Someone once said,
"You go north to elope
and south for vacation."
Now, shall we begin?
Behold!
If we stick with that saying,
you could consider our getaway an elopement.
I'm sore.
What were you doing at a place like that?
I should be asking you.
What were you doing for such a long time?
Good question.
- What? - No.
Your hair's grown longer.
I just got a haircut.
Do you remember Mamba? He's the cafe owner.
Yes.
His fourth wife is a private detective.
Hold on. How many times has he gotten married?
- Five times. - Five times?
Eventually, they all find a lover and leave him.
I feel bad for him, but it sounds like an exciting life.
So his fourth wife was investigating his current wife's affair.
That's too complicated.
And as all that was going on, he mended their relatoinship.
Wait, with which?
- The fourth wife. - Wow!
You have a cat now?
He's Sawada's cat.
I'm taking care of him for the time being, but Sawada will come for him later.
Come here.
Come on.
Well, hello.
Hey.
Thanks for watching him.
I really appreciate it.
Don't worry about it.
- Oh, this is a small gift for you. - How thoughtful.
There you go.
It's good to see you.
Welcome back.
He has to go in his cage.
Right.
Bye bye.
Take care.
Did he eat okay?
I think he did.
Oh, I'm glad.
He gets anxious about being in a new environment.
Then maybe he didn't eat very much. Feed him once he's back at your place.
Okay.
I wanted to sleep with the cat.
We're not his owners. He wouldn't follow us to bed.
When I was little, I really wanted a cat.
Do you want to get one at my place?
But you know,
if we had a pet,
we wouldn't be able to go on trips whenever we want to.
Do you want to go on a trip together?
What about Noto?
Noto?
When I was little,
my family and I went to a hot spring in Noto.
I don't remember anything from that trip,
but no matter what hot spring I go to,
I'm reminded of Noto's ocean view for some reason.
We followed my childhood memory
and drove to the Noto seashore.
You're speeding.
There.
What should we eat for lunch?
Since we came all this way, I want to eat shellfish.
Shellfish...
I only had a vague memory of the area, and Noto isn't that special to me.
Grilled?
But I couldn't think of any other way to invite my girlfriend on a trip
when she had been traveling around for the last six months.
I FEEL LIKE I'VE COME VERY FAR
Hey, let me take your picture.
What?
Here. We came all this way.
Okay.
What?
- Here. - Ready?
Like this?
- Stick your face out more. - What?
I can't.
NOTOSHISHI CAMPAIGN
Thank you.
- Come again. - Thank you.
- Welcome. - Welcome.
RED BEAN PASTE AND CHEESE PIE SWEET BUN
Welcome.
You're buying those now?
Why not?
They're too heavy to carry around. We can buy some on the way back.
But we'll drink at the inn, right?
Oh, no.
My wallet's in the car.
I'm going to the bathroom.
Okay.
Welcome.
Thank you.
Are they done?
Those are ready to eat.
They look delicious!
Ta-da.
I'll pass.
Why?
I got food poisoning from them once.
So you can't eat them at all?
Yes.
Guess I can't.
Here, have mine.
I wish you had told me before we came to this restaurant.
I know that, but...
You wanted shellfish, so you should have some.
I'll eat this.
It's delicious.
How is it?
I'll take your picture.
I'm okay.
Why not? I'll take it for you.
I said no.
It's no fun if I'm the only one in pictures.
No way. I've driven all day and I haven't fixed my makeup.
- You look fine. - No.
Why are you being shy?
- I'm not. - Excuse me.
I can take your picture.
What?
Okay.
If you don't mind, please.
Thank you.
Smile.
That wasn't a good smile. Let's try that again.
One more.
Sure.
- I'll take a few more. - Thanks.
My leg is itchy.
- There. - I slipped!
- What are you doing? - Crap!
That should be good.
Oh, are we done?
- Sorry for the trouble. Thank you! - Thank you!
Excuse me. Aren't you on TV?
Oh, sorry no.
You look familiar.
- Should we ask for a photo instead? - Yes?
- Here you go. - Me too.
- Can we take a picture together? - Sure.
- A picture? - Let me join.
Oh, want to squeeze in?
- Hurray! - Woo-hoo!
Yes!
Great. Thank you.
Look at how popular you've become while I was away.
It's not like that.
I don't really get it,
but I keep getting dragged into strange situations.
If it saves you from boredom, that's good.
A boring life is just right.
That goes for trips too.
A trip like this is perfect.
It's not too exciting.
It may not be thrilling or unforgettable,
but a comfortably boring life is all I want.
While on this trip,
I was enjoying the joys of having her back in my life.
We ate food that wasn't exactly scrumptious,
and had just the right amount of mundane fun.
It's been a while since I've had ordinary moments like this.
I was blissfully delighted.
Wait...
Seriously?
What?
