Pathway to Japanese Literature

Perennial snow melted.

The summer of Showa 52 (1977) was intensely hot.

As for the heat from July 24th onward—lasting a full week—it was beyond description.

Even in what should have been the cool mountainous regions of Shinshu and Joetsu, nights were so sweltering that one couldn’t sleep unless the shutters were left open. In Tokyo, it was so unbearably hot that people couldn’t remain above ground; nearly all residents descended to the underground mall and spent that entire week living there. The relentless heat showed no mercy even in the deep reaches of the Japanese Alps. Even the perennial snow in the Japanese Alps began melting rapidly. Across the snowfield, a spray-raising flow—neither quite waterfall nor river—formed and surged downward, while the accumulated snow rapidly thinned away.

The perennial snow of Ubaya Valley had been widely known since ancient times as covering the largest area. It was old snow that had solidified rock-hard like a glacier, but even this was now melting away from both sides in the unprecedented heat, growing thinner by the day. The mountaineers' astonishment was hardly unreasonable. "There was a stream here?" "No, I haven't heard of that. But according to the map, this should absolutely be Ubaya Valley..."

"But that's strange." "According to the map, this absolutely has to be Ubaya Valley." "Take a look at this map." "Look at this rock." "Ah, that is indeed the triangular rock." "This is astonishing!" "Hey, the famous perennial snow's completely melted this year, I tell ya!"

The man abruptly stopped speaking and opened his eyes as wide as saucers.

“What could that be?... Look there—I don’t know what it is, but there’s a large round sphere.” “It’s at the bend in that mountain stream.” “Can’t you see it? You people…”

He leaned forward with astonishment and pointed downward. “Ah, there it is.” “I can see it.” “It’s a large sphere.” “It’s glinting brightly, isn’t it?” “It’s a metal sphere.”

“It’s strange. Let’s just go closer and check it out.” “Hey now, wait a moment. That might be dangerous.” “Now that you mention it, it does have a shape like those naval mines seen in old photographs, doesn’t it?” “Hmph, it might have some resemblance to a naval mine, but naval mines belong in the sea—there’s no way one would be in a mountain like this.”

The four mountaineers then traversed the valley and descended. They all felt vaguely fearful, but since it was something they themselves had discovered, they were determined to ascertain its true nature. They finally managed to approach it closely.

In the middle of the mountain stream sat a large metal sphere, its diameter likely measuring three meters, planted firmly in place. The surface gleamed with a metallic luster. Cross-shaped bands were fastened around it. Several eye bolts had been driven into it. The group circled around it to inspect. "There's writing here!" Indeed, there were characters written there. Rather than being written, it would be more accurate to say the characters had been burned into the surface with something like an oxyhydrogen flame.

×Caution: Open Door A×

That was all that was written. What on earth could this sphere be?

Cryogenic Human

The four mountaineers’ curiosity blazed up all the more.

They were far past mountain climbing now. They couldn’t rest until they peered inside this mysterious metal sphere.

“Anyway, this sphere came out from under the melting perennial snow. I think what was originally higher up rolled down and came to a stop here.” “Couldn’t this have been thrown here from Mars? If you open it, won’t there be a letter from Martians or something inside?”

“It’s not from Mars. Look—it says ‘×Caution: Open Door A×’ right here in Japanese characters, so this must’ve been made in Japan.” “Shouldn’t we hurry and try opening Door A?”

“Right.” “That works.” “Let’s do that.”

After searching the sphere’s surface for what was labeled Door A, they found something marked ×Door A× half-buried in soil at the rear. When they dug through the soil, they found that Door A was a circular lid-like structure. It had a handle attached, with instructions indicating to twist it left twenty times, so they did exactly that. Then the lid-like structure opened. On the metal plate, characters were again lined up in shallow relief. When they read it, something astonishing was written there.

* Inside this sphere lies Kosugi Masakichi, a brave boy preserved through cryogenic means. He is thirteen years of age. Having maintained his frozen state within this vessel for twenty years, he now wishes to rejoin the world. To whoever discovers this sphere: After verifying that two decades or more have elapsed since its sealing, you are hereby requested to extract this youth from his cryogenic chamber. The procedure requires no specialized skill. Upon burning through the metal plate marked B at the base, you will find an electrical plug within. Supply this plug with 100-volt alternating current at 50 cycles, whereupon forty-eight hours hence the sphere shall open automatically, releasing young Kosugi Masakichi. During these forty-eight hours, you must refrain from any interaction with the sphere beyond letting it remain undisturbed. August 13, 1947 (Shōwa 22)

*

What an extraordinary find. Inside this sphere was a cryogenically frozen boy. He wanted to reenter the world after twenty years had passed, it said.

Not twenty years—thirty had already passed; they had to extract him quickly. However, that cryogenic technology for humans had already been conceived as early as thirty years ago was a remarkable discovery. And Dr. Kanno, one of the mountaineers, was astonished.

After discussing, it was decided that this large find would be transported to Tokyo. Dr. Kanno used a portable wireless set to make a call to Tokyo. He requested that the Chiyoda branch of Koku Shokai urgently dispatch one helicopter (a bamboo-copter-style aircraft) capable of easily lifting approximately five tons to their location.

After about twenty minutes, a helicopter descended gracefully from the sky. It was the helicopter they had requested. Dr. Kanno and his group waved their handkerchiefs.

They loaded the metal sphere into the cargo hold of the landed helicopter. Then Dr. Kanno and his group entered the passenger seats. The helicopter soon took off and headed for Tokyo.

After discussing en route, they decided to bring the retrieved metal sphere to Yak University's Department of Physiology grand lecture hall and open it there. Dr. Kanno was a professor in that department.

The other three were Dr. Kanno’s friends: the woman was a communications engineer, one man was a musician, and the other was a novelist.

The day to open the metal sphere finally arrived.

The grand lecture hall was packed to capacity.

The hall was tiered with elevated surrounding seats; the podium stood at the center, lower than all else, requiring access through an underground passage. The metal sphere in question had been placed on this podium. Partitions made of polarized glass encircled it—a setup that blocked inward visibility while allowing clear outward observation. This arrangement served as considerate precaution to prevent Kosugi Masakichi, the boy expected to emerge from the metal sphere, from being startled by excessive crowds.

Dr. Kanno and five others alone entered inside the partitions. Following precisely the instructions found in Door A of the metal sphere, they broke through its bottom to take out the electrical plug and fed it the specified alternating current. This occurred exactly at 10:00 a.m.

Two days later at 10:00 a.m., while everyone stood clutching their sweat-dampened hands, the sphere quietly split into four parts as it opened. And from inside emerged an adorable boy. He was Kosugi Masakichi-kun.

The seven hundred spectators involuntarily burst into applause. For the boy who had been frozen thirty years earlier had now splendidly revived and appeared before them. This boy had been like ice for thirty years and had not aged.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Masakichi-kun,” said Dr.Kanno. “We welcome you.” “We’ll take care of everything,” Ms.Sumire said. “Please rest assured.”

Ginza Transformed Beyond Recognition "I wanted to see how much the world would change after twenty years—that's why I took this risk."

And Kosugi Masakichi, the boy, spoke to the people around him. "Ah, I'm sorry to interrupt your story, but actually it hasn't been twenty years—thirty years have passed since you were frozen. You see, this year is Showa 52." "Oh my, have I been asleep for thirty years?" The boy's uncle Dr. Mouri was said to have been the designer of this cold-forged metal sphere. It was also Dr. Mouri's idea to dig into the perennial snow of the Japanese Alps and bury it there. Though Dr. Mouri had promised to excavate this cryogenic sphere from the snow twenty years later, he failed to fulfill that promise. What in the world had happened to him? Everyone listened with interest to Masakichi's story. "And we'll look into Dr. Mouri's whereabouts and safety in due course." Putting that aside for now, they told Masakichi he should first have a light meal after so long, then guided him to the cafeteria and treated him to liquid nourishment.

The boy was unexpectedly energetic. Outside of the usual four-person group，Tokyo Mayor Kanizawa and Dr．Sakura，director of the university hospital，were surrounding him，but he talked about various things from thirty years ago． And he worried that Tokyo thirty years later might have changed so drastically that he would lose his mind while sightseeing． “You’ll be all right．I’m here with you．I’ll attend to you right away．”

Dr. Sakura responded immediately.

“Now, Masakichi-kun,” Dr. Kanno asked, “where would you first like to visit?” “Well...” Masakichi replied. “What I want to see most is the Ginza district of Tokyo where I lived thirty years ago. I’d like to walk through those same places again.”

The boy nostalgically uttered the name Ginza. “Very well. Then let’s head out right away. However, you might be somewhat surprised.”

The group took Masakichi with them and headed out. “This place looks unfamiliar, but is it near Ginza?” “That’s correct. It’s about three kilometers to Ginza. But it won’t take long if you get on the moving road…”

“What did you say? What are we getting on?”

“It’s a moving road. “Ah right—thirty years ago when you lived here, there were no moving roads, were there?” “Back then, you only had trains and automobiles, right?” “Now such things have almost disappeared.” “Instead, moving roads have taken their place.” “The road itself moves.” “Five moving roads run parallel to each other.” “You had similar things before, right? “Those belt conveyors.” “They move like those belts did.” “They’re arranged in five lanes alongside the sidewalk—the one nearest moves at ten kilometers per hour.” “The next at twenty, then thirty, forty, fifty—each progressively faster.” “Each moving road has its destination clearly marked.” “……Look here.” “This is the Ginza-bound moving road.”

They finally came outside. Sunlight was shining. They realized they had been underground until then. Nostalgic sunlight, sweet air! But something was off.

“Where is this? I’ve never seen this field before.” “This is Ginza. “The place where you’re standing now is where the old Ginza Fourth District intersection used to be.” “You’re kidding… Oh my, there’s a strange tower. And then there are these dome-shaped mounds all over the place. What is that?” Between the woods and grassland stood strangely twisted towers and low green structures resembling overturned pots.

“Those round structures have become house roofs.” “The towers are watchtowers monitoring for approaching atomic bombs.” “This entire Ginza landscape resulted from atomic bomb vigilance.” “Everyone lives underground.” “Only occasionally do curious folks come up to the surface like this for walks.” “Were you surprised?”

Masakichi was indeed surprised. The once-bustling Ginza scenery had now completely vanished from the surface of the earth.

Approaching Aliens "Are there still countries that wage war?"

With a look of utter bewilderment, the boy Masakichi asked Mayor Kanizawa, their guide.

“Well, about that... It seems they’ve decided not to wage war anymore.” “Whether others wage war or not, since Japan has renounced it, there’s no way Japan would start a war itself.” “Of course, this was a story from over thirty years ago now.”

Masakichi clearly remembered how back then the new constitution had been established, with its formal renunciation of war.

“What you’re saying is correct, Masakichi-kun. However, you see—after that, another major war nearly broke out—though of course Japan had no involvement—and because of that, a tremendous number of atomic bombs were prepared. At that time, there was an organization called the United Science Association formed by scholars from around the world, and they issued a grave warning from there. It concerned two grave matters.”

“What do you mean by this ‘grave warning’...?” “The first one was this: if the enormous number of atomic bombs prepared by two nations now attempting to start a war were actually used, their destructive power would be so tremendous that cracks would form in the Earth we inhabit, eventually causing it to split into several pieces.” “If such a thing were to happen, we humans—and of course all creatures on Earth—would soon perish.” “Therefore, they argued that such dangerous wars should be stopped—”

Mayor Kanizawa of Tokyo wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief as he spoke. Perhaps he had now recalled the suffocating terror of being just one step away from the outbreak of war. "So, did the war happen, or…"

“The second grave matter was—” The mayor did not answer Masakichi’s question and resumed his earlier explanation.

“The United Science Association members recently conducted an astounding observation in the heavens,” “To put it plainly, there exists a mysterious celestial body advancing toward our Earth with clear intent.” “That is not a comet.” “Judging from that celestial body’s movement patterns, it is following an independent trajectory.” “In other words, that celestial body is navigating the vast universe in a planned manner, just like airplanes and rockets.” “Whoa...” “So that means there really are people living on that celestial body, and they’re the ones steering it, right?”

“Well, that’s probably right—which is precisely why we mustn’t let our guard down for a single moment. That celestial body does not belong to our solar system—it has clearly invaded from somewhere far more distant. And the creatures living on that celestial body are believed to be far wiser than we Earth humans. Well then, if such a celestial body were to arrive, we—outmatched in both wisdom and strength—might have no choice but to surrender to its inhabitants. With such a formidable enemy before us, isn’t it absurd for fellow humans living on the same Earth to start fighting among themselves? For this reason, our strength as Earth’s humanity will be diminished, and when the aliens finally arrive, our weakened defenses will leave us no choice but to prostrate ourselves and bow our heads before them. Considering this reality, it is profoundly unwise for our nations to wage war against one another now. In other words, they warned, ‘Cease the war that is now about to break out.’”

“Ah, indeed, indeed—that makes perfect sense.” “It appears both nations came to fully grasp this,” Mayor Kanizawa continued, “and managed to halt the war’s outbreak just before detonation.” He tilted his head slightly. “Does this clarify matters for you?” “What a relief,” Masakichi replied.

“But then why are so many atomic bomb watchtowers, alarm stations, and shelters still lined up like that even now?”

Masakichi couldn’t understand why. “Well, those were constructed to be useful when enemies from outer space who might newly invade throw atomic bombs our way.” “Ah, I see. So it’s understood that those so-called aliens also use atomic bombs, then?” “Scholars say they’ll probably use them—and there’s another crucial reason we absolutely need those defensive installations.”

“What is the reason for that?”

“That is... you see, there are bad elements among our Earth’s humanity who secretly stockpile atomic bombs, load them onto planes, bring them here, and drop them from the sky.” “Why would they do that?” “You’re asking why they would do such a thing? In other words, there have always been robbers and gangs. Among today’s robbers and gangs, there are those who use atomic bombs. They drop them with a thunderous boom, and when the area plunges into chaos, they rush in and begin looting. That’s precisely why those defenses are necessary—to guard against such groups.”

With that, Mayor Kanizawa pointed at the watchtower. “Wow, thirty years later, robber groups really do pull off some incredible things.”

At this, Masakichi was utterly astonished.

Splendid Underground Life

According to Mayor Kanizawa, people had homes underground where they lived safely, but during times without incidents or war, it was said that not a few would immerse themselves in natural landscapes reminiscent of the ancient Musashino Plain, enjoying pleasant strolls and picnics.

"So there are no longer any above-ground metropolises like before anywhere, is that right?"

“Indeed there are not.” “In the past, there were what we called the Six Great Cities and many other medium and small cities, but nothing like that remains above ground now.” “However, the bustle underground is remarkable.” “I shall now take you there.”

Masakichi, guided by the mayor and his team, descended underground once more.

When it came to underground spaces, Masakichi recalled the musty smell of subway stations. He recalled that gloomy underground passage dug beneath railway tracks for crossing—the unpleasant dampness that clung to the air. He also recalled the sweltering heat inside coal mines.

However, the underground mall they were guided to by the mayor and his team was completely different. It wasn’t gloomy, nor was it damp, and there was no musty smell at all. Nor was there any sweltering heat at all. Nor was there anything suffocating.

So it felt as if he were in a pleasant villa room atop a mountain, and it also seemed as if he were strolling along a country road during that comfortable season between spring and autumn. “You see—in constructing this underground mall every sanitary precaution has been taken—various facilities have been put in place so we can live comfortably. For example: air gets meticulously purified—all harmful germs completely eradicated before circulating underground. Purification towers throughout cleanse air thoroughly too—look there! See that beautiful advertising tower ahead? That’s actually an air purifier.”

“Ah, so that’s what it is? Is it pulling double duty as both an advertising tower and an air purifier?”

It was a beautiful advertising tower approximately ten meters tall. Painted in vivid hues of red, blue, purple, orange, and yellow, its ceaseless rotation created a breathtaking spectacle that captivated the eye. “The humidity is maintained around forty percent. Thus there’s none of that clammy dampness typical of old underground spaces, nor any oppressive sweltering heat.” “Moreover, the temperature remains constant at twenty degrees Celsius—never too hot nor too cold.” “Since conditions stay like this year-round, those living underground can wear the same clothes throughout all seasons.”

“That sounds wonderful.” “That must save a lot on clothing costs.” “Back then we had to keep multiple sets of clothes—summer outfits, winter outfits and such.” “It was right during a fabric shortage, so Mother really struggled to get those clothes together... Ah, now that I mention it, Mother...”

At this, Masakichi’s voice grew hoarse and he sniffled. “What’s wrong, Masakichi?” Dr. Sakura, director of the university hospital, peered gently at Masakichi’s face from behind. “I... I...”

Masakichi hesitated mid-sentence, but then blurted out. "I suddenly wanted to see Mother." "When I entered that cryogenic sphere, Mother was fifty years old." "Oh, thirty years have passed since then." "Then Mother should have turned eighty this year." "Mother had always been frail." "Mother... there's absolutely no way she could have lived this long." "I... I... I’ll probably never see Mother again."

The boy Masakichi’s grief was truly pitiable.

Mr. Kanizawa, Dr. Sakura, and Dr. Kanno had put their heads together in consultation when Mayor Kanizawa finally said to Masakichi.

“Now, Masakichi-kun,” said Mayor Kanizawa. “We do have some leads.” “If things go well, you might be able to meet your mother.” “What? Really?” Masakichi replied. “But Mother has already died.” “No,” the mayor countered, “that will become clear in time.” “Let’s tour the town first—then I’ll guide you there.”

Artificial Heart

Masakichi was comforted by Mayor Kanizawa and the others, and regained some of his energy.

They showed him around the town, and indeed, it was truly bustling and clean. In the old days, the livelier a town was, the more sand and dust would swirl up, scraps of paper would flutter about, and filth would litter the roads.

However, in this town no dust rose, no scraps of paper existed, and the road surfaces appeared as if even walking barefoot wouldn’t soil the soles of one’s feet. The town had a high ceiling, likely about thirty meters above the road surface. And that ceiling was a clear blue and bright. It felt as though a genuine autumn sky stretched overhead.

"The ceiling has discharge tubes installed that emit light identical to sunlight," Mayor Kanizawa explained. "Navy-blue glass panels line beneath them. That's why walking here gives you the same feeling as strolling through Ginza in its prime." "Ah—so that wasn't real sky after all?" Masakichi caught himself mid-thought. "No...of course not. We're underground—there couldn't possibly be blue sky overhead." He flushed crimson upon realizing his mistake, yet couldn't deny the illusion's perfection—every detail mirroring an authentic autumn firmament.

