The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (7 page)

“Yes, I was.” Kazuo pointed at the bottle on the table, filled with brown, steaming liquid.

“But why are you explaining all of this to me?” asked Kazuko.

Kazuo thought carefully for a few moments before answering.

“Well, you seemed to be having such a hard time with the situation, so I felt that I owed you an explanation.”

“But from your point of view, I’m someone in the past. If you return to the future there will be no connection between us...”

Kazuo started to look rather sheepish, and his eyes dropped to the ground. Then he took a breath and glanced up to meet her eyes.

“Well, there’s a little more to the story than that,” he said. “You see, Kazuko, I’ve... I’ve fallen in love with you.”

“I guess confessing their love is not such a big thing for people in the future, huh?” said Kazuko, playfully. She knew he was a university student, but the fact that she was older than him in years gave her the confidence to make a joke.

“So do you like older girls?” she quipped.

“That’s right, I guess in a sense you are older,” said Kazuo, who hadn’t thought about that until now.

“Oh you guess, do you?” said Kazuko, a little offended. “Well, I am older. I may be just a person from the past in your eyes who is both physically and mentally underdeveloped, but I can’t help that, and yes, I am older.”

“That’s not what I meant, Kazuko,” pleaded Kazuo. “I just don’t think of you as being older, that’s all. Maybe it’s because, I don’t know how to explain it, but it could be because we’ve been studying for a while in the same class together, having fun times together – you, Goro and me. So I feel very close to you now. Like I’ve known you for a lot longer. That’s why I’m guessing I fell in love with you.”

Kazuko felt her cheeks flush a little. No one had ever said out right that they loved her like this. He was just so direct, and Kazuko wondered if perhaps everybody would be like that in the future. For Kazuko, however, love was something quite new. She’d read about it in romantic novels, and there had been playground gossip about other kids falling in love. But it was always something people were teased about – as if it were something to be ashamed of. She’d felt such uncomfortable feelings when Mariko had teased her about liking Goro. But then, Kazuko had always felt that the boys her age were so immature, so she couldn’t really imagine having any romantic feelings for them. But now Kazuo was confessing his feelings for her, and it wasn’t a joke. It had thrown her completely off balance, and she didn’t know what to say. So instead she just stayed silent and kept her eyes fixed on the ground.

“It’s like you’ve known me for a lot longer,” said Kazuko to herself, in a daze.

“That’s right. That’s how I feel,” Kazuo said, smiling. “But the time we actually spent together was just a month.”

“Just a month?” Kazuko looked up in surprise and shook her head vigorously. “That can’t be! We’ve known each other for a really long time. It’s been... two years. Even before that, we weren’t really on talking terms, but I’ve known you since elementary school. I mean, we live in the same neighbourhood!”

“Ah, of course. I forgot to tell you.”

“Forgot to tell me what?”

“I gave you, or rather everyone around me, false memories about myself.”

“False memories?” Kazuko didn’t understand.

“Yes. I actually arrived here about a month ago. But to be able to fit in here comfortably, I had to make it seem as if I’d been here for a long time. So I made a false history about myself and gave it to a lot of people as memory.”

“Unbelievable! So you gave those memories to me, to Goro, Mr Fukushima, to Mariko...”

“Yes. Everyone in our class and all the other people who should know me.”

“But how were you able to do such a thing?”

“It’s not as difficult as you might think. You know about hypnosis, right? If you get someone under hypnosis and tell them they’re a bird, they will actually believe that. What I did was similar to that, although the technology involved is much more advanced. Plus, hypnosis is easier to achieve with a big group rather than just one person. It works like a sort of chain reaction, with one person’s belief rapidly spreading to the next and so on.”

Kazuko had heard something like this from Mr Fuku-shima. “Group Hypnosis...”

“Right. I did something similar to what you’re describing. In my experience the people of this time are extremely prone to hypnosis.”

Well, I guess people of my time are all nothing more than barbarians to you!
thought Kazuko to herself.

