Plate 7: Balls

Plate 7:
Balls

 

Scene 1

 

“YOU HAVE TOO MANY THINGS you hate, Reo.”

The young Reo furrowed his brows. “So? Got a problem with it?”

“I didn’t say that. But…”

Reo hated the rain, he hated the rich, he hated adults, he hated baths, he hated brand new T-shirts, he hated studying. Basically, he hated everything.

“Then what is it?” Reo demanded.

“I hate when you say you ‘hate’ things,” the other boy answered honestly.

Reo stiffened. Tears came spilling from his eyes. “Huh… Wha…?”

“Reo?! Are you hurt?!”

“I-I don’t know…” Confused, he clawed at his chest. “It hurts right here… O-ouch. That hurts, Mabu!”

“Sorry.” Mabu, desperate to stop Reo’s tears, scrubbed at the other boy’s face with more force than he intended. The area around Reo’s eyes was turning red. “Reo, let’s make a promise.”

“A promise?”

“A promise not to say the word ‘hate’ anymore.”

“What kind of promise is that?” muttered Reo.

“I don’t want to hear that you hate everything, and I don’t want to see you cry. So let’s just stop saying the word ‘hate’ from now on.”

Exasperated, Reo finally agreed. “Okay, fine. But, just so you know, I would never use that word for you, Mabu.” The two exchanged a pinky promise with their tiny fingers.

Such was the dream of a day long past.

 

Asakusa’s streets were empty late at night, nothing like the hustle and bustle of the afternoon. An ominous aura emanated from exit eight of Asakusa Metro, which led to an underground shopping district. A sign hung above the entrance, boasting an adorable otter mascot character called Otter Boy-kun. It shone so brightly that the image seemed to imprint itself on the eyes.

This underground shopping district was Japan’s oldest. The Showa period had had a lasting impact on the architecture of the bar quarter, where something was currently taking place.

“It’s hot. Can’t we stop yet?”

Between the saccharine scent of something baking and the steam that permeated the air, it was difficult to breathe inside the dimly lit establishment. The heat of the gas burner illuminated the side of Mabu’s face, giving it an eerie, pale silhouette that glowed in the dark.

A clear, deep voice whispered in his ear. “Odd-er… Don’t you think it’s a bit too soon?”

“But I can’t stand it anymore,” said Mabu.

“Odd-er… You never have any self-restraint.”

“Please…don’t tease me…!”

“If you’re going to complain, then try doing it yourself,” the otter urged. Its tone seemed to indicate it saw right through Mabu.

Ga-chang! There was a clang as metal clapped against metal, and a puff of steam shot up into the air.

“Aah…”

“Odd-er. See, I told you. It was too early.”

“My apologies.” Mabu’s gaze was fixed on the ningyo-yaki. The little baked doll cake failed to maintain its form, its batter collapsing. How many times had he failed now?

As if satisfied that the result was just as it had foreseen, the red shadow seemed to smile as it brushed its own hand over Mabu’s white one. “Odd-er. It seems some fine-tuning is in order. Let me see inside your body again.”

“Please, I want to become the person he’s hoping for. Quickly.” Maintenance was a matter of life or death for Mabu.

“Mabu. My poor, beautiful doll.”

As Mabu lay on a table, the shadow slid its practiced hands over his chest. Unable to endure it, he closed his eyes.

The hands that touched his hollow heart—to whom did they really belong?

 

It was a sunny morning, and Asakusa TV was playing in the Asakusa Otter Police Box. Reo carried a strainer full of boiled broccoli over to the table. Steam was still rising off of them as he cheerfully dished them into his bowl of instant yakisoba.

“Heh heh heh, and now my perfect breakfast is ready~!♪” Reo customized his yakisoba by layering broccoli over it until the noodles were barely visible, then blanketing the whole thing in a gratuitous helping of mayonnaise. “Now to dig in.”

“Thank you for the food.”

Reo quirked an eyebrow at the other man. “Huh?” He peered over at Mabu, who similarly was eating his own bowl of instant yakisoba, and clumsily clicked his tongue. “Knock it off. There’s no point in you eating that.”

“Thanks to that last round of maintenance, I can eat now.” But being capable of eating and actually enjoying the food were two completely different things. Mabu’s pale face as he chewed was outright painful to watch.

“Fine.” Reo acquiesced. “And? You think you’ll win my approval by showing me that you can eat my favorite food?”

