Pathway to Japanese Literature

Perennial snow melts

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

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

Even in the supposedly cool mountainous regions of Shinshu and Joetsu, nights were so sweltering that one couldn't sleep without opening the storm shutters. In Tokyo, it was so unbearably hot that people couldn't stay above ground; nearly all residents descended to the underground city and spent that entire week living there. The intense heat made no exception even for the depths of the Japanese Alps. The perennial snow in the mountains began melting rapidly. On the snowfield, something that could be called neither waterfall nor river formed, cascading down with spray as the accumulated snow steadily dwindled.

The perennial snow of Ubaya Valley had been widely known since ancient times as having the most extensive area. It was old snow that had hardened rock-hard like a glacier, but even this began melting from both sides under the intense heat, dwindling away day by day. It was no wonder the hikers were astonished. "There was a stream here?" "No idea." "But according to the map—this should definitely be Ubaya Valley..."

“But this is strange.” “According to the map measurements, this is definitely Ubaya Valley.” “Take a look at this map.” “Look at this rock.” “I see... That is indeed Triangular Rock.” “This is astonishing.”

“Hey you, the famous perennial snow has completely melted away this year, I tell you.”

The person abruptly stopped speaking and opened their eyes wide like 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 ravine.” “Can’t you all see it…?”

He pointed downward while leaning forward, filled with astonishment.

“I see.” “I can see it.” “It’s a large sphere.” “It’s glinting, isn’t it?” “It’s a metal sphere.” “Strange.” “Anyway, let’s go take a closer look.” “Hey, hold on!” “That might be dangerous!”

“Now that you mention it, it does have a shape like the naval mines in old photographs.” “Hmph, it might resemble a naval mine in some ways, but naval mines belong in the sea—there’s no way one would be in a mountain like this.”

The four hikers then followed along the valley and descended downward. They all felt vaguely fearful, but since they had discovered it themselves, they absolutely wanted to ascertain its true nature.

They were finally able to get close to it.

In the middle of the ravine sat a massive metal sphere—likely three meters in diameter—planted imposingly in place. Its surface gleamed with a metallic luster. It had bands fastened in a cross shape. Several eye bolts were driven into it. The group circled around it.

“Oh, there’s writing!” There was indeed writing. Rather than being written, it would be more accurate to say the characters had been burned into it with something like an oxyhydrogen flame. ×HANDLE WITH CARE, OPEN DOOR A× That much was written there. Now, what on earth could this sphere be?

Cryogenically frozen human

The four hikers’ curiosity was further inflamed.

They were past caring about mountaineering now. They couldn’t rest until they peered inside this mysterious metal sphere. “In any case, this sphere came out from under the melting perennial snow.” “I think it was originally higher up, rolled down, and came to a stop here.” “Couldn’t this have been thrown here from Mars?” “If we open it, don’t you think there might be something like a letter from Martians inside?” “It’s not from Mars.” “Because look—it’s written here in Japanese characters: ×HANDLE WITH CARE, OPEN DOOR A×. This must have been made in Japan.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to quickly try opening that Door A?” “That’s right.” “That’s the way to go.” “Let’s do that.”

Wondering where Door A was, they searched across the sphere's surface until finding something labeled ×DOOR A× half-buried in soil at the rear. When they dug through the soil, Door A proved to be a circular lid-like structure. It bore a handle with instructions to twist left twenty times, which they dutifully followed. The lid-like structure then opened. On its metal plate lay more characters etched in shallow relief. Reading them revealed something astonishing written there.

* Inside here lies cryogenically frozen a brave boy named Kosugi Masakichi. He is thirteen years old this year. Having maintained his cryogenic existence within this sphere for twenty years, it remains his hope to reenter society. To those who discover this sphere: after verifying that twenty years have passed since its sealing, we request you extract this boy from within. This presents no difficulty. Burn through the metal plate marked B at the base to reveal an electrical plug. Supply fifty-cycle alternating current at 100 volts to this plug; after forty-eight hours, the sphere shall automatically open, whereupon the boy Kosugi Masakichi will emerge. Throughout these forty-eight hours, you must leave the sphere entirely undisturbed. August 13, Showa 22 (1947)

* This was an incredible find. Inside this sphere was a cryogenically frozen boy. It stated that after twenty years had passed, he wished to reenter society.

Not twenty years—thirty had already passed. They needed to get him out quickly. However, that the technology to cryogenically freeze humans had already been conceived as early as thirty years ago was a remarkable discovery. At this, Dr. Kanno, one of the hikers, was astonished. As a result of their discussion, it was decided that this remarkable discovery would be transported back to Tokyo. Dr. Kanno used a portable wireless set to call Tokyo. He requested that the Chiyoda branch of Koku Shokai (Aviation Trading Company) immediately dispatch a single helicopter—a bamboo-copter-style aircraft capable of easily lifting objects weighing about five tons—to their location.

About twenty minutes later, a helicopter descended gracefully from the sky. It was the requested aircraft. Dr. Kanno and his companions waved handkerchiefs. They loaded the metal sphere into the cargo hold of the landed helicopter. Then Dr. Kanno and his companions boarded the passenger seats. The helicopter soon took off and headed for Tokyo. As a result of discussions en route, they decided to take the retrieved metal sphere to Yak University’s Physiology Department auditorium 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 came.

The auditorium was packed to capacity. There was a tiered structure; the surrounding seats rose high while the lectern sat at the center, lower than any other point, and to reach it one had to come through an underground passage. The metal sphere in question had been placed atop this lectern. Surrounding it were screens made of polarized glass. This was something that couldn’t be seen through from the inside but could be clearly observed from the outside. The reason for using such screens was out of consideration to prevent Kosugi Masakichi—the boy who was supposed to emerge from the metal sphere—from being startled by too many spectators.

Only Dr. Kanno and five others entered inside the screens. Then, as per the instructions found inside Door A of the metal sphere, they broke through its bottom to extract the electrical plug and supplied it with alternating current electricity as specified. It was exactly 10:00 a.m. At 10:00 a.m. two days later, as everyone stood clutching their sweaty hands, the sphere quietly split into four parts. And from within emerged an adorable boy. It was Kosugi Masakichi-kun. The seven hundred spectators couldn’t help but burst into applause. For it was the boy who had been cryogenically frozen thirty years prior, now splendidly revived before them. This boy had remained like ice for thirty years, never aging.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Masakichi-kun.” “We welcome you, Masakichi-kun.”

Dr. Kanno said.

“We’ll take care of everything，so please rest assured．” Ms．Sumire said．

Ginza Transformed “After twenty years had passed, I wanted to see how much the world would change—that’s why I undertook this adventure.”

The boy Kosugi addressed those around him.

“Ah, pardon the interruption, but it hasn’t been twenty years—thirty years have passed since your freezing.” “This year is Showa 52 [1977], you see.” “My goodness—have I truly been dormant for thirty years?”

It was said that the boy's uncle, Dr. Mouri, had been the designer of this cryogenic metal sphere. It was also Dr. Mouri's idea to dig into the perennial snow of the Japanese Alps and lower it inside. Dr. Mouri had been supposed to dig out this cryogenic sphere from the snow twenty years later, yet he failed to fulfill that promise. What in the world had happened? Everyone listened to Masakichi's story with great interest. And they would eventually look into Dr. Mouri's well-being. Putting that aside, they first told him to eat a light meal after so long, guided Masakichi to the cafeteria, and treated him to a liquid meal.

The boy was unexpectedly energetic. Apart from the usual four-person group, Tokyo Mayor Kanizawa and Dr. Sakura, the director of the university hospital, surrounded him, but he recounted various stories from thirty years prior. He worried that Tokyo thirty years later might have changed so drastically that he'd lose his mind while sightseeing it all. “Don’t worry. I’m right here with you, you know. I’ll give you treatment right away.”

Dr.Sakura responded immediately.

“Hey, Kosugi-kun. First off, where would you like to begin your sightseeing?” Dr. Kanno asked.

“Let me see... First and foremost I want to see Ginza where I lived thirty years ago in Tokyo. I’d like to walk through those same streets.” The boy uttered “Ginza” with nostalgic longing.

“Very well.” “Then let’s set off right away.” “However, you might find it a bit shocking.”

The group took Masakichi with them and headed out. “This place looks unfamiliar, but is it near Ginza?”

“Indeed.” “It’s about three kilometers to Ginza.” “But it’ll be quick if you take the moving walkway…”

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

“It’s a moving walkway.” “Ah, right—there were no moving walkways thirty years ago when you were living here, were there?” “In those days, there were probably only trains and cars.” “Nowadays, such things have almost entirely disappeared.” “Instead, moving walkways have taken their place.” “The road moves.” “There are five moving walkways lined up.” “There were such things in the past, weren’t there?” “It’s like a conveyor belt, you see.” “It moves like that one.” “They’re lined up parallel to the sidewalk in five lanes, with the one closest to the sidewalk moving at ten kilometers per hour.” “The next one is twenty kilometers per hour, then thirty, forty, fifty—they gradually get faster in that manner.” “And these moving walkways have their destinations written on them.” “…Look here!” “This is the moving walkway bound for Ginza.”

They finally came outside. The sunlight was shining. He realized they had been underground until then. The nostalgic sunlight, the refreshing air! But something was off.

“Where is this place? I’ve never seen this field before.”

“This is Ginza. “The place where you’re standing now is where the Ginza Fourth District intersection used to be.” “You’re kidding… Oh my, there’s a strange tower. And there are these dome-shaped mounds of earth all over the place. What’s that?”

Between the forest and grassland stood strangely twisted towers and what appeared to be low green pots turned upside down.

“Those round structures now serve as residential rooftops.” “The towers are atomic bomb watchtowers monitoring approaching threats.” “This entire Ginza landscape was reshaped by our atomic vigilance.” “All residents live underground.” “Only occasional curiosity-seekers venture up for surface walks like this.” “Does this surprise you?”

Masakichi was indeed surprised. The 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 the guide, Mayor Kanizawa.

“Ah, regarding that matter—it seems they’ve first resolved not to wage war anymore.”

“Whether it’s about waging war or not, Japan has renounced war, so there’s no way Japan would start one from its side.” “Though this was all over thirty years ago now.”

Masakichi clearly remembered how back then, the new constitution had been established, with the renunciation of war stipulated within it. "What Masakichi-kun says is correct." "However," "After that, another major war nearly broke out—though Japan had no involvement, of course—and because of this, an enormous 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 major warning." "That involved two critical matters."

“What do you mean by ‘major warning’…?” “The first matter is this: if the vast quantities of atomic bombs prepared by these two nations now attempting to start a war were ever actually deployed, their destructive power would be so tremendous that cracks would form in our Earth—and eventually, it would split into fragments. If such a thing were to happen, we humans—and of course all living beings on Earth—would soon perish. Therefore, they argued that such dangerous wars should be halted—that’s what they said.”

Mayor Kanizawa of Tokyo wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief as he spoke. Probably he had recalled the suffocating terror of being on the brink of war breaking out once again. "So, did the war happen, or..." "Another critical matter is—" Without answering Masakichi’s question, the mayor continued his earlier explanation.

“Members of the United Science Association recently made an astonishing observation in the sky.” “To put it plainly, there exists a strange star targeting our Earth and heading this way.” “It is not a comet.” “Judging from that star’s movement patterns, it’s following an unbound trajectory.” “In other words, that star is navigating through the vast universe in a planned manner, just like airplanes and rockets.”

“Whoa—” “So that star actually has people living on it, and those people are piloting it, right?” “Well, I suppose so—that’s precisely why we cannot afford to lower our guard for even a moment.” “That star doesn’t belong to our solar system—it’s clearly intruded from somewhere far beyond.” “And the beings inhabiting that star are believed to be far more intelligent than Earth’s humans.” “If such a star were to reach us, we’d be too weak in both wisdom and strength—we might have to surrender to its inhabitants.” “With such formidable enemies before us, wouldn’t it be foolish for fellow humans sharing Earth to wage war?” “This would weaken us Earthlings further. When those star-dwellers finally come, our feeble defenses would leave us kneeling before them.” “Considering this, it’s gravely wrong for human nations to fight now.” “In short, they warned: ‘Stop this impending war.’”

