“We’ll share it all—our love and our punishment.”
As Kanba stared blankly back at me, I reached out with one hand and wiped the blood from his forehead.
“Kan-chan,” Himari whispered up at him as she held him. “Look! See? This is the Penguindrum.”
The borrowed life in my hand changed shape into half of an apple.
“You remember this, right, Aniki?”
His eyes widened as he looked at me. “Shoma…”
Sure enough, it was the voice of the Kanba we knew.
Back in that wooden cage, I was meant to die because I wasn’t one of the chosen. But then Kanba split his apple in half and reached out through the bars of his cage as far as he could stretch in order to give it to me.
“Kanba…?” Wearily, I looked at him through the bars.
He nodded firmly, then stretched out even farther. Likewise, I reached out to him, attempting to take the other half of the apple. I was sure my fingers would reach. I was going to survive—he was giving me half of his life.
That was the moment Kanba chose me, and together, we shared the fruit of fate.
The next thing I knew, I was back on the subway train, sitting on the floor. Hastily, I jumped to my feet. Previously Kanba was standing next to Sanetoshi, but now he was at Himari’s bedside, cradling her in her unscathed nightgown and penguin hat. She was hugging her beloved pink teddy bear to her chest.
“Let’s share the fruit of fate!”
Oginome-san’s shrill voice rang out across the train car. Covering my ears, I whirled around and saw her face to face with Sanetoshi, her shoulders heaving. Then the entire train began to rattle like there was an earthquake, and the black teddy bears fell off their seats one by one. Likewise, Oginome-san hit the floor. I moved toward her, but the train pitched sideways, and as the teddy bears rolled around, their color changed to white.
She successfully recited the fate transfer spell. The penguin hat slipped off Himari’s head and fell to the floor. Sanetoshi looked at us, his expression twisted in pain.
“The transfer of fate will now begin,” said a calm, pre-recorded voice over the intercom. “For those who wish to transfer, please head directly to the opposite platform to ensure you do not miss your next train.”
I sucked in a breath and looked up.
“As a result of the incantation, a penalty will now be incurred. Please keep a safe distance from your fellow passengers.”
“Oginome-san!”
But before I could finish, her body burst into flames.
So I dove into the fire and wrapped my arms around her.
As the train of fate pulled into the next station to facilitate the transfer, there was already another train waiting on the opposite side—perfectly ordinary from the looks of it. Kanba deboarded, carrying Himari in his arms. Then he crossed the platform to the other train, stepped aboard, and laid her down on the empty seats. He touched the one small cut left on Himari’s large forehead and wished he could put an adhesive bandage on it, just like she’d always done for him.
“The transfer of fate will soon conclude. If you wish to transfer, please hurry to the next train immediately.”
At the announcement, Kanba looked up. Then he rose to his feet, stepped off Himari’s train, and slowly backed away across the platform until he returned to the train of fate.
“You kids will never be able to escape the curse. Nor can I,” Sanetoshi declared smugly, his long white jacket fluttering behind him as he wandered aimlessly through the train car. He seemed restless. “You’ll never gain anything as long as you’re stuck in your little boxes! Every last trace of this world is going to disappear. There will be nothing left!”
His voice echoed as he stepped down onto the platform. But Kanba couldn’t seem to hear him anymore. Eventually, he began to melt into the background like fog.
“You kids will never find true happiness.”
Shoma cradled Ringo’s burned body, and for the first time, he realized just how soft and supple she was. She looked at him, pain in her eyes, but her resolve was unwavering and beautiful. She couldn’t speak; all she could do was blink at him.
“Oginome-san, thank you, but…this is our punishment to bear. I love you,” he told her gently. Then he kissed her scorching hot lips. All at once, the flames moved from her body to his, burning ever brighter.
“Shoma-kun!”
Freed from the heat and pain, Ringo tried to pull away from him. She knew he was going to try to take her off the train of fate. But nevertheless, he lifted her up with what little strength he had left.
“Shoma-kun, stop! Let go!”
The edges of his shoulders were burning away to ash.
“Shoma-kun, you jerk! Stop! Let me go! I’m coming with you! I already decided I’m going to accept the punishment!”
But no matter how hard she struggled, Shoma simply grinned back. “This is goodbye. Now make sure you go get on that other train.”
Smiling softly, Shoma set Ringo down on the platform. Then the automatic doors slid shut, and the train chime played, signaling its imminent departure. She collapsed on the spot; her mouth opened, but no words came. As she ruminated on the soft sensation lingering on her lips, she gazed into the train car at the flames burning inside.
Shoma and Kanba sat side by side on Himari’s empty bed as they, the white teddy bears, and the bed itself burned up in the fire. All of it was slowly being written out of existence.
“Shoma, I finally found what true hope looks like,” Kanba said softly.
“Yeah, I know. I saw it too, you know,” Shoma snickered.
Then the burning train started moving. It glittered like a shooting star as it carried the boys off to a different fate, leaving the girls behind on the path to life.
Ringo staggered onto the remaining train and plopped down next to Himari as she slept. Then she reached out and stroked her long hair.
“Shoma-kun…”
What would happen to her feelings after the transfer was finished?
Then the train doors closed, and it quietly rolled out of the station, guiding them to a new destiny.
On the empty platform sandwiched between two sets of deserted train tracks, a defeated Sanetoshi stood alone, his hands stuffed into his jacket pockets, unmoving.
“Hey.” It was Momoka who called out to him, holding two empty penguin hats in her hands. “The trains are gone, you know.”
She walked up to him and looked up at his face with her big, round eyes. He met her gaze, but didn’t smile.
“They’ll be back eventually.” Sanetoshi withdrew a hand from his pocket and ran it through his long hair. But his glossy locks had no appeal here in the dark.
“If you say so. Well, I’m gonna go now,” she declared matter-of-factly.
“Right,” he replied in a detached voice.
“If you want to come with me, I’ll show you the way.” She offered her hand.
“Goodbye,” he answered without a single second of consideration.
She sighed and retracted her hand. “Goodbye then.” And with that, she turned and walked away.
Standing stock-still on the hard asphalt of the platform, Sanetoshi let out a heavy sigh that resounded through the darkness. His breath chased after Momoka, glowing ever so faintly, but ultimately it failed to reach her.