Vol 1 Chapter 2 (1/2)
Wings
The boy looked up at the heavy, dark clouds in the sky
Only soo, it had still been a clear blue sky, but then clouds slowly caught up from behind and the sky turned overcast The speed hich this happened could be called lightning-fast and the blue color that was there before was beyond iination now, so that one couldn't even tell where the sun was anymore
Unaffected by this, the green surrounding theed From time to time they came by some farms that had been crushed by the snowfall last winter, but none of those could serve them as a rain shelter
”oh well Looks like there's going to be a shower I just hope we're out of here by then”
”Don't worry! People always told me that I'm beloved by the sun”
”Too bad I was always called the 'rain bringer' Guess why”
”Uh-oh-”
The girl giggled while turning around The clouds that had been gradually getting thicker as ti their contents over them any moment
What's so bad about getting a little wet, some may wonder But that is a sentiment li for them at home
They required fuel to warht their fires on their own and they had to dry their wet clothes i trouble should they catch a cold Even if it didn't lead to the worst case scenario, the two run the risk of starving to death if they are forced to stay at one place for several days
”If things don't change, we're both going to catch colds Who would be the carer in that case?”
”Usually I think it's those who don't have enough power left to care for someone else that are cared for”
”It's a duel over who'll recover first, then!”
”I wonder according to my personal prediction, you'll win that duel, but I'll be the one who laughs last”
”what do you mean by that?”
”Well, I can already see how you'll fall sick again after overhastily clai that you've 'recovered' Without any foundation, of course”
””
He had hit the bull's eye The girl used to be stubborn and overhasty from time to time Indeed, the situation he described was definitely possible
”And then I'll eat the melon all on my own! After all, it would hurt your stomach, wouldn't it?”
”You won't! We're eating that rand pinata contest! Got me?!”
The large melon they had received froiving off a nice sound when knocking on it While the boy was siirl had apparently already decided how to eat theevent had been scheduled - without taking his opinion into consideration
”I adreat to me but you do realize that we don't have a bat?”
”Uh Cubby's muffler briefly
”Don't even think about it! It's going to break if you do that”
Well, actually, Cubby wouldn't break just fro its muffler re, he had not the least inclination to hit the road with the roaring sound of a biker gang, and for another thing, destroying his dear vehicle, the Super Cub, just for a o seemed way too cruel to him
”Mh, can't be helped In that case we'll just have to look out for a fitting bat soround”
”There's no need to insist on splitting it with a bat, though I mean, it's not like we couldn't cut it somehoith a knife”
However, his idea had no chance of being adopted to begin with The preparation of theit with a bat in her head And he had no right to es to this
”Ah, a place where there is water would be great, too I want to eat it cold”
The girl, who had (as expected) conored his opinion, patted the melon on the backside rack
The boy fully agreed with her that such a large melon would develop its true deliciousness only when solemnly split It would be a waste to ards to this, both of them were of the same mind
It's just that the boy couldn't be as optiirl was
Leaving aside the bat, it seemed improbable to him that they would find a place with cold water so easily Of course, a streamlet would do the job, but one had to consider the current look of the sky It ay too dangerous to be around a river
He didn't tell her, though, as he didn't see the need to dampen her spirits
Thereafter, the two travelers and their Super Cub just keptintersections at full speed without paying the least attention to the traffic lights
The reason for this was the weather, of course It kept getting worse,the clouds even thicker than they had been before: even though it was just past noon, it was already as dark as in the evening, and once in a while they would even spot a thunderbolt flashi+ng up frohtly coe that there wasn't much time left til the thunder-storm
Then, when it becaht road, they discovered so
”What's that? Doesn't that look like a warehouse or so?”
”No idea I can't tell from this distance”
Soreen scenery, there was an unpaved branch road that diverged at a right angle And further ahead, he could see soalvanized sheet iron that was completely corroded by rust
With his naked eye, naturally he could not see as irl who had binoculars, but what they saw should have been about the same from such a distance
Also, being able to see so with just his eyes meant that it would only take a few minutes to arrive there on Cubby's wheels Since there weren't any other junctions until there anyway, they decided to approach the building for the ti
A few minutes later
It was indeed consumed by rust, but there were no holes to be seen in the walls and roof
Along with a protesting cry from Cubby's brakes, they came to a halt and had their heavy load ine fumed a steam-like heat, which could probably be attributed to the boy stepping on the gas
The warehouse in question was in much better shape than they had expected from a distance; it was indeed consumed by rust, but there were no holes to be seen in the walls and roof
The girl got off the tandem and the boy parked the Super Cub under a roof that was situated at an unloading area
It had yet to rain, so they had soed not to look like drowned rats
”Whew, thank God we irl relievedly
”Yeah It's not raining yet, but I suppose we're going to be fine here”
He looked up at the warehouse behind him
The sheet iron building, which stood solely and surrounded by endless green, wasn't actually that big In terms of size and shape it was comparable with a small sports hall
At the front was a e objects could be transported, but like the building itself it was corroded by rust From the looks of it, this place hadn't been maintained very frequently It would have been to be expected that there was at least a sign of the responsible co of that kind, it seemed like this storehouse was not in use at the moment
After he had shut down the engine and taken off his helht his eye
In contrast to the from-top-to-bottom dilapidated storehouse that seemed about to crumble to iron-oxidic powder any second now, the truck was loaded with a shi+ning silver container and parked alongside the building It was clearly too new to suit this place and was hidden fro roof
”There's a truck Looks like we et hold of some fuel”
”Why don't you just take the whole truck? A journey with air-conditioning is waiting for us!”