“Ah, I see, I see. That’s exactly right.”

“It appears both nations came to fully understand that, and so the outbreak of war was halted just before it could erupt. Do you understand?”

“That’s a relief. However, if that’s the case, why are so many atomic bomb watchtowers, alarm stations, and shelters still lined up like that?”

Masakichi couldn’t understand the reason. “No—those were constructed to be useful when newly invading enemies from outer space might hurl atomic bombs our way.” “Ah, right.” “So it’s known that those star beings—or whatever they’re called—use atomic bombs too, right?” “The scholars say they’ll probably use them—and there’s another crucial reason why such bulletproof facilities are absolutely necessary.”

“What does that mean?” “That is,” “bad elements among Earth’s humans have secretly stockpiled atomic bombs—they load them onto planes, bring them here, and drop them from the sky.” “Why would they do that?”

“You ask, ‘Why is that?’” “Since ancient times, there have always been robbers and gangs.” “Among today’s robbers and gangs are those who use atomic bombs.” “After dropping one with a thunderous boom and plunging the area into chaos, they rush in to begin looting.” “That’s why those watchtowers are necessary to keep guard against such people.”

Having said that, Mayor Kanizawa pointed at the watchtower. “Well, thirty years later, robber groups sure do pull off some incredible stunts.” At this, Masakichi the boy was utterly astonished.

Splendid Underground Life

According to Mayor Kanizawa’s explanation, people had homes underground where they lived safely, but when there were no incidents or wars, quite a few would blend into the natural scenery—now restored to the ancient Musashino Plain—enjoying pleasant walks and picnics. “So, there are no longer any above-ground metropolises like before anywhere, then?”

“Absolutely.” “In the past, there were what we called the six major cities along with many other small and medium-sized cities, but now nothing like that remains above ground.” “However, the bustle underground is truly remarkable.” “Now I shall guide you there.”

Under the guidance of the mayor and his team, Masakichi descended underground once more. Speaking of underground, Masakichi recalled the musty smell of subways. He remembered that gloomy, damp unpleasantness of underground passages dug beneath railway tracks for crossing. He also remembered the sweltering heat inside coal mines. But the underground city they were guided to by the mayor and his team was completely different. It wasn’t gloomy, nor was it damp in the slightest, and there was no trace of mustiness. Nor was there any sweltering heat whatsoever. Nor was there anything suffocating.

So it felt as if he were in a pleasant mountain villa room, and also as if he were strolling along a country road during a comfortable spring or autumn day. “That is,” “In constructing this underground city, every sanitary precaution has been taken, and various facilities are in place so that we can live comfortably.” “For example, the air is meticulously purified, and all harmful germs are completely eradicated before being sent down here.” “There are purification towers in various locations that clean the air within them.” “Look, you can see a beautiful advertisement tower over there.” “That one there is actually one of the air purifiers, you know.”

“Ah, so that’s what it is. Is it doing double duty as both an advertisement tower and air purifier?” It was a beautiful advertisement tower about ten meters tall—painted in vivid red, blue, purple, orange and yellow hues—spinning ceaselessly with such dazzling beauty that it stole one’s breath away.

“And then the humidity is kept at around forty percent.” “Therefore, there’s none of that damp feeling typical of underground spaces, or any sweltering discomfort.” “And since the temperature is always kept at twenty degrees Celsius, it’s neither hot nor cold.” “Since it’s like this all year round, as long as you live underground, you can wear the same clothes throughout the year.”

“That’s wonderful.” “You must save on clothing costs.” “In the past, we had to have several sets of summer clothes, winter clothes, and such.” “It was exactly when fabric scraps were unavailable, so my mother had quite a struggle gathering them. Ah, come to think of it, my mother...” With that, Masakichi’s voice grew hoarse, and he sniffled.

“What’s wrong, Masakichi-san?” Dr. Sakura, Director of the University Hospital, gently peered at Masakichi’s face from behind. “I… I”

Masakichi hesitated in his speech, but eventually said resolutely. "I suddenly wanted to see Mother." "When I entered that cryogenic sphere, Mother was fifty years old." "Ah, thirty years have passed since then." "So Mother must have turned eighty this year." "Mother had always been weak." "Mother simply couldn’t have lived this long." "I... I... guess I won’t be able to see Mother again."

The boy Masakichi’s lament was truly pitiable. Mr. Kanizawa, Dr. Sakura, and Dr. Kanno had been putting their heads together discussing something, and before long, Mayor Kanizawa said to Masakichi.

“Listen, Masakichi-kun.” “We have some idea about that.” “If things go well, you might be able to meet your mother.” “Huh? Is that true?” “But Mother has already died.” “Now, that will become clear in time.” “Let me show you around the town as we head there.”

Artificial heart Masakichi, comforted by the mayor and his team, regained some vigor. He was shown around the town—indeed it proved truly lively yet immaculate.

In the past, the more bustling a town was, the more sand dust would rise, paper scraps would fly about, and dirty things would litter the roads. However, this town had no rising dust, no paper scraps, and the road surfaces appeared clean enough that even walking barefoot wouldn’t dirty one’s feet.

The town had a high ceiling, probably thirty meters above the road surface. And that ceiling was a clear blue and bright. It seemed as though a genuine clear autumn sky was right overhead. “In that ceiling,” he explained, “we’ve installed discharge tubes that emit light identical to sunlight.” “Underneath them lies a navy-blue glass plate.” “That’s why walking here feels just like taking those leisurely strolls through Ginza back in your day.” “Ah,” Masakichi murmured, “so that wasn’t real sky after all—right.” “If we’re buried underground,” he concluded with dawning understanding, “there’s no way we could see actual blue sky.”

Masakichi realized he had made a careless mistake in his assumption, and his face turned red. However, it looked so much like a genuine autumn sky.

Mayor Kanizawa took Masakichi into a splendid bookstore. The back had been converted into a residence. It was what was called an apartment-style residence. The mayor stood in front of one of them and rapped on the door. Then, a response came from within. It was a woman’s voice.

“Ah, that voice…” The door opened inward. A white-haired old woman poked her face out from inside the house.

“Oh, it’s Mayor Kanizawa! And Dr. Sakura too…”

“Today I’ve brought an unusual guest,” said Mayor Kanizawa. “Do you recognize this young man here?” Prompted by the mayor, the old woman looked at Masakichi. “Oh! Isn’t this Masakichi?” she exclaimed. “My Masakichi! Oh my, Masakichi, how ever did you…” The old woman was indeed Masakichi’s mother.

“Mother”

Masakichi and his mother embraced each other and shed tears of joy. “Mother, you’ve lived such a long life for me.” “Masakichi. I nearly died once from heart disease, but thanks to being given an artificial heart, I’ve become healthy as you can see.” “An artificial heart?” “You can see it, right? I have something like a backpack strapped to my back, right? That’s the artificial heart.” Masakichi looked. Indeed, his mother was wearing a strange square box on her back. Was that the artificial heart? Masakichi blinked rapidly.

A mustachioed younger brother The artificial heart differed from a real one - being a machine made by humans, it was much larger. Therefore, instead of entering the chest cavity, it was fastened to the back. Two tubes extended from inside the chest and connected to this artificial heart. One was painted red, the other blue. The red one was the artery through which clean blood flowed; the blue one was the vein. And the artificial heart served as a pump that sent this blood through the body and drew it back in.

“It was constructed from a metal material lighter than the duralumin of old and superior organic synthetic flesh,” Dr. Sakura, the specialist, explained. “Carrying something like this around makes me look rather ridiculous, you know. Masakichi, even you must think it looks strange, right?”

The mother laughed. It was the mother’s nostalgic smile. “Looks don’t matter at all. By the power of that artificial heart, please live much, much longer.”

“The doctor said that since he replaced my bad heart with an artificial one, I can live to be a hundred years old just like this.” “Living to a hundred is quite a long life, isn’t it?”

“No. According to the doctor’s explanation, I can live much longer. Before reaching a hundred years old, if they replace the artificial heart with a new one again and then swap out these other weakened internal organs with artificial ones too, they say the lifespan will extend further.” “Then Mother, working that way wouldn’t you be able to live up to two hundred or even three hundred years? That’s wonderful news. Father died back in Showa 20—he really ended up at a great disadvantage then.”

“It was truly a waste.” “If only Father had lived another fifteen or sixteen years, he could have joined the long-lived group like I did.” “If that had happened, Mom would be even happier than she is now...”

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

That was when.

A gentleman in his thirties with a splendid beard and a woman who appeared slightly younger came running in. “Ah, Mother! They say Big Brother came to visit here!” “Where is my older brother?” Masakichi blinked rapidly upon hearing that. “Oh, your brother is right there. Look—that cute boy over there is him.” The mother pointed at Masakichi.

“Huh.” “Is this boy my older brother?” “This feels a bit strange.” “Oh my, it’s true.” “He looks just like the photo.” “But if my brother is such a cute little boy, it feels strange to call him ‘brother.’” “Masakichi,” “This here is your younger brother Yoshikichi.” “And next to him is your younger sister Mariko.” “Hey, Bro,” “Brother, I’m so happy to meet you.”

“Ah… a brother and a sister—” he said, but Masakichi too found himself in an entirely strange situation. It didn’t feel like meeting younger siblings; rather, it felt like meeting uncles and aunts.

Surprise Farm

The unexpected reunion with his mother greatly invigorated young Masakichi. The loneliness of having plunged alone into an unknown world—such feelings vanished in an instant. “Where are you taking me from here?” With that, Masakichi turned to look back at Mayor Kanizawa and Dr. Sakura and asked. “We’ll take you somewhere that’ll surprise you.” “Shall I give a hint?” “It’s Japan’s new territory.” “Ha ha ha! Surprised?”

“Japan’s new territory, you say.” “That’s strange, isn’t it? Japan lost the war, and since we’ve now decided not to wage war anymore either, there shouldn’t be any way for our territory to increase.” “You think so, right?” “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.” “But since we’ll be taking a high-speed vehicle, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Masakichi couldn’t understand what Mayor Kanizawa was saying. He recalled how, just as the land had grown cramped, multitudes of compatriots had returned from overseas, making life desperately hard and bringing years upon years of suffering. Of all these hardships, what pained them most had been food. “Ah, right,” Masakichi said.

“Mayor Kanizawa,” “What has become of the fields and orchards?” “If there’s a risk of the surface being attacked, we can’t very well maintain crops on the ground, can we?” “That’s right—we can no longer plant rice on the surface, nor can we grow sweet potatoes, cucumbers, or eggplants.” “Even if we grew such things, there’s always the risk that terrifying pathogens or poisons might be dropped from the sky at any moment.” “If that happens, you can’t eat them safely.”

“Then are you not growing any crops at all?”

“That’s not the case. In the meal you just had, pumpkin was properly served, and turnips were served as well. Rice was served, peaches were served, and persimmons were served.” “That’s right.” “Well then, I’ll take you there first. Perfect timing. Since they’re producing them at the nearby Asuka Farm, let’s stop by and take a look.” It was called Asuka Farm. The Mayor had said there were no fields or orchards on the surface. Yet the fact that there existed a place named a farm was strange. Surely the farm couldn’t be underground. Underground couldn’t provide sunlight and heat, so crops couldn’t possibly grow there.

“Here we are.” “Let’s go in.”

They were guided into a large building. What kind of farm could there possibly be in such a corporate-looking building?

But when they guided him and showed him the underground farm of 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. “Please look at this cucumber.” Told by the technician there, Masakichi stared at the cucumber. “Oh! This cucumber is moving.” “It’s growing bigger right before my eyes.” Masakichi felt both shock and nausea - this had to be a monster cucumber.

“All crops these days are cultivated using this method.” “In the past, we cultivated crops over long periods using sunlight and inefficient fertilizers, but now through applying specific chemical rays, electricity, and superior plant hormones instead, we’ve become able to harvest excellent, nutritious produce in a short time.” “With cucumbers like these, they grow large enough to pick just one or two days after flowering.” “Whether apples or persimmons, they develop into perfect fruit within a week.”

