Chapter 14:

Promise

Girlfriend from Another World


14

The last night I’d see of this place.

Hundreds of people walked the halls of the airport lobby. Dozens upon dozens of conversations and call-outs mixed with the PA system to create a harmonious mess of noises that echoed throughout the place. Festival lanterns shaped in different fish hung in the distance, giving the place an almost festive feel.

After spending the evening exploring the rest of Shibuya, going into random shops and alleyways doing nothing of particular value, our trip eventually had to come to an end.

We took one last, long train ride to the airport.

Makoto insisted that she come with us to see us off.

Jougasaki went off in the distance, making sure our departure was arranged with no hitch—leaving Makoto and me alone in this jungle of people and noise.

Makoto stared off into the departures area, looking like she was reminiscing.

“This was the same airport I landed in when I first set foot home.” said Makoto.

“Oh, what a coincidence.”

“Yeah,” she said. “I remember mama and papa losing their way around the festival area. They even argued on what to eat that morning.”

I peered into the distance and saw the labyrinthine arrangement of halls on the second floor where the lanterns hung.

“It does look pretty confusing.”

Makoto began to reminisce about her arrival in Japan. She told stories of how shocked she was to see the environment for the first time, and how it felt so different from home.

Though she was born here, she was barely four years old when their family decided to spend the next several years in a foreign land. They said it was for better education, but sometimes I doubt if that was the only reason.

Her stories reflected my first impressions of the country—wonder, joy, relief.

Though, I’m sure that the grass will always be greener on the other side, given enough time to live here.

She trailed off into many tangents, recalling fond memories of her earlier days here. It was refreshing to hear her talk without the yokai bearing over her shoulder, and the prospect of being possessed or something.

I simply listened to her talk my ear off, with great pleasure.

My phone buzzed. A message had come through my LIME. It was from Jougasaki. It read:

“Dude, we good to go. Our flight’s in an hour. I’ll go on ahead of you, go do what you need to do. ;)”

Right.

Thanks, Jou.

I sighed. I turned to Makoto, looking her in the eye. “Alright, guess that’s it for me.”

Makoto smiled wistfully, flipping her hair out of her face.

“Yeah. That ends our five-day date, doesn’t it?”

“It does.”

An awkward silence overtook us. I averted my gaze, unable to look straight at her suddenly. I still couldn’t believe this would be the end of my ‘little’ grand getaway.

“I… had fun. Do you… feel the same?” Makoto asked shyly.

“It’s the same for me.” I said, clearing my throat. “Thank you for everything.”

“Even though I gave you lots of trouble?”

“Even then. If anything, it was very, very interesting. Definitely a story that’ll be good to tell over a drink.”

“Like they’d believe you.”

“Doesn’t matter. You couldn’t tell 90% of drunk stories from fact or fiction, anyway.”

We chuckled at the same time. She probably knew what I meant.

“So I guess,” I continued. “I’m not your boyfriend anymore?”

“Heh, nope.”

I scratched the back of my head, trying to look at her from my bowed head. “Oh, come on… it sounds like we’re breaking up.”

“Yeah, it does, doesn’t it?” Makoto said, pondering.

“Ugh, you don’t need to put it that way…”

Makoto laughed with her hand over her mouth. She was beginning to ease up on the nervousness, and in turn, so did mine start to disappear.

“Well, if I ever get a girlfriend back home, I’ll have to make sure she’s anywhere near your caliber.”

“Hehe, tough luck.” Makoto said in a prideful, confident way. “You can’t get Makoto Shirase-tier girls anywhere but here.”

“Good God, Makoto. Them’s fighting words.”

“You bet!”

“Heh, I’ll have to find a girl who doesn’t start off possessed.”

Makoto playfully shoved me, smiling and pouting at the same time. “Oh, shut up, you ‘ol brute! Forget that already.”

I waved my hand back and forth, dissuading her.

“Right, right.”

The PA system sounded off, and started listing off departures coming in soon. My ears perked up when I heard my flight number, despite not understanding much of the announcer.

“Oh crap.” I said, scrounging around my bag for my ticket. “I can’t be late for that flight.”

I waved my ticket up to Makoto.

