Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou: Seeing, Walking & Enjoying - Flying Eyes

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Credits

INCLUDE THIS SECTION UNALTERED IF YOU TRANSLATE THIS TO OTHER LANGUAGES

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou—Mite, Aruki, Yorokobumono by Teriha Katsuki.

Illustrations by Hitoshi Ashinano

Originally published by Kodansha on October 23, 2008.

 

Based on Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou by Hitoshi Ashinano, published in Monthly Afternoon (1994-2006)

Raws provided by /u/horu_hosu

English translation by H. Berry (aitch99berry@gmail.com)

Cleaned color illustrations by Arturo Songor (@artson593)


Flying Eyes

Tall stalks carrying bell-shaped white flowers swayed in the strong wind, painting the gas stand in waves of ivory.

Beneath the vast, deep blue sky that seemed to stretch endlessly into the heavens, the small concrete building stood nestled among the sea of blossoms.

For a moment, Omega thought he returned to the real world. But the vivid, pristine white paint on the café’s walls reminded him—this was a memory, a scene from long ago.

He exhaled softly, relief washing over him. His consciousness was still safe within Alpha's.

Then, the glass door of the café swung open.

Stepping out into the light was a figure he knew all too well. Deep green hair that gleamed like polished jade, a purple vest and matching pants, a crisp white shirt, and a pale pink tie—it was Alpha, in her familiar café uniform.

With an easy grace, she spun her camera in one hand, playfully tossing it into the air. The strap whirled around her wrist before she caught it deftly, aiming the lens toward herself.

Click.

The shutter sang like the chirp of a tiny bird, capturing Alpha’s playful expression and the café behind her.

She smiled softly, as if caught in a private moment of joy, then turned and walked lightly into the coffee fields, the white flowers parting around her.

These flowers are yet to bear fruit.

I can’t help but think of Ojisan every time I see these white flowers.

We leveled the land around the stand and sowed the seeds.

The first flowering didn’t produce any fruit.

A year later, during the second flowering season, Ojisan quietly passed away.

I buried him beside Doctor Koumiishi. After reaping the beans from the first harvest, I planted their seeds around the graves. Now, they rest surrounded by the gentle aroma of coffee.

I wonder how many generations of flowers have bloomed since then. I’m the only one living here now. No one has visited the café in years.

I haven’t heard much from Takahiro since Ojisan passed away. With Minami abandoned, I can no longer send or receive letters. Does he even know that Ojisan is gone? I wonder how he’s doing in the far west. Has he forgotten his distant hometown—the grass, the smell of the sea?

Pushing my way through the fields, I walked leisurely, the soft rustle of stems brushing against my arms.

Owner once told me that the scent of coffee plants is similar to a flower called jasmine, though I’ve never seen one myself.

As the tip of a blade of grass brushed against my ear, something small and silent fell before me.

Looking down, I saw it: a crimson teardrop-shaped earring.

It was the first thing Owner gave me when I arrived here.

“Alpha.”

The moment I picked it up, a familiar voice resonated in my mind, gentle and deep, belonging to someone taller than I could stand.

Even now, when I close my eyes, I can vividly picture that day.

The memory came unbidden, bright and unclouded.

Standing before the house, I glanced around, disoriented by the strange sound of waves crashing in the distance. It scared me a little.

“Give me your hand.”

Owner gently placed the earrings into my outstretched palm.

“Look.”

“…Red,” I muttered, staring at the tiny jewels.

When I first came here, I couldn’t understand the beauty of their color and shape.

Inside the café, I was given a brand-new uniform. Back then, I was astonished by the variety of clothes—so different from the simple lab uniforms I knew.

I discovered so many things. How a dirty cup could be cleaned with water and a bit of scrubbing. How the floor would gleam after being mopped. Every task was a small wonder, and I was thrilled by the constant stream of new experiences.

Every evening, Owner and I would sit together on the terrace. Watching the sunset sky, I learned the names of countless colors. The light pink of a spring evening glow. The deep bellflower blue of autumn’s afterglow. Each day brought a wealth of colors and light, and over time, I came to understand beauty.

The young leaves on the trees around the cape. The vivid flowers blooming in the grass.

I made it a habit to point out beautiful things to Owner, who always beamed with joy. “Beautiful” and “interesting” were the words that made him happiest.

His smile became my treasure.