Mayor Kanizawa led Masakichi into an impressive bookstore. The rear had been converted into living quarters. It was what you might call apartment-style housing. Mayor Kanizawa stood before one of them and rapped firmly on the door. Then came a reply from within. It was a woman's voice. “Ah—that voice…” The door opened inward. A white-haired old woman showed her face from inside the house.

“Oh! Mr. Mayor. “And Dr. Sakura too—” “Today I’ve brought a special guest. Do you recognize this boy here?” Urged by the mayor, the old woman looked at Masakichi. “Why, if it isn’t Masakichi! “This is my Masakichi! “Oh my, Masakichi, how on earth did you…”

The old woman was indeed Masakichi’s mother. “Mother!”

Masakichi and his mother hugged each other and shed tears of joy. "Mother, you’ve lived such a long life for me, haven’t you?" “Masakichi, dear. Mother nearly died once from heart disease, but I had an artificial heart installed and became healthy as you can see.”

“An artificial heart, you say?”

“You can see it, can’t you? Mother is carrying something like a backpack on her back, right? That’s the artificial heart.”

Masakichi looked. Indeed, Mother was carrying a strange square box on her back. Was that the artificial heart? Masakichi blinked rapidly.

A younger brother with a mustache

The artificial heart, being a machine made by humans unlike a real heart, was much larger. Therefore, it wasn’t placed inside the chest but fastened to the back. Two tubes emerged from her chest, connecting to this artificial heart. One was painted red, the other blue. The red one was an artery through which clean blood flowed; the blue one was a vein. And the artificial heart served as a pump that sent that blood into the body or drew it back in.

Dr. Sakura, the specialist, explained that it was constructed from a metal material lighter than the duralumin of old and superior organic synthetic flesh.

“Carrying something like this makes me look rather silly. “Masakichi, even you must think it looks strange.” Mother laughed. It was his mother’s heartwarming smile. “Your looks don’t matter one bit. “Please live ever so much longer with that artificial heart’s help.”

"The doctors told me that since they replaced my bad heart with this artificial heart, I can live up to a hundred years with just this alone." "Living to 100 years old is such a long life, isn't it?"

“No,” “According to what the doctors said—I can live much longer.” “They told me if I replace this artificial heart with a new model before turning one hundred years old—and then swap out any other failing organs for artificial ones too—my lifespan will extend again.” “Then Mother—doesn’t that mean you could live two hundred years? Three hundred? How wonderful!” “Father really lost out by dying back in Showa 20 [1945], didn’t he?”

“What a terrible waste.” “If only Father had lived another fifteen or sixteen years, he could have joined those able to live much longer like me.” “Then I would be even happier than I am now, but…”

Masakichi’s mother quietly wiped away tears as she fondly remembered her husband, who had passed away long ago.

It was then.

A gentleman in his early thirties with a splendid beard and a woman who appeared slightly younger came running in. “Ah, Mother! I heard Big Brother came here to visit!” “Where is my older brother?”

Masakichi heard this and blinked rapidly.

“Oh, your older brother is right there. Look, that cute little boy is your brother.”

Mother pointed at Masakichi.

“Huh? Is this boy my older brother? It feels a bit strange.” “Oh my, it’s true! He’s the spitting image of the photos. But having such an adorable little boy as my big brother makes this feel rather odd.” “Masakichi, this is your younger brother Yoshikichi. And next to him is your younger sister Mariko.” “Hey there, Big Brother!” “I’m so happy to finally meet you, Big Brother.” “Ah... A brother and a sister—”

Although he said this, Masakichi himself was in a thoroughly strange situation. It didn’t feel like meeting younger siblings—more like meeting an uncle and aunt.

Surprise Farm

The unexpected reunion with his mother greatly heartened the boy Masakichi. The loneliness of being alone, having leapt into the heart of an unknown world—something like that vanished in an instant.

“Where are you taking me from here?”

With that, Masakichi turned to Mayor Kanizawa, Dr. Sakura, and the others and asked. “I’ll take you somewhere that will surprise you.” “Shall I give you a little hint?” “It’s Japan’s new territory.” “Hahaha, you’re surprised, aren’t you?”

“Japan’s new territory, you say? That’s strange. Japan lost the war, and since we’ve now decided not to wage war anymore, there shouldn’t be any way for our territory to increase.” “You would think so. But that’s not how it is. You’ll understand once you actually go there.” “Is it nearby?” “No, it’s not nearby. It’s quite far. However, since we’ll be taking a high-speed vehicle, it won’t be an issue.”

Masakichi could not understand what the Mayor was saying. He recalled how, just as the land had grown cramped, a great number of compatriots returning from overseas had made life exceedingly difficult, and how they suffered year after year. What was most painful of all had been the food situation.

“Ah, that’s right,” Masakichi said.

“Hey, Mayor. What’s become of the rice fields, vegetable fields, and orchards? If there’s a danger of being attacked on the surface, you can’t very well keep cultivating fields up there in peace, can you?” “Exactly right. We can no longer plant rice on the surface, nor can we grow potatoes, cucumbers, or eggplants there. Even if we did grow such things, there’s always the chance that terrifying germs or poisons might be scattered from the sky at any moment. Then you couldn’t eat them without worry.”

"So you're not growing any crops at all?" "That's not true at all. In your earlier meal there was pumpkin and turnip served too - rice came out as well along with peaches and persimmons."

“That’s right.”

“Well then, I suppose I’ll take you there first.” “Perfect timing.” “Since they’re cultivating crops at the Asuka Farm right nearby, let’s take a quick look.” It was called Asuka Farm. The Mayor had stated there were no rice fields or vegetable fields on the surface. Nevertheless, it was strange that there was a place called a farm. Surely the farm couldn’t be underground. Underground, without sunlight and heat, crops couldn’t possibly grow.

“Here we are. Let’s go in.”

He was led into a large building. What on earth kind of farm could there possibly be inside this corporate-looking building?

But when he was led to and shown the underground farm thirty years later, Masakichi gasped in astonishment. Pumpkins, cucumbers, and rice plants were all planted on shelves stacked in multiple tiers like old third-class train berths. They were all growing well. “Take a look at this cucumber.” Having been told by the engineer there, Masakichi looked at the cucumber. “Oh, this cucumber is moving. It keeps getting bigger and bigger!” Masakichi was shocked and felt queasy—this was a monster cucumber.

“These days, all crops are cultivated using methods like this. In the past, they cultivated plants over long periods using sunlight and inefficient fertilizers, but now through applying suitable chemical rays, electricity, and superior plant hormones, we’ve become able to harvest splendid, nutritious produce within short periods. With cucumbers like these, they grow large enough to pick within one or two days after flowering. Even apples or persimmons will form splendid fruit within a week.”

“That’s astonishing.” “That’s why, unlike in the past, cucumbers and pumpkins bear fruit all year round.” “And apples, bananas, and persimmons can also be made to bear fruit anytime throughout the year.” “So things like delayed distribution and famine don’t happen anymore, right?” "Huh? What was that you said?" The engineer, not understanding Masakichi’s question, asked him to repeat it. Masakichi, realizing, withdrew that question. In this present age where they could effortlessly achieve fifty times the production, it was only natural that concepts like delayed distribution or famine would be incomprehensible.

undersea city

They got off the moving walkway and ascended to a hill-like elevated area that resembled a park. Of course, being underground, there was a ceiling overhead. There were also walls. Set into sections of those expansive walls were windows resembling the viewing ports of large aquarium tanks—horizontal panes of glass stretching lengthwise. He peered outside through that window. “Ah, so it really is an aquarium after all.”

Through seawater suffused with faintly luminous blue light rays, schools of fish swam vigorously about. A forest of seaweed—kelp, wakame, and others—came into view, and sea cucumbers clung to the rocks. Sea anemones also spread out their tentacles.

“Do you think this is an aquarium?” Mayor Kanizawa smiled.

“Please look carefully.” “Now, I’ll turn on the lights so we can see far into the distance.” Having said that, Mayor Kanizawa operated a switch-like device beneath the window. Then daylight-bright rays suddenly illuminated the water. The light reached far into the distance. Whether startled by the light or not, schools of fish began swarming around it in an instant—countless multitudes, their numbers reaching tens or even hundreds of thousands. “Still think this looks like an aquarium?”

Mayor Kanizawa inquired,

“No, I was mistaken. This is actually looking into the real sea, isn’t it?” He could see far into the distance. There probably wasn’t an aquarium tank this large anywhere.

“You’ve realized it now. In other words, as you can see, our country is now actively constructing undersea cities.” “Undersea cities, you say?” “That’s correct. We’re extending cities into the seabed depths. We’re also excavating beneath the ocean floor to extract vital resources. Even in ancient times, there were coal mines operating under the seabed, you know.” “Those operations have expanded into grander projects. People live there. Towns exist there too. There used to be things called undersea tunnels in the past. You could say those have evolved into something much larger.”

Masakichi departed from the undersea city and ascended back to the surface.

Along the way was a station where a large number of elementary school students, seemingly heading off on a trip, were making boisterous noise. “Ah, a school trip for elementary students, right? Where are you guys going?” “From California towards New York.” “Huh? You’re going from California towards New York? You shouldn’t tease me like that.” “We’re not teasing you.” “It’s true.” “You’re a weird kid.” Masakichi was bested.

Mayor Kanizawa, standing nearby with a smirk, whispered into Masakichi’s ear.

“Elementary school students these days go on school trips to America and Europe.” “From this station depart the special express trains of the Trans-Pacific Underground Railway.” “Through wind tunnels, these airtight trains don’t so much travel as fly like bullets over great distances.” “They reach San Francisco in eighteen hours.” “Has such a thing really been built?” “Couldn’t people just take air routes instead?”

“Air travel carries the risk of attacks from external enemies, you see.” “This subway is safer.” “After all, now that we can harness enormous atomic power, large-scale civil engineering projects and grand architectural endeavors—unimaginable to people of the past—can be carried out effortlessly in rapid succession.” “That’s why you can go anywhere in the world via high-speed subway.”

“Hmm. "So now we're in the age of underground living, huh?" “Well, I suppose that’s one way to put it.” "However, we're expanding into space as well." “Oh right, tomorrow, the Lunar World Expedition Team is scheduled to depart from Haneda Airport aboard ten rocket ships.”

Masakichi let out a deep sigh and muttered to himself. "Thirty years have passed... I never imagined the world and life would change this much." "If I'd known things would change this much thirty years ago... I would've mustered more motivation and studied harder..."

According to what was later learned, Dr. Mouri had gone on a Lunar World expedition and become stranded, unable to return. This expedition would surely rescue the doctor.

Space Exploration Team

Masakichi had become unbearably eager to try space travel since that day.

Thirty years ago, had there been someone who predicted that sightseeing flights to the Lunar World would eventually become possible, that person would surely have been dismissed as a liar by everyone. Yet now, it had truly become possible. What tremendous progress! Masakichi consulted Tokyo Mayor Kanizawa and Dr. Sakura of University Hospital about the matter. Then the two of them told him that such matters would best be entrusted to Dr. Kanno.

"That's right—Dr. Kanno."

He wouldn’t be with the doctor for some time, but Dr. Kanno—the very man who had safely extracted the boy Masakichi from the cryogenic sphere—was one of his saviors and a renowned authority in physiology.

“Do you truly wish to go, Masakichi-kun?”

Dr. Kanno watched Masakichi with a kind-looking smile. "I definitely want to go. For thirty long years, I was asleep, and my knowledge has lagged far behind. That's why this time, I want to see the newest things in today's world and leap directly into becoming a scholar!"

Masakichi blurted out his childlike desires. “If you truly intend to become a scholar, you can’t leap straight there in one bound. You must work steadily and patiently.” “The same applies to space travel.” “It may look splendid on the surface, but if you actually try space travel, it’s an endurance contest from start to finish. It isn’t enjoyable at all.”

Though Dr. Kanno’s words were entirely true, Masakichi thought the doctor was listing nothing but hardships in an attempt to dissuade him from space travel.

“I love enduring things. After all, I persevered thirty whole years inside that cryogenic sphere.” “Ah, I see, I see. If you insist that much, I suppose I’ll take you along.” “Huh? What did you just say?”

Masakichi hurriedly asked. Dr. Kanno’s grin finally widened as he looked at Masakichi, then at last he spoke.

“Actually, we’ve decided to embark on a rather distant space journey this time.” “It’s even farther than the Moon.” “If we leave early enough, we’ll be chasing Mars.” “Such an expedition is scheduled to depart in a week, but I can take you along.” “I’m so happy!” “Please take me with you!”

“However, I’ll warn you in advance—even if you get lonely or lose patience and start pleading ‘Please send me back to Earth,’ it won’t work.” “Who’d ever say such a thing?”

Masakichi puffed out his chest proudly. “Are you sure? And while we’re chasing Mars, we might come to harm because of Martians. If things go badly, we may have to use space as our graveyard and enter an eternal sleep. In other words, we might get killed by Martians and die—wouldn’t that be terrible? Changed your mind?”

“No, I’ll go. Please, I beg you—take me with you. Even if we die then and become cold corpses, a rescue team will come in a rocket or something later and revive us all. There’s no need to worry.” “My, my—where did you acquire such knowledge? I must have assumed you didn’t know when I said that...” Dr. Kanno tilted his head slightly. “Doctor, you’re quite forgetful, aren’t you? Didn’t you give a lecture at the university auditorium the other day?—‘Modern surgery has made tremendous progress: suturing bodies, connecting nerves, then applying high-voltage electricity for an extremely brief moment—crackling through the flesh—to revive ninety-five out of a hundred people.’ ‘This revival rate will likely improve through future research. As for myself, there’s one study I’m determined to attempt: excavating corpses buried in earth or entombed in ice near Earth’s polar regions, suturing them properly, and administering electric shock revival procedures.’ ‘Then we could create a considerable number of revived individuals.’ ‘Some might date back tens of thousands of years BC—by questioning them, we could uncover countless ancient secrets.’ You lectured about all that, didn’t you?”

“Ah, so you heard that?” “I certainly did! So in today’s world, even if you die, you’re not just left dead—there’s no need to worry about ‘I’ll die’ or ‘It’ll be terrible if I die.’ That’s what I learned from your lecture, Doctor. Therefore, please take me with you.”

“Very well. I’ll take you along.” “Whoa, I’m so happy!”

Masakichi rejoiced and leaped at Dr. Kanno.

Shingetsu Takeoff

After all, the expedition's rocket ship departed from Tokyo Airport.

The ship’s name was "Shingetsu." The Shingetsu was a rocket unlike any other. The main part of the ship was spherical. On its exterior, flange-like structures were fitted around the sphere’s equator. And this somewhat resembled the blades of a windmill or turbine. When flying through areas with atmosphere, these flange-like blades initially rotated horizontally; after takeoff, they gradually tilted vertically and ascended diagonally through the sky in a rather fascinating flight pattern.

And when it reached an area where there was almost no air, these flange-like blades separated from the sphere.

After that, only the sphere remained. This sphere, functioning as a rocket, emitted gas from six apertures and steadily accelerated through the airless void.

The spherical hull had numerous windows—though of course, there were no actual openings. Thick transparent panels were fitted into these windows. And these windows were used to peer into the vast cosmos where countless beautiful stars glittered within the darkness.

The diameter of this sphere of the Shingetsu was approximately seventy meters. So it could also be seen as if someone had added an enormous circular embankment around Ryogoku Kokugikan.

The Shingetsu was supposed to make its cosmic journey all alone.

This type of rocket had rarely been seen before, and there were those who considered it dangerous. Even among scholars, there were surprisingly many who harbored doubts. However, Engineer Kako—the designer of this Shingetsu—stated that in terms of safety, it was second to none compared to any other rocket. And to prove this, he boarded the Shingetsu as chief engineer and joined this expedition.

So, who exactly was the captain of the Shingetsu? This was none other than the famous explorer Mr. Marumo Ken, who held the glorious record of nineteen space voyages. Dr. Kanno was the leader of the observation team.

Ms. Sumire was the communications director. Ms. Sumire was one of the mountaineers who had rescued Masakichi from cryogenic freezing.

In this way, those who boarded the Shingetsu—including Masakichi—totaled forty-one members.

“Those embarking on their first space voyage are not permitted to look outside the windows for seven days after departing Earth.”

Such a command was issued by Captain Marumo before departure.

"Why did he issue such an order?"

Masakichi was displeased. Even taking off in an airplane felt thrilling. Taking off in this uniquely designed latest-model rocket ship Shingetsu would surely be a spectacular sight. So I definitely wanted to see it. Also as we gained altitude and reached where both Pacific and Atlantic Oceans became visible together - how fascinating that would be. I absolutely wanted to see it. Why did Captain Marumo prohibit it? And why were we not allowed...

When Masakichi met Dr. Kanno, he brought up the matter. Then Dr. Kanno smirked and, “Heh heh heh, that’s what you call the Captain’s fatherly concern.” “The Captain issued that order out of concern for you all.” “You’d better obey it.”

and he took the Captain’s side. “Why mustn’t we look outside the window for seven whole days? I want to know the reason.” “That... that’s something I think it’s better not to say now.” “When the Captain’s order is lifted, I’ll tell you then.”

Dr. Kanno did not say anything further.

There were about twenty first-time space travel group members who shared Masakichi’s dissatisfaction. Each of them was muttering their complaints under their breath, but the senior crew members offered no explanations. Everyone had been strictly ordered by the Captain to keep their mouths shut. When told not to look, it was human nature to feel compelled to look. Masakichi resolved that he would stealthily take a peek outside before long.

Outside the window,

The Shingetsu departed Earth at dawn and shot upward into the sky, but those who witnessed the grandeur of its departure were few.

Then the Shingetsu kept steadily climbing and pierced through into the stratosphere. As it neared the edge of the stratosphere and surpassed twenty kilometers in altitude, the surroundings suddenly darkened as if night had fallen. Yet this wasn't true night—the air had simply grown so thin that sunlight couldn't scatter through what's called diffuse reflection, leaving everything shrouded in darkness.

However, the sun was shining roundly in the sky above. It was just like how the moon shone in the night sky—the sun itself was glowing, but its surroundings remained unilluminated.

