Book 2 (4): Winter’s Distant Thunder — Chapter 4: |
Chapter 4
The next morning, I returned to the village alone as a light dusting of snow fell from the sky.
Even though I used my cantus to propel the skis, I had to travel such a long distance that my legs were weak with fatigue. Thoughts of what Maria and Mamoru would do next, as well as all the unknown threats in their future weighed heavily on my mind.
I finally arrived at the dock in Oakgrove and found the place deserted. Even on Sundays there were usually a couple of people hanging around, but I thought nothing of it and simply felt lucky that there was no one to see me.
I untied Hakuren 4 and headed for home. I had used so much of my cantus to get here that I could no longer concentrate fully and my eyes were bleary with tiredness. The canoe drifted from side to side and bumped into the edges of the canal.
Even as I left Oakgrove and made my way back to Waterwheel, I didn’t come across a single person.
I finally began to feel that things were not quite right.
Nothing moved along the banks. It was as if Kamisu 66 had been completely abandoned.
The gentle drift of snow became hard, wet flurries. It piled on the prow of the canoe.
“Sorry,” I said to them as I turned to dock the canoe. “I couldn’t come home yesterday…”
They smiled faintly at me.
Finally, my mother spoke. “Are you hungry?”
I shook my head.
“I know you must be tired, but the Board of Education asked for you. Come with me,” my father said gravely.
“Can’t you let her rest for a bit?” my mother pleaded.
“No…I can’t. It’s an emergency, especially since they’ve asked you to come on such short notice.”
“It’s okay, I’m not that tired,” I tried to sound energetic.
“Alright, let’s go in dad’s canoe. Saki, you can rest for a bit until we get there.”
My father’s canoe, the one he used outside of work, was twice the size of Hakuren 4.
My mother wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and I closed my eyes, but my heart was thumping too quickly for me to fall asleep.
There was someone waiting for us when we arrived in Hayring. It was the same middle-aged lady who had greeted us after we came back from summer camp two years ago, but this time she didn’t meet my eye.
I followed my parents onto the snowy street.
The office of the Board of Education was next to the library where my mother worked. It was surrounded by a wall of bamboo that prevented you from seeing the inside.
We entered through a side door, and although it was still snowing, the courtyard had been cleared and kept dry with cantus. The path was paved with stepping stones and it was about thirty meters to the entrance hall.
Inside, a narrow hallway stretched on indefinitely. Although the outside of it was quite different, the inside was similar to the Ethics Committee’s building.
“Only your daughter may proceed from here.” the middle-aged lady said to my parents.
“As her father, and as the mayor, I’d like to represent her on her behalf. I’ve brought a petition.”
“You are not allowed to accompany her,” she ignored my father’s words.
“As the person entrusted to manage the town’s library, I must do my duty to record this event. Will you make an exception?”
“I’m very sorry, but there are no exceptions.”
My mother tried to use her position as leverage, but this too was met with stubborn refusal. The two of them were defeated.
“Saki, I don’t think I have to tell you, but please answer all questions as truthfully as you can,” my mother put her hands on my shoulders and looked earnestly into my eyes.
“I know…it’ll be okay,” I answered.
I understood what she really meant. Choose the truth carefully. From here on out, a wrong answer could mean death.
I was taken into a large western-styled room with a dark, shining wooden floor. The windows were small and high on the wall, giving everything a classic Rembrandt look. In the center was a table like those used at banquets, and about ten people stood on one side. The head of the Board of Education, Hiromi Torigai, stood in the center. The people on either side must also be members of the committee.
“Saki Watanabe? Please sit over there.”
It wasn’t Hiromi who spoke, but a large woman on her left. Obediently, I sat down in the only chair available.
“I am the vice-chairman of the Board of Education, Masayo Komatsuzaki. There are a few things I would like to ask you. Please answer all questions truthfully. Do not lie or withhold information. Do you understand?”
