So, after we started gathering scrap again, a few days passed...
Before long, we received news that was more than welcome to our ears.
Namely, that the bus's modifications were finished!
That news, meaning we'd be departing in the near future, was enough to get everyone together in one place, except for Ms. Ishmael.
The atmosphere grew noisy, and everyone gathered in high spirits. The sight of the bus there was, well, um...
"Ooh! So this is the newly transformed bus?"
"Is this a bus-boat, or a boat-bus?"
Yes, just like Mr. Yi Sang said, it was less a bus and more something like a ship... maybe a form with no wheels, and the underside changed to resemble a boat.
"Isn't it a bus-boat?"
"Where did the wheels go? At this rate, after U Corp..."
At Sinclair's fussing, Mr. Otis straightened his shoulders.
"A pointless worry. Of course I modified it so it can switch between the form of a ship and that of a bus."
"You're telling me something like that magical bus trick is actually real...?"
At Mr. Gregor's skeptical remark, the bus's developer, Ms. Faust, answered directly.
"Mephistopheles was originally a bus with all sorts of functions arising from multiple possibilities. Did Faust not say so?"
She had, in fact. And since she was the one who made such an incredible bus, it was also just Faust being Faust.
"Now, now, enough of that... let's start it up."
Gulp.
As Ms. Mika operated something, the bus... the ship...? trembled, showed its normal form for a moment...
"Gasp?!"
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeng──────!!!!!!!!
With that bizarre, scream-like sound we'd heard before, the bus shut down with a sputter.
This... is going to be a headache.
Especially considering Ms. Mika's expression didn't look good at all.
"Ugh... I feel like something's missing. Is it a problem with the shape-shifting device?"
"Aah~ I thought my eardrums were going to fall out. What exactly is missing to make a sound like that?"
"Mika... maybe that thing you patched up last time..."
So it was just... okay to slap things together that roughly?
Ms. Otis, who had somehow caught Mr. Rain's quiet whisper, reacted fiercely.
"What? Did you say 'roughly'?"
"I-I had no choice! We were short on parts... There's a part that can't be replaced, and that..."
THUD!! THUD!! THUD!! THUD!!
Ms. Mika's words, which were about to continue, were cut off by a booming sound from far away.
This sound is...
"...!"
"...This, you definitely said it wasn't engine noise, right?"
It really was just like last time. And so was Mr. Rain, whose face had just gone pale.
The thing that had attacked us not long after we first set foot here.
"It's the giant mutant we encountered before. It's coming this way."
"Looks like it was drawn in by the same sound as before."
The giant crab shell.
Back then, Ms. Olga had driven it off by smashing its head hard.
Just as I was thinking maybe we could chase it off again, Ms. Olga said something ominous.
"Heh, perfect timing~ That big thing definitely had that part attached to its shell, right?"
"I-it did..."
"Sis, no, right?"
"It does~ That's the expensive part that's hard to make, the one everyone needs, right?"
"You remember that a lot of the other Boat Center staff nearby died too, right?"
"That was because they got attacked all of a sudden, not because of the part. And right now~ there are so many people here who can help us."
Damn, she had a point. In the end, she was just asking us to kill it, right? Though they'd participate too.
"Right. The people who helped us build the Boat Center back when we were completely broke were all killed by that thing too, weren't they? Let's smash it to pieces while we have the chance. Make some more crab-brain liquor, too..."
"...Sis?"
...So that was her real motive. This drunkard! She just wanted to drink!
Was she seriously insane? Couldn't things just go a little easier?
Haa... Then the drunkard on that side started spouting nonsense, and the drunkard on this side chimed in.
"W-we get some too, right?"
"W-we?"
It was all hopeless, just hopeless. How did we end up with people like this...?
"Hmm... this crab shell did age for years and years, apparently. It must be the same one."
Listening quietly to Ms. Mika, Mr. Heathcliff slowly curled up the corner of his mouth.
"Anyway... so all we have to do is kill that thing, right?"
"Exactly~"
"You heard her, clock-head."
...That bastard Olga just wanted to get drunk...!
Haa... Fine. Dante will handle it somehow.
Let's give up. It's all the same anyway... huh?
"No. Isn't this better?"
"Ishmael?!"
Ms. Ishmael?
"Honestly, Ish... where did you come from?"
"I was, of course, preparing what we'd need to endure the Great Lake. Don't you need at least the bare minimum of study, like making a detailed guide to whales?"
At Ms. Ishmael's firm words, Ms. Rodion muttered sulkily.
"You know I don't read that stuff, and you still do this..."
"Then I'll make sure you have no choice but to read it, by drilling it into your ears."
Ah... damn it. This is going to ruin the mood again. It had actually been kind of okay just a moment ago.
"Manager, you saw that, right? We still need time. There's so much more we need to prepare. We can drive that crab thing off, can't we? Then let's do that and put the modifications off a little longer. If we buy time like that..."
"Ishmael... I don't know. Of course, it might just not feel real to me because all my memories were wiped away..."
"..."
"I don't really understand what you're afraid of, or what we need to prepare for. I want to listen to you and take it into account, but... I don't think that's the right direction for everyone. So."
"What do you mean, everyone?"
"...Huh?"
Ah... It feels like my headache is increasing in real time.
The Great Lake was certainly dangerous, and our preparations were certainly lacking... but this was still too impatient.
I couldn't say anything recklessly, since it was obvious this had to do with Ms. Ishmael's past... but she was crossing the line more and more.
