“You’re nuts dude, Sailor Moon is THE magical girl anime.”

“I’m not saying it’s not good, it’s a classic for sure. But it’s a bit overrated, and Cardcaptor Sakura is…”

Jeff sighed. It’s not like he hadn’t heard this one from Al and Gordo before. In fact, he seemed to recall them having this exact same exchange last year, and on the exact same train line, no less.

“OVERRATED? I think you mean INFLUENTIAL, man. And furthermore-”

“You guys ever been to California?”

Somehow this question was enough to bring Al and Gordo’s heated debate to a halt. Al was quick to chime in.

“Nah, never been.”

Gordo’s response was more measured.

“My parents took me and my sister when I was 2, and she was 6. I don’t remember any of it, but I’m quite sure it was whack.”

Jeff paused a moment, looking out the window at the familiar sights of Akihabara as they drew closer.

“You know, I actually might lay off the Japan trips for a bit. I’ve never been to California before. Might be cool.”

“Dude, what?”

Al could hardly believe his ears.

“We’ve been here all of three days, two of which you completely disappear for, and on the last day you’re over here talking about California?”

“I dunno, I’m just saying it might be cool is all!”

“I mean, it’d probably be cheaper to get arrested for indecent exposure on a public beach back in the states, so there’s that.”

Gordo was apparently still chortling about Jeff’s public display on Kamakura beach, but at least the sunscreen had kept him from burning and peeling.

“Speaking of the States, we’ve got 6 hours left before we have to hit the airport and head home. How much are we ready to spend, boyos?”

Al enthusiastically chimed in.

“Oh, I have been WAITING for today. I’ve been super frugal this whole trip, so I’ve got, like, 50,000 YEN to burn.”

Gordo reached into his fanny pack.

“Yeah, I think I’m sitting at around 22,000 YEN. I’m determined to both buy and consume a square watermelon before we leave Japan. They’re not letting me take that thing on the plane.”

Jeff, still a bit checked out from the conversation, thought about Erika. Did she write his number down after he gave it to her on his body pillow? If she hadn’t, he’d be screwed if the airline lost it on her way back home. Then again, it was sort of convenient to not have to check that thing again. It was kind of embarrassing. Or was it? It hadn’t felt that way two days ago, but then, things were different two days ago. Everything was different now, and –

“OHAYO GOZAIMASU!”

Suddenly he could feel Al in his skull.

“WHAT is your problem dude?!”

“Are you in there? Gordo asked, like, a dozen times. How much money have you got?”

Jeff, still glaring at his compatriots, rifled through his pockets. Much to his surprise, he happened upon a few crumpled bills, and plopped them onto his lap.

“Let’s see, one thousand, fifteen hundred…. Oh sweet! Even after the last two days, I’ve still got 7,000 YEN left!”

He looked expectantly at Al and Gordo. They just snickered.

“Good luck buying a watermelon with that.”

Well, at least that part of his life hadn’t changed.