Although there were some twists and turns on the way, Mori Tsukisa hadn't forgotten what she came here for.
Baru's home was nearby. After parting with Bastet, the girl hummed a tune and began searching from the first house by the mine pit. Relying on Arrietty's nose, she found the Boy's residence.
Speaking of which, this Child's living environment was decent. The top was a house, but most of the time he should be underground—where Mori Tsukisa was standing.
In a small studio partitioned by piles of bricks, the strong smell of oil and mold could be detected from outside the door. The originally yellow adobe had turned somewhat black and green in the humid environment, and even small green sprouts were growing from the cracks in the bricks.
Knock knock.
Mori Tsukisa knocked twice.
There was a flurry of chaos inside. Something metallic fell to the ground with a 'clang,' followed by the sound of wood colliding and the sound of simple slippers running... creak.
"Big Sister?" Baru opened the door for Mori Tsukisa, sporting a bird's nest of hair that hadn't been washed in three days and wearing very old pajamas.
Upon seeing her, the Boy looked surprised. He awkwardly wiped the grease from his forehead, started to reach out, then pulled back, pointing inside. "Come in, come in! How did you find this place?!"
Mori Tsukisa hopped into the room with her hands behind her back, wrinkling her nose. "I smelled it."
Little Baru closed the door. Amidst his surprise, he suddenly thought of something, and a hint of fear appeared in his eyes. "You... you... you came by yourself...?"
Mori Tsukisa looked back. "What's wrong?"
"There are bad people here!" Baru jumped and waved his hands, dragging a finger-thick chain from under the table and wrapping it several times around the already closed door to lock it tight. "A group of guys is wandering everywhere late at night! They kidnap young girls!"
Mori Tsukisa pressed the corner of her mouth. "Abdu... what was it, that name."
"Abdullah?" Baru shouted. "How do you know that name? Have you seen him?!"
"Don't make a fuss, Baru."
Baru wasn't just making a fuss; he had moved from surprise to a state of great worry.
"You can't do this! I told you, Big Sister, you can't come looking for me at night!"
Mori Tsukisa bypassed the huge machine frame in the center of the room, walked to the fireplace, boredly flipped through some firewood, then turned to the other side of the room, fiddling with the wrenches and heavily worn Phillips screwdrivers on Baru's workbench.
Clink-clank, she was absent-minded.
"Mori Tsukisa!"
"You have to call me Big Sister."
"I'll only call you Big Sister if you listen." Baru, who was clearly younger than Mori Tsukisa, had a face full of seriousness and lingering fear. "You can't come at night, really. I heard they've already kidnapped many young girls."
"Abdullah? They're all dead..." Mori Tsukisa looked at Baru. "If it's the person you're talking about, they're all dead."
"How is that possible?!"
Baru glared at Mori Tsukisa in annoyance. "I'm going to get angry!"
"Really." Mori Tsukisa put both hands by her chin, making the shape of a cat's paw pads and twisting them. "A huge, ugly black cat opened its bloody mouth and swallowed Abdullah in one bite."
"Its tail was as short as a teapot lid and hairless; its green eyes were like copper rust; its teeth were sharp, biting off their arms and legs; it was covered in filthy black, with ink-like black juice flowing, emitting a foul smell."
Mori Tsukisa very seriously raised her arms high. "It's a terrifying monster that jumps down from the roof, burying its head in happily eating trash! By chance, that Mr. Abdullah appeared at the corner... Roar!"
Bastet:...Planeswalker, you've really got guts.
"Another fairy tale." Baru curled his lip. He didn't believe this sister who was full of nonsense at all. When he first met her, she actually said she was from another World. What a big liar.
"Just this once! You're not allowed to come looking for me alone again! It's too dangerous, Big Sister!"
Mori Tsukisa hummed twice, casting a curious glance at the giant machine in the center of the room as she spoke. "I'm going treasure hunting soon. I came to see you before I leave."
"Treasure hunting?" Baru stood side-by-side with Mori Tsukisa, proudly introducing her to the machine. "Look at this first! A flying machine! It's almost finished!"
Huge brown wings took up most of the space in the room. This "Baru-made" craft, which no one knew if it could actually take to the sky, already had a complete skeleton.
Only the coating and external sealing were left.
The long tail fin was connected by steel wires. From inside the fuselage, one could see the gears and well-oiled bearings.
Although Mori Tsukisa hadn't seen the internal structure of an airplane, she was fairly certain that this kind of thing definitely wouldn't fly—in her own World, at least.
Here... it was hard to say.
"These are the blueprints my father left behind!" Baru held his chin high, his palm gently stroking the wing as if touching some precious treasure. "It will definitely take me to the legendary land."
Mori Tsukisa's legend was in the pyramids; Baru's legend was... in the sky.
Like the huge photograph on the wall directly opposite the door.
—The Storm Goddess blew up clouds and mist, obscuring the vision of Mortals. Under the lens, a giant city was faintly visible, with a line of text written below the photo.
'LAPATA.'
The writing was flamboyant and free-spirited; one could tell the writer's dashing and high-spirited mood at the time from the strokes. Besides this one, a smaller photo of an airship setting sail was hung nearby with short nails and fishing line.
"Come look! I've organized many more stories; they were left by my father!"
Pulling Mori Tsukisa along, the young Boy led the girl to a desk that seemed out of place in the room. On the clean, dust-free surface, a diary, several blueprints, tightly capped ink, and two large stacks of calculation papers were neatly arranged.
A small trumpet covered with a blue cloth was also tucked into a corner of the desk.
"This! Look! What Papa said was true!"
Mori Tsukisa held the diary and opened it very carefully. This was a relic left by Baru's late father, and she didn't want to break or fold any corner.
In the diary, this strong young pilot had traveled everywhere, piloting his modified'Silver-winged Bird,' passing through thunderous and lightning-filled clouds, and crossing stormy seas.
A man who had seen almost half the World, flying his machine that had been modified countless times from his youth to middle age, from curiosity to passion, until he crossed the storm and saw... that giant city.
According to Baru, he passed away very early, and his reputation wasn't very good.
A big liar—that's what people called him when he was alive.
He told stories from "Gulliver's Travels" and claimed to have seen them in reality.
"My papa wasn't a liar... Laputa exists!!"
Baru sadly and quietly wiped the corner of his eye, nervously staring at Mori Tsukisa's face, seemingly afraid that this sister he liked so much would say something that would make him feel bad.
Mori Tsukisa wouldn't do that.
"Of course he wasn't." She reached out a hand to pat the Boy's somewhat prickly hair. "He was a great adventurer."
"—The Egyptian gods are the real frauds."
Bastet: I beg you to shut up.
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