By then, the clusters of stars had grown even more brilliant, as though countless diamonds had been scattered across a black curtain. Such a scene would go on forever after this. It was a great dark universe without day or night. However, the sun still appeared to move across the sky.

The great universe was quiet like this. It didn't feel alive. Rather, it looked dead. This was likely because everything was swallowed by such profound darkness—whether the sun or the stars, they appeared far too small and forlorn when set against the vast expanse of the dark void.

But if one had looked back at that moment—what then? He would have been startled. The Captain had issued that peculiar order precisely to prevent anyone from looking back and being startled.

It was exactly four days after their departure. Masakichi seized the perfect opportunity to look out the window.

As he walked down the passageway, someone above let out a strange cry.

Wondering what it was, Masakichi looked up. Then, there on the intersecting ceiling beams of the passageway, a man was caught and stretched out long. "Look out!"

Masakichi was startled. If left unattended, that person would fall through the beams and smash their head. He thought he had to help him quickly. He had no time to call for others. Masakichi grabbed onto a nearby pillar and climbed upward like a monkey. Tree-climbing was Masakichi’s specialty.

Once he reached the ceiling, he then moved forward by traversing the beams horizontally. It was exactly like a circus performer's aerial adventure tightrope act.

(Hurry, hurry. If that person falls from the beam, it'll all be over.) At an extremely critical moment, his body was supported by the beam. It was exactly like a balance scale. Masakichi finally managed to grab the person's body. He had barely seized hold when the person gasped for air, the two events nearly simultaneous. "Aah..."

The man groaned. When Masakichi looked closer, it was the young cook everyone called Kin-chan—the ship’s resident joker. “Kin-chan! What’s wrong? Stay with me!” Clutching Kin-chan’s body before it could slip over the beam, Masakichi strained to restrain him while trying to offer reassurance. “It’s terrifying—terrifying! I’m going crazy! Help me!” Kin-chan clutched his face with both hands and babbled incoherently.

“Kin-chan! You’re acting strange—don’t make such a fuss! I’m Kosugi!” “Kosugi?” Kin-chan finally opened his eyes and looked at Masakichi. He let out a deep sigh of relief, as if seeing Masakichi’s familiar face had reassured him. “What were you doing in a place like this?”

When Masakichi asked this, Kin-chan grimaced again and began gasping as if in pain.

“It’s scary, scary, Masa-chan. You shouldn’t look outside from that window. You’ll lose your mind!” “Ah, I see. You looked out the window, didn’t you? The Captain will scold you!”

Masakichi said this, but when he looked, the window covering was torn. Kin-chan must have torn it. Masakichi suddenly wanted to look outside. “Masa-chan, stop! Don’t look outside…” “No good… If you go lookin’ outside…” Regardless of Kin-chan trying to stop him, Masakichi finally looked out the window.

“Th-that’s…”

Masakichi's shoulders heaved violently. His face was deathly pale.

What had Masakichi seen?

He had seen a perfectly round, glowing yellow sphere roughly the size of forty or fifty large buildings gathered together. That was Earth. It was Earth.

The enormous sphere of Earth floating in space without any supporting pillar was awe-inspiring—or perhaps terrifying—and he finally understood why the captain had ordered them not to look outside.

Probe rocket

After seven days, the windows were unsealed and looking outside became permissible. By then Earth had shrunk considerably, reduced to roughly the size of a small hill, so its terrifying quality lessened. There would likely be no one driven mad or fainting at that sight now. Though diminished in size, Earth's continental outlines shone ever more brightly white and became clearly visible. Yet gradually this spherical impression faded altogether, transforming into something resembling a flat plane.

“How many times have you passed out since then, Kin-chan?”

When Masakichi teased Kin-chan the cook like that, Kin-chan’s face turned bright red, “It was just that one time! Like I’d let that happen over and over! Anyway, they’re serving an incredible feast for tonight’s dinner!”

“When you say ‘incredible feast,’ do you mean a dish with Earth sitting on a plate?” “You’re teasing me again with Earth, aren’t you? Let’s just put that aside for now. Tonight’s dinner will have salted ox tongue with salad greens, and on top of that…” “What’s next—rounding up amphibians for the menu?”

Masakichi told a joke and left the dining hall.

At the corridor’s curved doorway, Masakichi collided with an adult. When he wondered who it could be, it turned out to be Engineer Kako wearing a navy work uniform and carrying blueprints under his arm.

“Ah, careful! Masakichi-kun, what are you in such a hurry for?” “I’m brimming with energy because I just had some wonderful sweets in the dining hall. So now I’m planning to go see the Captain and have him tell me some exploration stories. The Captain’s incredible stories—if you’re not properly energized when listening, your heart starts racing so much you’ll nearly faint!” “Lately, everyone’s fainting left and right, huh? That’s why I always carry a small bottle of ammonia water for revival in my pocket like this.”

With that, Engineer Kako took out a small bottle containing a transparent liquid and showed it. “Please lend me that.” “I’ll take that and go see the Captain, so…” "No good, Masakichi-kun. The Captain is taking his nap right now." "No one can wake the Captain for about an hour." “Oh, how tedious.” “It’s not all bad—come to the machine room. “We’re about to launch a probe rocket, so...”

“A probe rocket, you say? What does that do?” “It’s a rocket that serves as eyes for the mothership. This rocket carries no crew—it’s radio-controlled. That lets it achieve tremendous speeds. We launch it to approach the lunar surface ahead of the mothership. Understood? Do you follow everything so far?” “Yes, I understand.” “That probe rocket carries television equipment. It becomes our eyes to observe the lunar terrain. The signals ride radio waves back to the mothership. Here, we receive those TV signals and project them onto screens. With all this, it’s like the mothership’s vision extends far ahead. A tremendous tactical advantage.”

“Why do you do that?” “If there’s danger ahead, the probe rocket detects it and sends a warning.” “The mothership can escape immediately.” “It doesn’t matter if the probe rocket gets destroyed.” “Because there aren’t any humans aboard it, you see.”

“So it can detect sound too? Then you should just install a microphone on the probe rocket.” “Technically feasible. But this mission requires no sound detection apparatus.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s no air in the lunar world. If there’s no air, there can’t be any sound.” “Oh, right, that’s true.”

The moon’s volcanic craters. Three scout rockets were launched. They were small rockets, shaped like artillery shells. In twelve more hours, they would reach the moon’s vicinity.

This scene was captured on television and broadcast toward Earth. “Is the lunar world truly such a dangerous place?” “Are massive earthquakes common there?” Masakichi remained fixed at Engineer Kako’s side.

“There won’t be any earthquakes anymore.” “The lunar world has completely cooled off and become a dead planet.” “Then could robbers appear?”

“There’s no way robbers would show up.” “But no—there’s a worry that something far more fearsome than robbers might appear.” “What do you mean by this ‘terrifying creature’...?” “Well, there are rumors that beings other than us Earth humans are coming to the lunar world.” “There’s even a story about how, not long ago, a certain expedition member saw a suspicious shadow resembling them, got startled, and fled back home.” “Another expedition member went missing on the lunar world, but signs of a struggle remained at the last location where he was.” “Moreover, the objects found there do not appear to have been made by us humans.” “From these facts, it must be that creatures from other planets have been coming to the lunar world for quite some time.” “In that case, it means we must exercise extreme caution when heading to the lunar world from now on.”

Engineer Kako’s story surprised Masakichi. He had thought this universe was a world where only Earthlings could lord it over everything alone, but now that dream had shattered—it was becoming clear that in truth, they inhabited a mixed world where they lived alongside creatures from other stars. This left no room for complacency. He needed to reconsider everything. If a cosmic war were to break out, it would be catastrophic.

As Masakichi thought about such things, he somehow began to feel unwell. Engineer Kako immediately noticed that.

“Masakichi-kun. “You’ve become awfully withdrawn.” “Anyway, humans are done for if they lose their spirit at any time, you know.” “Oh right, I hear they’re showing old cartoon films like Popeye and Mickey Mouse in the movie room right now. Go take a look.” “And quickly go back to being your smiling Masa-chan self.”

At Engineer Kako’s urging, Masakichi complied. The movie was so funny he laughed until he doubled over. Right nearby, there was someone who kept laughing in a voice even louder than Masakichi’s. Upon closer inspection, it was the cook Kin-chan. When the movie ended, Kin-chan invited him to go to the indoor gymnasium. Masakichi went with him. There, the off-duty crew members were playing and shouting. Masakichi and the others joined their group, playing basketball and knocking over beer bottles. And before they knew it, they lost track of time.

Engineer Kako had come up behind Masakichi before he knew it and called out to him.

“You know those scout rockets? They made contact with the lunar surface a while back.” “The television feed from them is being projected on the control room screen right now. Want to come see?” “What? You can already see it?” “I’m on my way!” Following Engineer Kako into the control room, Masakichi found all the ship’s senior officers gathered there. Seated behind the copilot’s station, they exchanged observations while watching the television images projected on the screen that extended above the instrument panels.

On the projection screen, several large circular rings appeared and were slowly moving upward from below.

“You know what we’re seeing now, right? These are what they call craters on the lunar surface.” “Ah, I’ve seen this in books.”

Masakichi answered while leaning against Engineer Kako. The walls surrounding the crater towered quite high. And on the right side, they cast a jet-black shadow.

“The one in the upper left corner of the projection screen is a volcanic crater called Apollonius.” “The area below that—that is, to the north—is the remains of a sea named the Sea of Crisis.” “Look—a large crater is gradually coming into view from below…”

Large volcanic craters would appear and disappear.

The screen suddenly changed. On the right side of the projection screen, the lunar surface appeared, tracing a large arc. Here, even larger craters were clustered. “They’d switched to a different scout rocket’s television feed from before,” “This shows the Moon’s southeastern part.” “That elongated crater near the middle is Schickard.” “It has a diameter of two hundred fifty kilometers.” “The wall’s highest point reaches two thousand seven hundred meters.” “Massive, isn’t it?”

“That’s incredible!”

As he gazed at the glistening white lunar surface, his body seemed to tremble with a faint shudder.

“You can see the famous Mt. Tihyo far to the left. It stands five thousand seven hundred meters high. You can see what they call rays streaking out in every direction.”

“Where are we going to land?” “According to plan, near the ‘Sea of Clouds’.” “Right—the Sea of Clouds is currently in the lower center of the screen.” “That is, northeast of Mt. Tihyo.” “That’s incredible!” “Not getting scared?” “If you’re scared, you can stay aboard without landing.” “No—I’m absolutely landing.” “Otherwise there’d be no point coming all this way to the lunar world.”

They finally landed.

The scout rockets gradually lowered their altitude and approached the lunar surface. And they meticulously flew over the same area time and again. “Everything seems to be in order. I haven’t noticed anything particularly unusual.” Having said that, the one who turned toward the captain was Dr. Kanno, the observation team leader. “Hmm. Well, it seems safe enough. Then let’s commence landing preparations.” The captain took up the microphone and conveyed the preparation instructions to the entire ship.

“Now then, we’re about to get busy.”

With that, Dr. Kanno bid Masakichi a temporary farewell and left the control room.

The landing preparations took twenty-four hours. Now Engineer Kako, too, had a brightened expression as he came to the smoking room, smoking a cigarette with relish while chatting with everyone. “This time we can deploy five armored vehicles. So I think the landing party will be able to operate fully.” “What exactly is an armored vehicle?”

“It’s a type of automobile.” “And it runs on an atomic engine instead of gasoline.” “And then, the exterior is entirely wrapped in steel plates ten centimeters thick.” “So it’s a tank then.” “Tanks are equipped with cannons.” “This doesn’t have cannons, so it’s not a tank.” “As I said, it’s an armored vehicle.” “Why are you using this kind of vehicle?” “It’s not like there are any enemies here, right?” “Why does it need such thick armor?” “That’s because, first and foremost, we need armor this thick to block meteorites.”

“When you say ‘meteorite,’ you mean shooting stars, right? Those aren’t scary at all. After all, hardly any actually reach the ground.” “No, that’s not how it works. On Earth, meteorites pass through the atmospheric layer and rub against the air until they get intensely heated—most burn up before hitting the ground. But there’s no air on the lunar world, so meteorites don’t burn up. They just keep falling straight down onto the moon. If one landed on your head, it’d split your skull open and kill you instantly. That’s why we’re landing in armored vehicles—to stop that from happening. Got it?”

“I see. If we aren’t careful about meteorites, it’ll be dangerous. So we won’t be walking across the lunar world on these two legs?” “You can walk.” “But if a meteorite comes flying down from above and smashes someone’s precious head…” “When walking alone, you wear a steel helmet. Even if struck by a medium-sized meteorite, this helmet can block it.” “Ah, you’ve even prepared things like that.”

“That’s right. Moreover, this ship has a meteorite detection system that stays on constant alert. When meteorites come falling, it senses them from a thousand kilometers away and sends out radio wave warnings. This alarm can also be received by anyone walking around wearing helmets. So when you hear this alarm, hurry and take cover in mountain shadows or ground crevices on the opposite side—or rush back to the ship. That’ll make you safer still. So you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Engineer Kako’s explanation served as effective reassurance for those venturing to the lunar world for the first time. However, since the lunar world and Earth differed greatly in many aspects, there should still have been plenty of causes for bewilderment. Before long, the time finally came to land on the lunar world.

The ship now changed direction and flew parallel to the lunar surface. Near the Sea of Clouds lay a fairly extensive desert belt known to be convenient for landing. When entering the landing course for the third time, the ship initiated reverse gas thrust from its front section, gradually reducing speed while gaining buoyancy. This maneuver demonstrated masterful handling. At last came a splendid landing on the Sea of Clouds.

If they had botched the landing and collided with the lunar surface, the ship would have instantly become a mass of flames, vanishing completely with all aboard. “Thank goodness! Congratulations!” “Captain. Congratulations.” Inside the ship, words of joy flew.

Masakichi had been standing by the window for some time now, his soul utterly captivated by his first glimpse of the lunar world’s landscape.

Ah, this was such an awe-inspiring place. High mountains rose before me, dark shadows stretched endlessly—not a tree or blade of grass existed. This was truly a land of death. The sky hung pitch black. That brilliant light shining over there must have been the sun. They called this place the Sea of Clouds, yet not a single drop of water existed. If I had to live in a place like this for even a week, I'd go mad and want to die.

But Masakichi never dreamed that he would encounter mysterious beings in this lunar world resembling a land of death and become embroiled in a major incident.

Airsuit

“All personnel, put on your airsuits.”

The captain’s order was transmitted to every compartment.

“Alright, time for the airsuits.” “We’ll turn into rhinoceros beetle monsters!” “What a hassle.” “You call this a hassle?” “But it’s better than having the air escape and dying.” “Of course it’s better than dying.” “But these airsuits are so cramped—I hate ’em.”

An airsuit was a garment resembling a diving suit that fully enclosed the body, with the head covered by a helmet similar to a diving helmet. However, the helmet attached to the airsuit was transparent for about its front half. The airsuits contained air of the same density as that found on Earth. They constantly purified the atmosphere and replenished any oxygen deficiency. Made of special synthetic rubber or lightweight rigid metal plates, the suits formed a complete seal between exterior and interior—meaning there were no holes or gaps for air to escape.

Furthermore, these airsuits were constructed from sturdy materials to withstand considerable pressure. The airsuits' features extended further. The lunar world was extremely cold. Therefore, the interior of the airsuits was always maintained at eighteen degrees Celsius. There was more to it. In an airless lunar world, producing sound was impossible. Since sound is a wave of air, sound could not be produced without air. Therefore, people could not speak to each other using their voices. However, it was problematic if they couldn't convey their thoughts to each other. Therefore, wireless telephones were attached as accessories to the airsuits. To elaborate, these were ultra-shortwave wireless telephones: small loudspeakers positioned near the ears and microphones placed on both sides of the throat. A person wearing an airsuit could speak normally inside it—their voice would be converted into radio waves through the microphones and equipment, detected by other crew members' devices, and heard as speech through loudspeakers beside their ears.

The airsuits additionally contained mechanisms inside the helmet for consuming simple meals and drinking water, milk, or lemon water, along with various other intriguing features—but detailing them all would be endless, so we’ll stop here. The order was for all crew members to don these convenient and indispensable airsuits. This ensured that even if the ship sustained damage during landing—causing cabin air to leak out into space—those wearing these airsuits could remain unharmed. Moreover, those wearing airsuits could take action to perform emergency repairs on damaged sections. That was precisely why everyone was required to wear airsuits.

An inspection was conducted. They were checking whether the airsuits had been put on correctly. If anyone had put them on improperly, they would immediately have them redo it. If they didn’t ensure this, the airsuits would be useless in an emergency. As Captain Marumo Ken was an outstanding space explorer, he paid meticulous attention to such critical matters.

The airsuit inspection was also completed. All personnel showed no abnormalities.

“Prepare for landing. All personnel to your stations.”

The rocket gradually descended in altitude. They extended wings that had been folded inside the ship and utilized jet gas striking the lunar surface—its reflection creating buoyant force. Furthermore, they struck gas against areas ahead of and behind them on the lunar surface while adjusting speed changes to levels tolerable for human physiology.

Even so, it was still moving at considerable speed. The place called the Sea of Clouds was a somewhat darkened desert, yet it streamed past beneath the ship like a torrential flood.

But finally, the ship touched the lunar surface. The moment it did, the gas release was halted, and the ship slid forward. Behind its passing form rose billowing sand and dust as if the vessel had started a fire. Eventually, the ship came to a stop. The lower third of it lay buried in sand from the Sea of Clouds when it ceased moving. "Phew. We've landed safely!" "Huh? We've landed safely? So we've reached the lunar world?"

“Of course we have. Where else would we land?” “Ah, I’m so happy! I want to call my family back on Earth right away!” “That should be permitted before long. But first, we must complete the work that this ship landed here to accomplish.”

“What exactly is that purpose?” “You’ll find out soon. Go take a look.” Between the senior crew members and the young crew members who had come along on this lunar world journey for the first time, such conversations were being exchanged. The figure of the boy Masakichi could not be seen.

No, no. He was standing near the armored vehicle that had been prepared.

A Different Protocol

"All right, board up." The speaker was Dr. Kanno. He served as the observation team leader.

