nhp | (Sutamai) Event: ‘At The Final Stop of The Galaxy Express’, Part 3

56.

-Galaxy Express: Inside Carriage-

Go was sitting right behind me.

We were positioned so that our backs were together, and yet for some reason, I could see his face. My mind knew of his expressions.

Because it was a dream. This wasn’t reality.

Either way, my heart was awfully unsettled.

Miyase: I met with your high school self earlier.

Kujo: … I also met with your high school self.

Miyase: Is that so? Did you two talk about anything?

Kujo: We spoke about the meaning behind autumn bellflowers.

Miyase: Sounds like fun.

Kujo: … Did you talk about anything with me?

Miyase: I was questioned.

On whether you and I are together, even in the future.

Kujo: … Did you answer yes?

Miyase: I did. You made a very relieved-looking face.

I could feel the area around my heart twinge at the horrible hunch I had.

When I got aboard this train, I encountered Go.

And right now, once again—

Kujo: It’s become just the two of us.

All of a sudden, it wasn’t a lucid dream anymore.

Just now, that was the same line as Giovanni, and not my own.

Kujo: Let’s go everywhere and anywhere together, always.

I didn’t want to have to say it.

When Go looked outside the window, he uttered what I didn’t want to hear.

Miyase: … The flower garden over there is lovely.

No.

Miyase: Oh, look, Kujo-san. Mother is there too.

Kujo: !!

I couldn’t see any such flower garden.

I didn’t want to respond at all, but my mouth ended up moving on its own.

Kujo: Everywhere, and anywhere, together…

If I were to finish saying it—

Kujo: Wherever. Everywhere, and anywhere—together…

Then Go would vanish from my sight in the same way as Campanella.

Rei: Kujo-san! Miyase-san!

Kujo & Miyase: !

58.

-Galaxy Express: Inside Carriage-

Before we realised it, she was standing in the aisle.

And looking down at us with a serious expression.

Rei: The two of you are under arrest for suspicion of fare evasion!

Miyase: What…

Kujo: Under arrest…

Rei: For starters, neither of you have the right to be aboard this train.

I’ll have to ask you both to get off at the next station with me.

She appeared irritated as she reached out either of her hands.

And firmly gripped mine and Go’s arm.

Kujo: !

(This is supposed to be a dream… but her hand feels awfully hot.)

At the same time as I thought that, I felt strongly at peace.

Because it was her hand that was connecting us right now.

It gave me the sense as if there truly existed a final stop where Go and I could be together for wherever we went.

-Kujo’s Room-

Kujo: !

Miyase: Oh, have you come to?

Kujo: … Go?

Miyase: Oh now, please don’t attempt getting out of bed. When I came to wake you up, you had passed out with a high fever.

Kujo: A fever… right.

I remembered that moment inside my dream where I couldn’t catch the name of that police detective’s younger brother.

Miyase: I’ll go fetch Shindo-san at once.

I noticed that there were flowers I recognised arranged in the vase on my bedside table.

Kujo: These are autumn bellflowers, huh…

At my scratchy voice, Go glanced back with his hand already on the door knob.

Miyase: *Chuckles* You knew without even me mentioning it.

Kujo: (If I recall, the meaning of autumn bellflowers is…)

Miyase: It has the meaning of “overcoming sickness”.

Kujo: !

Miyase: Please do get better soon. Have you forgotten? We still need to discuss the topic of the hot springs.

The door shut close, and I was left on my own.

Kujo: (So it was because of my high fever that her hand inside my dream was that hot…)

Pfft—haha.

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. I covered my feverish eyes with one hand.

In the back of my eyelids, there was still the lingering effect of the Galaxy Express.

Kujo: (Why did she appear at that timing, and in that role, I wonder.)

(To begin with, she’s an NCD agent, and not even a police officer or train conductor…)

I was close to being arrested for fare evasion there.

The unexpected way in which my dream had ended, and waking up from that because of some fever wasn’t so bad.

[Day turns to night]

Several days later.

-Kujo Household: Study-

Rei: Pardon the intrusion, Kujo-san.

Kujo: Ah, yes, I see you made it.

59.

-Kujo Household: Study-

Rei: Thank you for inviting me over to dinner today.

I heard from Kirishima-san that there’s something you want to talk to me about before that, so here I am.

Kujo: Yes, but rather than a talk… I wanted to give you this.

Rei: ?

She came over closer to where I was standing in front of the bookshelf, and after getting a look at what I was holding out to her, her face lit up in surprise.

Rei: “Night on the Galactic Railroad”…

Kujo: You mentioned the other day that your memory of it was vague. If it pleases you, then I hope you can put it to use.

Rei: How do I say it, um… Thank you for going out of your way and doing this. But actually, after that conversation…

She took out her phone from her pocket, and after searching through it, showed the screen to me.

On it, a reading application was displayed with the “read” mark next to the “Night on the Galactic Road” ebook.

Kujo: Well now, I suppose you were the studious type of person.

Rei: No, it’s not like that at all.

I just couldn’t help but find it somewhat questionable for a full-fledged working adult to remember only bits and pieces of a well-known children’s story.

I’m sorry. You even went through the trouble of putting together the book as a gift for me.

