Heaven's Door
Heaven's Door (ヘブンズ・ドアー, Hebunzu Doā) is a short story written by Banana Yoshimoto. It contains artwork by Ryuta Iida and photographs from Shin Suzuki.
Heaven's Door was published by Shueisha and released on October 5, 2012 on pages 68 to 73 of the JOJOmenon mook.
Set in the real world, the story revolves around the dark events of the narrator and her husband. The protagonist travels to Sendai, which she calls Morioh, to attend a wake for her father's old friend. Throughout her recollection, she brings up several JoJo's Bizarre Adventure concepts and characters, particularly from Diamond is Unbreakable and JoJolion, such as the Wall Eyes, Koichi Hirose, Jotaro Kujo, Yoshikage Kira, and Rohan Kishibe's Heaven's Door.
Summary
The protagonist visits "the legendary Morioh Town" for a one-night, two-day trip, noting how Angelo Rock and Boyoyoing Cape should be just around the corner. Walking along the coast, one would supposedly see mysterious Wall Eyes that formed the night before the earthquake. The reason why the protagonist came to Morioh was because an old friend of her father passed away, and she was the only one who could represent her family at the wake since her parents were busy. She reveals that she lived in Morioh for a short time when she was a middle school student, as her father was an architect for a large company and had a project there. In the school she transferred to, she met Yutaka, a boy who happened to be sitting next to her, and the two quickly fell in love. They began dating and their love persisted even when her family had to leave Morioh and go back to Tokyo.
Yutaka took exams to enroll in a private university in Tokyo and devoted himself to studying American literature, pursuing his dream of becoming a translator. The protagonist went to America with him on a trip to the places mentioned in his favorite novels, and their relationship deepened further. The protagonist studied osteopathy, wanting a job related to healthcare. After working as a research student at her university, she became an associate professor and got married to Yutaka immediately after. Yutaka's mother had already thought of the protagonist as her daughter, and was worried that the kids would break up when she moved away before. The wedding was a relief for the parents of both sides, who cried tears of relief. The couple took things at their own pace, living happy lives.
However, there was an obstacle at one point in their relationship. A girl named Miyo Sakaguchi, who was one year older than Yutaka, loved him very much during his third year of middle school up until his high school graduation. The narrator compares Miyo to Yukako, who loved Koichi. Miyo was a beautiful girl with long black hair and a mysterious aura, always watching Yutaka, and was envious of the protagonist. The protagonist was anxious about Miyo stealing Yutaka away from her, as she felt she had average looks. On the other hand, Miyo not only looked beautiful but was popular with teachers and academically successful. When the protagonist moved back to Tokyo, she would frequently receive silent phone calls from Miyo, but she would only hear Miyo sobbing.
At the age of eighteen, Miyo went missing after leaving her home late at night and was found dead on the outskirts of town. She had confessed to Yutaka several times, and the incident occurred right after Yutaka rejected her. Unable to accept his answer, Miyo snuck out from home at midnight and hid behind Yutaka's house, waiting for him to return. However, he didn't return that night. Exhausted from handling Miyo, he was visiting the protagonist and staying with her family that whole day. While the protagonist and her parents were comforting Yutaka and making jokes, Miyo was abducted, assaulted, and murdered by a criminal from a neighboring town. When Yutaka returned home, he was hated by Miyo's parents and friends, who blamed him for her death.
The incident harmed Yutaka's relationship with the protagonist, but they slowly started over. After attending the wake of her father's friend, the protagonist stayed overnight at a hotel in Morioh and boarded a sightseeing boat the next morning. She reminisces about a time when she and Yutaka pitied Miyo for always following them and invited her on one of their dates. They went on a sightseeing boat together, touring the islands of Matsushima. By going on the same boat again, the protagonist felt she could genuinely mourn for Miyo, as it was her first time back in Morioh since the incident occurred. Strangely, the protagonist felt like a third wheel on the day the three of them were together. Miyo was lively, and actually smiled at the protagonist after she shared half of her red bean bun and tea with Miyo; their first and last exchange of positive emotions.
The protagonist narrates how in the real "Morioh", Josuke doesn't come running to a friend's rescue, Reimi Sugimoto and Arnold aren't the town's guardian spirits, Josuke and Yasuho aren't there to help each other out, and Miyo was killed by a random thug rather than Yoshikage Kira. Everyone has their own hidden tragedies, but no one can find out the truths like Rohan's Heaven's Door.
In the end, she returns home and tells Yutaka about how she mourned for Miyo's soul. Yutaka encourages her by claiming all those characters are still alive in their hearts; as long as the power within people's hearts don't disappear, then their golden spirit exists forever. Yutaka claims that he decided to marry the protagonist after seeing her face on the day she invited Miyo on their date. He believes that if they continue living together and someday visit Morioh again with their future children, it would be a true memorial service, since all they can do is protect what's important to them. The protagonist believes Yutaka has been reading too many manga, but she becomes teary-eyed while looking at him and stays silent.
Appearances
