"Hello there! You must be the guests Dr. Amamiya mentioned. My name is Honda Mai—call me whatever you're comfortable with! I'm thrilled to be your guide in Miyazaki. Hope you'll enjoy your stay!"
Around noon the next day, Kitagawa Ryo called the number Amamiya Goro had given him and quickly connected with the guide. Within minutes, a lively woman arrived at their hotel entrance, greeting them warmly.
The local guide recommended by Amamiya Goro appeared to be in her early thirties. She wasn't strikingly beautiful but carried an approachable charm—tall, with a bright smile, sunglasses perched on her forehead, a camera around her neck, and a car ready for their tour.
"Nice to meet you, Mai-san."
Since Amamiya Goro had vouched for her trustworthiness, Ryo made no effort to hide his identity. After getting into the car, he removed his sunglasses and cap without hesitation and greeted her with a smile.
"Mai-san, we'll be in your care these next few days."
Hoshino Ai followed his lead, addressing the guide in the same manner.
"No wonder Amamiya gave me that heads-up. You're even more famous than I expected."
Honda Mai showed a flicker of surprise—clearly recognizing Ryo—but quickly regained her composure.
"Though among the guests I've hosted over the years, you're definitely one of the most high-profile."
"From the way you say that, do you often get guests like us?"
Ryo asked curiously.
"Pretty often. It's partly because of Miyazaki's shrines. While it's more rural compared to Tokyo, that also means we've preserved many large shrines here."
Honda Mai explained as she drove.
"The most famous one is Aratate Shrine, dedicated to Ame-no-Uzume, the goddess of performing arts and music. It's said to be quite spiritually potent, so many Tokyo entertainers make the trip to pray before releasing new albums or films."
"Not to brag, but I've guided quite a few well-known singers and actors because of that."
Ryo nodded with a smile.
"That does sound intriguing."
But he quickly added:
"Though we'd prefer less focus on shrines and cultural spots. We're mainly here for the natural scenery."
From his past life to now, Ryo had never been fond of mythological tales. In his view, most legends tied to tourist sites—whether real or fabricated—were concocted when local tourism boards developed the area. Only then did mountains, shrines, and rivers suddenly gain their "stories," giving enthusiastic guides material to captivate visitors.
Ryo had no interest in being led around to hear how one rock resembled a monkey with some fable behind it, or how another looked like an elephant with its own tale, only for everyone to rush over for photos.
To him, that kind of tourism was pure torture.
Honda Mai naturally picked up on his preference and seamlessly switched to Plan B in her itinerary.
"Understood."
As an experienced guide, Honda Mai was quite talkative. Coincidentally, Hoshino Ai—visiting Miyazaki for the first time—was endlessly curious, firing questions about every passing landscape outside the window. The atmosphere in the car gradually relaxed.
"We're here."
After about half an hour's drive, Honda Mai parked the car and promptly stepped out to open the doors for Ryo and Ai in the backseat.
"This spot isn't as famous as Takachiho Gorge or Manai Falls, but the scenery is just as stunning. Plus, it's much quieter. Most people not born and raised in Miyazaki don't even know about it."
Following Honda Mai's introduction, Ryo and Ai walked side by side into the mountains. After rounding a cliff, they were greeted by a wide, serene river.
Lush green grass cascaded down the slopes, stretching all the way to the deep blue foothills in the distance. Sunlight spilled through the clouds, the sky low and vivid blue, with billowing white clouds that seemed to expand one's spirit.
"Wow—"
Ai, seeing such a view for the first time, spread her arms wide as if to embrace the entire landscape.
"It's so beautiful."
People often feel small in the face of nature's grandeur.
Watching Ai's almost childlike gesture, Ryo couldn't help but smile. Then, almost reflexively, he mirrored her stance, taking a deep breath of the crisp air.
Honda Mai, standing to the side, found their behavior slightly unusual. Most tourists she'd brought here immediately reached for their cameras—whether to snap photos themselves or ask her to take group shots.
Before their eyes had even fully taken in the scenery, they'd let their devices "see" it first.
But a voice from behind soon interrupted her thoughts.
"Honda-san."
Mr. Kurokawa, supporting his pregnant wife, greeted her amiably.
"Mr. Kurokawa, Mrs. Kurokawa...? What are you two doing here?"
Honda Mai was surprised. She had bid farewell to this couple just an hour ago, watching them return to the hospital for rest.
"I was feeling better today, so I wanted to stay out in the sun a little longer. My husband brought me here."
Mrs. Kurokawa waved gently, her smile tender.
"No need to worry about us, Honda-san. You mentioned your new guests yesterday—are they the ones over there?"
"Yes. Thank you for understanding."
Honda Mai nodded. Their conversation, however, was overheard by Ryo.
Seeing Mrs. Kurokawa's serene happiness, Ryo couldn't help but recall Toshirou Kindaichi 's complaints last month about a heavily pregnant woman—Ms. Arima—who had barged into the theater.
Though Ms. Arima hadn't caused any disruptions during The Forbidden Game of Youth, Kindaichi had spent the entire show on edge. Afterward, he'd even investigated her, suspecting she might have been a plant from a rival troupe sent to sabotage the performance.