Mabu swallowed after much difficulty, bits of food still plastered to the sides of his mouth. He listened to Reo’s words with a blank look in his eyes.

“You can dress it up to look as realistic as you like, but it doesn’t mean anything. Everything that comes from you is a lie.”

A lie. A fake. Empty. A doll. Those were all words Mabu heard many times before.

“Regardless, there’s someone I care about, and that makes things like this important to me,” said Mabu.

“Yeah, yeah, I know all too well who it is you really care about.”

As Reo spat back at him, Mabu lifted his face. “Reo, I…”

“Enough. More importantly, don’t say anything about what you saw yesterday. Not even to that precious, precious otter of yours.”

“…Okay.” Mabu’s reply echoed hollowly in the refreshing morning sunlight.

Scene 2

 

“THANKS FOR THE delicious meal!” Kazuki and Haruka’s voices echoed together in the Yasakas’ living room.

Ever since they rescued Haruka from the grip of the Otter Empire, Kazuki managed to finally return to his old self. The experience must have been terrifying for Haruka, so they asked Keppi to erase the memory from his mind—scrubbing it away like so much gunk on a plate. Meanwhile, Kazuki and his friends could still remember the struggle in great detail.

Kazuki slipped his arms through the sleeves of his blue-bordered summer clothing for the first time in a long time, and then said good morning to his family in the living room. They sat around the table to eat breakfast together, surrounded by the warm scent of happiness.

Sara’s dreamy voice droned on from the television. “Well then, have a wonderful day, and may you have lots of luck dished your way! ✩”

 

The summer sun cast a refracted reflection on the surface of the Sumida River. Nyantaro meowed as she chowed down on Fishtopia.

“Kazu-chan, there’s something I need to give you.” Haruka was perched on the embankment wall as he rummaged through his pocket. He produced the sachet that belonged to Kazuki’s mother. “That day, she said to give it to you.”

“Could you keep it for me, Haruka?”

“What? But…”

“Right now, I just want to be connected to the people closest to me,” Kazuki explained. He didn’t intend to discard his past, which was why he wanted Haruka to keep it for him.

“Am I included in that? And Mom and Dad too?” Haruka looked anxious.

Kazuki grinned back, as if to comfort him. “Yeah, do you even have to ask?” He patted his younger brother’s head.

“Ehehe, I’m glad to hear it!”

It was a casual moment of physical contact. Haruka had waited for this for so long.

 

“Got it? You only get to experience this summer once, so don’t waste a moment of it! Laugh, cry, do backflips, whatever you want!” Otone’s cheerful voice reverberated through the Asakusa Sara Junior High School classroom. “Let’s make the most of it, whether we’re playing games or doing homework! Yeaah!” She pumped her fist in the air, all kitted out for summer in her straw hat, bug-catching net, and watermelon pool floatie.

And with that, their end-of-term ceremony was at an end. Tomorrow, the long-awaited summer break would begin.

“It’s been a long time since we did this,” said Kazuki.

Enta replied, “You got that right.”

The two boys were kicking a soccer ball at the base of the east end of the Azuma Bridge. Enta had defended this place on Kazuki’s behalf and was still processing the joy he felt at them being able to play together. “Did you talk to my sister yet about rejoining the soccer team?”

“Yeah. I’ll be joining you guys again next term.” Kazuki had a bright look on his face as he spoke, not a single shadow in sight.

Enta was worried after everything that happened—Kazuki’s cross-dressing being discovered at the handshake event, the secret of his birth parents being divulged when their consciousnesses joined in Sarazanmai, and then to top it all off, Haruka being kidnapped by the Otter Empire. But this summer promised to be a fun one.

“All right! Then let’s get some special training in during break, just the two of us!” Enta channeled a bit too much enthusiasm as he kicked the ball, and it sailed in the wrong direction.

Kazuki chased it down to where it stopped at the riverbank. As he picked it up, he noticed a silhouette on the red bridge above. “Tooooi!”

Toi paused mid-shuffle, unused to hearing his name called that way. He glanced down from the guardrail and spotted Kazuki waving at him.

“Heeey! Toooooi! Come over here!”

“…You’re being chummy,” Toi commented. As usual, he was taken off guard by Kazuki’s friendliness—the way he slipped past all Toi’s walls. Seeing the soccer ball in Kazuki’s arms and the blue friendship bracelet around his right ankle, he seemed to guess what was going on. “You’re starting soccer again?”