“Would be bad if I got stuck here.

You know what they say. Only three things are certain in life: Death, taxes, and travel visas.”

“What kinda corny line is that?”

“Mine.”

Makoto took a step back, finally affixing her gaze at me.

“You take care, okay?”

I stepped towards the departure area. I bowed my head a little at Makoto.

“You, too. Do keep in touch, okay?”

Makoto waved her cellphone up at me, showing our latest LIME conversation. “I’m not letting you go this time without contact info.”

I laughed under my breath.

“Wonders of the internet.”

I took two steps forward. I waved her one more goodbye, as I took my third step. “See ya around, Makoto.”

“See ya.” She said, standing in place, reciprocating my wave.

I took a fourth step.

A fifth. A sixth. And then a seventh, eighth, ninth. A tenth and more.

And I stopped myself. I glanced one more time in Makoto’s direction.

She was still standing there, waving me a farewell. She was smiling at me. But somehow, something felt wrong. I watched her stand there, waving goodbye, as a flurry of people raced behind her. It was like she was the only stagnant figure in an ever-moving landscape.

Somehow, something felt incomplete.

Her eyes gleamed in the bright lights of the airport. She grasped her pouch with one hand, almost crushing it.

No.

It cannot end like this.

Not a second time.

Sweat began to drip inside my shirt, even through the cold of the spring air and air conditioning. It was happening again. But it didn’t have to.

I took a step back.

Two steps. Three steps. Four, five, six.

I turned about-face, taking seven, eight, nine steps back towards Makoto. A tenth and more. Her eyes widened with each step I took.

I stopped in front of her.

I gazed directly into her eyes, unfaltering. She gazed back, her expression surprised and confused.

“Makoto.”

“W-what?” she said nervously.

“I should have done this earlier.”

I went up to her. I held my arms out, and pulled her in for one, big embrace.

Makoto was startled. She began stammering, her arms outstretched in surprise. As I held her in my arms, a thought started to settle. I never realized how small she was relative to me—Makoto has always been a stronger, more reliable person than me. In my mind, she was as big as, or even bigger than me.

“H-hey! This is embarrassing.”

I paid it no mind. I didn’t care if this was some sort of public disturbance or shameful display. This was something I wanted for myself—an expression of, well, everything.

I tightened my embrace.

Makoto responded as her struggle ceased. She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me in an embrace of her own.

“Stupid.” She said, as she dug her nails into my back.

I embraced her for one, two, three moments. The buzzing of the crowd slowed, and all the noises seemed to become irrelevant. Time slowed, and my senses sharpened, focused only on Makoto.

Makoto was warm. Warmer than she’s ever been this entire week. Without the yokai in her, Makoto’s breath was hot, and her touch, cozy and comforting.

I held her for as long as possible. Firmly, surely, with every ounce of affection I mustered. An embrace that could protect her from harm, reassuring her as much as I could.

I don’t know how much time has passed.

I let go of her, nudging her away softly.

Makoto’s face was beet red, and her eyes were wet. Her ears were glowing, and her mouth agape just a little.

I reached for her hands, and clasped them with my own.

I shot her a determined, sure look—full of intent and purpose.

“Makoto. Please wait for me.”

“H-huh?”

“I don’t want it to end here.

I’ve been trying to hide it all this time, but I didn’t want our boyfriend-girlfriend thing to end like this. We’re only saying that because we’re not sure if and when we’ll see each other again, right?”

“I—”

I raised our hands up between us, sharing the warmth of each other as I caressed her fingers.

“This time, I want to make the promise. That promise you wanted to hear so many years ago. I’m making it now.”

“Please, I can’t—”

“I promise. I will see you again. I’ll meet you again, someday, sooner than later. I’ll make it happen no matter what. I don’t know how, but I will.

And when I do, I’ll make you mine.”

Makoto simply gaped at me, redder than a tomato. Tears ran down her cheeks, as she began to snivel like a young girl again.

“You idiot.” She said, holding my hand firmly. “You know I can just go home and see you instead, right?”

“I know that.” I replied, chuckling and breaking eye contact for a moment. “But I just wanted to do the childhood promise thing. Heh.”

