Two days later
Everyone from the Taiyoshin gang had gathered inside the shrine's main hall. The Taiyoshin, dressed in black, stepped forward to pay their respects and mourn before Kurayami's funeral altar—the youngest and last daughter of the Bito family.
Mr. Majima, old man Kozo, Dango, Seto, and Seoki walked in as the final group.They all looked at the brightly colored photograph framed in black, showing the young lady's radiant smile.
"Even the young lady's funeral isn't as grand as her father's was," old Kozo said quietly.
"Fireflies never cry, even as they burn themselves to give light," Majima followed.
"So… this really is our happiest moment on the saddest day," Dango murmured.
"This is already more than enough," Seto said with a faint smile as he looked at Kurayami's framed photo.With his left hand—now replaced by a three-fingered prosthetic—he picked up a prayer-bead bracelet, slipped it on, and pressed his palms together in prayer for his beloved adopted sister.
"They're waiting for you, Kurayami."
"The young lady's home was watching Tokyo grow every single day," Majima said as he placed incense into the lotus-shaped burner."To die as a Bito… is a great honor."
"From here on, we'll all have to go our separate ways."
Majima dropped into a chair with a sigh. "Whew~ Seoki gave us the last payout. It's enough for me to retire."
"I guess it's time for me to finally get a company job," Dango said, talking about the future ahead of him.
"Heh~ Your IT skills are top of the class anyway," Seto said, patting the programmer on the shoulder.
"To the point you even got the cops to pin things on some street thugs for us. Just tell them, 'I saved the world.' I guarantee they'll hire you… as a hero. A security guard!"
Even at a funeral, Seto still managed to make everyone laugh.
Seoki took out the final severance envelope and handed it to Seto.
"There's ten million yen in cash. Use it however you want."
"Thanks," Seto replied, then smirked.
"But you know what? You probably need it more than I do. You worked harder. Besides, I've got 256 million in dirty money stashed away already. I just need to wait two more years to use it. Take it."
Seoki shrugged. "Okay."
He handed the envelope to old Kozo instead. "Let's split it."
"Whoa~" Chef Kozo turned to look at Majima and Dango."I'm outta here! Hahaha!"
"Hey! Baldy! Get back here!" Majima and Dango shouted as they chased him out of the hall.
"So, you're probably going to change your nationality back and return home now, right?" Seto asked."Got enough money? Wanna borrow some?"
"Well~ I've got a hundred million in cash in my bag, bought fifty lottery tickets at a million each, and there's another 380 million waiting in storage," Seoki replied casually.
"Mm-hmm. Carrying that much back to Korea, you might get arrested."
"I've got underground connections. If the money's thick enough, they'll get me home easy."
"I'm really gonna miss you," Seto said.
"Same here."
A blue butterfly fluttered down from the ceiling lights and landed gently on its owner's shoulder.
After the funeral rites were completed and Kurayami's body was laid to rest beside the Bito family, Seto and I stood praying in front of the shrine.We prayed for all the lives that had been sacrificed so we could stand here today—and for the two of us to part safely.
I placed Kurayami's beloved glasses on the empty table before us.
"Reflect on the past. Face the present. Walk toward a sustainable future," I recited, with Seto following. "For all of us."
"For all of us~" A girl's whisper brushed past our ears.
I raised an eyebrow and looked at Seto. "Bruh, did you just hear something?"
"Felt like someone turned on ASMR right next to my ear," Seto said, scanning the area. "Guess I need EMDR—starting to hallucinate shit and all."
"Seto… are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked, my face turning pale.
Seto raised his prosthetic hand, pointing all three fingers at me. "Don't tell me—" Suddenly, a dense rainbow-colored substance drifted into the air, gathering into the shape of a young girl in white robes and a red skirt.
"Big bros~ aren't you going to say goodbye before you leave~?" Kurayami's voice rang out clearly.
"G-Ghost!" Seto froze, mouth agape.
I tried to piece things together. "You're the one who helped me defeat Yurei back then… what does this mean?" As the substance stabilized, Kurayami's face appeared clearly—now dressed as a graceful shrine maiden.
"Well… how should I explain it," she said. "My real self backed up her memories into the glasses before switching to the chip. Like saving files before migrating data to a new drive. That turned the digital world inside the glasses offline."
"As for the online version… it kind of… exploded."
