9

“Hey, settle down, Actagawa! We have to wash you, or you’ll get barnacles!”

Bisco was fighting to keep Actagawa under control. He had already brushed all the sand off the crab’s shell, but once it came time to remove the creature’s saddle and bags, Actagawa suddenly began struggling with an uncharacteristic unruliness.

Unable to bear the sight any longer, Milo descended from the saddle.

“Let it go, Bisco. You’re being too forceful; you’re scaring him.”

“I’m scaring him?! This big guy?!”

Milo stroked the crab’s back gently, whispering “Good boy, good boy” into Actagawa’s ear. “It’s okay, Actagawa. We’re not trying to take anything from you. We just want to make sure you’re all nice and clean…”

Though it seemed unlikely that Actagawa would understand the meaning of Milo’s words, the doctor’s peaceful voice, like the still surface of a lake, caused Actagawa to grow quiet, before at last sitting himself down on the ground.

“There we go!” Milo beamed proudly.

“Hey…”

Bisco looked rather peeved as he unhooked the saddle. He had always left Actagawa’s handling to Jabi before now, so some teething issues were partly to be expected, but Bisco couldn’t get over how personable (or should that be crabbable?) Actagawa became in the presence of Milo, a newcomer, rather than himself, who was raised as the crab’s own brother.

“So…how do you do that? Is there, like, a trick, or something…?” Bisco asked as he scrubbed Actagawa’s saddle.

“Oh? What’s this? You’re awfully keen today, Bisco! Are you feeling okay?”

“Want me to break your nose?”

“There’s no tricks or anything! I think you’re fine just as you are, Bisco. Crabs aren’t like us humans, you see. They’re pure. So when you feel stressed, that makes Actagawa stressed out, too.”

“I’m stressed?”

“Sure, you are. You’re stressed about the Rust-Eater, Bisco. It’s all you ever think about.” Milo’s face was calm as he gently stroked Actagawa’s shell. “Actagawa knows you’re a nice person. But now, you’re like…a sword removed from its sheath. He’s scared to touch you. You’re like a different person to him now.”

“He’s scared of…me?”

“And if you keep a sword outside of its sheath too long…it rusts,” said Milo as he sat down and leaned against Actagawa’s belly. “I know how strong you are, and I know you’re running out of time. That’s why now, more than ever, I don’t want you to be alone… I may still be weak, but I can help shoulder your burdens. Just like I’m sure Jabi was doing…back before we met.”

“…”

“…We’re partners. So trust me. We can stay positive together. And then, I bet Actagawa won’t be so scared of you anymore.”

“…Okay.”

“Wow! You’re actually listening to me? Are you sure you’re feeling okay, Bisco? Here, let me touch your forehead!”

“Shut up! Get off me!”

After reattaching Actagawa’s saddle, Bisco stormed off in the direction of the camp. As Milo watched him go, he chuckled softly to himself.

Bisco was a peerless bowman, a wild dog of a man. But every time he showed his true self it was like a nick in his armor, through which Milo could see that the two of them were not so very different after all. It was a somewhat worrying yet also strangely comforting feeling. Milo felt that emotion now once more, and after giving one last look back at Actagawa, who was now completely calm again, he jogged off toward the camp, following after his partner.

The two humans and one crab had set up camp in the ruins of a fallen watchtower they had encountered during the day. The tower’s skeleton did little to protect them from the Rust Wind, which had already completely eroded its reinforced glass, but it at least provided them with ground that was above water level.

“Here we are! Fugu liver and mushroom soup!”

Bisco had left their unexpected catch in the capable hands of Milo, who had done an excellent job at turning it into dinner. The translucent, white broth gave off a rich aroma as it simmered over the open flame, and Bisco found his mouth watering. He dished out a spoonful of broth into his own bowl and took a sip.

“Whoa, what the hell did you put in this?! It’s fuckin’ good!”

“Hey, mind your manners when eating!”

Bisco immediately spooned up another bowlful and slurped down the whole thing with childlike abandon. As much as it pleased Milo to see Bisco enjoying the food he had made, he soon started to worry there would be none left for him and hurriedly started dishing up his own share, fighting against Bisco for control of the soup.

At night, the scenery of the Shellsand Sea took on a very different atmosphere. The night sky met its reflection in the water, the constellations above inscribed on the surface below. As the two sat there full of fugu meat, it felt as though they were surrounded by stars on all sides, drifting untethered through outer space. The only sound to break the silence was Actagawa noisily scarfing down the leftovers.

