Junpei's younger brother, Kanta was the kind of kid who'd do anything to see his family again—he didn't much care about the how or why, just that it might happen. The two brothers were inseparable, doing everything together with the kind of innocent charm only kids have. They made a pact to trek north from their Russian holding camp to visit their father at a prisoner camp, determined to see him no matter what.
The journey took a toll on Kanta, though. He got sick on the way and only got worse once they reached the camp. After an emotionally devastating reunion with their father, they had to head back to the harbor. During the return trip, Kanta's condition deteriorated rapidly. By the time they reached the harbor—just before boarding the ship home—he was dying. Junpei carried him on his back and spoke to him about their mother's favorite book, imagining Kanta being reunited with her somewhere up in the stars, the way the story described it.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
