Chapter 34: Evolution to "The People of Water": Extra Large · Mud Water Float
「……No way. Hey‚
Rin-chan. That kid outside the window seems to have gotten bored of playing 'staring contest' with us......
This time‚ it's saying it wants to come inside and play together！」
I pointed to the thick glass of the observation window.
The black sea surface that should have been holding on at the edge of the window until a moment ago is now completely filling the other side of the glass.
Crack‚ craaack......
The packing of the window frame screamed‚ unable to withstand the water pressure.
From the gap‚ a thin stream of water like fingertips slid onto the floor with a "slurp" like a tongue searching for prey.
The air that until a few minutes ago was "the ultimate living taste" suddenly began to mix with the raw smell of the tide.
「……We didn't come to play. ......It's the execution of 'initialization (format)'.
The world has come to crush us‚ who took back the system's lungs (the building)‚ with physical mass」
Rin-chan readjusted the traction rope on her sleeveless shoulders.
The "red rope marks" that are proof of yesterday's heavy labor are eerily glowing like warning lights in the air that has started to cool from the flooding.
「……Flooding speed‚ 12 liters per minute. Accelerating.
Until this observation floor turns into an 'aquarium'‚ there are still 12 minutes left」
Haru-kun raised the 'Day 2' waterproof notebook high to escape the creeping water surface‚ and declared while in the muddy water that had reached his knees.
His right ankle is swollen‚ but his eyes were still moving‚ searching for a winning chance of less than 1% in the inescapable "vertical dead end".
"12 minutes!?
That's only enough for four cup ramen servings!!
Rin-chan‚ we're going to get another reservation for the 'sashimi course'!"
「……The reservation is canceled.
Nagisa‚ use up the spring in that right leg (hover). ......Start reallocating resources」
Rin-chan pointed to the large steel rack in the back of the observation room.
"The 'steel cradle' we left in the lobby downstairs isn't coming back.
...Then‚ we'll make a new 'cradle' here.
Dismantle the shelf boards of this rack!
That will become our new 'floor'」
"Understood!!
My 'Nagisa Hover'‚ full throttle for the second time today‚ here I gooo—!"
I slammed the awkward plastic bottle shoe on my right foot onto the floor that had started to take in muddy water.
A bright red lightning bolt pierces through my thigh where the AC adapter tourniquet is biting in.
But that intense pain becomes the gasoline that ignites the fire in my nearly broken heart.
"Mugyu‚ ......pekon!"
The buoyancy unit forcefully pushed back the muddy water‚ propelling my body forward.
Holding my immobile left arm (marshmallow state) firmly with my right hand‚ I slid across the flooding floor like a skater.
When I reached the front of the steel rack‚ I put my weight on it and
"DOOOON!"
knocked it over.
"Rin-chan‚ I pulled out one!
Next‚ here I go!"
「……Good. Haru‚ you figure out the connection points.
...Nagisa‚ pull that top board over here!」
Rin-chan supported the rack's pillar with her bare shoulder‚ and I dragged the heavy shelf board into the muddy water with one right hand.
The iron plate that once supported knowledge is now forcibly rewriting its meaning into parts for the "floating ship" to keep us alive.
「……Calculation completed. Buoyancy clear.
...Structural material reallocation‚ synchronized at 98%」
Haru-kun gazed at the shelf board that had started floating in the muddy water and spun a short declaration.
「……It's physically possible for the three of us to ride and float.
We... can evolve into 'the people of water'」
Outside the window‚ the western "black wall" was pulsating violently.
But our Day 2 is not over yet.
Abandoning the mud sled‚ we were now trying to assemble the skeleton of our own "mobile fortress on water" with our own hands.
「……Haa‚ ......h. Haru-kun‚ how about the calculations?
Will our new home have a ride as comfortable as a 'first-class passenger ship'?"
I sat down on the remnants of the overturned reception counter and asked while protecting my left arm.