Kujo: … No, there’s nothing for you to apologise over.

There was something hollow to be felt in my reply.

But my attention was on Izumi Rei having read “Night on the Galactic Railroad”—a truth that had been shoved into my swirling thoughts.

Kujo: (There isn’t any character throughout the story… that I identify her with.)

Did I think that way because I didn’t really know her as a person?

Kujo: (… Somehow, I’m finding it hard to swallow that fact.)

I searched for the right words to make that first step towards a change for the better.

Kujo: Now that you’ve had another read of it, may I enquire as to your thoughts? What did you think of it?

She took in what I said as the start of some idle conversation, and her eyes lit up with earnestness.

Rei: Let’s see now… To be completely honest, my literary sense isn’t that well-rounded and there’s a limit to my imagination.

So after reading it, I looked up a bunch of stuff online and read more into the interpretations and discussions and so forth.

That’s why the first thing I thought was that it’s an incredibly deep story.

Kujo: Hmph. I see.

Without thinking, a smile escaped my lips at her completely genuine impression.

I wondered if, in her peek of the depths of the story, she could already see the answer to the question I was going to propose.

Kujo: What’s your opinion on the “flame of scorpio”… No, on the “true happiness” told in the story?

Rei: Huh?

Kujo: I’m keen to know how you felt about Campanella, and the scorpion that wished for others’ happiness with self-sacrifice.

Rei: The “true happiness”…

For a moment, her eyes lowered and were fixed on the book I held in my hand.

Rei: It’s a fairly personal take of an interpretation, but, is that alright with you?

Kujo: Of course.

When she responded, her straightforward gaze was once again brought to my eye level.

Our eyes firmly locked onto one another.

Who could explain why, but I had the obvious thought of “yes, our eyes met”.

60.

-Kujo Household: Study-

Rei: Concerning the “true happiness” that Giovanni and Campanella speak of in “Night on the Galactic Road”…

My view was that “there is no answer” and that “there are as many interpretations as there are the number of its readers”.

Kujo: Go on.

Rei: Based on that, I personally don’t want to label the scorpion or Campanella’s happiness as “true happiness”.

Kujo: So are you saying then that happiness brought about by self-sacrifice can’t possibly be “true happiness”?

Rei: I’m sure that Zanelli, the boy who was saved by Campanella after falling into the river, is hurting with despair and regret.

The same goes for the other friends, Campanella’s father, and of course, Giovanni, too.

Campanella’s mother as well. I bet she’s just thinking how happy she’d be if she could see her son in Heaven.

Even the scorpion that died and became a flame. It could have had a family, a loved one, or friends too…

Kujo: ……

Rei: It’s going to sound completely unreasonable, but for me, it’s hard to group happiness with the “loss” we call death.

Kujo: (It appears as if I was mistaken with my earlier thought.)

The person known as Izumi Rei did not overlap with any of the characters featured in “Night on the Galactic Railroad”.

But more than any of them, she was definitely capable of faithfully identifying her feelings.

Kujo: (I want to see it.)

I strongly thought that.

Kujo: (This world that I’m conscious of, from her view.)

… Without the flame of scorpio, there may be people who lose their way in darkness.

Rei: If there is no flame, then I imagine that the people who need a light will certainly look for an approach to overcome that.

When that happens, I would want the option where everyone can be happy to be the bare minimum requirement for what is “true happiness”.

Kujo: For everyone to be happy…

Rei: Yep. I understand that that’s also plenty difficult.

They were all just pretty words.

Because her heart was a beautiful one.

Rei: Ugh, sorry. I ended up somewhat getting really into it.

Her apology came across as odd to me since, in my heart, there was a satisfaction that I couldn’t have foreseen having.

At her honesty that I was seeing, I too began to want to respond without mulling over my words.

Kujo: No, I enjoyed our time. I would love to talk with you more.

Rei: What…

Kujo: I’ve always wanted to experience talking alone with you like this.

Rei: T-That is, I…

As I watched her be bewildered over my sudden words, I remembered what Hattori-san had said inside my dream.

“A green bud in the process of growing”.

Her dignified stance before my eyes overlapped with a stalk reaching straight up to the heavens.

Just exactly what sort of flower would that bloom?

Kujo: (It makes you believe you want to keep looking at it.)

I don’t suppose you could create time for me like this again?

Rei: Y-Yes, of course! If you don’t mind and all.

Kujo: Then, for starters, may I invite you on a trip?

Rei: A trip?

Kujo: Yes, the destination will be…

The “Miyazawa Kenji Fairytale Village”—I’ve the idea to suggest that it be added as one of the possible places to choose from at dinner.

As she said, for everyone to be happy was quite the difficulty.

In my world where “loss” was a constant presence, I had understood that they were pretty words with nothing more to them.

Still, at the very least, if I tried reflecting on my own arrogance that had decided I, myself, would be their “flame of scorpio”.

Then perhaps on this course of fragile peace that the Galaxy Express was riding along, my outlook would widen, and I would discover a new point of view.

And then, at the final stop that I’ve found…

Maybe—just maybe—there would be a “true happiness” that I could never have dreamed of existing as I am right now.