Chapter 30: “Nagisa Hover Activation (Buoyancy and Balance Repair)”
“...slosh. ...slosh‚ slosh.”
Near my ear‚ there was a sound like a tiny straw sipping soda.
When I opened my eyes‚ a damp wind brushed my cheek‚ and the moldy smell of old paper pricked my nose.
The coldness touching my fingertips felt as if the world itself had come to steal away my body heat.
“Hyaa!? Cold…! What is this‚ pressure from the world telling me to ‘feel like sashimi’ first thing in the morning!?”
I jerked my upper body upright.
My right leg was still tightly bound with an AC adapter‚ proudly “Closed for Business.”
My left arm‚ the price for holding Haru-kun back‚ was still in marshmallow plushie mode today.
My will was completely ignored—currently on a business trip to dreamland.
“…Nagisa‚ you’re loud. The water level simply intruded and stole some of my sleep.”
Rin-chan rubbed her eyes while leaning her back against the signboard sled “Steel Cradle.”
On the pale shoulder exposed by her sleeveless jacket‚ the marks of the towing rope that had dragged the two of us—one hundred forty kilograms total—through the entire night were painfully carved in red.
“Rin-chan‚ look! The lobby’s getting licked all over by a ‘mud-water tongue!’”
The floor that had been dry until yesterday was now covered in a thin layer of brown water.
The bottoms of the bookshelves were slowly dampening‚ and the quiet library was being swallowed little by little.
The air in the lobby was as cold as if someone had put it in the refrigerator overnight.
“…Current water level rise rate: two millimeters per minute.
Within thirty minutes‚ the sled’s base will contact the muddy water and destabilization will begin.”
At the edge of the sled‚ Haru-kun—holding his notebook—reported calmly.
His right ankle was swollen purple‚ and walking on his own was statistically hopeless.
“That staircase… climbing it with the sled is about as possible as the second form of the final boss‚ huh…”
The grand staircase at the back of the lobby looked like a sheer cliff to us now.
There was no way we could climb it while riding the sled.
“…I know. Pulling the sled up the stairs exceeds the limit of my muscle capacity by one hundred twenty percent.
I have no intention of becoming a ‘luxury bookend’ here.”
Rin-chan stood up and clenched her fist‚ as if suppressing the spasms in her fingers.
On her face ran not despair‚ but calculations for the next “repair.”
“I don’t want to stay a decoration either!
Instead of just being pulled by you‚ Rin-chan‚ I want to move with my own engine!”
I tapped my right leg and laughed.
But really‚ I didn’t want to add any more rope marks to Rin-chan’s shoulders.
Rin-chan gently touched my chilled toes.
Her fingertips trembled for just an instant.
“…Understood. Buoyancy and balance repair.
Nagisa‚ I’ll bring you back to the ‘walking side’ once more.”
“Alright! Then the second operation of the day for the ‘Nagisa-Style Memory Recycling Factory’ begins now!
Our target… treasures that’ll become my brand-new ‘legs’!”
I tried snapping the fingers of my right hand‚ but failed because of the humidity.
Seriously‚ I wish this world would stop making even the air “moisturizing-spec.”
A few centimeters of muddy water had already pooled across the lobby floor.
Rin-chan pushed the signboard sled “Steel Cradle‚”
quietly transporting me behind the reception counter and toward the display area.
“…Nagisa. Instead of chatting‚ use that ‘hero-detection sensor’ of yours to find scrap materials.
We need materials worth the cost.”
Every time she pushed the sled‚ Rin-chan’s bare shoulder twitched.
The rope marks from yesterday were swollen dark red even in the cold mist‚
looking hot enough to burn if touched.
“I know‚ I know! Look—first treasure found already!
Three giant PET bottles of carbonated drinks in the corner of the reception counter!
Leftover soda… oh‚ none. What a shame!”
“…The presence of liquid residue doesn’t matter.
If the seal is intact‚ each bottle can provide about two kilograms of buoyant force as an ‘artificial flotation bladder.’”
Rin-chan wiped away the mud and picked up the bottles.
Next we found a giant roll of packing cushioning—bubble wrap.
“Whoa! Bubble wrap!
Popping them one by one relieves stress‚ you know. Want to try‚ Rin-chan?”
“…No.
Each bubble is a microscopic air chamber.
Wrap this around your legs and we gain insulation and reserve buoyancy simultaneously.”
Rin-chan’s voice was cold‚
but behind those words was clearly the heat of wanting to protect my legs.
“…Nagisa-san. Please reference this data as well.”
Haru-kun opened his notebook at the edge of the sled.
Numbers copied from the library’s equipment list filled the pages of the “future record” we had bound only yesterday.
“Based on calculations from Nagisa-san’s body weight and equipment weight‚
unless we secure at least six liters of displacement volume per leg‚
maintaining balance on mud will be statistically impossible.”
“S-six liters!?