“…Soon we’ll be out of this godforsaken place. I’m okay; I got my bow to protect me against any monsters that show up, but I bet you’re ready to leave this salt and hunger behind.”

“No, not at all! I’d never been outside the walls until now,” said Milo. Then he sighed deeply and continued. “I never even thought about what the world outside was like… I didn’t know there were huge creatures like that, nature, the ruins of civilization… I always thought if I went outside, the first gust of wind would blow me over…”

“Heh, it’s not that bad. Well, don’t worry, once we save your sister, you can go right back to your city life, and—”

“No, Bisco!” Milo sat up in the darkness and placed his hand on Bisco’s knee. “That’s…not what I mean. It was fun. It was…really beautiful! The landscape, the air and the water, even that huge shrimp temple… How can I describe it? It’s like… I saw the power of life for the first time. Things struggling to survive. It’s not like Imihama at all, where the streets are stale, and the weak are picked on by the strong…”

“…Milo…”

“I was blind in those streets, Bisco… What was I seeing all that time? While I was safe in the walls, those children were out here fighting for survival, and Governor Kurokawa bled them for all they had.”

“Heh, you’re thinking about it the wrong way. You were a doctor, weren’t you? You did what you could. Everyone has their limits, and you can only push yourself so far beyond.”

“…Heh… Heh-heh… Ah-ha-ha-ha! I never thought I’d hear that from you, Bisco!”

Milo’s expression brightened up in a flash, and he burst out laughing. Bisco wasn’t sure what his partner found so funny and tilted his head a little in the dark.

“Well, in any case, we’re not even halfway yet. And soon you won’t be calling it beautiful anymore. Next up is Shimobuki. We’ll have to start thinking about how to keep the cold off, or we’ll freeze to death.”

“Bisco, from what I saw of it earlier, Kousuke’s map seems like the real deal. We might actually be able to find working trains on the Shirakaba line. If we come across a station, that would be an amazing shortcut!”

“Yeah… I wanna believe it, but it’s just a kid’s story. I’m worried that if we take it too seriously, we could end up wastin’ a lot of time. We’ll keep an eye out, but we’re not going out of our way to look for them. I don’t wanna take any unnecessary risks. I just wanna put as much effort as I can into it. As much as I can take…”

After a lengthy silence, Milo asked a question.

“…Bisco, about Jabi…? Is he your teacher or your father?”

In the dark of night, Milo couldn’t see Bisco’s expression. Bisco paused, as if asking himself that very question, before responding.

“…I dunno. He’s both, I guess. He’s just Jabi.”

All Milo could see was the starlight reflected in Bisco’s emerald eyes.

“He taught me all sorts of stuff… How to use a bow, how to survive. I know he looks like your average, senile old coot, but back in the day, he was strict. I thought I was gonna die back then.”

“What? Because of Jabi?”

“Hard to believe, right?” Bisco laughed. “Yeah, he really put me through hell. I always dreamed of getting stronger than him and beating the shit out of him one day, but I don’t feel that way anymore. He’s just a cowardly old man, and if I ever get stronger than him, I’m sure I’ll get the ‘my work here is done’ spiel.”

Bisco paused for a minute, looking up at the indigo sky. Milo felt as if his words had cut so close to Bisco’s heart that he could feel it beating.

“Hey, Bisco… I think… I think Jabi really loves y— Ouch!” A shadow reached through the darkness and flicked Milo painfully on the forehead.

“Enough sappy talk.” Bisco grinned at Milo’s squirming form. “Well, he might be a crazy old fart, but he’s my crazy old fart.”

There was a short silence.

“I wanna save him.”

Milo was struck by how quiet and calm Bisco sounded. He was always focused so intently on his goal, burning with such determination that it was difficult to be near him. This was the first time Milo felt like he had been able to get close. He almost didn’t want to speak, for fear of spoiling the moment, but he just had to offer his partner some encouraging words.

“We will, Bisco. We’ll save him. You’re the Mushroom Keepers’ shining star, and I’m Dr. Nekoyanagi. Together, we can do anything…!”

“Heh. Now who’s the one talking weirdly?” Bisco regained his usually cheeky smile and chuckled. He turned to Milo in the night, staring at him fixedly with those bright-green eyes.

“Of course we can. We’ll save ’em both. Jabi—and your big sis, too.”

“Bisco…”

“Now get to bed. We have another early morning tomorrow.”

Then Bisco rolled over, pulling his cloak over himself without another word. Milo gazed up at the stars but found himself unable to fall asleep, so he just lay there watching Bisco’s sleeping form.