“So that’s how I started my life here – as someone who’d been around for a while. I made it so that I was already a student here who had been living in that house for a long time...”

“That house!” Kazuko suddenly thought of Kazuo’s parents. “So the people in that house – does that mean they’re not your real family?”

“No. They didn’t have any kids. So I created a memory that I was their child. They are very good people, and they like plants too. That’s one of the reasons I chose them as my host family – because they have plenty of lavenders in their greenhouse. I was going to use them to make Crox Zilvius and then return home. And then, today, I finally finished making the stimulant!”

“So if they’re not your real family, I guess that means your name isn’t really Kazuo Fukamachi, is it?”

“No. Kazuo Fukamachi is a name I gave myself for living in this time. I have a different name in the future.”

“And what’s that?”

“My name is...” Kazuo fell silent. “It will probably sound odd to you. But my real name is Ken Sogol.”

“Ken Sogol?” Kazuo repeated the name a few times to herself. “It’s a nice name.”

“Thank you.”

“But why didn’t you tell me all this sooner? You saw me suffering...”

“Well, when you fainted after smelling the potion, I thought I might be able to just let time take care of it without you ever having to know. You’re such a peaceful girl, and I didn’t want to ruin your life with such complex and confusing things. But then, unexpectedly, you got into that road accident and you managed to teleport and time-leap. Then you started leaping into the past of your own accord, so that you could meet me! Things had already got so complicated for you, so I decided to travel back in time as well to talk to you.”

Well, I guess that answers everything now,
thought Ka-zuko. But Kazuo kept on talking.

“But there is something very important, Kazuko. I’m not actually allowed to tell you any of this. None of us from the future are allowed to talk about this stuff with people from the past.”

“But why?”

“Because it confuses history. It has a bad effect on society as well. You can see that, right? If I told people now that a few years down the road they were going to be at war it would cause panic. Especially because there is nothing you can do about it.”

“We could prevent the war.”

“It doesn’t work like that. History often cannot be changed. But if you could change anything, there are plenty of people who would love to take advantage of that for their own profit.”

“So there’s a law in your own time that says you cannot tell people in the past about the future.”

“Yes. That’s about right.”

“Does that mean you’ve broken the law? I mean, you’ve told me everything.”

“There are some exceptions.”

“Exceptions?”

Kazuo hesitated for a while, then he sighed and continued.

“Even if I talk about the future to someone, if that person doesn’t remember it’s okay. That is to say, it’s okay if I erase your memory about me.”

Kazuko’s eyes flew open in surprise. “Does that mean you’ll be erasing
my
memory before you return to the future?”

Kazuo nodded sadly. “It can’t be avoided. It’s really sad that you won’t remember me after I leave, but I’ll be punished in my own time if I don’t do it.”

“But I don’t want to forget!” cried Kazuko, shaking her head violently. She thought of all her memories of fun talks with Kazuo, and her memory of him confessing his love for her – memories she simply couldn’t bear to lose. And what about the memory of his face! She wouldn’t even be able to remember what he looked like!

“But everything that’s happened, it’s been so precious,” pleaded Kazuko. “I don’t want to forget. You can remember me, though, can’t you? You can remember me for ever. It’s not fair that only I have to forget.”

“It’s not only you! Don’t you see? I’ll have to erase the memory of everyone who’s known me in this time.”

“And when are you returning to the future?”

“Right now.”

“So soon...” said Kazuko with a tear in her eye.

“Of course I want to stay as long as possible. I’d much rather stay in this time and live happily among people like yourself and Goro. But I have work to do. I need to finish my research.”

Kazuko drooped her head. “Well, you are from the future, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you should want to return.”

“But I do like your time better than the future,” said Kazuo without hesitation. “The pace of life is slower here, people are nicer. It’s just much easier to live here and to get along with everyone. And, of course, you’re here.” Kazuo looked into Kazuko’s eyes. “Of course, Goro is a great friend, and Mr Fukushima is a great teacher. But if it comes to choosing between staying here and going back to my research, then I have to go back to my research. It is, after all, my main purpose in life.”