Both Dr. Kanno and Masakichi had taken off the airsuits they had been wearing until just moments ago. Those boarding the armored vehicles didn’t need to wear them. Of course they carried them as a precaution, but this was because the interiors of the armored vehicles were airtight.

There were ten armored vehicles in total. They had been ordered to leave one vehicle behind and send out nine. The armored vehicle that the boy Masakichi boarded was Vehicle 1. When it was finally time to depart, Captain Marumo Ken boarded. The commander of Vehicle 1 was Dr. Kanno. “Departure.” At the command, a crew member in an airsuit opened one of the triple doors using electric power. To prevent air from leaking, the door seams had been constructed with a complex structure. Vehicle 1 proceeded into the interior. Then there was the next door.

The first door closed. The second door opened. Vehicle 1 entered that space again. Then it nearly collided with the third door.

The third door was also opened. Beyond it lay the dazzling landscape of the lunar world. Vehicle 1 soundlessly swayed out into the exterior. After that, the third door closed. Such procedures were repeated several times before a single armored vehicle could exit to the exterior. “What do you think, Masakichi? “The lunar world isn’t a very pleasant place, I imagine.”

Dr. Kanno said to Masakichi. Masakichi was intently gazing out through the small window, "It looks like a graveyard with the sun shining on it."

he said.

“Ha ha ha. “That’s an interesting way to put it. Anyway, in the lunar world there's absolutely no atmosphere, so nothing ever appears hazy. Both nearby scenery and distant scenery appear equally clear. That’s why the scenery lacks any sense of softness. Scenes like landscapes hazy with spring rain or boats emerging from morning mist cannot be seen in this world.”

Indeed, it was exactly as the doctor had said. “Doctor, what time is it now? Is it night?” “Which do you think it is?” “But now I can’t tell anymore. “The mountain ranges are shining dazzlingly. “The sky is pitch black. “It resembles the scenery of a full moon night on Earth, but in places without air, the sky must be pitch black everywhere. “So I can’t tell whether those dazzlingly shining mountain ranges are illuminated by sunlight or moonlight…”

“Hold on, Masakichi-kun. Saying it’s illuminated by moonlight would be strange, wouldn’t it? Because we’re on the Moon, you see.” “Ah, right! I messed up.”

Masakichi laughed out loud. “It’s not moonlight but Earthlight that’s correct, isn’t it? So the Moon we’re on now must be illuminated by either the Sun or Earth, right?” “That’s correct,” said Dr. Kanno. “Returning to our earlier discussion—it’s daytime now. That’s why the sun makes the mountain ranges so dazzling.” “Huh? So this really is daytime in the lunar world? How strange...” For Masakichi, everything he experienced felt utterly novel.

This was an event that occurred later, but Masakichi, finding it strange that the sun showed no sign of setting in the western mountains, asked Dr. Kanno about it. Then Dr. Kanno laughed and, “Even if you wait twenty-four hours, the sun won’t set in the western mountains. In the lunar world, daytime lasts two weeks straight.” "And the next two weeks are night." "The nights are terrifying." “It’s terrifying and lonely.” he went on to explain. Everything operated by completely different rules.

Another incident left Masakichi utterly bewildered. It happened when he saw Earth. Earth appeared as a luminous sphere more than ten times larger than a full moon seen from Earth, yet its shape differed—resembling instead a crescent moon. This meant part of it lay shadowed by the Moon itself.

Earth remained completely still. It shone in the same direction at the same height in mid-sky, staying perfectly motionless there indefinitely. From Earth, the Moon had always appeared to move swiftly across the sky, so I thought Earth viewed from the Moon must surely race along as well—but it did not. Earth itself never moved—it merely cycled through phases: becoming Full Earth—no, Full Earth—or Crescent Earth—no, Three-Day Earth—with only the shadow's size changing day by day.

“Hunh.” “I feel like I’m going crazy—can’t be helped.”

In those early days, Masakichi would often say such things and hold his head in his hands. As for Kin-chan the cook, since he couldn't grasp the logic behind it at all, he didn't seem nearly as astonished as Masakichi. This was a story for later.

Now, all nine armored vehicles exited the rocket.

A wireless command was relayed.

With Vehicle 1 at the lead, the nine armored vehicles began moving across the lunar surface. Where could they be going?

Be that as it may, driving like this didn't feel much different from driving through some desert on Earth at night.

Unexpected Discovery

After running for about two hours, the armored vehicles stopped. Ahead loomed an extremely high mountain. The mountaintop sparkled dazzlingly. "What are we going to do? We're getting out, aren't we?"

Masakichi asked Dr. Kanno.

Among the other people riding in the same vehicle, some had begun putting on airsuits, so Masakichi inferred with an "aha" moment.

“We will disembark, but first we need to check via radar whether any meteorites are approaching.” “What they’re doing over there right now is precisely that check.” Indeed, the communications officer was watching the reflection of the radar waves.

“Ah, one’s coming! It’s coming down right nearby!” said the communications officer. Before those words had even finished, Masakichi saw something unexpected. The peak of the mountain before their eyes suddenly flashed red.

“Ah, a meteorite hit the mountain!”

Dr.Kanno's voice. Masakichi held his breath. He saw meteorites cascading down from the mountain peak where one had struck like an avalanche. He couldn't tell which were meteorites and which were fragments of the lunar mountain.

“Well, that’s a relief. Good thing it didn’t come down here.” Dr. Kanno sighed in relief. The communications officer came over to report the radar findings. “No meteorites detected.” They were in the clear now. Dr. Kanno reported this to Captain Marumo.

“Work team, prepare for departure.”

The work team members hurriedly put on airsuits. Dr. Kanno and Captain Marumo both put on airsuits. Masakichi the boy put one on too. Kin-chan came over to Masakichi and laughed. “Humans look like they’ve turned into squid, I tell ya. A giant silver squid! If a lunar monster spots you, it’ll go ‘What a feast!’ rip off your arms and legs, and gobble you right up. Scary stuff!” Masakichi snorted resentfully, wrapped both arms around Kin-chan’s torso, and squeezed tightly.

“Ouch ouch ouch!”

Kin-chan grimaced exaggeratedly and let out a scream. “If you keep talking back, I won’t bring you any souvenirs.” “Huh? Souvenirs. “Ohhh, right!” “Kid, be a good boy and bring back lots o’ souvenirs for me, y’hear?” “Could be baby rabbits or rice cakes with rabbits on ’em—either’s fine by me.”

It was Kin-chan who believed rabbits lived on the moon.

The armored vehicle's door opened. Masakichi followed Captain Marumo and Dr. Kanno outside.

For the first time, he set foot on the lunar surface and began to walk. It was a strange feeling. His body felt unnaturally light, as if he might float upward at any moment. That was to be expected. Here, the gravity was one-sixth of Earth’s. It felt as though the weight of objects had been reduced to one-sixth.

The group on foot consisted of about ten people.

After them followed six armored vehicles. The remaining three were waiting back at their previous location. Among them was the Number One vehicle that Masakichi had been riding in. The group rounded the mountain's base in a wide arc to the left. Upon closer inspection, there was a path. The hard rock had been carved away, forming traces of a path. On top of it lay accumulated a blackened layer about three centimeters thick. Of course, there was neither grass growing nor insects singing. He couldn't even hear his own footsteps.

As they rounded the mountain base in a wide arc, a cave entrance appeared before their eyes.

“Ah, there’s something like that.” Masakichi was surprised. From inside the cave entrance, a sturdy iron door was also visible. He never imagined such structures could exist in the lunar world. As they drew nearer, their astonishment only grew. On the iron door, Japanese characters were faintly carved in a row. “New Tsupon Expedition Team Lunar World Warehouse No. 9”

There was an expedition team's warehouse in a place like this? What on earth could be inside? "Hmm, this is strange." "The gate door is broken." "What could have happened?"

Dr. Kanno’s voice, carried by radio waves, reverberated through Masakichi’s receiver. Sure enough, the lower part of the door had been badly warped, leaving a triangular hole slightly larger than a dog flap. The group rushed closer, but then Dr. Kanno’s voice followed once more. “Oh—there’s a skeletal corpse inside the door. Who could it be? A human dying in a place like this—”

Vanished Fuel

Leaving the mysterious skeletal remains as they were, they turned to the more pressing task at hand.

When electricity was supplied from the generator in the armored vehicle to the iron door, the cave door creaked as it was rolled upward, opening the entrance. The four armored vehicles entered inside. Engineer Kako directed the young technicians to generate electricity in the generator room. Soon, the interior was brightly lit by electric lights. And now they could clearly see what sort of warehouse had been built into the cave.

Masakichi had been clad in his airsuit, following behind Engineer Kako as he moved here and there, but when the lights suddenly came on, he let out a surprised “Oh!” It was an enormous warehouse. He felt as though he had entered an underground factory. Countless spare parts for various engines were lined up in endless rows. Those components too, each bearing numbered tags, filled every last shelf.

“Hey，Engineer Kako.” “Why are you storing so many mechanical components here?”

Masakichi asked. Of course, this conversation was conducted using radio waves.

“Well, during space expeditions, rockets often break down.” “In such cases, there are times when returning to Earth becomes impossible.” “Therefore, if we stockpile repair materials and replacement engines on the lunar world, even rockets that can’t make it back to Earth can emergency-land there and get fixed.” “That’s why our expedition team has placed a warehouse here.” “Not just here—we’ve got warehouses at fifteen locations across the lunar world.”

Engineer Kako explained this to Masakichi. That made sense—it was perfectly reasonable. When traveling to Mars or making the leap to Venus, these lunar warehouses would play an extremely vital role. Without such meticulous attention and preparation, a grand endeavor like space exploration would never succeed. Just having any old rocket didn’t mean space exploration would succeed. “So did our Marumo Expedition Team’s rocket also experience a malfunction here?”

“No, it wasn’t a malfunction. In our case, we’ve stored a mineral intended as a type of fuel in this warehouse, so we came to retrieve it.” “So it’s something like uranium?” “Well, that’s about right.” “If you had loaded it when leaving Earth, that would have sufficed—why didn’t you do that?” “On Earth, that precious mineral called Luna-bium is scarce. Within the lunar world, it’s thought to be deposited in considerable quantities.”

Engineer Kako spoke the name of a mineral Masakichi had never heard before: Luna-bium. Masakichi wanted to hear more about Luna-bium, but just then, four armored vehicles quietly rolled in, and Engineer Kako became so busy that he could no longer ask questions. Engineer Kako proceeded to open each sturdy door leading to the next room, one by one. The warehouse appeared to have quite a number of rooms connected all the way to its depths.

The room storing the excavated Lunavium was the innermost one. When Engineer Kako opened the door leading to that room and peered inside, he shuddered as if struck by electricity. “Huh?! This is strange!” As he stood frozen in shock, Captain Marumo Ken and Dr. Kanno entered. “Ah. What’s happened here?” “The Lunavium is gone! But we gathered so much before and put it all in this room…”

Captain Marumo and Dr. Kanno stood utterly astonished. Engineer Kako had been the first to notice this development and stood frozen in place. “What in the world has happened here?” Dr. Kanno demanded. “This is troubling,” Engineer Kako replied. “Without Lunavium, we cannot proceed further with the expedition.” “Who could have stolen it?” Dr. Kanno pressed. “But stealing from this room should be fundamentally impossible,” Engineer Kako countered. “That may be,” Dr. Kanno conceded, “but since we can no longer see the Lunavium that was piled mountain-high here, it must have been stolen.”

“This is something we absolutely cannot take lightly. The fact about those human bones earlier, the fact that the door inside the cave was bent out of shape, and now the fact that Lunavium has been stolen from this room—these are all certainly connected matters.”

Dr. Kanno uttered something detective-like. Even Masakichi, who had been following behind and observing the scene intently, now fully grasped that this was a grave incident. (So even in the lunar world... do thieves and bandits exist after all?) Masakichi sighed at this thought, but had he known there existed in this lunar world beings far more formidable than mere thieves and bandits—beings who had laid waste to this place—such a light sigh would hardly have sufficed.

Advance to the Mineral Vein

Now that the Lunavium had been stolen, what would be the best course of action?

Regarding this matter, the Captain gathered the executive staff and held an on-site discussion. "It will be an enormous task, but we must go to where the Lunavium vein lies and dig once more," said Engineer Kako urgently. "Without Lunavium, we can’t do anything at all!" "That task would be quite demanding," countered an executive. "Moreover, it might take a considerable number of days. Spending too many days would be problematic. What if we regrettably suspend this expedition for now and decide to return to Earth?"

As he listened to these two proposals, the Captain thought both were correct. It was difficult to determine which course to take.

“Please wait.”

Dr. Kanno said: “I think it would be better to investigate this incident’s truth before making any decisions about that matter. Who did this? For what purpose? And where is the Lunavium stolen from our warehouse now? Once these questions are answered—who acted, why they acted, and where our stolen Lunavium resides—what we must do next will become self-evident.”

“I see, that’s entirely reasonable.” “But Dr. Kanno.” “How much time would investigating this incident require?” “That’s the problem.”

“We can’t know until we try, but please grant me four hours starting now.” “I will investigate as thoroughly as possible.” “Please assign me one armored vehicle and four or five personnel.” “Meanwhile, have the other armored vehicles proceed to mine Lunavium.” “I will join you there four hours later…”

Dr. Kanno modestly said so. However, the Doctor seemed confident.

“Very well, let’s do that. “Select your personnel, Kanno.”

The Captain permitted it.

“Please select me as one of them and leave me here.” Masakichi was the very first to volunteer.

"So the boy wants to stay here? Very well. Masakichi-kun doesn't count toward the quota. If you wish to stay, you may." Captain Marumo laughed and accepted Masakichi's request. Dr. Kanno then selected five people. Apart from Engineer Kako, there was no one with significant skill.

Once that was decided, Captain Marumo Ken and his team boarded three armored vehicles and hurriedly departed from Warehouse No.9. After that, Dr. Kanno and six others remained. “We’ve temporarily become detectives,” said Dr. Kanno. “Put your minds to work and solve this mystery quickly. First, let’s start by examining these human bones.” Dr. Kanno began walking toward the warehouse entrance. The six members followed behind him. The human bones lay scattered by the cavern entrance as before. Weathered and disarticulated. Yet from the arrangement and quantity of bone fragments, everyone understood these were remains of a single person.

“Gentlemen,” Dr. Kanno began laying out his deductive reasoning, “doesn’t this strike you as peculiar?” “These remains show no trace of spacesuits or protective gear. That rules out the possibility of them belonging to fellow explorers who perished during their mission. Any expedition member would have been properly suited.” “I see,” murmured the crew. “Therefore,” he continued, “we must dismiss the notion that this individual breached the cavern door themselves and expired here. The only logical conclusion is that someone deliberately deposited these remains inside.” His eyes swept across the group. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

“No, I think that must be exactly right.” “Dr. Kanno’s reasoning is remarkably sharp.” “Therefore, whoever did this—bending the door like that isn’t something ordinary human strength could achieve.”

Dr. Kanno stopped speaking. No one offered any opinions. "Could it be that they did this to scare us expedition members?"

The boy Masakichi said. That was why he had said it. “To scare us…” Dr. Kanno and the other crew members seemed to flinch at Masakichi’s words.

“That might be the case. The Lunar world holds all manner of precious things. There must be those who believe we shouldn’t let our Marumo Expedition Team monopolize everything—who view us as rivals. I wonder if that faction tried to deliver some warning to us. But even so—to throw human bones in here! What a savage way to go about it!” Dr. Kanno frowned as he spoke.

A faint name. Masakichi, though still uneasy, had grown somewhat accustomed to the human bones and cautiously approached to examine them.

“Oh, this skeleton has a handkerchief…” The bones were white, and the handkerchief was also white, so they hadn’t noticed it until now—beneath the scattered human bones lay a single handkerchief. At Masakichi’s discovery, Dr. Kanno and the others were startled and drew near. Then Dr. Kanno shifted the bones aside and picked up the handkerchief. He was spreading it out and turning it over when—

“Ah! There’s a name written on the handkerchief.” “Though the ink has faded, this is definitely a name.” He said with a look of surprise. “What’s the name?”

“Wait a moment. Hmm, it seems to say ‘Mouri Kumahiko.’” “What? Mouri Kumahiko, you say? Please let me see that handkerchief.”

It was the boy Masakichi who had spoken. “Now then, look closely.”

Masakichi looked at the handkerchief and turned pale.

“Ah, this is my uncle’s handkerchief.” “His name is Mouri Kumahiko—he’s a Doctor of Science.” “Ah, that Dr. Mouri,” “I know him too.” said Dr. Kanno.

“However, Dr. Mouri went missing fourteen or fifteen years ago for some reason, and we’ve heard nothing of his whereabouts since then. Could it be that…”

Dr. Kanno’s voice grew hoarse. “Then… are these bones my uncle’s?” “My uncle was said to have gone on an expedition and never returned, but he had come to this lunar world after all.” “But Uncle… what a pitiful state you’ve been reduced to.” “Uncle! Uncle!”

Masakichi knelt beside the human bones, tears streaming down. At this sight, the others too were overcome by a solemn feeling and found themselves weeping along. Amidst this, Dr. Kanno had been gathering the scattered human bones and placing a skull fragment on the handkerchief when he suddenly stopped his hands and his eyes lit up.

“Wait, this doesn’t make sense.” “What’s strange about it?” “These bones aren’t your uncle Dr. Mouri’s, you can rest assured.” “What?! How can you tell that?”

Masakichi found it strange and asked in return.

“I can determine this conclusively. These bones do not belong to any modern Japanese person. They’re human remains from the ancient past. Not merely a century old. They date back at least fifty thousand years. The bone structure allows me to make this determination. Fifty-thousand-year-old remains - remarkable, isn’t it? This proves these aren’t your uncle Dr. Mori’s bones.”

“Ah, I see.”

Masakichi and the other listening crew members all let out sighs of relief. "Then... does that mean Uncle is still alive? If Uncle’s handkerchief is lying here on the lunar world, he might be somewhere nearby." Masakichi felt as though he had grasped a new hope. Yet at the same time, it also planted fresh seeds of anxiety.

Dr. Kanno was thinking about something else.

(Why would the mysterious individual have brought fifty-thousand-year-old human bones and thrown them into the cavern entrance?) (What could that reasoning be?)

