Chapter Text
“Congrats on the new job, Tachibana!” The chorus of his former co-worker’s voices rang out as they clinked glasses after Makoto’s last day.
It was bittersweet--he’d gotten the job as a coach at one of the biggest swim clubs in Tokyo right out of college, miraculously, via a connection through Coach Sasabe. From day one, he’d loved working there. Coaching the younger kids had been his favourite at first, but after nearly eight years, he just loved coaching in general, especially watching the kids he taught grow and get better with age.
But even after ten years, Makoto still didn’t feel that Tokyo was his home. He’d thought about returning to Iwatobi to coach there, and even though his old coach would have loved to have him, Makoto really kind of wanted to go somewhere new.
From his boss, he’d heard about a small swim club in between a few villages near the coast. They needed some help getting started and gathering students, and Makoto, according to his boss, seemed like a perfect fit for the job, especially since he’d been seeming more and more done with Tokyo by the day. It seemed pretty good. He’d found an apartment in the village closest to the ocean, and the landlady seemed excited to have a new tenant.
He’d sent most of his stuff already, with just a few more bags to take with him in the morning, leaving plenty of time for his co-workers to throw him a good-bye party. “Man, I just can’t believe you’re leaving Tokyo to go back to the middle of nowhere. I could never imagine leaving.”
“It’s been fun, but this just isn’t where I see myself long term,” Makoto shrugged and took a drink from his glass. During his college years, he hadn’t been much of a drinker, and he wasn’t exactly sure when he even started liking beer. His best guess was sometime during the couple of years when Nagisa lived in Tokyo. He took another drink, finishing off the glass. “I’m sure I’ll visit sometime.”
He left the bar with no regrets, ready to board the train in the morning and open up a new chapter of his life. Though he had a lot of friends in Tokyo, Makoto couldn’t say that he was particularly close to anyone. All of his close friends had become world travelers; Rin and Sosuke were still in Australia, Rei was working on a project in America, and Nagisa was, well, hard to keep track of.
And Haru…
Last Makoto had heard, Haru was still in Japan. He’d decided halfway through their second year of college that, no, he did not want to be a professional swimmer, and left suddenly after that. Makoto knew it must have been hard for him. He’d been so set after so much deliberation, and it just hadn’t worked out--leaving so suddenly was like ripping off a band-aid, the quicker, the better.
They’d kept in contact quite a while, but it just got more and more difficult. Haru was still as bad with his phone as ever, and it didn’t help that Makoto was still in Tokyo, living out his dreams, when Haru suddenly didn’t have anything anymore.
As much as he didn’t like to think about it, part of the reason Makoto wanted to leave stemmed from all the way back then. He couldn’t help but still be bitter that Tokyo had pretty much crushed his best friend.
Or...childhood friend. It had been years since Makoto last heard from Haru, though he still sent birthday and holiday texts. Haru had probably changed his number a while back.
But it was okay. It was just fine. Makoto was starting fresh, still hoping that they would someday meet again, but leaving Tokyo behind him. He was ready.
After a sleepless night, a nearly-missed train, and a half hour’s walk from the bus stop, Makoto was glad he’d been so ready the night before, because he never wanted to go through anything like that trip ever again. He told himself that after getting unpacked, the absolute first thing on his agenda would be to buy himself a car. Since he hadn’t needed anything like that in Tokyo, he’d had enough in savings, especially since his rent would be so much lower in his new little village.
Makoto picked up his bags once again after a quick break for the last bit of his trek. He could see the building just down the street--an older, Japanese style apartment complex. It looked nice enough on the outside, and the village as a whole seemed to fit the style. There were a few houses scattered on the sides of the main road, along with a couple of tiny shops. A couple of side roads branched off, leading to a few other, more run down looking buildings, and from where he stood, Makoto could see a longer, winding road that looked like it headed straight towards the ocean. He hoped he could get a walk down there in before dinner.
