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"Hey. Hey, Kozakura-san! Don't strangle the kid!"
"Shut up and watch the road!"
Kozakura gave a muffled shout from where she was sitting, strapped into the passenger-side seat of the Tobacco Control Work Vehicle AP-1. Her face was buried in the long, black hair of the little girl on her lap.
Kasumi, the black-haired child, wriggled around in a desperate attempt to loosen Kozakura's tight grip. If she wasn't freed soon, she had the power to dissipate like a cloud of mist, which was where the name Kasumi came from. Luckily, there was an easy countermeasure for the possibility of a shift: my partner, Toriko, could use her translucent left hand's touch to open a gate to wherever Kasumi might vanish to, provided that I could see the residual traces of shifting with my blue right eye's vision.
The four of us were traveling along the simply-named Route 1, with me as the driver and Toriko on foot. Our current pace was hardly any faster than the pre-modification max speed of the AP-1, and I was an experienced driver, so I couldn't make sense of Kozakura's outburst.
"Why are you so scared, anyway? It's not like we're gonna be summoning an Otherside entity to exorcise this time. And this route is safe; there's no need to steer clear of glitches as long as I follow the road markers."
"Then stop looking this way and follow them, damn it!"
"Whoa, careful, Kozakura. You don't want to dirty your kid's vocabulary, do you?"
"Who are you calling my—"
"Ah, sorry, sorry. Sitting there, Kasumi looks more like a little sister than a daughter. So, why are you squeezing her like she's a plushie?"
In response to Toriko's goading, an angry growl sounded on my left. Then the growl turned into a groan, and Kozakura's arms slackened.
"Guh," the subsequent voice was unmuffled. "…You're making it hard to breathe. What's up?" Kasumi asked, probably pulling words from a past conversation.
"I'm about to throw up, that's what's up! Eugh… Why the hell did I agree to come back to this place?! " It was hard to pick out Kozakura's muffled complaints with the constant roar of an engine in the background.
"What are you saying? This whole thing was your idea, Kozakura-san!"
It was a sunny day in August, a week or so prior. Toriko and I had come to Kozakura's house to use the gate that was there to do some work in and around the portable garage that we had set up on the Otherside. While we were taking a break to hydrate, Toriko suddenly brought it up.
"By the way, where's Kasumi? I haven't seen her around."
"She's should be around here somewhere. Wanna try calling for her?"
"Oh, that's okay. But, don't you worry about where she goes off to?"
"I'm more worried about how Kasumi keeps misplacing my belongings. That girl has aggravatingly sticky fingers."
"Wouldn't it help to know where she is? I don't know, but keeping track of small children seems important."
Kozakura set her mug of cola firmly on the table, annoyance creeping into her expression.
"Oi. You try raising a kid that can up and disappear to another dimension at will. It's not like I'm trying to be irresponsible here! If I understood the underlying mechanics of her shifting ability, it would be another story, but as things stand, there's very little I can do to limit Kasumi's independence. The best I could come up with was to try keeping uninterrupted physical contact, but she's way too slippery for that to work long-term. Besides, I don't want to get dragged along with her whenever she decides to enter the interstitial space. Which is far too often for my liking."
I could kind of get where Kozakura was coming from. While she was technically a researcher of the Otherside, or "UBL" as DS Research called it, she didn't want anything to do with the fear-inducing phenomena that originated there. Nor was she willing to explore it. Even so, she had taken in Kasumi, who was closely tied to the Otherside herself. I didn't really like kids, but there was something about Kasumi that made me not want to leave her alone. If I wasn't a student at university, would I have considered taking her in? Probably not. I wasn't responsible enough to look after a grade-schooler.
Come to think of it, Kozakura was always taking responsibility for what Toriko and I brought back from the Otherside. Usually that just meant she bought UB artifacts off us, though. I doubt she ever expected us to bring back a person.
As I was reminiscing about the various objects that we'd sold to Kozakura, I suddenly thought of something.
"Hey, do remember the photo of a family we brought back? It was about a year ago."
