To Himekaidou Hatate.

Good morning. At least I assume it'll be morning when you get this letter. If not, you should probably be checking your mailbox more frequently. But in any case, thank you for your letter.

In summertime, I sometimes get these distant memories of a sea far away from here. For some reason, I really miss the smell of that salty sea breeze. And then I realize that I'm forgetting all these things, little by little, year after year. I suppose that's why we take pictures. To have something left. To let things continue. To remember. I think that what really hurts isn't when memories turn into reminiscence, but when they turn into mere records.

Shameimaru Aya

Considering how long it's been since you last picked up a pen, I was really surprised. I didn't realize you were worried about me being worried about you. I'll keep that in mind from now on. But, if that's how you feel, I do wish you'd go outside a bit more often. True, it's been scorching hot recently, but if that's the issue, I often see children playing in the river near the Human Village, and this café I enjoy sells things like sweet rice jelly, frozen youkan and sugared oranges that I could spend forever just looking at. In summers like this, I can't get enough of them.

This turned into a weird ramble, but it's what I thought when I read your letter. That's because I don't get a lot of chances to photograph myself. I've always been looking for subjects besides myself, but you on the other hand have always realized that you're really the subject at the center of it all. That's how it felt, at least. I'll make an effort to be a little more objective. You take care of yourself too. I mean, apparently you already do, but... don't stay up all night and please live by the rules. You should do something about your own daily rhythm before lecturing anyone else.