“Hayase must have been caught. I’m sure of it.” Someone with his back to me said.
“Yeah, probably, he is.” Another man responded in a leisurely manner.
“He was getting so close to here, though.”
“Maybe he changed his mind and went back.”
“If that’s the case, then he should have contacted us.”
“He could not do so, for some reason.”
“We should abandon this place, as soon as possible.”
“I have no intention of telling you that your decision is wrong.” The man who said that took a spoonful of soup to his mouth, and took a glance at me, while swallowing it. “Are they coming to kill us? Or, do they want their precious weapon back?”
“Can’t you at least be quiet while eating?” She looked back and said.
Even though she was looking in my direction, she did not make eye contact with me.
The sound of everyone eating echoed through the room. There were the quiet clinking sounds of the dishes and utensils.
By the way, the bearded man was not at the table. I wonder what he’s doing now. He must be the commander here.
No one said anything until the meal was over.
They want their precious weapon back?
I wonder if it is the Sanka.
No, it’s not. I can see it in that man’s eyes.
It’s me.
The enemies were either going to kill me, or they were going to get me back. The tone of their voice was that they did not want to be involved and bothered by the issues having to do with me. To be sure, I could understand that my arrival was causing more troubles. I could feel the tension in the air around me.
The door was opened, and the bearded man entered the room. He stood at the end of the table and did not sit down. The room became quiet.
“In 40 minutes, we are withdrawing from this place. The two planes will fly over the eastern pass. They will meet up with our support unit at the lakeside. The rest of us will go down the river by boat.”
“Are we cruising in the daytime? That’ll become a good target.” Someone said.
“There’s a truck waiting for us 20 kilometers downstream.”
“Who’s going to pilot the plane?” Sagara asked.
“Fukuda and Hashizume will do.”
“Sir, umm ...” One man stood up and spoke. “A biplane would be fine, but I’ve never piloted Sanka before. I think it’s impossible for me to pilot such a weird plane.”
“I will get on it,” I spoke up.
Everyone turned toward me. The bearded man was staring at me.
Sagara looked at my face and shook her head horizontally.
“I’m the right one for the duty,” I said. “As long as you tell me where to land on, I’ll deliver it responsibly.”
Silence prevailed for about 10 seconds. That silence, in other words, was their reply. There was no rebuttal from anyone. Finally, the leader glared at me and nodded.
“What about the maintenance? What about armament?” I asked.
“We can’t leave anything here. We’ll take everything we can carry.”
“Let’s get ready right away, shall we?” I stood up.
The bearded man walked up to me.
He was staring fixedly at me. His face was full of wrinkles. His eyes were gray and were different in size with each other, as if one of them is an artificial eye. His suspicions, expectations, hatred, and love for me all seemed to be trapped in his eyes.
“Don’t betray us.” He warned in a low, whispering voice.
“Betray what?” I asked.
Those who at the next table stood up at once.
The bearded man turned his outstretched hand toward them and gestured for them to stop.
“In the unlikely event that you encounter an aircraft, you must shoot it down.”
“Is there any chance of that?”
“There is.”
“I see. I will shoot it down.”
“That is the condition under which I will grant you permission to fly.”
“Roger. Please arm Sanka with weapons immediately.”
“Very well.” The bearded man nodded. “Let’s do our best.”
Everyone stood up and rushed out of the room. I wanted to go to the aircraft right away. But, she grabbed my arm, and I stayed there. The bearded man, who had been gazing at me all the way, also left the space. Just I and she were alone in the room.
“We may not be able to meet again.” She said. “I thought we could be together with a little longer, though. I have a responsibility for you until you return to a normal human being. However ...”
“I am normal.”
“Yes, maybe, you are.”
“You don’t have to feel responsible.”
“But, I myself don’t think so. Don’t you hold a grudge against me?”
“I don’t have a grudge against anyone.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“As long as we live, we might be able to meet again someday.”
“I wonder whether I will be able to remember you by that time.” I smiled.
“Do remember me.” She touched me. “Please.”
“I cannot make any promise.”
I left her and headed for the hangar. Three men were around the aircraft. The two of them were below the fuselage. There was ammunition on a cart, and they were starting to load it. The other man was near the engine in the rear part.
“What about the fuel?” I asked.
“It’s already in the tank.” The man beside the cart answered, “Are you sure such a thing can actually fly? Which direction does it go?” He pointed to the nose and tail of the aircraft.
He might have never seen a pusher-configuration aircraft.
As I walked to the engine, the man held out his hand toward me. I did not understand what his gesture meant.
“I’m Hashizume.” The man said. “I am the one who was first commanded to pilot this, before you were.”
“I’m sorry about being so intrusive,” I apologized.
“No, you helped me. I have never piloted this. I don’t have the confidence to fly this well.”
We had a light handshake.
“Have you piloted any other fighter aircraft?”
“Never. The guy who brought this plane here was injured. If I remember right, he was alive for about a week since he got here. I learned from him only how to pilot this ...”
“May I get into the cockpit?” I asked.
“Sure, why not?” The man seemed to be trying to smile.
“When was this aircraft brought here?”
“Two months ago.”
It has not been flown for two months, I thought.
I hope the oil isn’t clotted.
I walked around to the front of the main wing from the other side, and got onto the steps. The canopy was unlocked. No one was inside. Suito Kusanagi was not there either. Just for me, the fiberglass seat was straightforward and clear.
I sat down on the seat.
My shoulders and knees felt the prickling sensation, as if cold blood started flowing through my entire body in an instant. Maybe it was because my oil was still cold.
I touched the control stick softly. I tilted it slightly to the left and right. While paying attention to the main wings, I checked the movement of the ailerons. I looked at the instrument panel. I wondered if the battery was okay.
“Sasakura.” I poked my head out of the cockpit and called out to the man below me.
“Sorry?”
“Oh ... Umm, do you have a spare battery?”
“Yes. But, you probably wouldn’t need that.”
“I may not be able to start the engine. This one is particularly heavy. It might be a good idea to hook up a spare battery at least at the start.”
“How shall I connect them in parallel?”
“In front of the cowling. There’s a jack under the right side.”
The man went over there to inspect it.
“Oh, there it is. Got it.”
No need for a radio. If I don’t fly high, I don’t need a heater. I checked the positions of the rudder pedals and slid the seat. There were many scratches, but it was a clean cockpit. No kill mark to indicate how many targets it has shot down. Only one of the gauges was cracked, but it would probably work.
“Hurry!” I heard a man’s voice.
The bearded man was standing on the stairway. Over the railing, he was leaning toward us.
“We are moving the schedule forward. Speeding it up as fast as possible.”
He was coming down.
“How much longer will it take?”
“It’ll still take at least 20 minutes.” The man under the main wing replied.
“Do it within 15 minutes. Hurry up.” He looked up at me in the cockpit. “Take off as soon as you are ready.”
I raised my hand in response.
-4-