"Huh? What are you bringing up out of nowhere?"
"Oh, I remember!" Toriko clapped her hands together. "You picked it up at that observation deck."
"Yeah, that's right. It was the AP-1's inaugural drive. Anyway, we were able to use the revolving observational platform to traverse between the different aspects of the other world. At least, that's what it seemed like. When it spun while we were inside, the surrounding trees moved around, and even the time of day changed. I was thinking that it might function similarly to Kasumi's shifting."
Kozakura eyed me with a look bordering between suspicion and interest. "That does sound pretty convenient. But is that really all there is to it? If there was no risk involved, I'd consider asking you two to take me there to gather some data. Kasumi, too."
"Well, actually, the last time we went, there was—"
"Nothing! There was nothing," Toriko interrupted. She glanced at me meaningfully.
What, does she not want me to mention the Yamanoke? But why…?
Unsure of what Toriko was planning, I hesitantly followed her lead. "Y-Yeah. It was pretty uneventful. We ate lunch, then finished creating a safe route to the Jinbouchou gate."
"…I'm not an idiot, Sorawo-chan. You're clearly hiding something. I can overlook it for now, but you'd best not try and fool me. You too, Toriko. If this is a trick, I'll make you regret it."
"It's not a trick! There's nothing to worry about. You want to understand Kasumi better, don't you? Sorawo and I will definitely keep you safe, so let's go and gather all the data you need!"
After that, the conversation kind of got carried away by Toriko's excitement. We ended up planning a trip to the observation deck, accommodating Kozakura's fears by promising her a seat on the AP-1 with Kasumi, who could act as a human eject button. The timing worked out well, as it was during the summer holiday at my university. Toriko and I went on a preliminary drive to bring the AP-1 from where it was parked at the Farm to the portable garage near our planned entry point. It was fun to travel backwards along Christmas Highway, though I could've done without Toriko reminding me of our puke-flavored kiss.
Normally, I would hesitate to allow others into our Otherside, our shared secret place. This time was an exception, both as a favor to Kozakura and for the sake of Kasumi's smooth upbringing. Toriko was mostly just looking forward to having another picnic.
We did have some other ulterior motives. If all went according to plan, it would be a trip to remember.
"Come over here, Toriko. We're passing a glitch up ahead." I slowed the AP-1 to give her time to cross over from the passenger side.
The "road," marked by tread tracks and gardening poles, swerved slightly to the right to avoid an invisible hazard. The silver light I could barely make out with my right eye's vision was the only indication that something was there.
Kozakura, still cowering behind Kasumi, leaned away from the glitch and towards me. If it wasn't for the seatbelts that we'd installed, she probably would've toppled over.
"Hey, Sorawo, let's hold hands," Toriko said, holding up her gloved left hand.
I shook my head. "Not while I'm driving. You don't want Kozakura-san to throw a fit, do you?"
If Kozakura took offense, she didn't show it. Was that her way of tacitly approving my safety-conscious response? Or was she just too scared to retort?
When I looked back at Toriko, I almost choked despite myself. She had put on her best pleading face, her fingers curled up against her chin.
Wha-What's with that?! That's not fair! Exploiting your beauty like this…
I swallowed, then groaned, "Urgh… Fine." I briefly let go of the controls to pat her head. "There, there. Are you happy?"
"Happy!" Toriko cheerfully chirped before reaching up to return the favor. As I allowed her to stroke my hair, I glanced back at Kozakura. She was still leaning towards me. Wasn't it tiring to hold that position? It didn't look very comfortable for Kasumi, either.
She told me to never do this again, but…
Deciding not to think about it too hard, I gently patted Kozakura's hair. As much as she seemed to hate it, this method was weirdly effective at coaxing her out of being frozen in fear. And with the way she was tilting my direction, it was like she was asking for it. Had I been corrupted by Toriko's ineptitude with maintaining a proper emotional distance? Not that I wasn't already bad at dealing with other people.
As I expected, Kozakura quickly sat bolt upright, her face reddening. Keeping one arm around Kasumi, she held where I’d touched with the other.
