Seijun: A Girl's Bygone Days

“Death is a symptom of life. “The body replaces itself with a new set of cells every 7 to 10 years. We are constantly dying without realizing it, as a new being takes our place. “If you replace all the parts of a ship over a period of time, after all the parts have been replaced, is it still the same ship?” “Yeah. The same thing goes for a car or any other machine. Replace the parts if they exhibit signs of wear and tear, or if they are damaged by some incident.” “That makes sense, alright. You are delving into the world of engineering, after all.” “It's all about the core component – the nucleus, the heart, the soul. A person is still the same person, because their parts remain the same in spirit. So they're not dying, no. And they're still the same ship, car, or machine.” “As for me... I'd say it's about the abstract sentiment of the entity that makes it what it is as a whole rather than just a collection of its parts. “Physically, no; it's not the same thing. Whether you choose to call it the same thing or not is up to others to perceive.” “I see. From the way you speak, you are indeed credible. But I still have some lingering doubts.” “That's OK. Trust and doubt are both sides of the same coin.” *** They say dreams predict future realities. Others say dreams are just our brains playing tricks on us while we sleep. But what really is a dream to me? I’ve had dreams before, but I ignored them anyway. They're worthless to my ordinary life. Worthless ever since I've lost my beloved Noemi just a month ago. And then... A girl showed up. More like “made her presence known”. And she claims to be the reincarnation of my deceased girlfriend. And she initiated a conversation with me, like she was saying hello to an old friend. And she lives right next door. So how did this all happen? *** I was walking home from school. I am a student taking up robotics engineering at Natsukawa Technical College, in the idyllic coastal town of Sango-minato. This town where I spend the better half of my twenty years resides in the Tohoku region, somewhere not that far from Tokyo. I usually cross the pavement near the town's famous waterway, allowing me to enjoy the sunset right after rigorous classes. But something that has never happened before was right beside me. A pink-haired, green-eyed girl was walking along with me! And she exactly resembles the one in the dream I had last night! *** I've had a dream unlike the others I've experienced before. A girl suddenly showed up, right on top of me, wearing nothing but her black lace lingerie and black leggings. She was… touching me, in all sorts of places. With her soft, gentle hands. And she drew her face close to mine, like she was about to kiss me. I could not sense her face completely – but she had short pink hair and green eyes, from what I personally perceive of her. My body tingled at the girl's actions. But just as the scene was about to become more intense… ...she suddenly vanished. Man… what a way to spoil the mood. But that girl… she had an air of mystery to me. Could she be my future wife? Or is that dream a result of me playing too many visual novels, watching too many romantic films, and listening to too many love songs? About those excesses I've talked about… yeah. I'm a love addict. A hopeless romantic. Emphasis on the word “hopeless” due to Noemi's passing. At the age of 20, I should experience love again, even though I'm still freshly heartbroken. This decision is of my own volition, not born out of peer pressure. But those thoughts and dreams of idealized love as a coping mechanism meant my studies were sidetracked, but not entirely confined to the back-burner. I still have my life priorities, after all. *** At that time, the girl was having a lighthearted conversation with me! And unlike in the dream, she wore something way more decent – her own school uniform. Her first words were... “Hiya, Gunpei Imahara! How's your life going?” Shock was too absurd a word to describe the way she casually popped up. I'm a young adult, so I must maintain my composure. “Ah, yes. B-by the way... who are you? And why do you look like... Noemi?” She gaily replied... “Guess it's the perfect time to introduce myself! I'm Harumi Sogawa, twenty years of age, and I'm the reincarnation of Noemi Kuroyanagi!” Shock was then the perfect word to describe the entire situation, as we still continued our walk along the length of the pavement. But still, my composure levels were within normal. “How bold of you to claim that. You know moving on is painful.” “But not anymore! Because... I'll be her replacement.” “Aw, quit your bold proclamations.” “I ain't kidding. When I say I'm her reincarnation, I really mean it. And before you dump me with several questions, I'm ready to answer them all.” Upon seeing her radiant face and her cheery disposition, Harumi indeed reminded me of Noemi. These two traits of hers were Noemi's weapons of choice in facing the challenges of everyday life. Noemi's trademark... was her innocence. And thus… “Well... I admit I need some companionship back at home. I can't depend on my classmates all the time, being all cooped up with their studies and all. And my parents are living up there in Hokkaido. Your gift of gab could be useful in calming down my weary spirit.” I suddenly blurted out cohesive and meaningful sentences as replies to everything she said! Was I… in a daydream? A reverie? More importantly… was it a continuation of what happened last night? I never knew. “Yup, I know. You're studying in a technical college, for crying out loud! And as for me... uh... I'm pursuing fine arts.” “That's a good course to pick.” I recall that Noemi also used to pursue fine arts before she passed on. “You know what, Gunpei, opposites attract. You're pursuing a scientific career, while I am chasing my artistic dream.” “That's good and all, but... But why are you chasing after me, and not some other guy in this town? You know there are lots of eligible dudes right here in Sango-minato, right? Are you... are just pretending to be the reincarnation of my dearly departed girlfriend; and you just want to jump my bones?” Oops. Slip of the tongue. My lingering thoughts of Noemi led me to bringing up a sensitive question. As I reached the very end of the pavement, the conversation ended… and the girl disappeared. She vanished like a ghost, but I'm sure she just employed some stealth tactics or something – because I'm no superstitious guy. I wondered if I angered her, but... No big deal, right? I was just a few meters away from my home, as I could see the trees surrounding it. I then remembered what a classmate told me about last night's weird dream. That conversation happened during lunch break. “Yes, dreams are both predictions of the future and results of the memories accumulated by the brain for the entire day. So if you ingest too much romantic stuff, you’re gonna be bothered by that girl everyday, physically or mentally.” That guy's right, after all. There were studies that focused on dreams, and they’re accepted as fact by many people. But should I get my hands off romantic stuff for now? I was confused. But I was still determined… to find my Miss Right. A Miss Right whose touch can heal me, can empower me, and can inspire me – just like Noemi. I should become less addicted to love and should take the painful steps to actually clinch it. That dream of mine… will become reality… with my own valiant efforts of going forward.