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! ✩”