"You idiot… What are you doing? In front of your lover, no less?!"
Ignoring her use of the label, I opted to speak the first stupid thing that came to mind instead. "I'm continuing the 'there, there' train. Now it's your turn, Kozakura-san. Give Kasumi a 'pat pat.'"
I returned my attention to the levers in front of me before I got a response. While it wasn't overly precise, the AP-1 did require minor course corrections here and there. Most of the adjustments took both hands to execute, which was why I was unable to offer one to Toriko for very long.
Surprisingly, Kozakura didn't express any further rage. She even took my joke to heart and started running her hands through Kasumi's long, straight hair. It was a marked improvement from the strangulation earlier, so I left it alone.
"You know, I'm not surprised that Kozakura is scared, but is it also scary for Kasumi? She's been awful quiet."
"Now that you mention it…" Toriko had a point. The little girl wasn't the most expressive, so I couldn't really tell if she was afraid, but this was the Otherside. Here, we were constantly on the verge of going crazy with fear. Frankly, it wasn't a suitable place for children. It might've been better to leave Kasumi with Migiwa or someone else at DS Research.
On the other hand, Kasumi was well-acquainted with the Otherside and the interstitial space, and she was theoretically a sort of human interface. Maybe the state of fear that allows one to comprehend the beings of the other world was her default state. But would that mean that she's always scared, or that she's used to it? When Toriko and I encountered her inside Hasshaku-sama's gate, Kasumi was skittish and violent at first. Since then, she hadn't acted up, but what if coming back here triggered the same fight-or-flight instincts?
Unsure of how to express my doubts, I just asked the kid directly, "Kasumi, are you scared?"
For a moment, I wondered if she would ignore me and stay quiet. Then, the little girl suddenly blurted out:
"Happy!"
"You're happy, huh? Guess that means you're not scared. Isn't that great, Kozakura-san? She must really love your 'pat pat.'"
"Shut up! I'm this close to giving you a 'slap slap!'"
"Don't hit Sorawo! That's my job!"
"Hey, I'm not a taiko?!"
"You're right, I wouldn't put my mouth on a drum. You can be a recorder instead!"
"You two brainless brats can be cowbells for all I care!"
"Moooo."
With Kasumi happy and Kozakura provoked out of her fear, the four of us finally reached our destination.
Unlike the collapsed building where we met Hasshaku-sama, the observation tower looked the same as it did the first time. Its exterior was like a post-apocalyptic ruin with all the vegetation growing around it. The structure was uncanny, close to but not quite something that could've been designed by a human. As the cylindrical observation room on top of the building rotated, it emitted a constant grinding sound that was audible over the engine of the AP-1.
"So that's it? The building that uses rotation to shift through aspects of the Otherside?" Kozakura gazed upwards, shielding her eyes from the mid-day sun.
"Yup! Isn't it cool? If it was a little closer to a gate, I'd want to come here all the time!"
"Speak for yourself. I'd be worried about running into a Yamanoke again."
"Eh? Didn't we beat it?"
Yeah, after you violently hit it out of me, I wanted to say, but held my tongue. I was sick of being compared to percussive instruments.
Unable to use sarcasm, I turned to honesty instead. "...Thanks to you, Toriko. I was in serious trouble—"
"Hey, no more telling scary stories! You should know this by now!"
"Oh, uh, my bad."
"Sorry, Kozakura," Toriko said without a hint of remorse.
Before she gave the final okay for today's trip, Kozakura had forced us to spill the story about what transpired a year ago. Naturally, she wasn't happy about it, but we somehow managed to smooth things over by clarifying that the Yamanoke was a separate phenomenon from the rotating observation deck. As long as we didn't panic and go outside after shifting to a nighttime aspect, we'd be safe.
Realistically, I didn't think we were that convincing. Kozakura didn't trust us to that extent. She was clearly pushing herself to act like a responsible adult, just like the time with T-san, or when she took on the role of Kasumi's guardian.
