Epilogue

“Hello, hello, my dear friends and foes. Welcome back to this week’s episode of ‘We’re Not So Different, You and I,’ and before we get started today, I just want to give a quick reminder that The Flair Grenades are going on tour again next year. You can check all the cities we’ll be status-checking as well as the dates on our website. Anyway, I’m your host as always, Pappyhead, and this week, I’m joined by a very, very special guest, the one and only, the gorgeous and talented Masuda Hikari. I cannot express how happy I am to have you on with us here today.”

“Thank you, thank you! Your words are too kind, Paperbag Head. I’m far too old to still be called gorgeous. I’m glad to be on here despite not being a hero or a villain or any person of significance in the industry.”

“Oh, please, Mrs. Hikari. Just Pappyhead is fine, and don’t sweat it about not being a villain or hero. How could we ever pass up having a guest of your renown? Now for the one listener who doesn’t know who you are, would you like to introduce yourself.”

“Sure thing! Well, how should I put it? Hm, you could say I’m just a really popular idol and singer-songwriter is all.”

“Oh, don’t undersell yourself like that.” The two conversing share a laugh together.

“My apologies. I suppose I’ve also done a few other things. You might know me from the one time I sang at the Olympics. I guess people also say that I helped pave the way for herkahumans in popular media.”

“Absolutely. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you frankly. The entirety of the Flair Grenades wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. Your impact on and the empowerment you brought to herkahumans in the entertainment and media industry extends to the hero industry too.”

“I’m not worthy of such high praise. I’d like to think the position we herkahumans are in today is the result of the collective effort of everyone pushing for change, and even now, the fight isn’t over. Our more herkamorphic allies are still facing prejudice based on their appearance every day, even from other herkahumans, and there are still parts of the world where herkahumans are oppressed by the elite populous. There’s still much more to be done, I think.”

“Wow, incredible. Very well put, Mrs. Hikari. What an amazing person you are… Can you give us some insight into how you managed to get to where you are today?”

“Hm… That’s a difficult question. Frankly, I think I got extremely lucky, but at the same time, I definitely couldn’t have done it without the undivided support of my aunt and uncle. If they weren’t there for me… If they hadn’t shown up to every one of my recitals and performances, I don’t think I would’ve made it as far as I did.”

“I see… And speaking of your family, I know this must be an exhausting question for you, but while I have you on here with me, I simply must ask.” Some shuffling of papers can be heard through the microphone. “Was your father really The Ghost of Nemuro?”

A moment of silence settles before Hikari answers.

“Mmn, well, simply put, yes. Yes, he was.” Hikari lets out an awkward laugh. “I really don’t have much to say about him though. For most of my childhood, I grew up with my aunt and uncle due to his unlawful incarceration.”

“Unbelievable, to think the superstar herself would have an equally legendary father. Now, I know he’s an inspiration to both modern heroes and villains alike, but I personally think I’m rather similar to him.”

“Oh, yes, I see. I can definitely see the similarities.”

“Right? He can phase through walls, and you know, I, um, I can enter and emerge out of any geometric concavity. We’re like, both stealth-based espionage types. I’m the best thief in the world, and he’s an escape artist. It’s, uh, it’s pretty similar.”

“Yes, for sure,” Hikari responds with an air of awkwardness, seemingly unsure as to how to react.

“I mean, I wish I could pull off what he has though. After being surrounded and shot at from all around, the man just straight up vanished. He could still be out there somewhere for all we know. Excuse me for a moment. Can I just…” The mic sounds like it’s being pulled closer to the speaker. “Hello, Ghost. If you’re listening to this right now, I would love to have you on the podcast as well. Just send me a message on Verber or something. Anyway, sorry about that, Mrs. Hikari. I’m sure my listeners would love to know, so if you could shed some light on how The Ghost of Nemuro was as a father, that would be greatly appreciated.”

“Right, let’s see… Well, while I’d like to say he was a very loving father, for as much as I can remember, he was never present.”

“Well, I suppose that’s Ghost for you.”

“The only strong memories I have of him… aren’t exactly pleasant…”

“Oh? Could you elaborate on that a little more?”

“Well, there were two instances when he suddenly reentered my life… His first two escapes. The first was at my first underground public concert, and the second was at my middle school graduation. Both times, he barged in and brought the police with him, shutting down the entire event…”

“Wow… I see. That’s really cool. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that before.”

“Yes, I’ve never shared that with anyone before until now.”

“Gee, I wonder what was going through his head when he just decided to show up uninvited. Could it be that he thought the police would take pity on him if he just went back to his daughter? I guess we’ll never know unless the legend himself decides to show up and confirm the answer for us.”

I tighten my grip on my phone as my mother speaks to the doctor in the other room. The old man never liked me listening to this podcast. It’s not like he had many opportunities to express that sentiment to me though. Removing my earbuds, I look over at Naoya, fast asleep on the chair. He’s still only eleven, and it’s... I’ve lost track of time here. It’s got to be at least 5:00 am by now though, considering I’ve gone through more than a whole episode already. The only source of illumination shines through a lone window high up on the wall at the end of the corridor. The golden square of light travels down the gloomy hall as the sun continues to rise just like any other day. It’s like the whole world’s in on this.