“That’s astonishing.”

“For that reason, unlike in the past, cucumbers and pumpkins can be grown year-round at any time.” “Furthermore, apples, bananas, and persimmons can all be grown year-round at any time.” “So things like late deliveries or starvation no longer occur, right?” “What was that you said?” The technician, not understanding Masakichi’s question, asked him to repeat it. Masakichi, realizing this, withdrew his question. In this present age where they could easily achieve a fiftyfold increase in production, it was only natural they had no understanding of things like late deliveries or starvation.

Undersea city

They stepped off the moving walkway and ascended to a high park-like area that formed a hill. Of course, since it was underground, there was a ceiling overhead. There were walls. Here and there across those wide walls were windows fitted with long horizontal glass panels, resembling the viewing ports of large aquarium tanks. He looked out from that window.

“Oh, it really is an aquarium after all.” In seawater where pale blue light drifted, a school of fish swam energetically. Forests of seaweed such as kelp and wakame were visible, with sea cucumbers clinging to rocks. Sea anemones spread their tentacles. “Do you think it’s an aquarium?”

The Mayor smiled.

“Please look carefully.” “Now, I’ll turn on the lights so we can see into the distance.”

With that, the Mayor operated a switch-like object beneath the window. Then, a light as bright as daytime suddenly illuminated the water. The light reached far into the distance. Whether the school of fish was startled or not, countless groups—their numbers reaching tens or even hundreds of thousands—swiftly gathered around this light in overwhelming abundance.

“Does this even look like an aquarium to you?”

Mayor Kanizawa asked, “No—I was wrong.” “So we’re actually looking into the real sea here, aren’t we?”

The view extended far into the distance. There could be no aquarium tank as large as this. “You’ve understood.” “In other words, this is how our country is now actively constructing undersea cities.” “An undersea city, you say?” “That’s correct.” “We are extending cities into the seabed.” “We are also digging into the seabed and extracting the important resources beneath it.” “In ancient times as well, there were coal mines extracting resources from beneath the seabed.” Those kinds of operations had become much more large-scale. People also lived there. There were also cities. “There were things called undersea tunnels in the past, you know.” “You could say those have grown into something much larger.”

Masakichi departed from the undersea city and ascended back up again.

Midway, there was a station where a large group of elementary school students, seemingly heading off on a trip, were making a boisterous commotion. “Oh, it’s an elementary school field trip.” “Where are you all going?” “From California toward New York.” “Huh? From California toward New York?” “You shouldn’t tease me like that, you know.” “We’re not teasing you.” “It’s true.” “You’re a strange boy, huh.”

Masakichi had been bested. The Mayor, standing nearby, smirked and whispered into his ear. “Nowadays, elementary school students go on excursions to America and Europe.” “From this station depart the special express trains of the Trans-Pacific Underground Railway.” “Through the wind tunnel, the airtight train travels far like a cannonball—or rather, flies through it.” “It reaches San Francisco in eighteen hours.” “You’ve actually built something like that?” “Couldn’t you also go by air routes?”

“Air travel carries the risk of enemy attacks, you see. This subway is safer. With our newfound access to colossal atomic power, we can now execute civil engineering projects and architectural endeavors on a scale unimaginable to past generations—all with remarkable ease. That’s why high-speed underground railways can take you anywhere in the world.” “Hmm... So we’ve entered an age of underground living.”

“Well, I suppose that’s true,” “However, we are also expanding into space.” “Oh right—tomorrow, the Lunar World Expedition Team is scheduled to depart from Haneda Airport aboard ten rocket craft.”

Masakichi let out a deep sigh and muttered to himself.

"I never imagined the world and life would change so much in thirty years," he mused. "Had I known they'd change this drastically, I would've mustered more vigor and studied harder back then."

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

Space Expedition Team

From that day on, Masakichi became unbearably eager to try space travel.

Thirty years ago, if there had been someone who predicted that sightseeing flights to the lunar world would eventually become possible, that person would surely have been considered a braggart by everyone. Now, it is truly possible. What progress this is!

Masakichi consulted Tokyo Mayor Kanizawa and Dr. Sakura of the 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. Though he hadn't been with the doctor for some time, Dr. Kanno was none other than one of the benefactors who had safely brought Masakichi, the boy, out from the cryogenic sphere into this world—a renowned authority in physiology.

“Do you really want to go, Masakichi-kun?” Dr. Kanno watched over Masakichi with a kindly smile.

“I truly want to go. For thirty long years, I was asleep, and my knowledge has fallen far behind. That’s why this time—by seeing the newest things in today’s world—I want to leap straight into becoming a scholar.”

Masakichi vented his childlike desires. “If you truly intend to become a scholar, jumping in one leap won’t do.” “You have to work steadily and patiently.” “Space travel is no different.” “While it may look splendid, if you actually try space travel, from start to finish it’s like a test of patience.” “It’s not the slightest bit interesting.”

Though Dr. Kanno’s words were indeed true, Masakichi thought the doctor was listing only hardships in an attempt to dissuade him from space travel.

“I love enduring hardships. After all, I endured thirty years inside a cryogenic sphere.” “Ah, I see, I see. If you insist that much, I suppose I could take you along.” “Huh? What did you just say?”

Masakichi hurriedly asked. Dr. Kanno finally grinned at Masakichi and then opened his mouth.

“Actually, we’ve decided to embark on a rather distant space journey this time. “It’s even farther than the Moon. “If we go quickly, we’ll be chasing Mars. “Such an expedition team is scheduled to depart a week from now, but I can take you along.” “Oh, I’m so happy! “Please, by all means take me with you.” “However, I’ll warn you in advance—if you get lonely or can’t endure it anymore and start saying things like ‘Please send me back to Earth,’ that won’t work.”

“Who do you think would say such a thing?” Masakichi thrust out his chest defiantly. “Are you certain? And while pursuing Mars, we might face harm from Martians.” “At worst, we may have to make the cosmos our grave and fall into an eternal slumber.” “To put it plainly—we could get killed by Martians. You’d hate that.” “Still want to go through with it?”

“No—I’ll go! Please, by all means take me with you. Even if we die then and become cold corpses, a rescue team will come later by rocket or something and revive us. There’s no need to worry.” “My, my—where did you acquire such knowledge? I assumed you didn’t know when I mentioned it, but…” Dr. Kanno tilted his head slightly. “You’re quite forgetful, Dr. Kanno. You gave a lecture at the university’s grand lecture hall the other day, didn’t you?—Today’s surgery has advanced greatly—suturing the human body, connecting nerves, then applying high-voltage electricity for the briefest moment with a crackle—allowing ninety-five out of a hundred people to be revived. This revival rate will likely improve further through future research. As for myself, the study I absolutely want to try is excavating corpses buried in soil or encased in ice near Earth’s polar regions, then suturing these bodies appropriately and performing electric shock revival surgery on them. Then, there would likely be a considerable number of revived individuals. Among them would likely be humans from tens of thousands of years BC, so by asking them various questions, we could learn much about ancient times. That’s what you lectured about, did you not?”

“Hah.” “So you were listening to that?” “I certainly did listen! That’s why I understood from your lecture, Dr. Kanno—in today’s world, dying doesn’t mean staying dead anymore. There’s almost no such thing now—so there’s no need to worry about ‘Oh no, I’ll die!’ or ‘If I die, it’ll be terrible!’” “That’s why I’m asking you to take me with you.”

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

Masakichi rejoiced and leaped at Dr. Kanno.

New Moon Departure

As expected, the expedition team’s rocket craft departed from Tokyo’s airport.

The craft’s name was "New Moon". The New Moon was a rocket unlike any other. The main part of the craft was spherical. On the outside, a flange-like structure was fitted around the part corresponding to the sphere’s equator. And this somewhat resembled a windmill or turbine blades. When flying through areas with air, these flange blades initially rotated horizontally; after takeoff, they gradually tilted vertically, ascending diagonally through the sky in a rather intriguing flight pattern.

And when it reached an area where there was almost no air left, the flange blades detached from the sphere.

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

The spherical outer shell had many windows—though of course, there were no actual openings. A thick transparent plate was fitted into each window. These windows were used to peer into the vast universe where countless beautiful stars shone brilliantly within the darkness. The diameter of this sphere of the New Moon measured approximately seventy meters. Thus it also appeared as though someone had attached a massive circular embankment around the Ryogoku Kokugikan. This New Moon had been intended to make its cosmic journey alone.

This type of rocket had rarely been seen before, and there were those who regarded it with apprehension. Among scholars, there were surprisingly many who harbored doubts. However, Engineer Kako, the designer of the New Moon, had stated that regarding safety, it was second to none among other rockets. And to prove this, he himself boarded the New Moon as chief engineer and joined the expedition.

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

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 New Moon, including Masakichi, totaled forty-one crew members. “Those embarking on their first space voyage are not permitted to look outside the window for seven days after departing Earth.” Captain Marumo had issued this order before departure.

"Why had he issued such an order?"

And Masakichi was not amused. Even when taking off in an airplane, it felt exhilarating. Moreover, taking off in this unconventional state-of-the-art rocket craft—the New Moon—must have been truly spectacular. So I definitely wanted to see it. Also, as the altitude gradually increased, the moment when one could see both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans together would surely be fascinating. I absolutely wanted to see that too. Why would Captain Marumo prohibit such a thing? And why on earth were we forbidden from looking outside for an entire week?

When Masakichi met Dr. Kanno, he brought up the issue. Then Dr. Kanno smirked and, “Hmm, that’s the Captain’s fatherly concern for you.” “He issued that order because he was worried about you all.” “You’d be better off following it.” He sided with the Captain.

“Why aren’t we allowed to 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 talk about right now. Once the Captain’s order is lifted, I’ll tell you then.” Dr. Kanno said nothing more beyond that. There were about twenty people in the first-time space travel group who shared Masakichi’s dissatisfaction. They each whispered their dissatisfaction furtively, but the senior members offered no explanation. The senior members had all been strictly ordered by the Captain to remain silent.

When told not to look, it was human nature to want to look all the more. Masakichi resolved that he would soon sneak a peek outside.

Outside the window,

The New Moon left Earth at dawn and soared skyward, though few witnessed the grandeur of its departure. Then the spacecraft continued its steady ascent, penetrating the stratosphere. As they neared breakthrough from the stratosphere at around twenty kilometers altitude, the surroundings abruptly darkened as if night had fallen. Yet this wasn't true night - rather, with the thinning air, sunlight there underwent no diffuse scattering, leaving everything shrouded in darkness.

However, the sun was shining round and bright in the sky above. It was just like the moon shining in the night sky—the sun itself was glowing, but the surroundings remained dark.

By then, the cluster of stars grew even more brilliant, appearing as if countless diamonds were scattered across a black curtain.

This scene continued eternally thereafter. It was a vast, dark cosmos where there was neither day nor night. However, the sun still appears to move through the sky.

The cosmos was quiet like this. It didn’t feel alive. Rather, it appeared dead. This was probably because the surroundings were too engulfed in darkness, and whether it be the sun or the stars, they appeared too small and forlorn when contrasted against the vast expanse of dark space.

But what if, at this moment, he had looked back? He would have been startled.

The reason the Captain had issued that strange order was actually to prevent them from looking back and being startled.

It was exactly four days after departure. Masakichi seized the perfect opportunity to peer out the window. As he was walking down the passage, someone above let out a strange sound. Wondering what it was, Masakichi looked up.

Then, there on the crisscrossed beams of the passage ceiling, a man was caught dangling precariously. "Danger!" Masakichi was startled. If left unattended, that person would fall between the beams and crack his skull open. He knew he had to act fast.

He didn’t even have time to call others. Masakichi grabbed onto a nearby pillar and climbed upward like a monkey. Tree climbing was one of Masakichi’s specialties.

Once he reached the ceiling, he moved sideways along the beams. It was exactly like a circus performer’s aerial tightrope walk.

