Sasaki and Peeps - Volume 6 - Chapter 4.0

<A Computer’s Loneliness>

After escaping the UFO and arriving safely back on earth, we went back to the lodgings Ms. Futarishizuka had reserved for us and spent the night there. I would have liked to visit the otherworld, but I was too worn out from everything, so I contacted Peeps via phone and let him know we’d be taking the day off.

The following day, we went into the office first thing in the morning by car. As it happened, we’d received a very early call from the section chief. Apparently, Mr. Akutsu had gotten reports about what had transpired the night before. If we had any information to share, he wanted to discuss it right away, though he added it was dangerous to speak over the phone, and so we were to go straight to the bureau to deliver our report.

The danger and unpredictability of our current situation was palpable even in the chief’s casual tone.

After finishing breakfast at the inn, we got in Ms. Futarishizuka’s car and left Nagano for the bureau. Our original plan had been to enjoy a leisurely trip back on the train, maybe get some lunch at a station—but we didn’t have time for such complacency anymore.

On the way, we talked among ourselves.

“At this point, we won’t be able to keep what happened last night from him,” said Ms. Futarishizuka.

“I agree,” I replied. “There’s no telling what secrets have leaked already.”

“You’re telling me.”

The nerd, in particular, we knew to be in contact with Mr. Akutsu. If he was to convey any information to our boss, the chief would have access to some pretty specific details about what had gone down. It was also possible he could find out through Captain Mason telling Captain Yoshikawa. Having a boss with so many connections in different spheres is a real pain at times like these.

“Uh, mind telling me why you two are so calm?” said Miss Hoshizaki.

“What do you mean?” I replied.

“Well, that girl did kind of say she’d destroy humanity, right?”

“A cause for concern to be sure,” said Ms. Futarishizuka, “but standing around trembling will do us no favors.”

“I guess not, but what if missiles start raining down from the sky or something?”

I glanced at our senior through the rearview mirror—she did not look good. She’d seemed fine when we woke up that morning, but once breakfast was over and we were on the road, her enthusiasm had quickly started to drain.

I was pretty concerned myself, but none of it felt real. Destroy humanity? How is she even going to do that?

In the very worst case, we always had the option of fleeing into the otherworld. I had no doubt the existence of such an escape plan was helping me stay calm. I expected Ms. Futarishizuka was well aware of what I was thinking and had entered it into her own calculations.

Ultimately, Miss Hoshizaki was the only one shaking in her boots—a stark contrast from how she’d been fast asleep and drooling during the ride out.

“Even if humanity perishes, I’ll keep you alive and safe, Miss Hoshizaki,” I promised. “So there’s no need to worry.”

“Where the heck is all that confidence coming from? You usually act so unreliable.”

“I just wanted to set your mind at ease, if even slightly.”

“You’re not planning to profess your undying love to me now that the world is ending, right?”

“Why would you think that?”

“Y-you’re not, then?”

“I’d very much like to accompany you as well, should it come to that,” said Ms. Futarishizuka.

“I suppose you would,” I replied.

What if that actually happened? Would I be able to pick and choose? So many people came to mind that I could save—my neighbor and Abaddon, our workplace colleagues, our boss, everyone’s families—but eventually I’d have to draw a line.

No point thinking about it now.

“Don’t you think it would be a good idea to send that girl I’m taking care of back to her family while we have the chance?” Ms. Futarishizuka suggested.

“I agree. I’ll speak with Peeps; I suspect we can return her as soon as tonight.”

“Elsa, was it?” said Miss Hoshizaki. “I still don’t have a clue what she’s saying.”

“Her mother tongue is rather unusual,” I said.

And so the drive continued as we passed the time chitchatting.

When we arrived at the bureau, we didn’t even have time to sit down at our desks before the boss called us into a meeting space. Ms. Futarishizuka, myself, and Miss Hoshizaki sat down in that order across from Mr. Akutsu. His usual laptop was set on the table between us, and a cable already led from its video output port to the room’s screen.

“It seems the three of you took quite a trip yesterday,” he remarked. “Did you find out anything?”

“There’s so much for us to report I’m not sure where to start, sir,” I said.

“Well, that’s good to hear. Could you go over it with me right away?”

“All right.”

How much information did the section chief have? As always, his poker face was impeccable. His call that morning hadn’t revealed anything, either. While I doubted he realized his subordinates had left the atmosphere, I suspected he knew about the impending UFO attack.

