Leaving Asahikawa

Plans were formulated. Rules were agreed to. Hands were shaken. Maps were shared. A notebook was passed among the six of them to add their bucket list items that could feasibly be achieved. They did not know when they’d be back, and none of them seemed to mind. The impending collapse had painted the country in a heightened sense of reality, as though the entirety of Japan was a once beautiful painting that was fading in the sunlight. They had a limited amount of time to see it all, so now there was a rush to take in all of it.

When Kureha had told her father the plan, he responded with a silent nod and then after a moment simply said to her;

“Wear your seatbelt. Be safe.”

Kureha could never tell if he wanted to say more and merely didn’t know how to express himself, or in the harsh light of the apocalypse, she was now realizing how emotionally vacant he had been to her all these years. Many others were navigating the same realizations and questions with their loved ones; her friends included. In the desperation of all things, the idea of a close-knit group of individuals with whom she could be true, open, honest, and complex was a welcome respite. It was with this welcome warmth that she excitedly packed her bag and purse the night before they were set to leave.

They had all agreed to one main bag each, and one ‘carry-on’ that could fit in their lap or between their legs. The cabin room within the van was relatively ample, especially since there was technically room for seven passengers instead of their six. This open space was designated as a reserve room for souvenirs and of course road snacks.

Kureha packed her favorite tops, a pair of shorts, two pairs of pants, a week’s worth of undergarments, two pairs of shoes, and all the necessary toiletries. The last thing she grabbed was her digital camera. In a morbid way, she wanted to document the trip as much as possible, even though she knew no one would be around to look at the photos in a year. Still, she felt like the camera would help make the trip feel like a true road trip for her, and thus the camera was safely packed in its carry case and placed at the top of her bag for easy access.

A final konbini trip was planned for the last night in Asahikawa. The six of them met at Riku’s house and made their way down to the store. Anticipation and laughter filled the air as they walked. No one acknowledged the insanity that this trip was framed around. Talk was about who would drive first, where to get gas, what stop would be first, what hostels and hotels were nearest, and what chocolate would be ordered most.

Snacks were thrown into a basket until it was full. There was no pressure to pay at this location so once the contents were agreeable, they all departed with several bags in hand. The digital cashier machine called out a farewell to them as the doors slid closed.

“I freaking love melon bread,” sighed Kai as he opened his first snack.

“Oh are we eating some now?” asked Riku.

“If that’s the case, toss me my Hokkaido cream puff,” called Arata from behind.

Thus the snacks were opened and shared before the trip had even begun, and soon the friend group was at the nearby observation deck. A single staff member still manned the premises and opened the elevator doors to take them up to the viewing area. Hundreds of meters up, the six of them made their way from the elevator and out to the seating area that looked out over their city. No one spoke as they all stood at the edge and soaked in a goodbye view of their city.

Down below, thousands upon thousands of houses lit up the ground like jewels. Trees lined the riverbank that stretched out from beneath them and towards the city center, where dozens of groups of high rises and office buildings jutted up like obelisks. The mountains stood silently in the distance like a wall shielding them from the world beyond. Arata held out a bottle of tea in toast, and everyone extended theirs to meet him. Metal and plastic clinked together. The trip was set to begin.

Kureha fell asleep faster than she’d expected, as though her body knew she needed to rest to take the adventure in as fully as possible. So by the time her morning alarm began to ring, she was rejuvenated and ready. Her father had already left for work without a goodbye, so she had the house to herself. To her slight surprise, Kureha did find a moderate handful of cash folded at the foot of her bedroom door when she opened it, as though that was her father’s way of wishing her well. There was a sensation of melancholy parting when she picked up the money and placed it in her pocket.

“Bye Dad,” she whispered.

With that, Kureha said goodbye to her room, made her way downstairs with her luggage, and left the house. The door was locked behind her, and she felt it appropriate to give a bow to her home as she stepped away.

“I’ll see you when I see you,” she said.