That means three bottles per side fused together!?
My legs aren’t that heavy—probably just like three blocks of tofu!”
“…Do whatever you want if you wish to sink together with your tofu brain.
Haru’s calculation is correct. Including reserve buoyancy‚ four bottles per leg—eight total—would be preferable.”
At Rin-chan’s rebuttal‚ I puffed my cheeks.
“Muu… fine!
Just watch! I’ll use my ‘God Hand’ to make the ultimate ‘Floaty Shoes’!”
I gripped a roll of powerful duct tape I’d found in a drawer behind the reception desk.
Then I began using my immobile left arm—not as a “dead weight” this time‚
but as a “fixing jig” for crafting.
I lined up the bottles on my numb marshmallow arm‚
and wrapped tape around them over and over with my right hand.
Even though it was part of me‚ this arm felt heavy like someone else’s forgotten baggage.
But now it was actually useful—as a tool.
“…Nagisa. That arm is becoming severely congested.
Don’t put too much load on it.”
“It’s fine!
This is Nagisa-style ‘Self Vise Technique’!
Here‚ Haru-kun‚ hold that side!
The history of our ‘Day 2’ depends on the adhesive strength of this tape!”
“…Statistically speaking‚ there is no correlation between tape adhesion and the weight of history… but understood‚ fixing it.”
Haru-kun held down the tape’s edge with trembling fingers.
In the silent library‚
only the ripping sound of peeling tape
carved out our will to survive.
“…Alright. Material bonding complete. Next is ‘installation.’ Nagisa‚ sit on the counter.”
Rin-chan placed the rock-solid duct-taped PET bottle unit on the floor‚
then knelt in front of me.
Inside the narrow reception counter space.
When I sat on the edge‚ Rin-chan’s face came right to knee height.
“Hehe… when you do it like this‚ it kinda feels like I’m a spoiled princess and Rin-chan’s my loyal knight.”
I joked while supporting my useless left arm with my right hand.
But Rin-chan’s face was far too serious to entertain the joke.
“…If you’re a princess‚ sit quietly.
I’m going to loosen the tourniquet (AC adapter) once.
If we don’t restart blood flow‚ your leg will really become nothing but decoration.”
Rin-chan’s fingertips touched my right leg—
the base of my thigh where the AC adapter had dug in deeply.
“Hiu…!”
Even though I’d been struck by cold rain‚
her fingertips were hot like an engine on the verge of overheating.
The body heat rising from her bare shoulder brushed my nose.
“…Nagisa-san‚ measuring vitals. Heart rate rising.
…Is it pain? Or—”
Haru-kun‚ notebook open on the sled‚ peered over with expressionless eyes.
“It’s not pain!
Rin-chan’s heat is just making my ‘embarrassment sensor’ malfunction!”
The moment I shouted‚ Rin-chan rotated the pen and slowly loosened the tightly wound cord.
“—…AAAAAH!!”
A shock like molten iron pouring through my veins shot through my right leg that had lost all sensation.
The “closed-for-business” blood vessels were pried open‚
and the frozen cells screamed all at once.
Forget sashimi.
It felt like thousands of electric eels had started a party inside my leg.
“Endure it‚ Nagisa. …Wake the cells.”
Ignoring my agony‚
Rin-chan began massaging my cold calf with her heated hands.
Her wet black hair brushed my knee.
Her breath touched my skin directly.
It hurt.
But from every place she touched‚ the outline of “life” returned.
“…Capillary dilation confirmed. Surface temperature up 0.8 degrees.
…Nagisa-san‚ now. While sensation remains in your leg‚ we’ll secure the buoyancy unit.”
At Haru-kun’s signal‚ Rin-chan swiftly pressed the “PET bottle shoes” against my ankles.
She wrapped layer after layer of bubble wrap as cushioning‚
then bound giant bottles over them with duct tape.
“…Listen‚ Nagisa. This is your new ‘bone.’
My technique‚ Haru’s calculations… and your endurance created this equipment.”
Rin-chan’s fingertips pressed firmly on the final strip of tape.
On my right leg‚ two clumsy floats were firmly connected.
They looked ridiculously uncool.
But these shoes carrying Rin-chan’s warmth
were the only repair in the world that would let me walk toward tomorrow.
“…Done. …Can you stand?”
Rin-chan lifted her face.
In her eyes burned the bold yet gentle pride of a repairer determined not to let me sink.
“Alright… here we go.
My new partner—Nagisa-style ‘Floaty Hover No.1‚’ launch ceremony!”
Borrowing Rin-chan’s shoulder‚ I slowly climbed down from the reception counter to the floor.
The lobby floor was already filled with muddy water above my ankles.
The once-luxurious carpet had soaked up water‚ and each step made it
“Squlch.”
—a sound like the end of the world.
The silence of the library was as heavy as the bottom of the sea.