He reached the complex in seemingly no time, and read the sign out front--Welcome to Umida Village Hotel, Apartment Complex, and Visitor’s Center--before heading inside.
A girl at the front desk glanced his way upon entry, and then perked up. “You’re new!” she said immediately, with a smile, her very-blue eyes shining. “Welcome to the Umida Village hotel, apartment complex, and visitor’s center. Not only are we the best, but we’re also the only! How can I help you?” She looked very young, probably seven at the oldest, and twirled a light brown ponytail around her finger as she spoke what sounded like a well-rehearsed line.
“I’m, uh, supposed to be moving in?” His landlady had said she’d meet him when he arrived, and unless he was sorely mistaken, the little girl was definitely not her. “My name is Makoto...Tachibana Makoto.”
“Oh, right! Granny said you’d be coming today. I’ll be right back.” The girl darted away before Makoto could say anything else.
He looked around the room while he waited.The building looked nicer on the inside than it had on the out, like it had been redone at least relatively recently, though it was sparsely decorated save for a sad-looking plant and a single painting on a wall. There were three exits from the main room, a staircase and a hallway that presumably led to the apartments, and a door behind the counter where the girl had disappeared out of. There wasn’t much to occupy himself with, so Makoto stood, luggage awkwardly leaning against his leg, as the time wore on and on.
“Sorry!” A woman, not as old as Makoto had imagined his landlady to be, rushed in with the girl trailing behind, holding a small dog. “The dog had to be walked, and I was already halfway to the ocean! I wasn’t expecting you for an hour or so still. I’m Junko”
“Makoto Tachibana,” he said, handing her his paperwork while she grabbed a key from beneath the counter.
“You’ll be the only permanent tenant. I have a few others who come and go with the wind and some who are here just for the summer,” she said, leading Makoto down the hallway on the first floor. “When I do have permanent tenants, I usually make dinner for everyone, so you’re welcome to eat with me if you wish.” She winked. “Oh, and I hope you don’t mind the dog. I would have warned you, but I just got him actually--well, Hikaru found him, and I figured we could keep him here. I wanted the company, you now?”
She walked with a spring in her step, and Makoto couldn’t help but brightening up from his previously watered down by travel mood. “No, it’s great. I love animals. And I’d love to stay for dinner, if the offer applies to tonight--I haven’t had a good meal in a while.”
“Great!” They were stopped in front of a door, about halfway down the hallway, while Junko unlocked it. “This is the biggest room. If you’d rather be closer to the end of the hall, though, that’s fine by me.”
“No, I’m sure this is fine. Thank you,” he said, taking the key and heading inside. It was just as she said--big. Much bigger than he had expected, and like the entryway had been, recently redone. He set his luggage down in the middle of the room next to other boxes of stuff that had already been delivered.
“Fantastic. Well, then I’ll give you some time to settle in. Dinner should be ready soon.”
After Junko left, Makoto took some time to himself, absorbing his new surroundings. The small apartment was nice, with a small kitchen attached to the living area, and two doors to the bedroom and bathroom off to the side. He knew that unpacking would be a process; when he moved out into his permanent Tokyo apartment, it had taken him almost a year before he’d completely unpacked, even though he hadn’t had much stuff in the first place. Since then, he’d only accumulated more stuff, and he could only imagine how long it would take this time.
Oh well. He didn’t have to start doing anything big yet. Maybe just the essentials, Makoto thought to himself, digging through a box labeled ‘bedroom’ and pulling out the first sheets and pillows that he saw. After putting them on the bed, he sat down, just for a little rest. It had been quite a long day, after all.
What only felt like a moment later, Makoto was waking up to soft knocking at the front door. He rushed out quickly and opened it to find the girl standing there. “Dinner’s ready!” she said, and immediately started giggling. “Your hair’s sticking up all funny. Were you napping?”
