Epilogue: The final hug. [THE END]

Oh... so that's why... "Okay..." I stood up by myself. I didn't know what I was doing. My mind stopped working way back and now it is nothing but a hollow shell. I am doing stuffs purely on instincts.

"Eh? Katsuhito?", Teiji looked surprised, standing with Satoshi at the outskirts of the forest, close to the graveyard. I looked back, granny was following with me.

The crowd in the graveyard didn't quite settle. They were all surrounded at the place where Airi-chan's ghost body laid flat. None could pick her up, they would just phase through it.

I looked back, seems like granny had already told Teiji and Satoshi what to do now. I could see them preparing with shovels.

I shoved through the crowd around her. I stood there for a long while. I looked at her, but I had no tears in my eyes. That was weird... I loved her... then why am I not crying? Am I dead myself too?

Maybe I have lost emotions. I sat down beside her dead body. "Airi-chan..." I stuttered while whispering. "They are telling me to release you body to the sea... they told that that would save the townsfolk. What... should I do...?"

There was no answer. I figured that before. How dumb am I-

"Katsuhito-kun..." I heard an echo. It was her... "Release me to the sea... I have a lot of things to tell you..."

I don't know where that voice came from... maybe it was from behind me. I was too afraid to look. What if she disappears when I look back? Hearing her voice was enough. Having something is better than nothing...

"Katsuhito..." Teiji called me. Her coffin was already dug out of her grave. That spear mark on the coffin made me sad.

I could pick her ghost body up, to everyone's surprise. I couldn't help but fulfil her wishes. I gently placed her ghost body on top of her coffin, and she gently phased through the wood frame into the place where she once belonged. I would never see her face, touch her cheeks, look at her eyes... ever again...

I touched the wooden frame as a final gesture of affection to her.

All of my memories suddenly came back to me. Mainly, the funeral of her.

Ahh... I see... so this is where all of my tears were hiding... I hadn't lost my emotions... they were just locked up...

I cried my eyes out. I didn't care what others thought of me crying. I was not going to see her again, never again...

We along with the townsfolk took her coffin to the seashore. Though I didn't have the energy, I carried the coffin too with little force I could give.

"Sadly I can't go with you anymore. I am old so I will stay here and watch. Don't go too far." The old lady told us. We were now planning to go a bit far away from the land via speedboat to release her. It was only I, Teiji and Satoshi. Takuma stayed in the land, just like others.

We went to the sea. Satoshi and Teiji looked at each other before looking at me. "Katsuhito... are you ready?"

I looked at that coffin, touched it one last time... this was my final touch...

"Yes..."

My last conversation with her was the only thing that played in my head as I saw the sea engulfing her body to its depths...

"I have a lot of things to tell you..." she was standing behind me, smiling. "I don't know where to start... Anyways, you have to eat good food while I am gone, dress nicely, always be positive, always be good in studies, always be good in your behaviour, treat everyone nicely, be gentle, be frugal..." she stopped for a moment. I wish I could hear her voice for longer. Her voice is beautiful. "Well... I guess you already know about these..."

"Yeah... you always would tell me these stuffs all the time."

"But lastly... please... please take care of yourself. You have a bad habit of not doing that... I am afraid, you might not take care of yourself while I'm gone..."

"I will, don't worry that much." I laughed. "What about you?"

"I can take care of myself!" She gave a smug. I could sense it.

"Then-" I paused for a moment. "I have just one thing to tell you...

Just wait for some time... I will be coming. It won't be that long."

I finally had the courage to look back at her. I could see it. She was truly there all this time... but she was now fading away, with a smile in her face.

"Okay! I will be waiting... but don't come too fast though!"

She hugged me one final time before disappearing into nothingness...