Turned out, Ms. Arima did have a minor connection to show business. In her youth, she'd apparently aspired to be an entertainer but lacked the talent and connections, leading to years of frustration. Now, she seemed to have pinned all her hopes on her unborn child.
As Kindaichi put it: "The dumb bird doesn't want to fly first—instead, it lays an egg and forces the egg to fly."
Come to think of it, Ryo's adoptive mother, Kitagawa Tomiko, had harbored similar sentiments.
Compared to those two, Ryo found the Kurokawa—a harmonious couple radiating anticipation for their newborn—far more agreeable.
Noticing Ryo's approach, the Kurokawa recognized him, though to his relief, they merely seemed politely familiar with him. Their focus remained entirely on the baby, their demeanor only slightly warmer.
From their brief chat, Ryo learned the couple also worked in Tokyo. Their demeanor and refinement fit his image of a middle-class family perfectly.
In his early years after transmigrating to this world, while still in the orphanage, Ryo had often hoped to be adopted by a family like this.
He might not have achieved his current success, but perhaps he could have tasted a different kind of happiness.
With that thought, Ryo's gaze drifted unconsciously to Mrs. Kurokawa's noticeably rounded abdomen.
In a way, this unborn child was already far luckier than he had been.
Noticing the exchange, Ai bounded over and followed Ryo's line of sight to Mrs. Kurokawa's belly, asking with interest:
"Have you two thought of a name for the baby yet?"
"Yes, we already know—it's a lovely girl, just like you."
Mrs. Kurokawa complimented Ai with a smile, while Ryo tilted his head slightly beside her.
Though fetal gender could be identified via ultrasound after three to four months, hospitals typically forbade doctors from disclosing this information to parents.
This rule existed to protect both newborns and mothers—since families might have gender preferences, and undesired results could pressure women into abortions.
But Amamiya Goro must have sensed the Kurokawa's genuinely didn't care about the baby's gender—they simply welcomed their new family member with open hearts—and thus privately revealed the answer.
"As for the name, my husband and I are thinking of 'Akane.'"
"'Akane'? As in 茜 (madder red), 朱 (vermilion), 彩音 (colorful sound), or 赤音 (red sound)?"
Ai voiced the name aloud, but given how Japanese names could share pronunciations but differ in kanji—like how "瑠美衣" was read as "Ruby"—she wasn't sure which one it was.
"茜—'Akane.' Kurokawa Akane."
Mrs. Kurokawa repeated the name twice.
"That's a beautiful name."
Ryo nodded approvingly.
After some more small talk, Mrs. Kurokawa began to look tired. Her husband immediately asked with concern:
"Should we head back?"
"Mm."
With his wife's agreement, Mr. Kurokawa bid the trio farewell and carefully helped her back to their car, returning to the hospital.
After this brief interlude, Ryo and Ai continued their tour under Honda Mai's guidance.
They hiked up a gentle slope to watch the sunset dip below the forest canopy; they teased each other while striking the iconic Titanic pose in a boat on the river; they leaned against the railing of an ocean-view observatory, watching the sea shift from shallow green near the shore to blue, gray-blue, cerulean, navy, and finally ink-blue where it met the horizon.
Neither Ryo nor Ai liked taking photos. At first, Honda Mai found this unusual, but she soon came to terms with it.
This wasn't the first time she'd encountered such travelers. Long ago, she'd guided a newlywed couple with the same peculiar habit.
Because they believed they'd spend the rest of their lives together, they didn't feel the need to freeze every shared moment in photographs.
Each other's eyes were the only keys needed to unlock the vault of memories. Just by seeing their reflection in the other's pupils, every sight, every scent, every emotion would come flooding back in an instant.
"I'm home."
After three or four delightful days in Miyazaki, Ryo finally returned to his Tokyo residence, laden with souvenirs.
"Welcome back, Onii-chan."
As if she'd been waiting by the door, Kitagawa Ruby looked up at him with a sweet smile, even stretching out her small hands to help with the luggage.
"Though you're a day early?"
Ryo set his bags aside with a chuckle and ruffled her hair.
"Because I didn't want to miss Ruby 's dance performance. Is that reason good enough?"
He noticed her hair had grown longer since her appearance on First Errand, now falling past her shoulders.
Ruby vehemently resisted haircuts, treating every strand as a personal treasure. Ryo respected her wishes, letting her grow it out as she pleased.
"That's the best reason."
Ruby wrapped her arms around his neck, her warm breath tickling his earlobe.
"You have to watch me, Onii-chan."
"And—you can only look at me."
"From now on, I'll be focusing more on my idol work."
Hoshino Ai faced Ichigo Saitou , her tone resolute.
"I know your dream is to see B-Komachi perform at Tokyo Dome."
"I'll work twice as hard to make that happen."
"But if that day ever comes... I hope you'll terminate my contract and let me graduate from being an idol."
It was the first time Ichigo Saitou had seen such unwavering determination in Ai.
On August 2, 1997, Amuro Namie made history as the first Japanese female singer to hold a dome tour, becoming the youngest woman to perform at Tokyo Dome at just nineteen.
Ai didn't presume she could surpass the queen of J-pop, so she gave herself an extra year.
Twenty years old.
If she could fulfill Saitou's vision and graduate from idolhood by then...
Ryo would be—Sixteen.
Old enough to love.