“But please, don’t erase my memory!” begged Kazuko with all her heart. “I won’t tell anyone! I promise. I’ll keep the memory of you hidden in my heart. I can’t stand the thought of losing all my memories of you. I can’t!”

Kazuo looked distraught at hearing her words. “I can’t do that. Please understand,” he said in a low and determined voice.

Realizing her cheeks were wet with tears, Kazuko hurriedly took out her handkerchief and wiped her eyes. Suddenly, she felt rather ashamed at being so emotional in front of Kazuo.

“I understand...” she mumbled. But her heart was too heavy for her to say much more. “So I guess this is it.”

Kazuko stood up and took a good look at Kazuo’s face, that lovely face that she would surely never see again.

“Are you going now... right now?” she asked.

Kazuo nodded solemnly.

“Can you just tell me one thing?” said Kazuko, her voice cracking. “Are you never going to return to this time? Are you never going to appear in front of me again?”

“I will probably come again. Some day...” said Kazuo as he picked up the radio-like device from the desk and pushed in the antenna.

“But when will that be?”

“I don’t know when. Probably when I finish my research, when I succeed in making the potion.”

Hearing noises from the road outside, Kazuko realized that time was moving once more.

“So will you come back to see me?” She pleaded again.

Already, Kazuo was starting to fade before her eyes, and she had to struggle to keep him in sight. She watched as a white steam enveloped Kazuo and a strong scent of lavender filled the air.

“I will come to see you, Kazuko,” he said, rapidly fading. “Not as Kazuo Fukamachi, but as someone completely new to you.”

“I’ll know,” said Kazuko, struggling to hold on to her consciousness. “I’ll know who you are.”

Then everything around her went black, and all her strength left her body. And in that brief moment before her body hit the floor, she heard a distant voice.

“Goodbye, Kazuko. Goodbye.”

“Come on Kazuko, let’s go,” came Goro’s booming voice as he walked into the science lab. “I’ve got your bag here!”

“Kazuko! ”he shrieked, seeing her lying motionless on the floor. Immediately, he ran over to her and tried to lift her. But she was too heavy for him to lift by himself.

“What should I do!” He said to himself as his eyes welled up with tears. “Maybe you’re just exhausted, Kazuko! This lab is far too big for the
two
of us to clean!” And with that, he got up and ran to the staff room for help.

When he got there, he was relieved to see Mr Fuku-shima sitting there reading, and together they went to the science lab and carried Kazuko back to the nurse’s room, where they laid her on the bed and waited for her to wake up.

“Oh. What happened?” she said, with a groggy voice.

“You fainted in the science lab...” said Goro.

Kazuko strained to remember what she was doing in the science lab. But all she could remember was that she’d gone there to put away the brooms.

“Were you the only ones cleaning the science lab?” asked Mr Fukushima.

“That’s right,” said Goro, puffing out his chest. “Just the two of us cleaning that big room. Me and Kazuko and... That’s probably why she fainted, from fatigue.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Mr Fukushima, sincerely. “I will increase the number of students on the task from tomorrow.”

Now that Kazuo had returned to the future, he no longer existed in the hearts of the people of the present. His memory had vanished entirely from the minds of Mr Fukushima, Goro and Kazuko. But more than that, there was simply no Kazuo Fukamachi in this world – with no seat for him in the classroom, nobody noticing his absence, and no reason for anyone to think that anything strange had happened. And when three days had passed, there was also no fire at Goro’s house, nobody was late for school, and no truck came careering through the red light at the intersection. Kazuo had seen to it that none of those bad things would happen before he departed for the future and peaceful days returned to Kazuko’s life. But every day, on her way home from school, she would pass by a small, nice-looking western-style house where a lovely middle-aged couple lived. Every day, she would pass by the greenhouse next to the house and every day she would enjoy the sweet lavender smell that came from within.