I parked the AP-1 several meters away from the base of the building and shut the engine off. Toriko rounded the vehicle to help Kasumi dismount. When she offered Kozakura a hand afterwards, it was swatted away.
"I don't need your help to climb down," Kozakura grumbled. I watched as she unbuckled, slid out of her seat, and hopped down to the ground. For a moment, she reminded me of a grade-schooler playing on a jungle gym. Then she joined hands with Kasumi.
"Alright, let's get this over with so I can go back as soon as possible. First is… Hold on, what are you smiling at, Sorawo-chan?"
"N-Nothing!" I tore my eyes away from them and hurriedly stepped down from my own seat. If I say that she and Kasumi look like a couple of kids on a field trip, Kozakura's going to kill me!
Trying not to notice the dubious looks I was being given, I helped Toriko unload our equipment from the AP-1. We each had backpacks and guns, and there was a cooler to carry between us.
"…Okay, we're ready. What are we doing first again, Kozakura-san?"
"Hmm? Well, I wanted to try observing what the shift looks like from the outside compared to the inside, but since that would necessitate someone staying behind…"
"It's never a good idea to split up," I nodded.
"Let's go to the top together and set up. Sorawo and I can walk in front. Oh, and don't let go of Kasumi," Toriko advised.
"Don't let go, Onee-san."
Toriko snorted with laughter at Kasumi's monotone echo of her advice. I felt myself crack another grin. Kozakura's fear-warding irritation was replenished and then some. She angrily blamed the out-of-place honorific on Toriko's influence as the four of us started towards the observation deck.
My arm and legs ached after setting down the cooler in the observation room. It wasn't overly heavy with two people, but carrying it up however many stairs we had to climb was still a workout.
Much like the building's exterior, the interior hadn't changed since our last visit. I was half-expecting that we'd run into an angry priest on the way, but the whole building was completely empty.
…Actually, it was even emptier than I remembered it being.
"Hey, Toriko, wasn't there more stuff here before? I don't think it was this clean."
"Now that you mention it… There was a bunch of dirt and glass up here. Think someone swept the floor?" Toriko suggested.
"Who? And why?"
"Beats me. Either way, it's not anything to get worked up over, is it? Let's hurry up and eat; I'm hungry after all that walking."
I looked around the observation room once more. The benches and binoculars were in the same spots, and I didn't spy anything out of the ordinary through my right eye's vision. Having no reason to object, I had started to pull off my backpack when I noticed something else that was missing.
"Um, Kozakura-san? Where'd you go?"
At some point, both Kozakura and Kasumi had vanished. I was certain that they were following right behind us as we ascended the spiral staircase, though. Did they shift away without me noticing? I hadn't spotted the tell-tale signs of a shift anywhere. This was bad. What if they had run into trouble?
As I was panicking, Toriko suddenly pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
"I'll try calling her. That worked before, didn't it?"
"What? Are you talking about the time at your university? We're not in the interstitial space this time. What if she starts speaking nonsense again?"
"Wouldn't that just mean that she and Kasumi made it back to the surface world safely? We should be able to understand each other on this side."
Before I could retort, the call went through.
"Where the hell are you?! Is this some kind of sick joke?! I'm never trusting you again—"
"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Kozakura! We don't know what happened either. Is Kasumi with you?"
"S-She's here, yes. You think I'd let her go, in a place like this?!"
I was tickled by the mental image of Kozakura still clinging to the kid. The two of them, with their contrasting light and dark hair colors, made for a novel scene. I wondered if Toriko and I gave off a similar vibe when paired together.
Toriko continued with her questioning. "Can you tell us where you are? Sorawo and I are up in the observation room. You didn't go back down, did you?"
"I'm up here, too! Are you hiding somewhere? Wait, is this even a real phone call?! Are you the real Toriko?"
I spoke up, "She's real! So am I. We'll definitely meet back up, okay? First, we need to figure out what happened."
"…Is that Sorawo-chan? It's kind of hard to hear you over that racket."
What racket? Does she hear voices in the background, like when we called from Kisaragi Station? That was my initial thought, but the answer was much simpler.
