Toaru Hikuushi e no Yasoukyoku:Epilogue

Final Chapter

The autumn rain had passed, and the high, fish-scale clouds began to swim across the sky. A lone, graceful woman stood at the Daidoarai airfield on Awa Island.

Dressed in a light blue blouse, a white skirt, and a straw hat, the tall, elegant woman with sharp features was Yuki Mizumori, from Yoshioka.

Yuki stood still on the runway, gazing at Daidoarai Bay before her.

It was October.

A month had passed since the Central Sea War abruptly ended with a ceasefire.

Beside Yuki stood an Imperial reconnaissance plane, the Saikaze, the same type of aircraft she once took on a pleasure flight with Chijiwa over the Trebas Atoll.

Soon, the pilot she was waiting for approached with long strides.

It was Shinichi Hasami, wearing the uniform of the Amatsukami Navy. When Yuki noticed him, she bowed politely.

"It’s been a while, Lieutenant Hasami."

Hasami saluted in return.

"The same to you. It’s been a long time."

Yuki raised her head and looked closely at Hasami's face.

"This is the second time I’ve troubled you, isn’t it, Lieutenant Hasami?"

Without changing his expression, Hasami replied firmly.

"No trouble at all. I’m sure Chijiwa would be happy."

"...Do you think so? I feel like he’d actually be annoyed."

"Not at all. The other pilots would be glad as well. You were well-liked by everyone, Miss Mizumori."

"I hope so."

"Let’s go. Chijiwa is surely waiting for you with great anticipation."

Encouraged, and with Hasami’s help, Yuki climbed into the rear seat of the Saikaze. A mechanic approached and handed her a bouquet of flowers.

In the front seat, Hasami revved the engine, and the Saikaze began to taxi down the runway.

They took off, soaring into the sky, where there was no longer any distinction between friend and foe.

The afternoon autumn sky was a deep blue.

At an altitude of 3,500 meters, Hasami levelled off and began cruising.

Looking down at Awa Island, the scars of the battle were still visible.

The burned townscape. The destroyed gun emplacements. The former Daidoarai Fortress, now reduced to ruins with all its facilities demolished.

In Daidoarai Bay, burned and grounded ships, both friend and foe, still lay abandoned. Although as many bodies as possible had been recovered and buried, regardless of nationality, tens of thousands of corpses surely remained at the bottom of the bay.

Yuki, her eyelashes lowered sorrowfully, gazed down at the devastated landscape of Daidoarai.

The inn where she had stayed with Chijiwa just over three months ago had also burned down. Countless lives had been lost in aerial bombings and naval gunfire. There had been so many cruel deaths that her senses had gone numb to it all.

But now, it was all over.

She realized just how precious the peaceful everyday life was. In Daidoarai town, there were already people working hard to rebuild.

Eventually, Awa Island faded into the horizon.

Hasami, saying nothing unnecessary, flew them calmly toward their destination.

After crossing several cloud formations, Hasami’s voice came through the speaking tube.

"We’re here."

Yuki looked down.

The deep-coloured sea stretched out in calm waves.

The silver-tinted water reflected the transparent sunlight, making it seem like an ordinary, unremarkable ocean.

"Here is where... Takeo is."

After taking Bardo, the enemy commander, with him, Chijiwa had sunk into this sea.

"......"

Yuki silently gazed at the resting place of the one who would never return. A flock of white birds flew past beneath her feet.

"I knew you wouldn’t keep your promise."

She spoke softly to the shimmering sea.

"...You really didn’t keep it."

Chijiwa had promised that day that he would return after shooting down the Seagull.

"I bet you didn’t even remember that promise. You always do that. You never thought about me at all."

Her complaints spilled out into the ocean.

"You only cared about the sky. You idiot."

A single tear fell.

Yuki gripped the speaking tube tightly and spoke to Hasami in the front seat.

"Lieutenant Hasami. Will you listen to my complaints?"

His response came through the tube.

"Please, feel free."

As she looked out over the sea, Yuki began to pour out her grievances.

It was all about Chijiwa, from his childhood entry into the pilot training school to becoming a pilot and wandering the battlefield. As she followed the course of his life, she criticized, mocked, and insulted each of his actions.

Hasami listened patiently. He found nothing amusing about it, but when they parted on the Unkaku, Chijiwa had asked him, "Listen to Yuki’s complaints." Perhaps Chijiwa had already foreseen this scene back then.

"...Isn’t Takeo just the worst?"

"He had a complex personality."

"Really... sigh. He was the absolute worst..."

After saying that, Yuki fell silent and stared at the sea for a long time.

Hasami circled over the ocean. This was the same sea where Chijiwa and the Seagull had fought their epic duel two months earlier.

"Lieutenant Hasami."

Suddenly, Yuki spoke again.

"Yes?"

"...Takeo’s death... Did it mean anything?"

"......"

"Was there any meaning in dying in that war?"

The emotions coming through the speaking tube were earnest.

So Hasami answered seriously.

"Meaning is something that those who live on must find."

"......"

"Those who fought and died didn’t seek meaning. They simply wanted to protect the people they loved. They refused to let their children be trampled and called monkeys. For the future where the Amatsukami could live as humans, they needed to fight. That’s what I believe."

"......"

"Were they victims brainwashed by the state and forced to fight until their deaths? Or were they great warriors who fought for their loved ones and their descendants’ right to live as humans? It’s up to us, the ones who live on, to decide. That’s our responsibility, as those who live on the sacrifices they made."