Kazuki was so obstinate before about not playing. But memories of how they passed the Keppi-ball up to Kazuki so he could slam it in the goal and rescue his brother were still fresh in Toi’s mind. He noticed that Kazuki was smiling more than he had before. He also suspected that Enta, who long wished for the return of their Golden Duo, was probably over the moon in delight.

 

Toi used his feet to trap the ball that came flying at him, and then passed it to Enta.

The latter, who had something weighing on his mind for a bit now, decided to ask. “Hey, Kuji, you’ve played soccer before, haven’t you?” He noticed it when he lost that fight against those other boys here, and again when they kicked Keppi to each other at the Otter Empire HQ. Toi’s control was too good for him to be a total amateur.

“Eh, well, a little.”

What’s he acting all humble for? Enta wondered.

Beside him, Kazuki spoke up, “You’re too good for it to just be ‘a little.’ Oh, hey! Why don’t you join the team with us?”

“Huh?” Toi blurted out, surprised at the sudden invitation.

“You, Enta, and me. It’d be way more fun with the three of us! Right, Enta?”

“Yeah! With our teamwork, we could even aim for nationals, couldn’t we?”

Toi couldn’t quite keep up with their burgeoning enthusiasm. “No, I…”

“What, you don’t want to?” Kazuki asked, an innocent look on his face. He was oblivious to his own tendency to pull people into his schemes. Toi, however, had a hard time saying no to Kazuki—but at least he was somewhat aware of that.

“…I mean, I guess I could,” Toi answered finally. Ah, here we go again, he thought.

Enta had a big grin on his face when Toi looked over at him. “You act all distant, but you’re actually happy to join us, huh?”

It felt as if Enta had read him like a book, so when Toi returned the kick, he put all his power behind it. It slammed right into Enta’s face.

“Agyah!” he screeched. “You suck at kicking!”

“That was on purpose,” Toi told him.

“Be gentle on my glasses, okay?! You gonna pay for them if they break?!”

“That’s the part you’re pissed about?”

Kazuki burst into laughter.

Life had been so hectic recently, downtime like this was rare. In that moment, the boys were certain they would be able to continue playing soccer together, even as they transformed into kappa and fought zombies.

Scene 3

 

REO WAS SEATED inside the air-conditioned confines of the police box, the heat of the midsummer sun at his back. Mabu was gone today.

“If I can get those plates, everything will work out…”

He suddenly stood, muttering the words to himself as he held his hand out toward the wall. Glitchy static suddenly rippled across the ordinary green bulletin board, and just as quickly, a bright red otter mark appeared over it.

When Reo had the sudden impulse to turn that little kid into a Kappa Zombie earlier, some punks infiltrated their hideout and stole the child away. He was able to confirm the culprits’ identities via a monitor: three unfamiliar kappa and a round, white object that they bounced between themselves like a ball. That “ball” was the crown prince of the Kappa Kingdom. He fled during the war and was missing ever since.

Reo couldn’t forget that day—the day Mabu lost his life.

 

He awoke in a hospital room. The walls were pure white, with leaves patterned on the ceiling. At least, he assumed it was a hospital room because of the bed and the tube fed into his arm, leading to an IV drip beside him.

“Mabu!” Reo sprang upright, shouting for his partner on instinct. His head spun, dizziness overcoming him. Just how long had he been sleeping like this?

“How are you feeling?” The room seemed empty when he awoke, but now an eerie black shadow lingered at its edge.

“…Who are you?” Reo was at a disadvantage; his body didn’t move the way he willed it. In a bid to keep the shadow from inferring as much, he fixed them with a deadly glare.

“An otter. Specifically, the director general of the Otter Empire’s Science and Technology Agency. You were involved in an incident when the Kappa Kingdom was annihilated.”

Images flashed through his head—blazing flames, crumbling wreckage, and his one and only partner, Mabu—his eyes falling shut as Reo cradled him in his arms.

“Where’s Mabu…?!” Vivid memories came flooding back, of Mabu’s white hand in Reo’s as he said, Don’t let go of your desires.

“Odd-er…”

The otter seemed to disappear for a split second, before a light flipped suddenly on. The room adjacent to his, which was hidden by a darkened window, was now illuminated. The sight contained within stole Reo’s breath away.

“He sustained serious injuries. By the time we found him, it was already too late,” said the otter.

