Chapter 19: “Fishing Rod to the Sky Heartbeats Swimming in Mud”
Silence Beyond Communication
“Ah—ah‚ test‚ test. This is the Nagisa Exploration Team!
Momiji-chan‚ can you hear me?
I wonder if there’s still any of that delicious parfait left?”
I spoke as brightly as I could into the rain-soaked radio.
But all that came back was—
“Za… zaza…”
Just a sandstorm‚ like a grumpy cat complaining in the depths of the world.
(No… kitty… don’t be mad with that voice…
My mental HP is paper-thin right now…)
After barely escaping the vortex in that dark underground city‚ we had ended up on
the rooftop of a commercial building that looked like it might sink beneath the water at any moment.
The rain poured endlessly‚
the city was swallowed by a muddy torrent‚
and the rooftop floor slanted slightly.
(This tilt… feels like the start of a roller coaster…
No‚ it’s scarier… there’s no safety bar…)
“…It’s useless‚ Nagisa.
The voltage at the relay point is too unstable.
The path to the observation tower where Momiji is has been physically severed.”
Rin-chan sat at the base of the rusted communication antenna‚
tinkering with the wet wires as she spoke briefly.
Her profile no longer held the “heat” she used to have when scolding my recklessness.
Only—
Eyes like delicate glass‚ calculating nothing but survival probability.
(Rin-chan…
Don’t look at me like that…
I might start crying again…
No‚ I won’t cry… but I feel like I might…)
“That’s not true!
Momiji-chan is probably thinking up a funny joke for us right now‚
and that’s why the signal’s gone!”
I knew it myself.
This wasn’t bravado—it was a prayer.
A world in which I could hear nothing but the rain
felt—
much sadder than watching half-melted ice cream.
(That’s really sad…
There are moments sadder than the end of the world…)
“Hey‚ Rin-chan.
Let’s make this antenna our ‘fishing rod.’
We’ll fish up Momiji-chan’s lost voice with our own hands!”
I hugged the recorder tightly with one arm‚
pinched up a thick wire at my feet with the other‚
and forcibly wedged an aluminum signboard to the side.
(Alright… “voice-fishing” operation starts now…!
One-handed work difficulty… basically boss-level…
But I won’t let go of the recorder…!)
My reckless operation quietly began in the rain.
“…Sensitivity minus 40 decibels.
At this rate‚ we can’t even pick up screams.”
Rin-chan’s murmured numbers sounded like some difficult spell to me.
But I could see her fingers gripping the small screwdriver had turned white from cold and anxiety.
(Rin-chan… aren’t your fingers too cold…?
They’re lowering the temperature of my heart too…)
“All right‚ technical advisor Rin-chan!
I’ll add a special ‘Sky Voice Catcher’ for you!”
I held the recorder with one arm and grabbed the thick wire with the other.
Pressing it down with my knee or forcing it against the corner of the rusted antenna pole‚
I bent it into a spiral shape.
(Wow… this is definitely not a one-handed job…
But I won’t let go of the recorder…!
If I let it go‚ my heart will fall too…)
The concept: “Ear of the Universe.”
Clumsy‚ but my DIY spirit whispered‚ “This will work!”
(Ear of the Universe… what even is that…
But it sounds cute‚ so it’s fine…)
“…Nagisa. That aluminum signboard doesn’t have enough parabola angle.
Point it this way. I’ll calculate the focal distance.”
Rin-chan gave instructions without looking at my hands.
She no longer denied my “playfulness.”
That was her own kind of “diluted warning.”
In other words—she had realized that stopping my recklessness was useless.
(Rin-chan… don’t give up…
Am I really that difficult to deal with?…
Well‚ I guess I am…)
Following Rin-chan’s instructions‚ I forcefully fixed the aluminum signboard to the rusted antenna pole with wire.
Half of the letters saying “Open 24 Hours” remained on the sign‚
which felt a little ironic in this ruined world‚ and a bit funny.
(Open 24 Hours…
The world is “closed forever‚” but the sign keeps working… so diligent…)
“How’s this?
My excitement-sensitivity combined with the sign’s reflective power!”
I held the recorder with one hand
and forced the antenna into the radio’s connector with the other.
(One-handed work is really hard…
But I won’t let go of the recorder…
It’s the “center of gravity” of my heart…)
Rin-chan slowly raised the volume.
――“Za… zazaza…”
Into the previously grumpy sandstorm‚ a tiny trace of “human presence” began to mix.
(It’s here…!
This has to be a “fragment” of Momiji-chan’s voice…!
Lost music‚ come back…!)
“…Synchronize‚ start. Phase lock… connected.”
Finally‚ a bit of warmth returned to Rin-chan’s voice.
A faint vibration ran through my arms as I held up the sign-antenna in the rain.
This—
was the vibration of someone still alive somewhere far away.
(Wow… it’s like the antenna is my heart…
My lifeline is completely metal…)
At that moment‚ the radio crackled with noise.
“…This is… Observation… Momiji… Respond…!”
“Momiji-chan! We can hear you!
We DIY-ed the antenna! Isn’t that amazing?”
I yelled while holding the recorder with one arm
and supporting the antenna with the other.
(Ahh… my arms are trembling…
If this were strength training‚ this would be “advanced level”…)
“…Nagisa‚ don’t move the antenna.
