| Kagoshima | |
|---|---|
| |
| Where | Japan |
| First Mention | Chapter 10 |
| First Visited | Chapter 129 |
Kagoshima Prefecture is a thriving, sunny location in Japan made up of many cities. It is often compared to Naples, Italy. For much of her childhood, Aiko daydreams of running away from her abusive family to live here with her uncle. She and Punpun later travel here for refuge after murdering Mitsuko.
Kagoshima City[]
Kagoshima City is the bustling capital of the Kagoshima Prefecture. It is a couple hours away from Punpun's hometown. Aiko and Punpun arrive here by train after abandoning Mitsuko's broken car and sleep outside a convenience store. They only stay here briefly before moving on to other locations.
Tanegashima[]
Tanegshima is a town reached by taking the Toppy ferry. In the midst of their exhausting refuge, Punpun lightheartedly suggests he and Aiko go here. They visit the space museum here and reminisce on starry memories, such as the Milky Way they saw outside the miso factory and Punpun's dream to become a space scientist and colonize the star Punpunia with Aiko.
Cape Kadokura[]
Cape Kadokura is a beach a short distance away from Tanegshima. For years, Punpun has dreams of seeing Aiko on this beach, later replaced by Sachi. Aiko likes this location and, when they visit, tells Punpun she would like to live a peaceful life here near the scenic beach and greenery and away from the bustling crowds. She and Punpun come here after visiting the Tanegshima space museum and play in the sand and water. Punpun is enlivened by the happy scene and reverts to his original bird form for the first and only time during their refuge. When he sees a stray rope, Aiko realizes he plans to kill her and then himself but manages to convince him against it. They lay in the grass and watch the stars afterwards, and Punpun's eye bandage falls off to reveal for the first time that God now festers in his eye.
Farm Village[]
Aiko's Uncle Orihara is a doctor who owns Orihara Clinic in an unnamed town in the Kagoshima Prefecture. In elementary school, Aiko declares her plans to run away here after being humiliated by her mother's cult antics. Punpun promises to go with her, and Aiko packs a huge bag and waits for him by city hall, but when he never shows, Aiko stops being friends with him. This instance of cowardice and betrayal destroys Punpun's confidence. When he apologizes two years later, Aiko again asks him to come to Kagoshima with her, but he cannot. After the pair kill Mitsuko many years later and go into hiding, Punpun finally offers to bring her to Kagoshima. They spend a couple weeks traveling across Japan in Mitsuko's car, and when Aiko's injuries worsen and she falls ill, they decide to seek help at Orihara Clinic since any other hospital would likely turn them into the police. Aiko recognizes the small town as soon as they arrive, but it quickly becomes apparent that the entire farm town, including the clinic, was abandoned years ago after a dam was constructed. They nap outside an abandoned house, and Punpun wakes up to find Aiko has hung herself. He washes her body at the public well then carries her until he must stop to rest outside another house. Two children see them and agree to watch the "sleeping" Aiko while Punpun backtracks to get their bags. He returns to find the children and Aiko both gone. Some readers speculate the two children are actually spirits or shinigami since they appear to live and go to school in an apparently abandoned town, they tell Punpun to take a shortcut through the shrine, and they disappear with Aiko's body.
