Aochi
With Oomi’s shoulder under my arm, I was stupidly staring at the sky as the lightning was swallowed up.
Suddenly, with a loud whump and a rush of air, something huge fell from above. I turned, and my heart nearly stopped.
—A mock red-crowned crane had landed on the deck.
Its sheer size and unpredictable movements froze my body under a wave of primal fear.
“Ururururururururu—”
By the entrance door, Ululu was crouching down. Hadn’t he gone inside with the others?
Again, the rustle of shaking feathers rang in my ears, and I saw the mock red-crowned crane fix its sharp gaze on Ululu. Up close, it was even bigger than I had imagined.
Even from a distance, I could tell Ululu was trembling.
Was it going to take Ululu’s heart? He’s alive. I won’t allow it.
“Aochi-san, Ululu is—”
“I know. You stay right here.”
I called to Oomi, suppressing my fear with anger, and started to run toward Ululu.
“You’re the one who’d better not move another step.”
The Harvester’s voice rang out, and in the next instant the mock red-crowned crane in front of me collapsed onto the deck with a heavy thud, sliding all the way to the opposite end. It happened in a blink.
Along the path the giant bird had slid, red-black blood was smeared like strokes of paint.
“...Is that bird dead?”
“Yes. Or would you have preferred to stand here and watch your hearts get ripped out? Even when shot with this gun, there’s usually not that much blood. The bullets absorb it. That bird’s just massive, and the rain makes it look like more is flowing.”
The Harvester slung the bow-shaped gun over his shoulder and sighed. He was drenched too. Even though he was old—or perhaps precisely because he was old?The languid aura entwined with a certain allure gleamed dully in the rain, making me stare. That was something I could never let him notice.
“No… I’m just glad Ululu’s safe. Thank you.”
Saying that, I finally moved toward Ululu.
I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“Uru—”
“Whoa—hey!”
Ululu suddenly hugged me, making me stumble on the wet deck.
His cute T-shirt and the lap blanket Oze had pulled over his head were soaked. Come to think of it, the picture on that T-shirt wasn’t bleeding at all. Was it because the ink and paint were different, or the fabric was special?
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“Don’t let your guard down, either of you. Please, just get inside quickly. The birds will come again.”
“The mock red-crowned cranes, you mean?”
“What the hell is that?”
Before I could answer, the Harvester suddenly sprinted toward starboard at incredible speed. Just as he disappeared into a blind spot, I heard something large splash into the sea.
I knew right away it was another mock red-crowned crane. The Harvester had shot it. If these things eat abandoned hearts that can’t make it to the next world, then maybe Ululu—who had just been targeted—is still alive, but it means he’s already marked to be left behind here.
Or… were they aiming for me or Oomi?
That island— The thought struck me, and I turned my gaze toward it, a shiver running up my spine. Around the island, an incredible number of mock red-crowned cranes were swarming.
In the air, they might look graceful, but why is it that when they flock to prey, they’re so grotesque? —Not that such ugliness is limited to birds.
Only then did I notice—the island looked bigger than before. No… it was our ship moving toward it.
Even now, countless mock red-crowned cranes were flying in from every direction toward the island. Some passed overhead, crossing above our ship.
All of them were after the burning, abandoned hearts encircling the island.
“Oomi, let’s get inside the ship.”
I called to Oomi, who stood frozen, glaring at the sky. What was with him—first the way he acted toward Oze, now this?
“No. Those hearts being eaten over there… they might be us tomorrow.”
“You mean—you know who’s going to be left behind in this world? Are you saying it might be us?”
“...If things stay as they are, I think so. But I refuse to accept that. I’m going to the next world with you, Aochi-san.”
The determined look I’d never seen before threw me off balance.
“Why are you so sure—”
Before I could finish, Oomi staggered. I moved to support him, but we both collapsed onto the cold deck, knees hitting the floor. In that moment, the Harvester appeared from nowhere, shoving us down with his back to shield us.
Without so much as a glance at us lying side by side, he stood and fired his gun.
It was my first time seeing him shoot.
—What was that shot? He wasn’t even looking at the target. Facing forward, he fired at a mock red-crowned crane flying to the side. With the silver, Sagittarius-like bow slung over his shoulder, he reached his arm back and touched the part that would be the fletching if it were an arrow. Was the barrel and trigger built into the part that looked like a bow? I had no idea how it worked.
I’d assumed you were supposed to take it off your shoulder and aim before firing.
Isn’t that how guns work?
Soundlessly, the nearly white-silver bullet traced a glowing arc, leaving a red dot in the crane’s white chest. As it scattered feathers and fell into the sea, an odd feeling welled up in me—only for the Harvester to suddenly crouch right in front of me.
Now what? And when had he switched the gun to his other shoulder? Once again, he touched the fletching-like part.
I couldn’t see the bullets, but their glowing trajectory lingered long enough to follow with my eyes. This time, two cranes fell.
It hadn’t looked like he’d fired twice. Maybe I just hadn’t noticed because all it took was a light pull of the arm.
Then, without pause, the Harvester rose smoothly to his feet and ran. Even on the short stretch of deck, he moved with a dancer’s precision, weaving through the space while holding his gun. One after another, he brought down the mock red-crowned cranes that had, before I realized it, gathered in swarms around the ship.
Still, he never once looked at the birds as they fell. He kept his gaze on the next target, moving continuously.
After shooting down more birds than I could count, the Harvester finally stopped.
He turned back to us calmly.
“It’s cleared up.”
Saying something completely unrelated, he walked toward the ship’s entrance. Indeed, the sky now stretched high and clear, the earlier rain feeling like nothing but a dream.
Countless questions were racing through my head. He’d fired so many times, yet I’d never seen him reload. Where was he even keeping the bullets? How did that gun work?
“...So cool.”
Oomi’s small voice drifted over. Over my shoulder, I saw his enraptured profile. He… genuinely admired the Harvester. For someone usually reserved—if not outright timid—it was no wonder he looked a hundred times cooler in Oomi’s eyes than in mine. If I left him like this, he’d probably keep staring forever at the empty space where the Harvester had long since vanished, so I smacked his back.
“Get up. This time, we’re going inside.”
I stood first and offered him my hand. Feeling his surprisingly firm arm beneath its thin frame, I thought—
What he said earlier… about us becoming burning hearts tomorrow morning, eaten by the mock red-crowned cranes. When that happens, there won’t be a Harvester left to protect us.