Strange Memories With You, My Dear

Chapter 02.01

Fate or Probability

Translated by KuroNeko
Edited by Omkar

After being retired from the club activities, the contents of my backpack shifted from a change of clothing and antiperspirant spray to paper reference books and vocabulary books to read during breaks and on the train.

I was in the middle of my senior year of high school, and it was time to get serious about preparing for the exam. I attempted to get my mind and life into exam mode as soon as possible, buying reference books and creating a study schedule that I placed in front of my desk.

I had a university in my mind that I wanted to get into, Tokyo University of Advanced Science and Technology. But because we don’t have the luxury of being ronins, I must pass the entrance exam as an active student.

The Tokyo University of Advanced Science and Technology is a well-known science and technology university, and the Department of Physics, in particular, is home to several notable researchers whose work is frequently published in science journals. As a result, both the deviation and the magnification are significant. My deviation scores on the spring mock tests were wildly unequal in the science and humanities subjects. If you simply look at the science subjects, I was at the pass level, but if I don’t raise the bar in the humanities areas, I would fail.

I went directly home after my high school classes, changed into my loungewear, and went to my desk right away. My mother had not yet arrived home, and the house was still peaceful at that time of day.

I got home before five o’clock today and sat at my desk for an hour and a half. There were swings from day to day, but after studying for so long, I always lose focus and find it uncomfortable to stare at the letters and formulas.

I set my pen down and decided to take a break. I took my smartphone from the corner of my desk, opened my chat app, and checked the newly registered name “Fukuhara Yuuko.”

In retrospect, the interaction on that evening of the day I withdrew from club activities was so odd and surreal that it felt like a lie. However, the name on the screen confirms that it did happen.

She and I have never met before, yet we know each other and have many memories in common.

The more I think about it, the weirder it appears.

Following that encounter, I sent Yuuko a message asking if she wanted to meet with me again to discuss the matter.

In which, Yuuko agreed, responding, “Let’s do that.”

We agreed on a meeting location and time. She lives in Tokyo’s Toshima ward, so I decided to go out to the city. We eventually decided to meet at the east exit of Ikebukuro station at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday during the third week of June.

I set the appointment into my scheduling app and marked it on the calendar which was hanging over my desk.

◇

I arrived at Ikebukuro station fifteen minutes earlier than scheduled.

I got off the train with a large crowd, walked to the ticket gate with the throng of people, and leaned against a pillar at the station’s entrance where there were few people.

<I’ve just arrived. I’m standing next to the big pillar at the exit.>

I used the chat app to send a message to Yuuko. Then I received an immediate response stating, <I understand.> It was accompanied with a graphic of an adorable feline character holding a speech bubble with the word “OK” inscribed in it.

Yuuko came a few minutes later. I noticed her as she walked up the stairs from downstairs. She was dressed in a knee-length blue skirt and a white short-sleeved top. She, too, noticed me right away and walked straight up to me.

“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting.”

She said this while lowering her head slightly. “No, It’s okay.” I said, shaking my head.

“Where shall we go?” Yuuko said. 

“I’ve been thinking…” I said. I told her the name of the nearest café to the station, which was one of the three choices I had in case it was crowded.

“Is it okay there?”

“Yeah. It’s OK.” Yuuko gave a nod.

We made some small conversation as we went out of the station and down the sidewalk. There were numerous people in suits and young people in casual clothes roaming about the wide roadway, which was full with vehicles. The sound of shoes filled the air, and I could hear not just Japanese but also a number of other languages. I’ve come here a few times with my friends, but living in a peaceful suburban town, I’m still not used to the city center’s atmosphere.

We eventually arrived at our destination, a local café chain.

“I often come to this store. I love the caramel coffee here.” I said.

I’d never been to a café alone with a girl before, so I was worried that I’d made a wrong choice, but as I opened the door, I was glad that it wasn’t an “off” place.

At first look, the chairs appeared to be vacant. We each ordered a drink at the counter and took a seat at a wooden desk for two. The floor and walls were all in wooden tones, which helped to create a relaxing ambiance. People were working and reading against the wall, while younger girls were talking on the couch seats in the café’s midsection.

I became nervous and fidgety as we sat across from one other in the vacant seats. Yuuko, who sat in front of me, had a feminine show cut with her hair curled loosely inward, and her clothing were stylish but not overly flashy, and she appeared calm and pretty.

She sipped the caramel coffee from the mug and puffed, taking a breath. Then she looked up, and our eyes met softly and fragilely at that instant. I drank the iced coffee I’d bought to cover up.

Then Yuuko opened her mouth and said, “Um…”

“Let’s check if our memories truly do overlap. I’ve been thinking of a way. “

“Write down the names of persons who frequently appear in your dreams and place them on your desk.” She stated this while tearing a piece of her notebook and handed it to me. It was a lovely piece of notepaper with a floral design printed in the corner, ideal for girls.

We placed a menu between us so we couldn’t see one other’s hands.

