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A large crowd of people gathered inside an equally massive, hollowed-out crop circle in the centre of one of Morioh’s lush fields. Although many of them seemed like they had nothing in common, they were all united under one common factor -- the fact that they had managed to befriend whoever had cut out this circle in the first place. This person -- or rather, alien -- was standing right in the centre of the circle, alternating glances between the sky and a small radar device mounted on their wrist. The sky itself was dark, despite it being midday and most weather forecasts in Morioh calling for sun. But upon closer inspection, one could see the source of this darkness, that being a large spaceship with myriad glinting lights at the bottom.
The spaceship’s descent slowed to a crawl, eventually stopping at about twelve feet in the air before a set of legs descended from trapdoors at the side. The alien signalled for some people at the edge of the circle to come forward, lest they be crushed under the legs’ weight. Sure enough, they obeyed in time. A series of muffled booms could be heard as the ground shook, signifying that the legs were secured to the ground. Now that the ship was fully docked, the alien decided it was time for him to make his final speech. He stepped forward, raising his hand for silence as he cleared his throat.
“Dear friends… I, Nu Mikitakazo Nshii, would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of you for gathering here this afternoon. Over the years, you have treated me with kindness, hospitality, and respect as I have carried out my mission on Earth. I find it quite hard to believe how much time as passed since I first docked here in what you know as the summer of 1999. But within that timespan, I have accumulated a great deal of not just scientific data… but also friendships, new experiences, and even love, in multiple senses of the word. It is you, friends, who have made my visit far more meaningful than any other I have experienced.
“Unfortunately, because a far greater amount of time has passed on my home planet than on this one, I must leave shortly. Much like you, I have a family and several long-term friends, and I am sure they miss me dearly. The intergalactic biology organization I belong to also needs to see the results of experiments I’ve conducted while visiting. However, I do not wish for you to interpret my departure as a permanent one. Should circumstances allow, I may very well return to this locale sometime in the future. I have no idea how many years from now it will be, nor how long I will be staying then. But please keep this possibility in your minds if it makes my departure easier for you to bear.”
“We’ll miss you, Mikitaka!” piped up the familiar coarse, expressive voice of Okuyasu.
Mikitaka acknowledged him with a nod before pressing another button on the device on his wrist. A tractor beam started booting up, as indicated by the faint hum and soft blue glow at the bottom of the spaceship. “I still have a little while longer before the tractor beam is fully engaged,” he announced. “If any of you wish for something more tangible to remember me by, please do not hesitate to step forward and hold out your hand.” Scanning the crowd, he tried to see if this announcement had caught anyone’s attention.
Sure enough, Josuke, Okuyasu, and Koichi stepped forward in near-unison, making their way across the circle to where Mikitaka stood. Each of their hands shot out, palm-up, anticipating whatever Mikitaka would give them. Smiling warmly, the alien stepped forward to meet them. He decided to start on the left with Okuyasu. Their hands met as Mikitaka’s free hand clutched the other side of Okuyasu’s. An electric blue glow enveloped them as they waited for a few seconds. When Mikitaka took his hands away, a small amulet appeared in Okuyasu’s hands.
This amulet was made in the shape of an open hand. In the centre of the palm, a yen sign was carved in, perhaps as a nod to the monetary signs that dotted Okuyasu’s school uniform. It looked like it was made of purple glass; however, if Okuyasu were to clumsily drop it on the ground, it would not shatter or even crack. After looking over the amulet, an ear-to-ear grin sprouted across the boy’s face, and a screech of joy erupted from his throat. “Thank you!” Okuyasu yelled, shooting forward and nearly tackling Mikitaka in a bear-hug. “Oh my God, this is perfect! I promise I’ll keep it with me forever! It’ll be just like you’re with me every step of the way! Oh, thank you thank you thank you!”
“My pleasure.” Mikitaka smiled, although they were a bit overwhelmed by Okuyasu’s emotions. He made his way to the next person in the group -- Koichi -- and took hold of his open hand the same way he did with Okuyasu. After another short while, the blue glow over their hands dissipated to reveal another amulet. This time, it was in the shape of a green egg mottled with white patches.
“Wow,” Koichi breathed, holding the amulet in his hand as he looked it over. “This looks just like the egg my Stand hatched out of, but with its colors reversed.” He smiled bashfully, closing his eyes as he blushed. “That was so weird… Hard to believe I’ve come so far since then.” After opening his eyes again, he made a small bowing motion in Mikitaka’s direction. “Thanks for the gift!”