Reo pulled out the tube coiled around him and tripped over his own feet in his rush to the glass partition. Lying on the bed within was Mabu, looking as if he were in a deep sleep. Reo was sure that if he pressed his ear to the other man’s chest, he’d hear the gentle thrum of a heartbeat.

“Mabu! Wake up! Don’t you dare leave me behind, I won’t forgive you if you do! You hear me, Mabu?! This is utterly unbelievable. Tell me this is just some kind of dream…!”

“It’s otterly true. An unfortunate reality.”

As Reo hunched over, the otter’s voice rang unpleasantly loud in his ear. “Do you wish to save your partner’s life?”

“If you’re telling me I’d be able to hear Mabu’s voice again… I’ll do whatever it takes.” That was his answer, before the otter even asked the next question. Even knowing the suffering it would cause, Reo would give the same answer again.

Because we never really had a choice.

Scene 4

 

“HUH…?”

The soccer ball fell out of Kazuki’s hands, rolling away. The grating cry of cicadas filled his ears. Just ahead of where the ball came to a stop was a sight that left even Enta and Toi speechless. The training area, where they played soccer just the day before, was now a tragic scene. Kitchen waste, boxes, and empty cans were strewn about. Whoever the culprit was, they also brought paints and vandalized the boys’ makeshift goalpost with a variety of colors.

Kazuki mumbled, “Our practice area…”

“This looks awful…” said Toi.

Enta also spoke up, “Who would do such a thing…?”

As they stood there, frozen, Toi was the first one to move.

“Toi?” Kazuki called after him.

Toi squatted down and picked up one of the cans, glancing back at the other two. “We’re gonna do it, right? Soccer, I mean. The three of us.”

“You…” Enta was completely taken aback by Toi’s actions.

Kazuki hurried over to the mountain of trash. “Yeah! Let’s fix this together, the three of us!”

And so, their first day of summer vacation was spent picking up garbage. The three stopped to admire their work once it was all finished, satisfied with what they accomplished.

“Okay,” said Kazuki. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow!”

Enta looked over at Toi. “Don’t oversleep, Kuji.”

“Don’t need to hear that from you.”

They promised to meet again the next day, and then parted ways.

 

“Systems are currently operating at 39% capacity.”

The plain, steel framework elevator was soaring upward.

“Otterly unbelievable…” responded a voice over the transmission.

Mabu kneeled in the elevator as he gave his report. Reo was nowhere to be seen. “It’s completely true. The Kappa Zombie reserve army has declined considerably. We’ve already hunted down and cleared out all the people in this city with strong desires.”

“Odd-er. That spells catastrophe for both you and your partner.”

“I am very well aware,” said Mabu.

“If you’re being otterly truthful, then show us proof of your loyalty. Now, have you any other changes to report?”

After a pause, Mabu answered, “No.”

“I have great expectations of you…Mabu.”

The transmission ended.

Mabu kept his promise.

 

Yasaka Kazuki had three habits that he refused to budge on. Everyone had habits like that, however big or small: things like eating taiyaki from the tail first, washing your arms first in the bath, or starting a mystery novel by reading the ending first. It didn’t matter if anyone else understood them; they were absolute and binding.

And so, Kazuki was currently holding a soccer ball in his hands. It was just a regular ball that you might find anywhere, a bit scuffed from use. Dressed in a striped summer outfit, cradling that ordinary ball in his hands as if it were something precious, he began to cross the great bridge that stretched out over the Sumida River.

 

“Good morning! ✩ Every day is happy! And with your lucky selfie, you’ll have even more happiness on your plate! It’s me, Azuma Sara, dish! ✩” There was a Jumbotron located on the Matsuya department store, just ahead of the bridge he finished crossing, and from it drifted the sleepy-sounding voice of a girl. “Here we go, what will the item be for today’s lucky selfie?”

The girl on the monitor began to dance to a profoundly mysterious tune. This girl was Azuma Sara, a local idol hosting the program for her namesake, Asakusa Sara TV.

Kazuki kept walking, not missing a beat as he turned his back on Sara and continued on.

“Duh-dun! It’s a ball, dish! ✩ The more balls you have, the happier you’ll be! ✩” The roulette wheel she spun landed on a plate with the word “ball” written on it. “Okay then, have a wonderful day, and may you have lots of luck dished your way! ✩”

 

Ping!

His phone beeped with the sound of an incoming message. Stickers and messages began popping up one after the other in their group chat window.

Enta: 😣 I just woke up!

Toi: 😡 I’ll snap your plate in two!