“Yeah, I must have fallen asleep.” She had a small smirk on her face. “I’ve had a long day, you know. I’ll be out in a second.”
“Okay. Just go through the door behind the counter and take a left.”
After fixing his hair, Makoto followed the directions as told and found himself in a small kitchen/ dining area. Junko and the girl were already seated and eating, and Junko pointed to the counter. “Feel free to help yourself.”
He did. The food looked almost better than what his mom made when he went home, and it was definitely better than anything he’d made himself in recent years. He sat himself down across from the girl and next to Junko and started eating immediately. “It’s delicious!” he said.
Junko smiled. “I’m glad you like it. Hikaru usually has something to complain about,” she said, glancing over at the girl.
“No, it’s good today. I bet you just made it better because he’s new.” She shrugged and looked at Makoto. “Trust me, in a week, she’ll be telling you to just heat up leftovers.”
“Hey, I wouldn’t mind that either. Pretty much anything is better than my own cooking.”
“You could learn a lesson from him, Hikaru,” Junko said, sticking her tongue out at the girl. Hikaru responded with the same gesture.
“So is Hikaru your…granddaughter?” Makoto didn’t mean to dig too deep into anything personal so quickly, but Junko hadn’t mentioned anyone else living with her. She’d said she’d forgotten the dog, but Makoto didn’t think she’d forget to mention a whole other person, and Hikaru had called her Granny when he’d first arrived.
“Oh, no, no. I’m more like her babysitter. Or adoptive grandmother, but there’s no blood relation. I don’t have any kids.”
“I live with my daddy down right by the ocean, but he’s busy a lot, so I like to help Granny out around here. I don’t know why I always stay for dinner, though; daddy’s cooking is so much better.”
This time, Junko gave her a soft swat to the back of the head. “Yes, I’m so grateful for her. Digging up the flowers, breaking the toilet, begging me to keep that dog around… she’s such a big help.”
“You told me to pull the weeds, and that’s what those flowers looked like. And daddy said he’d pay you back for the toilet.”
“He never told me that…I haven’t heard anything from your dad in weeks. I told you to tell him to come over for dinner one of these days.”
Hikaru shrugged. “He’s doing a big project now.” Junko gave her a look, and Makoto could tell there was something more behind it. He looked down at his plate, very interested in the exact color of his chicken. “He still makes me breakfast every morning and tucks me in at night. He’s just busy during the day.”
“I know…and I trust you’d tell me if something was wrong, but I worry about you both. You know how he is.”
She pushed her food around her plate. “We’re fine.”
“I know.” A soft smile spread over her face. “How about I send a pie home for you and your daddy to share? I made your favorite.”
“Okay!” Hikaru perked up instantly in true kid fashion, and Makoto was finally able to let himself look like he was paying attention once again. “I should go home soon, anyway—it’s starting to get dark.” She sprang out of her seat to collect her things from another room, the small dog trotting behind.
“Makoto, why don’t you walk Hikaru back home? I know you were excited to see the ocean, so she can show you how to get there. And you have my number in case you get lost.”
Makoto nodded and stood up with his plate, but Junko shook her head and said she’d clear the table herself. “Alright, then I just have to get my phone. I’ll be right back.”
He found his phone on top of the dresser in his room, where he must have put it before dressing the bed. There was an email from Rin, and a few texts from Nagisa asking if he’d safely arrived at his new place of residence. He tapped out a quick reply on his way back to the lobby of the building where Hikaru was waiting.
I made it fine. You should come visit if you’re ever nearby--it seems like a really peaceful town.
“Granny said you’re excited about seeing the ocean,” she said before Makoto had even looked up. “I’ll take you down there.”
“If it’s out of your way I can always go find it myself tomorrow.”
“No, my house really is right on the beach,” she said. They left the building and Hikaru took off, speed walking in front of Makoto. “It’s really pretty at sunset--I wonder if we can get there before then.”
