- Splash... splash...
Ah... I'm drowsy. Somehow, since coming up onto the sea, everything feels far too peaceful.
The soft sound of waves rising from below. Sunlight coming into the bus at just the right warmth, not too hot.
Sitting there and taking it all in leaves my mind slack and languid before I know it.
Well, at least my head hurts less, so I guess that's something.
...Ah. If I keep this up, I'm going to fall asleep. Might as well use the time to sort through what's happened and wake myself up.
It's been a few days since we came up onto the sea... about three, I think? Roughly that long.
Not much happened in that time. If anything, we got a few new identities.
The Mirror Railway Line 2 did open, but... Dante didn't seem eager to rush into it.
After we'd done a bit of [synchronization] on the newly opened stage! 4, or whatever they called it, we'd be going in.
Our maximum growth limit with [personality training tickets] increased, or rather, the overall growth cap increased.
Anyway, unlike with Line 1, we decided to go in after making proper preparations. We'd suffered plenty last time, after all.
Something about refining the build, or whatever...
For some reason, the number of times we'd been entering the [Mirror Dungeon] had also gone down lately, and because of that, the Sinners were all just lazing around and resting on their own.
And then...
"Thank you. From this point on, we will begin up to twelve hours of sleep and rest, with possible variation. Have a good night."
When the sunset hit my face, I'd hear that same announcement that work was over and head back to my room.
Always the same sight. Always the same routine. Always the same repetition.
The scenery of the lake hadn't changed for a while either, so it all felt... too peaceful.
Normally, we'd be sailing along, watching the scenery of the Great Lake change, seeing a few other ships and all that, but for some reason, [Mephistopheles] had stopped moving forward for a while.
Even when I asked Faust for the reason, all she said was that we just had to wait.
My guess is that she was probably waiting for some kind of contact from the before-team.
And so the unchanging light of the lake kept tickling my eyes, while in that languid atmosphere, boring and peaceful time went on.
Calling it boring feels a little off, though. Compared to all the bizarre things we'd been through, this was one of the rare peaceful stretches, so everyone was enjoying it.
Ah. Well, not everyone.
"Huff, huff..."
"Are you truly all right, sir?"
"...I have said it countless times, but if I must answer once more... I... am... fine..."
"You keep giving the contents of your stomach back to the lake. How can that possibly be fine..."
Mr. Yi Sang, unexpectedly weak to seasickness, could hardly be said to be enjoying this boating trip.
He's got such a strong stomach otherwise, so why is he like that? What a peculiar man.
"Oh... at long last, am I to be freed..."
"My companions also... have their hardships. How could I alone do otherwise?"
Hah. He's too kind for me to hate him, honestly.
But wait. Seasickness...?
Something... feels like I've forgotten something... Ah!
"Wait, Yi Sang. Hold on a moment."
"Huff... is there some sort of problem...?"
Come to think of it, I think I bought some motion sickness medicine last time. Why on earth had I forgotten about it until now?
I should have gathered all the emergency medicine here...
"Let me see... ah, here it is!"
"What...?"
"Motion sickness medicine. I bought it when I stocked the pantry last time."
"Oh...!"
"It won't work if you take it now, so take it at least thirty minutes before you get seasick. There isn't much of it, though..."
<...If you had that, couldn't you have given it to me earlier?>
"I bought it without thinking and completely forgot about it."
<...>
"Anyway, you should be able to hold out until we reach one of U Corp's branches. We can buy more motion sickness medicine there."
"Thank you. I shall be sure to take it from tomorrow onward..."
"Have a good night."
Right after that final farewell, Dante supported Yi Sang and went through the back door.
I hope he feels better tomorrow. It's hard to watch a decent person always like that.
...Wasn't I not much different until recently?
Anyway, I was just about done with staring out the window and thinking about heading in when...
Above me, without any warning, a very loud sound rang out.
- WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENG―――!!!! UUUUUUNG―! UUUUUUNG―! UUUUUUNG―!
My ears... my ears...!
After that sudden ambush, the Sinners began coming out one by one from the back door.
They all gathered quickly, but the first to emerge was Faust.
She pressed several buttons beside the driver's seat to silence the alarm, then started reading the message displayed there.
We'd just finished our evening farewells, too...
<...Did a new space appear?>
"Even Faust requires a certain amount of time to decipher such things."
...The creator encrypted it so thoroughly that even she needs time to decode it?
What a madwoman. Is that normal, to go that far?
"That is the least likely possibility. The light for the door leading to Line 2 still hasn't gone out, so it's hard to imagine it would arrive so soon."
Mm... that time was intense.
The majestic train standing there in that blue station had a uniquely oppressive presence that was hard to put into words.
And what happened when we rode it was also... ah. No. Never mind.
Right after my recollection was cut off, Faust, who had been staring at the monitor as if her eyes might fall out, stepped back.
<...A dud?>
"Yes. This station is not one we are likely to use."
"The timing when the dungeon and the railway first appeared was also strange, Dante. Since we cannot know when a new element will be observed, I recommend avoiding rash assumptions."
That's true enough. The dungeon appeared when we were about to leave J Corp, and the railway when we were in the middle of passing through K Corp's streets, I think.
"...And. The alarm that rings when Mephistopheles' engine detects a change in variability also means that a new door has appeared somewhere in the corridor. If we enter it, a space that truly cannot be undone may open, so we must identify it clearly."
"...Rash assumptions."
<...>
What, what was that about? What did that insane man do again? I'm the only one who doesn't know!
"In any case, there is no immediate problem... so I believe it would be reasonable to enjoy the remaining rest period. I will return first. Rest comfortably, Dante."
Faust, who had only given us a taste of some amusing story she alone knew, soon returned to the corridor through the back door.
...I'll have to ask about that later. Did he step into the depths of some endless space or something?
With all the Sinners back inside the bus, only Dante and I remained.
Dante quietly stared at the monitor, whose power still hadn't gone off...
He clutched his head and quickly looked away.
...Then why did you bother looking at it?
Just before Dante, who had briefly complained of dizziness, was about to head toward the back of the bus like the other Sinners, he suddenly stopped and turned back toward me.
"Ah, no. I was just planning to go in soon. I was simply... thinking for a moment while looking at the night sea."
"Are you turning in early today? You've been out for a while lately, even though there's no need for guard duty."
"Mm... If you're in pain, please tell me right away. I'm a former doctor, after all, so I should be of some help with things like this."
"Then please go in and rest quickly. Make sure you get enough sleep."
"Don't just brush it off like that... never mind, I'll just examine you at every consultation. Fine. Then, have a good night."
After that small exchange, Dante went through the back door and into the corridor.
...I should probably head in too.
I'd been watching the situation for the past few days, thinking maybe Ms. Ishmael might come out for a day or so, but the room behind that tightly shut back door showed no sign of opening.
I was curious what she was thinking, but... for now, there was no way or chance to find out...
Life aboard the ship continued.
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