(Hurry, hurry. If that person falls from the beam, it'll all be over.) At the very last moment, his body was supported by the beam. It was just like a balance scale.

Masakichi finally managed to grab the person's body. He grabbed him and the person regained their breath almost simultaneously.

“Aah…” The man groaned. Upon looking closer, it was the young cook known as Kin-chan—a cheerful fellow. “Kin-chan. What happened? Stay strong!” Masakichi, while desperately holding back Kin-chan’s body that seemed about to fall beyond the beam, encouraged Kin-chan. “Ah! It’s scary! So scary! I’ll lose my mind! Help me!”

Kin-chan covered his face with both hands and blurted out something strange.

“Kin-chan. That’s strange—there’s no need to make such a fuss. It’s me, Kosugi.” “Kosugi?” Kin-chan finally opened his eyes and looked at Masakichi. And let out a deep sigh of relief. Seeing Masakichi’s familiar face, he must have felt relieved.

"What were you doing in a place like this?" When Masakichi asked this,Kin-chan grimaced and began gasping painfully again. "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? You’ll get scolded by the Captain.”

Masakichi said that, but when he looked, the window covering was torn. It must have been Kin-chan who tore it. Masakichi suddenly wanted to see outside.

“Stop it, Masakichi. No! Don’t look outside…” Despite Kin-chan’s attempts to stop him, Masakichi finally looked out the window.

“Ah! 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 about the size of forty or fifty large buildings gathered together. It was Earth. Earth it was. The sight of Earth's massive sphere existing in space without any supporting pillar was somehow both awe-inspiring and terrifying, and he finally understood why the captain had ordered them not to look outside.

Reconnaissance Rocket

After seven days, the windows were opened, and it became permissible to look outside. By then, Earth had become much smaller in appearance, reduced to about the size of a small hill, so the sense of dread had lessened. By now, there would likely be no one who would go mad or faint upon seeing that. Earth had become smaller, but the outlines of the continents, now shining even more brightly with white light, were clearly visible. However, the sense of it being a sphere gradually disappeared, transforming into an impression more akin to a flat plane.

“Kin-chan, how many times have you fainted since then?”

When Masakichi said that and teased Kin-chan, the cook, Kin-chan’s face turned bright red, “It was just that one time!” “How could I possibly let that happen so often?!” “But more importantly, there’s going to be an amazing feast for tonight’s dinner!” “So when you say ‘amazing feast,’ you mean a dish with Earth sitting on top of a plate, huh?”

“You’re teasing me with Earth again, aren’t you? Let’s put the Earth business aside for now. Now, for tonight’s dinner, we’ve got salted ox tongue with salad greens, and on top of that…” “You’re just going to serve up some rain frogs and call it a day?”

Masakichi made a joke and left the cafeteria.

At the corridor's turning point, Masakichi bumped into an adult. When he wondered who it was, it turned out to be Engineer Kako, wearing navy blue work clothes and holding a blueprint under his arm.

“Ah! That was close. “Masakichi-kun, what are you in such a hurry for?”

“I just had some wonderfully sweet things in the cafeteria, so I’m bursting with energy now. So now I’m planning to go see the Captain and have him tell me some stories about the expedition. Because unless I’m feeling really energetic, listening to the Captain’s incredible stories makes my heart start pounding so much I feel like I’ll faint.”

“Lately fainting seems to be all the rage everywhere.” “That’s why I always carry a small bottle of ammonia water for revival in my pocket like this.” Having said that, Engineer Kako showed a small bottle containing transparent liquid.

“Please lend me that. I’ll take this and go to the Captain’s place, so…” “No good, Masakichi-kun. The Captain is currently taking a nap. No one can wake the Captain for about an hour.” “Oh, how tedious.”

“There’s nothing boring about it—come to the machine room. We’re about to launch a reconnaissance rocket.” “A reconnaissance rocket? What does that do?” “It’s a rocket that serves as eyes for this ship. There are no humans aboard it. It’s radio-controlled. That means this rocket can reach tremendous speeds. We’ll launch it to approach the lunar surface ahead of this ship. Listen carefully now—do you understand everything so far?”

“Yes, I understand.” “That reconnaissance rocket has a television apparatus installed. So it will act as our eyes to observe the lunar landscape. The signals travel via radio waves to reach this ship. We receive those television transmissions here and project them onto the screen. With all this equipment, it’s as if this ship’s eyes have extended far ahead. A tremendous advantage.”

“Why do you do such a thing?” “This is so that if there’s any danger ahead, the reconnaissance rocket will detect it and send a signal.” “This ship can promptly escape.” “It doesn’t matter if the reconnaissance rocket gets destroyed.” “After all, there are no humans aboard it.” “So it can pick up sounds too, then?” “Since you just need to put a microphone on the reconnaissance rocket.” “Technically, that’s possible.” “However, in this case, we don’t need a mechanism for detecting sound.”

“Why is that?” “Because there’s no air in the lunar world.” “If there’s no air, there’s no sound.” “Ah, that’s right.”

The lunar crater Three reconnaissance rockets were launched. They were small rockets with shapes resembling artillery shells. They were expected to reach lunar orbit in twelve more hours. This scene was recorded on television and broadcast toward Earth. “Is the lunar world really such a dangerous place?” “Is there going to be a major earthquake or something?”

Masakichi still did not leave Engineer Kako’s side. “There are no earthquakes anymore—the lunar world has completely cooled down and become a dead planet.” “Then will robbers appear instead?” “Robbers won’t come—no—but we must worry about something far more formidable appearing.” “What do you mean by ‘something formidable’…?” “Rumors say beings not of Earth—creatures from other worlds—are coming to the moon. One expedition member reportedly fled after seeing suspicious shadows matching those descriptions. Another vanished on the lunar surface—traces of struggle remained where he last stood—and objects found there weren’t human-made! These facts suggest extraterrestrials have frequented the moon long before us! Thus extreme caution becomes essential when venturing there now.”

Engineer Kako’s story surprised Masakichi. He had believed the universe was a domain where Earth humans alone could reign supreme, but now that dream lay shattered—he was beginning to realize this was actually a shared world where they coexisted with creatures from other stars. This is no time for carelessness. Also, I must reconsider. If a cosmic war were to break out, it would be a disaster. As Masakichi dwelled on these thoughts, he found himself feeling strangely uneasy. Engineer Kako immediately noticed it.

“Masakichi-kun.” “You’ve become awfully withdrawn, haven’t you?” “After all, humans are finished once they lose their spirit, no matter the circumstances.” “Oh right, I hear they’re showing old cartoon films like Popeye and Mickey Mouse in the movie room right now. Go ahead and check them out.” “And hurry back to being our cheerful Masakichi.” Told by Engineer Kako, Masakichi complied with those words.

The movie was hilarious, and he laughed until he clutched his stomach. Right beside him, someone was laughing even louder than Masakichi. 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 along. There, the off-duty crew members were playing and making noise. Masakichi and the others joined the group and did things like playing basketball and knocking over beer bottles. And before they knew it, they lost track of time.

Engineer Kako came up behind Masakichi unnoticed and called out to him. "That reconnaissance rocket we've been talking about—it made contact with the lunar world's surface a moment ago." "The television feed from that rocket is being projected on the control room's screen right now. Why don't you come take a look?"

“Huh? Is it showing up already?” “I’m definitely going!”

When Masakichi followed Engineer Kako into the control room, he found all the key personnel of the ship gathered there. Sitting in the chairs behind the copilot seat, they were exchanging opinions while watching the television projected on the screen that extended above the instrument panel.

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

“You recognize what these are, don’t you?” “They’re called craters on the Moon’s surface.” “Ah yes, I’ve seen them in books.” Masakichi replied while leaning against Engineer Kako. The crater’s surrounding walls rose imposingly high. To their right stretched ink-black shadows. “That formation in the upper left corner of the screen is the Apollonius crater.” “Below it—meaning northward—lies what was once named the Sea of Peril.” “Look—larger craters keep emerging from below…”

Large craters would appear and vanish.

The screen suddenly changed. On the right side of the projection screen, the Moon’s surface appeared tracing a large arc. There clustered even larger craters. “They’ve switched to a different reconnaissance rocket’s feed—not the same one as before.” “What you’re seeing now is the Moon’s southeastern region.” “The slender crater near the center is Schickard.” “It has a diameter of 250 kilometers.” “The highest part of its wall measures 2,700 meters.” “Enormous, isn’t it?”

“That’s incredible.”

While gazing at the white-glowing lunar surface, his body began to tremble faintly. “Far to your left lies Mount Tihyo.” “It stands 5,700 meters tall.” “You can see bright rays radiating in all directions.” “Where are we going to land?”

“According to plan, it’s near the ‘Sea of Clouds’.” “Right, the ‘Sea of Clouds’ is currently near the lower part around the center of the screen.” “In other words, it’s located northeast of Mount Tihyo.” “That’s amazing.” “Aren’t you scared?” “If you’re scared, you don’t have to land—it’s okay to stay on the main ship.” “No, I’m definitely going to land.” “Otherwise, there’d be no point in having come all the way to the lunar world.”

Finally, landing.

The reconnaissance rocket gradually lowered its altitude and approached the lunar surface. Carefully, time and again, it flew over the same region. “Conditions appear stable. I’ve observed nothing unusual.” Having said this, Dr. Kanno—head of the observation team—turned toward Captain Marumo.

“Hmm.” “First assessment shows no immediate risks.” “Proceed with landing preparations.”

The captain picked up the microphone and conveyed the preparation instructions to the entire ship. “Well, things are about to get hectic!”

After saying this, Dr. Kanno bid a temporary farewell to Masakichi and left the control room.

The landing preparations took twenty-four hours.

Now even Engineer Kako had taken on a refreshed expression, coming to the smoking room where he smoked his cigarette with evident relish while chatting with everyone. “This time we can deploy five armored vehicles.” “Therefore, I believe the landing party will be able to operate sufficiently.” “What exactly are these armored vehicles like?” “It’s a type of automobile.” “And it runs not on gasoline but on an atomic engine.” “And then the exterior is entirely wrapped in ten-centimeter-thick steel plating.”

“So, it’s a tank then.” “Tanks are equipped with cannons. This doesn’t have cannons, so it isn’t a tank. After all, it’s an armored vehicle.” “Why are we using this kind of vehicle? It’s not like there’s any enemy presence, right? Why do we need such thick armor?”

“First off, we need armor this thick primarily to block meteorites.” “When you say ‘meteorite,’ you’re talking about shooting stars, aren’t you? Those aren’t scary at all. Hardly any ever reach the ground anyway.” “No, that’s where you’re mistaken. On Earth, the atmosphere makes meteorites heat up from friction as they pass through—most burn up completely before hitting the ground. But the lunar world has no air, so meteorites don’t burn up. They come crashing down onto the moon exactly as they are. If one of those hits your head, it’ll split your skull and kill you instantly. That’s why we land using armored vehicles—to prevent exactly that. Understood?”

“I see. We have to be careful about meteorites, don’t we? So does that mean we won’t be walking on the lunar world with our own two legs?” “You can walk.”

“But if a meteorite comes flying down from above and smashes my precious head...” “When walking alone, you wear a steel helmet.” “Even if hit by medium-sized meteorites, this helmet can block them.” “Oh, so those are prepared too.” “That’s right. “Moreover, this ship has a meteorite detector that monitors for falling space rocks. When they approach, it senses them from 1,000 kilometers away and sends radio alerts.” “These alerts reach everyone walking around in helmets.” “So when you hear the alarm, quickly take cover behind a mountain’s shadow or in ground crevices—or rush back to the ship for added safety.” “That’s why you all needn’t worry!”

Engineer Kako’s explanation was a reassuring account that put at ease those venturing to the lunar world for the first time.

However, given that the lunar world and Earth differed greatly in many ways, there should still have been plenty that would bewilder them. At last, the time came to land on the lunar world.

