Chapter 24: "The Needle Pointing North the Hand Grasping Tomorrow"
"Wow… Rin-chan‚ look…!
It looks like we finally won the 'Giant Marshmallow Internal Exploration Tour'…!"
I—leaning my weight on my crutches—spread my arms wide.
Just as I was about to dive in with momentum‚ a sharp pain shot through my right leg‚ and a strange sound escaped my mouth.
"Hyuuh…!? It-it hurts…! The marshmallow is surprisingly firm…!"
The rusty buildings we had seen earlier‚ the sinking road‚ everything had vanished‚ as if diluted with milk.
The world was pure white‚ silent‚ with only the faint sound of rain in the distance.
"...It’s not a marshmallow. Just thick fog. Less than three meters of visibility. One of the worst kinds."
Rin-chan's voice came from behind‚ colder and sharper than the fog.
She was rolling a small brass compass in her palm‚ repeatedly tilting it to peer inside from different angles.
(Rin-chan’s “serious face mode”…
In this world‚ the scariest thing isn’t the dense fog or government announcements—it’s Rin-chan’s “serious face”…)
"But‚ doesn’t being in all this white make you feel like you’re walking above the clouds?
My excitement level has broken my personal record about three times just today!"
"If you can figure out directions from excitement‚ life would be much easier. …Nagisa‚ don’t move. Walking when you can’t see your feet is suicidal."
"Ehh‚ you don’t have to be so mad…
According to my 'Nagisa-style high-performance compass‚' the exit is over there!"
"And your reasoning is?"
"Instinct! An essential skill for adventurers!"
"Rejected. Your instincts only react to snacks. …Stop. If you go any further‚ you really won’t be able to come back."
Rin-chan grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me back.
Her grip was calm‚ yet tinged with a subtle urgency.
(Rin-chan… she’s afraid of the fog.
She hates losing sight…
She’s scared I might disappear from view again…)
My chest hurt just a little.
"But staying still in this pure white world… makes it feel like the 'life loading screen' will never end‚ and it’s unsettling…!"
"It’s not a loading screen. It’s reality. …Nagisa‚ please be quiet. The compass needle is off its pivot. If you shake it‚ the axis will break."
"Eh‚ it’s that delicate!? Then maybe‚ if I just blow on it with my breath—"
"It won’t fix it. It’ll actually break. …That’s why I’m telling you not to move."
The fog was deep‚ white‚ and silent.
Amid it‚ only Rin-chan’s voice held me like a thin thread.
"Hey‚ Rin-chan… the color of the marshmallow is a little different over there‚ isn’t it?"
Leaning on my crutches‚ I pointed at a muddy puddle at my feet.
Through a gap in the fog curtain‚ the brown mud gaped like the throat of a monster lurking inside a marshmallow‚ stirring equal parts excitement and fear in my chest.
"...Peat bog. The ground is unstable. Didn’t I tell you not to go near it?"
"I know! But I feel like something strange fell in there. Look‚ it’s like a tree branch… no‚ more like… something shaped like a human!"
Suppressing the sharp pain in my right leg‚ I cautiously leaned closer to the edge of the mud.
Beyond the fog‚ five protrusions jutted out from the mud.
Too smooth to be tree branches‚ too “human.”
"...Rin-chan. That’s not a tree branch. …It’s a 'hand.'"
"...What?"
Rin-chan’s voice dropped a notch.
She wrapped her compass in a towel to prevent damage‚ carefully placed it in her pouch‚ and crouched beside me.
Her movements were hurried‚ yet her determination to not damage the device was clear.
(Rin-chan… moments like this really show her “engineer’s soul”…
She grabs Nagisa roughly‚ yet treats the compass like a baby…)
"Is it really human? In this fog‚ in a place like this… isn’t it a trap?"
"No trap would leave someone covered in this much mud! Look‚ the fingers moved! It’s still alive!"
I reflexively reached out my hand—
A sharp pain shot through my right leg‚ and as I lost balance‚ Rin-chan grabbed my arm.
Her grip was strong‚ yet one hand rested on the pouch‚ protecting the compass.
(Rin-chan… she cares about me and the compass equally…
Well‚ maybe she cares a little more about the compass…)
"Wait. If you approach carelessly‚ you’ll get dragged in too. …The mud is very viscous. This isn’t just a puddle—it’s a bottomless swamp."
"But we can’t just leave it! If we don’t help‚ it’ll be swallowed by the marshmallow!"
"...It’s not a marshmallow. It’s mud. …Calm down‚ Nagisa."
Rin-chan’s voice was calm‚ yet her grip was strong.
That strength made my chest burn for a moment.
(Rin-chan… she’s scared.
She doesn’t want to see anyone sink again…
Like what happened to me…)
"Even if we’re going to help‚ first we need to check the exact position and footing‚ or we’ll go down together. …First‚ we secure a 'path' through this fog."
