Vol 1 Chapter 3 (1/2)

Journey

”Sucks,” she gruh the front glass at the clouds that covered the entire sky like a blanket made of old dirty wool

”Yeah maybe the sun has left you in the lurch at last?” he said in jest as he wrung his soaked socks in a gap he had opened the door to

The persistent rain outside did not seem to end anytime soon, whereas the clothes they had taken off did not seeet dry anytime soon

A few days had passed since they had left Boss' warehouse The two had followed the now-deserted road, aih they hadthe way, they had ed—with more or less effort—to keep their delay at one day

But at dusk today they had fallen victim to an assault of rain

Only after a short while it had literally started to rain in torrents, inevitably bringing them to resemble drowned rats

Of course they were not thoughtless They always carried their rain gears with them, and they had a blue tarp to use as afor threeupon one or two rain showers

That said, those items had come to no use this time

It was not reasonable to expect to ride Cubby while holding a plastic uht in soainst that rain Even worse, the strong wind kept the up a tent

The two had not had any choice but to start searching for a shelter in their useless rain coats while praying to any God that came to mind

If their prayers had reached the Gods or if some devil had taken mercy on them remains a mystery, but after a few hours' ride, when rain water had seeped through every corner of their cold bodies from their hair-ends down to the seaon on the street

Thanks to the fact that the backseats could be folded down, theyup a vinyl sheet in the center and decided to put on a change of clothes each It wasn't their first night in a car, so the procedure wasn't new to theht: there were no signs of any leaks or mold

They took off one piece of clothing after another, opened the door slightly and wrung the wetness out of the on to the next one Their clothes weren't going to get dry frootten ed into fresh underwear and wrapped themselves in some blankets, they felt completely exhausted

”Mm, what's the time?”

”Err about ten Ages after the time we should have had dinner!”

”Aah so that's why I' her belly

The boy was completely of the same mind

”I was going to ht with it?”

”Sure As a substitute for dinner”

The boy opened their luggage and took out a portable stove and a tiny kettle Since he wasn't too keen on being short of oxygen, he left the door ajar The inco rain was bearable if it was just for a short while

He put a wooden board, which he had found in the trunk, on the seat in theof rain adding to the already silent mood, there eventually ceased to be any conversation between them Until the water started to boil, only the sound of raindrops could be heard inside the car

As soon as the water boiled, the boy immediately put out the stove and retained the wars and dropped a tea bag into each one

The silence that returned was broken shortly afterward by the girl sneezing

”Are you cold?”

”Nah, I'm fine But aren't you? The rain should have hit you harder than me, after all,” she inquired with a lopsided smile

The boy responded with a laugh, ”Fear not, ht but a rough and uncouth swain But, as thou art a fine and delicate maiden, must needs always be comforted and cosseted as befits thee”

Queer as it was, the brown blanket the girl had wrapped around herself suddenly looked like an elegant courtly gown[1] when he used such a style of speaking

”Milady, thy tea”

He held out her bluetoward her seat

”Mm, thou didst not labor in vain We are well pleased”

She accepted herit to the briether with hot stea frorade, and tickled the girl's nose Way too strong! Well, but he rateful

The boy handed her so and stirred A slightly bitter yet fragrant aroulp

”lovely warm”

”Well, it's fresh from the kettle!”

”awfully bitter”

”I'm sorry”

They shared a laugh together

After ending their si of shi+p's biscuits and black tea, they finished so their provisions, and then went to sleep early

She accepted herwas brimful with

In the end, they woke up when the clock showed 7a outside While he had the impression that the rain had weakened a little, the cloud were still as thick as before and did not let a sunbeah

He twisted his body and tried to stretch hier than expected,him realize that he had apparently been quite exhausted He was tied up in knots, so to speak, and every ti fish on a bait, a pop resounded from some part of his body

Flabbergasted by his strangeon the back seat, aka the girl, started rustling

Her head ca, took a look at the situation outside and sunk into the blanket again With a depressed sigh, the du eventually sat up

”Morning”

”M”

Considering her usual difficulties in waking up, she had gotten up rather nicely, which was probably to be attributed to the sound sleep she had had They had recovered from most of the exhaustion of the half day's ride

Now that the desire for sleep had been fulfilled, however, the entrance of the next desire was a ave voice to its displeasure by ru aloud

”I guess I'll have breakfast now—do you want to have so, too?”

”Nah, thanks”

The boy was thunderstruck

It was the very first ti journey that it wasn't her who complained of an empty stomach

”Are you feeling unwell?”

”Hey now do you think I'?”

