A voice. I didn't recognize it, and in the seemingly endless fog that now surrounded me, there was no face to be put with it.
You have been searching for Paradise.
Have I? Naota thought.
Thinking back, that seemed to be exactly what Naota had been doing.
And already, he was happier than before.
What's wrong with your life now, Naota? You've got friends, family that care about you, the voice continued.
You've got a good life, kid.
"My life sucks."
Make the best of your life in Mabase!
"I have no life in Mabase."
Don't waste your time searching for Paradise, kid. There's no such thing.
At this, I am silent.
I believe…
Naota, go home. Back to your family and your life.
I believe in something better than what's inside Mabase walls. Already I've seen that.
I believe in you, Haruko…and…
"I believe in Paradise."
At this, the fog shatters, and I'm back in the bottom bunk of my bedroom in Mabase. In my gloomy, boring, godforsaken hometown.
Immediately I get up and gather some things I'll need on the road: clothes, money, a pocketknife, I.D.
I look around and decide that to leave my Dad and Grandpa a note is the least I can do.
I pour all the things I had gathered into a backpack, and step foot outside, looking inside my house for the last time. Finally, I smile, slide my backpack on, and start to walk out, until the realization that I've left something important hits me like a sack of bricks.
I turn to run back to my room, but trip before I get started.
I smile as I realize what's under me.
I rise, blue Rickenbacker bass guitar in hand, and smile to the stars as I begin living my life for the first time.
"I know you're out there…and to me, that's Paradise."
(The-End)