Online Theories Revive 'the World Next Door' Claim Over Lineage 122's Child's Shoe — Appraisal Center Holds Its Cautious Line

According to the No. 3 Appraisal Center, the child's shoe (single, found in Sunamachi) provisionally registered as Lineage 122 on September 21, as previously reported, had been noted for stitching and sole technique nearly matching a rain boot confirmed under Lineage 31, "the world next door" (found in transit year 40). That previously reported observation has flared up again this late September, spreading mainly through online forums and streams frequented by observation enthusiasts and independent researchers claiming the two "might actually be the same lineage." The fact that the No. 3 Appraisal Center's public drift-item museum, as previously reported, currently displays the Lineage 122 shoe alongside Lineage 31's tricycle is thought to have helped reignite the discussion.

The No. 3 Appraisal Center on the 27th restated its previously reported analysis. "It's true there is a shared design sense in the stitching and sole technique, but the isotope ratios clearly place them in separate lineages, and this round of renewed attention hasn't changed that," the center said in a statement. An appraiser at the center, name withheld, told this paper, "Assuming that similar technique means the same lineage doesn't rule out the possibility that this is simply the same phenomenon as similarly shaped shoes being made in two different countries. We can't reach a conclusion while ignoring a physical measure like isotope ratio."

Independent researcher Karin Kokonoe, 52, previously reported, told this paper, "I trust the appraisal center's analysis that the isotope ratios point to separate lineages. But when the match in technique is this specific, I can't fully rule out my interest in the possibility of some indirect connection between the lineages." Kokonoe, whose forthcoming book focuses on the Bayside Nine-Fog Incident, said the topic isn't directly related to that project but that she intends to keep reporting on "the world next door."

A curator at the municipal drift-item museum, name unspecified, explained, "We displayed the Lineage 122 shoe alongside Lineage 31's tricycle because both fit the theme of the same permanent exhibit, 'Luggage No One Has Claimed' — there was no intention to suggest they belong to the same lineage." Even so, visitors were repeatedly heard saying things like "these must be from the same world," according to the museum. The curator added, "If it came across as misleading, I apologize, but I also think letting visitors imagine the relationship between lineages in their own way is part of how this exhibit is meant to be enjoyed."

As previously reported, the Lineage 122 shoe was found alone, and its match has not turned up. "If the matching shoe is found, it would give us more to go on for judging the manufacturing method," the center said, adding that expanded searches of the surrounding area continue unchanged. Lineage 31, "the world next door," has no window of its own; only two items — the previously reported tricycle and the boot — have been confirmed from it so far.

What strikes me each time a "maybe it's the same lineage" theory spreads is how much readers seem to be enjoying the sheer size of this world. The appraisal center's stubborn refusal to let go of a physical measure like isotope ratio looks unglamorous, but it strikes me as honest work. Why are a shoe and a boot from different lineages made with such similar technique? This world is still wide enough that a question with no answer can be enjoyed for its own sake.