After Airi malfunctioned a bit while at Umihoshi, Chitose emailed Youko to take Airi to a lab at Tsukuba, known for its research facilities, you might be wondering: what are they checking on?
On the way to Tsukuba, Youko and Airi stopped by a shrine. We see a flashback of Chiotose and a woman going there. Believe it or not, the brown hair lady’s name was Youko, who is actually Chitose’s little sister. But wait, does this mean the younger Youko in the present is the same Youko in the past? Given that Youko has flashbacks or dreams of being with her older sister in various places, and the older Youko looks very similar to the present one, it makes me wonder. Is the present Youko a clone of the original Youko, or a cyborg like Airi?
That said, they visited various places along the way. These stops include the national motorcycle shrine. It’s cute how Youko left a fortune, saying she wants to keep touring with Airi forever. Youko’s commitment to being with Airi is firm.
Eventually, Youko is almost at their destination after they saw the Science Gate that recognizes the greats. Yes, they consist of bead arrangements of Edison, Newton, Archimedes and Galileo. It’s apparently built to commemorate the hosting of the Science Expo. Afterwards, Youko went to the spot where she thought the research facility with the rocket was. Instead, it’s just a bunch of collapsed buildings, gated off in a flooded lake. However, Youko feels that she has been there before.
Eventually, they arrived at the correct spot after Youko got the location wrong. The facility’s entrance is a pay phone booth. It’s not too surprising, since they were common in the 90s and early 2000s. By now, I guess everyone is using smartphones already. I find it interesting how Youko doesn’t know how to use a phone properly and uses the talking piece as the hearing one, before Airi has to correct her. Also, it’s funny to see the phone booth go down as they get sanitized before entering the facility
Eventually, they went down the hall and entered a big, empty white room. Airi is led to her own room, but, to Youko’s surprise, she is also getting a checkup. She thought she would either wait around for Airi or perhaps explore the facilities.
Of course not, as she gets a checkup of her own and actually falls asleep. What is interesting is that the room is named Y-21, where the first letter is the initial of their name. Airi has the same one. It makes me wonder if Youko might be the same as Airi, or a cyborg or clone.
When she woke up, it was done, and after putting her clothes back on, she wanted to explore the facility. Of course, the phone booth was waiting outside the room as she got thrown back to the entrance. Funny how Airi surprises Youko wearing an astronaut helmet. She must have gotten bored waiting for Youko, given that she fell asleep. Now, it’s too dark to explore the park, but at least they hang out in a planetarium, or a remnant of it. Youko changed into a different outfit to fit the mood.
Additionally, they received updates to the touring journal app. Now it works offline, and they can view stamps on the map marking locations that Chitose visited. It makes me wonder: is this a ploy by Chitose to get Youko to recover her memories? After all, Youko sees a flashback of memories of the older Youko with Chitose. It only makes me wonder where Chitose actually is, since she still shows some signs of life.
(Also known as Touring After the Apocalypse)
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