At my feet‚ the increased muddy water was rhythmically tapping the bottom of my plastic bottle shoes with "plop‚ plop".
Haru-kun spread the 'Day 2' notebook on his knees and was running the pencil lead at a speed that echoed deep in his ears.
「……Design completed.
Base: three recovered steel rack boards.
As buoyancy bodies‚ we'll arrange 48 empty bottles and sealed containers in a grid pattern」
Haru-kun turned the notebook toward us.
There was a drawing of a "mobile fortress" so intricate and heavy that it didn't look like a mere raft.
「……Originally‚ with this material strength‚ there's no guarantee it can withstand the shear force of the outer current.
The statistical sinking probability is hovering at 42%」
"42 percent!?
One out of two times it's not the sashimi course!
Haru-kun‚ can't you repair it to more exciting numbers?"
When I puffed up my cheeks‚ Haru-kun stopped the pencil for just a moment and slightly shook his pale gray eyes.
「……No. I hadn't substituted an important 'variable' into that number yet.
...I'll rewrite it now」
Scraaatch.
Haru-kun's stroke became even stronger‚ to the point of scraping the paper.
「……Buoyancy clear. Propulsion within expectations.
...And here‚ I'll add 'Nagisa-san's stubbornness mass' as a variable.
...Recalculation completed」
Haru-kun spun his usual emotionless‚ machine-like declaration.
「……Sinking probability fixed at 0% (zero percent).
In my calculation‚ there is no longer the option of 'sinking'」
「……Haru. When did you learn such an illogical calculation formula」
Rin-chan‚ who was rewinding the traction rope next to us‚ shrugged her stiff shoulders and smiled with great affection.
"Ahaha! As expected‚ Haru-kun!
My stubbornness is worth about 100 tons!
Alright‚ then we have to give the strongest fortress the cutest name ever!"
I thrust my right hand high and shouted while looking at the brownish sea outside the window.
"Naming!
The name of our new ship is——
'Extra Large · Mud Water Float'!!"
「……Toku...mori... Doro...mizu...?」
Haru-kun's hand stopped dead.
Rin-chan pressed her temple with a face as if saying "Get away from the parfait."
"That's right!
We're a 'extra large ice cream' floating in the muddy water!
Perfect naming‚ right?"
「……。......Understood. Accepted」
After letting out a deep sigh‚ Haru-kun ran the pen on the official record page with a completely serious face without any hesitation.
『Vessel（Ship Name）：TOKUMORI DOROMIZU FLOAT』
「……Recorded.
This is the official history of our world」
In Haru-kun's notebook‚ my silly humor was officially engraved as the world's survival strategy.
"Alright. If the name is decided‚ next is the 'heart' transplant."
Rin-chan stood up and directed her gaze to the ceiling ventilation fan——
That "world's lung" that once tried to suffocate us.
「……Hey‚ Rin-chan.
You don't mean to rip off the blades of that 'reverse rotation guy' up on the ceiling‚ do you...？」
I looked up at the ceiling while sinking my right foot's plastic bottle shoe into the muddy water that had deepened about three centimeters more than when we started reallocating.
There‚ the cursed manual ventilation fan that tried to delete our oxygen until a moment ago was quietly sitting.
「……That's right.
I'll turn your breath's root into our 'legs'」
Rin-chan raised the corner of her mouth defiantly on the shelf board foothold.
Her white shoulders sweating were trembling slightly with anger and determination.
「……Haru.
Is synchronization possible between that heart part (engine)'s rotation axis and this blade's pitch angle？」
「……Possible.
There's a small amount of damper oil left from the direction finder we repaired in that deep fog.
If we repurpose it as lubricant‚ we can minimize friction loss」
Haru-kun spread the notebook on his knees and gave a short declaration while running the pencil.
Rin-chan without hesitation took out pliers from the tool bag and bit into the metal-fatigued center axis of the ventilation fan.
The muscles in her thin arms tensed to the limit‚ and a sharp exhalation leaked from her mouth.