The mysteries extended beyond that. How had fifty-thousand-year-old human bones come into their possession? As his thoughts wandered from one puzzle to the next, an eerie notion sent chills crawling down his spine. Dr. Kanno, having put the bone mystery aside for now, thoroughly inspected the Lunavium-stocked warehouse once more. Wanting to determine whether something might be amiss somewhere, he ordered the crew members to advance deeper inside.

But just then. Suddenly, the alarm sent by the armored vehicle stationed outside reached Dr. Kanno and the others. “What’s the alarm?” As they wondered this very thing, the alarm signal ceased and the driver’s voice crackled over the radio waves. “Emergency! A radio message just came through—Captain Marumo and nine armored vehicles have been surrounded by a horde of monsters at Troy Valley and are in mortal peril! Return to this armored vehicle immediately!”

The driver’s voice trembled with anxiety.

This was truly a crisis. There was no time to waste. Dr. Kanno led the group as they rushed out of the cavern entrance. Outside was pitch black. It was a world of darkness as though painted over with black lacquer. It seemed the gates of night had suddenly closed.

Now, what lay ahead for the expedition team? What manner of gathering could this fearsome band of monsters be?

Troy Valley

The story went back a little in time.

The group that headed to Troy Valley consisted of twenty-five crew members led by Captain Marumo, riding in nine armored vehicles. After repeatedly ascending and descending steep rock mountains, they arrived at Troy Valley—a location deeply familiar to the expedition's senior members. The entire group securely readjusted their airsuits and descended to the ground. Mining tools were extracted from the vehicle and distributed one by one into each person's hands. These resembled compressed-air hammers in form but were atomic-powered, lacking both lengthy pressure-resistant tubes and gas cylinders, resulting in a significantly simplified structure.

Truly, with the arrival of the atomic age, not only transportation but also civil engineering, architecture, and manufacturing industries had become remarkably simplified. What people of old would have dismissed as an absurd dream could now be accomplished with utmost ease. Since the entire group needed to excavate the required amount of Lunavium within a short timeframe, even Captain Marumo took up operating the atomic-powered hammer and began digging for Lunavium.

Fortunately, the old pit they had previously dug remained intact, and since the Lunavium ore glowed bluish-white, they were able to start working immediately. The entire group worked feverishly. That was a mistake. In such situations, they really should have stationed lookouts after all. Because everyone was digging, they failed to notice the strangely attired group observing them from close by.

The strangely attired group kept watch over Marumo’s team from the peaks overlooking Troy Valley. They were entirely encased in beetle-like armor. Though their heads, hands, and legs occupied the same positions as those of Marumo’s team members, their coverings bore no resemblance to the crew’s sleek airsuits—instead evoking iron plates crudely hammered onto scarecrow torsos. These metal plates overlapped horizontally like segmented beetle carapaces.

Their heads were mostly cylindrical like acorns, but the tops came to a point like acorn tips. And around the middle area, there were two what appeared to be eyeholes.

If those were indeed eyes, one would have to say they were slanted upward like a fox’s.

Such a bizarrely attired group, numbering some forty to fifty members in total, were peering down from the peaks. The sunlight sharply illuminated their heads and the sides of their bodies.

Suddenly, the surroundings grew dark. The sun had set. And then night came. On the lunar world, due to the lack of air, there was no gradual darkening like Earth's sunsets—darkness fell abruptly. There existed no twilight's dim glow here—darkness descended without warning. The bizarre group seemed to have been waiting for sunset. As darkness enveloped them, one figure rose from among the strangers. Then his body glowed like a firefly squid. Points of light appeared all over his form, flickering here and there.

Then another stranger nearby stood up smoothly and made their entire body glow like a firefly squid. Soon the entire bizarre group began making their bodies flicker eerily with patches of light. Then the one who had first lit up his body abruptly stopped flickering. Instead a ring of light formed at the base of his neck. It no longer flickered. He crossed over the ridge and began slowly descending. The other strangers too had before they knew it fashioned rings of light beneath their necks alone and followed behind what appeared to be their leader down the slope. Their movements looked surprisingly nimble for their hulking frames.

Meanwhile, on the Marumo Expedition Team’s side, night had fallen so abruptly that the entire group switched on the headlamps attached to the foreheads of their airsuit helmets. When these were switched on, the light would immediately illuminate whatever was directly ahead, making it appear bright. Then, they turned on all nine armored vehicles’ headlights to illuminate Lunavium’s open-pit mining area. And they proceeded with their work.

Then suddenly, with a thunderous earth-shaking roar, a group of bizarre figures appeared. They wordlessly grappled toward the expedition members. "What the— Who are you?!" "What are you doing?!" “Ah, Captain!” “They’re suspicious characters!” “Cease your violence. We have no choice.” “Crew members, form up over here.” “And resist those who act violently!” Captain Marumo finally commanded combat. Who could this violent group of strangers be?

**Fierce Dark Struggle** After all, those strangers were quite strong, and the Marumo Expedition Team members were often overwhelmed. Moreover, the opponents outnumbered them by roughly twice as many. The odds were unfavorable. The crew members were not unarmed. But Captain Marumo did not order their use. As their captain, he had wanted to resolve matters through peaceful means as much as possible. But unfortunately, they could not communicate with their opponents. They sent out radio waves and,

“Hey there, you lot—cease this violence." “If you have something to discuss, we’ll listen.” Even when called out to, the opponents showed absolutely no response. Moreover, the opponents were strong. Captain Marumo gathered the crew members into a circular formation and had them hurl large rocks lying nearby at the opponents charging in from all sides. This was to keep the opponents from getting closer.

On the lunar world, even rocks that appeared the same size as those on Earth felt only one-sixth of their Earthly weight. Thus, the crew members could effortlessly lift large rocks and hurl them far away. Yet the strangers remained undaunted; keeping their distance with gleaming eyes, they kept leaping in whenever they spotted an opening. Even when pelted with rocks, they showed no signs of injury or bleeding. "Ah," he realized, "they're waiting for us to tire out."

Captain Marumo realized this and jolted. After all, the opponents were growing increasingly violent in their rampage. Before long, some of the opponents changed position and began approaching the armored vehicles.

“Ah, if they take our armored vehicles, that would be disastrous!”

Captain Marumo, surprised, split half the crew members and had them rush toward the armored vehicles. The crew members got into the armored vehicles, started them up, and began to drive away. Then, the strangers chased after them. On flat ground, the armored vehicles could speed along unimpeded, but here was Troy Valley. Not only was the path bumpy and uneven, but no matter which way they drove, they seemed about to hit a cliff at any moment. Under these conditions, they couldn’t pick up speed; before they knew it, three or four strangers had climbed onto each armored vehicle and were raising their massive fists to bang furiously on the ceilings, trying to smash through. If they smashed through there, it would be disastrous.

They wanted to shoot down the lunar humanoids on top with their guns, but with them up there, there was no way to aim. Moreover, the night’s darkness was thick, making it far from easy to clearly make out the opponents’ figures.

(Was I too late?) (I should've taken up arms and driven them off sooner.)

Even the Captain grew gloomy.

It certainly did appear too late. If this continued, everyone would either be taken prisoner by the alien mob or slaughtered. Ah, a grave crisis was upon them! It was then.

Suddenly, the strangers began making a commotion. Four or five of the strangers who had been atop the armored vehicle were blown away as if swept off by the wind. Then another four or five were sent tumbling head over heels and knocked to the ground. “Ah! Dr. Kanno has come rushing in!” “Apparently, Dr. Kanno is shooting the strangers with a machine gun!” Dr. Kanno’s voice came through Captain Marumo’s receiver and those of the other crew members, spurring them all on.

Dr. Kanno, Masakichi, and three other crew members unleashed fierce machine gun fire at the strangers from atop the armored vehicle. Another crew member operated that armored vehicle. They had approached with their headlights off, leaving the strangers apparently caught off guard. This machine gun did not fire metal bullets like ordinary ones. The bullets used in it were designed to generate five hundred degrees Celsius of heat within themselves the moment they left the muzzle. Moreover, as this heat was produced, each bullet's outer surface softened limply like rubber and adhered tightly to whatever it struck. And even if one tried to knock them off, they wouldn’t come loose.

However, after two hours passed, the heat would dissipate and they would drop away—these were called heat bullets, though they were also referred to as "moxa bullets." They weren’t dangerous enough to be lethal; they merely subjected their targets to searing heat for about two hours. In other words, those struck by these bullets endured two hours of blistering heat as if undergoing moxibustion treatment, rendering them incapable of mustering any strength. Within each heat bullet were two chemicals that reacted together upon firing to generate that intense heat.

The lunar humanoids struck by such heat bullets were stunned and horrified. “Ah! Hot, hot!” “Ah! Hot! Help us!” As if screaming these very words, they rolled their eyes white, contorted their bodies, tumbled across the terrain, and disappeared en masse into the darkness without leaving a trace.

The Lunar Humanoid Theory Captain Marumo and the rescued people were overjoyed. They surrounded Dr. Kanno and Masakichi and expressed their gratitude. “I’ve never seen anything so funny before. “Just imagining those guys still squirming with those burning patches stuck to their bodies, screaming ‘Hot! Hot!’—it’s so hilarious I can’t stand it…” With that, the boy Masakichi burst into uncontrollable laughter. Everyone laughed.

“I never imagined the heat bullets would make their first mark in a place like this.”

And Dr. Kanno—the inventor of the heat bullet machine gun—was also smirking.

“Let’s hurry and pull back from here. Once we know enemies like those are out there, we can’t afford to dawdle. Everyone, get into the armored vehicles! And make haste back to the mothership!”

Captain Marumo commanded the withdrawal. The Lunavium they had mined amounted to only one-third of the required quantity, but now they had no choice but to make do with that. The group boarded the armored vehicles as before and hastily departed from Troy Valley. Inside Vehicle 1, with Captain Marumo at the center, Dr. Kanno and other executives along with Masakichi exchanged opinions about the suspicious opponents who had suddenly appeared that day. “Could they be part of a gang of bandits that’s been hounding Earth?”

"They were all ridiculously strong." "And their bodies also appeared much larger." "So which country's gang do you think they're from?" "No, I don't think those are humans from our world." It was Captain Marumo who had said that. "Are you saying they aren't the gang that's been plaguing Earth?" "Yeah. To put it simply—lunar humanoids." "In other words, humans living in the lunar world." "That's strange." "The moon is a dead world—completely frozen." "And there's no air or water either." "Yet you're saying there are humans living on the lunar world?"

This was Masakichi’s question. Then, Captain Marumo nodded with a smile,

“That’s a fair point,” said Captain Marumo Ken. “It’s natural for you to have such doubts. But you see, even this moon that appears to be a dead world might surprisingly harbor living beings. To be honest, until now I had held the view that there were no creatures in the lunar world, so I hadn’t considered it an issue until today—but today I must bow to your theory, Dr. Kanno.”

Captain Marumo looked at Dr. Kanno and smiled. "What about Dr. Kanno?"

Masakichi asked. "The notion that living beings might inhabit the lunar world is in fact a theory proposed by Dr. Kanno," said Captain Marumo. "You—explain it to him." "Very well," replied Dr. Kanno. "To put it simply, the Moon was originally a fragment that broke away from the Earth to become its satellite. It is generally believed to have separated from the region where the Pacific Ocean now lies." He adjusted his glasses before adding, "I must clarify—this is not my own hypothesis, but one of the longstanding theories in astronomical research."

Masakichi took great interest in Dr. Kanno’s unconventional theory and leaned forward. “What follows is my own hypothesis: when the Moon separated from the Earth, it must have carried away both animals and plants.” “And provided conditions were favorable, those organisms must have multiplied and flourished on the lunar surface for some time.”

“How fascinating!” “Eventually, a great catastrophe befell the lunar world, and it gradually cooled.” “As a result, most of the animals and plants perished and withered away.” “However, among those animals, those with developed culture—that is to say, humans—quickly began devising ways to protect themselves and set about the task.” “Though we don’t know exactly how they managed it, it’s not impossible to imagine that those humans’ descendants still dwell within the lunar world even now.” “For example, one might theorize they burrow deep underground to subsist using geothermal heat, or alternatively generate their own heat, create air, produce food, and maintain a rather sophisticated standard of living.”

"But wouldn't the humans of that era have been less culturally advanced?" It was Masakichi's earnest inquiry.

“No, that’s not necessarily the case. Little is known about human cultures from over five thousand years ago, but through ruins discovered in various regions, we’ve gradually come to recognize that humans who lived even earlier possessed remarkable cultures. Strangely enough, it seems many of those ancient civilizations were completely wiped out. Why did they perish? Whether devastated by terrible plagues or annihilated through natural disasters like floods and ice ages—in any case, they appear to have met extinction due to some catastrophic event. Moreover, such events seem to have recurred repeatedly across different eras. Considering this, it becomes reasonable to think that the humans of this lunar world also maintained a highly advanced culture. That’s why we mustn’t underestimate these lunar humanoids.”

At Dr. Kanno’s words, Masakichi felt a sense of awe unlike anything he had ever experienced. Lunar humanoids must certainly exist.

Handkerchief Research

Finally, the armored vehicle fleet managed to return to where the spaceship Shingetsu was waiting. “Ah, you made it back safely.”

“We were terribly worried. We who stayed behind had even steeled ourselves to make a grave final resolve.” “No, we’re sorry for making you anxious. Everyone survived. Thank you. Thank you.”

Both those who welcomed and those who were welcomed teared up and embraced each other. The armored vehicles were immediately stored inside the spaceship. Captain Marumo commanded that strict watch be kept. That was because it was impossible to predict when those lunar humanoids might launch a counterattack. The Lunavium dug up in Troy Valley was carefully stored away in the warehouse. “How about it? With just the Lunavium we collected today—will it be enough for us to go around Mars and return to Earth?”

The captain asked Engineer Kako, the chief engineer.

"That’s utterly inadequate. We absolutely require three times today’s collected amount." "How much more do we need?" "Then we’ll return to Troy Valley tomorrow and resume excavation."

"But Captain," said Engineer Kako, his voice tight with concern. "Going to Troy Valley would be extremely dangerous..." "I'm fully aware of the danger," Captain Marumo cut in, his tone leaving no room for debate. "But if we abandon the Mars mission and try to return to Earth now, everyone would call it impossible." "That's true enough," Engineer Kako conceded reluctantly. "Then we have no choice," the captain concluded, squaring his shoulders. "We must brave this peril one more time."

"I suppose it does come down to that after all. If the Lunavium we had stored in Warehouse No.9 hadn't been stolen, we wouldn't be going through all this trouble now. Have you identified the culprit who stole that yet?" "Dr. Kanno was investigating it, but when we requested rescue from Troy Valley midway through his inquiry, he discontinued the search and rushed to our aid. So for that reason, Dr. Kanno probably hasn't identified the culprit yet."

Just as the Captain and Engineer Kako were discussing this, Masakichi suddenly appeared.

“Ah, Captain.” “Please.” “Let me go back to Warehouse No.9 one more time.” “That’s dangerous.” “But why are you so set on going there again?” “I need to see my uncle Dr. Mori’s final moments for myself.” “If we search that warehouse properly, we’ll find clues about Uncle.” “And Dr. Kanno said it’s alright for me to go too.”

“What? Even Dr. Kanno is saying that?” “Everyone treats their own lives carelessly—it’s a problem.” “If one person goes down, it’s not just a loss for that individual—our entire expedition team weakens. So I need you to consider that and act with more caution.”

“Yes.” When told that, Masakichi couldn’t bring himself to insist, “Please let me go anyway.” And dejected, he returned to Dr. Kanno’s side. Dr. Kanno glanced briefly in Masakichi’s direction before turning back to his desk.

On the desk was a microscope. Next were chemical experiment apparatuses arranged in a row; these were contained within a square briefcase so that they could be stored away at any time, allowing the briefcase to be closed into its proper shape for carrying.

What Dr. Kanno was examining through the microscope was a single handkerchief. This had been picked up at the entrance of Warehouse No.9 and lay beneath fifty-thousand-year-old human bones. "Hmm, good good." "Ah, now I see..." The doctor muttered to himself.

Masakichi, wondering what was happening, quietly approached the doctor. Then Dr. Kanno noticed and beckoned Masakichi over. “Hey, you—I’ve made another discovery. “The owner of this handkerchief—in other words, your uncle Dr. Mori—was alive at least until three months ago from now. I have determined this fact.” "That’s something I can now state based on estimating the degree of evaporation changes in bodily secretions from Dr. Mori that are present on this handkerchief." “How about it? Wouldn’t this discovery give you some cheer?”

“Ah, is that so. “But even knowing he was alive until three months ago is not such a big deal. “But whether he’s alive now—that’s what I want to know.”

Masakichi did not seem particularly pleased. “Hmm… “Do you truly consider this discovery to hold such little worth? “If it were me, I’d be far more pleased— “In other words, if he was alive three months ago, he must still be alive now— “Three months is nothing—just a blink of an eye here on the moon!” “Is that so? “I probably won’t feel happy until my uncle shows me he’s alive right now.”

“Well now. “You don’t seem particularly cheerful. “It’s troubling if you surrender to such pessimism.” He thought Dr. Kanno had intentionally said this to encourage him, but he couldn’t muster any joy in response.

Looming Phantom

The alarm resounded throughout every corner of the spaceship Shingetsu immediately after that.

“Ah! The alarm!” “What’s going on? For the alarm to sound now of all times…” Both Masakichi and Dr. Kanno pricked up their ears, waiting for the announcement that should follow the alarm from the loudspeaker. “A lunar humanoid is attempting to breach the third airlock on this vessel’s starboard side—Captain’s orders.” “All personnel, report to your stations immediately!”

Now came real trouble.

It was an attack by the lunar humanoids. The attacking lunar humanoid was said to be alone for now, but they couldn't afford to let their guard down. The first one might be a scout, and following behind it, a vast swarm of lunar humanoid troops could come pressing in like clouds.

Dr. Kanno immediately rushed to the control room. Masakichi also followed Dr. Kanno into the room but went beneath the television and tried to see the lunar humanoids. He could see them! He could see them! They were definitely lunar humanoids. Figures resembling lunar humanoids—identical to those they had seen in Troy Valley—were hammering away at the third airlock with their fists. Creepy rhinoceros beetle-like bodies. Flat featureless heads tapering upward into points. On top were eyes slanted upwards like foxes', appearing to glow yellow. They were definitely lunar humanoids.