”Yeah”

Preparing for a punch in the next moment, he kept his head down

However, there was no payback So, undoubtedly

”Let me take your temperature”

”No, really, I'm fine”

”No Objection overruled”

Upon closer examination, her color was clearly not normal Her hale, tanned skin had turned a little pale

The boy slipped through between the passenger and driver seat, still rolled up in his blanket, and crouched down by the girl In his right hand he was holding a there

”Co in front of me, so please take your temperature at least”

”Okay”

Finally giving in, she meekly accepted the ther Since she earing nothing but her underwear under the blanket, the boy turned from her just to be sure

In the meantime, he opened their portable first aid kit and checked their stock of medicines

”I wonder what it is Did you catch a cold, or so?”

The girl just turned away fro

”the rain, I suspect But that's odd, I had no problems”

In an instant she grabbed hirimace

”There's that botherso hio on his fours

”P-Please forgive my rudeness, milady”

”Looks like you got it I think it will last a while, but don't mind it since we can't escape until the rain stops anyway”

”Honestly, I have no idea of anything in that respect, being a boy and all, you know, so are you alright?”

”Hood this ti her stomach

”Do you want a painkiller?”

”Actually, I've already taken one before sleeping Did it already wear off?”

Men aren't of ether, her sanitary items weren't in the boy's control, so he just took a tablet out of a package that claiainst headaches and menstrual pain

”Here, and some water”

The girl sat up sluggishly and accepted the water and tablet from him

”I actually wanted to restock some of our stuff ere at the warehouse Well, I should have borrowed soot”

”So that's what you were searching for?”

”Yeah”

She gulped the tablet doith some water and handed him her cup Normally, she would have emptied it, but this time there was still some water left Probably, her stomach was affected as well

He drunk up the re content himself and wiped his mouth

”Do you still want to eat so?”

”No, thanks”

Most likely, it would be best to have her take in so, but he didn't want to force her Instead, he handed her a vitamin jelly he had found

Her teh

The time was 02:00pm

The rain was still falling and the girl's condition had worsened dramatically

In the beginning, she'd frequently sat up to do things such as changing the cloth, but after noon, she'd stopped

Having used their last re antifebrile, her fever had exceeded the 38°C mark Even the boy realized that this could never coht a cold on top of it Considering that she had been exposed so long to soinflammation

Even if it was not pneumonia, how should he deal with any other illness? The only medicaments at hand were a couple of headache and cold tablets and so any illnessa cloth ith rain water on her forehead

She was in danger

He could not help but adhtless not to consider such a situation during the entire three o It was actually rather surprising that this had not happened before on their journey, which was so equally heavily based on strong luck and good fortune

However, he wasn't given the tiret the mistake he had made The boy found himself confronted with a choice that was many times harder than any of the nu nine years of compulsory education

Stay here and gairl's innate immune system?

Alternatively, go to the neighboring town by himself and catch a doctor?

Both choices had flaws that piled up to Mount Everest's height

—On top of it being unknohether it was an illness that could actually be cured by her immune system, this situation had come about because that immune system had been weakened What if it was an illness that couldn't be cured without treatment of a doctor?

—If he went alone to a doctor, how high was the probability of that doctor accepting to co for an inspection? What if he didn't find one? Who was going to look for the girl while he ay? Did he have enough fuel?

Either as one all-or-nothing gamble—in which it was even unsure whether his efforts were of any use The girl bore all the risk

The boy clenched his teeth, vexed by his oeakness, and glared at the sky and the never-ending rain

Ti the wet towel on her forehead and holding her hand

While still glaring at the clouds outside of the , a certain outrageous idea came to his mind

Struggling through to the next toith the girl on his back

As the town appeared to be well-populated, there was supposed to be one or two doctors, and if he refused to examine her, the boy could threaten him

This way he only needed fuel for one way and the doctor could look at her twice as fast as cooing to be unable to care for her while driving, he could still stop from time to time to take a look at her

However, this ga a seriously ill patient on a Super Cub through the pouring rain sounded like a foolish idea however one looked at it Even the boy, originator and executor of the idea, was about to doubt his state of mind

However However, she was suffering as he kept thinking—worn out by illness, even though she weighted six kilos less than hiht

Not even able to cry for help, his dear girl was suffering

He was not able nor did he want to blink the facts

The ti down

The boy started packing more swiftly and skillfully than ever before

He gathered that he couldn't go with their usual sitting position Carrying soth has completely drained is a troubleso her to his ht up in the back wheel

There was only one way to go about it: binding her on hi her Lucky in the circunedith it, therefore could be driven one-handedly If he could really endure such a long stretch, riding at full speed with one hand, was left to be seen, but he had no intention of considering any problems that he could solve with some effort on his part

As for her clothes, ood as her body temperature would drop He dressed her in two jerseys they had in reserve and put a raincoat around her after covering her in a thin blanket

Changing the clothes of the unconscious girl in the narrow car required to twist her body like an entangleh a one-way labyrinth co her half-naked in all those positions

While struggling to contain hied her into trousers They were baggy around her waist, but he fixed that by tightening the belt

