across the street. All anyone would notice is a body when it splattered against the road below.
If I had a bigger body, I would have been too heavy for him to carry, Yuki thought grudgingly. She desperately clung to Kaito’s neck to keep from falling.
“See ya, Yuki.”
“Don’t…”
“Have a safe trip,” said both Kaito and Nobuko as they pried her hands off his neck and lightly pushed her shoulders.
Her body fell off the rail. She stared up at the clear sky as the roar of wind ripped past her ears.
I never imagined I would die this way. I thought it was a joke. Have my parents finally given up on me because of my inability to age? Are they trying to be rid of me for good? Many thoughts raced through her mind and disappeared in a whirlwind of emotions. Before long, everything turned black.