"So what's left is just the backup memories still in here."
"Huh?! Say that again," Seto squinted, scratching his head.
"Simply put, I'm a copy of Kurayami Bito—now stuck in an offline digital world. I can't go far, maybe twenty steps at most, and I can't do much anymore. Got it?"
"Okay! Crystal clear, so~ that's how science works, huh?" Seto nodded.
The girl's avatar turned toward her own funeral photo.
"Nice choice of picture," she said with a soft smile, sadness flickering in her eyes."If the real me woke up, she'd probably say the same. Thank you—for freeing me from that evil twin."
"We all share the blame," Seto said quietly.
"But at least now, you're free from that curse, Kurayami," I said, encouraging her.
She took a deep breath, then exhaled a puff of smoke like a cartoon character, before lifting her chin with renewed confidence. "Guess it's time for a new beginning. But… do people still want a prodigy girl these days?" she asked.
"Oh~ they're probably sick of it by now," Seto replied honestly after what happened two days before. She puffed out her cheeks, eyes wide.
"Then what should I do next?" She put her hands on her hips as a floating question mark appeared above her head.
"Well, Kurayami always liked photography," I suggested. "How about being a food-review idol?"
"Interesting~ Though explaining flavors might be tricky now," she nodded. "But it's worth a try."
"Looks like you finally got the babysitting job you wanted, Seto," I said, putting the glasses back on him.
"Babysitting again, huh~" he groaned.
Hearing that, Kurayami immediately cast a transformation spell.
Poof! "I'm eighteen this year~ I've grown up enough, you know~" Long, elegant legs stepped out from the smoke, accompanied by sultry saxophone music. Before the transformation smoke could fade, Seto tapped his left finger against his right hand.
"Cut, cut, cut! Censorship committee incoming!"
Kurayami instantly shrank back to her normal size.
"So, what'll be your stage name?" I asked.
"Hmmm~ Name… Ama… Ama Akari," she said. "After the sun goddess, Amaterasu."
Ama floated up and perched on Seto's shoulders. "It sounds hopeful. Go for it," Seto said. "But before you go, there's one thing I want to ask." He pulled out a drumstick from his sling bag.
"Before you head home… how about we make our last moments together a fun one?"
I looked at Ama, then at my best friend. "Let's do it."
"Lets." Ama echoed.
"But!" Seto raised his prosthetic left hand for everyone to see. "We'll probably need quite a few takes to practice."
"Well~ Dango probably has some equipment to help," I joked.
--------------------------------------------------
Some people want a new life to forget the past. But I started a new life so I could build on it—and return home as a better person. Maybe it's hard to accept leaving behind the people from that new life. But I still believe..... That music will bring us together again someday.
See you again, everyone.
Written by Woo Seokjae[1]
--------------------------------------------------
♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫
(Verse 1)
Every time you wake up, you wear a smile soaked in pain.
You say you're fine, yet you go sit alone, quietly, on that lonely balcony.
How could I possibly pretend not to see?
You told me yourself, didn't you....
that we'd look after each other, always.
(Chorus)
What you want, what you dream of—maybe it never truly existed.
No cure, no way out… is there really none for a child like you?
It's confusing—worse, it's humiliating—that I can't do a single thing for you.
It hurts so damn much—Hey!
Come on—say it!
No one can stand on this earth forever.
No one can carry the whole world and keep smiling.
Everyone needs something to lean on, for both body and soul.
So tell me—do you want to be free?
(Verse 2)
Every day you wake up with that pain-filled smile~~~
You say you're fine, yet you sit there crying, praying to the gods to help you…
Every night when you close your eyes and dream,
You pray the same prayer again and again.
Oh Kami, please—guide us. Please, let us awaken!
(Bridge)
(Hey! Hey! Hey!)
A whisper by your ear—just open your eyes and stare at it for a moment. (Ha ha ha)
It reaches out when you least expect it,
telling you what you must do.
You abandon a lifetime of happiness.
chase an illusionary world,
and are left with nothing but tears—flowing like blood.
Is it worth it…? (Oh no~)
Press your palms together and drive that evil spirit away.
Let the sacred protect us from this calamity.
Close your eyes and bow yourself down into the box.
(And repeat after me~) Are you ready~~~~
(Final Chorus)
No one can stand on this earth forever.