"Are you talking about the sound of the room rotating? You sure it's not just on your end?" Toriko asked.
"No," Kozakura replied. "It's really quiet over here. I don't think the floor is rotating at all."
"Huh?"
I hadn't expected to hear that. The rotation was super obvious from my viewpoint, so I doubted that she was mistaken. Assuming that the spinning of the room translated to shifting through "phases" of the Otherside, that meant that Kozakura was stuck in one phase. But, why?
For the time being, I needed to focus on our next course of action. It didn't seem like Toriko's hand or my eye could affect the room's shifting at all, which left us with just a couple of options.
"Please listen, Kozakura-san. If you stay where you are, without rotating at all, there's a chance that we can loop all the way around and meet up that way. A full revolution might take a while, though, so if you want to get to us sooner, you can try using Kasumi's power to shift to our, uh, position. We're turning counter-clockwise, by the way."
It was mostly guesswork, but I tried to sound as calm and confident as I could. Aside from ensuring Kozakura's safety, I was concerned with managing her mood. Failure to do so would likely lead to an unpleasant review and reflection meeting once this trip was over.
"That's… The second one is better. It should be a good first test to see if the building has the same properties as Kasumi's ability." Kozakura's voice grew faint, no longer addressing us. "Do you think you can spin the room, Kasumi? We need to find those useless brats."
Another voice spoke, even fainter. "Gotcha. Leave it to me."
"W-wait, just a sec—"
The call ended, cutting Kozakura off. I looked to Toriko, but she just shrugged.
"Should I call again?"
I was about to answer when the grinding noise suddenly stopped, and a tiny body tumbled into me out of thin air, prompting me to yell in surprise.
"Wah! Oh, Kozakura-san? What are you…?"
Kozakura unsteadily pressed against my stomach. "Ugh, dizzy…"
Unsure of where to place my hands, I eventually ended up awkwardly patting her on the back. This feels strangely familiar. Did something similar happen with Toriko?
"Kasumi's here, too! Well done, young lady," Toriko praised the disinterested girl who was standing off to the side, eyeing the cooler.
I could breathe easy now that the four of us were together again. Thanks to Kasumi, the crisis was averted in a flash! The "young lady" was pretty much a cheat with those powers. As expected of the human interface.
Less relieved was Kozakura, who forcefully shoved me away after her dizziness subsided.
"Hands off, you little…! Didn't I say it before? If you want to touch someone, your goddamn girlfriend is right there!"
"Hey, I was just returning the favor! You're the one who practically bowled me over, Kozakura-san."
"Do you think I did that on purpose?! It's not my fault that shifting screwed with my semicircular canals!"
"Alright, break it up, you two." Toriko walked over to the cooler and knelt next to Kasumi. "You're still tense, aren't you, Kozakura? Why don't we all calm down by taking a break to eat some delicious food?"
"Don't rope me in with your madness! I didn't come here to play around!"
"Suit yourself." Toriko lifted the cooler's lid. "Kasumi, do you want some ice cream? We brought some cold treats for you. As for me and Sorawo…" She brought out a couple of cans of beer.
"Wha—Just what are you intending to drink on the Otherside? Have you lost your mind?!" Kozakura's screech echoed around the cylindrical observation deck.
In the end, the alcoholic drinks were confiscated after a thorough admonishment. I did agree that Toriko might've taken things a bit too far, especially since we were supposed to be helping chaperone a child. Even though I had nothing to do with it, I was also on the receiving end of the lecture. It was almost as if Kozakura enjoyed treating us like children. Even though we were, most assuredly, adults.
It seemed that Toriko felt the same as I did. Currently, she was playing an exaggerated motherly role.
"Here, say 'Ahh!'" She held a piece of chicken up with her chopsticks. "Come on, have some already. You'll feel better with a full stomach."
"Mrgh. I'm not hungry." Kozakura refused the food again, although her conviction was noticeably weaker. She had expended a lot of energy on lecturing us, after all.