Until the day he said he was going on a trip.

“Want to come along?”

I shook my head. “There are still so many things I want to see here.”

“That’s good.”

And with that, Owner left.

I waved him off, thinking only of what I would show him when he returned. I assumed he’d be back in a few days. I couldn’t comprehend the idea of him leaving. I couldn’t imagine a day without him.

Weeks passed before I began to grasp how much time slipped by. Day by day, I waited, certain he’d return. But he had already gone far beyond my reach.

Now, there’s no one left to talk to. I just watch the sheepy clouds drifting across the sky.

If it were me now, could I simply send him off with a calm, “Take care”?

Clutching the earring tightly, I closed my eyes and waited for the tide of emotion to pass.

When I finally opened them, the earring felt warm in my hand. Even after putting it back on, I didn’t feel the coldness of the metal against my ear.

I guess I can get used to anything. Even being alone.

A gentle smile spread across my face.

I ran through the sea of white flowers, pushing the stems aside as if chasing the end of a rainbow. The fresh scent of the blossoms and the blue of the sky filled my heart, lighter than it felt in ages.

There’s a large tree near the edge of the field. Climbing it, I could see far into the horizon.

Alone, in the middle of the dazzling meadow, with the flowers gleaming under the sunlight, I spotted something—a figure. A young man cutting through the waves of coffee plants.

Looking up, all I could see was the endless blue sky.

Letting go of all hesitation, I shouted with all my strength.

“Hey!!”

My voice echoed through the silence. Again and again, I called out, until my strength was spent. Calling for someone, somewhere, until the air itself fell alive with my voice.

But no one answered.

There’s no one here anymore. No matter how many times I call, nobody will answer.

Lifting my gaze to the sky, I saw fleeting faces in the clouds. Smiling faces. Customers who visited the café. People I met during my travels. Takahiro. Ojisan. Doctor Koumiishi.

And… Owner’s.

Would I ever share this scenery, this sky, this wind with someone again? Would I ever pass down these cherished memories?

Like a calm sea, words slowly surfaced from the depths of my heart.

It’s time to go to sleep.

Suddenly, my chest felt lighter.

The moment the word sleep reached Alpha’s consciousness; Omega gasped.

This wouldn’t be an ordinary sleep—he knew it instinctively.

Alpha’s memories were about to end.

The dreamlike, beautiful time he had spent within her memories was coming to a close. And yet, he hadn’t been able to convey anything to her—the person who meant so much to both him and Takahiro, the one who created a world full of warmth and gentle recollections.

Was this really all he could do? Simply watch as her final moment arrived?

A burning sense of helplessness gripped his chest, twisting tighter with every passing second.

Why can’t I disappear into her memories? he thought. Even becoming a stone on the road she walks would be enough. Anything, as long as I can be closer to Alpha…

His mind was caught in a whirlwind, spinning faster and faster until it was pulled into a specific spot in the landscape. An intense wave of dizziness overwhelmed him. Then, silence.

When the spinning finally ceased, Omega opened his eyes.

To his surprise, he found himself held in Alpha’s hand.

“The camera!”

Realization struck him. Somehow, he had entered Alpha’s camera. Just as his consciousness blended with Takahiro’s, it now intertwined with this familiar object—the indigo lens that had seen so much through Alpha’s eyes.

Perhaps it had summoned him, this camera that was once a witness to so many of her days.

Through the lens—this new perspective—Omega felt a connection, fragile yet profound, as though he were now a part of Alpha’s memories themselves.

I flipped open the lens cover, and the indigo blue lens stared back at me.

As a keepsake before going to sleep, I thought I’d take some pictures of the coffee fields.

Perhaps because I’ve used it for so many years, I can intuitively sense where the camera is looking and what it’s framing, even without the cord attached to the tip of my tongue. Without even touching it, I can release the shutter with just the right amount of focus.

I pointed the camera here and there, stretching my back as I tried to fit the vast expanse of the fields into the frame. No matter what angle I chose, I couldn’t seem to capture a shot that truly satisfied me.

I wanted to capture it all—the entirety of this vast, faraway world—in a single picture. And, if possible, I wanted to be in it too.

After a moment of thought, an idea struck me.

If I throw it with all my strength, maybe I can capture everything—the whole field, the flowers, and me too.

If the lens pointed straight down from above, it might frame the perfect picture.