"......"

"I am human. I live, standing on the corpses of those who died. That’s why I will carry on their story. I will tell the story of the Unkaku’s battle and the Otomi Squadron's fight. So that one day, it will give courage to our children. So that, a hundred years, two hundred years from now, it will inspire the courage and hope of the Amatsukami people."

"……My work is simply that. By doing so, I believe that the deaths of my comrades will contribute to the future of this country."

"Yes... that's right. I think Takeo would be happy too."

Yuki gazed out over the sea.

Once, those who fought on opposing sides now rest in the same ocean.

Warriors from two noble and courageous nations who faced the times with unwavering resolve.

—We are allowed to live.

Hasami's words echoed within Yuki.

—We stand on the bodies of our parents, grandparents, and the ancestors before them.

The paths we walk so carelessly are paved over the blood, sweat, tears, flesh, and bones of those who came before us. When we look back at history, we will come to realize that we live upon the foundation our ancestors built.

Those who are allowed to live will lay another stone upon that precious foundation. So that the children who follow can walk this path without fear. Over long stretches of time, through the changes of countless generations, we must carefully, cautiously, and patiently build one small stone after another, ensuring that the foundation our ancestors laid is not destroyed.

—This foundation will lead to the future.

Yuki gently placed her hand on her stomach.

Within her, the new life entrusted to her by Takeo was growing. Lately, she had been feeling its presence more and more.

—When this child is born, grows up, and faces times of doubt or despair...

—They will only need to look back at the path they’ve travelled.

This child will surely understand.

They will know the greatness of the path they walk.

They will realize the noble hopes of the ancestors embedded in the ground they tread.

No matter how difficult or hopeless the road ahead may seem.

The ground beneath their feet is this strong.

It is this precious.

—Surely, this will give them courage.

The children will continue walking forward, facing any hardship that comes their way. Passing on the wishes of those who came before them to the next generation of children.

Ahead of them awaits a beautiful future.

—That is surely what it means to live.

Yuki grabbed the speaking tube.

"Lieutenant Hasami."

"Yes?"

"Can you stop the propeller for a moment?"

"For a little while, that won’t be a problem."

Following her request, Hasami stopped the propeller.

The Saikaze spread its wings gracefully, gliding through the vast sky.

Yuki opened the canopy and leaned out.

The clear sky was there—Takeo's beloved, free, and majestic sky.

She threw the bouquet. The vivid red petals fluttered through the autumn sky.

"Takeo."

Yuki stood tall.

She took a deep breath of the air from the sky and sea where Chijiwa had once flown.

She closed her eyes.

Placing a hand on her stomach, she spoke to the one she loved in her heart.

—Takeo.

—I will take care of the life you left behind.

—I’ll teach our child how amazing you were.

—How kind, noble, and strong you were.

—And then, this child will pass it on to the next generation. And they, too, will pass it on.

—You will always be admired.

—Everyone will say, "Thank you."

—So rest easy.

—Oh, and since I’ve come all the way here...

—I’ll sing the song you loved.

Yuki opened her eyes.

Somewhere in the endless blue sky and sea, it felt as if Chijiwa was smiling.

She straightened her back and took a deep breath of the refreshing air.

To the beloved who had vanished beyond the flow of time.

To the noble and courageous warriors of the sky.

To all the warriors resting in this sea, both friend and foe alike.

—I won’t forget.

I’ll sing this song.

—Thank you, Takeo.

Let it reach the sky.

If I could fly in the sky, I’d go to the sea where you are

I’d ask the seagulls where you are, crossing over many clouds

When I find your ship, I’ll quietly rest in its shadow

I’ll just look at your back, without saying a word, because you won’t answer

You’re always looking at the horizon, at the endless sky

So I’ll send you only my prayers

I love you.

I love you.

Forever.

I love you.

(End)

References

   The Samurai of the Sky by Saburo Sakai, Kōjinsha NF Library
   The Continuation of Samurai of the Sky by Saburo Sakai, Kōjinsha NF Library
   The Zero Fighter Ace by Toru Iwamoto, Kōjinsha NF Library
   The Battle Lessons of the Dive Bomber Commander by Yoshio Abe, Kōjinsha NF Library
   Shot Down: The US-Japan Air War by Minoru Toyoda, Kōjinsha NF Library
   The Last of the Rabaul Air Corps by Kimio Watanabe, Kōjinsha NF Library
   The Story of the Flower Youth Pilots by Akira Yazawa, Kōjinsha NF Library
   Test Pilot: The Life of Ikuo Morikawa, First Class Pilot by Eiji Nambori, Kōjinsha NF Library
   The Fate of the Zero Fighter by Saburo Sakai, Kodansha
   The Secret Techniques of the Zero Fighter by Kanichiro Kato, Kodansha
   Pacific Aviation War History: The Sea of Heroes by Shiro Mori, Ushio Shobo
   Battleship Island: Living in a Marine Industrial City by Senko Ito and Kiyoshi Akui, Iwanami Shoten
   The Illustrated Scrolls of the Chikuho Coal Mines by Sahei Yamamoto, Ashi Shobo
   Historical Gungun Series: [Definitive Edition] Pacific War Volumes 1-10 by Gakushū Kenkyūsha

Koroku Inumura

The second volume was written 95% out of personal passion. "Imperial Japanese Army!" "Male Harem!" It's packed with things that are considered taboo in light novels, but I sincerely thank the readers who continue to enjoy it each time.