Her tone was as kind as any schoolteacher’s, but her eyes stared stonily at me. I felt the pressure of her authority and answered “yes” without any unnecessary words.
“You learned that a boy in your team, Mamoru Itou, had run away from home yesterday in the early hours of the morning. Is this correct?”
“Yes,” I said faintly.
“When did you learn about it?”
I knew it was pointless to hide it, so I answered honestly, “Before school.”
“How did you know about it?”
“Maria Akizuki told me.”
“And what did you do after finding out?”
“We went to school first, and later looked for him when we had the chance.”
“Why did you not inform your parents or your teachers?”
This was a good point. I thought for a moment.
“Because we hoped to bring him back before it became a bigger issue.”
“I see. But it could be construed as an attempt to hide it from us. You disagreed with the Board of Education’s decision and acted out against it, right? On those grounds, you…”
Hiromi whispered something in Masayo’s ear. She answered, “I understand.”
“…on to the next question. You went searching for Mamoru Itou during independent observation period. Who went with you?”
“Maria Akizuki and Satoru Asahina.”
“I see. So the three of you went looking for Mamoru Itou. Did you find him?”
I was confused. Satoru had come back the day before and should have been questioned already. What had he said?
“What’s wrong? It might be your first time here, but this is an official court of inquiry. You must tell the truth.”
Masayo’s voice was severe and a wave of uncertainty went through the room. Hiromi spoke.
“Satoru Asahina has already testified that you found Mamoru Itou. That Mamoru had fallen off his sled and hurt his leg. He said he left you and Maria to nurse him and came back first.”
Satoru hadn’t mentioned the queerat.
“Chairman…” Masayo looked disapprovingly at Hiromi.
“It’s fine. This court was formed to establish the truth. Trying to trick her into contradicting herself is not the goal.” She continued so quietly that it was hard to hear. “So, was Satoru Asahina telling the truth?”
“…yes.”
I felt slightly relieved realizing that Hiromi was not as hard-hearted as I had thought.
“Then what happened after? Why were you the only one to return? We were expecting you and Maria Akizuki to bring Mamoru Itou back safely,” Masayo said.
I looked over the faces of the assembled committee members. How was I supposed to dispel their suspicions? A lie might make everything worse. There was nothing to do but tell just enough of the truth to prevent any inconsistencies.
“I tried to persuade Mamoru to come back with us. But he refused. So I had no choice but to come back alone. Since we couldn’t leave him alone, Maria stayed too.”
“So Maria Akizuki is still trying to convince Mamoru Itou?”
“Yes.”
I glanced away when I answered.
“So what did you plan to do once you came back? Were you going to come clean to your parents, your teacher, and the Board of Education?”
“I…don’t know.”
“You don’t know? What did you…?”
As Masayo grew visibly angry, Hiromi cut in.
“It’s reasonable that you were confused. Anyone would be at a loss in this situation. …but you know what to do now, right? All you have to do is answer questions honestly. Leave everything else to us. Okay?”
“I understand.”
“But why did Mamoru Itou refuse to return? Did you ask him?”
“Yes,” I nodded.
“What was his reason?”
I took a deep breath. Surprisingly, I was calmer than I thought I would be. I couldn’t answer this question with a complete lie. If I fudged the details of Mamoru’s story and left out the tainted cats, maybe…
“What’s wrong? Answer the question!”
I hesitated.
“Do you know what is happening in Kamisu 66 right now?” Masayo shouted. “An order to remain indoors has been enacted and the people tremble with fear. All because of the selfish actions of one student!”
Why was there such an overreaction to a missing student? At the time, I simply couldn’t understand it. Instead, an irrepressible anger boiled out of me.
How dare they call Mamoru selfish. The Board of Education was the one who had driven him nearly insane and even tried to kill him.
My silence seemed to arouse suspicion and the people at the table began to stir.
“What’s the matter? Why do you remain silent? Say something,” Masayo drummed on the table impatiently with her fingers.
