Epilogue: The Wall in the Mind

As expected, that was the last I saw of Ayasa.

The handover was completed without further disruption. Hiroki made it back to the South, and Ayasa made it back to the North. The tension dissipated. The Soviets withdrew from the city, and the Americans also withdrew shortly thereafter. Life began to return to normal. The shops started filling up. The missile launchers in the parks were packed up and shipped elsewhere. The fighter jets dancing over the city flew away. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

My father took me aside that morning and explained a great many things. How he wasn’t really a city official, but a high ranking member of ROJIS. How I should keep what happened that morning between myself and himself, and that it was very important for the country. Okinawa was off, but I would never return to Akiba North as a student. I had made too much trouble. After the end of summer, I’d be packed off to a military academy in Kyushu. My father had decided that I needed stronger discipline than a civilian school could provide. As always, there would be consequences. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between us, though- “Keep this a secret from your Mother, Sister, and Friends… and you’ll go free after the end of high school.” A plea bargain of the worst kind.

I took most of the blame for persuading Hiroki to go with me on this little adventure, even if that wasn’t really how it had happened. He didn’t get away totally scot-free, but my sacrificial dive let him keep going to Akiba North. It was definitely a better fate than being disappeared to a Northern gulag.

I learned from my father that Miho had been protecting us while I was away, even though she disapproved of our trip. I didn’t ever get the chance to apologize to her, though- I never saw Akiba North again after that day. Someday, I hope we can meet again, and I can apologize, and we can reminisce about this time as old - friends. Yes, that’s the right word for it. Miho was my friend.

Junichi Kanamaru is still out there, still trying to make a quick buck. He seems to have moved on from manual labor and smuggling schemes to more benign- if deceptive- digital asset scams. I don’t think he’ll ever be able to recover on my supposed debt, but I’m going to keep my doors locked from now on in case he ever decides to come crawling back.

I haven’t given up on Ayasa.

I’m sure she’s out there. My father did his best to sweep all of this incident under the rug- I’m sure her father would have done the same. Even so, I’m not going to leave it there. It’s not right.

There is a famous viral photo on the internet. It depicts a young man and a young woman kissing each other in the middle of Allied Checkpoint Dog. It was apparently taken by someone with a telephoto lens from a nearby skyscraper. The image is blurry and grainy- the exposure settings are all wrong for dawn- but it’s clear what’s going on. The identities of the couple are a mystery, but it’s a common post seen in places on the internet where people are tired of the status quo.

Even if it does look a little cringy.

And so what if the wall is still between us? It’s made out of concrete, and nothing sturdier than that. It will erode. If that’s not fast enough, we can tear it down. If I could, I’d tear it down with my own hands. But I cannot. That day isn’t here yet- but I think it will be, soon enough.

I have a promise to keep, after all.