“You’d better shoot quickly.” “If they breach the hull and get inside, we’ll be in real trouble!” “That’s right.” “We should take them out.” “In Troy Valley, those bastards think they’ve won.” “Let’s give them a thorough thrashing!” The crew members, having suffered terribly at the hands of the lunar humanoids in Troy Valley, were now fired up—this was the moment to strike back, to defeat the lunar humanoids and demonstrate Earthlings’ might.

The voices of the crew members reached Captain Marumo’s ears as well. However, being a calm and composed individual, he reconsidered whether there might be a better approach than simply defeating a lone lunar humanoid there. It was then. That Masakichi grabbed the captain’s arm.

“Captain,” “I believe that lunar humanoid is my uncle, Dr. Mori.” “So please avoid any rough treatment.”

Masakichi’s words were more than enough to startle the Captain. “What? You’re saying that’s Dr. Mori?” “How can you know that?” “I just can’t help feeling this way. "And the manner of knocking on the door like that—it must be my uncle." "Please let him inside first before conducting a proper examination.”

"But if that's a real lunar humanoid, we'll be in serious trouble." "If that happens, you'll lose all standing. Are you prepared for that?"

“Yes, absolutely. I will take full responsibility.”

Masakichi made a bold statement.

The reason was that ever since hearing Dr. Kanno’s explanation earlier, he couldn’t help but feel his uncle Dr. Mori might still be alive. In truth, back then, though Masakichi had expressed doubts about Dr. Kanno’s theory— “Captain. “That figure disguised as a lunar humanoid is indeed one of us Earthlings, just as Masakichi says. “That way of knocking on the door is a mannerism unique to Earthlings. “If it were a lunar humanoid, they wouldn’t behave like that. “Therefore, if they truly intended to break through the doorway and invade, I believe they would resort to more drastic measures—like body slams or bringing formidable tools.”

The one who had said that was Dr. Kanno. Dr. Kanno had somehow come to stand behind Masakichi.

“I see.” “Very well.” “In accordance with your opinions, let’s try bringing that questionable individual inside.” The captain issued his command there.

Because the order had been issued, the crew members immediately ceased their objections. And under strict vigilance, they opened the doorway and brought that questionable lunar humanoid inside the ship. The figure entered with both hands raised, staggering unsteadily. And then he hurriedly removed the helmet he had been wearing.

Ah, what appeared from beneath was unmistakably the face of an Earthling. It was the face of a white-haired old man worn down by hardship.

“Ah, Uncle! It’s me! It’s Masakichi!” The boy who had run toward the old man was, of course, Masakichi. The situation was critical. What they had believed to be a fearsome enemy turned out instead to be a familiar Earthling. Moreover, it was none other than Dr. Mori—a man with a distinguished career as an explorer.

The ship’s interior suddenly shifted from terror to jubilation, and a great cheer erupted.

“Oh, welcome, Dr. Mori!” “Well, well—it was you after all, Marumo-kun!” Dr. Mori—henceforth to be written as Dr. Mouri—and Captain Marumo clasped hands, rejoicing in their miraculous reunion. “I never thought I’d even meet Masakichi. “You’ve kindly looked after Masakichi, and I have no words to express my gratitude, I must say.” Dr. Mouri stared at Masakichi’s face as though trying to bore holes through it.

That was only natural. Having left Masakichi inside a cryogenic sphere in the Japanese Alps and been unable to open it even after the promised twenty years had passed—leaving it untouched until now—it was only natural for Dr. Mori to be startled upon encountering Masakichi here. “Between you and Masakichi-kun, there must be much to discuss.” “Well, take your time talking.” said the captain. “No, there’s a mountain of things to discuss, but I can’t afford to do such things.”

“And when you say that—”

“There’s a critical matter—that’s why I rushed here through danger, lashing my failing body into action! That’s it, that’s it! Captain Marumo! If we don’t abandon this area at once, a horde of lunar humanoids will storm this spacecraft and slaughter everyone!” “But why—” “You know full well! Those lunar folk hold a bitter grudge against Troy Valley.” “When will they attack—the lunar humanoids?”

“They’re currently scrambling to gather weapons and airsuits. Once two or three hours pass, they’ll undoubtedly come swarming here.” “What? We only have two or three hours of grace period?” “If we have two or three hours, we should be able to lift off from this lunar world.” “That’s feasible, but our ship must obtain far more Lunavium—otherwise we can’t continue the planned space voyage. The truth is, Warehouse No.9 had stored a substantial amount of that Lunavium, but when we arrived this time, we found it completely stolen. This leaves us in dire straits.”

“Ah, so it’s about the Lunavium from that warehouse?”

“Oh? Dr. Mori, are you aware of that warehouse?” “I know that. That was also done by the lunar humanoids. I’ll explain in detail later, but they’re deeply concerned about that warehouse. Of course, they’ve also become aware of Lunavium’s intended use. So, trying to trouble Earthlings, they moved all the Lunavium that was in that warehouse elsewhere.” “Hmm, I hadn’t noticed that. That was our negligence. So, where could they have moved that Lunavium—”

“I’ll tell you where it is.” “It’s nearby.” “So we should dig it out within two hours, transport it into this spacecraft, and take off immediately.” “Where is that hiding place?”

“Well, here’s the strange part—this very spacecraft is sitting right atop the spot where that Lunavium is buried.” “Under these circumstances, you can surely infer why the lunar humanoids grow impatient—why they’re eager to attack and wipe us out swiftly.” “Hah! I must say, that’s astonishing, Dr. Mori.” The life-risking intelligence Dr. Mori had brought proved invaluable to the Marumo Expedition Team.

Thereby, they immediately mobilized everyone and began digging right beneath them. There it was. It came out. A vast quantity of precious Lunavium fuel! The amount proved enormous, but they managed to load all of it into the spacecraft in just over an hour. With this much, it was more than sufficient to make the trip to Mars and back to Earth. Captain Marumo and all crew members must have felt immeasurably reassured.

“Oh, they’re coming. That ground tremor must be the sound of the lunar humanoids’ massive army approaching.” Having grown accustomed to life in the lunar world, Dr. Mori was acutely attuned.

At last—the lunar humanoids’ great assault came.

Captain Marumo issued an urgent order to prepare for departure. All crew members slapped their Lunavium-transport-weary bodies to rally themselves into position, summoning every last ounce of strength as they launched into finalizing urgent departure preparations. This still required a bit more time. Captain Marumo, who had been waiting for the "All preparations complete" report, finally grew unable to wait any longer and ordered the searchlights ignited. Several pale beams of light swiftly leapt out from the giant spacecraft. The light illuminated the rugged lunar surface and swept left and right. To their astonishment, every beam fully captured the imposing advance of the lunar humanoid forces.

Their numbers—a lunar army that could number in the hundreds of thousands. The report of “All preparations for departure are complete” still had not reached Captain Marumo. Masakichi, standing nearby, was beside himself with anxiety.

Would our Shingetsu indeed manage to depart the lunar world before the lunar humanoids' assault?

*Blistering Dash*

Carrying the Marumo Expedition Team members, the rocket Shingetsu now advanced through the vast cosmos faster than an arrow.

Gradually leaving the dark lunar world behind, the daylit side on its far face began to move upward, forming a large crescent-shaped arc. From this point onward, the rocket would finally begin chasing after Mars.

For the time being, a tedious journey lay ahead. However much of the rare fuel Lunavium they used, it had been calculated that catching up to Mars would still require approximately three months. The crew members, realizing how disastrous it would be to succumb to boredom from this point onward, devised various methods to distract themselves from the monotony. There were those planning shogi tournaments and urging others to join. There were those making rounds to recruit members for tabletop baseball leagues.

Among the more reserved crew members, there were those who resolved to study knitting lessons through television broadcasts from Earth over the coming three months. As the boy Masakichi walked down the corridor, he suddenly encountered Kin-chan, the cook. He hadn’t seen Kin-chan for some time. The two had been working separately. That Kin-chan was grinning broadly. “Kin-chan, what’s wrong? You look awfully pleased.”

When Masakichi called out to him, Kin-chan’s face broke into an even broader grin and he guffawed. “Heh.” “Little boss.” “My spot’s a real hit, I tell ya!” Kin-chan made rude remarks like “little boss.” But he seemed to be in remarkably high spirits. What was the reason for this? “What’s this ‘huge hit’ you’re talking about?”

“Well, actually, I started a little racing competition at my place.” “It’s been a roaring success, I tell ya!” “Everyone comes rushing in, you see, and the room gets so jam-packed it’s a real hassle.” “How come?” “When you ask why—well, I tell ya, it’s ’cause the racing competition I came up with has gotten real popular!” “Who’s competing?” “Who? Why, oil beetles, of course!”

“Oil beetles?!” “Oil beetles?”

Masakichi was taken aback, then dismayed. Kin-chan, on his part, grinned smugly as if to say "How about that?"

“I took good care of and raised the oil beetles that show up in the cafeteria. There are some pretty big ones, you know. The yokozuna is the largest one with a bulging belly. But when you make ’em race, they’re surprisingly slow, you see.” “What do you mean, you’ve been keeping oil beetles?!” “It’s because I was bored. Even oil beetles can serve as friends if they’re alive and moving, you see. Plus, when I let ’em lick butter or feed ’em potatoes, the oil beetles gradually grow attached to me, I tell ya. They’re really cute, I tell ya!”

Kin-chan narrowed his eyes and laughed.

That Kin-chan insisted he absolutely must come see the cookroom, so Masakichi followed after him to take a peek.

Then, even outside the room, numerous human buttocks were protruding. They were all people who had become utterly engrossed in betting on oil beetle races. In place of Kin-chan, a barber called Tora-san was properly directing the oil beetles and making them race. Both Kin-chan and Tora-san on the management side seemed to be raking in considerable profits. However, the crucial oil beetles didn't race all that frequently. In other words, even when they raced, it was only to go lick butter or eat potatoes; once they'd licked some, their stomachs would swell up. By the second or third time, they'd grow completely tired of eating, and even if butter wafted from the goal area, the oil beetles wouldn't dash out.

“Hey, little boss. How about you take charge of raising oil beetles and increasing their numbers for me? If you do, I’ll pay you a hefty allowance, I tell ya!” Kin-chan proposed this to Masakichi with complete seriousness. Masakichi refused, explaining to Kin-chan that he disliked oil beetles because one had bitten him before.

The Secret of the Lunar Humanoids

After that, Masakichi went to the captain’s cabin.

There, headed by Captain Marumo, Dr. Kanno, Ms. Sumire, and Engineer Kako had gathered. Another person—the white-haired figure of Dr. Mori—was among them. Dr. Mori had supposedly been sleeping until just moments ago. He must have come out here because his fatigue had subsided. The elderly doctor was surprisingly vigorous.

Everyone was listening intently to Dr. Mori’s story.

“Oh, Masakichi.” “Have a seat here.” Dr. Mori beamed at Masakichi and moved a nearby chair.

“I was just explaining to everyone about the lunar humanoids.” “If you can follow along, listen carefully.” “It should prove instructive.” With that, the elderly doctor turned toward everyone again, gesturing with his hands and expressions as he began describing the lunar humanoids’ peculiar way of life. “The lunar humanoids have created numerous entryways across the moon’s surface.” “When you enter through them, they form tunnel-like passages dug at an angle.” “The sides have staircases, but the center features a polished stone pathway made for smooth sliding.” “Essentially, this serves the same purpose as the slides found in children’s playgrounds.” “It’s designed so you can descend quickly, you see.” “The lunar humanoids demonstrate remarkable ingenuity.”

At that point, the elderly doctor turned toward Masakichi. Having confirmed Masakichi was listening intently, he smiled warmly and repositioned his face forward.

“When you slide down, there’s a single checkpoint there. “It’s a large, spherical cave-like room with heavy revolving doors fitted into it.” “In other words, this room is an air checkpoint.” “Beyond that point, the air is dense; closer to here, the air is thin.” “The boundary between them is formed by this revolving door.” “When you turn this revolving door and enter inside, there is yet another tunnel leading downward further ahead.” “The structure was identical to the previous tunnel—the center had been fashioned into a slide, with stairs lining both sides.” “It’s quite an elaborate setup.”

“Then it appears the lunar humanoids possess excellent skills in civil engineering, wouldn’t you say?” “That’s right. I must certainly acknowledge that as well. In order to sustain their lives in that lunar world with its frigid, airless ground, the lunar humanoids had no choice but to become proficient in civil engineering. In other words, they dug into the land and went down, down into the ground, I tell ya. Though the surface was cold, the interior remained much warmer, you see. Moreover, while most air had scattered from the moon’s surface, some still lingered underground. That’s why they vanished deep beneath the soil—their descendants still sustain their lives there even now. Truly tenacious beings.”

Dr. Mori said emphatically. Even Dr. Mori, who feared the lunar humanoids, could not help but sympathize with the fate they had endured and held respect for their tenacious efforts. “But, Uncle. With just that much air, the lunar humanoids couldn’t have survived in large numbers, could they?”

Masakichi said.

“Well actually, when they dug into the ground, they found there were surprisingly many places where air had accumulated.” “Of course, the total number of lunar humanoids who burrowed underground at that time doesn’t seem to have been particularly large.” “It’s said that some among several thousand settlements succeeded in burrowing underground.” “So did the lunar world’s air suddenly vanish from the moon’s surface at some point?” “That’s right.” “The reason such a thing happened was that back then, a rather large comet passed extremely close to the moon.” “At that moment, part of the comet collided violently with the lunar surface.” “Many lunar humanoids died then.” “The comet departed.” “It’s said that was when all air disappeared from the lunar world’s surface.” “This is what the lunar humanoids have passed down to their descendants as their so-called legend.” “But this indeed appears to be true.”

Dr. Mori’s story grew increasingly strange.

“The lunar humanoids are now manufacturing air underground through various methods.” “Just as we Earthlings turn a faucet to draw water for drinking, the lunar humanoids—living in their homes, which are naturally underground cellars—survive by drawing air from pipes installed in their rooms whenever needed.” “And as I mentioned earlier, fearing air might escape through cracks and fissures, they’ve sealed the passageways between surface and underground with elaborate mechanisms to prevent leakage as much as possible.”

“I see. So that connects to what you were saying earlier about the tunnels and revolving doors, right?”

The entire group was deeply moved, and everyone let out a sigh. Even Captain Marumo Ken, known as a famous expedition leader, had not known the profound secrets of the lunar humanoids to the same extent as elderly Dr. Mori had until now.

“That’s right. It’s that chain of tunnels and revolving doors I mentioned earlier. After passing through the first revolving door comes another tunnel, then beyond that lies a second revolving door—continuing in this way until you must go through at least five such doors before reaching the lunar humanoids’ residential area. I lived in that residential area for many years, you see.”

“Oh, Dr. Mori!”

“The lunar humanoids so excessively value their air that they greatly detest even venturing out to the lunar world’s surface.” “Thus, while their intelligence surpasses ours in certain areas and they possess abundant valuable resources not found on Earth, they don’t even have a single airplane.” “Therefore, as long as this rocket takes off and leaves the lunar world, there will be no risk of being chased and endangered by the lunar humanoids afterward.”

“Ah, I see,” said Captain Marumo. “Hearing that, I was greatly relieved.”

Captain Marumo also broke into a smile for the first time.

Mars came into view.

To Mars, to Mars—

The Shingetsu rocket advanced steadily through the vast universe. When they left the lunar world, the distance to Mars was approximately seventy million kilometers. After approximately three months of space travel, they were scheduled to reach Mars; at that time, when Mars would be at its closest approach to Earth and the Moon, the distance between Mars and Earth was expected to be about fifty-six million kilometers. Therefore, the rocket Shingetsu, having departed the lunar world, did not need to traverse the seventy million kilometers that had been the distance to Mars at that time. In other words, since Mars itself would move closer to their position within three months, the Shingetsu could correspondingly shorten its journey.

As they had succeeded in loading the valuable resource Lunavium, the Shingetsu’s speed increased as planned, and it was believed that their arrival date on Mars would not deviate from the schedule.

Everything was proceeding smoothly.

One month passed, two months passed, and they entered the third month. Between the Shingetsu and Earth, communications were constantly being exchanged, with television broadcasts both received and transmitted from their end. Yet this monotonous, uneventful journey through the dark void found little welcome among those on Earth.

In contrast, the crew wanted to receive as many communications, radio broadcasts, and television transmissions from Earth as possible, eager to listen to and watch them. This was only natural. They truly spent their days rising and lying down within the same Shingetsu, and whenever they peered out the window, stars always glittered in the pitch-black sky as if diamonds had been scattered across it. Truly, when it came to this monotonous life, even the most patient person would find it impossible to endure.

Around that time, their sole and greatest comfort—communication—no longer functioned as smoothly as it had before.

The communications department staff were overjoyed, since work had finally arisen for them, escaping their boredom. However, the cause of the communication disruptions was not well understood. Had this occurred on Earth, it would have been the sort of malfunction attributable to magnetic storms or Dellinger phenomena—but in this corner of space, there was no reason for such causes to produce this kind of disruption. “This is serious. “Perhaps it’s the harbinger of a major incident about to occur.” “Everyone, please remain vigilant.”

Ms. Sumire, the communications director, finally ordered all staff members to be on alert.

According to calculations, the Shingetsu had approached to within two weeks of reaching the vicinity of Mars.

Mars had grown to appear about twice the size of a full moon as seen from Earth.

However, Mars' outline remained faintly blurred. The entire sphere was washed in reddish-orange, appearing somewhat grimy. Blackish-green lines could be seen crisscrossing its surface like a draped net. At the poles, white caps glowed with particular intensity. There was no mistaking it - Mars now hung visible within arm's reach.

In the captain’s cabin, rumors about Mars were flying among the executives.

“Dr. Mori. Have you ever been to Mars?” “No, this will be my first time. But I had long wanted to go there and had been conducting research on it. Mars is a profoundly fascinating planet.”

“Indeed it is—it’s been stirring excitement since antiquity and remains the most celebrated celestial body even now.”

“Captain Marumo. How many times have you been to Mars?” “When you say ‘been there,’ do you mean actually landing? In that case, only twice. And both times ended in complete failure. We had to make a desperate escape before even finishing the landing procedure. Mars remains entirely beyond my capabilities.” “Even you? How unexpected.” “That’s precisely why this time, I’m determined to land successfully by any means necessary and hold proper discussions with the Martians.”

