Morioka Locker Key

The Morioka Locker Key is an object sought by Tangerine and linked to Lemon’s final message: according to Prince’s recollection, Lemon said it was in a coin locker in Morioka and instructed Prince to tell Tangerine. Prince does not know what the key opens, and he chooses not to pass on what he learned. Its purpose therefore remains unresolved in the available scenes, while its concealed location gives Prince a piece of information he can choose whether to disclose.

The Search and Tangerine’s Questions

Tangerine first raises the key while speaking with Nanao. He asks whether Lemon said anything about a key he is looking for, or left some other message. Nanao responds warily, asking what the key is for; Tangerine drops the question rather than explaining. The exchange establishes that the search matters to Tangerine but does not reveal its purpose, and that Nanao has no evident knowledge to offer.

Tangerine later returns to the subject when questioning Prince about what Lemon told him. He singles out the key and says that Lemon knew something about it. The repeated inquiry connects Tangerine’s search directly to Lemon, but the information is still not shared openly: Nanao’s earlier question goes unanswered, and Prince is left to decide whether to reveal what he remembers.

Lemon’s Final Message

Prince recalls that Lemon mentioned the key in his final words. Lemon was fighting to stay awake and, with his remaining strength, gave Prince a location and an instruction: the key was in a coin locker in Morioka, and Tangerine should be told. The message thus links three distinct details—the key, its reported hiding place, and the person meant to receive the information—without explaining what the key unlocks or why Tangerine needs it.

The message reaches the reader through Prince’s recollection rather than through a scene in which the key is found or handled. Prince says he did not understand what Lemon meant, which is why the reference stayed in his mind. The object’s significance is therefore conveyed through an incomplete handoff: Lemon’s urgent instruction survives, but its practical purpose remains unknown to Prince and undisclosed to Tangerine.

Prince Withholds the Information

When Tangerine asks directly, Prince nearly tells him that Lemon mentioned the key. He stops at the moment of disclosure, alarmed by a feeling that the question may be a trap. He has no proof that Tangerine is setting one; his decision rests on suspicion, and he denies that Lemon said anything about the key.

Tangerine is quiet but does not sound especially disappointed. Prince then considers whether he should have mentioned the coin locker in Morioka after all. He concludes that withholding the information has not harmed him and may even have given him a little ground. The exchange leaves the search unresolved while changing who holds the information: Tangerine continues looking, but Prince keeps Lemon’s location to himself.

The Key as an Image of Control

Later, Prince thinks about whether to stop Nanao from leaving the train or find another way to use him. With Kimura no longer available to test Minegishi, Prince considers turning to Nanao instead. He recognizes that doing so would require discovering how to control him, and imagines control as putting a collar on Nanao and leading him. In that reflection, Prince says he lacks the key to keep the collar locked.

This is a figurative use of the key, not evidence that the physical Morioka Locker Key is the key Prince needs to control Nanao. Prince contrasts Nanao’s unknown vulnerability with the leverage he had over Kimura: Wataru’s life, together with Kimura’s hatred of Prince, had helped make Kimura controllable. With Nanao, Prince has not yet found a comparable weakness. The shared image ties the unanswered object to a broader concern with access and control, while the story keeps the literal key’s purpose separate and unexplained.