The craft had now changed direction and was flying parallel to the lunar surface. Near the Sea of Clouds there existed a fairly extensive desert belt, and it was known that this area would be convenient for landing. When entering the landing course for the third time, the craft began reverse gas thrusting from its front section, gradually reducing speed while gaining buoyancy. The maneuvering there was executed with expert precision. And finally, it landed magnificently in the Sea of Clouds. If they had botched the landing and collided with the lunar surface, the craft would have instantly become a mass of flames, vanishing with everyone aboard.

“Good work. Congratulations.”

“Captain. Congratulations.” Inside the cabin, words of celebration flew. Masakichi stood by the window, his soul utterly captivated by his first glimpse of the lunar world’s landscape.

Ah, this was quite an extraordinary place. Tall mountains cast dark shadows; neither trees nor grass grew anywhere. This was truly the land of death itself. The sky stood pitch black. What shone over there seemed to be the sun. They called it the Sea of Clouds, yet not a single drop of water existed. If I had to spend even a week living in a place like this, I'd likely lose my mind and wish for death.

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

**Air suit**

“All members, put on air suits.”

The order from the captain was conveyed to every room.

“Alright, air suits.” “We’ll turn into rhinoceros beetle monstrosities!” “What a hassle.” “Hassle? Better than having your air escape and dying out there.”

“Of course it’s better than dying. But air suits are so cramped—I hate them.”

An air suit was something like a diving suit that completely enveloped the body, with a helmet resembling a diving helmet worn on the head. However, the helmet attached to the air suit was transparent for about the front half. Inside the air suit is air of the same density as that on Earth. And it constantly cleanses and replenishes any oxygen deficiency. The air suit was made of special synthetic rubber or lightweight rigid metal plates, with the exterior and interior completely airtight—meaning there are no holes or gaps for air to escape.

Moreover, this **air suit** was made of sturdy materials to withstand considerable pressure.

The air suit had even more features. The lunar world was extremely cold. Therefore, the interior of the air suit was always maintained at 18°C. There were still more mechanisms. In an airless lunar world, sound could not be produced. Sound being a wave of air meant that without air, sound could not exist. Therefore, people could not communicate through voice. However, it would have been problematic if they couldn't convey their thoughts to each other. Therefore, as an accessory to the air suit, a wireless telephone was installed. To elaborate, it was a wireless telephone using ultra-short waves - with small loudspeakers near the ears and microphones positioned on both sides of the throat. When someone wearing an air suit spoke normally inside it, their voice would be converted into radio waves via the microphones and device, which would then be detected by others' devices and heard as words through the loudspeakers near their ears.

In addition to these, the air suit had mechanisms installed inside the helmet for taking simple meals and drinking water, milk, lemon water, and other beverages, along with various other interesting features. However, since explaining them all in detail would be endless, we’ll leave it at that here. It was an order for all crew members to put on these convenient and essential air suits. This ensured that even if during landing the craft sustained damage and its internal air leaked out, those wearing these air suits could remain safe. Moreover, those wearing air suits could move about to perform emergency repairs on damaged sections. That was why they made all members wear air suits.

An inspection was conducted. They were checking whether the air suits had been put on correctly. If any were faulty, they would immediately refit them. Without this preparation, the air suits would prove useless in an emergency. Captain Marumo Ken—being an outstanding space explorer—paid meticulous attention to such critical matters.

The air suit inspection was also completed. All members had no abnormalities.

“Prepare for landing.” “All members, assume your stations.” The rocket gradually lowered its altitude. They extended the wings that had been folded inside the craft and directed the jet gas to strike the lunar surface, using its reflected force to create buoyancy. In addition to this, they struck gas against both front and back areas of the lunar surface and adjusted speed changes to levels tolerable for human bodies.

Even so, it was still moving at considerable speed. The place called the Sea of Clouds was a slightly darkened desert, yet it streamed beneath the craft like a flood. At last, the craft made contact with the lunar surface. The instant this happened, gas emission ceased, and it advanced through gliding. Behind its passing path, thick sand clouds billowed up as if the craft had ignited. Soon, the craft came to rest. Its lower third lay buried in the Sea of Clouds' sand when it stopped.

“Whew.” “We’ve landed safely!” “Huh? Did we land safely?” “So we’ve reached the lunar world, then?” “Of course we have.” “Where else would we have landed?” “Ah, I’m so happy!” “I want to call my family back on Earth right away!”

“That will be permitted soon enough.” “First we must finish the work that was this craft’s landing purpose.” “Then what exactly is this purpose?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.” “Go take a look.”

Such an exchange took place between the senior crew members and the young crew members who had come along on their first lunar expedition.

The boy Masakichi was nowhere to be seen.

No—no. He was standing near where the armored vehicles had been prepared.

A Different Protocol

“Alright, board!”

The one who had said that was Dr. Kanno. He was the observation team leader.

Both Dr. Kanno and Masakichi had taken off the air suits they had been wearing until just now. Those boarding the armored vehicles did not need to wear them. Of course they carried them as a precaution, but this was because the inside of the armored vehicles was airtight. There were ten armored vehicles in total. One vehicle was to remain behind, while nine had been ordered to depart. The armored vehicle that Masakichi boarded was Vehicle 1. When it was finally time to depart, Captain Marumo Ken boarded. The commander of Vehicle 1 was Dr. Kanno.

“Depart!”

With the command, a crew member wearing an air suit opened one of the triple doors using electric power. To prevent air leakage, the door seams had a complex structure. Vehicle 1 proceeded inside. Then came the next door. The first door closed. The second door opened.

Vehicle 1 entered once more. Then it nearly collided with the third door. The third door was opened. Outside lay the dazzling landscape of the lunar world. Vehicle 1 moved out soundlessly, swaying gently. After that, the third door closed.

Each time an armored vehicle exited to the outside, such procedures were repeated several times.

“How about it, Masakichi-kun? The lunar world isn’t a very pleasant place, I suppose.”

Dr.Kanno said to Masakichi. Masakichi was intently gazing through the small window at the outside. "It's like a graveyard bathed in sunlight," he said. "Hahaha! You say such interesting things," replied Dr.Kanno."Since there's absolutely no air on the Moon,nothing ever gets hazy.Both nearby and distant scenery appear equally clear.That's why landscapes here lack softness.You'll never see misty spring rains or boats emerging from morning fog in this world."

Indeed, it was exactly as Dr. Kanno had described. "Dr. Kanno, what time is it now? Is it night?" "Which do you think it is?" "That's what I can't tell anymore now. The mountain range is shining dazzlingly. The sky is pitch dark. It resembles the scenery of a full moon night on Earth, but in places without air, the sky must be pitch dark everywhere. Then whether those dazzlingly shining mountains are illuminated by sunlight or moonlight—I can't tell which......"

“Wait a moment, Masakichi-kun. It would be strange to say it’s lit by moonlight—after all, we’re standing on the Moon itself.”

“Oh, right! I messed that up!”

Masakichi laughed out loud. “Not moonlight—Earth’s light is the correct term, right? So in other words, the Moon we’re on right now is being lit by either the Sun or Earth, right?”

“That’s right.” “As for what we discussed earlier—it’s daytime now.” “That’s why it’s the Sun making the mountain range so dazzling.” “Huh? So this really is daytime on the Moon?” “How strange.”

For Masakichi, everything he experienced felt strange and novel.

This was something that happened later—Masakichi found it strange that there was no sign of the sun setting behind western mountains and asked Dr. Kanno about it. Then Dr. Kanno laughed, “Even if you wait twenty-four hours here on the Moon,the sun won’t set behind western mountains—it stays daytime for two straight weeks.” “Then comes two weeks of night.” “Nighttime’s terrifying.” “Both dreadful and lonely.”

he explained. Everything here operated by completely different rules.

Let me tell another story that left Masakichi utterly bewildered. It was Earth that they saw. Earth appeared as a bright sphere over ten times larger than the full moon seen from Earth, but it wasn’t in the same shape as a full moon—rather, it resembled a crescent moon. In other words, a part of it was in shadow because of the Moon. That Earth showed absolutely no movement. It shone at the same height in the same direction in the midheaven, remaining motionless there forever. Since the Moon seen from Earth moves so much, he thought the Earth seen from the Moon would surely be moving, but that wasn’t the case.

Only that it became a full moon—no, a full Earth—or a crescent moon—no, a crescent Earth—with just the size of its shadow changing day by day.

“Hmm… I feel like I’m going crazy. There’s no helping it.”

At first, Masakichi would often say that and hold his head.

When they came with the cook Kin-chan, he didn’t seem nearly as astonished as Masakichi, likely because he couldn’t grasp the logic behind it at all.

This story is one for later.

Now, all nine armored vehicles exited the rocket.

A wireless command was transmitted. With Vehicle Number One at the lead, the nine armored vehicles began moving across the lunar surface. Where could they be headed?

Be that as it may, driving like this didn’t feel all that different from driving through a desert somewhere on Earth at night.

Unexpected Discovery

After driving for about two hours, the armored vehicles stopped. Ahead, an extremely high mountain was visible. The mountaintop glittered and sparkled.

“What are we going to do? I suppose we’re getting out here, right?”

Masakichi asked Dr. Kanno.

Among the other people in the same vehicle, some had started putting on airsuits, so Masakichi deduced what was happening with an "Ah."

“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 exactly that.”

Indeed, the communications officer was monitoring the radar's radio wave reflections.

“Ah, one’s coming,” said the communications officer. “It’s coming down right near us.” Before those words had even finished, Masakichi saw something unexpected. The peak of the mountain before his eyes suddenly flashed red. “A meteorite hit the mountain!” came Dr. Kanno’s voice. Masakichi held his breath. From the mountaintop where the meteorite had struck, he saw debris cascading down like an avalanche. He couldn’t tell which fragments were fresh meteorites and which were shattered pieces of the lunar mountain.

“Oh, thank goodness. It’s good it didn’t come down here.” Dr. Kanno let out a sigh.

The communications officer reported the radar observation results. “No meteorites are visible anymore.” It was safe now. Dr. Kanno reported this to Captain Marumo. “Work team, prepare for departure.” The work team members hurriedly put on their airsuits. Dr. Kanno and Captain Marumo also put on airsuits. Masakichi also put one on. Kin-chan came to Masakichi’s side and laughed. “You look just like a squid now.” “A giant silver squid.” “If a lunar monster finds you, it’ll say ‘What a feast!’, rip off your arms and legs, and gobble you up. Scary!”

Masakichi indignantly wrapped both arms around Kin-chan’s midsection and squeezed hard. “Ow ow ow!” Kin-chan made an exaggerated grimace and shrieked. “Keep talking like that and I won’t bring you any souvenirs!” “Huh? Souvenirs?” “Oh right.” “Listen kid—since you’re being such a good boy—make sure to bring me back loads of souvenirs.” “A baby rabbit would do. Or even a rice cake with a rabbit stamped on it.” It was Kin-chan who believed rabbits lived inside the moon.

The armored vehicle’s door opened. Following Captain Marumo and Dr. Kanno, Masakichi went outside. It was his first time setting foot on the lunar surface and walking there. He felt a strange sensation. His body felt unnaturally light, as if it might float upward at any moment. That made sense. Here, the gravity was one-sixth of Earth’s. He felt as though the weight of objects had decreased to one-sixth.

The group on foot consisted of about ten people.

Following them were six armored vehicles. The remaining three were waiting back where they had been. Among them was Vehicle No. 1, which Masakichi had ridden in.

The group circled around the base of the mountain to the left. Upon closer inspection, there was a path. The hard rock had been carved away, forming a trail-like path. On top of it, a blackened layer about three centimeters thick had accumulated. Of course, there was no grass growing, nor were there any insects chirping. He couldn’t even hear his own footsteps. When they circled all the way around the base of the mountain, a cave entrance appeared before their eyes. “Ah, there’s something like that!”

Masakichi was startled. From within the cave entrance, a sturdy iron door was also visible. He had never imagined there would be such structures in the lunar world.

As he drew closer, his astonishment only grew. On the iron door, Japanese characters were lined up in shallow carving. “New Japan Expedition Team Lunar World Warehouse No. 9” An expedition team’s warehouse in a place like this? What could possibly be inside?