“I believe Mamoru ran away because he didn’t want to die.”
I finally said it. There was no going back now.
“What…don’t say something so absurd.”
“I’m just answering your question.”
Was I really this brave? Even I was surprised by my response.
“I heard this directly from him. Recently, he had been approached by two copy…tainted cats. The first time, it appeared to only tail him.”
“Stop! Do you have any idea what you’re saying?”
“The second time was after school two days ago. The Sun Pr…Mr. Endou kept Mamoru after school and sent him to the inner courtyard in a deliberate attempt to isolate him,” I continued, ignoring her. “There, Mamoru was almost killed by a tainted cat. He saw it clearly. He even said that it had white fur. So he…”
“Enough! Quiet! You have made a farce of the Board of Education and this hearing! Your actions constitute a grave violation of the Code of Ethics!” Masayo shouted hysterically to the entire room.
“I am very disappointed as well. Your parents are both splendid people. I’m sure they will regret that it has come to this,” Hiromi sighed.
Although her voice was still soft, I began to feel afraid of her for the first time.
“Are they in a different room? …yes, I understand,” she spoke quietly with one of the committee members, then turned toward me again. “Please leave the room. But you will not be allowed to return home with your parents. You will stay in this building…I truly regret that this is the conclusion we have come to.”
That was as good as a death sentence.
“Will I be disposed of?”
Hiromi looked disgustedly at me. “What a repulsive girl you are. To say such things so calmly,” she whispered.
As she stood up, there was a light knock at the door.
“Who is it? The committee is in meeting. Await your time!” Masayo said sharply.
The knocker ignored this and opened the door.
Everyone else froze. I relaxed.
“Perhaps I came at a bad time. But I’m afraid I must speak here.”
Wearing a fur shawl over her kimono, Tomiko Asahina smiled charmingly around at the room. “I know you have all worked hard on this, but may I handle Saki’s case?”
“Unfortunately, the Board of Education has exclusive jurisdiction over matters pertaining to juveniles. Outside interference would not be wise, even if it is the request of one such as you…” Masayo’s voice was so low it was almost silent.
“You’re right. My apologies. I never intended to do this, but I’m partly to blame for this.”
“Please, Tomiko, let’s talk about this elsewhere,” Masayo glanced at me as she spoke.
Tomiko ignored her and turned to Hiromi.
“…what do you mean you are partly to blame?” Hiromi asked.
“I’ve told Saki a number of things. Including the tainted cats.”
“That is quite…unprecedented.”
I could see Hiromi turn pale even though her face was hidden in shadow.
“Yes, it is. But it is required to rear the the person who may be the future leader of our town.”
“She will?” Masayo exclaimed.
“So, Hiromi. Please be lenient with Saki.”
“It’s not that simple, Tomiko. It’s not only the boy who is missing, now the girl has disappeared too!” her voice shook.
“I know. It’s a serious matter. But isn’t it largely the Board of Education’s fault?”
“Our…fault?”
The members of the committee stirred.
“Yes. I believe the decision to dispose of Mamoru Itou was rash and unwise to begin with. That plus your inability to successfully bring about the disposal is what caused this whole situation.”
“That’s…” Hiromi went quiet, her face strained.
“No one here is free from fault. Including me. Perhaps I must take the blame on an even deeper level. After all, I was the one who ordered the experiment to be performed on team one. But now is not the time to dwell on the past. We need to discuss how to proceed from here. Am I wrong?”
The members of the Board of Education, people with even more power than the mayor and head librarian combined, hung their heads like guilty schoolchildren.
“You are absolutely right,” Hiromi mumbled.
“I’m glad we’re on the same page. So, let me look after Saki. It’ll be alright. I will consider everything you have to say.”
There was no room for disagreement.
“May I use the hearth in the inner parlor? I would like to talk to Saki.”
