“Perching Stone”—that was what the Watcher Bird said, claiming it would be quicker to show us, and so we stepped out onto the deck once more.
Without the threat of God’s trap looming over us, I felt more at ease than before. At the same time, though, the remaining time had dwindled even further. Four, maybe five hours left at best? He had said the Perching Stone was a hint, but what I wanted wasn’t a hint. It was the answer.
“Finding the answer is your duty, not mine.”
The Watcher Bird, perched on the railing, turned to face us. Its black feathers swayed in the light breeze, as though it might simply dissolve into the backdrop.
Damn it. This one can talk to Ululu, and it can read minds. There’s no hiding anything from it.
“I know. I’ll find the answer, no matter what. I’ll save them, and I won’t let the Harvester die either.”
“For once, I’m impressed, pale one.”
The Harvester laughed, amused.
I wanted to stay wrapped in the echo of that laughter, but the sound of something like a jet engine split the sky, stealing away my brief moment of happiness.
“Is that… the Perching Stone?”
Rhone had said earlier that it was “close to the island,” and sure enough, he was right.
“Where has the sky gone?”
That was Aochi’s small voice, half a step behind me.
And yes—it was just that enormous. Floating above us, blocking the heavens, was the giant stone, the familiar’s Perching Stone. Its whole body glowed faintly white.
“Could it really be made of a single stone? Incredible.”
From here, the surface looked perfectly smooth, no sign of pieces joined together.
“You can’t see the whole picture, not at your size,” the Watcher Bird said.
The moment he spoke, the island of stone shrank before our eyes.
Now hovering diagonally above the ship, its shape became clear: a flattened disc. The top was covered in green, moss perhaps, while the bottom was exactly as Oomi had said—seamless stone, not a single joint.
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“It’s a UFO!”
Mamoru exclaimed in delight.
Indeed, it had the shape of a flying saucer. Hm? What I’d thought was a perfectly smooth surface seemed to bear some sort of pattern…
“Let’s bring it closer,” said the Watcher Bird, reading my thoughts. The Perching Stone drifted toward the ship.
“A spiral?”
“A spiral circle,” Oomi rephrased with a more stylish term. Whatever.
The side of the Perching Stone bore carved spiral patterns encircling it.
“Uru-ru—uru’uru’uru!”
Ululu grew excited at the sight, pointing and moving his lips as if to speak.
“So, you can read it,” the Harvester said slowly.
“That is God’s script.”
Those weren’t among the five lines that had floated in the sky earlier. So this must be one of the other five he’d spoken of. Ululu’s purity must be what allows him to read the words of God.
“What does it say?”
I didn’t ask Ululu, who couldn’t answer, but turned instead to the Harvester.
“They’re God’s rules.”
“Figures. Never anything good. All right, let’s pull some salvation out of that stone.”
Everyone—the two Harvesters included—nodded toward me.
“Uruu!”
Ululu cried, eyes fixed on a point.
It was just as we were all staring intently at the Perching Stone.
“Ah!”
Silent-chan, too, looked in the same direction and let out a cry.
“What is it? Did you see something?”
“There’s a small indentation there,” she replied tensely.
Indeed, at the spot she pointed to, on that otherwise smooth surface, was a tiny hollow. Could that be the clue?
What would the Watcher Bird make of it?
The red around its striking eyes seemed to darken, or was that just my imagination?
“Maybe that’s an entrance. If we hide inside that stone, we might survive. Until the next world begins, we could endure there. No one would burn, no one would be crushed. Right? There’s no way God’s familiar’s Perching Stone would catch fire or break. Watcher Bird, what’s inside that thing?”
Perched on the railing facing the sea, the Watcher Bird hopped around to face us.
“Shall we go see?” he asked, looking at Aochi.
Hey, I was the one who asked the question. Damn bird doesn’t even try to hide how much he favors Aochi. Unbelievable.
“Yes. If there’s even a chance of survival, I’ll go anywhere.”
Aochi’s firm reply lit up the Watcher Bird’s face, like a host delighted to invite his beloved guest into his own home.
Right. That’s the unsettling part—this bird has expressions.
“You’re very rude,” the Watcher Bird glared at me, reading my thoughts.
“Brother, I’m scared,” came Mamoru’s frightened voice at my feet.
That’s right—he has claustrophobia. And the entrance to the Perching Stone, as it looked from here, was awfully small. For all its vast exterior, what if the inside was a narrow corridor where Mamoru couldn’t move? He might die of fear. Don’t tell me, “He’s already dead.” I won’t accept that.
“The size inside differs for each person. For me, it’s wide enough to fly freely. A child who has already died—will you part with him here?”
“No way. I’ll take him with me,” I answered before Mamoru could.
“It’s all right. It only looks small from afar. Inside, it must be large. And even if it isn’t, I’ll be with you.”
Mamoru nodded, though his eyes still trembled with unease. I sank to my knees and drew him into an embrace.
“I’m the one who’s afraid. Will you stay with me?”
This time, I felt him nod clearly against my shoulder.
“Then it’s settled. And you, Harvesters? I cannot read your hearts,” said the Watcher Bird.
So even he had such a weakness.
“We’ll go with them. We have the duty to watch over our passengers until the very end. No—duty or not, we want to.”
The Watcher Bird’s vivid crimson beak trembled just slightly with delight.