Traveling by Boat and Bad Luck
Rudolf: Hey, Battler, maybe you should just swim to the island.
George: Battler-kun, you shouldn't lean over the railing too much. You might fall.
Maria: Uu- Uu-!! Faaall, faaall!!
Battler: Daaaaammiiiiit..., so this is why you were all grinning before!
So this is the super high-speed boat that the captain started modding... Oh, yes, that piece of junk fishing boat from six years ago doesn't hold a candle to this one...
Battler: Whoooooooooa, it's shaking it's shaking it's shaking!! Fall fall faaall!!
Maria: Uu-uu-uu-!! Fall fall faaall!!
Battler: If I fall, I'll land in the ocean and drown... where's the parachute... no, wait, where's the buoy?! Gimme a life jackeeeet!!
Jessica: Waah-hah-hah-hah-ha! What's up, Battler, what's with that kinda attitude, waah-hah-hah-hah-ha!
George: Jessica-chan, Maria-chan, it's not nice to tease. Battler-kun, if you're scared, then just don't come out on the deck. I think that if you stay inside the boat, you'll be a bit less afraid.
Battler: Heheh, that's a no thank-you, Aniki! Shipwreck victims are always the ones inside the boat. The survivors are usually those on the deck during the accident. That's why I'm here!! But, it's shaking!! I'm gonna faaall!! Whooooaaaaaahhh!!
Maria: Shake faaall!! Uu-uu-uu-!!
Rosa: Maria, I told you to behave yourself! ......But Battler-kun, it looks like you really can't handle it... I'll go tell the captain to slow down for you.
Battler: Whooooa, Rosa oba-san, thank yooooouuuuu! I confirm that safe, slow driving is the thing, even on the seaaaaa!!
Eva: *cackle*! Don't do that, Rosa. Ordeals are necessary to the young. Right, Battler-kun? If it's only this, you can easily conquer it, right? Otherwise, you won't be able to go to Egypt with your aunt!
Battler: Whoooooooa, Eva oba-san, you're meeeeeeaaaaaan! Ooh nooooo, I'm gonna faaaaaaaaall!! Life jacket, parachuuuute?!! Whoooaaaaahh......!!! N-no, okay, turn it over and think that way!! What's the enemy aiming for?! He wants to make me afraid like this?! If that's what he's aiming for, too bad, like hell I'll be scaaaaaaaared!! But stooooop iiit, I'm gonna faaaaaaall!!!
~
...So, after I made a huge fool of myself for a while, Rosa oba-san had a talk with the boat captain, and he slowed down to a more manageable speed for me...
Battler: ............Haa... This speed is a bit better..........earlier, I didn't even feel alive......
Apparently, the max speed I can tolerate is extremely slow.
...But that just now was completely insane...
The whole boat was shaking! Sliding and leaping on the ocean's surface!
It felt like I was riding on the back of a flying fish...
Jessica was still guffawing at me as I leaned against the railing, tired and disheartened.
Jessica: I lost in that strength contest earlier, but I'm glad to know I'm no worse off where it really counts. But seriously, hahahahahah!
Battler: Dammit..., go ahead and laugh. One of these days, I'm gonna find your weakness and I'll get back at you... and then your boobs will be mine to squish......
Jessica: Ahahaha, well, we'll see about that if you ever do find it, okay?! Waah-hah-hah-ha!
Maria: Uu-. Battler, all weak.
Battler: Yeah, Battler, all weak... I want to die on land, not in the ocean or the sky...
Maria was patting my back, so I patted her head in return.
...Her expression was blank, as usual, but I realized that she wanted to console me.
George: Battler-kun, the captain is throwing in drinks to make up for this. Won't you have just one? To calm yourself down.
George-aniki and Kumasawa baa-chan brought us all glasses with floating ice cubes and canned drinks.
Judging from Kumasawa-san's big grin, our parents inside the boat were probably all rolling around laughing at my moment of pure terror.
Dammit, I'm so embarrassed that I can't bear to face any of them...
If I didn't change the subject somehow, I had the feeling I'd be the butt of everyone's jokes for the whole trip, so I tried to think of something harmless to talk about.
Battler: ...Hey, Jessica. How are Krauss oji-san and Natsuhi oba-san doing?