"Let's be honest, shall we? Are there really people here sacrificing themselves for 'everyone'? Everyone signed a contract with Limbus Company for their own goals. Me too, the previous Mr. Yi Sang too, and all the rest of the prisoners too. In the end, isn't it all to achieve what each of us wants?"
"...Ms. Ishmael, stop."
"Saramago, are you any different? In the end, we're all cooperating because we want something. Not because it's truly for everyone."
"Haa..."
She has no intention of listening. Is she even trying to have a conversation?
"And Dante, you too... you're forcing yourself to chase after a Golden Bough you never even knew in life, just to recover your memories. Moving for a personal motive more than anyone else, so why do you act like you're doing it for everyone?"
"You bastard, how dare you speak to the Manager like that..."
She wasn't going to listen, she wasn't having a conversation, and maybe the old method wouldn't even work...
...I want to rest. Do we really have to fight like this in front of someone who's already not in normal condition?
Besides, I'd spent the first few months after boarding the bus not even knowing what I wanted properly.
By the time my headache was getting worse and my discomfort had reached its peak...
A deep, low voice swallowed the scene.
"Enough."
Mr. Vergilius.
...Watching him, this man really is pretty reliable. His personality is just twisted in a strange way.
"Ishmael, I told you clearly during the interview. The priority is to keep the 'contract'."
"...Hah, the contract. Right, this is a company. Of course."
After finishing her words, Ms. Ishmael glared at Dante with an expression she had never shown before.
What was in it... was unmistakable hostility.
Damn it. Seriously... I hate all of this.
"Fine, I'll keep that glorious contract. Manager. If you order me to, I'll obey. So if there's anything you want from me in the future, say it clearly. I won't overstep my bounds and help or explain anything anymore."
"..."
"What are you waiting for? Wasn't the order to go kill that house-sized thing? I'll gladly follow according to the contract, just as you command. Manager Dante."
Had she finally gone completely off the rails?
I just... don't know anymore. What could I have even done?
Would it have been better if I'd fought in Mr. Heathcliff's place?
But without me being able to know anything for certain...
"...Let's go."
All I could do was take up my spear and go hunt that thing down, just as Dante ordered.
...Don't rush. Just catch it first, then think. There'll still be time to worry afterward.
*
A little while later.
"Kuaaaagh!!"
BANG─────!!!!
A massive impact from a massive mass rang across the beach.
The giant crab. It was fully making use of its strengths.
Still, the fortunate thing was... we had quite a lot of experience hunting those absurd monsters.
From that perspective, the monster wasn't all that difficult an opponent for us.
Even right now.
"Everyone, scatter!!!"
"Kweeeek!!"
BANG─────!!!!
Everyone evaded the attack. It wasn't like this was the first time we'd seen a scene like this.
Sometimes we even just forced our way through with brute strength.
In the end, that meant a perfect victory.
And so a rather long hunt continued...
"Kweeeek..."
As expected, it was the thing that fell first. After all, with thirteen people who keep reviving even after dying taking turns fighting, there was no way a half-baked monster could win.
This wretched time is over! Now we can finally get to something called mission progress.
Though even that would still need more time for the bus's modifications... it shouldn't be too long now.
What matters is that the time spent mechanically catching the crab over and over is over.
Starting today, I'm going to go into my room and stay buried there all day. Yeah.
...No one's going to complain, right?
Ah... well, whatever. Let's rest. Yeah.
*
After a little more time passed...
We finally reached the moment to bid farewell to this dreary beach.
The bus's modifications were complete. At last, that moment had come.
Having naturally received the news, we gathered at the Boat Center entrance.
"Now... catch... on..."
"Oh~! It caught, it caught!"
As Ms. Mika started it up, Ms. Olga reacted with exaggerated excitement.
A definite success... so is life here finally over now?
It took a long time.
"Phew... it's complete now."
"It happens to be... high tide. You should be able to depart now."
As soon as Mr. Rain finished his kind explanation, Ms. Mika activated the full function.
"All right then... transform into boat form!"
"Ooh?! So it changes like that!"
Ooh... so it can change like that too.
I've seen all sorts of strange sights, but this was the first time I'd seen something like that.
Not that I have any important memories related to that sort of thing.
"I admire the person who designed this vehicle. Actually, I only heard about it, and this is the first time I've seen it function like this in person... If the core of this vehicle remains intact, I imagine it could easily transform into other forms too. How can such a core exist? Truly... I can only say it's remarkable."
"Yes, Faust is remarkable."
...If she didn't have that self-praise, I'd probably have worshipped her as a genius. Even now, I do think she's a genius, though.
Anyway.
"All right then... everyone, board up. Once we get to the water's edge, we can switch it back to a ship."
Following Mr. Rain's guidance, the prisoners boarded the bus one by one, and soon the bus-boat, moved to the beach, announced the time of its first departure.
So the time here is completely over now too.
There are still plenty of problems piled up, and there's not much sign of them being solved, but...
If we spend a long time in the Great Lake, maybe things will somehow work out.
Even the issue with Ms. Ishmael will eventually be resolved.
Maybe there'll come a day when I miss life here...
...Ah. It's leaking.
"Hey! Hurry up and bail the water out!"
"A bucket! Where's the bucket?!"
"I found the hole! This place..."
"Go. In."
"I'm departing, bubble-bubble."
What a mess. Hmm... maybe I should just go into my room and rest.
They'll figure it out on their own anyway, right? Yeah. I probably won't be missed.
And so the bizarre journey in the Great Lake announced an unsteady beginning...
After being repaired once more at the molar center, we were finally able to begin our full-scale voyage into the Great Lake.
It'll... be fine, right?