Rin-chan didn’t take her eyes off the 'hand' in the mud and carefully took the compass out of her pouch.
Her eyes‚ almost blending with the white fog‚ shone with a sharp engineer’s light.
(Rin-chan… her face shows 'fear' and 'wanting to help' at the same time…
She’s really… strong…)
The hand in the mud trembled slightly.
I thought I heard a faint voice from beyond the fog.
"Rin-chan‚ what are you doing!? Now isn’t the time to check the compass! That hand is sinking more and more!? It’ll be swallowed by the marshmallow!?"
I shouted while balancing on my crutches‚ keeping an eye on the sinking hand.
Every time pain shot through my right leg‚ my view wavered with the white fog.
Ignoring my panic‚ Rin-chan placed the towel-wrapped compass carefully on her knee and took out a precision screwdriver.
"...If the compass remains off‚ we could misjudge direction while calling for help or while moving the survivor‚ risking secondary accidents. The needle is off its pivot. Fixing this is the top priority."
"Pivot? Skip the difficult words. Should I just hit it to fix it? My shock therapy repair technique‚ Nagisa-style!"
"Stop. It’s precision equipment. Impact will break the axis‚ making it unusable. …Nagisa‚ take that aluminum plate on the ground. Block the wind. Even tiny debris can change the friction coefficient."
"Eh!? My role is wind protection!? Isn’t there a more heroic role for me?"
"Blocking the wind is a respectable support task. …Just stay still."
I clutched the aluminum plate with trembling arms‚ holding it tight against my crutches.
Every time I put weight on my right leg‚ the wound screamed. Biting my lip to bear the pain‚ I fixed the plate as firmly as I could.
(Rin-chan… I’m near my limit…
But my desire to help that hand is stronger than the pain…
Does this mean my hero index is increasing…?)
Rin-chan pressed her trembling fingertips to her knee‚ steadied her breathing‚ and placed the screwdriver on a screw smaller than a grain of rice.
Her concentration was so deep it could erase the world beyond the fog.
"...The needle’s balance is off. Maybe surface tension between it and the dial due to humidity. …Nagisa‚ support the plate closer. Don’t move a millimeter."
"Understood‚ leader…! My right leg… but… I won’t move…!"
"I said don’t move. …Please."
Rin-chan’s voice was calm‚ yet trembling.
That tremor cut through my chest colder than the fog.
(Rin-chan… she’s scared. The 'loss of direction‚' the 'someone sinking'…
She still remembers when I disappeared…)
"...Alright‚ the axis is back. Now we just need to stop the damper oil from leaking."
Rin-chan’s hands were precise‚ quiet‚ and strong‚ overriding my anxiety.
She opened an old lighter I had picked up and dropped a single tiny drop of oil into the minuscule mechanism.
(Rin-chan… even in a world like this‚ in this fog…
She’s trying to create a 'path'…)
"...It moved… Magnetic north‚ confirmed."
Click.
That small sound restored "direction" to the fog-enshrouded world.
The hand in the mud trembled faintly.
"Yay! As expected of my proud partner!"
The moment the compass needle stabilized‚ I jumped up—but sharp pain ran through my right leg‚ and I half-squatted in place.
"I-it hurts…! K-But I’m happy…!
Now we can avoid getting lost in the land of marshmallows…!"
"...It’s too early to celebrate. Knowing the direction is one thing‚ pulling that survivor out of the mud is another."
Rin-chan stood and gazed at the 'hand' protruding from the mud.
Her profile in the whiteness of the fog was calm yet tense.
(Rin-chan… she’s still scared. But I won’t let her feel that again.
This time‚ it’s my turn to create a 'safe future' for Rin-chan…)
"Rin-chan… this time I won’t fail.
I haven’t forgotten running off on that overpass and scaring you."
I gripped the mud-covered plate I was holding tightly.
My right leg still hurt. But something stronger than that pain filled my chest.
"...Good. Then follow my instructions. …What’s the survivor’s vitals?"
"...Still a little warm. HP is barely above zero‚ but not gone yet!"
The hand I touched in the fog trembled slightly.
I felt a sense of “responsibility” unlike my past self.
(I’ll overwrite Rin-chan’s fear. This time‚ I’ll be the one doing the saving…)
"...Nagisa. We’ll plan the rescue.
You search the rubble for the longest iron pipe.
We’ll use it as leverage to reduce the mud’s suction."
"A rational choice! …Hey‚ did I just sound a bit like Rin-chan?"
"...Not at all. But I’ll give you credit for the enthusiasm."
Rin-chan’s lips curved slightly. In the fog‚ the smile vanished in an instant‚ yet it was there.
She knelt by the edge of the mud and gently touched the sinking “hand.”
Our story shifted here‚ from mere 'wandering‚' to a 'mission' to save someone.
(Rin-chan… this time‚ together‚ we’ll lift someone’s future…)
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