”No way Or do you think I own a truck license?” said the boy with a wry s the motorcycle a little et hit by the rain Of course he didn't forget to carefully check the balance because of their delicate luggage
”Who cares about a license? We haven't happened upon one unifor our journey Besides, neither of us has aa Super Cub”
”What I 's not like afrom your experience with bicycles How do you expect me to drive a 4-tonner truck when I haven't even sneaked a peek at the driver's seat of one in my life?”
”Then have somebody who knows teach you,” said she a little dauntedly
The boy shrugged, ”Sure, when there is somebody like that”
”There is!” she declared, which got hie in his face
”For one thing, footprints Look,” said the girl, pointing at the tracks at her feet Dry footprints that looked different froround
”Judging fro sports shoes, so hethe level of dryness into consideration, I would assu the rain about teeks ago”
”In short, soht still be?”
”Exactly! How's that? That's what I call 'reasoning'”
She gave herself airs, putting her hands on her hips, whereas the boy just breathed out a sigh
”If he were as old as us, he couldn't possibly kno to drive a truck, could he?”
””
The girl froze in the posture she had taken
”Either way, if these footprints belong to a grown-up with that knowledge, do you think he would readily leave the truck to us?”
She was at a complete loss for words
Even the girl are of how fatal it would be to lose one's vehicle in the e --- no, I mean ”vast” land
Of course she was! There was no way of forgetting the trouble they'd had with Cubby's engine soo
”Well, if we're lucky we can at least get some fuel from him But I suppose trucks of this kind are diesel, so is there even gas?”
””
Her mouth was still closed Apparently, she wasn't too happy about her conclusion being spoiled
He turned away from his sullen partner and opened his mouth loudly
”hellooooo? Is there anyone there?”
There was no answer Still, the walls were h them
”Shall we just enter the warehouse for now, before it starts to rain? Besides, wethe melon”
A high creak resounded as the blockade of the metal door was broken
They went for the large entrance that was designed to transport things through it It was a pain to open the door with his bare hands, but the ordinary entrance on the side was sealed rapped around the knob and the rear entrance was locked Consequently, this was the only way inside Of course they could just have broken aand entered fro too far
They didn't knohether that sealed door was the deed of ”the inhabitant”, but judging from the red rust all over the wire, it hadn't been opened for months
The sa door This beca down fro opened by the boy's frantic use of both his hands and feet
Hence, it didn't see the rear entrance
”Heere we go!”
Along with a noise, red rust rained down on his head
He so his shoulder and legs in between It seeo well, too, once in a while
”Well well hellooo? Is there anyone?”
The girl hopped into the warehouse without even trying to understand the hardshi+ps he had just gone through Concerning hi exhaustedly The icing on the cake was the rust that was all over him
Froh which the rain could enter and it seeh to withstand the stor it ”conored the rest of it! However, due to the horrible loomy air, they could not call it ”comfortable” at all
From outside, it had seemed like a simple barracks of sheeted round really was left bare, heat insulatingand there were also fluorescent lah turned off There was even so for work purposes
At any rate, it was a thousand ti outside Hence, they set this warehouse as the day's caround
While dusting the rust stuck to his hands, the boy took a look around
”This building isn't used as a warehouse, as it seems”
”What do you mean?”
While untying her hair - she used a hair tie because her hair would get in the way otherwise - she turned towards the boy
”Can you see any commodities? Even just traces? All that's here is this”
What he was talking of were the rather unfa there were hand- devices On some desks, workbenches apparently, there were tools, much much better than the ones in his own possession, and various strangely-shaped utensils andinstruments
As a whole, they looked as though they served one certain purpose
Right, it was like
”A garage?”
”Yeah I think those tools are for ”
All of the tools were directed towards the holding devices installed in the center and seemed to cohere He didn't knoas supposed to be fixated on those stands, but he sensed that this place
”Who's there?”
The tere startled by a sudden voice and hurriedly turned their gazes towards the other end of the warehouse, just to have their hearts ain
”Tz! How dare you open the door and nestle in here, da in my house?”