I don't believe this.
Is that...
This can't be real.
Look!
A UFO!
Look!
Over here!
Whoa!
What's that?
- That's a UFO, right? - It has to be!
- Look, a real UFO! - Right?
Whoa! It's real!
- No way! - Whoa!
- It has to be a UFO! - What could it be?
- Hey! - Is it real?
I've seen one before.
What? You have?
That's so strange!
No way!
There it goes!
Nothing normal moves like that!
Were the baths busy?
Not at all.
I got the outdoor bath all to myself.
Just now,
I was smoking outside and saw a UFO.
A UFO?
I saw one when I came here as a child, too.
I was bathing with my dad and grandpa
when a red and green light shot across the sky like a shooting star.
And I just saw one again!
That was
just a lighthouse light.
A lighthouse doesn't move.
You know,
I'm surprised that I can still recall that memory.
These strange experiences are what made me a writer today.
Do you have any experiences like that?
A memory that defines who you are.
While the cause is still unknown.
Next, breaking news.
In 2019, the body of a woman with no documentation
was found abandoned in Kyushu.
PEOPLE WITHOUT DOCUMENTS
- I remember this case. - The man who was arrested
is her common-law husband.
They lived together for over three decades.
COMMON-LAW WIFE NO DOCUMENTATION, REFUSED TO GO SEE A DOCTOR
Because the woman had no official identification papers,
she adamantly refused to see a doctor, even when she became sick.
She passed away in her apartment.
The man left her remains on the bed and continued on with his daily life.
When he received an eviction notice due to demolition plans for the apartment,
the culprit left the body at the scene.
MAN IN CUSTODY: "SHE WOULD UNDERSTAND"
Later, when the man was taken into custody,
he stated, "She would understand."
They may not have had official documents...
The workplace of the woman...
but they understood each other in ways no one else could.
Rather than their life coming to an end by going to a doctor,
they chose to stay together until the very end.
Is that what you think?
Maybe she wanted to go to the hospital.
Maybe she wanted to live a brand new life
with health insurance and official documents to prove her identity.
Last time we talked about this,
you said that those two understood each other.
Did I?
Did I really say that?
I see.
So that's what I used to think.
You know,
I feel like I've come very far.
But you know, you're back here now.
From now on, you should live the way you want to live.
We can even get a cat.
You know, when I took care of Sawada's cat,
I realized that they're cuter than I thought they would be.
But cats aren't allowed at our current apartment.
So we can move to a different place.
There you go.
Here you are. Enjoy breakfast.
Your items are all mixed.
Who cares?
What went through the man's mind as he spent his days
alongside the woman's body?
Did he look back on the joyful moments,
the small moments of happiness?
It's overcooked.
Get your own!
-When he remembered those moments, -It's too salty.
They must have had the world to themselves.
Welcome.
- Hey, look! - Whoa!
Wow. You're back!
- Good evening. - It's been forever!
Izumi.
- I brought a gift. - Oh, thank you very much.
He's Izumi.
- Good to meet you. - Great to meet you.
Sensei cried here every single night
- for the last six months. - Hold on.
Stop lying like that.
Do you want a seat?
- Wow. Look. - Thank you.
A gift from him.
- Wow. I've never seen this one before. - What's that?
Here you go.
Those look nice.
- Take your favorite one. - Thanks.
What do you want to drink?
Beer, please.
- Okay. - Me too.
So what have you been doing?
First, I went to hotels and inns I've always dreamed of staying at.
Then from the end of the year, I stayed in Hawaii for two months.
- Wow. - Hawaii.
Wasn't someone else there too?
Oh, Sawada also went.
- That's right. - Did you see him there?
That's nearly impossible.
Remember Sawada...
Everyone will love it.
Oh, thanks.
Want anything to drink?
No.
I'm leaving.
Okay.
You misunderstood me.
Let's end things here.
I'm glad we got to go on a trip.
It wasn't too fun. It was just the right amount.
I almost felt like it could go on like that.
I'm not disappearing.
I'll just be living a life, somewhere else.
I play the part of an innocent girl
Swept away by the ocean breeze
One night when I was 15
I took it off and threw it away
Saying it's boring
Morning, midday and forever
The selfish rain pours on
I tie my wet hair
"This is pointless"
I say to the sunset
With no cloud in sight
The truths and lies
You create
I want to protect them
Don't ever forget
That no one
Lives a life
Where you regret
Being born
No one
From the bottom of my heart
I really
Cherished you
I want to embrace it
Don't ever forget
That no one lives
A life where they regret
Being born
I don't want that
A song about an innocent girl
Swept away by the ocean breeze
What about my monthly?
See you.
He did everything he wanted to.
And that's how everyone goes away.
Haven't seen you in a while.
What will we be like in ten years?
Maybe I ought to close this bar for good.
Translation by Megumi Hunter