The Place You Called From Volume 2, Epilogue

Volu 2, Epilogue

This brought an end to my sumr of age sixteen. In September, the heat from just days ago seed like a bad joke, and autumn hit Minagisa in the blink of an eye.

Hajikano began coming to Minagisa First High again, and we walked ho together like we had in grade school. It would probably be a while before her mory loss recovered, but she seed to enjoy being able to experience so many things fresh. Sotis she would call "Hinohara" and look apologetic.

Hajikano didn't draw crying moles anymore. Instead, when sothing happy happened, she drew a mole on her cheek.

"What kind of mole is that?", I asked.

"A smiling mole," she replied. "It's a sign that I'm really happy, and I want you to know it, Yosuke."

"Ah, I see."

I took the marker from her and drew a similar mole on my cheek.

It seed like it would take a while for Hajikano to get used to Class 1-3. But she was in no hurry. She carefully processed things one at a ti, and chose her actions after deep consideration about what these things ant to her.

Lately, my classmate Nagahora was starting to make passes at Hajikano. Maybe he still felt lonely about the absence of Chigusa, even though his mories of her were gone. Every ti he talked to Hajikano, she made a worried face and looked to for help, but she didn't seem to dislike Nagahora. Once, while he wasn't around, she said "He's tiring to talk to, but a good person." I agreed with that sentint.

When I checked after sumr break, all ntion of Chigusa Ogiue was gone from Minagisa First High's records. There really hadn't been such a student at this school from the beginning. Not a single classmate rembered her. I asked Hajikano, but the sa phenonon had occurred even in her diary. ntions of Chigusa had all vanished, with revisions such that everything still made sense without her. I visited Chigusa's house by myself a few days later, but there was only an empty lot full of weeds in its place.

I continued investigating in various ways, but it seed I was now the only one who rembered the Chigusa Ogiue at Minagisa First High. No doubt with so intention, she had left herself only in my mory. Whatever that intention was, I was glad for it.

Oh yeah, the other day, I saw Hajikano out with Aya. They both had awkward expressions, but their sisterly relationship seed favorable. When I visited the house, sotis Aya would greet in pajamas. She was itching to know how the relationship between and Hajikano was going, but I kept it vague and asked how she was getting along with Masafumi. Looked like his relationship with Aya stopped at being an errand boy.

"He's not a bad guy, but..." Aya paused. "I kind of can't tell how serious he is, so it makes it hard to know how to respond."

I'll casually let him know next ti we et, I thought to myself.

I was hanging out with Hinohara more lately. Not to do bad stuff like in middle school, but competing at a batting center for juice, or going to a bowling alley in the town over, watching other people's gas, and predicting who would win. Generally useless ways of spending ti together.

In the middle of October, I went to see how the real Chigusa Ogiue was doing. She looked and behaved strangely differently from the woman on the phone, and was for better or worse a normal girl for her age. We talked for about an hour, and then that was it. However, Hinohara happened to accompany and had an interest in her, so the two were apparently keeping in touch still. Fate is strange sotis, I thought.

Occasionally, Hajikano and I still invited Hinohara to go stargazing. Since their mories of Chigusa were gone, Hinohara's hostility toward Hajikano seed to be resolved. Recently it was decided they'd demolish Masukawa Hotel, which made it hard to get inside. So lately, we were walking around town looking for an even better stargazing spot.

I still unconsciously braced myself when walking by public phones. Maybe just like that night, the phone would suddenly ring, a mysterious woman would correctly guess my heart's secrets, and she'd propose a bet. Yet, if I did get a call from her again, I probably wouldn't take the bet. Though I might go along with the conversation, just wanting to hear her voice.

And, one last thing.

I got a call from Yadomura's sister recently. That girl looking for ghosts in the woods.

As I took the receiver, she spoke so excitedly, I could feel it through the phone.

"Mister. I... I found a ghost."

I asked her what in the world she was talking about. But she replied "I'm keeping it secret from you," and hung up.

I intend on going to hear her story soon.