We didn’t have too much to hide this time, so I decided to explain the previous day’s events honestly. Starting three days prior with our radio transmissions, I informed him about receiving the Morse code message, analyzing the letters and numbers, and going to the lake in Nagano prefecture. Finally, I described the unforeseen abduction and the intentions of the UFO we’d met as a result.

As for the one who had solved the UFO’s puzzle, we decided to give Ms. Futarishizuka credit instead of the otherworld sage—if I tried to say it was me, I was too worried I’d let slip some obvious mistake, and with Miss Hoshizaki still in high school, the alternative wasn’t very believable.

“I had no idea anything of the sort was going on,” said the chief. “I’m very impressed with you three.”

“Come now,” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “You may play the fool, but I’m sure you knew all about this.”

“I was aware of reports of several UFOs appearing simultaneously—and witnesses stating they saw people being taken away in a few of them. But I never would have thought my own subordinates were among their number.”

I’d told him that Miss Hoshizaki’s psychic power had saved us on our way back. A makeshift spacecraft formed from water wasn’t impossible, as long as you had enough of the liquid, and moving it was well within the scope of her abilities. Plus, if the water was thick enough, it could block the sun’s radiation.

Thinking about it now, our senior coworker’s powers really shone in extreme environments.

“Sir, are you going to take our entire report at face value?” I asked.

“Any other day, I wouldn’t have. But look at the situation—I can’t afford to doubt you. Though, if you snapped a photo or two, that would serve as sufficient evidence. Do you have any? I’m just as interested in mechanical life-forms from beyond the solar system as anyone else.”

“In that case, please take a look at this,” I said, opening the image viewer on my bureau-provided phone and holding it out to the section chief. I’d snapped a few pictures while in the waiting area. Most of them were of the walls, floor, and ceiling; the construction materials, shining with their featureless, metallic luster, were still unknown. I’d managed to get some pictures of the other groups, too.

I’d wanted to take one of the Type Twelve android, but it wouldn’t have been smart to take out my phone in that situation—she probably would have destroyed it first and asked questions later. Instead, I thought I might ask Ms. Futarishizuka to do a sketch.

“This is quite the gathering of eminent figures…,” murmured the section chief, glancing at Ms. Futarishizuka.

“I know it’s all very unusual,” she replied, sounding detached, “but I suggest you keep any competition to a minimum.”

Perhaps a mutual acquaintance of theirs had been captured in one of the photos. I’d spotted a few big shots even I recognized. The fact that they’d probably been photographing us as well did send a chill down my spine, though.

“By the way,” said the boss, “what is this swan in some of the pictures?”

“The entire boat got sucked in while we were out on the lake,” I explained.

“Oh yes. The boat you rented on-site, then…”

Upon our return, we’d made sure to take back the swan boat we’d forced the shop to rent us. I doubted the guy running the rental place would ever dream one of his own boats had taken a trip to space and back in the span of a single day. After returning it, we’d asked some questions regarding the previous night’s events and found out there were rumors in the neighborhood of something falling into the lake. No one knew what it was, though. We were safe—they’d probably assume it was just a meteorite.

“We’ve done our job to perfection,” said Ms. Futarishizuka, “so the rest is up to you. A few psychics won’t make a difference at this point. I imagine it all depends on how the UFO decides to proceed, but I hope you can handle things when the time comes.”

“Yes, you’ve done an excellent job,” the boss agreed. “I can give you tomorrow off if you wish. That said, if your report is true, we won’t know when you’ll have more work to do, so stay as close to the city as you can while you relax.”

“I suppose that’s a reasonable compromise.”

“Yes, sir,” I said.

At this point, I would have expected Miss Hoshizaki to chime in, saying she would be okay going right back to work. But at the moment, she was simply nodding slightly along with the conversation. She’d been gloomy ever since we left the Nagano inn.

“Oh, and Hoshizaki?” said the boss.

“Yes?”

“I’ve added ‘time in space’ onto the attendance form template. From now on, if you travel to an elevation of one hundred kilometers or above, please use that field. You may continue to use Japanese time when marking down your hours.”

For a moment, I thought he was joking, but his expression was serious. It was very like Mr. Akutsu to leap right into crazy topics like this with a straight face. Miss Hoshizaki, however, seemed weighed down by her anxiety over humanity’s eminent destruction and was only answering vaguely. Normally, she would have been genuinely happy and asked how much the space bonus would net her. But now she simply gave a solemn nod and said, “All right.”

“That’s all I have for this meeting,” said the chief.