He was aboutconsisted of simple slacks and a T-shi+rt, and while his body couldn't quite be called an Adonis body, it was one of a sportsman
Just
Just, what shocked the was his face
Pure white it was The decolorization the director had suffered stood no comparison with it What could be seen of his skin was coraph
No, since there was shadowing, pure white ht not be fully correct He lacked color so much that it seemed as if he had been cut out and replaced by monochrome film
”What? Is a visage like mine that unusual?”
”Quite so It is the first tiressed this far”
”I' you want from me”
”Oh, actually there is It looks like it's going to rain and our ht here Further that is suitable for splitting a melon?”
The man raised an eyebrow
”A rod?”
”Yes We have received an extra-large melon from a kind person ea tool to cut it with So why not use the opportunity and have soht However, we lacked an appropriate rod in our luggage,” told the girl fluently with a perfect ingratiating sazing at her
”Help yourself and use what you want But hands off the stuff I'iven up, and left the towards a cot that was installed at the back of the room Apparently, he used a corner of the warehouse, which he had divided from the rest, as some sort of nap area
The girl breathed out lightly and turned around
”Heard hi for a rod as part of a nice break”
”Y-Yeah”
He joined the search with a light dread of her forcing smile that would not let him refuse
After all, one ought not to defy her at the wrong time
For starters, the tent to a line of racks, which were stocked with tools and stuff, and started looking for a tool that fit their needs
”Boy? How about this?”
”You intend to split aaside the idea, that length won't work Too short”
”How's this then?”
”A hammer, huh it'll turn into mush!+”
”Mmmhh then it must be this”
”What on earth do you plan on doing with that wire stripper?”
The boy was a little stunned at the girl who randomly showed him as in reach
But he noticed that the tools here, too, were a little strange
There were all kinds and sorts of theht he could find bolts and nuts in est sized were much smaller than the usual standard
The h his dull eyes as they bustled about searching
”h a shi+t about school? You kids must be full of yourselves, huh?”
The girl did not overhear thevoice behind her
Without stopping her fu hands, she ventured a counterattack with a small voice
”Oh? I think that's still a good deal better than being a drunkard who's legless already in the daytime”
The air tensioned He had heard her for certain
”as if a little brat like you could understand me”
”Oh, but I believe I can understand part of a tiny little bit of you!”
She swiftly stood up and turned towards hi so fast it couldn't be followed by the naked eye
The object that landed before his feet with its pages fluttering open ithout a doubt her student notebook, which she always carried around with her
”Take a good look at that student card”
”what's the point”
The ly but frohen he saw the open page - as though he was looking at so that made no sense
Her photograph that was attached to the student card had already faded soat all
Her name and student number had been lost entirely, which indicated that quite so”
The htly
”My sy they will! Well, it's just a matter of sooner or later if you ask ive her a slightly queer look, though he averted his eyes immediately afterwards
”hmph It really is just a tiny bit”
”Wha!”
To stop her fro, he tossed her the student card and turned from them
”You'd better eat that et out of here”
Leaving behind only these words, he stood up, pulled the shroud and disrupted their field of vision
Their search proved to be much harder than they had expected; the clock showed seven in the evening when they left the warehouse because they had given up searching inside
It was still not raining, but since there was no sunlight, it was so dark outside that one couldn't do without a flashlight
”Man!! What an insolent old drunkard!”
”Isn't calling hie?”
”What? You're on the side of that old drunkard?”
The boy s her kick one of the H-shaped posts of the warehouse to vent her irritation
”Say what you want, but we're having hi us a rod after all”
”And there's no sign of that rod! That's why I told you to pull that thing off and use that”
”But that 'thing' is the drainage pipe of the air conditioner He's going to be troubled if we just pull that off!”
”Why should we care?”
”We should!” laughed the boy,taking two flashlights out of the bag attached to the Super Cub One of them he handed over to her
”How's our water?” hea dull, well-sounding sound It was just the right ripeness It could be said without a doubt that today and toet overripe If they didn't find anything by then, they would have to split it with their hands
Suddenly the boy recalled the truck that was parked by the warehouse
He paused to think for a
”So in the end, what should we do now?”
”Mh how about taking a look in that truck?”
”Truck? Aah, that one outside?”
”Probably, it's still loaded with things,” stated he - seeirl who followed hi her head
After they had headed to the truck and had closed the rusted htly
As it was clearly too dark, the boy turned on his flashlight
Looked at froiven hier than expected when they got closer
The shi+ning silver container looked quite unnatural con that the truck hadn't been in actual use around here here was that its tires weren't very dirty
”Looks like it's a rental truck See the irl pointed out (TN: most rental cars in japan have a わ-car-number)
”Mh, did that man rent it? I wonder why”
”Well, for transporting so Most likely But the rental period has expired if you ask me He's a criminal”
They exa around the vehicle, and found out that at least the container was not locked
While they didn't knoas inside, they could hazard a guess After all, this was a loaded rental truck parked beside a warehouse designated to put soether
”So in here is what belongs inside the warehouse?”