Enta: 🙏 Sorry!

Although Enta was the one to warn them all against sleeping in, he was was late today.

Kazuki: Enta will have to treat us to kappa croquettes! 😉

Kazuki grinned as he typed out that short message. Soon, the app indicated that both of them had read it, and what followed was a seemingly random exchange of stickers.

 

The fact that we transform into kappa and extract Kappa Zombies’ shirikodama is a secret to everyone. We’ve had a few close shaves, but the three of us are connected by Sarazanmai. I’m sure we’ll be okay, no matter what happens.

Or at least, so he’d thought.

“Huh…?”

The ball fell from Kazuki’s hands. The cicadas sounded even noisier today. Enta and Toi were speechless. The practice area they worked so hard together to clean was trashed once again. It looked even worse than it had yesterday.

Kazuki mumbled, “It can’t be…”

“Again?” Toi grumbled.

“No way, not after we worked so hard to clean it!”

“Someone’s trying to harass us.” Toi concluded.

“What? Why us—?” Enta started to grumble back at the other boy.

“Again!” Kazuki interrupted. “Let’s clean it again. We’ll show them. We won’t give up that easily!”

“Kazuki…” Enta stared back at him.

“…Yeah,” agreed Toi.

Things moved quickly once their minds were made up.

“Okay! Let’s dish out all we’ve got and clean this place up!” Enta swung his arms in a circle, stretching them, and then began collecting the garbage.

Toi was about to follow his lead when suddenly…

Brrr… Brrr…

His phone vibrated with an incoming call. He didn’t have to check the screen to know who was calling. There was only one person in the world who would contact him like this.

“Sorry, I gotta take this.” That was all he said before walking off.

“It’s rare for Toi to talk on the phone,” Kazuki noted casually as he watched Toi climb up the stairs.

“Gotta be his brother, right? I assume,” said Enta.

“Oh, I guess so.”

“Kuji doesn’t seem to have much interest in making calls or sending messages, but he’s always hooked to his phone.”

“Really?” asked Kazuki. “Well, I kinda get that, though. I’m sure he’s always waiting.”

The two of them recalled Toi’s brother, whom they’d seen when the other boy’s secrets leaked in Sarazanmai. Those memories were from four years ago, so Chikai probably looked different now. Ever since the two learned the secret that was supposed to stay just between Toi and his brother, they avoided bringing up his family.

“Now come on!” said Enta. “Let’s get cleaning!”

“Okay!”

They rolled up their sleeves and started cleaning up the mountain of filth. There was even more garbage and graffiti than there had been yesterday, and it took a bone-breaking degree of effort to get it done between just the two of them.

“It’s just not coming off!” Enta cursed as he scrubbed furiously at a splatter of red paint plastered across the wall with his deck brush.

“We might not be able to get all of this off…” Kazuki, who was doing the same beside him, was beginning to get discouraged as well.

Just then, the two heard footsteps coming down the stairs above them. Kazuki noticed and stopped scrubbing. “Toi?”

“You’re late! Today’s croquettes are gonna be your treat!” said Enta.

“…Sure.” Toi’s response to Enta’s ribbing was half-hearted.

“Huh?” Enta blurted, confused.

“Sorry,” Toi said. “I won’t be able to play soccer with you guys anymore.”

For a moment, even the cicadas seemed to fall silent.

“The phone call was from my brother. That big job he had, it didn’t work out. You guys get it, right? It’s not a normal job. One mistake can be deadly. But my brother’s comrades betrayed him.”

“No way…”

Toi slowly descended the steps. “Apparently, it’s only a matter of time before the police have a warrant out for him. I’m going to meet up with my brother and leave this city. So…forget all that talk of me joining the soccer team.” He traced his hand over the wall, still stained with streaks of paint.

The bright midsummer sunlight cast thick shadows at the base of the bridge, hiding the expression on Toi’s face. Only fourteen years old, the boys didn’t know what was appropriate to say at a time like this.

“I’ve been mentally preparing myself for this. It just means I can’t put my past completely behind me.”

Had Kuji Toi always been the type to make decisions without anyone else’s input? It sounded like he’d given up on everything.

“Just one more,” said Kazuki, his voice booming.

“Huh?” Toi glanced back.

Kazuki’s eyes were full of intense determination. “The Wishing Plates! Just one more and we’ll have five. Then we can help your brother!”

