Oomi
I wanted to know the reason. What separates us from Oze-san?
"I’m curious too—reasons for wanting to die that I don’t know about. Sounds kind of interesting, huh, Oomi?"
"Ah, um, yes."
The sudden question flustered me. I wanted to know the reason too, but I was sure my idea of it was different from Aochi-san’s.
Besides, saying it’s “interesting” like it’s someone else’s business...
"We should start by talking about the ones who want to live. Your friends on the other ship—Oze and—"
"Kaori-san and Mamoru-kun, right?"
The Harvester looked surprised at me.
"Right... and the one calling himself Rhone. A Harvester like me, though we don’t really have names. He might seem like he’s on Oze’s side, but he’s not. He just returned to his own ship. He can’t leave it unmanned for too long. He’ll be back by morning to pick up Silent-chan and Ululu. Here’s something you two should know: when the selection happens, you absolutely must be on your own ship. If you’re not, you’ll be left behind, no questions asked."
A dark plan crept into my mind—I had to keep Oze-san from returning to his ship.
"You’re planning to stop him, aren’t you?"
Of course the Harvester could see right through me.
Earlier he said it wasn’t about right or wrong... but if it were, then my current wicked thoughts would be a definite fail.
What hurt more than anything was the look in Aochi-san’s eyes.
"...Why did you turn out like this?"
He said it with a sad face.
"Aochi-san, that’s not it. It’s just, I—"
"Can I continue?"
The Harvester cut me off.
"Ah, yes."
I forced myself to calm down and gave him the floor.
"Let’s go over the rules again. It’s simple. You must be on your ship during the selection. And the Harvester must also be present on that ship. Normally, only one person can be taken to the next world. I say ‘normally’ because I’ve broken that rule a few times. I’ve crossed over to new worlds more times than I can count. And in a few of those, I took more than one person with me."
"Why... How were you able to do that?"
The Harvester looked at Aochi-san, his eyes glowing strangely under the ambient light.
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"Because I couldn’t bear to let them disappear. That’s all. As for ‘how’... I’d rather not remember, but I gave them a bit of my heart each time. Every time I did, my body aged. But that was all that changed."
"Even aged, you still look really cool!"
I blurted it out with too much force, almost like I was scolding him. The Harvester smiled kindly at me. Bathed in the soft, refined lighting of the dining hall, he looked even cooler than ever.
"You think so? Thanks."
Aochi-san nodded firmly.
"Yeah, you’re strong, good-looking, a great cook... If I were gonna marry someone, it’d be you."
"I’ll take that as a compliment. Hey, you sure about your senior’s taste in partners?"
Please don’t drag me into this.
"Aochi-san doesn’t mean it that way. He lost his father early on, so I think he’s drawn to you more because of that."
Ah—I said too much again.
"That’s exactly it,"
Aochi-san laughed innocently, and I sighed in relief.
"Anyway, yeah. I was talking about taking more than one person at once. I want to do the same this time, because I care about all of you. But if I try to save all of you, I’ll die. The issue is, for the selection to happen, the Harvester has to be alive and present on the ship."
For the first time since we met, he lowered his gaze.
God, even this angle is heartbreakingly beautiful.
"It hurts more this time, because it’s you guys."
He whispered this, and Aochi-san spoke gently.
"Leave me behind."
Suddenly everything clicked. I felt like I’d been thrown into a winter sea—shaking from the cold.
It’s not about right or wrong. Not about who’s more vibrant. Just like I feared, the one who smelled most alive—Aochi-san—is closest to death. He genuinely wants to be left behind.
Because he’s kind, he’ll end up stuck in this world.
Unlike Oze-san’s lip service or my cowardice, Aochi-san’s straightforwardness will be what isolates him.
"...That’s not something I can accept."
Both of them looked into my face.
"A world where kindness gets left behind is wrong. We need to fight."
"Hey, you..."
Aochi-san tried to say something, but I cut him off.
"Don’t worry. I’m not planning to abandon Oze-san. Our enemy is the system. The three of us will go to the next world—together."
"Yeah... I hope so."
His vague response frustrated me. Does he even realize this is about him?
"Sorry to interrupt your little heat-up speech, but can I talk a bit more?"
The Harvester’s calm tone cooled me down.
"Yes... Sorry."
Unless I’m imagining it, he looked at me fondly before continuing in a quiet voice.
"About Silent-chan and Ululu. If they’re not back on the other ship by morning, they’ll be left behind. I doubt Silent-chan wants to go back. Probably still feels guilty about what happened to her friend—stabbed by a blade that extended from her own hand. You two know about that, right?"
"Yeah. Oomi told me. He heard it from Silent-chan herself."
The Harvester looked surprised at me again. Maybe amused that Silent-chan actually spoke to me?
"If you already know, I’ll skip the explanation. As for Ululu, he was born from the ship itself. He’s still immature, so he probably won’t leave without Silent-chan."
"Born from the ship? What does that mean?"
Aochi-san asked before I could.
"Exactly what it sounds like. Even on the final voyages, sometimes the ship gives birth to life. I’ve seen ones like Ululu before—appearing suddenly in cramped corners of the ship, bonding with everyone like a fetus would."
...Do fetuses bond with everyone? That’s a weird analogy.
The Harvester looked out the window again, his profile unexpectedly beautiful. It felt like he could absorb and dissolve all the bad feelings inside me.
"Well, Rhone will probably come get them anyway, even without my worrying. As for why he took Oze—it's not because he likes him. If anything, he might be your greatest enemy."
The ship shook. The previously calm waves began to churn unnaturally.
"...What do you mean?"
"Remember the rule I told you. By morning, you have to be on your ship for the selection. Rhone knows that. But Oze doesn’t—yet."
The ship rocked again, harder.
"...Maybe he’s explaining it to him now?"
"Not a chance. He took Oze to keep him from returning."
Aochi-san leapt to his feet and rushed to the window. He pressed his hand so hard against the glass I thought it might break, then turned back.
"Why would he do that...?"
"To save me, probably."
For a moment, the Harvester looked like a younger man—but maybe that was just the seasickness setting in.