Hashihime's Ending explanation

Hashihime Ending Clarifications and Common questions:

Q: Was everything just a dream?
A: No, Kaoru's route exists in a different timeline and world compared to the other routes.

Q: Are Minakami and the others real?
A: They are 100% real. They just "don't exist" in Kaoru's route because they were murdered as children.

Q: Is Kaoru's route the true route?
A: No, the author specifically describes Kaoru's route as "An Alternative Universe" and "Not the true route despite being the last route presented."

Q: Was time traveling real?
A: Yes, in all routes.

Q: Does Tamamori have the Hashihime in all routes?
A: Yes.

Q: Why can't he travel back in time then?
A: Because he's trapped into the Shopkeeper's illusion, similar to how he was into Kawase and Minakami's routes at one point.

Q: How old is Kaoru in his route?
A: Kaoru was born in 1941. He's found by Tamamori (As the Shopkeeper) in 1945. He's at least 5 years old when he's found by Tamamori after an air raid for the first time, in all scenarios. He time travels to 1907 with Shopkeeper. He meets Tamamori in Tokyo in 1922. He's over 30 in the epilogue scenario.

Q: Is the Shopkeeper real in the last route?
A: Yes.

Q: Who killed the children in the last route?
A: The Shopkeeper.

Q: Did Tamamori raise Kaoru?
A: No, he was raised by the Shopkeeper, just like in the other routes.

Q: When did Tamamori actually meet Kaoru?
A: When he came to Tokyo, as a 20 years old.

Q: What caused the Shopkeeper to act differently in this world/timeline?
A: The Shopkeeper is actually Tamamori from Minakami's route, in a world where things still go bad and they are caught by the army. Why Tamamori decides to go back in time and kill everyone is anyone's guess.

Q: Does this mean Minakami's route is a bad ending?
A: No, it's just described as one of the two possible endings for that scenario. Think of it as a 6th route, no different from Tamamori choosing to go into Kawase, Hanazawa or Hikawa route. A happy ending for the both of them exists as the Short Story epilogue shows and scenarios of them living a long life together are described by the author numerous times.

Q: This is so confusing!
A: Kaoru's route timeline:

- Minakami saves Tamamori. The Shopkeeper arrives from the future, the Hashihime goes back to Minakami.
- Minakami sacrifices Tamamori's mother, the Hashihime moves to Tamamori
- The Shopkeeper murders Minakami, Kawase and Hanazawa
- Tamamori finds the bodies, he's driven mad and slowly creates his imaginary world
- The Shopkeeper moves back to Tokyo, just like in the main timeline. He still "murders" Yumeno Kyūsaku by publishing his books
- 10+ Years Time Skip. Tamamori falls more and more into insanity, completely believing his made-up world is real
- Tamamori moves to Tokyo, meets Kaoru, the only person real in his imaginary world
- The Shopkeeper forces Tamamori to "wake up"
- Tamamori wakes up, takes over the Shopkeeper's role and chooses to remain with Kaoru
- 12 Years Time Skip
- End of the Route
- Tamamori meets Yumeno Kyūsaku

Q: How do you known any of this?
A: Info gathered using the various Q&A and the official explanation from the author herself: https://adeltaz1.wixsite.com/hashihime/blank-14