He had considered leaving the luggage behind, but decided against it

If he didn't find a doctor, he would have to search on with lacking provisions, and if he did find one, heto slon, but that couldn't be helped He had to believe in her willpower

He tied her up to hi their hammock net and laundry rope and irl would have beaten the living daylight out of him if she sa they were bound on each other

But he was deterain that liveliness

He put on a rain coat as well and slipped into his still half-wet blazer The soaked synthetic fiber was heavy, but this was his combat uniform

Bidding farewell to the wagon car that had served the rain outside

For the ones that may be to come, he closed the door

The re question hether the Super Cub still worked after being exposed to the rain for so long

The tank was full However, while he had protected it with a vinyl sheet, it had still been exposed to the rain It was left to be seen if he could properly move it

But right now, the boy was not ready have any consideration for Cubby

He juirl sat fire on the tandem seat to achieve a balance

While listening to the sound of the rain hitting their rain coats, he put on his goggle-type helmet

Super Cub! Shohat you can!

He stepped on the starter with a vengeance

He didn't knohether his Super Cub answered, ”Leave it to me!”

But the powerful roar the 4-stroke air cooled single cylinder raised appearedto him than any other reply could have

The Super Cub was running down a straight road in the pouring rain

Its speedo past the maximum mark and the rain drops that would have been har the boy's head like pellets His grip on the throttle, however, did not show the slightest sign of loosening

While eht

As , she could in fact not clearly re that had happened after noon

Her field of vision was shaking despite there was no earthquake—because of her fever, she suspected

Cubby's loud echoing hu She could feel the boy and his pleasantly cold raincoat, therefore she wondered if by any chance she was in his arms

She could not really tell what position she was in any fro had beco shaken about

To make matters even worse, her sto off a revolution A nasty coion into a living hell It hurt as though so spiky like a crocodile or a chestnut was inside

Strangely enough, one gets a cool head when unwell like that; even while being shaken in his ar the scene from somewhere in a corner of her head

Not only her vision and her ears had gone to pieces, but also her nose and sense of taste, so she failed to grasp was going on Perhaps she had just gotten off her head because of her fever, anyway, but she didn't particularly care

”Still,” she thought, ”are all boys cold like this?” It , but it was still summer Yet his boy was cold

”Aah,” she found a lucid explanation She was hot Relativity was bound to be the cause

”Still,” she thought again, ”since when have !” Sure, she'd had a hunch that it was about to start since a few days ago, but she hadn't expected that she would be knocked out so easily Jeez, it sure sucks to be a girl at times

When she fell asleep at such tiood dreams

”But well, if I get hiht not be bad to get a fever once in a while even so” After all, this way she could get hi aard!

Mysteriously though, she wasn't haunted by any night the time she was in his arms

”This is bad her fever has gotten very high,” he gru her forehead

Holding the girl in his ar

Since she was constantly treave only her a disposable hand war like that could do the trick She wasn't pale anymore Instead, she had beco wildly

Perhaps he could consider himself lucky in the circumstance that the rain had weakened after two hours, but there was still no trace of a patch of blue sky He also used their last cooling gel sheet on her, but it remained to see whether this was of any use

He had done everything he could All that was left noas to head straight for the neighboring town, believing in her constitution

Putting power into his nurip around her

Cubby's engine that had co without stop

It was past six when the ”neighboring town” boss had told theht As he said, it seemed to be a port town: beyond the misty townscape he could see the vast blue sea He was approaching a port

There were still about four or five kilometers between them, so he could not really make out much yet

He tried lifting his goggle and peeping through his binoculars, but with the current weather and the poor nification, it was of no avail

There was nothing to worry about if it was a peaceful town However, in these times of chaos, ”peaceful toeren't so common There were even ones that were left deserted because of plunder and raging riots

The most dreadful ones, however, were the towns that had decided on a closed-door policy and would do anything to protect their walls, eli any intruder without exception

He didn't knohether this toas one of those

He shook off the manifestation of anxiety that had suddenly formed within his heart

He could not turn back anymore He had to buy boss' words and fully believe that it was a lively town

He felt the girl's cheek, which turned out to be extreel sheet wasn't of much use He absolutely had to find a doctor, or, in the worst case, at least get hold of medicaments

He would reach the entrance in a few ain

However, aited for hiht at the entrance was an obstacle that surpassed his expectations no, to be exact, it was ”obstacles”

”What the heck,” he asted

With good reason! The nus had finally started to increase when he had entered the town However, in the ht bus that had been overturned sideways Two of them

Whatever way one looked at this scene, this wasn't natural The two buses were tightly obstructing two traffic lanes each, and froap between the the way

All gaps had been piled with sandbags and the buses were even filled with those This was no doubt a barricade to ward off intruders

The fact that there was a barricade—aoff forceful invasions—meant that they didn't welcome wicked people

”shi+t!”