「……Caught it.
Obey the 'rules' called physical laws」
CRACK!!
A hard sound like the world's spine breaking echoed through the observation floor.
A part of the building's "lungs" that once tried to suffocate us was mercilessly torn off by Rin-chan's arm strength.
"Hyaaa!
Rin-chan‚ too wild!
That was completely the move of 'the hero stealing the boss's parts'!!"
「……Shut up.
Nagisa‚ hold down the engine.
Now we're transplanting this 'lung' into the raft's propeller (fin)」
While protecting my left arm‚ I used my right hand and body weight to lean fully on the small emergency generator found in the corner of the maintenance room——our new "heart".
A dull pain ran through my right foot‚ but to me now‚ this felt like the "spark of counterattack".
Rin-chan forcibly connected the ripped ventilation fan blades to the engine's rotation axis.
Using the slip sign or old lighter fire used when fixing the direction finder‚ she melted the wax into goo and dripped it on the joints‚ fixing it solidly like impromptu welding.
「……Connection completed.
...Haru‚ final check」
「……Shaft runout within allowable range.
Repair completed: converting delete power (negative pressure) to forward power (thrust)」
Rin-chan pulled the starter rope shortly.
Vrrrm!
The dead machine let out a birth cry that vibrated the eardrums for a moment‚ and the distorted screw splashed the muddy water slightly.
「……Good‚ the heart is moving.
Next is fixing the framework (shell)」
Rin-chan immediately turned off the engine switch and let out a short breath.
"Alright‚ finishing touches!!
Cry or laugh‚ this is the last 'connection work'!"
I forcefully pulled my left arm‚ which had become heavy like a marshmallow on my knee‚ with my right hand.
At my feet‚ the muddy water that had swallowed the observation floor was eerily rocking the base of the steel rack we had temporarily assembled with "plop‚ plop".
The 'Extra Large · Mud Water Float' designed by Haru-kun‚ with materials gathered by me‚ and heart transplanted by Rin-chan.
It's still just a precarious "empty shell" state where the separate parts are only temporarily fixed.
「……Nagisa‚ sit there.
Use your 'self-weight' as an anchor. ...Haru‚ maintain the wire tension」
Rin-chan's instructions are accurate‚ but her voice is hoarse like filed with a rasp.
On her shoulders peeking from the sleeveless jacket‚ the "red rope marks" from when she pulled us out yesterday were floating even darker black from overload.
"Understood!
I'll entrust all my 'assets (body weight)' to this kid!"
I used my immobile left arm as a pillar substitute and pressed my body "thud" against the joint of the structural material.
When the three of us huddled together on the raft‚ in the observation room enveloped in cold fog‚ only that spot became densely hot.
「……Stress concentration within allowable range.
...Now‚ Rin-san!
If you tighten the last main bolt‚ the skeleton of the one body (team) will be fixed！」
Receiving Haru-kun's sharp declaration‚ Rin-chan gripped the heavy wrench and reached for the thick bolt.
Click......
A small‚ dry metallic sound.
But it didn't progress from there.
Rin-chan's thin fingertips were trembling violently like a newborn fawn.
「……Ugh...... kuh......」
Her arms that were swinging the heavy engine until a moment ago had already exceeded the limit.
The muscles swollen tight with lactic acid were robbing the power to turn the wrench.
（Rin-chan...... Usually strong like a 'king'.
Now‚ trembling so much......）
"Rin-chan‚ lend it to me!
I'll——"
「……No good.
With just your right hand‚ the torque isn't enough.
...If we strip the screw threads‚ we'll be 'sashimi' here」
Rin-chan bit her lip regretfully.
I gently placed my right hand on top of her trembling hand.
"You're not alone‚ Rin-chan.
My 'God's right hand' and Rin-chan's 'craftsman's hand'.
Combining the two‚ the world's best power is sure to come out!"
