Christmas.
Kobayashi Tetsu didn't feel particularly enthusiastic about the holiday. Even with his persona as a returnee from abroad, he disliked celebrating Christmas.
He couldn't understand why Japanese people were so fond of it.
The only Christmas he truly enjoyed was when his sister wore a bikini-style Santa outfit and wished him "Merry Christmas!"
Unfortunately, such a sister was hard to come by.
This Christmas, Kobayashi Tetsu planned to visit Tokyo Disneyland.
He'd never been to Tokyo Disneyland before. Since Hai City had its own Disneyland, he could visit anytime, so there was no need to make a special trip to Tokyo.
For the first time in both his past and present lives, Kobayashi Tetsu was visiting Tokyo Disneyland.
When he spotted Kobayakawa Rinko, she was standing alone on the roadside, waiting. She occasionally shifted her weight, raised her hands to huff warm air onto them, and rubbed her palms together to ward off the cold.
Kobayashi Tetsu greeted her with a smile. "Why are you being so silly? It's cold—why not duck into a shop to warm up instead of standing out here?"
"I was afraid you wouldn't be able to find me," Koyakawa replied, glancing behind him. She seemed to relax visibly. "Um... where's Senior Anesaki?"
"We're going to play. What business does she have here?" Kobayashi Tetsu asked.
Koyakawa blinked, as if considering the validity of his words. After a few seconds, her face brightened with relief, and she let out a contented sigh.
"You're right! I shouldn't have come in the first place."
"Let's go," Kobayashi Tetsu said casually. "I heard Tokyo has a Disneyland now. We should check it out today."
Kobayashi Tetsu didn't mention that Anegasaki Nene wasn't coming because she had other plans for the evening.
She was sensible and knew when to advance and when to retreat, not wanting to trouble Kobayashi Tetsu!
The price was that she'd have her own troubles later that night.
Of course, Koyakawa knew nothing of this.
She nodded, but couldn't help asking, "Does America have Disneyland too?"
Kobayashi Tetsu momentarily slipped up.
Of course America has Disney!
Tokyo Disneyland opened early, in 1983, and was initially built in Chiba Prefecture, the hometown of famous Japanese actor Sonny Chiba.
However, some of the park's most famous attractions hadn't been built yet. For example, Disney's River Adventure wouldn't be constructed until the 1990s.
Despite being winter, it was Christmas season, and there was no snow. The park was still quite crowded.
A double-decker bus drove past, and Koyakawa stopped to watch it. Suddenly, she turned to Kobayashi Tetsu and asked,
"Tetsu-kun, why doesn't this bus have a roof?"
"Because the American climate is dry and rarely rains. Without a roof, it's more convenient for sightseeing. A little breeze makes you feel refreshed and happy!"
Koyakawa looked at Kobayashi Tetsu with her wide, innocent eyes, feeling he might be deceiving her.
But Kobayashi Tetsu nodded solemnly. "Trust me. After all, I'm back from America."
Koyakawa believed him.
That actually makes some sense!
She murmured to herself, "Since open spaces have good air circulation, they should theoretically be cooler. So this is just a bit of everyday science!"
Kobayashi Tetsu couldn't help but chuckle. "Just kidding. The truth is, this is a tour bus. The second floor is for summer sightseeing, but the weather's nice today, not too cold. You could try sitting up there later."
As another double-decker bus approached, Kobayashi Tetsu casually pulled Koyakawa along and they boarded.
Disneyland is indeed vast. Without this park bus, it would take ages to explore.
The bus circled the park, passing by streetscapes modeled after foreign cities. The Baroque-style old streets were clearly French, while the slightly more distant buildings with spires were likely English. The Times Square replica naturally represented America.
They didn't sit on the second floor; it was winter, and the first floor was warmer.
Koyakawa pressed her face against the glass window, her eyes fixed on the French street.
"France is amazing! Tetsu-kun, I'm going to work hard and write articles so we can go to Paris next year, okay?"
Kobayashi Tetsu sighed.
Paris...
It might be a disappointment.
He didn't point this out.
It was well-known that Japanese people loved Paris even more than the French themselves.
"Sure," Kobayashi Tetsu said with a casual smile. "We can try authentic French cuisine there too. You know, among all the countries in the world, France and the Zhou Kingdom are the two most skilled in culinary arts, each with its own unique cuisine."
Koyakawa nodded enthusiastically.
France must be wonderful! Though she'd never been there, she'd watched "The Rose of Versailles," a popular Japanese anime about the French Revolution.
Even though this imitation street had an undeniable air of kitsch, Kobayashi Tetsu didn't mind the novelty. He'd even taken photos at Shenzhen's Window of the World as a kid!