Jessica: My old man and my mom? Unfortunately, they're fine. Though every other word out of their mouths is "study, study", which pisses me off. I'm so jealous, since it doesn't look like Hideyoshi oji-san or Rudolf oji-san say those kind of things.
George: Hahaha, oh no. When I was slacking off during exams, I was always getting told "exams, exams" I thought it was annoying, but now I'm grateful.
Battler: Hah, I knew it, George-aniki can be human too... Anyway, I have to look after myself. No one tells me what to do! Well, it's not like I'd listen if they did, hihihi!
Kumasawa: Battler-san, you still cannot return to your home?
Battler: ...Well, I kinda go back now and then. I'm still leaving lots of clothes and stuff at the previous house.
Maria: ......Uu-? Battler has two houses?
Battler: Uh, .........hmmm. ......Something like that.
Maria: Why? Why do you have two houses? Uu-? Uu-?
Only Maria, who couldn't really grasp the situation, voiced her naive question. However, the other just shot nervous glances at me, choosing not to respond even though they knew the answer.
Jessica: Maria! Look, you can see the harbor now...! Look, over there! Can you see it?!
Maria: Uu-! Saw the harbor, saw the harbor!
Apparently, Jessica was trying to be nice by changing the subject.
......Ah, well. I'd rather not talk about it if I can help it, but it's uncomfortable to have it treated like some kind of weird taboo.
......I don't mind that much myself anymore.
I am a member of the Ushiromiya family, but the truth is that, for these last six years, I've been living with my grandparents on my late mother's side, and I've even been using her family name.
When those grandparents passed away one after the other, I'd basically had no choice except to go back and live with the old bastard.
Don't get me wrong. I didn't just run away from home or anything like that.
The only one at fault here is my dad.
......I don't really blame Kyrie-san.
Being able to hold that old bastard's reins and ride him out is no mean feat.
...Still, the betrayal that the old bastard inflicted on my mom... ......Well, unfortunately, I still haven't fully gotten over that.
George: *Ahem*. We'll be getting there soon.
George-aniki cleared his throat, trying to change the topic.
Kumasawa: ......Please forgive my indiscretion. It seems this old woman has said too much already. If I have hurt your feelings-
Battler: Heheh! I don't mind it and no one's feelings are hurt. Don't worry, Kumasawa baa-chan.
Kumasawa-san seemed to regret speaking out of turn, but I was more concerned about being worried over for something like that, so I stood up and passed it off lightly.
After that, I had a sip of my drink and headed over to Maria and Jessica, who were gazing at the sillhoutte of the island.
Maria: Uu-! Battler, saw the island, saw the island! There there there! Uu-uu-uu-!
Battler: Where is it... oh, I see it now. Even after six years, the island hasn't changed a bit.
The small island's silhouette in front of us had gotten pretty close.
This island's name is Rokkenjima.
It's a small island about 10km around, located in the Izu Archipelago.
Since they call this archipelago "the Izu Seven", lots of people think there are seven islands, but that's not true.
There are actually more than seven. Rokkenjima is one of the minor islands that don't get counted.
Even considering that, there are probably very few people who know about this island. After all, only the people of the Ushiromiya family come to this island.
In other words, it has no ties whatsoever to outsiders or touristas.
So, you'll never find this island's name in a travel brochure.
This is because all of Rokkenjima is an estate possessed by the Ushiromiya head house.
Only the Ushiromiya family lives there, and only people connected to the Ushiromiya family come and go to and from there.
There's nothing there except a harbor and a mansion.
The vast majority of the island is still just uncultivated forest.
Such a waste, when it could be made into a nice golf course.
However, when you realize that the entire coastline is a private beach, it starts to sound pretty magnificent.
You might have realized it by now, but to put it simply... well, the Ushiromiya family is just rolling in dough.
The fortune possessed by the head house is apparently vast, and Dad and the others who make up the branch families have built up plenty of wealth for themselves, finding success in their respective businesses.
I've been living a commoner's life at my grandparents' home these six years, so I'd completely forgotten, ...but the old bastard's house really is elegant, and everything about it is tuned to match the snobbish tastes of the annoyingly rich.
Come to think of it, I guess that means George-aniki, Jessica, Maria, and I are all wealthy, high-class gentlemen and ladies.
Needless to say, none of us feel that way at all.