I pulled out a pen, closed my eyes, pushed myself to recall the vague memory, and scribbled, “Tomoki, Takashi, Kenji, Minami.” I’m sure there are more, but this is the only one that comes to me right now.

“Did you finish writing?” she asked after about three minutes.

“Yes.”

“Then, let’s line ’em up.”

I pushed the paper to the middle of the table, anxiously thinking what the mood would be like if I didn’t slide it in.

There was a row of papers next to mine that said, “Tomoki, Takashi, Kenji, Minami,” and another that said, “Misato, Minami, Tomoki, Kouji.” With my eyes, I rapidly read out the name she had written. On her side, she circled the common name in red.

There were two names in common, Tomoki and Minami.

But the moment I saw the name Misato, an image of a girl with her hair done up in a ponytail flashed into my mind. “Oh yeah, I knew a boy named Takashi-kun and a boy named Kenji-kun!” she said excitedly.

Our memories appeared to be in agreement. There was a sense of surprise and elation immediately after verifying this, and we were all excited, but after some time had passed and things had cooled down, I began to feel a pang of creepiness right there in my chest when I saw two pieces of paper with the same name on them.

――What exactly does this mean?

“There is something strange.”

Yuuko, on the other hand, didn’t appear to mind and smiled as she glanced at the notes on the table, murmured “Commemoration,” and shot a photo with her smartphone. I snapped a photo of it as well, thinking it would be “evidence.”

“Were we friends in a past life?” She said, in a joking manner.

“Maybe.” I replied with a smile on my face.

“But if that were the case, wouldn’t we have died earlier, right? It couldn’t be that long ago. I also recall playing games on my smartphone….”

“That’s right.” I responded. Or, at least, I don’t think so, because my memory is clouded by the “newer Tokyo Olympics” six years ago. But Yuuko was most likely joking, so she didn’t say anything.

Hmm, she thought, holding her head.

Was this encounter a coincidence, or was it a special encounter brought about by some strange phenomenon that happened to us?

I, too, was deep in thought. I’ve never heard of anything like this before, when you know someone you’re supposed to have never met yet have a recollection with them.

We both pondered for a minute in silence. The sound of people conversing, dishes clattering, and a man’s terminal key-touching echoed around the store.

Eventually, I stopped thinking about it because the more I thought about it, the more muddled my thoughts appeared to get. I don’t think I can come up with an answer to something so incomprehensible, no matter how much I think about it.

Yuuko, too, appeared to be tired of pondering, as she grumbled, cocked her head, and placed her mug to her mouth. “It’s becoming a touch chilly,” she whispered as she replaced her cup on the table. A faint sound stood out at that moment.

What is happening to us is really weird. But these weird things could exist in the world. It doesn’t matter if we share strange memories with others when compared to such basic marvels as why the universe began, what existed before and outside of it, why beings like us were born, and why consciousness arose……. I thought to myself.

Yuuko abruptly raised her head, as if to say, “I had a grand idea.”

“Why don’t we go and check things out?”

“What? You want to check?”

“Yes. I’m going to write down all the dreams I had, the locations I experienced a sense of déjà vu, and try to go there, matching them up like now.”

“I see.”

“If you go to the locations, you could come up with something different.”

“… Is that so?”

I thought for a bit before nodding. No matter how much evidence and clues I gathered, I didn’t believe I’d be able to figure out what this phenomenon was, but Yuuko appeared to be more optimistic. Or perhaps she’s truly intrigued.

After that, we discussed the “memory” and the school we were going to for nearly an hour before deciding to go home. Yuuko mentioned that she had a piano lesson in the evening. I was curious whether she was taking piano lessons in her third year of high school and if she planned to go to a music college.

We walked together to the station, I took the private train that connected to the city where I lived, and she took the Yamanote line.

It was four o’clock in the afternoon, halfway through the day, but there were a lot of people walking about the station. As I waited in line on the platform for the train, I looked across the street at the cluster of buildings and the light filtering through the slightly overcast sky.

After a time, I boarded the train and sat in my seat, scrolling through news sites on my phone and finishing the book I’d brought with me.

My focus didn’t last long, and thoughts of Yuuko and me going out to various locations began to swirl around in my mind.

◇

I hadn’t seen or spoken to her in over a week. We had exchanged a few messages on the chat app after seeing Yuuko the previous day, but it appeared that the next time we would meet and talk would be after the summer break. We didn’t need to see each other all that much because we both had first semester final exams coming up and could contact one another immediately if something went wrong.

In the meantime, we agreed to work on our dream recorders and a dossier of notes on places that brought us déjà vu. I purchased a special notebook and jotted down the images that came to me whether I was having the “dream” or strolling about the city.

Today too, the thick, black clouds of the rainy season blanketed the sky, and it had been raining all morning. I sat near the window, watching the water droplets on the glass. It was dark and calm outside, and a faint glimmer mirrored the sight of the classroom in the window.