“Kazuki…” Enta was naturally shocked to hear that proposal coming from Kazuki, given that the latter had been collecting them for Haruka’s sake up until now.

“If we do that, you won’t have to leave anymore, right, Toi?”

“I-I guess.”

“Well, then that’s that! Right, Enta?”

“Yeah! Let’s get that last plate for Kuji!”

Dazed, Toi stared blankly at the two boys as the sun glared overhead.

 

The three of them went to the shopping district to buy snacks. They ate as they walked, laughing over the fact that they’d spent the whole day cleaning again without being able to practice at all. When Toi tried to treat them both to croquettes, they turned him down, saying, “Come on, we were just kidding about that.”

When Kazuki spotted a convenience store along the way, he popped inside to buy water for Keppi. As Enta watched him go, he commented, “That’s who Kazuki really is, you know. That’s how he was before Haruka’s accident. This is what I’ve been wishing for this whole time, for him to smile the way he used to.” His cheeks puffed out like a squirrel’s as he chomped down on his croquette.

As Toi watched, he remembered something that was worrying him earlier. Kazuki was still inside browsing, so he had some time. “You sure you’re okay with this?”

“Hm?”

“Weren’t you gathering those plates so you could make Kazuki’s wish come true?” As far as Toi could recall, all of Enta’s tears, laughter, and anger had been for Kazuki. Toi hadn’t known them for long, but even he could tell the two had a lot of history.

“What? Are you trying to be considerate? What’s next, are pigs gonna start flying?” Enta joked.

“Don’t mock me!”

“Okay, sorry, don’t get so mad!” Enta rummaged through the plastic bag he was holding as he answered the question. “Like you said, I still want to make Kazuki’s wish come true.”

“Then why—”

Enta interrupted Toi by holding a croquette in front of his face. “And! Right now, his wish is to help you!”

Toi gaped, unable to say anything.

“Get it? Then take this. Here!”

“…Thanks.” Toi hesitated before timidly reaching a hand out for the croquette, but his fingers swiped empty air.

“Nah, this feels too weird. I changed my mind!” Enta wore a triumphant smirk as he held the treat just out of reach.

“You—I’ll run you through!” Toi roared.

“Ehehe!”

As the two of them bantered together, Kazuki stepped out of the store with cucumber-flavored Shirohasu water in hand. “Sorry to keep you guys waiting. Something happen?”

“Nope!” the two replied in unison. Enta grinned while Toi angrily bit into the croquette he managed to wrest out of the former’s hand.

Kazuki, chill as ever, seemed content to drop the matter.

 

“Ribbit, caution!”

Meanwhile, Keppi was busy patrolling Kappabashi’s main street. Or so it seemed from the outside, anyway. In reality, the crown prince of the Kappa Kingdom was currently in the middle of a date with Asakusa’s local idol, Azuma Sara. Since Keppi wasn’t human, however, it looked more like a woman cradling a creepy pet in her arms as she walked.

“We’ll correct the wrongs of this city today as we always do, ribbit.” He had a stiff expression on his face as he fixed his gaze on the kappa statue at the side of the street. The short, plump Keppi stretched his legs out and slapped a sticker on it that said “This is a kappa.”

“You’re complately amazing, dish! ✩”

Keppi’s gaze turned to another green statue often seen near drugstores. “This one…is NOT a kappa!” He slapped a sticker on it that read “This is a frog.”

“Ahh, you’re so complately dreamy, dish! ✩” His every action made Sara’s heart beat with adoration.

Keppi turned to her, his eyes earnest as he declared, “And this kappa…belongs to me and only me, ribbit…”

“I love you complately, dish! ✩” Sarah said before planting a kiss on the white, squishy mochi’s forehead (or, at least, the closest thing a creature like Keppi could have to a forehead).

“We’re the best couple on earth, ribbit…”

The two were lost in their own little world as darkness began to descend.

 

Balls, balls…

Balls, balls…

Otter odd-er

Steal those balls

From a world otterly filled with lies

Steal the balls, balls

 

Rip open the heart of truth under dominion,

An imitation lies beneath the heat at your fingers

 

Don’t let go of your desires

 

Our wish is for a night without end

Our first encounter is a morning that never begins

 

Wring out desire

 

Below the city, Reo and Mabu’s ritual played out, unbeknownst to anyone else.

 

“Time for our next piece of news, dish! ✩ Soccer balls are flying through the air all over Asakusa. Balls are our friends! ✩” Asakusa Sara TV was reporting on the bizarre events occurring around the city with its usual devil-may-care attitude.

