The Memory Store at Kurama 2nd District

Chapter 5 | Puzzle of the Heart

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When I was little, even if I tried to peer up until my neck hurt, I still couldn’t see their faces.

“M-Mother…?”

“Touko, Touko… You’re all grown up. Oh… please don’t cry. Let me look at your face.”

Before I could speak, I was embraced by warm and soft arms. 

While two small hands cupped my cheeks, the face of a woman who seemed to be about to cry came into my field of vision.  

This woman was my mother. As soon as I realized this, my tears started flowing. 

“Touko, can you please show me your face as well? By the looks of it, it seems we didn’t make it to your school entrance ceremony…”

My father stroked my head, supporting my mother. Seeing those narrow eyes that almost made him look like he was squinting, I could confirm that I had inherited my father’s eyes. 

So nostalgic.

The warmth and nostalgia of the “fragrance” seemed to have truly revealed my parents to me. I frantically drew a smile on my face, in order to ease their worries.

“Are you really my mom and dad?”

“What are you sayingt? Of course it’s us.”

Both the feelings of joy from being able to meet them, and the resentment in my heart were intricately intertwined within me. 

“Why did you leave me behind?”

“…I’m sorry. You were lonely, weren’t you?”

“I wasn’t lonely…! I was just very sad.”

“We filled you with sad thoughts, didn’t we? I’m sorry, Touko.”

They hugged me tightly.

It was so tight, almost to the point where I couldn’t breathe, but I felt comfortable, and teardrops escaped me, one after another.

I wondered if all the water in my body would drain. 

“Touko, you know? We both really love you. We’ve been watching over you all this time.”

“I know you might not believe us.”

“But we’ll always do what we can to help you.”

I wished this moment would last forever.

I talked on and on about what I had been up to until then. How much my grandfather helped me and how much I’d wanted to meet them. I also talked about Kurouan, about Katatamaru and my feelings for Momose-san. 

My father sulked, and my mother consoled him while she grinned from ear to ear.

There was unmistakable love in those gestures. My parents loved each other, and I was undoubtly loved by them. 

“Touko, do you have dreams for your future?”

My mother asked me, as if there was not a problem in the world. 

“Oh, uh …”

I was flustered by my mother’s sudden question. From my mother’s point of view, it was a normal parent-child conversation, but I was terribly shaken by it. My mother smiled as she waited for my answer.

My future. What I wanted to do.

There was only one thing that came to mind, until two days ago, I was sure I wouldn’t have thought of.

I recalled Momose-san’s creepy smile. It’s okay, I hadn’t forgotten him yet. It was going to be okay.

“I want to help someone. I want to help people connect with others.”

Just like how he helped me.

When I said this, my mother nodded deeply in satisfaction.

“Do your best. Everything will be okay if it’s you we’re talking about.”

My mother’s words gently filled me with warmth. Were parents always this warm? 

While I held back my tears, my mother’s hand gently stroked my head.

“We were able to meet like this thanks to Touko being a good girl.”

“Thanks to me?”

“Yes, it was because Touko was doing her best that we got this once-in-a-lifetime reward.” 

The two were one step away from me.

Ah, I realized the time had come. I wondered if I had been able to say so many things in the honest way I did solely because our time together was finite, just like Momose-san said. 

“Father, Mother…”

I held back my tears and opened my mouth a little.

“I’m… happy to be your child. Thank you so much!”

May the last expression they see on me not be one full of tears. 

I desperately opened my already swollen eyes and raised the corners of my mouth.

After holding their breath for a moment, they calmly answered.

“Travel at your own pace. There might a lot of painful and difficult things in life. But it’s okay. In those moments, remember us. We’ll always be watching over you.”

“Even if Touko becomes a wrinkly old grandmother, we’ll still understand Touko in a flash. So don’t worry.”

I was on the brink of tears, but when I heard those words, my sadness diminished. Instead, I felt something warm fill my heart. They were always watching over me.

I firmly engraved the courage I received from my parents’ words in my heart.

May the choices I make from tomorrow on lead to the future.

“I don’t want to forget.”

I was a little scared of my change of heart. But I was sure it wasn’t a scary thing. It was simply the result of my choice. That day, I entered the alley, I believed in his words, and here I was now.

But I knew I couldn’t stay forever. Time continues to flow without waiting for anyone. My consciousness began to spin around like it did when I’d arrived. 

“Thank you both. I love you!” 

“Touko, we love you.”

“You are our pride and joy. Be confident.”

Love was warm and nostalgic. 

I felt like I could see the sunset.

It was like a long dream.

My pillow was soaked in tears. My mind was sure it was a dream, but my heart felt otherwise. It wasn’t just a dream.

I was certain I met and talked to my parents. My body firmly remembered the warmth and nostalgia of being embraced.

As I left through the front door, I tilted my head when I felt that the top of the shoe box was somewhat empty. 

I took classes and chatted with my friends during breaks as always. When I was caught staring outside window, our teacher gave me a warning. Yes, it was a normal day. But something was missing.

I couldn’t quite grasp why, but it felt like a hole had opened in my heart. It was certainly sad to say goodbye to my parents, but it was probably not the only reason. 

“It’s lively today too.”

Each store was preparing to close, and housewives who liked to for discounts were making conversations bloom. While listening to these coversations, I slowly walked around the shopping street. 

The setting sun began to set, and the curtain of night was about to fall. 

A strong wind blew and stirred my hair.

“Touko. Don’t forget ” 

“The important things are what the heart remembers.” 

(Mother? Father?)

I felt like I could hear their voices, so I looked around. 

The owner of Uoshima Shoten was taking the shutter down. 

(Eh……?)

The scene looked a little different than usual.

(Was there always a street there?)

Just between Uoshima Shoten and Makiki Kinemaki, it seemed that there was an alley through which only one person could pass. 

I couldn’t see the other end even if I approached and looked inside.  

Where does this road lead to?

A little curious, I set foot inside.

“Wow!”

At that moment, the area was wrapped in a sunset.

Just… from where was the sun shining? A burning orange illuminated me.

As I kept walking, terrified, I realized something. 

“Eh? I…”

I knew.

I knew the mysterious alley of the sunset.

I also knew where this road would lead to. 

Who was at the end of it?

I knew.

The piece that was missing in the puzzle of my heart, completely and perfectly fit into place.

My pace naturally grew faster. My heart pumped violently as if it wanted to broadcast its existence. 

What was this feeling?

Maybe a part of me knew, but wasn’t quite sure.This fluffy sensation brought an indescribable comfort.

“Ha… a…!”

Before I knew, I was running.

Wasn’t it okay to give a name to this feeling later?

I had someone I wanted to meet now. That was it.

Perhaps due to my lack of exercise, I was out of breath and my throat was making a humming noise. My sides hurt sharply, but my legs wouldn’t stop.

The feeling on the soles of my feet changed, and on my left and right, everything became a wall filled with warmth. 

The view opened to a dipilated house.

I watched a man open his eyes and drop the broom he had in his hand.

“… Momose-san!” 

My face was red, probably because of the setting sun.

“Momose-san? What happened?”

I called out to Momose-san, who was staring blankly into air. 

“Nothing, I just… remembered the past a little.”

When I tilted my head to the side in confusion, he gave me a smile that wasn’t business-like and addressed me. 

“It’s nothing… Now, there is a customer. Please work hard here as a part-timer.” 

“Of course!”

I headed to the entrance of the store and a shadow carrying an instrument case on his back entered my sight. 

I called out to a young man who was chewing gum and looked to be in a bad mood.

“Welcome to Kurouan, the memory store!”