My classmates were ready to depart as soon as the seventh period ended. I strolled down the corridor with my own black umbrella from the umbrella stand at the rear of the classroom. The baseball and track teams were then practicing strength training in the hallway.

Some of the younger members of the track and field team approached me and said, “Nakayama-senpai,” or “Yukki-senpai,” and then said, “See you later!” They sent me their warmest greetings. I strolled by the juniors, nodding and said, “Do your best.” I stepped out, changing out of my jacket and into my school loafers in the stairs, which was still poorly lit even with the fluorescent lights turned on.

Umbrellas of various colours were placed along the walk leading to the school gate. I opened my umbrella, stepped into the stream, and began walking. Raindrops hit umbrellas over my head, and the puddles of water on the tarmac created many ripples as they mirrored the pictures of students walking by.

It was hot and humid, and as I walked, sweat began to form on my skin’s surface. As I swapped umbrellas, I drew the sleeves of my long-sleeved shirt up to my elbows.

Then, among the people walking in front of me, I noticed a familiar, thin posterior. The dark blue umbrella covered her face, and all I could see was her backpack and her hair hanging straight down her back, but I recognised Mineko right away based on the atmosphere.

I hadn’t talked to her once since I retired from club activities. Since the humanities and science classes were on different floors with different classrooms, I never saw her on campus. The boy next to her is probably Satou.

I slowed my pace and attempted to avoid them, feeling a little uneasy.

Even though it was just four o’clock in the afternoon, the sky was obscured by heavy clouds and the light was dim. The street lights were white, and the falling rain glistened like silver threads.

I immediately changed out of my wet uniform, put on a pair of half trousers and a t-shirt, and laid down on my bed without turning on any lights after riding the train and riding my bike home in heavy rain. Through the window, the sound of gently sprinkling rain could be heard. I took up my smartphone and accessed the chat app, where I saw Yuuko’s chat history.

<I’m also making great strides with the ‘memory’ stuff. I have a notebook with me at all times to scribble down everything I remember, but at this pace, I’m sure I’ll run out of pages before I see you again!>

Outside, it was becoming darker and darker. The dimness and stillness of my room, the security of my own bed, and the fatigue of the day receded into my mind.

I decided to take a little nap today before studying for my upcoming final exam, so I switched off my smartphone and closed my eyes.

◇

A month passed, my final examinations went through without a hitch, and on the first Friday of my summer vacation, I met Yuuko for the first time in a long time.

This was the day Yuuko had proposed previously, that the two of us actually travel to a location where we experienced a sensation of déjà vu, and in our previous conversations, she had referred to this as “collecting fragments of memories.” I was embarrassed by the moniker, which sounded like something out of a romantic comedy, but it was convenient and I used it a few times in my messaging exchanges.

I went to Irisawa station to meet Yuuko, who was on her way from Tokyo. The rainy season ended about a week ago, and the sky is bright and sunny today.

It was two o’clock in the afternoon, and while I stood outside the ticket gate, Yuuko came, joining the crowd. She was dressed in a knee-length beige skirt, a light blue short-sleeved blouse, and a tiny backpack.

“It’s been a long time.” Yuuko said as she bowed her head.

This was the third time we’d met. We’d exchanged texts, and I felt more at ease than when we’d previously met. In the same manner, I returned the greetings. Despite the fact that we hadn’t spent much time together, when I saw Yuuko in person, I felt a deep sense of delight in my heart, as if I had met someone dear to me.

Yuuko’s notebook contained a book’s worth of information on her “memories” written in letters and illustrations. Perhaps it was her meticulous temperament, or perhaps she had more memories than I had, but the amount was twice as large as mine.

We spoke for a bit after we put down our notes. Yuuko knew more than I did, so she described the names and images of numerous locations, and I had to find the ones I thought I knew as well.

First and foremost, it was apparent that we shared similar experiences of the tutoring center. A web search revealed that there were around eight tutoring schools in the vicinity, but after inspecting the photographs of each one, we selected one that we both felt was the right place. It was a school called “Irisawa English Mathematics Center.” 

“I guess I’ll simply have to look it up online.” I said.

“But if you actually roam around and look,” Yuuko continued, “you might find something.” She was, indeed, correct. The “déjà vu” frequently struck me while I was walking, accompanied with images I had never seen before.

“Let’s go, then.”

We went to a local café shop to discuss where to go first, using the materials we had written up so far, after confirming the route of the locations we were going to visit today and having a cup of coffee.

We left the café after a few minutes.

It appeared to be becoming hotter outdoors as I stepped out of the chilly shop. The asphalt was black and glossy from the summer heat, and the cicadas chirped noisily.

◇

Ed/N: This series will be put on Indefinite hiatus as KuroNeko is quitting as a Translator. Anyone willing to continue the series is welcomed. It’s a loss for this “Novel Translation” community to lose an amazing Translator. Though it was a short time working with him was a pleasant experience for me. This chapter is a small gift for the community prepared by him as a goodbye.

TLR: Thank you very much for reading till now. Thank you very much.