I turned my gaze at her again, regaining my composure.

“I didn’t make it when we were kids. So I’m gonna do it now.”

Makoto shook her head. She let her tears escape her, as she met my gaze with her own.

“What are you doing, being cool all of a sudden…?”

I tried to hold back my own emotions bursting out, but even then, my voice began to crack as well.

“Makoto. Please. Wait for me.
I’ll come back for you. I promise.”

She closed her eyes, trying to gather her wits about her. Makoto quickly met my eyes again, her tears flying out her face like beautiful ocean pearls scattering on a bright, starry sky.

Her smile was radiant, brilliant, just like the Makoto I knew all those years ago.

The Makoto I loved.

“Then I’ll wait for you.
I promise.”

***
***
***

I was home.

Several months have passed since those days.

The heat outside was unbearable. The room’s air conditioning could barely keep up.

I lay on a couch, its wooly material slightly rough and itchy.

Around me were piles of photography and fashion magazines, and at least two high-spec computers placed near the walls of this small, studio-type room.

In the same room, using one of the computers right now, was Jougasaki.

His table was adorned with all the souvenirs and merchandise we had bought on our trip last time. The crown jewel at the highest shelf, of course, was Ami-chan.

It was a small studio Jougasaki and I had rented out for cheap just a month or two ago.

We started up a photography and film gig together, reviving the kind of things we did back in university. It was an alternate venture I wanted to explore, but I knew I couldn’t do it alone.

It was a dreamy and lofty goal, to one day produce something that Senpai herself would be proud of. We’d start small, and eventually make it into the big leagues.

Neither of us quit our regular day jobs. It was something we’d do on our downtime, hopefully building up to be a formidable player someday.

To be honest, we weren’t doing too hot.

Jougasaki and I had gotten a few wedding gigs and small-time photoshoots as freelancers, but our total efforts could only break our business even.

Our inexperience in the field even had one client cutting and running after we’d already lended our services.

It was tough and a rough back-and-forth of failures and successes.

But both of us were dead-set on seeing this through.

Jougasaki stood from his chair, carrying a small bag across his shoulder, and phone in hand.

“Dude, mind holding the fort for a few hours? We got a client.”

“Oh yeah? Meeting them already?”

“Yeah. This guy sounds like the break we need—if we’re lucky.”

“If we’re lucky.”

A phrase we’ve gotten used to for the past months.

Jougasaki dashed out the studio, as he answered a call and chattered away until I no longer heard him in the halls.

I hopped from the couch and closed the door behind him.

I passed a corkboard nailed to the wall, full of pinned photos from our trip to Japan on my way back to the couch. Some of them Makoto sent herself through mail and messenger, and I simply printed them for posterity.

Those were happy days.

It had only been a few months, yet it was enough to make me nostalgic.

Speaking of, it was a slow day, wasn’t it?

I wondered what I could do to pass the time while Jou was allegedly trying to nail a killer deal?

I checked my phone and idled through my mountain of apps for both work and play.

Oh yeah.

I've been so busy these past few months that I haven’t given any time to watch Miki Starsky.

I wondered how she was doing nowadays.

I checked her channel news. A wave of comments on a new video popped up for a specific new video she posted.

It was good to see Miki was still active, despite everything that happened.

I knew she had it in her, even without a spirit’s power.

The recent comments (the English ones, of course) read something like:

“Miki, you sound a little rougher here but I really like the song.”

“New style? You don’t usually sing in 100% English.”

“Omg I’m glad you’re trying different things.”

“Is this the same Miki? What did you do with the real Miki?”

“Kinda rough ngl, but this at least has SOUL”

I chuckled. Wow. A little on the divisive side, huh? It made me wonder what her newest work could be.

I read a community post that teased and promoted her new song.

“I didn’t know how to play or write the second verse until a few months ago. But I worked hard for my newest single. I really enjoyed making this one. Please enjoy! Hope you like it!”

Curious.

I put on my headphones and opened the link to Miki Starsky’s newest single.

I took one look at the title.

That first guitar note made me realize—made me understand that everything would be alright.

Yeah.
You can do this.

Miki Starsky’s newest single:

“Waiting For You”.