“Umm, right now, that room is…”
“Well, well. Were you planning on taking her in there?” Tomiko smiled sweetly. “It’s okay. Just leave it as it is.”
It was a large room about the size of thirty tatamis. There was a big hearth in the middle, full of crackling red flames. A steaming pot of water hung from a long hook in the ceiling.
“No need to be so uptight.”
Tomiko ladled out some water and warmed a pair of yellow teacups. She swished the water around three times with a tea whisk and poured it into the waste container. She wiped out the cups with a towel, opened a grey container and scooped powdered green tea into the cups. Once again, she used the whisk to quickly mix the water with the tea.
I took the cup from her and sipped slowly.
“No need to follow such formalities. Drink.”
I nodded, but it only made me more nervous.
As much as I tried to, I couldn’t ignore the three tainted cats sleeping on the other side of the hearth. One had a tortoiseshell pattern, the other two were striped yellow-white, and black-gray. Their eyes were closed contentedly, and every now and then their ears and tails twitched.
The scene was deceptively peaceful; from the other side of the large hearth, it was difficult to tell how big the cats truly were.
“Well, I guess you can’t help noticing the cats. But don’t worry. They never attack unless ordered to.”
“…why are there three of them?” I asked the first question that came to mind.
“They are trained to work in teams of three. It’s an offensive strategy called the trinity, based on the elements of heaven, earth, and man.”
“All three attack at the same time?”
“Yes. In cases like these, the target is usually unresponsive to hypnotic techniques. But no matter how powerful you are, it’s almost impossible to defend three simultaneous attacks,” she said, smiling.
“But the Board of Education had already decided beforehand that we were to be disposed of. Wouldn’t one cat be enough?”
Even I was surprised that I could discuss this so calmly.
“You most likely don’t remember, but you’ve repelled the cats before. Once, maybe twice.”
“I don’t remember at all…”
I fidgeted. Every time I was made aware of a missing memory, I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Can I ask something else?” I broke the silence after a pause.
“Go ahead.”
“Tomiko…Tomiko-sama.”
She chuckled, “Tomiko is fine.”
“Earlier, you said that you ordered experiments to be performed on team one, right? What did you mean by that?”
“I see you were paying attention.”
She turned the teacup slowly in her hand. The white glaze on the clay gave it a beautiful pink glow.
“You all must have realized to some degree that team one is special.”
“Well…I guess.”
“You are all very special. Most students are regularly hypnotized from a young age so that we can control their minds. They are unable to even think about bad or potentially harmful things. However, we did not, by and large, take the freedom of thought away from you and your friends.”
“Why us?”
“Because docile lambs alone cannot protect the town. Leaders must be broad-minded and tolerant. Their convictions must be strong enough to even do dirty work from time to time. To match the changes in the town over the years, the leader needs to be a highly adaptable individual who strives to survive no matter what.”
“So I was put into team one for that?”
“Yes,” she said simply.
“What about Satoru? Was he chosen because he’s your grandson?”
“My grandson…” Tomiko smiled inscrutably. “The name Asahina is just a string of syllables Satoru and I happen to share. Team one was a group of students with special qualities. Having all of you together made things much easier to manage.”
She stood up suddenly and went to the other side of the hearth. Crouching next to the orange-striped cat, she rubbed it behind the ears. It purred delightedly.
“But unforeseen incidents kept happening. My biggest regret was having to dispose of the boy we had the greatest hopes for…” She glanced at me then resumed talking normally. “This time too. It would have been impossible for any other children to consider running away from the town and living on their own. They would have been paralyzed with fear at the thought of crossing the Holy Barrier. But those two are different. Threatened with death at home, they chose instead to live alone in the wilderness.”
I was speechless. Somehow, she had seen through everything.
“A very rational decision, if you ask me. It is the result of free thinking. But right now, it threatens the fundamental safety of the towns.”
