Chapter 54

"Echoes" (残響, Zankyō) is the 54th chapter of the Fumetsu no Anata e manga, and the last chapter of the Jananda Island Arc.

Summary
For the past month, the Beholder has been observing the journey of Fushi and Pioran. He says that Pioran is nearing nine-decades of old age and that she is still skilled at catching fish. Fushi has passed his animalistic phase and his spirit now changes in response to all he has acquired. The Beholder guesses Fushi's mental age to be about fourteen years old and that he has seemed to fully acquire self-consciousness.

To live safely with Pioran, Fushi has made up three rules that he must follow: 1) if the Nokkers come, they need to run away immediately. If they engage in a fight, it will be even more dangerous. 2) Fushi must avoid turning into any animal he doesn't understand. If he isn't able to maintain himself, he won't be able to swiftly respond to a Nokker attack. 3) Sleep later than Pioran and wake up earlier than her. After writing these rules down, he burns the paper. Pioran asks Fushi why he's burning everything he wrote, but he says it's okay because he can always get it back later. Fushi has been writing down everything important so he doesn't forget.

Fushi asks Pioran if there is anything she wishes for and Pioran says her wish would be to be young again. If she was young, she could move better, eat hard food, and she'd be popular with the boys. Fushi is surprised at this and Pioran says she used to be as pretty as Rean was. They laugh and Fushi says that sounds like an unlikely wish. Pioran tells him that she has done everything she wanted to do. She was used to being worked like a mule back then, but she has been blessed with a grandchild and now she is living freely. She says she is satisfied with her life.

The Beholder says Fushi saw something noble in the old woman and that it seemed he dreamed of one-day achieving "satisfaction" himself. The Beholder goes on to say that that "noble something" would not last long.

It is revealed that, slowly, Pioran's mind seems to be leaving her (dementia). She often forgets things and has sudden outbursts. In one scene, Fushi turns around to see that Pioran has fallen off of the donkey. He rushes to help her and says she needs to hang on tightly, but Pioran yells at him that her back hurts and calls him an idiot. In another, Pioran asks Fushi if he has cooked the potatoes for breakfast yet, but he tells her she just got done eating them. Pioran angrily denies this and Fushi cooks more potatoes.

Fushi is seen carry Pioran on his back and Pioran begins yelling at him, believing that Fushi sees her as useless and that he should leave her on the side of the road. Fushi says he won't do that. That night, Pioran is seen running away and Fushi asks where she is going. She says if they stay here, the Yanome are going to catch them, but he tries to explain that the Yanome aren't following them.

The Beholder says that Fushi didn't understand why this was happening. Fushi couldn't accept his explanation of what was going to happen and now he's left to taking care of her. To Fushi, the person he knew as Pioran was gradually changing, but that he too was changing in response to the situation. He began to frequently smile. The Beholder suggests this might have been a marker of the emotion stirred by a new experience, or that that is was his greatest show of resistance against that inevitable waning.

Randomly, Pioran tells Fushi that she is happy to have met him. Fushi is surprised and confused by this and, after a while, Pioran asks Fushi to collect the potatoes and fish they left to dry because it was going to rain soon. Fushi leaves and tells Pioran not to leave her bed because it's cold. Pioran, lying in bed, begins trying to talk to the Beholder. She asks him to take her away and, if possible, to allow her spirit to be reborn as something that would be helpful to Fushi. She says if the Beholder values Fushi, to do as she says.Suddenly, the Beholder appears, looking down at Pioran. He tells her that her soul is only given form by her physical body. If her body changes, so will her soul. He asks if she is willing to accept that and Pioran says yes. The Beholder tells her to close her eyes and imagine what she wants to become. He says before she can be captured by Heaven, he will come for her.

Pioran, significantly younger than before, is seen standing on the beach. She turns around to see the Beholder holding a sphere in his hand. She walks towards him, touches the sphere, and begins to change shape.

Fushi returns to Pioran's bed to see she has died. In shock, he drops the bowl of fish and potatoes, falls on his hands and knees, and begins to cry.

After burying Pioran's body, Fushi is seen sitting in front of a fire pit wondering what he should do now. He says that he needs to make sure he doesn't forget about this day or about Pioran and begins to write. However, when he looks at the paper, he sees that Pioran has left a message for him that says, "Fushi, what is your dream? Do like me and do whatever you want!" He thanks Pioran and says that he was happy too.

After an unknown amount of time has passed, we see an older Fushi winning in a fight with a Nokker and laughing at the expense of its disintegration.

Chapter Notes

 * The Beholder notes that Fushi is mentally about fourteen years old and fully acquired self-consciousness.
 * Fushi now writes down everything important so he doesn't forget. He writes it on paper and then burns them so he can summon the paper later on when he needs to.
 * Fushi looks up to Pioran and wishes to achieve satisfaction in life just as she did.
 * We learn that the Beholder can make himself visible the other humans and Pioran is the first to do so.
 * Pioran makes a deal with the Beholder to be reborn into something more useful to Fushi.
 * We see what Pioran looked like when she was younger.
 * Pioran passes away in this chapter.
 * The story's second big time-skip happens at the end of this chapter.