Luckily, the lunch boxes that we had brought hadn't gotten confiscated with the drinks, although Kozakura was none too happy to find out about Toriko's scheme to hold an end-of-summer picnic on the Otherside. "Why can't you save it for the afterparty," she'd complained. Nothing seemed to be able to change her mind.
At least, nothing until I tried imitating Toriko. When I tried bringing a piece of broccoli to Kozakura's lips, she suddenly darted away like I'd zapped her with electricity before finally caving.
"Fine, I'll eat if it gets you to shut up and leave me alone. I can feed myself!" She snatched one of Toriko's trademark sandwiches and took a bite.
For some reason, Toriko was stifling a giggle. I didn't get what was so funny. Looking around, I saw Kasumi with a fistful of rice, stuffing her mouth with no regard for the grains stuck on her cheeks. Is that what she's laughing at? I guess it does look kind of stupid.
An idea popped into my head. I scooted over to the kid. "Hey, Kasumi, say 'Ahh.'"
Kasumi obediently opened her mouth, and I popped the broccoli that had been rejected by Kozakura inside. I watched her messy little face as she chewed. It was actually kind of endearing, similar to how I imagined taking care of a pet was like.
Almost as endearing as the pouty face that Toriko was now making.
"How cruel! How come everyone else gets to be fed by Sorawo? I thought you were my cute, irreplaceable accomplice!"
Sighing, I made my way back to my beautiful, immature partner-in-crime. "Right, right. It's your turn, Toriko. Say 'Ahh.'"
"Ahh~" Toriko ahhed, and I used my chopsticks to place a piece of bell pepper in her mouth. She stuck out her tongue, "It's bitter…"
I mirrored her expression before eating a bite of pepper myself. For how big of an eater Toriko was, her palate could be surprisingly childish sometimes.
"If you fools are done flirting, I have some findings to report. Or have you forgotten the purpose of this expedition?" Kozakura suddenly spoke up. Despite her protests, having lunch appeared to have done her some good. But for me and Toriko, her renewed vigor was like a rearmed bomb that we were sure to set off.
"I'm listening." Toriko straightened up attentively after taking a drink from a flask of water. I tried copying her posture before settling for simple eye contact. My gaze quickly drifted back down to my lunch box, but the acknowledgement was enough.
Clearing her throat, Kozakura continued, "To give some background, do you two know about the fourth dimension in the context of geometry? I'm not talking about time, at least not right now. To give an example, first think of a square, which is a basic shape in 2D. When you stretch it out along a new axis, you get a 3D cube. Next, try to imagine stretching the cube along a fourth axis. Geometrically, you should get a 4-dimensional hypercube, also known as a tesseract."
"Oh! I've heard that before! Isn't it the blue cube in the recent Marvel movie?" Toriko started talking about something I didn't recognize. "The one where a lady gets powers from the blue cube after almost dying, and the earth is invaded by aliens that are disguised as humans. It's kind of like a metaphor for the Otherside, now that I think of it."
Kozakura was as lost as I was. "What the hell are you talking about?!"
"You know how the Kunekune drops a shiny cube when it's defeated? Maybe that's a tesseract! And the woman in the movie is basically a fourth kind, isn't she?" Toriko gesticulated animatedly, and I found myself entranced by her movements. Then, she suddenly turned to me. "Hey, do you want to rent that movie and watch it at my place, Sorawo? The protagonist reminds me of Mama in some ways."
"What? Oh, uh, sure." I agreed half-heartedly, unsure of what I was getting myself into.
"Wait, never mind. I forgot something," Toriko backtracked without any warning. "You don't like it when cats get mixed with horror, right? The movie has a cat-shaped monster in it, so you might prefer to skip it."
"Is that so? Well then…" While I was thinking up a horror flick to serve as a good alternative, Kozakura lost her patience.
"Stop discussing plans for your next date and let me finish!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"S-Sorry."
