Episode 6. The Promised Billion.
Push! Gotta get to the surface! I can't take it anymore. My body's going numb, like my limbs are just gonna fall off. Did I let go of her or not?
There it is—the edge of the water. Just a little more, come on! Push, push!
I was literally squeezing the last drops of energy outta myself, but I was dragging that little girl up with me—this girl who, after trying to rip my clothes off, latched onto my arm like a damn vice and wouldn't let go. I tried to shake her off, but I'd never felt a grip that strong before. So I gave in and swam upward.
And there—finally—the surface! I gasped in the freezing autumn air and coughed like hell. Right after me, up came... a woman, with long loose hair and her eyes shut. She was unconscious. I smacked her cheeks a few times, hard enough, and eventually she started coughing too, blinking like she couldn't make sense of anything.
Swim back! – I barked at her, kinda surprised at how commanding I sounded. But time was ticking, and if we stayed in that water, we'd be popsicles in no She followed me without a word, showing she wasn't new to freestyle, and we made it back to the shore pretty quick.
Without even thinking, I ran over to the pile of clothes she'd left behind and came back carrying that whole mess. She took it from me reluctantly, stood there like she was thinking something over, and finally started getting dressed.
I didn't have time to wonder what the hell was going on in her head, 'cause I was freezing my ass off in soaked clothes, with the wind slicing through me. So I told her to follow me and started trudging toward my Versailles, legs barely cooperating—not surprising after a swim like that and the living nightmare that came with it. I tried not to look at that failed suicide case, 'cause every time I did, I kept expecting her to morph back into that freaky little girl.
Although... to be fair, when she attacked me, it wasn't all bad. Somewhere deep down, way back in my subconscious, I got this weird image of a summer night sky and bright streaks of a meteor shower, and it gave me this long-forgotten feeling… I couldn't pin it down, so I shoved it aside and focused on just staying alive.
When I ran inside the house, I saw my sister with a towel wrapped around her head, smoking and frying meat. As soon as she saw me, she gasped and bolted to the bathroom, came back with this giant fluffy towel and wiped down my whole torso (I'd already ripped off my wet T-shirt). My arms weren't really doing what I told them, so I just had to deal with the weirdness of being touched by another human, not like I had a choice.
Blood started pumping again, and my face lit up from finally being warm. I could feel myself getting some mobility back, and my fingers crackled like icicles breaking. Gotta hand it to my chatty sister—this time she got the memo. No questions, no pressure. She could tell I was totally wiped out.
As soon as I felt like I could stand and maybe even move, I headed for the door.
Where're you going?
There's a I pulled her outta the water.
Louise offered her shoulder, and I slung my arm over it to help limp my way to the entrance. Our two-person shuffle made it to the door. She nudged it open with her foot. The bells I'd hung on the frame jingled nervously—and honestly, I felt the same way inside, 'cause I didn't see the diver woman anywhere near the house.
We squinted into the fog that just wouldn't lift, and finally my sister's eagle eyes spotted something in the haze.
Look! Someone's walking over
I strained my vision, and yeah—I saw a figure trudging off toward town. Hard to say for sure if it was her, but who else would be wandering out here in weather like this? So yeah, had to be her. Which meant she dried off, got dressed, and left—without saying a damn thing.
Who was that? – Louise looked
I gave her the quick version of the rescue, leaving out the part about all the creepy supernatural crap. She exhaled with this relieved smile:
The main thing is you pulled her out, and she didn't just throw herself back in. She came to her senses and decided not to off herself. The rest? Not your problem anymore, bro. Now come on inside—my lamb's burning.
Five minutes later we were at the table, sipping hot tea and wolfing down fried meat soaked in curry and wine sauce. It was freakin' delicious. I thanked Louise, and she said we ought a celebrate my heroic deed properly—with some serious drinking. I turned her down immediately. My head was already buzzing like a hornet's nest. Instead, I asked her for a favor:
Listen, can you drive me into town tonight? I wanna stay at a hotel and meet that coach guy So you finally made up your mind! – Louise smacked the table, clearly – That's great. I'm glad you're taking your future into your own hands. But are you sure you wanna go tonight?
Weather's kinda shit. Maybe wait it out at home?
I would've loved to follow her advice. I really would've. But there was no way I could sleep in that house. Why?
I was just scared… straight-up terrified of everything now. The ningen. That freaky girl. Random memories that weren't even mine but had somehow moved into my head full-time. I didn't even feel safe in my beloved Versailles anymore. So I wanted to do what I always did when things got dangerous: run, far away.
Don't you have a business meeting or something? – I asked, hoping that'd help convince her to drive me. Got postponed a few One of the guys I needed came down with something.
Either way, Louise… I'm asking Please… – She gave in and shot a sad look at her bottle of booze. – Guess we're saying goodbye for now, baby. But I promise I'll be back, and we'll party hard. And you, bro—get your shit together and get ready for the trip.