No one can carry the whole world and keep smiling.
We all need something to hold us together—body and soul.
Please answer me—do you still want to live~~~~~~
If you soar away, never to return~~~ (never return~~~~)
Look up and let Kami reveal the truth~~~ (Kami, reveal it~~~~)
I'm devoted to you.
For all eternity, so be it.
♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫
"We were one hell of a duo, weren't we," Seto said, flicking his lighter and lighting my cigarette.
"If it weren't for you, I'd already be six feet under," I replied.
"So what are you doing next?"
"I'll stay and help Ama," Seto said, exhaling smoke slowly.
"So she won't be lonely."
I made my decision and handed him the digital-world glasses.
"I'm leaving her with you. Fate will bring us together again."
I said my goodbye to my best friend.
Ama's face appeared from within the glasses, smiling brightly. "Have a safe trip home, okay?I'll have Big Brother Seto send you some snacks later~"
"Of course. You know where to find us," Seto replied. "Good luck, my friend—and give my regards to your little brother. Heh."
We hugged tightly before going our separate ways. Seto headed toward the westbound train station, while I walked east, toward the airport bus stop—my old guitar still slung over my shoulder, just like on the first day.
"So… what should we do next, Big Bro To?" Ama asked.
"No idea. Maybe open a ramen shop at that old dock," Seto replied. "Heard the tycoon's selling the business—thinking of buying it back."
"Oh my! I love ramen. Eh? Why do you look so stiff?"
"N-Nothing."
"Aww~ you miss Seoki-chan, don't you? I can tell."
"Hey—let him go where he wants."
"You love him, don't you~?"
"Shut it."
"Hey, could you find me a boyfriend too?"
"Sure. Tons of Vtubers out there."
"Hey! I can't go online anymore—what if I bring another virus in and mess things up again? You're the only one who can take me out to see the world for real… Or maybe you want to be the first one to talk to me yourself, huh? Sheesh~"
"Why are you starting to talk more and more like me?" Seto raised his brow.
"They say siblings grow alike. Maybe I'm extra cheerful now that I don't have periods anymore. Fumu~"
"Whatever. Too bad you're eighteen—you still can't get into clubs."
"Oh please~ who cares about a ghost's age? And even if I'm a ghost, I dance pretty well, you know!"
"That, I won't argue with. Hmph~"
--------------------------------------\\The End//--------------------------------------
In a field of flowers on the far side of the Han River in Seoul, the pink and blue butterflies once again flew back to their lone treehouse. They hovered there, watching Woo Seokjin, Woo Seokjae, and the young boy Woo Jin Hwan sitting beneath the tree, talking together.
"So Uncle Seokjae was the guitarist for the famous japanese band Y.N.G?" Jin Hwan asked, picking up Seokjae's guitar and strumming it. "That's amazing!"
"Well, it was a long time ago," Seokjae replied with a chuckle. "It was exhausting, you know—playing guitar while wearing a mask. I'd be drenched in sweat."
"You didn't disappear for so long just because of that, did you?" Seokjin asked.
"Do you remember what I told you that day, Seokjin?" Seokjae said. "I hadn't even experienced half of what was waiting for me."
"Yeah. I went through a lot myself," Seokjin replied.
Hearing that, Seokjae turned to look at his younger brother and nodded, a quiet understanding passing between them.
"Anyone feel like grabbing some comfort pizza?" he asked.
At that, Seokjin smiled faintly and ruffled Jin Hwan's hair. "Hop on, kid. Uncle's taking you to an all-you-can-eat pepperoni buffet."
"Yay! Pizza time!" Jin Hwan cheered, jumping onto Uncle Seokjae's back.
"Hahaha," Seokjin laughed as he led the two of them toward the sports car parked in front of the house.
The two butterflies watched as the Woo family finally became whole again. Their role now complete, they were scattered into ash by an unseen breath, drifting down toward a pink-haired man sitting with his back against the tree, his hand rubbing something hidden beneath a cloth.
"If those two butterflies are the past and the future…" the musician murmured, "Then what about the present?" Now, he's looking straight at YOU as he lifted a hunting shotgun and aimed it, raising an eyebrow.
Click!
"Exactly."
Bang!
--------------------------------------\\FIN//--------------------------------------
[1] Yep! It's Woo Seokjin's brother story all along.