“You want to talk with Martians. Hmm, is that so?” Dr. Mori widened his eyes. Cosmic dust. “They say the communications have completely failed.”

Masakichi, upon hearing this rumor, grew worried and went to the radio room to meet Ms. Sumire and inquire about the situation. “Yes, since we’ve identified the cause, we’re now relieved.” Director Sumire said cheerfully. “So has communications been restored to normal?” “It’s completely out of order.” Even though communications weren’t functioning properly, Masakichi couldn’t quite grasp why Director Sumire was laughing so cheerfully.

“That would be problematic.”

“But there’s no helping it. It’s something beyond our control. Around Mars there’s a layer where a large amount of cosmic dust has accumulated. Our ship is currently passing through that layer—the radio waves get disrupted by the cosmic dust, making communications impossible.” Through Director Sumire’s explanation，Masakichi finally understood，thinking，“Oh，I see! So that’s what it was.”

“You know about cosmic dust, don’t you, Masakichi-san?” “It’s the dust that’s accumulated in space, right?” “If you say such things, it seems you truly don’t understand. Exactly what kind of dust do you think it is?” “Well...”

Masakichi found himself at a loss for a response when pressed that far.

“Since it’s called cosmic dust, I suppose it means fragments from spaceships that got wrecked during space travel—along with human corpses, desks, chairs, and such that spilled out from them and have been reduced to dust-like particles.” “No, that’s incorrect. Cosmic dust refers to fragments of celestial bodies traveling through space. Even meteorites can be considered cosmic dust while they’re flying through the void.” “Oh! So that’s what cosmic dust is.”

“The cosmic dust surrounding Mars is said to be not a collection of meteorites but rather the remnants of an ancient Martian satellite that once orbited the planet before breaking apart. However, others say we still don’t understand its true origin even now.” “In any case, there must be countless fragments of celestial bodies enveloping Mars.” “When such particles exist, radio waves get absorbed by the cosmic dust and have difficulty reaching their destination.”

“Ah, I finally understand why the communication has been acting up.” “And so communications won’t work properly as long as there’s cosmic dust.” “That’s right. Which means Martians—unlike Earthlings—might not be very proficient at using radio waves.”

While Masakichi and Ms.Sumire were conversing like this, a sudden loud crash rang out. At the same moment, the rocket ship shook so violently it seemed it might break apart, slamming both Masakichi and Ms.Sumire onto the floor. Countless instruments and equipment overturned in the room, sparks shot from between machinery, and alarm bells began clanging—creating tremendous chaos. Then the power went out.

“Ah, that hurts!” “Wh-what was that?”

The electricity came back on. At the same moment, the loudspeaker blared loudly.

"A fire has broken out. Central Warehouse. Leave necessary personnel behind! All others, assemble at the Central Firefighting Zone!"

This was dire.

There was nothing more unsettling than a fire breaking out while traveling through space. Why had such a fire occurred? Since Masakichi wasn't assigned as essential personnel to any room, he had to immediately rush to the Central Firefighting Zone. But his anxiety grew too overwhelming, so he asked Ms.Sumire before dashing off. "Why did a fire break out of all things?" "That must be because a large piece of cosmic dust collided near this ship's central warehouse, igniting the fuel stored there."

Ms. Sumire answered. “Whoa. Are there really such large pieces of cosmic dust?”

“It has long been known that cosmic dust particles as large as Mount Fuji are by no means uncommon.” “As large as Mount Fuji? You still call something that big ‘dust’?” “They’re precisely called cosmic dust because of their size.”

“If such a large piece of dust were to collide with us, this ship wouldn’t last a moment before being destroyed, would it?”

“Indeed it would.” “Fortunately, what collided with this ship earlier must have been something the size of a small rock.” “Oh, the signal light came on.” “I’m being called.” “Troublesome work is about to begin, I suppose.” “You should hurry to the firefighting zone and do your part.” Ms. Sumire said this to Masakichi and placed the receiver against her head.

They landed on Mars.

Masakichi hurried to the Central Firefighting Zone.

Everyone had already gathered.

Sure enough，flames were erupting violently from one of the fuel warehouses． When he inquired，it turned out just as Ms．Sumire had said—a large piece of cosmic dust had collided and caused ignition． “Can you put out the fire？” “Will our ship explode？” Overcome with worry，Masakichi asked Academician Tomoda，who was commanding as fire control chief． “I think we’ll manage to contain this blaze．” “But our real headache comes from this gaping hole torn through our flank by that cosmic collision．” “The atmosphere keeps rushing out through this breach．” “Which means we’re forced to vent our entire oxygen reserve at maximum flow．” “Disastrous situation．．．”

Academician Tomoda shook his head from side to side. “There are airtight doors around here, right? If we lower them to prevent air leakage, that should work.”

Masakichi voiced his opinion. An airtight door was one that divided the ship's interior into small compartments, with doors at each boundary designed to lower. When that was lowered, air couldn't pass through. Therefore, by lowering the airtight door, they could prevent air from leaking out—that was what Masakichi concluded.

“That’s the correct approach. But you see, Masakichi-kun, unfortunately during that space door collision earlier, the wiring for this motor that lowers our airtight doors got severed. Now the crucial airtight door won’t come down at all.”

Masakichi despaired at how much worse their luck could get. However, upon closer consideration—it wasn’t bad luck. Shouldn’t they have designed this rocket ship with such scenarios in mind from the start? In other words, it was a flaw in the design. A failure. Even if they built many rocket ships, the engineers still needed to study more to create a perfect one. Above all, unless they not only racked their brains at their desks but also thoroughly listened to practical accounts from people seasoned in space travel like Mr. Marumo Ken, and based their designs on that foundation, a perfect spacecraft could never be created.

Through the crew's desperate efforts pushing through the smoke, the motor's wiring was newly laid. Thus, the airtight door became able to be lowered. Once that was lowered, the fire also began to subside somewhat. However, as small explosions still occurred intermittently, they could not rest assured. Fortunately, as the distance to Mars grew ever closer and it became clear they could hold out until landing, the crew members' faces brightened considerably.

The rocket spacecraft Shingetsu landed on Mars exactly three months and two days after departing the lunar world. Due to the fire, the arrival had been slightly delayed, but it remained generally on schedule. At the time of landing, the fire had not yet been completely extinguished, and the sections damaged by cosmic dust remained unrepaired, so there was concern over whether they could land safely.

But everything went smoothly. From beneath the craft, the landing sled was deployed. And once they found an ideal flat desert on Mars' surface to serve as a landing zone, they swooped down toward it all at once. The spectacle of the Shingetsu landing on the pure white desert, kicking up a plume of white sand behind it as it descended past Mars' strange forest of gigantic trees, was truly magnificent. The feeling when landing on the lunar world and the feeling when landing on Mars this time were very different.

The lunar world was an airless, cold realm of death—a land of ice. Mars was not like that. There was air, albeit thin. It was also warm. It was not a world of death; though the forms were bizarre, plants were thriving.

Moreover, one could imagine Martians might be living somewhere. Mars was far more habitable than the lunar world. These facts had brought some relief to the expedition crew members, but... The moment they landed, Captain Marumo ordered all hands to fully extinguish the fire. Indeed, crucial work still remained. Most crew members rushed outside and worked to put out the flames through the hole damaged by cosmic dust. At this time too, they had to wear air helmets. The reason was that while Mars' surface had air unlike the moon's environment, this atmosphere proved extremely thin—humans still couldn't breathe comfortably without supplying their own oxygen. However, they didn't need to wear those imposing airsuits here. The air helmet was a cylindrical device that snugly enclosed the head, its lower portion sealing tightly against the body at shoulder level. Since most of this helmet consisted of transparent organic glass, from even a slight distance it became nearly impossible to tell whether someone was wearing one or not. The oxygen tank supplying this apparatus was attached to their backs.

The workers who had gone outside the ship were unaccustomed to Martian gravity, since it was everyone’s first time on Mars. Because of this, they repeatedly made unexpected mistakes. In other words, the gravity on Mars was only one-third that of Earth’s. Thus, if they tried to jump one meter high, their bodies would end up rising three times higher—three meters up. This was an amusing experience, but at the same time, it also became the cause of unnecessary bumps.

The fire had been completely extinguished. Captain Marumo then immediately ordered them to begin repair work on the damaged hole. The crew members had to work without rest. That was reasonable. Leaving the damaged section unrepaired here would cause serious trouble if any unforeseen accident occurred when attempting to launch from Mars. Therefore, once the fire was extinguished, they had to prioritize repairing the hole in the craft without delay.

The Mystery in the Forest

Masakichi and Kin-chan stood on the Martian desert, pressing their air helmets together from both sides as they talked animatedly about something. Neither of them were specialized technicians, so they couldn’t be of help in repairing the main craft. That’s why they had a bit of free time now. Let’s listen in on their conversation for a moment.

“Hey, c’mon.” “C’mon, go over there with me.” “What’s wrong with that?”

Kin-chan was pleading with Masakichi.

"I could go along with it, but what do you plan to do going to that creepy forest?" Masakichi pointed to the forest of giant trees behind them as he spoke; those giant trees looked different from Earth's trees, appearing as rough-textured yet soft primitive plants. They bore an uncanny resemblance to horsetails and fern-like plants. Moreover, some of their trunks were so thick that even four or five people linking hands couldn't encircle them. Kin-chan wanted to go near those trees.

“See, I think if you cook that tree, it might actually be pretty edible. "I just want to check that out, y'know?" "If I can manage to cook up some Martian food, I'll let you be the first to try it." "So please come along." “Scared to go alone?” “There’s nothing to be scared of, I tell ya. "But it's just kinda weird, you see." “Then you are scared after all. "How strange, especially for an adult!”

Masakichi followed Kin-chan and walked toward the forest. In truth, Masakichi was just as creeped out.

“Hey,”

"I don't know why, but I just can't stop feeling this floatiness." "That's because of the lower gravity here." "Hmm, you think so?" "It feels like I'm wading through water or something." "Earlier when I tripped on a stone and fell, my body just sort of... floated down to the ground." "Didn't hurt one bit—weirdest thing ever, I tell ya." "If we were on Earth right now, you'd be gushing blood from your nose."

“Whoa, here we are.” “Huh, I get it now. This giant tree’s all spongy and soft.” “If you cook this, it should be edible.” “Let’s cut a piece and take it with us.” Kin-chan took out a small knife, cutting sections from the giant tree’s trunk and trimming its branches and leaves as he gathered just enough materials for cooking. Masakichi, bored from watching this, ventured deeper into the forest. Then he emerged at the edge of a pond. It might be better called a marsh than a pond. That was an unusual sight for Masakichi.

Towering trees grew intertwined. Along the pond's edge, strange-shaped leaves grew thickly. The water was a murky red. In that water, something was swimming. It looked somewhat like a small fish, yet also resembled an amphibian or a reptilian-necked creature. It was coming out from under the moss and going back in.

“Oh!” Masakichi suddenly cried out. He had discovered a suspiciously large fish. A fish as large as Masakichi himself suddenly thrust its massive head up from among them. Two bulbous eyes. On its slender shoulders, scales glistened. When it violently shook the fins growing on either side near its shoulders, it opened its gaping maw and glared at Masakichi. The inside of its mouth burned crimson.

This time, it was Masakichi who trembled violently and stood frozen in place. What on earth could that strange fish have been?

Glaring Monster Fish

At Masakichi's cry of surprise, this time it was Kin-chan who, startled, came running from the forest behind.

“What’s up, Squirt?” “Shh!” Masakichi signaled Kin-chan not to make noise. “Whoa! That’s creepy.” Then, Kin-chan lowered his stance like a prowling cat, parting the grass as he cautiously approached Masakichi. Because Kin-chan’s voice had been too loud, the strange fish that had been poking its head out from the pond’s surface got startled and plunged down with a splash, leaving ripples behind. Masakichi told that story to Kin-chan, who had come nearby.

“Whoa! If that’s a big fish, it must be rare! I’d catch it, then grill or boil it and serve it up!” Being a cook, Kin-chan immediately thought of such things.

However, Masakichi said. "I won't eat that fish dish." "Why's that?" "Because it's creepily huge and keeps staring at us with those bulging eyes. If we eat that fish meat, we might get poisoned." "Ah, so you're saying it's poisonous." "Fine." "Whether it's toxic or not, this Kin-chan can tell just by lookin' at it." "When it shows up again, you let me know right away."

“Shh!” “It looks like it’s coming up to the surface again.”

The once calm water surface now had small ripples visible here and there. No—those weren’t ripples—he realized it was that strange fish poking its eyes above the water’s surface to observe Masakichi and Kin-chan on shore. “You need to stay quiet. We’ll keep still like stone statues until those monsters fully show themselves and grow bold enough.”

And with that, Masakichi repeatedly cautioned Kin-chan.

Masakichi’s prediction came true. Before long，those strange fish thrust their large faces above the water’s surface. It did not have a pointed face like the fish Masakichi and the others were accustomed to seeing，but instead had a rounded，bulbous shape. And the two protruding，goggle-like eyes kept moving incessantly. “Hmm.” “I wonder if that’s even a fish.” Kin-chan involuntarily groaned. “That must be a fish.” “It lives in the water，after all.” “And look—it has something like fins，and its facial features definitely belong to a fish，don’t you think?”

Masakichi whispered in a hushed tone. “Hmm…” “But that fish doesn’t look edible.” “Even if it’s not poisonous, the meat must taste absolutely terrible.” “What a letdown.”

Kin-chan determined it was inedible.

“There! Look.” “But Kin-chan. You need to endure a bit longer and keep watching what those fish are up to.” “Even if we don’t eat it, let’s catch at least one.” “Because it will make a good souvenir.” The monster fish gradually came into view. It leaned its body considerably out from the water’s surface. Somehow, it seemed as though the creature had thrust itself out up to its chest and shoulders. However, since they couldn’t tell how long the lower part of the monster fish’s body was or what shape it took, it only appeared to have leaned out up to its chest.

Before long, the number of monster fish had increased. They had multiplied to twenty or thirty. Moreover, those monster fish gathered in one place while keeping their upper bodies leaning out from the water's surface. Then they began emitting strange whistling sounds, twisting their necks and pressing their faces together. "That fish is making noises." "Ugh, how creepy!" Kin-chan clung to Masakichi. "They're not just making noises. "They're actually conversing with each other."

“What?!” “Talking to each other?” “Can fish really talk to each other?” “Oh no, this is bad—it’s official! They’re monster fish!” “They’re not edible at all!”

Kin-chan turned pale. “Judging by their behavior, those monster fish must be far more advanced creatures than any fish we know.” “Look—they’ve known we’re here all along.” “That’s why they’re huddling together and creeping closer.” “What? They’re coming toward us?” “This is bad!” “Let’s get out of here!” “Relax—it’s fine.” “Maybe they actually want to communicate with us.”

“That’s outrageous, you little shrimp! I don’t wanna get devoured by those monster fish! Anything’s fine—let’s just get out of here! Let’s go!”

Kin-chan pulled Masakichi’s hand and forcibly began to flee. Since Kin-chan possessed extraordinary strength, Masakichi had no choice but to retreat alongside him. From the pond’s surface, the monster fish—hoisting themselves onto each other’s shoulders and stretching upward with increasing height—gazed intently at Masakichi and Kin-chan fleeing into the distance. Aquatic humanoids

“This is bad, this is bad! In the pond over there, there’s a whole swarm of monster fish!” Kin-chan rushed over to the spacecraft and began shouting loudly, causing an uproar. At this commotion, Captain Marumo and his team, wondering what was going on, came out.

Masakichi gave a detailed account of the monster fish he had observed in the pond earlier.

"I see." "That's a significant discovery," said Captain Marumo.

“There are scholars who claim that while plants grow on Mars, there are no animals—but you have discovered that animals do inhabit Mars.” “Well done.”

“However, Captain,” “That fish has a truly bizarre shape.” “And for fish, they stare at us in an eerily unsettling way.” “Therefore, I believe those monster fish have more developed brains than Earth’s fish.”

However, I wanted to meet Martians more than those fish. "Captain. When will we be departing for the Martian expedition?"

Masakichi blurted out what he was thinking.

“The idea that Mars harbors higher life forms surpassing us humans—isn’t that merely legend? Wouldn’t you say so, Dr. Kanno?”

Captain Marumo turned to look at Dr. Kanno beside him. “Indeed. “I think so too. “Even if Martians do exist, I believe they would be inferior to us Earthlings.”

Dr. Kanno declared that he did not believe in the mystical Martian theory. “Oh dear! Then I came all this way thinking I’d make friends with Martians and shake hands, but now I’ve ended up disappointed...”

Masakichi was truly disappointed. Then Dr. Kanno said encouragingly to Masakichi.

“However, the monster fish you saw in the pond earlier are extremely fascinating creatures.” “I believe those are likely the most advanced life forms inhabiting Mars.” “A few years ago, Dr. Garner launched an unmanned rocket equipped with television equipment and conducted three weeks of observations from above Mars. In his report at that time, he wrote: ‘There appear to be somewhat advanced animals in the water.” “‘Requires caution,’ it states.” “Regarding Martian life, Dr. Garner has recorded only this.” “Therefore, the monster fish you discovered must be of considerable value.” “Since we also have something prepared in advance, let’s take it and go to the pond.”

“Please take me along too.”

“Of course, I’ll have you act as our guide.” A short while later, Dr. Kanno emerged from the spacecraft with Ms. Sumire, carrying what appeared to be a portable wireless communication device on his back. Masakichi widened his eyes and asked what kind of machine that was.

“Using this device, we’ll record those creatures’ language and brain activity. We’ll analyze this data afterward to determine what level of capability these organisms possess—and if possible, investigate what exactly they were thinking and communicating.” “Ah! That sounds fascinating!”

“Oh, right!”

As if he had remembered something he had forgotten, Dr. Kanno clapped his hands.

“Masakichi-kun. To appease those monster fish, we need to bring food they might enjoy. What would you suggest?”

“Ah.” “The feast for the monster fish.” “In that case, leaving it to Kin-chan would be best.”

Kin-chan was summoned. And Dr. Kanno’s instructions were relayed.

Kin-chan,

“Oh, if it’s about that, I’ve got it covered. Leave it all to me!”

Kin-chan then dashed into the kitchen, packed his backpack full of food, and came out carrying it.

So the group set out for the aforementioned pond.