Just as we all rose from the table, the phone in the boss’s inside suit pocket started buzzing. He took it out and lowered his gaze to the screen. “You all can go on ahe— Actually, wait a moment.”

As soon as he saw what was on the screen, his expression changed. Apparently, he’d received a text or some other notification. His face grew serious and he began stroking the screen with his fingertips. As instructed, the rest of us sat right back down in our chairs.

After a few more moments spent looking at his phone, the boss shifted his attention to us. “I’m sorry, but I’d like to prolong the meeting slightly.”

“What is it?” asked Ms. Futarishizuka. “I have a rather bad feeling about this.”

“I apologize for the rush, but there’s something I’d like to discuss with you all.”

He opened his laptop, which he’d closed only moments before, and plugged the external output cable back in. Once he’d input his PIN, his desktop background popped up on the meeting room’s screen.

The three of us were watching, wondering what had happened, when an image appeared on the display.

“Now that is a crater,” remarked Ms. Futarishizuka.

“The size makes me quite nervous,” I agreed. “Look at how small the buildings around the edge are.”

It was a photograph of the ground, likely taken by an aircraft. Its subject, as Ms. Futarishizuka had said, was a very large crater. It had gouged out a big part of the ground, and no man-made objects could be seen within. Additionally, a short distance away from its edge were buildings that had been blown away or crushed.

It looked like the impact site of a meteor.

“What is this?” asked Ms. Futarishizuka. “A still from some new video game?”

“Unfortunately, it’s a real photograph,” said the boss.

If that was true, then it was no small loss for humanity—quite a few buildings and roads could be seen around the crater’s perimeter. A whole chunk of some town had been scooped out. It didn’t seem like a very populated area, but more than a few people must have died. What country is that?

“Judging by how the houses are laid out,” said Ms. Futarishizuka, “it doesn’t look like Japan.”

“It was taken in a suburban city in eastern Europe.”

“Was it a meteor?” I asked.

“According to intel from above, it’s very likely this was an attack originating from the UFO.”

“Oh wow…,” breathed Ms. Futarishizuka.

The UFO had said she hated humans, and it seemed she wasn’t kidding about attacking Earth. Still, I wondered about her choice of target—if her feelings were genuine, wouldn’t she have picked a more populous city? But the mechanical life-form’s emotions were brand-new. Wondering about why she did this or that would get us nowhere.

“So she…she’s really going to wipe out humanity?” asked Miss Hoshizaki.

“If I submit the information you obtained to the higher-ups, I believe it is extremely likely that all of Japan will mobilize under that assumption. No one can say our nation won’t be the next target, after all.”

“She came out with guns blazing and no warning, eh?” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “That’s suitably terrifying, indeed.”

She cast me a covert glance—probably suggesting we hightail it out of the bureau and make our way to a safe location posthaste. I was of the same opinion. We still had Lady Elsa under our care, too. We needed to get back to Karuizawa as fast as we could.

“Isn’t this already big news on the internet?” said Ms. Futarishizuka.

“We plan to deal with it by claiming it was an unrelated meteor strike,” the boss explained.

“In any world, only a select handful know the full truth, eh?”

“I’m sorry to ask this of you all, but I’d like you to stand by in the bureau for now.”

“It will take some time for the higher-ups to decide on a course of action,” I pointed out. “Would you allow us to return home first? We’ve all been working since the day before yesterday, and I’m sure there are things everyone needs to take care of while there’s still time.”

I glanced at my two colleagues as I spoke. Miss Hoshizaki, in particular, was living alone with her younger sister, who was probably anxious after her two-day absence. The chief must have been aware of her home situation. I wanted to believe he would trust us enough to compromise, at least a little.

“All right, that’s fine,” he said. “Return to the office first thing in the morning.”

“Thank you, sir.”

With that, we’d safely obtained our boss’s approval, and this time, the meeting ended for real.

Once we were done discussing things with our boss, we immediately left the bureau. We took Ms. Futarishizuka’s car to the hotel near my exploded apartment, met up with Peeps in the guest room, then hopped to the Karuizawa villa using his teleportation magic.

Lady Elsa was at the villa, making preparations for dinner in the kitchen alongside the visiting helpers and chefs. She looked adorable in her apron as usual. It was a memorable scene—though unable to communicate with words, Lady Elsa and the others were still managing to work together with good cheer.

But there was no time for leisure. I had Ms. Futarishizuka tell the workers that an urgent matter had arisen and ask them to temporarily suspend their meal prep, thus securing a space for us to talk things through with Lady Elsa. It seemed increasingly likely I’d be skipping lunch.