“Hmm, this is strange,” said Dr. Kanno through his helmet transmitter as he examined the warped metal plating. “The gate’s door is broken.” “What could have happened here?”

Dr.Kanno's voice, carried by radio waves, also resonated in Masakichi's receiver. Indeed, the bottom of the door was badly warped, with a triangular hole slightly larger than a dog flap. The group rushed over to it, but then came Dr.Kanno's voice again.

“Oh, there’s a skeletal corpse inside the door. “Who could it be?” “A human who died in a place like this…”

The vanished fuel

Leaving the mysterious skeleton as it was, they began working on the more urgent task.

When electricity was supplied from the generator in the armored vehicle to the iron door, the cave entrance door creaked as it was rolled upward, opening the entrance.

The four armored vehicles entered. Engineer Kako directed a young technician to generate electricity in the power room. Soon, the interior was brightly lit. And now they could clearly see what kind of cave-utilized warehouse it was.

Masakichi had been clad in his pressurized suit for some time now, trailing behind Engineer Kako as he went here and there, but when the lights suddenly lit up, he let out a startled “Oh!” It was an extraordinarily large-scale warehouse. It felt as though he had entered an underground factory. Spare parts for various engines were lined up in countless numbers, stretching out in rows. Those parts too, with number tags attached, filled every single shelf.

“Excuse me, Mr. Kako. Why do you keep so many machines stockpiled?” The boy Masakichi asked. Of course, this was a conversation using radio waves. “Well, you see, during space expeditions, rockets often break down. There are times when you can’t make it back to Earth. Therefore, if we stockpile repair materials and replacement engines in the lunar world, even malfunctioning rockets that cannot return to Earth can make emergency landings there and have their issues repaired. That’s why our expedition team has placed a warehouse here. It’s not just here—we have fifteen warehouses 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 served a crucial role in this world. Without such thorough attention and preparation, a grand endeavor like space exploration would never succeed. Just having a rocket didn’t mean space exploration would succeed. “So, did our Marumo Expedition Team’s rocket also have a malfunction here?”

“No, it’s not a malfunction.” “In our case, we had stored minerals meant to serve as a type of fuel in this warehouse, so we came to retrieve them.”

“So it’s something like uranium after all?” “Well, I suppose so.” “You should’ve loaded it when leaving Earth—why didn’t you?” “On Earth, there’s very little of that valuable mineral called Lunavium.” “It’s believed that a considerable amount lies buried within this moon.” Engineer Kako mentioned Lunavium and other mineral names Masakichi had never heard before. Masakichi wanted to hear more about Lunavium, but just then four armored vehicles entered slowly, and Engineer Kako became too busy for further questions.

Engineer Kako opened 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 the back.

The room where the excavated Lunavium was stored was the innermost room. When Engineer Kako opened the door leading to that room and peered inside, he trembled as if electrified.

“Oh! This is strange!” As he stood frozen in shock, Captain Marumo Ken and Dr. Kanno entered. “Hmm. What happened here?” “There’s no Lunavium! But we collected so much before and stored it all in this room…” Captain Marumo and Dr. Kanno were also utterly astonished. Engineer Kako had been the first to notice this and had stood frozen in shock.

“What in the world could have happened here?” “This is a problem. If there’s no Lunavium, we can’t proceed with the expedition any further.” “Who could have stolen it?” “Stealing from this room would be practically impossible though.”

“That may be so, but since we can’t see the Lunavium that was piled mountain-high, there’s no mistaking it was stolen.” “This is something we absolutely cannot take lightly. The matter of the human bones earlier, the fact that the door inside the cave was bent out of shape, and now Lunavium being stolen from this room—this is certainly all related.” Dr. Kanno blurted out something detective-like.

Following behind and observing the scene, even Masakichi came to fully understand that this was a major incident. (Are there thieves and bandits on the moon after all, I wonder?)

Masakichi sighed at this thought, but had he known that there existed far more formidable beings than mere thieves or bandits on the lunar world—beings that had ravaged this place—such a light sigh would hardly have sufficed.

Advance to the Ore Vein

"Well now that Lunavium had been stolen, what would be the best course of action?" Regarding this matter, the captain gathered the executive members and held an immediate discussion on the spot. "It would be a tremendous task, but we'd have to go to where the Lunavium vein lies and dig it up again." "After all, without Lunavium, there's simply nothing we can do."

“That job would be quite an undertaking. Moreover, it might take quite a few days. Having it take too many days would be problematic. How about we temporarily suspend this expedition and return to Earth, regrettable as it is?” As he listened to these two proposals, the captain thought both were correct. Determining which one to choose was difficult.

“Please wait.”

“Please wait,” said Dr. Kanno. “Before making that decision, I believe we should investigate the truth of this incident.” “Who did it? For what purpose? And where is the Lunavium stolen from the warehouse now?” “Once we understand these matters, what we should do in this situation will naturally become clear.” “That makes sense. It’s perfectly reasonable.” “However, Dr. Kanno.” “How many days will investigating this incident require?” “That’s the problem.”

“We won’t know until we try, but please give me four hours from now.” “I’ll investigate every possible angle.” “Please leave one armored vehicle and four or five people to me.” “And during that time, please use the other armored vehicles to go dig for Lunavium.” “I will catch up there four hours later...”

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

“Very well, let’s proceed with that. Proceed with selecting the personnel, Dr. Kanno.” The captain approved. “Please employ me as one of them and leave me here.”

Masakichi was the very first to volunteer. “What’s this? The boy wants to stay here?” “Very well.” “Masakichi-kun doesn’t count toward the personnel quota.” “If that’s your wish, you may stay.” Captain Marumo laughed and granted Masakichi’s request. Dr. Kanno then selected five personnel. Apart from Engineer Kako, there was no one else of significant skill among them. Once that was decided, the captain 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.” “Put your minds to work and solve this mystery quickly.” “First, let’s start by examining these human bones.”

Dr. Kanno started walking toward the entrance of the warehouse. The six others followed behind him. The human bones were lying beside the cavern entrance as before. They had weathered and become scattered. However, from the position and number of bone fragments, it became clear to everyone that these were the bones of a single human. “Now, everyone. Don’t you all find this situation strange?” Dr. Kanno began to untangle the threads of deduction. “These human bones aren’t wearing any air suits or anything. In that case, we can’t consider them to be other expedition members who collapsed along the way. If that were the case, they should at least be properly wearing air suits.”

“I see.” The other crew members also chimed in. “Then it’s unlikely the owner of these bones broke through this cavern door themselves, entered inside, and perished here.” “In other words, we can only conclude someone threw the corpse of this skeleton’s owner inside.” “Don’t you agree?” “No—I think that must be it.” “Dr., your deduction is remarkably sharp.” “Then whoever did this—bending the door like that isn’t something achievable through ordinary human strength.”

Dr. Kanno stopped speaking. No one offered any opinions. “Could it be that someone did this to scare us explorers?”

The boy Masakichi said. That was why he felt that way.

“To scare us…” Dr. Kanno and the other crew members seemed to flinch at Masakichi’s words.

“That might be the case. The Moon holds many valuable things. There are likely those who believe the Marumo expedition shouldn’t monopolize them all—who see us as rivals. Perhaps those people attempted to warn us. Still—using human bones? What a barbaric method.”

Dr. Kanno furrowed his brows as he said this.

A faint personal name. Masakichi, though unaccustomed to human bones, cautiously approached them and gazed at the remains.

“Oh—this skeleton has a handkerchief…” The bones were white, and the handkerchief was also white, so no one had noticed until now, but beneath the scattered human bones lay a single handkerchief.

At Masakichi’s discovery, Dr. Kanno and the others were surprised and gathered close. Dr. Kanno moved the bones aside and picked up the handkerchief. He spread it out and turned it over, “Ah, there’s a name written on the handkerchief.” “The ink has faded, but this is definitely a name.”

he said with a look of surprise. “What name is it?” “Wait a moment. Let me see… It seems to say ‘Mouri Kumahiko.’” “Mouri Kumahiko? Let me see that handkerchief!” It was Masakichi who interjected. “Look closely at this.” Masakichi’s face paled as he examined the handkerchief.

“Oh, this is my uncle’s handkerchief. “His name is Mouri Kumahiko, and 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 has remained missing ever since—we haven’t heard any news of him since then. So if…” Dr. Kanno’s voice grew hoarse. “Then… does this mean these bones are Uncle’s? “Uncle certainly said he had gone out on an expedition and never returned—but he had come to this Moon world after all. “But Uncle—what a pitiful state he has been reduced to. “Uncle… Uncle!”

Masakichi knelt beside the human bones, tears streaming down. This made the others feel solemn too, and they began crying along. Amidst this, Dr. Kanno had been gathering the scattered human bones and placing a skull fragment on the handkerchief when he suddenly stopped and his eyes lit up. “Wait, this is strange!” “What’s strange?” “These bones aren’t your uncle Dr. Mouri’s. Rest assured.”

“Huh?! How on earth can you tell such a thing?!”

Masakichi, finding it strange, asked in return. “I can tell for certain. These human bones are not those of a modern Japanese person—they’re from a much more ancient time. Not even a hundred years old either. At least fifty thousand years old. The bone structure allows me to make that determination. Fifty-thousand-year-old human bones—what do you think of that? This proves they’re not your uncle Dr.Mouri’s remains.” “I see… So that’s how it is.”

Masakichi and the other listening crew members also let out sighs of relief. _Then... does that mean Uncle is still alive?_ _If Uncle’s handkerchief was lying here on the Moon,_ _he might be somewhere nearby._

Masakichi felt as though he had grasped a new hope. However, that was also a new source of concern.

Dr. Kanno was thinking about other things. Why had the mysterious figure brought ancient human bones from 50,000 years ago and thrown them into the cavern? What could have been the reasoning behind that?

There were other mysteries beyond that. How had 50,000-year-old human bones come into their possession? As they thought one thing after another, an eerie feeling arose, sending a chill down their spines. Dr. Kanno, having set aside the bone issue for now, wanted to thoroughly re-examine the warehouse where the Lunavium had been stored to see if there were any abnormalities and, wanting to discover them, ordered the crew members to proceed further inside.

But it was at that moment. Suddenly, the alarm issued by the armored vehicle they had left waiting outside reached Dr. Kanno and the others. "What kind of alarm?" Even as they wondered this, the alarm signal ceased, and the driver's voice resounded through the radio waves.

“Emergency! A radio message came through that Captain Marumo and nine armored vehicles have been surrounded by a group of monsters at Troy Valley and are in danger! Please 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 and rushed out of the cavern entrance. Outside was pitch black. A world of darkness as if painted with black lacquer. It seemed as though the door of night had suddenly closed.

Now, what lay ahead for the expedition team? What manner of group was this fearsome horde of monsters?

Troy Valley

The story goes 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 climbing up and down steep rocky mountains numerous times, they arrived at Troy Valley—a place deeply familiar to the expedition's officers. The entire group securely tightened their airsuits and descended to the ground. From the vehicles, mining tools were taken out and distributed one by one into each person’s hands. This had a shape similar to a compressed air hammer, but since it was powered by atomic energy, there were no long pressure-resistant tubes or tanks, making its structure far simpler.

Truly, with the arrival of the atomic age, not only transportation systems but also civil engineering, architecture, and manufacturing industries had become vastly simplified. What people of the past would have dismissed as absurd dreams could now be accomplished with utter ease. Because the entire group needed to excavate the necessary amount of Lunavium within a short time, even Captain Marumo took up operating the atomic hammer and began digging for Lunavium.

Fortunately, the old pit they had previously dug remained intact, and since the Lunavium ore was glowing with a bluish-white light, they could begin work immediately. Everyone worked frantically.

That was a mistake. In such situations, they should indeed have stationed lookouts. Because everyone was digging, they did not notice a group of bizarrely attired figures observing their activities from nearby. The group in their bizarre attire was quietly watching the Marumo team from the peaks overlooking Troy Valley.