Its directionality is extremely narrow.
Momiji‚ have we lost our coordinates?”
Rin-chan calmly—but with slightly panicked hands—optimized the radio settings.
(Rin-chan… calm voice‚ but her hands are trembling…
Is this… anxiety…? Rin-chan has feelings like that too…)
“…Thank goodness…
Nagisa… Rin… Can you hear my… voice…?”
Momiji-chan’s voice was much closer than the first time we heard her through a vacuum tube radio.
And—much more desperate.
“Perfect!
Momiji-chan’s voice sounds like the finest melody to my ears.
Hey‚ what should we make next?
I’ll make something even more amazing!”
(My excitement has gone completely berserk…
But I’m so happy…
“Voices reaching us” feels this warm…)
I was so happy about this “connection” that I forgot my arms were numb.
Rin-chan and I.
Our combined skills and ideas fished a voice up from the edge of the world.
“…Sync okay‚ S/N ratio stable.
Rin-chan‚ aren’t we basically ‘invincible’?”
When I smiled‚ Rin-chan finally looked at my face.
But—
what appeared in her eyes was not joy.
A different‚ deep shade of fear.
(Huh… Rin-chan…?
Why that face…?
Did I press some kind of dangerous switch…?)
“…Nagisa. Be quiet.
…The sound behind us has changed.”
Beyond the sound of the rain‚
from deep within the building—
a creaking‚ sinking‚ unpleasant sound echoed.
A sound we’d never heard before reverberated across the rooftop.
――Mishii… Giggiggigii!
A sound like a giant monster’s bones being crushed‚
it was painfully bad for the heart.
(Huh… what is this…
The backbone of the world isn’t breaking…?
Stop… my heart’s bones will break too…)
“…Rin-chan?”
“Nagisa‚ drop the antenna! Run!”
At Rin-chan’s shout‚ an unprecedented volume of voice exploded from the radio.
“…Run! Both of you‚ get out of there now!
The ground… the building beneath you… won’t hold…!”
Momiji-chan’s scream.
It wasn’t a “greeting” or “data”—
It was unmistakably a death sentence.
“…Eh?”
When I looked back‚
the building we had been on a few minutes ago
was slowly tilting‚ as if in slow motion.
(Wait a second…
Buildings fall this slowly…?
In a movie it’d be cool‚ but reality is terrifying…!)
“Nagisa‚ this way!”
Rin-chan grabbed the radio‚ stuffing it into her backpack‚
and grabbed my arm stronger than when we almost fell off the overpass‚
with a grip that hurt.
(Rin-chan… if you hold me that hard…
I might break instead…
But don’t let go…!)
I threw the sign‚ the wire‚ all my excitement away‚
and‚ holding only the recorder in one arm‚ followed her back.
The ground undulated beneath my feet.
Huge cracks ran across the concrete‚
and the place that had just been “the world”
was being swallowed one by one by the muddy torrent.
(No…
Does the world really sink making these sounds…?
No… no…!)
“Haa… haa…!”
The roar of collapsing buildings completely drowned out the rain.
The impact of tons of rubble hitting the water pushed my back.
(Don’t push me‚ world…!
I’m at my absolute limit…!)
We leapt from the edge of the collapsing building
to the next concrete pillar‚ barely still standing.
There was no time to look back.
(If I look back…
My heart will collapse too…)
“…Haa… haa… Rin-chan…”
I hugged the cold recorder with one arm‚
clinging to a chunk of concrete with the other‚
my shoulders shaking violently.
(One-handed is really hard…
But if I let go of the recorder‚ my heart sinks with it…)
When I looked back‚ the building where we had set up the antenna was gone.
Only brown‚ swirling muddy water remained‚ with white foam floating uselessly.
(Oh… the antenna we set up… broken‚ all gone…
But we’re still alive. We’re still okay…)
“…That was close… The relay antenna is lost.”
Rin-chan’s voice trembled.
Her hand still held mine tightly.
(Rin-chan… voice calm‚ but her hands are still gripping hard…
She’s probably much more scared than me…)
Momiji-chan’s voice‚ just reconnected‚ fell back into silence.
“…I’m sorry‚ Rin-chan. If only I had been faster…”
(I just want to apologize…
But I know apologizing now won’t change anything…)
“…Don’t apologize. As long as you’re alive‚ that’s enough.”
Rin-chan said‚ letting go of my hand.
(I knew it… Rin-chan is strong…
I can’t just rely on her to protect me…)
At that moment‚ something caught my eye.
Beyond the violently flowing muddy water.
Among the rubble and debris‚ something out of place floated.
“…Eh? Rin-chan‚ is that…?”
It was a small human figure.
“…A person? In that muddy torrent…?”
Rin-chan gasped.
(With that small body‚ in this torrent…
Are they still seeking our “voice…?”)
In the dark water‚ where even light couldn’t reach‚ swirling in the mud‚
I could see a small arm struggling to grab something‚ moving desperately.
“Wait! We have to help!”
I shouted.
Recalling the feeling of emptiness when I hugged the broken recorder in that abandoned nursery.
(But this time is different…
This is surely the moment a new “sound” will mix into our story…)
A new “sound” was about to mix into our story.
(A small life is still connected to our world…
I will never forget this feeling…!)
|