Makoto did his best to keep up with the girl, which wasn’t too hard as she was so much smaller than he was. He absorbed his surroundings as much as he could as they walked, and was reminded so much of Iwatobi, from the traditional style houses to the small shops and friendly looking people. And then of course there was the ocean coming into view in the distance. Though he’d been close to it in Tokyo, too, it wasn’t the same. He wasn’t close enough, and the buildings were too tall to offer the view that he had loved in his hometown.
Hikaru didn’t even say anything when they had reached it, rather she just stopped, leaving Makoto to stop behind her and look forward instead of around. “Oh,” he said softly, taking in the sight. He felt like he was home; like he was a teenager again, following behind an excited Haru to the water. “It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah. Daddy comes out here a lot and just sits with his feet in the water and watches it...” She pointed to a house a few yards away right on the edge of the sand. “That’s my house. You should come visit sometime. If you like the beach this much, too, I’m sure daddy would love to meet you.” She turned towards her house, swinging the bag that the pie was in by her side. “I think he really needs a friend.” Facing Makoto once again, she waved and smiled brightly. “Good night, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Makoto walked farther towards the ocean and sat down, pulling out his phone. He thought that with Tokyo gone, he could for even one day stop thinking about Haru. Going back to the ocean, though, that was a foolish thing to do. Haru was tied to the ocean at his very core; Makoto knew that. It was part of the reason he was drawn to the ocean. Honestly, he still didn’t like it much on its own. The bad memories were still there, and Haru lived alongside all of the good.
After much deliberation, he typed out a text to a number that even after so much time he couldn’t forget.
It’s Makoto. As usual, I don’t think this is even your number anymore, but…
I moved away from Tokyo, and I’m sitting on a beach, and I miss you. I miss you so much, Haru. I wish I could just meet with you once more. I just want to know that you’re well. So if by some miracle you do get this, I have the same number as always.
He sighed and hit send. If he had even looked over the message once, he probably would have lost the courage and just deleted the whole thing. After another sigh, Makoto stood up and dusted off his pants before turning in the direction he thought was the correct way back.
It only took three wrong turns before Makoto found the apartment building once again. Junko was waiting for him at the front desk, phone in hand. “Five more minutes and I was ready to call.”
“Sorry,” he said, smiling. “I sat on the beach for a while and then explored some more on my way back.”
Junko nodded and with a wave led Makoto back into the kitchen, tea cups already on the table. “Did you get to meet Hikaru’s dad, or was he still working?”
He shook his head. “She didn’t invite me in, though she said we should meet sometime.”
The tea was poured, and Junko sat across from Makoto. “You can ask questions, you know. It’s fine. We’re such a small community anyway, there’s no use in having secrets.” She took a drink, drumming her fingers against the table. “Almost seven years ago now, that man showed up with a baby, a suitcase, some money, and an obviously broken spirit. They lived here for a week or so until he found that house, and ever since I’ve been practically raising that child. When Hikaru was little, he used to walk her over in the mornings and pick her up before dinner; sometimes they’d go home, sometimes they’d both stay and eat. But since she’s been old enough to get herself to and from school, she’s gotten herself here and back, too. I’ve seen him less and less since then.”
“That seems kind of…odd, doesn’t it? Hikaru said things were fine, but she’s too young to really know, isn’t she?” Makoto still felt like it wasn’t his business, but if Junko was talking…
“I trust her enough, but I watch her closely, too. Any sign on that girl of anything going on and I’ll storm over. I have half a mind to go over there anyway just to make sure he’s taking care of himself, too.” She got up to pour Makoto another cup, before warming her own. “I’m just glad Hikaru doesn’t seem to be taking after him, besides the stubbornness, but that’s natural in kids her age anyway. She doesn’t even look like him, save for those blue eyes.”
“Does he even have a job? Well, I guess he must. Hikaru said he was working on a big project?”
“He’s an artist, an apparently successful one at that, but the type to get a bit too into his work, I think.”