They were entirely encased in something resembling beetle armor. The areas containing heads, hands, and legs matched those of the Marumo team members, but unlike the crew's sleek airsuits, these looked as though iron plates had been hammered onto straw doll bodies. These metal plates appeared layered horizontally like a beetle's segmented carapace. Their heads were mostly cylindrical like acorns, tapering to pointed tips at the top. Around the mid-section sat two openings that might have been eye sockets.

If those were indeed eyes, one would have to say they were slanted upward like a fox's. A group of such bizarrely attired figures, numbering around forty or fifty in total, were peering down from the peaks. The sunlight was clearly illuminating their heads and the sides of their bodies.

The surroundings suddenly grew dark. The sun set. And night came. On the Moon, due to the lack of air, it does not gradually darken like twilight on Earth; instead, darkness falls abruptly. There is no such thing as twilight’s faint glow; darkness descends abruptly. The bizarrely attired group seemed to have been waiting for sunset. The moment darkness fell, one figure rose from among them. Then his body glowed like a firefly squid. All over his body, points of light appeared here and there, flickering on and off.

Then, another bizarrely attired figure who had been nearby swiftly stood up and made their entire body glow like a firefly squid. Before long, the entire bizarre group began making their bodies flicker eerily with spots of light. Then, the one who had first lit up his body suddenly ceased the flickering. Instead, a ring of light formed around the base of his neck. It no longer flickered. He crossed the ridge and began slowly descending. The other bizarrely attired figures had also, before they knew it, fashioned rings of light solely around their necks in the same manner and began descending the slope following the one who appeared to be their leader. Their movements appeared surprisingly nimble for their bulky frames.

As night had suddenly fallen, the Marumo Expedition Team members each turned on the lamps attached to the foreheads of their air helmets. When these were turned on, the light immediately illuminated objects directly in front, making them appear bright. Then they turned on all nine armored vehicles’ headlights and had them illuminate the open-pit Lunavium mining area. And then they proceeded with their work. Suddenly, with a thunderous rumble that shook the ground, a group of bizarrely attired figures appeared there. Without uttering a word, they lunged at the expedition members.

“What the—? Who are you?!”

"What are you doing?!" "Ah, Captain!" "They’re suspicious characters!" "Stop this violence. We have no choice." "Crew members, gather over here!" "And fight back against those who act violently!" Captain Marumo finally ordered combat. Who could this violent group of bizarrely attired figures be?

Fierce Dark Combat The bizarrely attired group was quite strong, and the Marumo expedition members were being pressed hard. Moreover, their numbers were roughly double ours. The situation was unfavorable. The crew members were not without weapons. But Captain Marumo did not order their use. As the captain, he had wanted to resolve the matter through peaceful means as much as possible. But to their dismay, they couldn’t communicate with each other. They sent out radio waves and,

“Now then, you lot—cease this violence at once." “If you have something to say, I’ll hear it.” Even when they called out like this, the opponents remained utterly unresponsive.

Moreover, the opponents were strong. Captain Marumo gathered the crew members into a circular formation and had them hurl the large rocks scattered around the area at the opponents lunging from all sides. This was to keep the opponents from getting closer.

On the Moon, even rocks that appeared the same size as those on Earth only felt one-sixth as heavy as they would have on Earth. Therefore, the crew members could effortlessly lift large rocks and hurl them far into the distance. However, the Moon people were not deterred by this; keeping their distance while watching intently for openings, they lunged forward. Even when rocks were hurled at them, they showed no signs of sustaining injuries or bleeding.

“Ah, they’re waiting for us to tire ourselves out.” Captain Marumo came to this realization and stiffened. After all, the opponents were growing increasingly vigorous in their onslaught.

Before long, part of the enemy shifted position and began approaching the armored vehicles. "Oh no! If they take our armored vehicles, that'd be disastrous!" Captain Marumo, startled, split half the crew and ordered them to rush toward the armored vehicles. They entered the vehicles, started them up, and began driving away. Then the Moon people gave chase. On flat ground, the armored vehicles could have sped ahead unimpeded—but this was Troy Valley. The road was rough and uneven; whichever way they drove, they seemed about to crash into cliffs. With speed impossible to build up, three or four Moon people had soon climbed onto each vehicle and were raising their massive fists to pound thunderously against the ceilings, trying to smash through. If they broke through there, it would spell disaster.

They wanted to shoot down the Moon people atop [the vehicles] with their guns, but since they were on top, there was no way to take aim. To make matters worse, the night's darkness was so profound that getting a clear view of the opponents proved no easy task.

(Is it too late now?) (I should have taken up weapons and driven them away sooner.)

Even the Captain sank into gloom.

It certainly appeared too late. If things continued like this, the entire group would either be taken prisoner by the Moon people or beaten to death.

Ah, a grave crisis was upon them!

That was the moment. Suddenly, the Moon people began to stir. Four or five of the Moon people who had been on the armored vehicles were blown away as if swept off by the wind. Then four or five more were sent tumbling down below, somersaulting as they fell. “Ah! Dr. Kanno’s here to help!” “Dr. Kanno is shooting the Moon people with a machine gun!” Dr. Kanno’s voice came through Captain Marumo’s receiver and those of the other crew members, encouraging everyone.

Dr. Kanno, Masakichi, and three other crew members unleashed fierce machine gun fire at the Moon people from atop the armored vehicles. Another crew member operated that armored vehicle. They had approached with their headlights off, leaving the Moon people completely off guard. This machine gun differed from ordinary ones firing metal bullets. The bullets it used generated five hundred degrees Celsius of heat within themselves upon being fired from the muzzle. Moreover, as this heat emerged, each bullet's exterior softened limply like rubber and adhered tightly to whatever it struck. Even when attempts were made to knock them off, they refused to detach.

However, after two hours passed, the heat would dissipate, and they would drop away—these were called heat bullets, but they were also referred to as "moxa bullets." They weren’t dangerous enough to take lives; they merely caused about two hours of distress from the heat. In other words, those hit by these bullets were essentially being given a two-hour moxa treatment, and consequently couldn’t muster any strength. Inside these heat bullets were two types of chemicals that, upon firing, reacted with each other to generate that intense heat.

The Moon people struck by such heat bullets were utterly astonished. “Ah! It’s hot! It’s hot!” “Whoa! It’s hot.” “Help me!” As if crying out those very words, they rolled their eyes wildly, contorted their bodies across the ground, and vanished without trace into the darkness.

The Moon People Theory Captain Marumo and the rescued people were overjoyed. They surrounded Dr. Kanno and Masakichi, offering words of gratitude. “I’ve never seen anything so amusing before! When I imagine those guys still stuck with moxibustion on their bodies, screaming ‘It’s hot! It’s hot!’, I just can’t stop laughing…” With that, the boy Masakichi doubled over with laughter. Everyone laughed.

"I never thought the heat bullets would make their first mark in a place like this." Dr. Kanno, inventor of the heat bullet machine gun, smirked knowingly.

“Alright, let’s hurry and withdraw from here.” “Now that we know enemies like that are out there, we can’t afford to linger.” “Everyone, hurry and get into the armored vehicles.” “And hurry back to the main ship.”

Captain Marumo gave the command for withdrawal.

The Lunavium they had dug up amounted to only one-third of what was needed, but now they had no choice but to make do with that. The entire group boarded the armored vehicles as before and hurriedly left Troy Valley. Inside Vehicle 1, with Captain Marumo at the center, executives including Dr. Kanno and Masakichi exchanged opinions about the mysterious figures that had suddenly appeared that day. “Couldn’t they be part of a gang of bandits that had cornered Earth?” “They were all ridiculously strong.” “And their bodies also looked much larger.”

“So could they be a gang from what country?”

“No—I think those are not people from our world.”

It was Captain Marumo who said that.

“Are you suggesting they’re not part of those bandits who’ve cornered Earth?” “Yes. To put it plainly, I believe they’re Moon people.” “That is to say—humans inhabiting the lunar world.” “That seems contradictory.” “The moon is a dead realm, utterly frozen.” “It lacks both air and water.” “How then could humans possibly dwell there?”

This was Masakichi’s question.

Then, Captain Marumo nodded with a smile,

"That's reasonable," Captain Marumo said to Masakichi. "It's only natural you'd have such doubts." He leaned forward, his space helmet reflecting the lunar landscape. "But you see, even this moon that appears to be a dead world might surprisingly harbor living creatures." His gloved hand gestured toward the cratered horizon before turning to address the scientist beside him. "To be honest, until now I'd held the view that there were no living creatures on the moon, so I hadn't considered it an issue until today—but today of all days, I stand corrected, Dr. Kanno." Captain Marumo looked at Dr. Kanno and smiled, the creases around his eyes deepening in the harsh lunar light. Masakichi tugged at his oxygen hose, his voice crackling through the comm system. "What happened to Dr. Kanno?"

Masakichi asked. "The idea that creatures might be able to live on the moon is actually a theory proposed by Dr. Kanno." "Dr. Kanno, please explain it."

“Ah,” began Dr. Kanno. “To explain concisely—the Moon was originally a fragment that broke away from Earth to become its satellite. It’s generally believed to have separated from what is now the Pacific Ocean region.” He raised a cautionary hand. “Let me clarify—this isn’t my original theory, but one of several hypotheses long proposed through astronomical research.” Masakichi found himself intensely intrigued by Dr. Kanno’s extraordinary theory, his body leaning forward unconsciously.

“What follows is my own theory—when the Moon separated from Earth, animals and plants must have been carried along with it.” “And if conditions were favorable enough, those animals and plants must have propagated and thrived on the Moon for some time.” “That’s fascinating...” “Then a great catastrophe occurred on the moon, and it gradually cooled down.” “Thus many animals and plants died off and withered away.” “However, among the animals, those with advanced culture—that is to say, humans—quickly conceived ways to protect themselves and set about the task.” “Though we don’t know how they managed it, it’s not impossible to think their descendants still live within the moon.” “For example, it’s conceivable that they might have dug deep underground to utilize geothermal heat for their livelihood, or alternatively generated their own heat, created air, produced food, and maintained a rather sophisticated standard of living.”

“But humans back then hadn’t developed much culture yet, had they?” It was Masakichi’s earnest question. “No, that’s not necessarily true. “While little is known about human culture from over five thousand years ago, ruins discovered in various locations have gradually revealed that earlier humanity possessed remarkable cultures. “Strangely enough, it appears many of these ancient cultural groups were completely wiped out. “Why did they go extinct? “They likely perished due to some catastrophic event—whether ravaged by a terrible epidemic or devastated by natural disasters like floods or ice ages. “Moreover, such events seem to have recurred multiple times across different eras. “Considering this, it’s reasonable to think these lunar humans also maintained a fairly advanced culture. “That’s why we mustn’t underestimate the Moon people.”

At Dr. Kanno’s words, Masakichi felt a profound emotion unlike anything he had experienced before. There was no doubt—the Moon people truly existed.

The Study of the Handkerchief

Finally, the armored vehicle group managed to return to where the spacecraft *New Moon* was waiting.

“Ah, you made it back safely!” “We were terribly worried. We who remained here had even steeled ourselves for a tragic end.”

“No—we shouldn’t have made you worry. “We all made it.” “Thank you. Thank you.” Both those who welcomed and those who were welcomed, with tears in their eyes, embraced one another. The armored vehicles were immediately stored inside the spacecraft.

Captain Marumo ordered that a strict watch be maintained. That was because no one knew when those Moon people might launch a counterattack. The Lunavium dug up at Troy Valley was carefully stored away in the warehouse. “How about it? With just the Lunavium we collected today, will it be sufficient to go around Mars and return to Earth?”

The captain asked Engineer Kako, the chief engineer. "It's completely insufficient. We need three times the amount we collected today."

“How much more do we need?” “Then we’ll go dig at Troy Valley again tomorrow.”

“But Captain.” “Going to Troy Valley… I think it’s extremely dangerous…” “I’m aware of the danger.” “But everyone will say we can’t just abandon Mars and return straight to Earth now.” “That’s true.”