Once everyone had sat down on the sofas, we explained the situation to the Lord Starsage. We gave him a similar report to the one we’d provided Mr. Akutsu at the bureau, along with news of what was thought to be an attack from the UFO. As for the image of the crater, the chief had sent the photo to our bureau phones, and I’d taken a picture of that with my personal phone.

Once we’d finished our explanation, Peeps, sounding deeply affected, said, “To think that such a crisis would befall this world in the span of a single night…”

“Sorry for jumping right into things,” I said, “but I wanted to discuss how we’ll handle the matter.”

“We will first need to secure this place’s safety.”

The distinguished Java sparrow stood on the low table, facing us. At his feet, a magic circle emerged with a vwoom. After a few seconds’ time, it began to dim. I didn’t notice any changes in our surroundings.

“What did you do?” asked Ms. Futarishizuka.

“I’ve erected a barrier covering this mansion and the surrounding plot of land. I know not how well it will hold, but I hope it will allow us to avoid dying instantly without any time to resist. Hmm, a being from beyond this star system, you say? That is a very interesting prospect, indeed.”

“Will we be all right even while you all are gone?”

“It is not impossible to use it in such a way, if you do not mind any who are not currently in this mansion becoming unable to enter or exit. It should remain effective even without my constant presence.”

“Could you do that, then? Once things have calmed down, I’ll treat you to as much meat as you want.”

“Very well.” Unusually, Peeps agreed readily to Ms. Futarishizuka’s request.

A magic circle appeared at his feet once again.

I was capable of a similar spell, but I couldn’t do what he’d just described. I wasn’t sure of the details, either—like if he was using it in conjunction with other spells or if the spell had several variations. Yet another skillful display from the Lord Starsage.

Though he complimented me whenever he got the chance, I was still far from catching up with my master.

“Peeps, I’d also like to return Lady Elsa for the time being,” I told him.

“Yes. In that case, I can send her back immediately.”

“Hey, Sasaki,” said the girl in question. “I’m not very smart, and I can’t even follow half of what you’re saying. But you’re in a dire situation, right? In that case, you needn’t go out of your way on my account.”

“Should anything happen to you, Lady Elsa, I wouldn’t be able to face your father.”

It seemed Lady Elsa had overheard fragments of our conversation. Just like when she first arrived here, she sat lightly on the sofa, her back nice and straight. I’d asked Ms. Futarishizuka about it; apparently, she did the same even when we were gone. That part of her was amazing to me.

“We’re in an emergency situation right now,” I continued. “Would you please do this favor for us?”

“Oh? Very well, then. I’ll return to Father.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

We’d discussed circumstances in the otherworld with Count Müller during our last visit, so I didn’t think there would be any problems. And if something does happen, I thought, the count can probably deal with it using his new position as chancellor.

“And us? What will become of us?” asked Ms. Futarishizuka.

“We’ll come back as soon as matters are dealt with on the other side,” I assured her.

“I hope it doesn’t take long, then. Else I’ll get lonely.”

“I was thinking you might put your own affairs in order while you have the chance.”

“My, how ruthless you are.”

“Yes, well, after the girl in the sky, I think I’ve had my fill of lonely people.”

With that, our plans were set: We would head to the otherworld with Lady Elsa.

Prevailing upon Peeps’s magic, we left the Karuizawa villa and entered the otherworld.

Our first stop was the towering royal castle at the center of Herz’s capital, Allestos. There, after explaining things to Count Müller, we returned Lady Elsa. He expressed his concern for us and offered his assistance. We gently declined, then set out, leaving the kingdom behind.

Our next destination was the Republic of Lunge. Once there, we transported the diesel fuel from modern times into the Kepler Trading Company’s warehouse. Depending on the UFO’s actions, there was a chance we could be swamped with bureau work for several days in a row, unable to return to the otherworld. For that reason, we brought in a year’s supply of the fuel. We also threw in a spare radio set on the off chance one malfunctioned.

Then, with a detailed inventory in hand, we went to see Mr. Joseph. Once everyone was seated on the sofas in the main office’s reception room, our meeting commenced.

“A year’s worth of fuel in advance? That’s rather alarming,” he said.

“I apologize for making you anxious.”

“I have no qualms accepting it, but we will need time to figure out how to pay you.”

“Regarding payment, I was thinking we could work things out next time and leave it at that.”