The group split into two teams—Masakichi and Kin-chan’s team, and Dr. Kanno and Ms. Sumire’s team—and began their tasks. Masakichi and Kin-chan cautiously approached the edge of the pond to appease the monster fish. The food Kin-chan had brought delighted the monster fish. Soda and crackers particularly delighted them. Each time they threw soda and crackers, hundreds of monster fish leaped from the water’s surface into midair, competing to catch the falling crackers in their mouths. It was then that they could see the creatures’ full bodies for the first time. They were truly bizarre—grotesque even—with a terrifying form and coloration. Their total length measured slightly over one meter, with a thick, stubby build. Their upper bodies were large, but their lower halves remained underdeveloped. Their skin bore a mottled pattern of pale pink and green, while their abdomens were white. Two pairs of upper and lower fins worked vigorously, while their small round tail fins—still proportionally undersized relative to their bodies—moved like propellers.

To these strange fish, Dr. Kanno gave the name "aquatic humanoids". While Masakichi and the others were occupied with the aquatic humanoids, Dr. Kanno and Ms. Sumire set up their devices in the grassy area and recorded brainwaves and sound waves.

Glowing Cylinder

Dr. Kanno and Ms. Sumire secluded themselves in the ship’s laboratory to analyze and study the language and brainwaves of the aquatic humanoids they had recorded. Operating complex devices and persisting through tedious analyses, the doctors finally obtained results surpassing their expectations.

Just as Masakichi entered the room—immediately after the brilliant results had been obtained—Dr. Kanno and Ms. Sumire, their faces utterly exhausted yet tinged with excitement, told him of the research’s success. “We’ve deciphered the language of the aquatic humanoids.” “We’ve also unraveled how their brains function.” “As anticipated, we’ve confirmed these aquatic humanoids aren’t mere fish—they’re highly advanced organisms.” “It appears these very creatures constitute what we’ve termed ‘Martians.’” “Meaning on Mars, those aquatic humanoids represent the pinnacle of biological development.”

“So those monster fish essentially hold the same position on Mars that humans do on Earth?”

“That’s right. And I believe those aquatic humanoids will eventually climb out of the water and come to live on land. Then, I think they might even become skilled at flying through the air. After all, Mars has low gravity, so flying would be relatively easy. In any case, if we imagine how aquatic humanoids might evolve using evolutionary theory as our guide, I believe they would develop bodies similar to ours but equipped with wings.”

“That’s fascinating. How many years from now do you think that will be?” “Hmm, how long it will take... At the earliest, maybe 200,000 years... No, even longer. It might take 300,000 years.” “So it’s quite far in the future, then. However, since Earth humans will come flocking to Mars and transplant our culture here, the aquatic humanoids should grow intelligent more quickly.” “Well, I suppose that’s how it will be.” “But since Earth humans are always smarter than the Martian fish-people, Mars and the Martians will ultimately come under the protection of our Earth and Earth humans, right?”

“That also seems likely, I suppose.” “Earth humans will likely make Mars into a colony.” “And we need to steadily implant Earth culture and raise Mars’s cultural standards as much as possible.” “Mars and its creatures will greatly benefit thanks to Earth and Earth humans.”

“There were rumors that Mars was inhabited by creatures superior to Earth humans, so we landed here with our hearts pounding—but now that we’ve come to understand all this, though we’ve escaped our anxiety, our tension has slackened and left us feeling a bit disappointed.” “Ha ha ha, that must have been quite a letdown for you. Be that as it may, we want to hurry and design a machine that can communicate with the Martian fish-people, build it, and put it to use.”

“Wait, you’re saying there’s a machine that can talk to the Martian fish-people?” “That’s amazing!” “When will it be ready?” “Even at the earliest, it would take about a week.” “I wish it could be done sooner. Please let me help too.” “Very well. I’ll have you assist us.”

For Masakichi, the remaining week felt unbearably long.

However, before that week had passed, something unexpected occurred.

To explain, it was on the fourth night after that when an enormous, unidentifiable noise resounded through the sky. It was a roar like a storm but even more intense. The air vibrated violently, and eventually even the ground began to tremble.

Many members of the Marumo Expedition Team got up and looked outside. The source of the eerie noise became visible. It was the "glowing cylinders" falling from the sky. They came falling from the sky in countless numbers and landed at a point approximately two kilometers from where the Marumo Expedition Team was currently camped. To their astonishment, the "glowing cylinders" pierced into the ground at uniform angles with heavy thud after thud, and in the blink of an eye, took on a form resembling a bamboo fence.

“What could that be…” “How strange.” “It’s not a spaceship—what on earth could it be?” As they were saying this, the glowing cylinders that continued to fall began lining up in orderly fashion one level above the fence-like structure. They kept stacking higher until a gigantic tower had formed from the glowing cylinders. It was a magnificent structure. Who could be controlling that tremendous power? Such a feat was utterly beyond our capabilities. Dr. Kanno and Ms. Sumire had both turned completely pale, staring in silence at the glowing cylinders’ extraordinary display.

Stunned into silence. Dr. Kanno’s complexion changed.

Ms. Sumire too held her breath, her large eyes fixed on the glowing mysterious tower. Expedition Captain Marumo Ken alone, true to his seasoned experience in exploration, watched the mysterious tower with a grin.

“Captain. I’m not dreaming, am I?”

The one who came staggering toward Marumo Ken was Engineer Kako. "It's not a dream," said Captain Marumo. "Kako, keep your eyes wide open and observe carefully." "Captain," said Engineer Kako urgently. "What is that? What's happening over there?" Engineer Kako snapped in a shrill voice at the Captain. "I don't know," replied Captain Marumo. "You're the specialist here, not me." "What are you saying?!"

“A space projectile—something along those lines, wouldn’t you say?” “In any case, this must have come from outside Mars.” “When you say ‘space projectile,’ what exactly is that?” “Hey now, asking me won’t do any good.” “Instead of that, use your expert eye to...” “After closely observing that, I’d like you to report back to me promptly.” Without further explanation about the space projectile, Captain Marumo disguised it with a laugh. Engineer Kako finally began to feel his composure returning.

(That's right—it’s shameful for an engineer to panic like this. Alright—I’ll figure out what that thing really is.) He raised his binoculars and trained them precisely on the Glowing mysterious tower. Masakichi and Kin-chan stood shoulder-to-shoulder gazing vacantly at the glowing structure.

“Look! That’s incredible—it’s grown another level taller!” “It looks like a canned-food tower. I wonder what’s inside there.” The glowing tower gradually grew taller. Cylindrical objects continued to fall one after another, settling onto the already stacked tower and gradually making it taller. For Masakichi, watching the tower gradually stretch upward was strange and fascinating, while Kin-chan grew curious about what might be inside those cylinders.

“This grows increasingly bizarre beyond measure!”

Behind the two of them, an old man’s voice spoke. When Masakichi turned around, it was his uncle, Dr. Mori. Masakichi was glad that his uncle had come to his side at just the right moment.

“Uncle. “What is that magnificent tower?” “What are the Martians building?” Masakichi asked Dr. Mori the things he wanted to know. Dr. Mori tilted his head slightly, “When we speak of Martians, we’re referring to those aquatic fish-people. “Since they say that’s the most intelligent creature on Mars, then I don’t think the aquatic fish-people could build such an impressive tower with their own capabilities.”

“Then who is building that?” “Well, if one knew that, everything would be clear—but I can’t even begin to guess who’s behind it. It doesn’t seem like human handiwork, does it?” “In that case, who could it be? If it’s neither Martians nor humans, then who on earth could it be?”

“Unless we go closer and examine it thoroughly, we can’t say for certain—but it might be a swarm of organisms that flew here from another star.” “What?! You’re saying organisms from another star came here? Do such creatures exist?” “I can’t definitively say they don’t exist. In fact, I’ve discovered creatures on the moon myself. Even granting that the creatures of Mars—the so-called aquatic fish-people—are primitive, there may be more advanced organisms inhabiting other stars, and perhaps they’re the ones who’ve come to Mars.”

“Are there planets besides Earth and Mars that can support living creatures? If there are any, they’d be around Venus at most—I’ve read in books that planets like Saturn or Mercury, Neptune or Uranus or Pluto don’t have living creatures inhabiting them.” “What I was considering earlier isn’t about creatures inhabiting planets within our solar system like that. I think they might be beings living in much more distant realms. As you know, it’s estimated that this vast universe contains hundreds of millions of stars like our Sun, around which countless planets similar to Earth and Mars are orbiting. Among them, there must certainly be worlds where living creatures dwell. And among those beings, some may possess intelligence comparable to humans—or even surpass it. I believe such advanced lifeforms could accomplish grand-scale endeavors beyond human imagination.”

“Ah! So that’s it,” said Masakichi. “Then you’re saying the ones building that Glowing mysterious tower are beings from beyond our solar system—far smarter than humans?” Dr. Mori shook his head. “No, I haven’t reached that definite conclusion yet. But you should keep that possibility in mind until we investigate it up close.” “This has gotten serious!” Kin-chan blurted out, his eyes wide as he let out a sigh.

Kin-chan widened his eyes and let out a sigh.

Mounting Terror

The Glowing mysterious tower finally settled into a fifteen-story pyramid structure.

If one could temporarily set aside its terror, the structure appeared truly magnificent.

In the Marumo expedition team, they positioned binoculars and telescopes at their base, not taking their monitoring eyes off the mysterious tower for even a second.

Engineer Kako and others wanted to immediately approach the mysterious tower to investigate. However, Captain Marumo did not permit it. "It’s dangerous unless we observe the situation from farther away first." "Since you’re essential personnel for our space travel, I need you to refrain from going when such dangers are anticipated."

The captain had stated this. In this matter, the counsel of Dr. Kanno and Ms. Sumire had become a decisive factor. These two scientists and engineers had grown deeply wary of the Glowing Mysterious Tower. They had gone so far as to tell Captain Marumo that it was right to regard this as an imminent crisis for the expedition team.

For this reason, Captain Marumo ordered that the spaceship be prepared to take off from Mars and launch into space at any moment, and to remain on standby. “What emerges from that Glowing mysterious tower will be the decisive factor.”

Dr. Kanno said.

“Based on our observations thus far, assembling such a Glowing mysterious tower in that manner is something only organisms close to humans could accomplish.” “And they must be far more advanced organisms than humans.” “If they are even slightly more advanced than us, we would be placed at a severe disadvantage—from now on, we must be kept under control by the tower’s masters, you see.” “It would be most disagreeable for us to come all this way only to end up as prisoners or slaves.”

“I think that Glowing mysterious tower might suddenly cause a massive explosion,” Ms. Sumire stated. “As for what purpose the explosion would serve, I believe it’s to investigate the geology of Mars. Those who launched it must have prepared to observe various aspects from afar when the explosion occurs—the color of the flames that appear, how long they burn, and other such details. Of course, I believe that is preparation work for them to eventually migrate to this Mars.”

“Isn’t there some way we could determine their true identities as quickly as possible?” Captain Marumo, in his capacity as the leader responsible for the crew members, wanted to ascertain this matter. If it proved dangerous, he wanted to assemble the crew and leave Mars as quickly as possible. He wanted to explore that Glowing mysterious tower and bring back more souvenirs from their space travel.

“That’s it! I have a good idea.” Dr. Kanno’s eyes gleamed.

“What might that ‘good idea’ be?” “Captain,” said Dr. Kanno, his eyes gleaming with scientific fervor. “I propose we attempt communication with those aquatic fish-people. Specifically, we should inquire whether they’ve ever witnessed such a Glowing mysterious tower before. If these cylindrical objects have fallen here repeatedly, we might discern their operational mechanisms and purpose through their testimony.” He adjusted his glasses, the lenses catching the Martian light. “This method could reveal critical intelligence about the tower’s nature.”

“That’s a brilliant idea. You should go ahead and ask them immediately—but can you actually do such a thing?” “It can be done. Ms. Sumire and I have completed research that allows us to exchange thoughts with the aquatic fish-people—we’ve been working on it for some time now. There’s no problem.”

Thereupon, Dr. Kanno and Ms. Sumire carried the device and set out for the marsh where a great number of aquatic fish-people had gathered. Masakichi, upon hearing this, joined the group along with his uncle Dr. Mori.

The scene of that meeting was both strange and something that should be recorded. The device would capture the brainwaves occurring in the minds of both humans and aquatic fish-people, convert them into brainwaves comprehensible to the other party, and transmit them to the recipient. Therefore, even without speaking, merely thinking of what they wanted to ask in their minds was enough for the questions to reach the other party. On their side as well, if they thought of a verbal response in their minds, it would be conveyed.

Because the aquatic fish-people were far inferior beings compared to humans, they could not respond to complex matters. Therefore, while they had succeeded in obtaining responses from the aquatic fish-people, it was unavoidable that these did not come through as clearly as human-to-human conversation. In any case, let us now record the key points of the aquatic fish-people’s responses. “We’ve never seen anything like that before… We’ve seen one or two of those things flying in the sky before, but never so many coming at once… We’ve never seen anything that glowed so intensely all over for so long… There have been times when one or two came flying down, and creatures came streaming out from inside them.” “You are one such example—but not you; there have been others with different body shapes who came.” “They did not stay for long.” “Everyone left... They took our kin away.” “And they never came back.” “Please don’t do such bad things… give us lots of strange, delicious food…”

From the aquatic fish-people, they could only obtain such information.

However, even from these brief replies, there were several significant discoveries. In other words, the Glowing mysterious tower was something they had never seen before.

That organisms other than humans had previously landed in this vicinity. These two were extremely significant matters. Heightened vigilance became necessary. From that mysterious tower, there was a very real possibility that creatures other than humans could come leaping out. That the Marumo Expedition Team would face their worst crisis at that moment was something they had long been prepared for.

At this point, Captain Marumo had to make a decision.

Unexpected True Identity

Finally, a desperate reconnaissance team was dispatched to the Glowing mysterious tower. The personnel selection was made by Captain Marumo. Dr. Kanno was appointed as a reconnaissance team member. Then came Engineer Kako, Engineer Takuma, and the boy Masakichi—four members in total. However, the cook Kin-chan insisted on being taken along and wouldn’t be dissuaded. Moreover, concerned for the boy Masakichi’s safety, he earnestly pleaded with the Captain to assign him as a guard wherever Masakichi went.

In the end, Kin-chan’s wish was finally granted. Masakichi and Kin-chan hugged each other in great delight.

“Well then, we’ll be going now,” Dr. Kanno said resolutely.

With that, Dr. Kanno—his face hardening resolutely—delivered his parting words to Captain Marumo and the others. “I pray for your success. The fate of everyone depends on your actions, so act prudently.”

Captain Marumo said this and blinked. The group of five members departed.

The remaining crew members still did not relax their surveillance of the mysterious tower. Arrangements had been made to immediately notify the Kanno Reconnaissance Team via signal should anyone emerge from within the tower. But the mysterious tower remained utterly still. No matter how much time passed, not even a single mouse appeared. All the more reason they grew increasingly unsettled, unable to shake off their unease.

As it was not too long a journey, Dr. Kanno's group soon managed to approach the Glowing mysterious tower. When they approached and looked up close, it was an even more splendid structure. It stood in utter silence. The tower glowed with a pale bluish light.

They circled around the tower. The tower had neither windows nor anything resembling an entrance. It was merely that the cylinders had clustered more densely, forming a tall tower.

“There’s something that looks like writing here.” “This is where the first floor connects to the second floor.” “It’s definitely writing.”

It was Masakichi who had said this. It looked like a decoration. However, just as Masakichi had said, if one thought of them as characters, they did indeed resemble characters. It was the alphabet. “Ah, this is truly mysterious.” Dr. Kanno’s eyes suddenly lit up as he looked up at it.

The characters were indented. They had apparently been worn down by the heat, yet remained as legible characters. “What kind of characters? Are these characters humans use?”

Kin-chan shook Masakichi’s arm. “It’s the alphabet. They’re characters humans use.” “Oh, I see. What’s this? We were just startled. Then this tower must’ve come from Earth! And inside, there must be a whole bunch of feasts packed in!” Kin-chan stated point-blank.

No way—Masakichi thought, and Dr. Kanno and the others didn’t consider that possibility either. However, what Kin-chan had said largely hit the mark.

When they read the characters, the following text emerged.

“Presented to the Marumo Expedition Team. Use these materials effectively, and may you achieve success in your grand expedition. From Manhattan Street, New York City, World Federation Headquarters Science Bureau.”

After finishing reading, Dr. Kanno and his team plopped down right where they stood.

It was because they had plummeted all at once from the peak of tension into the valley of relief. The Glowing Mysterious Tower—which they had approached with timid resolve, prepared for fearsome conflict should they encounter other celestial bodies—was not such a terrifyingly dangerous thing as they had feared, but rather quite the opposite. They had never anticipated such a thing, yet it was a warm and precious gift from the World Federation Headquarters on Earth, who had been watching over the Marumo Expedition Team with concern. It was a tower filled to the brim with relief supplies. It was packed full of food, clothing, fuel, mechanical tools, and more. It was a flying warehouse. It was the superior scientific technology of America. Inside each and every cylinder, those items had been neatly packed. Of course, the method to open them had also been recorded.

Kin-chan's sixth sense had struck true with sharp accuracy. “Kin-chan, you’re amazing, aren’t you? I’ve got a whole new respect for you!” Masakichi grasped Kin-chan’s hand and shook it. The Marumo Expedition Team made full and effective use of these supplies, remained on Mars for three months to thoroughly complete their exploration of the planet, and returned safely to Earth early the following year. Of course, the party received a grand welcome, but the captain and his team, without a moment’s rest, visited various locations to report on their expedition.

Masakichi and Kin-chan were always part of the party. Masakichi served as Captain Marumo’s secretary, and Kin-chan continued his job of preparing delicious and nutritious meals for the party. Captain Marumo would always conclude the final part of his reports with the following words. "We Earth humans must urgently establish grand cosmic exploration plans and set out on these expeditions as soon as possible with as many individuals as possible. If we fail to do so, I believe we risk being preempted by other planetary organisms, thereby constraining the development of Earth humanity."

“The people of the world must join hands right now and embark on this crucial task.” Truly, Captain Marumo saw the future clearly. The prosperity of Earth humanity indeed lay in the direction Captain Marumo had indicated. To realize this quickly and put it into action was the mark of a true world citizen. Since boys and girls would inevitably take on this crucial mission in the near future, they had to devote themselves to their studies now more than ever.