"There won't be another chance. Now, where was I? Basically, if you were to look at a tesseract, it would probably just look like a cube. That's because the world we live in, and how we understand it, all of it is experienced in 3D. But what if that wasn't the case? What if a human could perceive and understand 4D space intuitively? It's not a perfect comparison, but the Otherside might be like an extra axis that fourth kinds like Kasumi have adapted to. That could explain why some parts of it are 'deeper' than others, or why the interstitial space exists. It could also explain why shifting was so disorienting for me, since I haven't adapted to it like you two have."
It had been a while since I'd heard Kozakura's researcher mode. I didn't fully comprehend everything she was saying, but it sure sounded smart.
Toriko raised an arm like she was flagging down a waiter. "Kozakura-sensei, I have a question."
"What is it, Nishina-san?"
"Why are you talking about math? I thought you were a cognitive scientist."
Kozakura waved her hand dismissively. "It's just a different way of thinking about it. I could try putting it terms of cognition, but it would be harder to understand that way. Anyway, that about covers the background. As for my actual findings, I think that, as you've surmised, this building and Kasumi have similar properties, and I might've figured out something new. You could think of this room as something that can rotate to influence where on the Otherworld axis you can perceive, most likely following a sinusoidal pattern. Since Kasumi's power influences the same thing, she can cancel out the room's spinning, acting as an 'anchor' to a single point on the axis."
"An anchor… I remember you saying something like that before. Didn't you want to be our anchor to the surface world? It was a while ago so I might be misremembering."
"No, that did happen. You've got the right idea; I've long given up on it, but now Kasumi can serve that role. It's good news for me, too. With her around, I shouldn't have to worry about getting dragged into this world against my will."
When Kozakura finished talking, the ensuing silence was abruptly broken by a low-pitched grinding sound.
The observation deck had started turning again.
And, our young 'anchor' was nowhere to be found.
Unlike Kozakura, Kasumi didn't have a phone that we could call. She was on her own, and we had no way to actively chase after her.
The little girl's guardian immediately took the blame. "She even told me not to let go. What was I thinking? What kind of adult fails to protect a kid from danger? Please be okay, Kasumi…"
I was worried about the kid too, but I also felt kind of guilty.
"I'm sorry, Kozakura-san. We shouldn't have unilaterally decided to have a picnic like this. We'll definitely make sure that she's safe, okay?" I had no basis to be making such a promise, but I wanted to be reassuring. That was how a responsible adult should act, wasn't it?
"Hey, look." Toriko got our attention. "Outside the window."
The woods surrounding the rotating observation platform had grown denser. It looked like the time of day had changed, too. Was time actually progressing faster, or was the sun just in a different position this far into the supposed fourth dimension?
The sky grew darker, as did Kozakura's expression. I'd have to try harder if I wanted to cheer her up.
"Kasumi disappears like this all the time, right? What do you usually do when that happens?"
"Usually, I'm at home, and can just wait until she shows up again. This isn't the same thing! What if she gets lost? Or hurt? Or eaten?"
"Whoa, you're acting like a hysterical mother. You must care a lot about her," Toriko noted.
"Of course I do! That's beside the point. I don't want anyone else close to me to get swallowed up by the Otherside. Part of my reason for coming here was to prevent that!"
I didn't know how to respond at first. In the past, I might've gotten angry or stopped paying it any mind when Kozakura brought up that person, but I'd grown since then. Now was the time to put that growth to the test.
"Kozakura-san, do you know why I wanted to go on this trip? Part of it was to help you and Kasumi, of course. But more than that, I wanted to show you why I love coming here. To show you that it's not all scary. And to help you make some better memories than a creepy field of flowers, a crazy Love Hotel Girls Party, a haunted car chase, or an exorcism-funeral. Generally, I don't want to let others into my and Toriko's Otherside, and that still holds true, but…"
"We wanted to give you some peace of mind." My partner picked up where I trailed off. "We're always going off and making you worry. I was hoping this trip would relieve some of that, to prove that we're capable and that we won't needlessly risk our lives. Granted, a picnic probably wasn't the best way to convey that… Anyway, I want to make this clear. As long as Sorawo and I are together, we will never follow in Satsuki's footsteps and leave you alone. It's a promise!"