I don't see myself as being rich. and George-aniki, who takes self-discipline very seriously, doesn't let himself get too comfortable.
Jessica is always complaining that she'd rather move to the city than be rich, and Maria ia still a kid who isn't even interested in money at all.
...Does that attitude really make us any less snobbish?
From the perspective of people in povery who can't pay the bills, we really have been blessed with a lot.
This isn't the place to explain any further, so I won't.
Anyway, it's the same as not being able to choose the parents you're born from.
I didn't ask to be born into a rich family.
And I don't think it's really something to be envied.
It can be pretty trying when people are prejudiced against you just because you're rich and refuse to judge you by your merits...
As I pondered these sentimental thoughts, Maria started shouting and leaned over the railing.
Maria: ...Uu-. ...Gone.
Battler: What's wrong, Maria? Did you drop something?
Maria: Uu-uu-! Gone, gone! Uu-uu-uu-uu-!!
Maria kept yelling "gone, gone".
At first, it sounded as though she had dropped something, but while she shouted, she also pointed out over the ocean.
George: What's wrong? What's gone? I'll look for it too, if you want. What is it? ...?
If she'd dropped something, she would probably have looked down at the floor, but Maria was pointing out over the ocean.
One would assume that she had seen something out over the ocean, but she kept saying that it was gone... ...Strange.
However, since my last memories of this place came from six years ago, I was able to spot it before Aniki, who comes here every year.
Battler: ...Huh...? ...If I remember correctly, wasn't there a Torii or something on top of a small crag around here? ...That's right, it was definitely there. I remember it well, since as we get closer to the island, it's the first thing to greet us, like a landmark.
Jessica: Wow, you're amazing, Battler. Even though it's been six years, you remembered.
George: It was here, wasn't it...! I remember too. he tutelary god's shrine and that Torii-like thing had been built all alone on that crag. ...And now that you mention it, they are gone, aren't they. They definitely were there last year, I think.
Maria: Gone. Gone. Uu-uu-uu-!
Battler: Maybe they were washed away by the waves or something? It was a small crag, it probably gpt brittle because of its exposure.
Jessica: I think so too. It probably disappeared during the summer. Whatever.
Kumasawa: Or perhaps a huge lightning bolt fell one evening and smashed the shrine... ...The fisherman whisper that having a thunderbolt fall upon our honored tutelary God would be a certain sign of misfortune. ...Lightning begone, lightning begone...
Kumasawa-san smiled impishly as if teasing us, rubbing her hands together.
However, Maria was apparently taking it seriously, and she stared fixedly over the ocean to where the crag housing the god of the shrine was supposed to be.
Maria: ...A sign... of misfortune. ...Uu-.
Jessica: Enough, Kumasawa-san. Maria isn't old enough to understand this kind of joke.
George: It's alright, Maria-chan. It's just a coincidence. Nothing scary's gonna happen.
George-aniki put a hand on Maria's shoulder to calm her down, but Maria's sharp-eyed expression didn't budge.
Maria: ...Misfortune. ...Misfortune.
Maria muttered that word over and over.
Apparently, repeating a single word over and over is a habit that Maria's had for a long time.
However, since the word she was saying was literally an ill omen, it was a bit creepy.
Battler: Hey now, Maria. If you say it over and over like that, misfortune will really end up happening, you know?
I tapped Maria's other shoulder.
And then, Maria whipped her head around, stared into my face, and spoke unblinkingly.
Maria: Uu-. ...Misfortune... is coming.
Battler: Huh? And just where is it coming from?
I answered light-heartedly, trying to break the tension in the air.
...At that moment, Maria held up a finger, raised her arm high, ...and pointed up to the heavens.
When I looked up, I saw that the sky was still just as cloudy, but it had grown a great deal more leaden than it had been that morning.
That's right, they were saying that a typhoon was approaching.
...We had planned to spend one night on the island, but if this storm doesn't pass quickly, I won't be able to make it to school on Monday. Well, I guess it makes for a pretty good excuse to be absent.
Maria: ...Uu-...
...She apparently sensed some kind of misfortune in this cloudy sky.
She's been muttering that non-stop for a while now.
Girls at Maria's age tend to be very impressionable.
She's just about the age that many girls start to get excited about sixth senses and whether they have any psychic potential and stuff.
