35 Before dawn
Early in the morning, I woke up while it’s still before dawn.
I mean, the night here has no such thing like lights, and because I had nothing to do, the only person I can speak with is that gorilla. In short, there’s nothing to do at night.
That’s why, once the sun sinks, I have no choice but to sleep.
Wake up when the sun rises, sleep when the sun sinks.
After repeating such primitive life, my body has already adapt to it. I can now wake up naturally like an old man with bad sleep.
The campfire at the side is making a cracking sound.
Probably, the gorilla was the one who lit it up. Well, I’m okay, but is he feeling a little cold? Or he’s paying attention to my needs?
At any rate, there’s a culture gap, but recently, I started to consider him to be counted as a human because he’s an animal that can handle fire.
After all, I managed to clear once out of 10 times of this inhuman creature’s absurd request. That part, the education method is a little…………no, considerably…………no, extremely bad, but I do feel a little thankful for him.
「Oh, you woke up」
「Ah, I can wake up before dawn naturally now. What time is it?」
I asked the principal.
That’s right, this almost-human creature is wearing an unsuitable high class watch.
You wore that even when pulverizing the rock, right? What is it made of?
The principal confirms the time with his usual calm movement.
「Now…3 o’clock」
3 in the morning. Then, now, Japan is…
When I think about that, nn? I have a question.
「Say, Principal. The match day, wasn’t it today?」
「Ah, yeah」
He replied without hesitation.
「So the match which I’m supposed to participate, when was it?」
「I think…it’s 4 o’clock」
I see…4 in the afternoon. I heard about that before.
「So, what……time is Japan right now?」
In order to confirm the uncomfortable feeling, I asked him.
「I said, it’s 3 o’clock」
That’s his reply.
I look up at the sky, and think for a while.
Now, we are…approximately on the opposite side of Japan, and the time here is 3a.m.
And…the answer to my question just now was the time in Japan.
But the gorilla replied by saying 「3 o’clock」.
No, wait.
Ah, I see.
This place is approximately the other side of earth.
The 「3 o’clock」 that the gorilla said is correct.
If the difference is 12 hours,
then Japan is now 3p.m.
…Ah, I see.
…I see.
Embracing a new doubt in my chest, I ask the animal in front of me kindly.
「Say, Shitty gorilla principal…do you know the word “time difference”?」
「What? Time difference is」
「Hey, tell me. What is time difference?」
「You………………fucking gorillaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!?」
My shout resounds in the mountains.
「There’s only one hour until the match!!!!?」
In reply to my shout of despair, the principal asks with a serious look.
「What? What do you mean?」
While suppressing the anger against the gorilla’s lack of common sense, I tell him, emphasizing that we only have one hour before the match starts.
「I don’t understand, but…we just need to rush back?」
「Right!!!! But there’s no way we can go to the opposite side of…!!!!」
「Then, let’s go」
Saying that, the gorilla carries me in his arms…
「Eh?」
This gorilla…what the hell…don’t tell me…
Without time to sort my thoughts, our body accelerates at a great speed…
He jumped up to the starry sky.
36 A certain Air Force lieutenant’s testimony
The sky above the Pacific Ocean.
There was a fighter plane which is assigned to a mission of patrolling the airspace of a certain southern hemisphere country.
A calm weather.
The usual sky. The familiar sea and islands.
The experienced pilot carried out the mission without a blunder.
Although it’s a job which requires concentration, I myself, like to see this scenery. However, I’m already at this age as a pilot. My successor is also being brought up, so it might be a good time to make a request to my superior to be assigned with land missions. What, if I want to fly in the sky, I can just buy a private-use Cessna in my hometown.
The special feeling of going through the clouds with this fighter plane is hard to throw away, but flying in air calmly is also not bad.
When I was thinking of such thing while seeing the familiar scenery…
There’s one signal in the radar.
The signal that appeared at the corner of the radar, approaches here quickly……approaching this FS-32 fighter plane at an absurd speed.
At this rate, we’ll encounter within 10 seconds.
『『This is Hawk One. Urgent report to the control room!』』
「Control room here. What is it, Hawk One?」
『『A small unknown object is approaching from the back at an abnormal speed. At this rate, I will open fire. Please give the order』』
「What? Nothing is in the radar here…… No, there was a signal… What on earth is this!? This speed…a cruise missile!? No, even a missile can’t go that fast…」
『『Hawk One here! Should I shoot it down? Orders!』』
「Wait, I can’t grasp the situation. I can’t permit shooting it down…Wait for orders」
『『5 seconds before encounter! It is already behind me! Orders, quick!! Otherwise, I will avoid it!!』』
And…the pilot moves into evasion…after a few seconds.
The pilot saw.
A figure of a person overtaking the FS-32 he’s flying……which is the cutting-edge fighter plane that has the fastest speed of the world, at a speed several times faster.
And the figure of a person……while going through many cumulonimbus clouds…gets away from his sight at a very fast speed.
He forgets himself for a while upon seeing the unreal view.
Just like that, tens of seconds passed……and the pilot finally remembered his job.
『『…Hawk One to control room』』
「Control room here. We confirmed the sign of an airplane passing through. Is there any abnormality? Tell me the situation」
With such order from the commander, the pilot relies on the afterimage he saw, and said these words uncertainly.
『『………A person………no, something like a person…』』
「A person? What happened to the person?」
『『A person flew pass me. That is probably a human』』
「What do you mean…!? Is it a high-leveled Talent User!? Did you see his appearance?」
『『No…it was too instant…』』
「Anything is fine. I want every information you can remember」
『『…………Something………a large man like an orangutan, but he is carrying a young Asian boy……and he flew at high speed…………It was really like a joke』』
「………A large man like an orangutan……Don’t tell me………!?」
After the commander thinks for a while………
「This matter will be treated as top secret. Secrecy Level 10. You are prohibited to disclose anything you saw and heard today. Everyone in here……if you don’t want to be charged in a military tribunal, then forget everything that happened just now. Do you understand, Hawk One?」
『『………………Roger. Heading back to the normal patrol course』』
Just like that, the pilot tells himself that what he saw just now 「was all a dream」………
Turning the newest fighter plane, he went back to the sky where the aircraft carrier is.