Goodbye

<Sharp>

Back when I was in sixth grade, I used to play poker with my sister.

“Ta-da! Three of a kind!”

“Heh-heh. I’ve got a full house!”

“Nice! Sharp, you’re so strong!”

“Well, once you get the hang of it, it’s easy.”

My sister gave me a warm, amused look.

“You know, Sharp, you’re smart.”

“No way. Everyone at school says I’m an idiot. I never get good grades on tests either!”

“I’ve seen your test papers. Sure, you don’t score well on questions that require a lot of memorization. But you get the hard ones right. Like those problems that ask for the area of complex shapes combining triangles, trapezoids, and circles—you got every step right. Those are the kinds of problems that kids aiming for elite junior high schools pull all-nighters to master. But you solve them on instinct. That’s real intelligence. People who say they have natural smarts usually don’t. But you’re different. It’s such a waste not to put in the effort.”

It stuck with me because it was so unlike her usual teasing.

I tried to remember what I said back then.

“I’m just a Yotaro.”

“Yotaro?”

“When we went to Zipangu Village, I got hooked on the art of rakugo. In rakugo, there are classic characters like Kuma-san and Hacchan—and Yotaro is one of them too. He’s slow-witted, easygoing, and always messes things up. But people laugh at him, and it makes them happy. That kind of role suits me.”

“You’re not just some character, you know. If you’ve spent time in Zipangu Village, you must’ve heard the old tale of San-nen Netaro from Yamaguchi. A man who slept for three years, ridiculed by everyone, but it turned out he was dreaming up a brilliant plan to save the village. You’re going to surprise everyone one day with something big. You’ll be someone amazing.”

“Netaro sounds just as lame as Yotaro. That’s not a compliment, sis… geez. Still, it’s not my style to aim high. I just want to keep goofing off and living easy.”

“You think deeply. You can see coral reefs and deep-sea fish at the bottom of oceans most people can’t even dive into. But you dive so deep, you miss the pretty seashells near the shore that everyone else can find, and they call you dumb for it. If you ever learn to look at the big picture too, you’ll be unstoppable. It’s such a waste that no number can measure your brilliance! The world would be better without numbers!”

Sis... that thing you always struggled with—those "karma points"—it looks like we finally managed to destroy them ourselves.

Around the Star Voice Notary daffodils were blooming. They’re not in season, but someone must be tending this remote place, adjusting the temperature so they could bloom.

The flower language of daffodils is “talent” and “vanity.” They were her favorite.

In that moment, I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.

At last, I could accept in my heart that she was gone.

Goodbye, Lyric, my dear sister. I think I’ve finally avenged you.