Taking a deep breath and gathering all my strength, I hurled the camera into the air.

Rising higher and higher.

Omega ascended into the shining sun above, swimming through the air as though freed from the pull of gravity.

The sadness and anger that weighed so heavily on him vanished in an instant. In their place, Omega felt a profound and unfamiliar sensation: pure joy. Like the golden sunlight that paints the morning, a pure, unwavering light that knows no shadow. There was nothing but rejoicing.

Gradually, his ascent slowed, and before long, he reached the peak. From here on, it was only downhill. Yet, as though he had always known how to fly, Omega lightly turned his body, directing himself toward the earth below.

In that moment, the scene before his indigo eye left him breathless.

A dazzling field of white flowers, radiant and shimmering in their beauty.

At the center of it all, a person stood with quiet dignity.

Purple eyes looked up to meet the indigo one, their gazes locking tightly together.

The deep blue lens burned the image into his body as he clicked the shutter, ensuring this moment would never fade.

As he began his descent, the sea of white flowers seemed to rise up to meet him. At its heart was Alpha, her radiant smile glowing as she stood with her hands outstretched.

Superimposed on the rushing wind, Omega felt himself regaining all his senses. As his head fell forward, he stretched his arms toward the person below. Omega tumbled into her embrace just as the camera landed in Alpha’s hand.

Their fingertips brushed. Omega’s hand touched hers in perfect synchrony with Alpha bringing the camera to her lips.

At that moment—

“Alpha!”

Omega’s voice resounded through the Evening Calm. The sound transmitted with the warmth of her lips, echoing louder and louder within Alpha’s memories. With each repetition, it grew stronger and stronger, filling her consciousness completely.

The sound swelled until it became unbearable.

In the next instant, Alpha’s mind was engulfed in a blinding light.

Omega felt an explosion—his mind blown apart as he was hurled into the void. Darkness surrounded him as he drifted, uncertain and disoriented, until slowly, he began to return to his real body.

After coming to his senses, Omega found himself sitting alone on a rickety stool in the dimly lit café.

Opposite him, resting her chin on her hand with her eyes closed, was a robot. Her wisteria-colored uniform was covered in dust, a faint reminder of long-forgotten days. Her green hair had a slight sheen, and her crimson earrings glinted faintly in the low light.

Without a doubt, it was the real Alpha.

The same beautiful figure who had just moments ago been smiling radiantly in the memories of the Evening Calm.

"I'm back," Omega whispered, his voice tinged with shock and disbelief as he realized he had been thrown out of her memories.

He’d wanted to stay there—to vanish into that gentle, nostalgic world and be locked away forever.

He exhaled heavily, a deep sigh of resignation. Yet, something felt strange. Something in his right hand caught his attention.

Her left hand, which had rested idly on the dust-stained counter moments ago, now felt faintly warm.

Was it because of his own body heat?

Cautiously, he grasped her hand more tightly. The next moment, his heart leapt as he felt her fingers press back against his own.

Alpha’s hand had gripped his in return.

Their shared warmth mingled, faint and fragile, but undeniably real.

A soft blush appeared on her pale cheeks. Omega watched in awe as her long eyelashes trembled. Her lips parted slightly, and her familiar purple eyes, faint but radiant, peeked open.

“A-ah… ahhh,” Omega stammered, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Unable to speak, his emotions choked him, holding his voice hostage. Desperate to release the overwhelming surge of feelings, he pushed back his chair with a loud clatter and sprang to his feet.

“Alpha!” he cried, his voice ringing through the quiet café.

As if struck by lightning, Alpha’s eyes opened fully.

She blinked slowly, her gaze locking with Omega’s as she raised her chin. Gradually, with trembling movements, she straightened her posture and lifted herself from the counter.

Her lips quivered as if trying to form words. A faint sound emerged, and finally, she managed to speak:

“…Welcome.”

Though her voice was soft and hoarse, it was unmistakably Alpha’s.

At that moment, Omega collapsed onto the floor. Tears poured from his eyes as if a dam had burst. For the first time in his life, he cried aloud, unabashed and unrestrained, his sobs echoing in the small café.[1]


[1] Alpha’s memories about her first arrival at the café come from Ch113: Fish, though that chapter is from her owner’s perspective. The sequence about Alpha tossing the camera into the air seem to come from the second to last chapter Ch139: A Calm Evening’s Communication. 


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