Once again, the sensation of melancholy parting drifted through her body as she looked at the place she had lived for almost all of her life. It was a strange feeling since she still planned to return. Yet given the uncertainty of the chaos around her, Kureha felt it was appropriate to make peace with this place in case she did not see it again.

“You get that feeling too?” called Riku from his yard.

“Right? Like it’s goodbye?” Kureha answered.

“Yeah, I felt it too. I cried a little last night while looking at my manga collection,” he grinned.

“Awww. I love your collection. Did you bring any?” asked Kureha.

“Oh yeah. My favorites, one new omnibus, and a new light novel I got yesterday.”

“Well that should last you like a day or two,” joked Kai as he walked up from behind them.

Riku embraced him and nodded in bemused agreement.

“Can I read them when you’re done?” asked Kureha.

“Me too?” asked Kai.

“You can read them with me. I’ll give you one I’m not on while I read the others and we can rotate,” replied Riku.

“Deal,” said Kai as he and Riku bumped elbows twice and bumped fists as was their custom.

Soon Shiona joined them with a matching luggage and purse set.

“Miss Stylish!” whistled Kureha.

Shiona hit a pose and then strutted her way to them in an exaggerated fashion.

“Thank you, thank you,” she said with a bow.

“It was on sale. Yet another former luxury designer that collapsed when money no longer meant anything!”

“Perks of economic and societal collapse. Cheap merch!” laughed Kai.

Music rumbled from below them and the four of them turned to see Rin and Arata arriving in the van. Arata was driving and Rin leaned out the window to cheer. The music was turned up even louder and soon the four friends were dancing in the driveway with a beckoning heraldry for their incoming chariot.

Arata stopped before them and opened the door.

“Did someone ask for- a call on a - shit! I messed it up!” blurted Arata as they all burst out laughing.

“Redo! Redo!” yelled Kureha and Shiona.

Arata backed the van up several dozens of feet and turned the music up again. Everyone cheered and began to dance once more as the vehicle approached them and stopped. Arata and Rin had on sunglasses now and opened the door as the van came to a stop.

“Did someone ask for a taxi to the end of the world?” asked Arata in a fake deep voice.

“Um, I asked for a pizza delivery,” joked Riku.

“Yeah man, who the hell are you?’ asked Kai.

“Well, crap! Let’s go, Arata! Wrong address!” laughed Rin.

“NOOOOOO takemewithyouuuuu,” pleaded Kureha.

Luggage was loaded and the six all piled into their starting positions. After a moment of getting situated, the group was ready.

"First up; Ueno Farm!” called Rin as everyone cheered.

The first stop was still within Asahikawa, but it was the official start of their journey, so its location appearing on the van’s digital map signaled that they were ready. Arata put the van into gear and they set off into the future.

Rin selected a new song and the guitar riffs charged in with a jolt. It was a song from over a decade ago but they all knew it from the radio. Its nostalgic energy and optimism flooded the van with positive ecstasy. Riku, Rin, and Kai all began to play air instruments as Arata swayed and strummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Shiona had always been the best singer among them so Rin handed her an air microphone as soon as the vocals began. Shiona closed her eyes and began to belt out the lyrics in near-perfect harmony while she shook her head from side to side.

Kureha took out her phone and began to film the moment. As the sound streamed through them like a lifeline and the world zoomed by outside the windows, they all sang and strummed and banged on invisible cymbals. Kureha’s lens moved uninterrupted through them, capturing all of it. When the bridge of the song arrived, Kureha offered her phone to Kai, who began to film himself singing before passing it to Riku, who passed it to Shiona.

Shiona sang into the camera then it was in Rin’s hands who filmed her and Arata together. Arata held up a peace sign before the phone was passed back to Kureha. As the song came to its climactic conclusion, Kureha turned the camera around to capture all of them as they sang in unison and waved their hands in celebration. Joy and youth had returned to them, and for that moment, it felt like they might all live forever.