“Is their departure really such a big problem to the towns?” I asked. “I don’t believe Maria or Mamoru will ever return. So I don’t think they will be a negative influence…”
“You don’t see the true nature of the problem,” Tomiko said sadly.
“What do you mean?”
She stopped petting the cat.
“Do you know the state of the population in the Japanese archipelago?”
I was confused by the question. “Not really…”
“In the past, it was the first thing taught in geography classes. But now, such basic information is treated as highly confidential. …at present, the population of all nine districts combined is estimated to be between fifty and sixty thousand.”
“That many?” I said, surprised.
“In the ancient civilization, this would be a startlingly small number. A thousand years ago, there were over a hundred million people in Japan alone.”
I couldn’t believe it. “Hundred million” was a unit used to count fish eggs, not humans. For one thing, it would be difficult to secure food for that many people. And if everyone were to live in the most accessible areas, there wouldn’t even be room to breathe.
“Did you know? The ancient civilization had something called nuclear weapons. Through fission of radioactive elements, or nuclear fusion of deuterium, one bomb had the power to wipe out an entire city.”
“An entire city…?”
I couldn’t imagine why on earth anyone needed a weapon like that. Just for argument’s sake, even if they wanted to capture Mt. Fuji, destroying the city protecting it would make the victory completely meaningless.
“Managing such a weapon was incredibly stressful. Which country had the most bombs, which country was developing new ones…but perhaps the situation we face now is even worse.”
“I don’t understand. I mean, those weapons don’t exist anymore, right?”
“Correct. Now, the world is filled with something that is potentially far more fearsome.”
“What?”
“Humans.”
Tomiko tickled the orange-striped cat under its chin and its purr rumbled through the floorboards like thunder.
“Think back to what I told you before. A single fiend could easily kill an entire district. Moreover, unlike nuclear bombs, a fiend slaughters for as long as its body permits. …and as for karma demons, the mental imbalance of one individual could mean the end of life on Earth.”
“…but those are special cases, so if we guard against them properly-”
“No, that’s not how it works. You are too preoccupied with the processes by which cantus can go out of control. The real problem is that cantus is unlimited energy. Right now, there are fifty to sixty thousand people living on the Japanese archipelago, and you must imagine that each one has the destructive potential of a nuclear weapon. …so when two of these weapons go missing, how would you deal with them?”
The tortoiseshell cat, twice the size of a lion, got up and stretched. It yawned, showing long saber-like teeth. It paid me no attention as it walked lazily away, making the floorboards creak under its weight.
I would be lying if I said Tomiko’s words didn’t come as a shock to me, as I had never looked at humans that way before. Those in power probably looked at everything from that perspective so as to be prepared for the worst. But at the time, I thought it was simply the paranoid fears of an old woman.
“Bring them back,” she said. “If you want them to live, you must bring them back. I will vouch for their safety. If they continue to hide, they will not live long.”
“How come?”
“The Board of Education will devote all their attention to their disposal. The nearby queerat colonies would all receive orders to kill them. And that’s not all. All the neighboring districts they might come into contact with, like Shiroishi 71 in Tohoku, Tainai 84 in Hokuriku, and Koumi 95 in Chuubu would all receive letters asking for help in their disposal. They all have their own methods of dealing with threats, which they will naturally use to defend themselves.”
“That’s so cruel!”
“Yes, so bring them back before it happens. I will give you three days. I’ll delay the Board of Education for three days. In that time, find them and bring them back even if you have to tie them up and drag them with you. Don’t worry, I’m sure you can do it.”
I sat up straight and took a deep breath. There was no room for doubt. I had already decided.
“I understand. I’ll leave immediately.”
“Good luck.”
I stood up, bowed and made to leave. My eyes fell upon the black and grey striped cat. Its eyes were narrowed and its tail was waving slightly from side to side. It appeared to be bidding me goodbye, but the look on its face was similar to that of a cat stalking a bird.
“I would have been prey for those cats had you not come, am I right?” I turned from the doorway and looked gratefully at Tomiko.