Mr. Marc was absent, incidentally. He’d gone to Herz to begin development of the trading route between the kingdom and Lunge. He would check the state of the roads personally before discussing with the count how to handle each specific domain through which the route would extend.

Imperialist nobles were being purged left and right lately, and the administration of a large number of domains had ended up in the care of the royal family. According to the Starsage, opening a trade route now would likely pose few political issues.

“With no collateral?” he asked. “That would greatly benefit us, but are you sure?”

“My current circumstances call for it. I’d be very grateful for your understanding.”

“…I see.” Mr. Joseph pretended to think about my sudden request. After a few moments, he continued, asking the question I’d expected. “Forgive me for being rude, but are you leaving the continent?”

“No, that’s not the case.”

“Would you allow us to provide you transportation? I will prepare expert bodyguards as well. Surround yourself with those skilled at handling flying dragons, and the journey should be much shorter.”

“Thank you for your concern, but my period of absence is not a matter of travel, but one of a business concern tying me down. I apologize for the inconvenience and hope you will understand.”

“I see…”

I remembered once hearing a description of flying dragons from Peeps. Apparently, they were domesticated versions of a smaller dragon variety. Still, I couldn’t even ride a horse; I very much doubted I’d be able to ride a dragon. Plus, flight magic was so convenient I never had a chance to work on such skills. Maybe it’s worth looking into, I thought. I could try pony rides at a zoo, or something.

“The one-year supply is, as I mentioned, a rough estimate. I may be able to return sooner. I do appreciate the offer of an escort, but I won’t require it this time.”

“In that case, we shall pray for your good fortune, Mr. Sasaki.”

After that, our discussion with Mr. Joseph quickly came to an end. We turned down his offer of hospitality for the day, then left Lunge immediately, arriving in Baytrium before nightfall.

“You seem quite restless,” Peeps commented. “Will we be going straight back to your world?”

“Yes. Did you have anything you needed to do? I got cocky talking to Mr. Joseph, but it could be several years before we’re able to come back, depending on what happens. If you have anything you want to tell Count Müller or King Adonis, I can wait here.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Even if we are indeed unable to return for such a length of time, the two of them will do well enough on their own. I have already thrown away my country; it would be better to keep my distance. I shall simply look forward to what the kingdom will be like when next we return.”

“Thank you, Peeps, for offering a very Lord Starsage perspective on the situation.”

“What’s this all of a sudden?”

“Oh, it’s just that if I were in your shoes, I’d have a ton of things on my mind.” I was the type to worry about whether I’d shut off the gas, even for short outings. The sparrow, on the other hand, was clearly on the opposite end of the spectrum, confident in everything he did.

“I suppose you do have a tendency to worry about minor details.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

“I believe scrupulousness to be not a vice, but a virtue.”

“Really?”

“We all have strengths and weaknesses. You should consider things in a way that suits you, rather than trying to force yourself to be more like someone else. You have saved me numerous times, and I feel you will continue to do so in the future.”

“I sure hope so.”

I could feel Peeps’s true age, far removed from that of a normal human, creeping in at the edges of our casual conversation. It was as if he was watching the world from somewhere one step removed, or like he’d resigned himself somehow. He always took the long view, saw things philosophically—just like a sage would.

That aside, it made me really happy to hear that Peeps relied on me. I think I understand a little of how the count feels now.

“Let’s head back to Japan, then.”

“Very well.”

I wondered when our next visit would be. Burdened by a tinge of anxiety, we left the otherworld behind.

Our short stay in Peeps’s world was over in the blink of an eye. Upon arriving back in Japan, I checked the time; a little under an hour had passed. If we’d spent that whole time in the otherworld, it would have equaled somewhere between a half day and a day. Considering how long we’d actually spent there, it seemed to me that the passage of time was a little faster than expected.

That was probably because of how we’d gone back and forth between worlds to transport the diesel fuel and radio equipment during our visit to Lunge. We’d transferred a lot of product in quick succession, which had required spending a fair amount of time in Japan.

With all that out of the way, we found ourselves back in Ms. Futarishizuka’s villa in Karuizawa, in the combination living and dining room. She and Miss Hoshizaki were there, sitting on the sofa set.

“Oh, you’re finally back,” said the former.

“I don’t know where you went,” added the latter, “but are you done?”

“Yes,” I said. “Sorry for the wait. I can now devote all my time to the problem at hand.”