Most likely, this had been built in fear of looting The height of the barricade could easily be overco to stand on, but its purpose was to hinder cars andPlunderers only take the offensive when they clearly have the advantage Probably, the townspeople had presue to intrude a town that seeroup

However, that o any farther with Cubby However excellent a motorbike Cubby was, it could never leap over a overthrownby foot He had to overcos and search for a doctor

Having made a decision, there was no reason anyirl to hiyback

It was rather tough to climb onto one of the buses with one free hand, but it was the right decision Thanks to the fact that he was on a higher ground, he could well recognize the traps that had been laid out everywhere One met with a o around the buildings Furthered to break through the barricade, there was a huge hole behind it that could s several cars

The intruders were h forcefully It was also effective against humans who carelessly climbed over the barricade—and they could consider themselves lucky if they only broke a few bones It were nasty traps indeed

The more he proceeded in the direction he assumed the center to be, the more the nu his way based only on the broadness of the street and the atmosphere of the townscape, since the nanposts and boards

The nually parked, no, ”abandoned”, on the street becaht

He didn't knohether they had been moved somewhere else because they were in the way or because they could be used for sooverned by huanized: when he sneaked a peek at the shelves of the shops, he noticed that they had all been taken sons of plunder Someone had probably transported them systematically

There was still no soul, but carrying soht think The difference of their weight sus had to sustain almost twice as much as usually

Having steered his bike for a long tiradually become painful

On top of that, his arrown almost numb from the elbows and knees because of his low body temperature Due to this, the scratches on the back of his feet had abated to a dull pain The fact that his sense of balance was starting to suffer, however, was very bad If he fell do, he would not be able to stand up anymore

When sped up, bracing his wavering will and body, his field of view suddenly broadened and a large school caht

It was probably a high school It had been months since he last saw this peculiar kind of institution

As was characteristic for schools with too rounds were very broad He couldn't spot anyone outside, but the light itched on in several rooms of the school

Perhaps, evacuates lived there Schools were a cohts were no doubt of electric nature

”Mh?”

There was so the school building, there was a man

He squinted his eyes and carefully made sure whether he was friend or fiend

He was probably somewhere between his late twenties or his early thirties He was standing upright under the eaves of the gym in a suit

He didn't seeht

Deciding on asking him about the whereabouts of a doctor, the boy approached the school gate

But the ate, he started to waver

Was it really safe to leisurely walk in there? Wouldn't it be better to hide her sootiate on his own?

He shook his head and chased these sudden negative thoughts away

It was of no avail to harvest such doubts now If he was attacked, he would be lost anyway, even if hehis way back through to the barricade while carrying a sick girl was impossible In the first place, he wouldn't even reach the warehouse with the re fuel

This tih luck and her strong luck

Afterfirate and walked straight through the school grounds towards the gym

”Hey there! Excuse me!”

When he started to yell, the ave hi a quite large man that was about 20 centimeters taller than him The man wore a well-tailored suit with a neatly tied tie It was a pretty handso a short haircut that suited him well His inner alarm bell reacted to that rather showy appearance, but it was too late to turn back

Thehis eyes, didn't make a move

After clicking his tongue in histowards him once more

After a ten seconds' mystification, the man finally realized what situation the tere in and trotted to them He didn't seem to care about the rain

”What's the matter?”

”U unwell is there a doctor around?”

While firirl as about to slide down, he prayed that there was one

”So you want a doctor to take a look at her? I sure hope you brought your insurance card with you?”

”What?”

”Don't getabout the card that verifies that you arethat proves that you own enough to make up for medical treatment”

The muscles of the boy's cheeks almost twitched

”in other words, Iof equal value?”

”You can't be thinking to get a doctor for free these days, right?”

The indifferent voice the ot the boy's hackles up The only reason why he didn't beat hiht noas that he couldn't use his hands because he was sustaining the girl

”a Super Cub in good order and condition, enough water for a grown-up h one week, and two sets of general goods Take whatever you want!”

”Heh, now that sounds extravagant But these are your legs andby without all that?”

”I'll think about that when she's well again,” he said as he glared at the man

The nonchalant rin and looked down at hih?”

”I'd bite the bullet and, after having her treated, I'd take revenge”

”Whoa whoa! Do you want to hed baffledly

However, the boy kicked off that laugh with his scowl

”If needed”

”Oh?”

Theone like before, but a small, interested smile

”I may not be Superman, but if it's for her sake, I'm ready to become a fiendish criminal anytime”

”I see Fine!”

The h the shape of his sed, the boy somehow couldn't sense any ill-will nor sarcasm

”For starters, let's carry her into the school”

”Huh? No, I need a doctor right now”

”I'e of health education here, you know So I'm sort of a doctor Follow me, I'll lead you to the infirmary”

The boy was left completely dumbfounded as he listened to him