The Eternal Zero Page #5

to tell the children,

but I always planned on it.

That day has finally arrived.

Okay...

I first met Miyabe-san

at the Tsukuba aviation school.

That person who risked his life

to save Miyabe-san then

was you, Grandpa, right?

When he stood up for Ito's honor,

I pledged then and there,

I'd stake my life to protect that man.

1945 Naval Hospital.

This is all I have to give you now.

My wife fixed it up for me.

- I can't take something so precious.

- It's fine.

I want you to have it.

Her name's Kiyoko. "Kiyo" is in "pure."

She's really beautiful.

No, my wife is Matsuno.

Kiyoko is the baby.

She was born after Pearl Harbor.

For her sake, I don't want to die.

Oishi, my friend...

If the war were to end, what'd you do?

I wonder...

Don't you think about it?

What?

Tell me, please. What is it?

If I were to survive,

I'd like to do something to help people.

That kind of thing, maybe...

Fingers crossed, then,

that you get that chance.

Instructor Miyabe!

Teranishi... Yamada... Kagawa!

Fully recovered?

Walking tall now, eh?

Instructor Miyabe?

Oishi...

You better now?

Yes, thank you very much.

That's good news.

No...

No, it's not...

Believe in the immortality of the spirit

and the eternal truth of our cause.

Pray for success.

To your planes!

Tomorrow at dawn,

these selected men

will attack the enemy fleet at Okinawa.

That's it.

Bow.

At ease.

Kenichiro Oishi.

Oishi...

I'm fine.

Teranishi and Yamada went already

so I'm prepared.

More importantly... Look.

Kyuzo Miyabe.

What's going on?

Nice idea...

That looks pleasant.

It's strange...

The cool of the water...

The wind in the wild flowers...

Trivial stuff like this

now seems so precious.

I'd never considered what lies ahead

for Japan or for my family.

Never even thought about

what happens after death.

When we're gone

I want this country to continue.

Children of today

and generations beyond that,

how will they speak of this war?

My head is full of such thoughts.

In years to come

what kind of country will Japan be?

Everyone...

Remember our slogan

"Certain Death, Certain Victory."

Pray for success.

Ensign Oishi, I have a favor.

Won't you switch planes with me?

But don't you fly a Type 52, sir?

Why would you chose to fly

the older model?

The Type 21 is the first Zero I flew.

If it's going anyway I'd like to take it.

But...

Won't you indulge me

in my last whim?

Damn...

No way!

Miyabe-san...

Miyabe-san!

Miyabe-san didn't come back.

But I'm here.

That's

just his fate...

No.

That's not it!

As soon as the war ended,

I went looking for Matsuno

to talk about what happened.

However,

their old neighborhood in Yokohama

had been obliterated by firebombing.

No one in the area knew where she'd gone.

A friend in the Health Ministry

helped me track her down.

But that was well after the war

and two years had passed.

Matsuno was living in a shack in Osaka.

Raising a child single-handed

was proving to be a struggle.

I'll be back.

I promise.

Liar...

Darling?

Excuse me.

My name's Kenichiro Oishi.

During the war, your husband

was very good to me.

I'm his wife. Thank you for those words.

Not at all...

I'm the one

who should be grateful.

H was heart-breaking for me.

To think the two people

Miyabe-san so wanted to protect

were surviving

in such appalling circumstances.

I told her about Miyabe-san

switching planes with me

and how I survived as a result.

I was prepared for this.

I'm sorry.

It's my fault.

It was his fate.

It wasn't your fault.

That's not right!

The fact that he gave up his plane

can't have been just a coincidence.

After my emergency landing,

I looked down by my seat

and I found this,

a note and this photograph.

As he sat in his Type 52,

I reckon.

Miyabe-san discovered the engine fault

then placed these things inside

for me to discover.

Ensign Oishi, if by good fortune

you survive this war, I have a favor.

If my family falls on hard times,

please help them.

Why?

Please forgive me. I should have died.

Please leave.

I beg you. Go away...

I tried to do all I could.

I visited them when I had time.

Kiyoko-chan...

Go buy yourself a soda.

Soda!

May I?

No, you can't.

Please, don't worry about us.

Miyabe-san would never forgive me.

Please accept this.

It's not much but...

I cannot, Oishi-san.

I simply can't.

It's cold, huh?

Mister!

Every payday, I'd head to Osaka.

Matsuno was reluctant to take it.

But I just kept visiting.

I regarded it as my sworn duty.

Thank you.

Come here!

Such pretty flowers.

Can you reach?

No, I can't.

- Did you touch them?

- I didn't.

You didn't, huh?

Are you okay? Here...

I got wet.

Wipe yourself.

Don't want to.

Come here...

Behave!

You mustn't catch cold.

Did you have fun?

Again! Again!

How come you're so kind to us?

Miyabe-san,

he once saved my life.

Even so,

it needn't be at the cost

of your private life.

You've more than fulfilled your duty.

We can't keep depending on you...

No, that's not all...

It was duty at first.

But then coming here

became a source of joy.

Helping you both in any small way I could

gave me a reason to keep going.

Let me just say it.

When I first saw you I fell...

I don't deserve to be here.

Please don't go.

I finally understand.

My husband

fulfilled his promise to me.

He once told me,

"Even if I die,."

"I'll still come back to you.

"Even if I have to be reborn,."

"I'll be back by your side, without fail."

Now you're here with us.

Miyabe did it.

He fulfilled his promise.

He wanted to survive so desperately...

Then why...

I can't put it into words.

I don't think it can be expressed.

One thing I do know...

That man did not fear death.

The only thing that he was afraid of

was any threat to your well-being.

The duty of those of us who survived

is to ensure their deaths aren't in vain.

To keep telling their stories.

Eventually

we got married.

Between us,

Miyabe-san was never mentioned again.

By the same token,

never once was he forgotten either.

Who could've imagined

that you'd both been through so much?

We're nothing special.

In those days,

everyone had a similar story.

Everyone kept it to themselves

and carried on as if nothing happened.

That's what it means,

to have survived a time of war.

In another 10 years,

our generation will be almost gone.

It's a great relief

for me to tell this story

to you both.

A strange thing happened once.

It's important that you know everything.

Soon after the war,

I was taken advantage of.

A yakuza thug

was forcing me to be his mistress.

At one point, someone came to my help.

A man risked his life for me.

I saw him...

He stepped forward,

holding a blood-soaked sword.

He threw his wallet towards me.

"Get on with life!"

he said.

At the time, it seemed

as if Miyabe had come back to help me.

Who was it?

I never saw him again.

I fled here with Kiyoko.

I have no idea who he was or from where...

I should've come to you sooner.

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