"Yeah, it's a promise."
"Sorawo-chan… Toriko… You…" Kozakura's voice wavered. I wondered if our feelings successfully came across. The sun had just about set, so it was difficult to make out her expression in the darkness. She continued through gritted teeth, "You damn brats—"
"Whoa, careful… Onee-san. You don't want to dirty your kid's vocabulary, do you?"
The spinning halted once again. A small, long-haired child stood next to an unidentifiable figure between me and the child's caring 'older sister'.
Toriko gasped. "Kasumi! You're back!"
In the blink of an eye, Kozakura was squeezing the kid almost as tightly as when the two of them were passengers on the AP-1. Toriko strode over to join them, but stopped short, letting out a second gasp.
"It's the spacesuit! Remember it, Sorawo?"
"I remember. Did Kasumi bring it back?" Rummaging through my backpack, I pulled out a flashlight to get a better look.
As soon as I illuminated the suit with the flashlight's beam, Kozakura let out a shriek, scrambling away without fully releasing Kasumi.
"GYAAA! Shoot it, quick!"
"Relax. It's empty, see?" Toriko reached out to flip open the suits visor. I held my breath. If this were a cheap horror film, something would definitely be inside after a line like that. The actual result was anticlimactic, with no monsters jumping out to vindicate Kozakura's scream.
I repeated my question, "Did you bring that back, Kasumi?"
The girl looked directly into my eyes. "I guess it kind of looks like an offering now," she quoted. "…Maybe we'll get a blessing for it."
It was easy to place the borrowed words. Seeing the spacesuit again had jogged my memory.
"That's right, last time we left it some food and stuff!" Toriko exclaimed, having also recalled the circumstances of our past exchange. "Should we do it again?"
"I won't bother with trying to stop you, if you're asking permission. Just leave me and Kasumi out of it. I'm getting close to my limit after that last surprise."
"You mean you haven't hit your limit yet? I thought you were pushed past the threshold when I pulled out those cans of beer!"
Kozakura glared from where she was grasping Kasumi's arm, on the side opposite from the discarded suit. "I still can't believe you tried pulling a stunt like that. Who would protect me and Kasumi if you both got drunk? Were you planning on driving that farming vehicle after drinking? Pretty counterproductive to your plan to prove your capability and prudence, don't you think?"
"Haha, I can't deny that." Toriko lightly tapped her temple with a curled fist, as if to say "oops, silly me." After that, she turned to me.
"Did you hear all of that, Sorawo? Kozakura gave her approval! What do we have that would make for a good offering?"
"Let me see… The lunch boxes are all half-eaten, so they're no good. Hmm…" I gave the question more serious thought than it really deserved. Sometimes it could be fun to meet Toriko's eccentricities head-on. "I got it! What about the dessert we brought?"
"That's perfect! Nice one, Sorawo."
Toriko opened up the cooler and pulled out a medium-sized container with the assistance of my flashlight. Inside the plastic container were several chunks of watermelon. I had considered slicing up some apples instead, but a melon was somehow more fitting for a summertime picnic.
Soon enough, our astronaut friend had received its second offering, The rest of us gathered together to share the greater portion of the dessert, munching away in the dark observation room and enjoying each others' company.
"You know," Toriko said between bites, "I think it would be fun to do this next year, too."
"You're planning that far in advance?"
"No, I just meant it would be cool to make a tradition out of it. It's not often that we can go on a trip like this as a group."
Kozakura used a handkerchief to wipe watermelon juice off Kasumi's face. "It isn't the worst idea. Though it pains me to admit it, I think I'm glad I came here today. Maybe next time, we can invite Seto-chan and Ichikawa-san as well."
"Huh? The AP-1 can't fit that many people. And, I'd prefer not to get those two involved much further."
"What are you—Hey. When you said you wanted to do this again, you meant a normal picnic, right? You're not talking about making picnics on the Otherside a regular thing, are you?"
""…""
"Hey!"