“I’m not too sure,” she smiled faintly.
A new question arose in my mind.
“But why do you hold so much…influence?”
Tomiko didn’t answer for a moment. Just when I was starting to regret that I had asked something rude, she stood and came over to me.
“I’ll take you to the dock. Afterwards, I’ll tell your parents where you’ve gone.”
“Thank you.”
We left the Board of Education’s office together, like a granddaughter accompanying her grandmother on a walk. It was still snowing slightly, and tiny flakes danced around us. Through the white fog of my breath, I looked back at the evil building. It was no small miracle that I had made it out of there alive.
“Your question earlier…” Tomiko held her hand up to catch the drifting snow.
Her hands were unexpectedly youthful. There were no wrinkles on her wrist, and no veins showed under the skin. Flakes of snow melted in the palm of her hand.
“I think this is a good chance to tell you about some things.”
I swallowed and waited for her to continue.
“It’s true that I hold a lot of power in the district. Possibly enough to be a dictator or absolute monarch if I wished.”
I didn’t think she was bluffing. After all, she had dealt with the fearsome Board of Education like they were children.
“Do you know what the source of power is? You were not taught much about the history of mankind, so the question may be a little difficult. In the past, men used violence, fear, wealth, religious brainwashing, and so forth to obtain power. I didn’t use any of that. All I had on my side…was time.”
“Time?” I didn’t get it.
“Yes. I’m completely unremarkable as far as humans go, but I had a lot of time.”
We arrived at the dock. The boat Tomiko prepared for me was already there. When did she give the order for that? It was wedge-shaped, meant for quick travel, and was equipped with skiis like the ones I had used a few days ago.
“Saki, what age do I look like to you?”
That was a difficult question. It would be rude if I guessed older than she actually was, but I couldn’t come up with a good guess anyway, so I told her the truth.
“About sixty…seven?”
“Good guess, I’m surprised. …you got the last two digits right,” she grinned. “I’m 267 years old.”
“You can’t be,” I laughed, thinking it was a joke.
But her expression did not change. “My episode with the fiend when I was a nurse was 245 years ago. And I’ve been chairman for the Ethics Committee for 170 years.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “B-but, how did you…” I couldn’t even finish the question.
“How did I live so long? Why do I look so young? Come now, don’t look at me like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I shook my head.
“My grades in cantus usage were always perfectly average. In today’s Sage Academy, I might even stumble over some of the second year lessons. But there is one thing I can do that no one else, not even Shisei, can. I can regenerate my telomeres. Do you know what those are?”
“No.”
“I see. So even this information is restricted. Telomeres are the parts at the ends of our chromosomes. Every time a cell divides, its telomeres are shortened a little bit because they can’t be fully regenerated. Once the telomeres have worn down, the cells lose their ability to replicate and death is inevitable. So the length of our telomeres dictates the length of our lifespan, like the length of a wick on a candle.”
Since my knowledge of biology was limited by the classes I had taken, I couldn’t fully understand what Tomiko was saying. But the image she created was clear enough. The nucleus of a cell divides the double helix of its DNA in order to replicate. With time, the ends of the strands of DNA shorten. If it were possible to reset these parts to their original length, eternal life was a real possibility.
“…so even though Satoru is related to me, he’s not my grandson,” Tomiko said, sounding amused. “I still remember the birth of my first grandson 210 years ago. And that saying that grandchildren are cuter than all other children is completely true. I can’t remember them being anything but little angels. But the feeling doesn’t really extend to great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Satoru is removed from me by nine generations and so has only 1/512th of my genes. That’s not to say I don’t adore him, but the feeling of being blood relatives isn’t really there.”
So it’s possible that even though Satoru calls Tomiko “grandmother”, he doesn’t actually feel that it’s true. Plus, his two real grandmothers are probably still living, making it even stranger to call her that.
“I’ll tell you everything when you return.” she said.
