Oomi
"I'm gonna try and get over there."
Aochi-san took off running."Over there" obviously meant the other ship.
"What are you planning to do if you get there?!"
I rushed after him immediately.
"That guy the Harvester was choking—we might still be able to save him!"
Sometimes, righteousness is the same as stupidity.Even after seeing the corpses sprawled on that ship, the blood-soaked woman clearly out of her mind, and the weapon of unknown origin, he still went charging toward it.Yeah… Aochi-san really is the closest to death.
"Are you insane?! And how exactly are you planning to get over there? You’ll fall into the ocean!"
The ship running alongside ours looked close, but even Aochi-san, with all his athleticism, couldn’t possibly jump that far.
It made me even more confused how the Harvester had crossed in the first place.
"Insane, huh? Ah—there’s a ladder!"
…Why is there a ladder there?I clicked my tongue for the first time in years.
A ladder-like thing was clinging to the outside of the ship.
"How do you even use that? You don’t know how to release it, right?"
Please—just give up.
"Hey! You two, help me out!"
With an oddly noble expression, he shouted at me and Oze-san.I had a bad feeling, and when I looked back, Kaori-san—who had seemed completely indifferent moments ago—was smiling faintly.Mamoru-kun was downright beaming. His face might as well have said, “That guy’s so cool.”
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The dead must find that kind of reckless energy irresistibly charming.
"Wouldn’t it be better to wait a little longer? We have no idea what’s happening over there."
Even though Oze-san was clearly unsettled, he still spoke calmly.To me, that was the cooler response—the adult one.
"Exactly! Look, I’m trying too, but I have no idea how to get this ladder off—"
I squatted down and ran my hands randomly along the rusted exterior of the ship through the railing.
My fingers caught on a small groove. It felt rough inside—gross.Then, with a loud creeeaaaak, something heavy shifted.
The next thing I knew, the ladder sprang upward into the air, like it had a mind of its own, and began to lay itself across toward the other ship.
What kind of idiot am I…?
"You're a genius," said Aochi-san, his voice glittering like the light dancing on the sea.
Without hesitation, he leapt onto the still-wobbling ladder.I felt like an audience member at a circus—knowing it was dangerous, yet exhilarated.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the Harvester on the other ship.He looked… visibly appalled.What should I do? Am I the one who’s gonna get yelled at?
With a thud, Aochi-san landed on the other deck. He stumbled a bit—hardly a perfect landing.And yet Mamoru-kun clapped for him.Please stop. Oze-san is clearly not amused—his long pale fingers clenched into a fist, and his glare could freeze the ocean.
The first to move was the Harvester.
Without warning, he tossed aside the man he had been holding in his arms—either dead or unconscious.
I wanted to shout “What the hell are you doing?!” but my voice isn’t exactly loud, and I figured he’d just reply, “Didn’t hear ya,” so I kept quiet.
The Harvester didn’t even glance at the body he’d thrown aside.He stepped out of the bridge and placed a large hand on his forehead, then called out to Aochi-san:
"You idiot. What the hell do you think you’re doing?"
Aochi-san shouted right back without missing a beat:
"Move! I need to help that guy!"
They both had such good voices, it felt like I was watching a scene on a stage—not a murder scene.
"Which guy? If you mean those ones, it’s already too late."
He gestured with his chin toward the three blood-soaked corpses lying on the deck.
"I’m talking about the one you were choking."
Saying that, Aochi-san brushed past the Harvester and entered the bridge.From where I stood, I couldn’t see inside anymore.
Should I go over too?I stared at the ladder.Despite how rusty it had sounded, it now gleamed silver like it was brand new—and looked dangerously slippery.
The way Aochi-san crossed without a second thought was incredible.I decided to follow him.But just as I stepped forward, Oze-san gripped the ladder's railing first.
Did he want to impress Kaori-san and Mamoru-kun?Oze-san, no. That’s not it.You’re not Aochi-san.What makes you amazing is the way you endure and protect others.
Just as I reached out to pull Oze-san back, the Harvester raised a hand to stop us.
"Don’t make this more complicated.That lunatic’s not dead."
Then the man Aochi-san had rescued appeared, leaning on his shoulder—wearing a ridiculously smug look on his face.