Kazuki and the others arrived at the Kappa Plaza, searching for Keppi.

“Hey, Keppi! We brought you a gift!”

“It’s your favorite cucumber-flavored Shirohasu!”

But there was no answer when they called for him.

“Hey, look at this…” A cucumber lay at Toi’s feet with teeth marks on it.

“Keppi’s leftovers?” Enta questioned.

“He’s too greedy with his food. He wouldn’t leave his favorite snack behind like this,” said Toi.

Kazuki stared at it for a moment before his head jerked up with a start. “Don’t tell me something happened to him?!”

Suddenly, they heard a strange song drift behind them. “The two of us are a couple~!♪ The best couple~!♪” Keppi returned, clearly in good spirits.

“What the heck,” mumbled Enta. “He’s fine.”

As he stepped into the plaza, Keppi’s expression turned grave. “Hmph! I sense someone has infiltrated this place in my absence, ribbit…!”

“Huh?!”

“A burglar, ribbit!”

Keppi’s prediction proved to be true. They opened the lid to a small underground compartment in the plaza and found…

“The Wishing Plates! They’re gone!” Kazuki gasped. The four plates they gathered and left in Keppi’s safekeeping had disappeared.

“This might be the work of the Otter Empire, ribbit.”

“Seriously?! Isn’t that real bad?” Enta asked in a panicked tone.

The soccer ball they’d left sitting on the floor behind them suddenly lifted into the air and began to float away. “Hey, my ball!” Kazuki shouted.

“Looks like we have another Kappa Zombie, ribbit.”

“No,” snapped Toi. “At a time like this?!”

Now that he was finally able to play soccer with Kazuki again, Enta wasn’t about to let a Kappa Zombie get in his way. There was no hesitation in his voice as he said, “Let’s forego getting the plates back right now and focus on getting the ball back first!”

A familiar force slammed into Enta’s bottom.

 

A rickshaw flew past the familiar Shinto shrines and shop fronts of Orange Street.

“Today’s zombie is a Ball Zombie.”

“Why’d you hit me first?! I didn’t even say that word!”

Keppi glanced at Kappa-Enta before pointing at the words on the shutters of the storefronts they passed. Let’s forego getting the plates back right now.

FoRegO Getting = FROG

Frog = Most humiliating insult ever

The letters on the metal shutters spelled out Enta’s mistake for him.

“Grrr, that’s a real stretch!” Enta’s indignation earned him a sympathetic look from Toi.

“Anyway, we can search for the missing plates after we defeat this Zombie!” Kappa-Kazuki said. They needed five silver plates to have a wish granted. They had no real choice but to defeat this Zombie first.

“Y-yeah! You’ve got a point!”

 

A Ball Zombie loomed above the Azuma Bridge’s Desire Field, a collection of soccer balls dotting its massive body. A red ball gag was tucked into the creature’s mouth. Judging by its appearance, today’s Zombie had some crazy desires.

“I’m so jealous of all the balls!” it roared. It didn’t sound like love, but envy.

Kappa-Enta scrambled recklessly, wriggling inside the Zombie’s sphincter, and clamped onto its shirikodama.

“We kappatured it!”

 

Inside the shirikodama, Enta saw a man dressed in a peculiar costume. A woman in a similar getup kicked him right in the crotch.

“You wanted to become a ball so she could kick you…!”

“Now you know the secret I couldn’t share with anyone!” The Zombie—who was once Tamayori Shikeru, his name currently spelled out with the kanji for Please Kick Me Instead of Balls—let out a final cry of agony as his monstrous body burst. “A cry from the ball pit of my heaaaaart!”

 

Keppi’s voice echoed around them. “Time for Sarazanmai, ribbit!”

“Saraaa!”

“Saraaa!”

“Saraaa!”

And then all together, “Sarazanmai!”

 

Enta hadn’t forgotten what Keppi told them: Sarazanmai connected their bodies and their hearts, which consequently meant sharing secrets you’d rather keep hidden. It felt strangely good to release yourself to that shared ocean of consciousness, but he underestimated the strength of that connection. He thought his secrets would be safe as long as he wasn’t the one leading the pack.

Unfortunately, he was wrong.

 

“Leaking.”

 

The first leak started exactly where he expected.

Night fell over the Azuma Bridge, and their practice area was deserted. A long shadow crept over the faded concrete goalpost. The person who peered back through that curtain of darkness was the same one who protected the space for so long—Enta himself.