“…Don’t rush. Your center of gravity stays on the left leg—and… you don’t have crutches anymore.
So for now‚ use my arm as the pivot.”
Rin-chan supported me from behind‚ almost embracing my waist.
The heat of her bare shoulder came through my wet uniform.
Every time our backs and chests touched‚
my “excitement index” threatened to crash the system.
“I know! Okay‚ here goes… hyah!”
I cautiously pushed my not-yet-fully-awakened right leg toward the water’s surface.
There—
a buoyancy unit made from four giant PET bottles tightly bound with duct tape was attached.
It looked exactly like an illegally dumped cyborg—but—
“—Whoa‚ it floated!?
Rin-chan‚ look! My leg’s floating like candy!!”
The moment it touched water‚ a strong resistance pushed back against my foot.
Instead of the mud washing it away‚
it felt like something underneath was lifting it up saying “you can do it.”
For someone who until yesterday had only been “carried‚”
this was the revolutionary sensation of independence.
“Buoyancy coefficient matches calculated value.
…Nagisa-san‚ keep your right foot angled thirty degrees outward.
Use it as a ‘paddle’ to generate propulsion.”
Haru-kun‚ notebook open on the sled‚
gave instructions calmly—though excitement slipped through his voice.
“Roger!
Nagisa Hover‚ engine start—whoaa!?”
The moment I kicked the water hard with my right foot‚
the buoyancy was stronger than expected and my body lifted‚ losing balance.
My left foot slipped on the wet floor and I nearly dived into the muddy water.
“Nagisa!!”
Just in time‚ Rin-chan’s arms pulled me close.
She grabbed the chest of my wet hoodie and dragged me toward her.
Our noses were almost touching.
In Rin-chan’s eyes was my mud-covered self‚ laughing.
“…Idiot. I told you it’s dangerous.
…Don’t make me absorb unnecessary falling energy.”
“Hehe… sorry.
But that feeling just now was amazing!
I slid across the water with my own engine!”
I laughed with a muddy face.
My right leg was still bound with an AC adapter‚
and my left arm still wouldn’t move like a marshmallow.
But with these clumsy shoes—
I wasn’t just dead weight anymore.
“…Hmph. Then don’t waste that engine.
…Next comes the real thing.”
Rin-chan looked forward.
Ahead was the massive staircase leading to the second floor.
And chasing us‚
a torrent of muddy water was pouring into the lobby.
“…Alright. Then I guess it’s time to say goodbye to our reliable partner ‘Steel Cradle’ for now…”
With my clumsy PET bottle shoe floating on the water‚
I looked back at the signboard sled in the corner of the lobby.
The benefactor (benefactor-machine) that had carried us across the sea of mud.
But before the “vertical wall” of stairs ahead‚
it was too heavy for us now.
“…Don’t cling to it. Resource reallocation. The necessary parts have already been salvaged.”
Rin-chan wrapped the rope and carabiner removed from the sled around her waist.
Her bare shoulders were still warm‚
and just standing next to her let me feel the heat.
“Nagisa-san… could you support me?”
Haru-kun crawled off the sled‚
reaching out while protecting his broken right leg.
“Of course!
Right now I’m the latest high-performance carrier equipped with ‘Nagisa Hover’!”
I placed my useless left arm between us‚
and let him drape his left arm over my shoulder.
His body pressed close‚ colder than mine and trembling.
But my right foot’s buoyancy unit sank down firmly‚
pushing back against the weight of both of us.
“…Ninety-six percent.
Nagisa-san’s buoyancy support has dramatically improved my movement cost.
…At this rate‚ we can go.”
Haru-kun murmured in surprise near my shoulder.
Rin-chan stepped forward and placed her foot on the first step of the grand staircase.
“…Move. Updating our roles as individuals.
I’ll secure the route‚ Nagisa will transport Haru.
Haru‚ record the progress.”
We began climbing the stairs one step at a time.
With each step‚ the PET bottles on my right foot went
“mugyu.”
kicking against the water.
I was standing by my own strength‚ supporting someone else.
That feeling rewrote the pain from the AC adapter tightening my leg
into the greatest “excitement index.”
When we paused on the landing‚
Haru-kun opened the notebook we had bound just yesterday.
On the pages still smelling faintly of wax‚ he added a new line.
“Day 2: Method of Independent Walking.
Through Nagisa’s repair‚ the mobility of one individual expanded vertically.
…We are no longer beings that simply sink.”
“Hahaha! Haru-kun‚ that’s good writing!
Make sure to rewrite my shoes later with a cool name!”
Looking down‚ the lobby where we had been
was already sinking beneath muddy water.
But our gazes were no longer directed downward.
“…Next‚ we wake up the upper floor elevator.
…We’ll build our sleeping place somewhere higher.”
Nodding at Rin-chan’s words‚
we stepped deeper into the silent stacks with another new step.
Chapter 30 Complete.
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