...For all we know, this might be due to her childish, sensitive nature.
George: It's alright, Maria-chan. The weather might get worse around tonight, but tomorrow it'll clear up and become a pretty blue sky.
Maria: Uu-. Pretty blue sky... Uu-...
George: That's right, by tomorrow it'll be a pretty blue sky. There's no rain that doesn't end, and no clouds that never clear.
Maria: Uu-... ...Rain that doesn't end. ...Clouds that never clear. ...Uu-...
Battler: I know the typhoon's coming, but soon it'll go away! It's alright, Maria.
Maria: ...Uu-. ...Uu-!! Uu-uu-uu-!! Uu-uu-uu-!!
Maria started yelling 'uu-uu-'.
...It looked as though she was having a tantrum because no one could understand what she was trying to say.
What in the world is Maria trying so desperately to worn us about?
Unable to understand her, we couldn't help but feel a vague sense of misfortune...
...I've heard that everyone can feel the supernatural, but that it weakens as you age.
That might mean that Maria, the youngest one of us all, still possessed some kind of sense that the rest of us had lost.
...I wonder if that sense is sending her a warning.
At that moment, Kumasawa-san quietly opened her mouth.
Kumasawa: ...Rumor has it... that long ago, Rokkenjima was-
Jessica: Kumasawa-san. Let's not talk about that now.
Just as Kumasawa-san was about to tell some kind of story, Jessica sharply interrupted her.
For Jessica, this was an extremely firm reaction.
I wanted to push her further, just out of simple curiosity, but judging by Jessica's appearance, it would probably be something that would further inflame Maria's unease.
...If I did try to press her for the story, the odds were pretty good that it wouldn't be anything bright and cheery.
Kumasawa: ...Hoh hoh hoh, I do apologize about that... ...The wind here is hard to bear for the elderly, so if you would excuse me for now...
Gossipers have no reason to hang around after they've been told to stop chatting.
When Kumasawa-san finally realized that she'd overstepped her bounds, she went back inside the boat.
After she left, Hideyoshi oji-san came along to replace her.
Since he'd shown up partway through, he completely failed to notice the complicated atmosphere that hung about the scene, so he refreshingly and unwittingly swept that atmosphere aside.
So, in the end, it was his unwittingness that brightened the mood.
Hideyoshi: Looks like we're almost there! Alright, just a little more! Took forever at the speed we went today, didn't it? You all know whose fault that is! Wahhahahahaha!
Battler: Aww, Hideyoshi oji-san, gimme a break already~... hahaha~!
Jessica: Ahaha, please, say more to him. Honestly, because of Battler, it's takin' forever~!
Maria: ...Uu-.
Maria probably thpught that no one would listen to her.
She hung her head, wearing a fretful face.
As she did, George-aniki crouched down to meet her eyes and spoke to her kindly.
George: Maria-chan. There's nothing to be afraid of. Because we're all together. There's nothing to be afraid of if we're together. Go ahead and say it.
Maria: ...Uu-, ...there's nothing to be afraid of...if we're together...
George: Yes. There's nothing to be afraid of if we're together.
Maria: ...Uu-.
Battler: That's right, exa~actly what George-aniki said. If we're all together, there'll absolutely never be anything at all to be afraid of. Right, Jessica?
Jessica: Yeah, no doubt about that. What George nii-san said will always be true, Maria.
Maria: ...Uu-. George onii-chan always true.
George: Yes. I don't lie. So trust me. There's nothing to be afraid of if we're all together.
Maria: Uu-. ...George onii-chan doesn't lie. I trust you. There's nothing to be afraid of if we're all together. ...Uu-, not afraid!
Maria jumped into George-aniki's arms and hugged him tightly.
After Aniki patted her head, she jumped away again.
Her facial expression had undergone a 180 degree change, turning back to normal. She was once again the ordinary Maria.
Maria: Uu-. There's nothing to be afraid anymore, because we're together. ...Uu-uu-.
Battler: Yeah, that's it. ...You look all better now. You're strong, that's awesome!
Maria: ...Uu-! Maria, awesome!
Hideyoshi: Hey now, what's goin' on here? Maria-chan didn't get seasick, did she? Hm?
Jessica: Hahaha, well, something like that. We'll be arriving soon.
The harbor was already drawing near.
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