Ms. Futarishizuka and Miss Hoshizaki sat across the low table from each other. I took a seat in the chair at the head of the table so I could see them to my left and right; this was Lady Elsa’s usual spot.

“The chief contacted us not long ago,” Ms. Futarishizuka told me.

“Now, of all times?”

“I’m sure you got the message, too.”

“Let me check.”

I’d left my company phone in the hotel near my old apartment. The other two had as well. I’d set it up to forward anything from the boss to my personal device, however, so I was able to check it even from my smartphone. I took the device out of my inside pocket and saw that I had indeed received a message.

Quickly, I opened it up, noting that the sender was the section chief, as Ms. Futarishizuka had said.

In it, he told us to go to Atsugi Base the following day instead of coming into the office. The name of his counterpart was in the instructions, too—he wanted us to place ourselves under Mr. Yoshikawa’s command and work with him and Captain Mason. And before we headed out, we were to pack our bags for a trip lasting several days.

“It looks like Earth is in a real pinch, Peeps.”

“I would offer what assistance I may.”

“Depending on how things turn out, we might need it…”

It hadn’t even been half a day since we had delivered our report to the chief and he had asked us to wait for a decision from the higher-ups. And yet he’d already instructed us not only to help the JSDF, but to coordinate with another country’s military. Whatever order he’d been given, it must have been on the level of an Imperial mandate.

Refusing would, I assumed, lead to our arrest. It also seemed possible that more craters would follow the one from that morning.

“You don’t really plan to bring the bird, do you?” asked Ms. Futarishizuka.

“I believe he can follow after us at a safe distance,” I told her.

If he used the spell I’d seen previously in the otherworld that turned its user invisible, he could at least prevent anyone seeing him with the naked eye. I wasn’t sure if it could fool things like thermal cameras or radar, and I wasn’t optimistic. We’d be taking a significant risk.

“Then wouldn’t it be better to handle it on our own, right from the start?” she asked.

“Maybe,” I replied. “We should certainly consider such options as well.”

There were a bunch of things we could try—so many that it was a little daunting. I had no idea which option was best. All of them entailed no small amount of danger. And with the UFO’s potential completely unknown, none of them offered much certainty, either.

“As I see it, the first problem is our target’s location up in space,” she said. “How do we reach it?”

“A new model of rocket being developed in secret by some country or other, maybe?” I suggested.

“Moving all around Earth’s gravity well would run any rocket out of fuel very quickly, no matter how hard one might try,” she said. “And I can easily see it being shot down before it gets anywhere near the ship.”

“What if, during takeoff, we used a rocket for propulsion. Then, for movement and protection, we used psychic powers, Magical Flight, and barriers? Unless we use a manned rocket, we’ll only be able to stay in space for so long.”

“Hoh-hoh! What is it they say these days? Go big or go home?”

I wondered if we were being called upon to aid in an escape should the worst come to pass. We’d already reported to the section chief how Miss Hoshizaki’s power had gotten us away from the craft; I figured there was a decent chance that was what they were after.

Thinking about it more closely, I began to suspect they were gathering us all for a large-scale, combined front. Otherwise, they’d never have called on psychics from other countries.

“I don’t think we’re gonna find the answer by talking it out, Sasaki,” said Miss Hoshizaki. “Wouldn’t it be more productive to prepare for tomorrow? The time mentioned in the message was really early, so I think we should start as soon as possible.”

“You’re probably right,” I said.

“Then why don’t we go shopping and grab some dinner while we’re at it?” offered Ms. Futarishizuka. “Dinner preparations have been called off, after all.”

“Oh, right,” I said. “We got in the way of their work in the kitchen.”

“Why not invite the girlie from next door? She should be getting back from school momentarily.”

During our short stay in the otherworld, we hadn’t eaten anything. Physically, it felt like I’d skipped both breakfast and lunch. At the mention of food, I immediately felt hungry. The human body is so strange, I thought.

“In that case, could you take me home?” Miss Hoshizaki said, turning to me.

“Of course. Are you not feeling well?”

“That’s not it. I’m just a little worried about my sister, so…”

“Understood. Peeps, could you take Miss Hoshizaki to her condo?”

“Very well. I shall handle it.”

Miss Hoshizaki had been acting off ever since we got the news about the end of the world. I hoped being with her sister and playing with their cat would help her feel a little more normal.

I let the sparrow handle her return while Ms. Futarishizuka and I discussed where to eat dinner that night. We’d probably have to go back to the city anyway to shop, so we started looking at our phones for a nice restaurant as we waited for my neighbor to get home.