This is the 15th Chapter of The Summer Hikaru Died manga series, written and illustrated by Mokumokuren.
Synopsis[]
In her childhood, Asako's grandmother told her about their family's special ability to sense beings from the Other Side, and throughout her life Asako has found her own way of communicating with them. In the present, on their way to buy a simple lighter, she is currently confronting "Hikaru" about his true identity. Completely unaware of how little "Hikaru" values life and death, and how far this otherworldly being might be willing to go to protect his cover in order to stay by Yoshiki's side...
Plot[]
A young Asako pointed at the carousel at a playground and told her grandmother that there was a weird sound coming from it. She further clarified that she couldn't see anything there, but she could hear it. Her grandmother explained to her that she was a hearer, but also warned her to never answer or meddle with the things she hears, since her voice will reach over to the Other Side. Her grandmother wasn't able to hear it, but she could see it a little – and other members of their family were similar. Asako asked if those things are ghosts, and her grandmother confirmed that. She explained that our world and the world of the dead are overlapping one another, so sometimes things from the Other Side come to this side through slight distortions. She clarified that some beings are scary while others aren't. They come into existence when the lingering emotions from the living mix together with the souls of people who've died – the accumulation is then reborn back into our world, which is known as the cycle of death and rebirth.
Years later, at the end of her elementary school days, Asako and Yuuki looked forward to what they would do together in middle school. Asako heard an otherworldly being clanging far away down the road, but ignored it. Yuuki stood up and started to walk toward her mother, who came out of the store the opposite way down the street. Suddenly, Asako heard the entity rapidly approaching, chasing after Yuuki. She told it to stop, but received a short warning instead: "Watch out!" Asako then called out to Yuuki, and Yuuki stopped just before a car sped through the intersection, narrowly missing her. The entity then clanged away, and Asako realized it was trying to protect her friend. This taught her that the beings from the Other World might be scary, but they're not all evil, so she believes that it shouldn't be strange to communicate with them.
In present day, she asks "Hikaru" who he really is. He doesn't reply, but grows visibly worried, wondering how she could possibly know. He wordlessly approaches her, putting themselves face to face and staring into her eyes.
Yoshiki arrives just as Asako collapses onto the ground. Yoshiki runs over, kneeling at her side and asking "Hikaru" what he'd done. "Hikaru" explains that he thought Asako had found out, so he had to do something – but now that he thought about it, it would probably be sad if Asako died. Yoshiki is stunned, stuttering out his disbelief that "Hikaru" was really going to kill her and that he could have so little value for life. "Hikaru" doesn't appear to understand this concept. He explains that being dead or alive is basically the same thing to him, and that death is not scary because it's merely a change of forms. He also adds that he is different, and isn't really "alive" himself.
Yoshiki asks if it was a lie when "Hikaru" said he didn't want to kill him. "Hikaru" denies it, because he considers Yoshiki special and wants to experience daily life activities such as eating ice cream together. Yoshiki explains that it's the same thing for Asako, and that "Hikaru" is contradicting himself. He asks if "Hikaru" was the one who killed Old Lady Matsuura. "Hikaru" doesn't reply, but looks at him guiltily. Horrified, Yoshiki turns and vomits onto the ground. "Hikaru" seems alarmed, but grows concerned when Yoshiki glares at him harshly.
Just then, Asako begins to wake up.
Character Appearances[]
- Yamagishi Asako
- Asako's grandmother (flashback)
- Tadokoro Yuuki (flashback)
- "Hikaru"
- Tsujinaka Yoshiki
- Old Lady Matsuura (mentioned)
Translation Notes[]
- "Hikaru" considers himself to be "alive, existing" (生きてる ikiteru), but lacking "life force" (命 inochi). This is not the same concept as lacking a soul or spirit.
Gallery[]
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