”I think so If it's not in the warehouse, it rabbed the door handle casually
He jumped on the step and pulled the handle as hard as he could, whereupon the double doors opened along with a small creak
The boy almost fell down because he had used too rabbing the door bar
”huh? What is this?”
”this must be”
The boy was bereft of speech Strictly speaking not because it ran afoul of his expectations, but rather because what he saw there exceeded them
The two ascended the container as if they were allured in
The cold light of his flashlight shone into the container and was reflected by translucent filh the volume of the frame, which was th filled out the entire space of the container of a 4-tonner truck
In the harht, the very precisely-raceful
”don't touch that”
They immediately turned around and spotted the man from earlier
The girl was a little disappointed because she had been wary of another rant from him like when they firstplatform, but for some reason the boy remained there
The ht towards hilance
”you knohat that is?”
”Yes It's a hu distances at that,” he answered pro the man shut his mouth
Right That board-like, extre of an HPA The transparency was the result of a thin polymer film that was affixed to its fraht
The frame was supposed to be black since FRP is employed, but this one hite
”right It was supposed to challenge the figure-eight flight at the Straits of Dover”
”That's a!”
The boy turned again towards the interior
An ordinary human-powered aircraft is said to have a total width of around 30 s only one was already next to 20 -distance plane
”So the warehouse was used to put this together,” said the girl and breathed out, now that it had finally sunk in, before she walked away fro, however, seemed to bother her, so she stopped ”Uh? Why would you put it together at such a re to fly all the way froht?”
”For a test flight The Strait of Dover is situated between the frontiers of England and France, so it's a pain just to get a flight perht away,” he answered while scratching his head listlessly
”Why on earth is it still in parts then?”
”that's because all ues vanished the very day we hauled it here,” he whispered, leaving her speechless ”Halfway through the project, it broke out in all the members Almost every one of us quit his job, since most had one, and continued to work on the project while living off retireet the parts done,” he answered indifferently, whereas the girl had averted her eyes unconsciously ”I'ht it and the final one left And even I have gone this low Hey, brat Won't you get out of there now?”
The boy, however, showed no sign of alighting
”won't you fly it?”
Al down on him, he looked down at the man from the platform
”It's not 'I won't', it's 'I can't' There's no way I could put this together alone To begin with, that's none of your business”
The boy let out a rather stressed sigh and,
”Alright, then let's take this apart and use it for our watermelon”
He proposed soeous
”Hah?!”
The first one to doubt his sanity along with an outcry was the girl
”Were you even listening to what he just said?! Boy! This is a valuable aircraft! Arisen froues, you know?!”
”But isn't itto fly it?”
The girl could virtually feel the wrath burning in the ulped and took a step back
”Brat do you even kno h to construct this!”
”I don't! But I can guess Making so like this without any sponsors must have been unbelievably difficult”
”Then don't”
The boy cut hi to fly it, are you? You told us yourself that we ht?”
The man kept silent
”Making junk out of it or leaving the parts there untouched is exactly the sa rendered futile! If you're going to let it rot here anye'd rather ood use of it with our watermelon”
”Don't talk nonsense!”
Surprised by his roar, the girl took another step backwards Despite her ood with provocations that were logical
The boythe opponent where it hurts
”Nonsense? Really? I think it's easily more nonsensical to let it fer about wine, after all”
He flashed a fiendish smile whereas the man, in contrast, contorted his face
”then what am I supposed to do?!”
”Well, let's see wouldn't it be best to use it for what it was originally made for?”
”what?”
”Let's fly it!”
The irl besides him made a half-surprised, half-baffled face, too
The provocative tone disappeared suddenly fro as if he were talking to a good friend: ”You need help to put it together, right? You're not alone now! There are three in total”
The aze towards the aircraft in the container
”You're telling ues have vanished?” he whispered
The boy sned for only one pilot anyway Aren't you forgetting that you yourself belong to those 'colleagues' as well?”
”It's too late to go to Dover any it, you know?”
”Mh, let's see the speed at which the vanishresses varies froes Added to that, it should be quite hard to ood deal of luck considering the current state of things in the world”
”We have gone this far because anted to break the world record of traversing Dover flying here won't leave any record even if it would, as soon as I vanished, the record would vanish along with me for certain”
He see to himself rather than to the boy
”I guess so But there's no need to abandon your plans for toht die the day after toht, just as planned!”
”Even though there's not going to be a ht?”
”Yes It's a thousand tiether”
The boy hopped down off the platforirl