The Hot Spot (ホットスポット)

I'm actually from the future.

‪Huh?

I'm from the future.

When you say you’re from the future, you mean…

- You traveled here from the future? - Yes, from 50 years into the future.

Fifty years?

I know it’s a lot to take in.

Oh, no, well…

I'm actually an alien.

I must have gotten used to sci-fi stuff…

I believe you.

- Really? - Yes.

- Thank you. - Because I took it pretty well.

Wait, does that mean that in 50 years, time machines will exist?

Not exactly.

You know the old tunnel in that hill over there?

What tunnel?

When Asano Lake station closed,

- the railway line was abandoned, right? - Oh, yeah.

‪YEAR 2074

Well, further down, there’s this old tunnel.

I was out for a walk around the area and discovered it by accident.

I recalled going in with my friends when I was a student.

I felt nostalgic, so I went in again.

I think I walked about 200 meters

before coming out the other side…

Even though I should have been familiar with the scenery,

something felt strangely off.

- Something felt off? - You see.

Things that should’ve been gone were still there,

and things that should’ve been built were missing.

But the rest looked strangely familiar, you know?

Just as I was wandering around, wondering what was going on,

I saw a convenience store that had been closed for years.

I went inside…

and checked a few magazines and so on…

FEBRUARY 2024

…and that’s when I realized I was 50 years in the past.

I got frightened

and hurried back through the tunnel.

I kept this to myself and went on with my life as usual,

but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Are things completely different 50 years in the future?

Yes, especially around here. The Lake Hotel will be gone too.

I see.

What gets built after the hotel shuts down?

- Some city-run facility. I'm not sure. - Is that so?

So before it’s all gone, I decided to take photos of everything.

That's why I was taking shots.

I also had another reason.

- What's that? - Well.

I wanted to see my younger self and my family again.

Oh, I see! Were you able to do so?

Yeah. Actually, you met them recently, too.

‪Huh?

Were they guests at our hotel?

Yes! Hirotaka Murakami is actually not my real name.

- Really? - I figured.

That if someone with my exact name showed up, it would raise suspicion.

So I just flipped the syllables of my first and last name around.

Okay, so Hirotaka Murakami becomes Takahiro Kamimura?

Takahiro Uemura!

- Wait, so your younger self… - He came to stay recently.

- Mr. Uemura, we've been expecting you. - That’s what I wanted to see.

Congratulations

- on passing your exam. - It was an emotional sight.

Fifty years from now, my parents will have passed away,

my younger sister will be an old lady…

I didn't know that was you!

And, if my memory’s right, the hotel shut down right after that family trip.

- Is that so? - That's why I thought you already knew.

No, we had no idea.

Really?

Lately, you've all been kind to me, giving me handwarmers and so on.

I thought you were doing that for regulars because the hotel is shutting down soon.

Oh, that? No, we just felt like doing it.

I can't possibly admit I was trying to get my hands on his inheritance.

Oh no, look at the time. Sorry, I kept talking forever.

Not at all. Thanks for sharing your secret with me.

If there’s ever anything you need, just let me know. I'd be glad to help.

Okay.

Actually… Mr. Mura, I mean, Mr. Uemura. There is one thing I'd like to ask.

- What is it? - If you don't mind.

Could I share this with my childhood friends whom I really trust?

- Your childhood friends? - Yes.

- Sure. - Really?

I mean, if you trust them, then I don't see an issue.

Thank you!

People who come from the future are way more generous than aliens.

LAKE HOTEL

I'm back.

- When's your match? - On the 30th.

- Where are you playing? - I can't talk about the hotel closing yet.

Oh, yeah.

If I just suddenly told her I met someone who came from the future,

she'd be more freaked out about that than the hotel closing.

Oh, and…

That's also why I haven’t mentioned Takahashi to her either.

Not really.

Who did you hear that from?

There's this guy who's been staying at our hotel for about three months now.

His name is Murakami.

- Oh, I think you mentioned him before. - Yeah.

It turns out he's actually…

from the future.

Come again?

From the future?

‪Yeah.

- By the way, how far into the future? - Fifty years, he said.

That's quite the time leap.

They both accepted the fact he came from the future way more easily than me.

They've probably become more accepting of sci-fi stuff since meeting Takahashi.

Does Mr. Takahashi know about this?

No.

Why do you ask?

Wouldn’t the hotel shutting down affect him the most?

Wait, you're right.

If the hot spring goes, that’s bad news for him.

What will he do?

I wonder what he's up to today?

Feels like it’s been a while.

I think it's been a month since we last met like this.

Oh, is that right?

Sorry, I’ve been busy with work lately, so I haven't been able to join you.

- Don't worry about it. - I'm not sure what he was apologizing for.

But anyway, it has been a while since the four of us got together.

Um…

There’s something I need to tell you.

- What, is it about my abilities again? - Nope.

- Then what, my gunpla? - That's not it either.

Then what is it?

‪Well…

- This is just between us for now. - Okay.

But apparently our hotel is shutting down.

Huh? Why is that?

I don’t know the details yet

but there's this guest called Mr. Murakami, right?

- Mr. Murakami? Oh, the long-term guest. - Yeah.

I heard the news from him the other day.

- Why would Mr. Murakami know about this? - Well…

He’s actually…

from the future.

I said he's from the future.

- From the future? - That's how he knows it's shutting down.

- Are you serious about this? - Yeah.

Has she been brainwashed or what?

- No, I don’t think so. - She doesn't seem to be lying.

- Come on. That’s ridiculous. - Why do you say so?

It's common sense! What do you mean he came from the future?

This isn't a movie, you know?

I can't believe I wasted my attention on this.

At that moment, the three of us were all probably

thinking the same thing.

You watch too many movies.

Look who's talking!

- Thank you for waiting! - Thank you.

Enjoy!

I get why it's hard to believe someone claiming to be from the future.

- It is a bit far-fetched. - Right? You shouldn't believe that stuff.

But you're just as unbelievable as he is.

What? I'm not from the future, I'm an alien. Don't lump us together.

Someone from the future and an alien are equally unbelievable, aren't they?

No way! Aliens are much more realistic.

Is that so?

- I'd categorize them together. - What do you mean?

- They're both part of the sci-fi genre. - No, listen.

You can group things however you want, but I don't consider myself sci-fi.

- You don't? - Of course not.

Sci-fi is short for science fiction, right?

- But I actually exist, so I'm not fiction. - You've got a point, I guess.

In my eyes, someone from the future is sci-fi, but an alien is non-fiction!

‪I see…

- But you like E.T., right? - Yeah.

Isn't E.T. a sci-fi movie?

As I said, that's how you see it.

- I don't treat it as a sci-fi movie. - Then what do you see it as?

A human drama, I guess?

- E.T. , that is? - In my eyes, yeah.

The abilities in it are a little exaggerated…

But hey, aliens do exist.

Right.

There's no way he's from the future. The hotel thing is just a false rumor.

Come on, now.

‪What?

I did what I could.

- A few days later, the manager told us. - I'm really sorry about this.

That the hotel was shutting down.

- Was it really that bad? - What I heard was this.

The owner bought the hotel five years ago, expecting a tourism boom.

But the numbers never took off like she hoped,

so she'd been thinking about selling it for a while now,

and recently, it seems she'd found a buyer.

‪MONT BLANC

So it was true after all.

Just what's with Mr. Murakami?

I told you, he's from the future.

- You're still on about that? - Well, everything happened like he said.

Yeah, but there's no way he's really from the future.

Then how did he know the hotel was shutting down?

Maybe he's a time leaper or something.