I slammed my immobile left arm (marshmallow) as a "weight" next to the bolt‚ and enveloped Rin-chan's hot hand with my right hand.
「……Nagisa」
"On the count of three‚ let's go!
Three‚ two‚ one...... gooo!!!"
We became one lump of flesh (one body) and concentrated all nerves on one point of the bolt.
My "weight" prevented buckling‚ and our "combined power" forcibly twisted the rules of the mad world.
Gigi...... gigigigii!!
The metal screamed‚ and the next moment——
"Clank!"
The perfect 'repair' sound echoed through the nearly submerged floor.
「……Connection completed. Sinking probability 0%‚ maintained.
...Our 'shell' is complete」
Haru-kun's voice rang like a fanfare.
Rin-chan placed her forehead with a "bonk" on my head.
「……Hmph.
I said that the only one in the world who can turn your 'recklessness' into shape... is me‚ right？」
We have now truly become one "one body (structure)".
「……The shell is done.
But if we stay like this‚ we'll hit the debris outside and sink in one hit」
I quickly put my hand on the plastic bottle unit fixed to my right foot.
"This is already too heavy for my foot.
...From now on‚ you'll become this kid's 'feet'」
With one right hand‚ I roughly ripped the unit from the shoe‚ separated the empty bottles‚ and neatly fixed them with duct tape to the four corners of the raft——the points likely to collide.
"Thank you for walking me until now.
...From now on‚ protect our new home」
My "personal feet" were inherited as the "one body (team)'s 'buffer (fender)'".
At that moment——.
CRAAAASH!!
The thick glass of the observation window finally couldn't withstand the external water pressure and shattered with an explosive sound.
The black muddy torrent‚ baring sharp fangs‚ avalanche into the room——！
「……It's here!!
The real 'sashimi course' invitation has arrived！」
The waterfall-like black muddy torrent flowed into the room and violently lifted the raft we built‚ the 'Extra Large · Mud Water Float'‚ all at once with rough force.
"Nagisa‚ Haru!
Don't get thrown off‚ grab the structural material!"
Rin-chan's sharp cry echoed.
She had one hand on the violently shaking engine cowl and was maintaining perfect balance in the raging water level.
I hugged my left arm and desperately braced myself by hooking my feet on the raft's iron frame.
「……Haru‚ buoyancy balance！」
「……Perfect.
By placing Nagisa-san's unit on the side‚ the impact absorption rate at collision has improved by 40%.
...Day 2‚ all conditions for departure are in place」
In the midst of the muddy torrent trying to push the raft out of the window frame‚ Rin-chan's eyes shone sharply.
"Good.
...With the blades that were your 'lungs'‚ I'll slice through the world's rules」
Rin-chan pushed the engine throttle to the limit with all her strength.
DOOOOOOO!!
The screw made by ripping off the ventilation fan churned the water with crazy rotation.
At that moment‚ we witnessed it.
The "black muddy water of magnetic anomaly" that was surging through the observation window‚ the moment it touched the powerful physical rotation of the screw‚
purified into pure white clean splashes like Moses parting the sea‚ splitting left and right.
"Amazing!!
The black water is giving way in front of our engine!!"
Our 'Extra Large · Mud Water Float' bounced off the broken window frame with the fenders‚ turned its back on the sinking library‚ and slid out into the dark sea.
「……Updating record」
Haru-kun ran the pencil on the notebook while on the wave-rocked raft.
『Day 2：Departure.
The one body abandoned the land and became the people of water.
We are no longer mere records waiting to sink』
Looking back‚ the sanctuary (library) that saved us from oxygen deletion slowly disappeared below the water surface.
"Goodbye‚ our library.
...Now‚ let's go‚ Rin-chan‚ Haru-kun!
Momiji-chan is waiting for us beyond that light！」
Gazing at the faint "observation tower light" emitted from Sector 14 beyond the fog‚
we synchronized our new breaths and powerfully set sail into the unknown black sea.
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