The Ones We Leave Behind

Present day

"I'm sorry Miss, those items are age-restricted," the waitress said, with an embarrassed but polite expression.

Che... of all the dumb luck... Mitsuha grumbled to herself. I had to run into the one waitress in all of Japan who actually recognizes I'm not twelve years old anymore...? I mean... she's not wrong... but really? You're going to deny me my glorious kid's meal...!?

"Well... it's good to see that at least some things haven't changed after all these years," Michiko said as she came up from behind with a nostalgic smile.

"Micchan!" Mitsuha said, turning around.

The two girls were in one of the local department stores that had several restaurants that had been a favorite of the girls growing up. As a kid, Mitsuha always ordered a kid's meal from this place; a glorious combination of omurice properly coated by cheap ketchup and a half-serving of hand-made Hamburg steak. She had made an improvised version of this combination back when she did consulting for Paradise Diner, but this was the real deal, and now I'm not going to get any because of an all-too-conscientious waitress, damn it!

Mitsuha settled for their fried shrimp and croquettes while Michiko ordered their spaghetti and the two of them settled down after the waitress left to put their orders in. The two of them look at each other with a mix of familiarity and sentimentality.

"So... kid's meal," Michiko noted with a bemused smile. "Still trying to exploit your youth, I see."

"It's their best deal," Mitsuha insisted.

Michiko paused. "Mitsuha...about your other order... the one you placed with me a couple days ago...?"

And here it comes... Mitsuha thought. Throughout her time in the Zegleus Kingdom, whenever she's been asked various questions about her store, her origins, or other questionable details about her life, she'd often had to invent elaborate backstories to explain away the contradictions that had begun to build. The Bozes had even come up with their own saying: "it is Mitsuha we're talking about... "; a tactful way of just admitting they weren't going to be getting the full story so don't press. So, is this the route I wanted to go with my best friend that I've known practically my entire life...just lie right to her face? "Yeah... about that...I've been meaning to tell you more about those..."

Michiko sighed. "So, is there actually a party? I mean... I'm sure you aren't just burning your inheritance money for nothing. So, what's really going on? If it's something serious, I want to be there to help you. Because the truth is...I can't help but wonder...if I had been there for you the first-time things went bad... maybe..." she trailed off, but Mitsuha couldn't help but notice the guilty look in Michiko's eyes.

"Wha...no! It's nothing like that...!" Mitsuha insisted. "I mean..."

"No, let me finish...! When I heard you were back and that you were planning parties for foreign guests, I didn't question it, because there's not a day that goes by that I don't wish I didn't do more for you after... well..." her voice began to crack as the memories of that night began to creep back to both of them.

"No, stop it Micchan...!" Mitsuha insisted, as she struggled to contain her own emotions. She took a moment to compose herself. "I never would have asked you to make that sacrifice! Your parents did the right thing! I know how much it must have hurt, but the last thing I would have wanted would be to drag both of us down into despair together!" She paused again. "As for what happened... how I was able to finally pull myself together..."

Mitsuha paused as the waitress came to deliver their food. After she left, Mitsuha resumed in more hushed tones. "Well... it's very complicated. It's nothing illegal... well... not really..." She thought about it in more nuanced terms. If it's in another world, do Japanese laws really apply? But she knew she was really splitting hairs, with regard to what Michiko was looking for.

Michiko looked both confused and unconvinced. "If it's nothing illegal or highly irregular, then how or what is going on with all this merchandise? What else could you possibly be doing with enough liquor to feed an entire city?"

Mitsuha almost smiled at the irony then finally sighed. She looked around, noting that the department store was filled with shoppers. Not here... way too many people. She took out a pen and wrote down an address. "Meet me here tonight and I'll tell you everything. If you really want to know the full truth, then be prepared to be out of town for at least a few days."

Michiko blinked as she took the slip of paper. What could that possibly mean...?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Michiko pulled her truck up to the small parking lot for the local tourist destination that featured a jagged coastline that overlooked the sea. The site itself was closed at this hour, but with so few amenities, they didn't bother securing it. Michiko looked around and saw that she was indeed all alone, before climbing up the steps to the top where the overlook would feature the best view, wooden fencing to protect from falling to the cliffs below, a set of coin-operated binoculars, public toilets and a few smatterings of modest conveniences. She saw a single familiar silhouette standing, waiting for her. Curious; I didn't see her subcompact in the parking lot; did she walk all the way here, Michiko wondered.

At the top, Mitsuha looked at the recently repaired wooden fence and down the cliff before pulling back. No need for history to repeat itself, she thought, with a touch of acrophobia. Not that we're likely to grab another one of those Cat-Gods or whatever those beings are, even if we did... she remembered with some sense of nostalgia.

"So, what's special about this place?" Michiko asked.

"They say every story has a beginning," Mitsuha said enigmatically. "This place... it's where mine started."

Michiko tilted her head. "That... makes no sense."

"It's difficult to explain it to you..." Mitsuha said as she extended her open hand. "It's easier to show you..."

Michiko hesitated then reached out and took Mitsuha's hand. A moment later, they vanished, leaving a quiet whoosh of air.