He carried a large garbage sack in his hand, indiscriminately scattering trash all over the place. Then he started defacing the wall with frenzied strokes of his paintbrush.

 

Toi, who took the shirikodama next, was utterly confused.

“Why? Wasn’t this place supposed to be precious to you?”

Even though they could see what was happening, Enta’s emotions were such a tangled mess that it was impossible to isolate a single one of them. They couldn’t even begin to comprehend what he was feeling. His emotions all wrapped up and knotted together in a snarl they couldn’t hope to unravel.

Although he questioned Enta’s reasoning, Toi suspected deep down that he was the reason Enta went to such extremes. It was conjecture on his part, impossible to confirm, but he felt terrified of how Kazuki would react once the shirikodama passed to him and he found out what Enta had done.

The leak continued, undisturbed by Toi’s thoughts and anxiety.

Midnight fell on the Kappa Plaza. Just as before, Enta had a handkerchief tied around his head as he tiptoed inside. He headed straight for the innermost part of the plaza, where he knelt and reached for the lid to the underground compartment. The four glimmering silver plates were still inside. He delicately lifted them free, a wicked expression on his face.

“Enta stole them…? Why?” Kazuki was shocked.

Enta, who could sense the other boy’s reaction, cried out, “Nooooooooo! This is all because you wouldn’t stop fussing over Kuji!”

 

Ahh, why do people hold such desire in their hearts? Desire led me astray until I wasn’t myself anymore. Until I hurt someone else. I only wanted to give you something beautiful, if I could. You should have thrown me out along with the trash.

Scene 5

 

THE WAR BETWEEN the otters and the kappa had always been about energy. Although the Otter Empire had won, the Kappa Kingdom’s resources would have run out sooner or later anyway. The otters revived Mabu under one condition: Reo had to work for them to find a new source of energy. In other words, Reo was to become their slave.

The otters had seen right through him—known Reo understood exactly what they were asking, and that that wouldn’t stop him from agreeing. And sure enough, Reo didn’t hesitate. He wanted to bring Mabu back to life.

 

Reo stood alone in a dark elevator. He’d finally been given approval to visit Mabu. Where was this elevator taking him, though? It seemed like an eternity passed before the doors finally opened. In the endless stretch between, he found himself wondering if there even was a top floor to this place.

He just wanted to bring this nightmare to an end.

Silvery white light stabbed into his eyes. It was almost as if he were standing among the clouds, here on the highest deck of the building. Before him was the very sight he’d seen over and over in his dreams. This was the moment he so longed for, and in his chest, a mass of conflicted emotions swelled like a storm.

I want him to glance back at me. No! Don’t! Yes, look over at me. No, I don’t want him to look! None of the words or feelings were less true than the others. Unable to shift his attention from the tempest within himself, Reo took each step one at a time.

“Reo.”

He froze when he heard his name. That voice—the one he longed for—was exactly as he remembered it. The well-loved sound of it made his heart tremble.

“I must have worried you. I’m back to normal now, though.”

The familiarity of that voice suddenly felt sharply, chokingly wrong. This man with the same body, the same voice, he—

“Who…are you?” Reo asked.

“I’m Mabu. Your partner.”

A strong gust of wind rushed between them.

“No! You’re not the Mabu I remember! Mabu never had that kind of look on his face!”

“The technological ingenuity of the Empire is awe-inspiring. Their recreation of my personality was flawless,” the man continued.

“No, something’s utterly wrong here! I don’t believe it!”

As if it was waiting for him to speak those very words, the otter appeared and said, “It’s otterly true. We’ve implanted a mechanical heart inside of him. We’ll need your help to keep it functioning.”

“What…?”

“If you don’t like it, then just stop his heart…with your own hand,” the otter goaded.

“Are you…telling me to kill Mabu a second time?!”

Mabu’s words replayed in his mind. Don’t let go of your desires. Now, as Reo struggled in anguish, the very person who’d spoken those words sat in front of him, regarding him coolly.

The otter’s voice rang out high and loud, almost like a birthday celebration. “An otter joke. As of today, you two will be sent to the human world. We’ll be sending along something else we swiped from the Kappa Kingdom. The embodiment of hope for the Empire’s future.”

A roar reverberated. Something began lifting itself out of the ground, as if it were rising up from the pits of hell.

“D-d-d-d-d-d-darkness!”