“You’re welcome.” Finally, Mikitaka turned to Josuke. Clutching his outstretched hand, the blue glow faded back into existence for a little while longer. The resulting amulet resembled a round-cut diamond, pointing down at the bottom into a triangular shape. However, unlike a diamond, stripes of pastel blue and pink could be seen lining it, much like how those colors were present in Josuke’s Stand -- or at least, how he described it. Glints of pink and blue light could be seen in Josuke’s palm, reflecting the lights that shone on it from the bottom of Mikitaka’s spaceship.
Josuke picked up the amulet in his free hand and held it up, hoping it would catch more of the light. Sure enough, it did, and the reflecting pattern shone on the ground, lighting it in pink, white, and blue. He gazed wide-eyed at this pattern for a few more seconds before immediately pocketing the amulet. “Thank you, Mikitaka,” he said, giving a thumbs-up. “This is great! I’ll make sure to keep it on me wherever I go. And I hope your voyage home goes well.”
“Thank you for wishing me well.” Mikitaka bowed at the group before they took their place in the crowd again. He cleared his throat again before making another announcement to everyone. “Would anyone else like something to remember me by? I have time for two more people before I leave.”
There was a short pause, perhaps because people either didn’t hear Mikitaka or were too nervous to come forward. But this pause was broken by Yuya stepping forward. “Can I have one too?” he asked, projecting his voice so MIkitaka could hear him better.
“Of course.” Mikitaka stepped forward again. “Hold out your hand.” After Yuya did just that, Mikitaka clasped his hands around again and bathed them in the blue glow, holding them still for a few seconds. Once Yuya’s hand was uncovered, another amulet appeared in the palm. This time, it was shaped and colored just like the scarf that was tied around Yuya’s neck, complete with the “SPEED KING” and “HIGHWAY” inscriptions. However, unlike the scarf, it was dotted with miniscule thorn-like protrusions. They were too dull to actually break the skin, yet clutching the amulet would probably yield some sort of discomfort.
“Geez, this is a little prickly,” Yuya said, blushing as he put on an awkward smile. “But I’ll take it anyway. Thanks.” He backed up, joining his posse in the crowd.
Mikitaka turned to face the crowd one last time. “If one more person wants anything, please step forward now. I only have time for one more before I leave for good.” The pause that followed their words was longer than usual. Thinking they wouldn’t have time for one more, they turned around and started walking towards the centre of the tractor beam. However, before they could get that much further, they were interrupted by a sudden cry from the crowd.
“Wait up! Rohan’s coming in!” Josuke shouted, pointing to the lanky mangaka as he speed-walked into the circle.
“Quiet, you!” Rohan hissed, obviously not wanting Josuke to draw too much attention. But even so, he eagerly held his hand out as Mikitaka turned back around to face him. He shivered a bit as his hand was enveloped by Mikitaka’s, not being used to such an intimate gesture. But after the blue glow faded away, he was surprised at what appeared in his palm. It was an amulet in the shape of Pink Dark Boy, the central character of his manga. He held it up, inspecting every last detail. Everything from the hatband to the tailcoat was captured in perfect three-dimensional detail, just as much as he would have if he were to design this amulet. Even the face looked just like it was depicted in the manga. “Hmmm… I’m surprised at how well you crafted this,” he said under his breath, making sure only Mikitaka could hear him.
“Thank you. I admit the face was a bit of a challenge to fully render, but your art style makes it much easier for me to replicate.”
Rohan stared blankly at the alien. He wasn’t sure what to think of that last sentence. On the one hand, it seemed like Mikitaka intended to compliment him. But on the other hand, considering the fact that it was difficult for them to replicate realistic faces, it had the unintentional side effect of calling Rohan’s art style too simplistic. Not being sure what to think, he turned around to take his place in the circle again. But he was interrupted by another one of Josuke’s outcries, this time telling him to say thank-you. Not wanting to face any future outbursts from that boy, he turned around and quickly stage-whispered “Thanks” before speed-walking back to his place like he did earlier.
Finally able to turn around and face the crowd one last time, Mikitaka did so. “To all who have received a parting gift, I hope you enjoy and cherish them. I sincerely apologize to anyone I have missed, but unfortunately I will not be able to give out any more. Perhaps the time will come again a few years from now. Until then, please keep me in your hearts. I wish you all well, and hope that this town will continue being hospitable towards any visitors. Farewell, and may peace be with you.”
He stepped forward to meet the tractor beam as the crowd applauded and shouted their last goodbyes. As he levitated upward bathed in light, he gazed down to see people waving and clapping. Some were crying, others were smiling and wishing him luck. But no matter what, all of them were happy to have been in Mikitaka’s company. A tear streamed down his own face, glad that he had the chance to meet so many new friends in Morioh, and sad that he would have to leave them behind. But mark his words, they would meet again. He didn’t know when or for how long, but they would. Definitely.