The Journey in Our Memories

But dude, if I could go all the way up to the observation floor like you did, I could get the sickest shots ever! Man, I can only dream!

You’ve never been to the Sky Garden?

Didn’t you hear? They do this crazy background check to make sure you’re rich enough for them ‘fore they let you in. No way a guy like me could get in there.

That’s insane…

You used to be able to get up there if you just paid 1,000 for a ticket! Man, I really wish I went back then!

Yeah… But when I was a kid, even 1,000 yen was a little out of the question for me, so we weren’t able to go up there by ourselves.

Seriously? That sucks, for real.

So we went somewhere else… I think we went to the top of some other building to see the HAMA port…

…Huh? Wait, where was that again…? I don’t remember…!

(Kafka might be there right now…)

……

Whatdja see out there?

Like… the view from that building?

Yeah. If you can remember anything you saw around there, I might know where it is.

Wait, really?!

Yep! Y’know, I’m trying to be a intergalactic movie director, so I know HAMA better than anyone else in the universe!

(He sure is exaggerating a lot…)

Thank you! I’ll tell you what I can remember, so I appreciate all the help I can get!

Okay! But I’m not gonna help you for free. You gotta be my camera op for real next time, got it?

Ahaha… Well, as long as you don’t cause any trouble, I’d be glad to help.

Aw, hell yeah! I’ll hold you to that!

So, you remember anything?

Uh, well… I’m pretty sure that building had a bento shop on the first floor…

(I remember now… Kafka sat himself down in front of that building and didn’t want to move.)

(I didn’t know what to do, so I…)

(I took Kafka’s hand and led him up the stairs at the side of the building…)

Ah… This is it. It still looks the same…

(I remember that Sakujiro-san was trying to track us down that entire day, and we didn’t find out until afterwards.)

(But in the end, Kafka and I were both able to go on our trip together. We learned how travel can change people’s lives…and we both grew to love HAMA.)

(I worked hard to make this travel guide just because I wanted to make someone smile. I wonder if my job as a tour guide ever made me feel that same way…)

Haha… These stairs are more narrow than I remember. They looked so much bigger to us as kids.

(Going up these steps holding my travel guide brings back memories of when Kafka and I were doing the same with our hands linked together. I really just…)

I just wanted to see Kafka smile.

(That feeling hasn’t changed, even now, I… No, maybe it’s the opposite now.)

(Those memories taught me that I want to live to make people smile. They made me who I am today. …Hey…)

…Kafka.