Though the World of Windows theme park had a distinctly kitschy feel, visiting it back in the day was a major talking point.
"Oh, there's something fun up ahead. Let's get off here."
Kobayashi Tetsu suddenly grabbed Koyakawa's hand and pointed.
An arcade.
This area was called the "Penny Arcade," named after British currency. It was filled with arcade games from around the world, designed to showcase the atmosphere of a classic arcade.
Kobayashi Tetsu seemed right at home here, casually explaining things to Koyakawa.
"Pong. This is probably the world's first video game. An American businessman hired a programmer for five hundred dollars to create it. Later, they added various modes, and it remained one of Atari's most popular arcade games until the company went bankrupt. One of Sega's early products was distributing Atari's Pong in Japan."
Koyakawa nodded vigorously.
This was the first time she'd ever heard such a thing!
Getting carried away, Kobayashi Tetsu casually tossed two one-yen coins into the machine.
"Want to try?"
Koyakawa nodded.
Let's try!
The arcade game Pong can be considered the world's first video game. Its basic gameplay is simple: on an arcade cabinet, players control paddles on either side to hit a ball back and forth. The goal is to get the ball past the opponent's paddle and into their goal.
The name "Pong" has nothing to do with table tennis; it's an onomatopoeia for the sound the ball makes when it hits a paddle.
Kobayashi Tetsu was quite skilled at this game.
Within seconds of starting, he smoothly scored a goal.
Koyakawa, of course, refused to accept defeat and demanded a rematch.
After several minutes, she glanced at the score on the screen and grew anxious. "Tetsu-kun!"
Tetsu-kun, please go easy on me! I can't beat you!
Kobayashi Tetsu didn't even look up.
"What 'Tetsu-kun'?! Focus on the game! Don't get distracted!"
In competitive games, there's no room for sentimentality!
Koyakawa could only clench her fists, secretly wishing she could hit Kobayashi Tetsu with a brick.
They ended up happily playing in the Penny Arcade all morning.
Disneyland had restaurants, of course, though they were more expensive than outside. Kobayashi Tetsu, however, had plenty of money for meals.
When you're out having fun, eating well and playing well are the most important things.
For some reason, Kobayashi Tetsu noticed that Koyakawa Rinko wasn't eating. She was just using her fork to arrange the two-colored rice grains in her bento box—
The crudely stitched Mickey Mouse doll lay in pieces, its head bowed.
"Tetsu-kun—"
Kobayashi Tetsu was surprised.
They had been having fun just moments ago, but now she looked as if she was about to burst into tears for no apparent reason.
"Tetsu-kun... you're going to leave too, aren't you?"
Kobayashi Tetsu put down his utensils and clasped his hands together. "I'm not going anywhere. Why would you ask that?"
Koyakawa mumbled, "You're lying—Mom said the same thing before."
Kobayashi Tetsu took her hand and urged her to look up.
"So, what exactly happened?"
Koyakawa tried to lower her head several times, but Kobayashi Tetsu stopped her. She stared at him and quietly began to recount her past.
"When I was in third grade, one afternoon, Mom suddenly came to school. She seemed to be talking to my teacher about something, and occasionally she pointed at me. Then the teacher came over and said Mom had taken me out of school early for the afternoon."
"All my classmates were so envious, and of course I was happy too. After we left school, Mom asked where I wanted to go. I said, 'I want to go to the candy store,' because we were never allowed to eat so much at home."
"Mom took me to the candy store. She pulled out a lot of money and said, 'Rinko, you can eat as much as you want today.'"
"I was so, so, so happy just sitting outside the shop, eating those sweets. A little girl was watching me with such envy. I just opened my mouth like this, ah, and stuffed three dango into my mouth in one go. She cried and ran back to her mom. I smiled because Mom had bought me so many sweets."
Koyakawa paused and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Later, Mom told me, 'Rinko, wait here. Dad will come to pick you up.'"
"I just sat there and waited for her."
"There were so many sweets that day, I couldn't finish them all no matter how much I ate."
"I saved the daifuku to share with Mom when she came back."
"But I never finished the sweets."
"Mom never came back."
"Dad got a new wife."
She looked at Kobayashi Tetsu, her eyes glistening.
"When I was happiest, Mom left. Tetsu-kun, you'll leave too, won't you?"
Suddenly, Koyakawa grabbed Kobayashi Tetsu's hands with both hands.
"Tetsu-kun—don't leave!"
"I hate Senior Anesaki—no, that's not true, I don't hate Senior Anesaki. So, Tetsu-kun, don't leave!"
All her emotions surged forward at once.
She rubbed the bracelet on her wrist and murmured softly.
"Don't go—it's okay even if it's like this—"
It's already good enough.
So, don't go.
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