The You That Forgot Me

 So, our plan was somewhat set in motion. Touko was right; the only good things about our worlds are each other. I wouldn’t leave anything of value behind, nor would she. Deep down, I wonder if I’m saying these things to make myself feel better.

I’m lying on the ground, wrapped in a thin blanket, lost in my head. I began to feel bad just lying without a purpose, so I got up to continue working on my manga. As soon as I sat at the desk and put my pen on the paper, I heard a knocking at my booth. I stare at the door long enough to confirm, yes, they are knocking on my door.

Getting up to open the door, I find Yoichi Mukai standing in the hall, another Net Cafe Refugee, and my friend. Well, friend is a strong word. For some reason, he just took a liking to me; he calls me interesting. Without saying a word, he enters my booth uninvited and sits on the ground. He’s careful enough not to mess up our arrangement, at least.

“Hey man, do you need something?” I asked, giving him a puzzled look.

“Nah, I just got bored. I figured you were doin’ something cool,” Yoichi chuckled.

I blinked at him with a blank stare on my face before going back to my manga work. He nudged my arm, dust from his oversized hoodie settled onto my sleeve, “Don’t ignore me, man! What’re you working on, anyway?”

A smile settled on my face, hoping that explaining the plot of my manga would scare him off, “Out of nowhere, this man abandons himself. It’s about his friends and family trying to understand why he did.”

 “Damn… that’s dark,” Yoichi commented, pointing at a sketch I made of a potential back cover- a field of red spider lilies. “What’s that about? The guy doesn’t die, does he?”

I shook my head, “It represents his death. The death of his past self.”

Yoichi made a disapproving sound with his mouth, “You depress me sometimes, man. But I guess that’s the life of an aspiring mangaka.”

He sighed and spread his body out onto the ground, “Y’know… I’m trying to leave this place soon, but I keep gambling all my money and shit away. I always think I’m aboutta win big, but it never happens,” he laughs self-deprecatingly.

“There’s no need for everything to happen so quickly. Just take it slow, and get some help with your problem if you need to,” I glance at Yoichi, trying my best to comfort him.

“You’re right, my bad. I just needed to get that off my chest,” Yoichi glanced back at me, “So, when’re you planning on leaving? After college?”

“I feel like… after I’m done with this, I’m gonna leave,” I tap my knuckle against the sheets of paper on my desk.

“Seriously? That soon? Sorry to see you go, man.”

“Yeah… don’t worry, I can leave you with it. Consider it my parting gift, I guess,” I replied, putting my hand over the tablet with rough sketches of manga panels.

I sensed that he had pieced together that my departure wasn’t just from the cafe.

“Haruki, dude. Are you okay? If you need someone to talk to…” I quickly respond by shaking my head.

“It’s okay. I have everything under control.”

He shoots me a concerned look, “Alright, I guess. I’ll leave you to that then.”

With that, he exits my booth. For a second, I feel bad about leaving him so soon, but I shake that thought off. Yoichi is capable; I am not.
—
The following weeks feel like a blur. I was just filling the void before the inevitable happened. Touko and I agreed to roll with our plan after I finished my manga. Finalizing the cover, I etched the words “My Parting Gift~ Nakamura Haruki” onto it. Touko glances over my shoulder.

“You’re giving this to Yoichi, aren’t you, Haru?” I nod in response, picking it up to walk to Yoichi’s regular booth. Touko follows.

“After this, we have nothing left to do,” I say to her with a severe tone.

“Ah, right…” her voice reflected conflicting emotions but quickly dissipated when I gently grabbed her chin, stroking her cheek.

“It’ll be okay… I promise,” I whispered.

“Okay… I trust you.”
—
We knocked on Yoichi’s booth, and he quickly swung the door open. His booth is noticeably smaller than ours, which is probably one of the reasons why he hung out in ours so often.

“Haruki! Touko! Are you guys off? Good luck!” He exclaims, a genuine smile across his face. For a moment, I feel bad.

I handed him the manga, “Yeah… I don’t think we’ll see each other again after this.”

He looks at me suspiciously, “Man, if you guys are planning on doing something crazy, then you can-”

“We’re not,” I interrupted with certainty, “It’s just a feeling I have, okay? We’re fine,” I think I might’ve come on a little too strongly.

“Alright, fine… stay safe, guys.”

Touko glances at me, staying silent. We shut the door before us, and my demeanor changed.

“Sorry for that, Touko. I just don’t want people interrupting us.”

“Y-Yeah… it’s okay, I understand.”
—
The two of us walked through the town hand in hand, the snow falling around us and coating the ground in white. Touko would wrap my arm around her shoulder whenever a chilly wind blew. We arrived at a building with shattered glass, secluded from everything else. The snow gathered on the roof, then gracefully descended down once it started piling; no sign of life emitted from it. Each step weighed heavy in my heart, making everything seem real.

On the roof, we stood overlooking the whole city with our hands interlocked. Our shoes quickly turned white as the snow intensified, obscuring our vision slightly.

“This is… a little scary, huh?” I chuckle nervously, gripping Touko’s hand tighter. Only then did I realize her hands were shaking and drenched in sweat. She mustered a smile- one of the most pained smiles I’ve seen from her.

“Yeah… it is, but you said everything would be better after this, right?” She responded, her voice cracking. A cold tear trailed down her cheek, and I wiped my finger across it, pulling her into a tight embrace.

“Yes… we’ll finally be happy together.”

“Haru…ki?” She lifted her head up.

“Yes?” I asked in a gentle voice, taken aback by my full name.

“I’ll always love you, Haruki… in this life…”

“-and in the next, too?” I finished her sentence. Without responding, she pulls me into a kiss. The final kiss before the two of us fell into a garden of red spider lilies, never to be heard from again.
—
When I regained consciousness, I found myself lying in a field in the heart of a town. Looking around, I noticed a resemblance to a medieval city. That’s when I realized everything worked, and I could finally have my forever with Touko. I frantically scanned the field, and my eyes landed on a familiar figure sleeping in a conservative dress with a blue skirt draped along her body.

I rushed to her side and cradled her in my arms, repeating her name softly. Her eyes slowly open, taking in the scenery before fixating on my eyes. She takes a moment before suddenly slinging herself onto my shoulder, silently sobbing into my ruffled white shirt.

“It’s okay, Touko, I’m here now…” I reassured her, speaking softly.

“N-no… I’m sorry…” She choked out, looking at me with a pained expression and tears streaming down her cheeks.

“I just…” she sniffles, “I don’t know who you are…”

My heart sank, disbelief washing over me. A sense of unease settled between me and the girl in my arms. We sat in the grass together, the girl I loved with my whole heart… who no longer remembers me.