With the small scooter, I’m heading for the meat pie and coffee at the drive-in diner.
The weather is fine. I climb to a bank and cross an iron bridge. After that, the road stretches straight. I feel bad about the engine of the scooter not being able to get revved up any farther. This makes me feel as if I am flying more than an airplane does.
Even though I’m wearing goggles, my face feels the wind and my body is getting cooled down. I slow down a little in the middle. Anyway, I do appreciate the time in which I do not have to think about anything like now. It is worth riding the scooter just for the reason.
Probably because it is still in the early hours, only two vehicles are parked in the parking lot of the drive-in diner. A small sedan and a truck. Both of them might belong to the employees. I park the scooter near the entrance, climb up the brick steps, and enter the diner. The elder master glances at me. He should remember me by now. When I sit at the counter, he asks me, “Coffee, and?” I reply, “Meat pie.” At the table on the road side of the diner, an elderly couple is sitting across the table, facing each other. There is no trace of a waitress. No other customers. No music. I guess they are trying to save the electricity bill.
I light my cigarette and look at the road through the window.
“A bit early, eh?” The master says behind me.
I look back halfway. There is a coffee cup and a meat pie on a saucer. For a moment, I feel the aroma of the coffee.
“Shall I call?” The master opens his mouth again.
“What? Who?” I twist my head to see him. I get what he is trying to say immediately. “Ah, no ... After I eat it, I will come back soon.”
“How’s your buddy?” The master makes wrinkles on his face and smiles. He seems to be asking about Tokino.
“He might come a little later.” I reply. “I’m not sure. I mean, we haven’t flied together today.”
Tokino’s motorbike should be faster than the scooter by at least threefold.
“You guys are coming here ... after you give the targets good shots, right?” The master asks. He probably means “after we shoot down enemy aircrafts”.
“I don’t know ...” I lean my head sideways. I do not believe we have such a rule.
I wonder if it is the case for Tokino. Perhaps, he has decided to make it the rule. I can understand if he goes to the mansion where Kusumi and other girls are waiting, rather than he comes here.
One vehicle has just entered the parking lot and stopped. After a short while, a woman is entering the diner. I think I might know her. She is the waitress working here. I do not know her name. She looks about 35 years old, according to my personal estimation, though.
“Hello, Mr. Kannami.” She greets me. I wonder when she learned my name.
She goes into the back of the diner. I think it is a good time for me to know her name, and ask the master about it.
“That girl’s Yuri.” The master tells me the name. “She was close to Mr. Kurita, by the way.”
“Oh ...” I am a little surprised. She might be too mature to be called a ‘girl’. Her age can be around that of my mother.
“So was Fuko, right?” I ask. I remember Fuko was worried about Jinro Kurita.
“But, you know, that’s a completely different story.”
I do not understand how different they are, but I nod diplomatically. Maybe, professional and amateur. Or, business and volunteer. If not, one is physical and the other is mental? I come up with various ideas, but say nothing.
I have eaten a half of the pie. It is delicious as usual.
However, without barely drinking even a few sips of coffee, I have to get out of the diner in haste.
-3-
I hear engine sound. It is at an unfamiliar wavelength.
I go outside the diner, and look up at the sky.
It is from the direction of the mountains.
Clouds are proudly hovering at the high altitude of the clear sky.
I see them.
But, they are flying very high.
I rush into the diner and put a coin into the slot of a pay phone. I push the number of Kusanagi’s office.
One call.
“This is Kusanagi.”
“Greetings. This is Kannami.”
“Where are you now?”
“Drive-in diner.”
“Oh ...” She clucks her tongue. “Sorry, I’m busy ... I’m hanging up.”
“Several enemy aircrafts are heading toward the airbase. Probably, three Fortunes.”
“Two.” Kusanagi corrects.
“No, three.”
“Can you see them? Then, how long will it take?”
“No more than five minutes.”
“So, we have enough breathing room. But you cannot come back, right?”
“How do you deal with my aircraft?”
“There is no spare pilot but me.”
“Please.”
The phone is hung up.
“What are they doing?!” I shout in a low voice and put the receiver back on the phone.
Of course, the blame is against the ones in charge, who have allowed enemy planes to infiltrate this deep into the territory. But, whoever is responsible might already be dead. In our field, the person whom we want to get angry at have often been dead already. It is meaningless for them to regret in heaven.
I get out of the diner again.
The master and Yuri are looking up at the sky as well. They are now almost exactly above us. When you see bombers exactly straight up right above you, then you can assume that you are safe. The distance between this place and the airbase is about 20 kilometers. They need no more than three minutes. Maybe, it would take approximately one minute until they start dropping bombs. They should already be getting prepared for the bombing, while opening the bomb bay doors. I guess many holes would be punched on the runway. I just hope the bomb will not hit the buildings, especially the hangar ...
“They fly so high.” The master utters, while putting his hand above his forehead.
“Didn’t they once fly over at lower altitude before?” Yuri says. “You know, I thought they were planning to land on this road. I was so scared.”
“If they flied low, we would have been able to intercept them.” I say. “It is not easy for them to get this far.”
“They sometimes come here desperately, right?” The master speaks. “It often happened in the past.”
“Not anymore.” I smile.
Such aircrafts are rare nowadays. Desperate acts end up becoming wastes. Pilots are cooler than that, I think. To prove it, I get back inside the diner, eat up the rest of the meat pie, and drink up the coffee. The master is viewing the sky outside. I pay the money to Yuri, who has come back inside.
“Are you going back?” Yuri asks.
“Yeah, it might be the time.”
“Be careful.”
“About what?” I look at Yuri’s face.
Pursing her lips, she looks a bit angry. She might be really angry, because she says nothing.
I go outside.
“I haven’t heard the sound yet.” The master, sitting on the brick step, says. The images of the enemies cannot be seen because they have already flied past the forest.
“Another 15 seconds.” Saying so, I walk to the scooter.
When I start the engine and get onto the road, I hear a low explosion sound echoing around the area. It is not that loud. As loud as the cracks at a fireworks festival. If the time now were at night, I would have been able to see the light much sooner.
I start riding the scooter to the airbase.
I need at least 30 minutes with the scooter. Everything would be gotten over with by the time I get there. The timing will not be too bad, I think.
After I have ridden the scooter for about 10 minutes, a big sedan approaches from behind at a very high speed. It passes by my scooter and it slams on the brakes. Its tires screech. It skids diagonally, and stops. A white arm is stretched from the window of the passenger seat, and pink hair appears. Then, a girl’s face looks at me.
“Yuichi Kannami!” With the husky voice, Fuko shouts my full name. How has she managed to remember my name? I am impressed.
I approach the passenger seat of the sedan, while riding the scooter. Kusumi on the driver’s seat is looking at me behind Fuko.
“What are you doing here?” Fuko asks. “Are they okay? We see a few huge aircrafts flying over.”
“The base has already been bombed.” I tell her. “Something might burn or explode. The place near the base is dangerous. You shouldn’t go there in a hurry.”
“How’s Tokino?” Kusumi on the driver’s seat asks.
“I’m not sure ...”
“Hey, why don’t you get in this car?” Fuko suggests.
“No, I cannot leave this vehicle. I am borrowing this from someone.”
The sedan sinks the rear end once, starts running, and leaves the location. I resume riding the scooter slowly.
“Oh, yes.” I am recalling something.
I have to get my flight suit back from Kusumi ...