Before I left, she said something that sounded like a parting gift. “I’ll have a new lesson for you once you return; you must be bored with what you’re doing at Sage Academy.”
“It’s…fixing a vase could come in useful.”
“Indeed. But I’ll share a little secret with you. The mental image to repair your telomeres is a little like the one needed to fix a broken vase.”
Remembering how naive I was back then always makes me break out in a cold sweat. Someone with that sort of knowledge could achieve any goal, or act upon any desire as easily as taking candy from a baby. (I just recently came across that phrase in one of the ancient books and thought it was a terrible metaphor. Did people really do that back then?)
Anyway, I set off with the boat in high spirits. My fourteen year-old body was filled to the brim with the conviction that I would find Maria and Mamoru and bring them home.
Of course, saving my friends was the most important thing, but I couldn’t deny that in the back of my mind, I was thrilled to have been the chosen one.
Now that I think about it, since I had been appointed the successor to the current leader, I probably tried to act the part.
At first, spurred on by the excitement of such a promotion, I tried to go as fast as I could. But after a while, the biting wind cooled my head a little.
Traveling alone was dangerous; Mamoru was the prime example of that. If Squonk hadn’t rescued him, he’d definitely be dead by now.
I stopped the boat.
I needed a partner. One way or another, I had to find Satoru, but I didn’t know where to start. I do know he was questioned by the Board of Education after he came back, and he most likely made it out alright because Tomiko was there.
I regretted leaving in such a hurry. I should have asked Tomiko for permission to bring Satoru with me. I struggled to decide whether I should go back. But something made me hesitate.
Snow fell heavily, flakes melting as they touched the dark surface of the water. The sight reminded me of something.
Tomiko’s eyes. They were dark and fathomless, like she had seen all the mysteries of time…
In the end, I decided to turn back. But as I was about to do so, a boat approached me from behind. It was hard to see through the snow, but I immediately recognized the silhouette of the person speeding toward me. He was probably using the same speedboat as me.
“Hey!” he yelled and waved as if trying to confirm the occupant of the boat ahead of him.
It was Satoru.
“Over here!” I waved back.
“Saki! Thank goodness I caught up to you,” he gasped. “I was afraid I was going to have to look all over for you in this snow.”
“Why? Weren’t you questioned by the Board of Education?”
“Yeah, last night, by that awful Hiromi Torigai. It was bad enough the first time, but they called me again today and I was half ready to be killed.”
“Good thing your grandmother was there.”
Satoru probably didn’t know about his true relationship with Tomiko yet.
“Yeah… She really saved me there. But I was stuck waiting in a tiny room all morning. When she finally told me to come out, she immediately told me to go after you. I had no idea what was going on so it really surprised me.”
“You know what we need to do?”
“We need to bring Maria and Mamoru back, right?”
That was all he needed to know.
Unlike before, we now knew where Mamoru’s snow hut was, so we used the waterways and stopped as close to our destination as possible. We went all the way to the edge of Oakgrove, then traveled two hundred meters over land, skimming through the snow on the boat’s skis. We ran over quite a few rocks along the way, and the bottoms of the boats were probably badly scratched, but there was no time to worry about that.
It was a relief when we arrived at the Tone River. We slipped into the water and traveled two kilometers upriver before landing again.
We moored the boats on some rocks to keep them from drifting away. I finally noticed that they had the “God’s Eye” seal on the sides, along with a red number and a Sanskrit character. It was the first time I had ever seen the word Ban, the symbol of Vairocana, used. The boats probably belonged to the Ethic’s Committee, and had undoubtedly never been handled so roughly before.
We unloaded our skis and shouldered our backpacks.
“Let’s go.”
It was barely past noon, but the sky was slowly filling with clouds, making it look like the sun was about to set soon. It was still snowing, and the cold wind felt like knives on our skin.
As if pulled by an invisible rope, we skied straight up the hill, snow flying out behind us as we went.