“In that case, we must dare danger once more.” “So it really does come down to that, huh? If the Lunavium we stored in Warehouse No.9 hadn’t been stolen, we wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble. Has the culprit who stole that been identified yet?” “Dr. Kanno was investigating it, but in the middle of that investigation, we requested rescue from Troy Valley, so he halted his inquiry and rushed to our side. That being the case, Dr. Kanno probably hasn’t identified the culprit yet.”

As Captain Marumo and Engineer Kako were saying such things, Masakichi popped his face in.

“Ah, Captain.” “Please.” “Please let me go to Warehouse No.9 again.” “That’s dangerous.” “But why are you so insistent on going back there again?” “I want to witness my uncle Dr.Mouri’s final moments.” “If we search that warehouse more thoroughly, I think we’ll uncover something about Uncle.” “Besides, Dr.Kanno has said it’s all right for me to go along.” “What? Even Dr.Kanno says that?” “This is precisely the problem—everyone keeps treating their lives so carelessly.” “If one person falls, it’s not just their loss—it weakens our entire expedition team. You must consider this and show some restraint.”

“Yes, sir.” When told this, Masakichi found himself unable to voice his plea of “Even so, please let me go.” He then wilted like a plant and returned to Dr. Kanno’s side.

Dr. Kanno glanced briefly in Masakichi’s direction and then returned to his desk.

On the desk was a microscope. There were chemical experiment tools laid out; these were contained within a square briefcase so they could be stowed 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 handkerchief. This had been picked up at the entrance of Warehouse No.9, lying beneath human bones dating back 50,000 years.

“Hmm, good good…” “I see…”

The doctor muttered to himself.

Masakichi, wondering what was going on, quietly approached the doctor. Then the doctor noticed and beckoned Masakichi over.

“Hey there, I’ve made another discovery.” “The owner of this handkerchief—your uncle Dr. Mouri—was alive until at least three months ago.” “I can confirm this by estimating the rate of evaporation changes in bodily secretions from the doctor that are present on this handkerchief.” “How about it? Doesn’t this discovery give you some encouragement?”

“Oh, I see.” “But even if we know he was alive until three months ago, it isn’t really significant.” “I want to know whether he’s alive now.”

Masakichi did not seem very happy. “Hmm. “Do you only value this discovery that much? “Were it me, I would rejoice more. “If he was alive three months ago, he should still be living now. “Three months is but a brief moment in this lunar world.” “Is that so. “I won’t feel happy until Uncle shows me he’s truly alive before my eyes.”

“Oh ho! You seem rather out of sorts. It won’t do for you to be so pessimistic.”

He thought Dr. Kanno had deliberately said that to cheer him up, but he couldn’t bring himself to feel happy.

Looming Phantom

It was immediately after that that the alarm bell resounded throughout every corner of the spacecraft "New Moon".

“Ah! The alarm!” “What’s going on? Why would the alarm ring now of all times…” Masakichi and Dr. Kanno both strained their ears, waiting for the announcement that should follow the alarm through the loudspeaker. “A single Moon person is attempting to breach the third hatch on our craft’s starboard side—Captain’s orders.” “All personnel—take your positions immediately!”

Now, this was serious. It was an attack by the Moon people. The Moon people who had attacked were said to be a single individual for now, but no complacency could be allowed. It might be that first a scout would come, and then an overwhelming number of Moon people forces would press in like a cloud.

Dr. Kanno immediately rushed to the control room. Masakichi also followed the doctor into the room but went under the television and tried to see the Moon Person. He could see it—he could see it,

It was indeed a Moon person. A figure exactly like the Moon people they had seen in Troy Valley was pounding relentlessly on the third hatch with its fists. A beetle-like, unsettling body. A head pointed at the top and featureless. On top of that were two eyes that glowed yellow and slanted upward like a fox’s. It was indeed a Moon person. “You should shoot quickly.” “If they breach the ship and get inside, it’ll be disastrous!”

“That’s right.” “We should take them out.” “In Troy Valley, those bastards think they’ve won.” “Let’s give them a sound thrashing!”

The crew members, having been subjected to a terrible ordeal by the Moon people in Troy Valley, were now fired up, believing this was the moment to take down the Moon people and demonstrate Earthlings’ might. The crew members' voices reached Captain Marumo's ears too. However, as he was a calm and composed individual, he reconsidered whether there wasn’t a better method elsewhere than defeating a lone Moon person here.

That was the moment. It was Masakichi who had grabbed the captain’s arm. “Captain, I think that Moon person is my uncle, Dr. Mouri. So please don’t use rough measures.” Masakichi’s words were enough to startle the Captain. “What? That’s Dr. Mouri? How could you know that?” “I just can’t shake this feeling. And the way he’s knocking on the door like that—I’m sure it’s my uncle. Please let him in first and examine him properly.”

“But if it turns out to be a real Moon person, we’ll be in serious trouble.” “Then you’ll lose your standing—are you prepared for that?” “Yes, I’m perfectly fine with that.” “I’ll take full responsibility.” Masakichi spoke resolutely.

The reason for this was that ever since hearing Dr. Kanno's explanation earlier, he had somehow come to feel his uncle Dr. Mouri might still be alive. In truth, though at that time Masakichi had made remarks suggesting he didn't fully believe Dr. Kanno's theory—

“Captain,” said Dr. Kanno. “That figure disguised as a Moon person is undoubtedly an Earthling like us, just as Masakichi claims. The way it’s knocking on the door—that’s a mannerism unique to Earthlings. Real Moon people wouldn’t behave like that. If they truly intended to break through the doorway, they’d resort to more drastic measures—body slams or bringing heavy tools.” It was Dr. Kanno who had spoken. Before anyone realized it, he had positioned himself behind Masakichi.

“I see.” “Very well.” “In accordance with your opinion, let’s bring that questionable individual inside.” The Captain issued an order there.

Since the order had been given, the crew immediately ceased their objections. And under strict vigilance, they opened the hatch and brought the questionable Moon person inside the ship. The figure entered, raising both hands and staggering unsteadily. And 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 weathered by hardship. “Ah, Uncle! It’s me! Masakichi!” The boy who ran toward the old man was, of course, Masakichi.

The situation was critical. What they had thought was a fearsome enemy turned out instead to be a cherished Earthling. Moreover, this was none other than Dr. Mouri—an explorer with a distinguished career.

Inside the ship, terror suddenly turned to joy as a great cheer erupted. "Oh, welcome, Dr. Mouri!" "Well, so it was you after all, Marumo-kun."

Dr.Mouri—henceforth referred to as Dr.Mouri—and Captain Marumo clasped hands and rejoiced at their miraculous reunion. "I never imagined I would even get to see Masakichi," said Dr.Mouri. "You’ve taken such good care of him—I’ve no words to express my gratitude." Dr.Mouri stared at Masakichi’s face as though trying to bore holes through it. This reaction made sense. Having sealed Masakichi in a cryogenic sphere and left him in Japan’s Alps—unable to retrieve him even after twenty promised years—it was only natural for Dr.Mouri to be startled upon encountering him here.

“You must have much to discuss with Masakichi.” “Well, take your time and talk.”

said the Captain. “No, there’s a mountain of things to discuss, but the likes of us can’t afford such luxuries now.” “When you say that—do you mean—” “Because there’s a critical matter at hand—I drove this decrepit body here through peril to warn you.” “That’s the crux—the very crux!” “Captain Marumo—if you don’t quit this land posthaste—the Moon people’s horde will storm this craft and butcher every last soul!” “But why would they—”

“You know that already.” “The Moon people harbor a deep grudge against Troy Valley.” “When will they attack?” “They’re busy gathering weapons and airsuits right now.” “In two or three hours, they’ll come storming here without fail.” “What? We only have two or three hours’ grace period?” “If we have two or three hours, we should be able to lift off from this lunar world.”

“That we can do, but this ship needs to acquire much more Lunavium; otherwise, we cannot proceed with our scheduled space voyage.” “Actually, Warehouse No.9 had stored a considerable amount of that Lunavium—but when we came this time, we found it had all been stolen.” “I’m completely at a loss.” “Ah, so it’s about that Lunavium from the warehouse.”

“Oh? Dr. Mouri, are you familiar with that warehouse?” “I know about it. That too was the Moon people’s doing. I’ll explain in detail later, but I’ve been deeply concerned about that warehouse. Naturally, they’ve deduced Lunavium’s purpose too. To hinder Earthlings, they moved all Lunavium stored there elsewhere.” “Hmm... We failed to notice that. This was our oversight. So where did they move the Lunavium to—”

“I will tell you the location.” “It’s nearby.” “Therefore, I think we should dig it out within two hours, transport it into this ship, and take off immediately.” “Where is that hiding place?” “Well, you see—strange as it may sound—this spacecraft is sitting right on top of the very spot where that Lunavium is buried.” “Given this, I suppose you can understand why the Moon people are so anxious to attack and wipe us out quickly.”

“Hah! That’s astonishing.”

The tale Dr. Mouri brought at the risk of his life proved an invaluable asset to the Marumo Expedition Team. Acting on this information, they promptly mobilized everyone and began digging directly beneath them. There it lay. Out it came—a staggering hoard of precious Lunavium fuel! Though the quantity was colossal, they succeeded in loading every last ounce into the ship within barely an hour. With this much fuel, visiting Mars and returning to Earth would be more than sufficient. One could scarcely imagine how reassured Captain Marumo and all crew members felt now.

“Oh, they seem to have come. That ground rumbling must be the sound of the Moon people’s vast army approaching.” Dr. Mouri had grown sensitive from his prolonged habitation on the lunar world. Now came the Moon people’s grand invasion! Captain Marumo issued urgent departure orders. All crew members slapped their Lunavium-exhausted bodies into action, taking positions and straining every nerve to complete launch preparations. This still required some additional time.

Captain Marumo, who had been waiting for the report of "All preparations complete," could wait no longer and ordered the searchlights ignited. Pale streaks of light swooped out from the giant spacecraft. The beams illuminated the uneven lunar surface and swept from side to side. To their astonishment, every light fully captured the imposing advance of Moon people forces. The numbers suggested a lunar army that might number in the hundreds of thousands. The report of "All preparations complete" still hadn't reached Captain Marumo. Masakichi, standing nearby, felt anxiety gnawing at him.

Would our "New Moon" truly be able to depart the lunar world before the Moon people's attack?

Oil Bug Race

Carrying the Marumo expedition members, the rocket New Moon now advanced through the vast universe faster than an arrow.

The dark lunar world gradually receded behind them as the sunlit side beyond began rising into view like a great crescent arc. From this point onward, the rocket would finally begin its pursuit of Mars. A monotonous voyage through space now stretched endlessly ahead. Even with copious amounts of rare Lunavium fuel expended, calculations showed it would still take nearly three months to reach Mars.

The crew members, thinking that becoming bored from this point onward would be disastrous, devised various ingenious methods to distract themselves from the tedium. Some were planning shogi tournaments and urging others to join. Some went around recruiting members for tabletop baseball league matches.

Among the more reserved members, there were those who resolved to study knitting lessons broadcast from Earth over the next three months.

As the boy Masakichi was walking down the passageway, he suddenly came face-to-face with Kin-chan, the cook. He hadn’t seen Kin-chan for some time. The two had been working separately. That Kin-chan was smiling cheerfully. “Kin-chan, what’s the matter?” “You look really happy.” When Masakichi called out to him, Kin-chan’s face broke into a hearty laugh. “Heh.” “Little master.” “My place is gettin’ real popular, y’know.”

Kin-chan was being quite rude, calling him "Little master" like that. But he was in remarkably high spirits. What could be the reason? "What do you mean by 'big hit'?" "Well, truth is, I started a little race over at my place." "It's been a roaring success." "Folks came flocking in—the room's packed to bursting, I tell ya!" "How come?" "To put it plain—the race I dreamed up's become all the rage, see?"

“Who’s racing?” “Who do you think? It’s the oil bugs, of course!” “Oil bugs?!” “Oil bugs?”

Masakichi was surprised, then dismayed. Kin-chan, on his part, grinned slyly as if wanting to say “How about that?” and, “I’ve been carefully raising the oil bugs that show up in the cafeteria.” “There are some quite large ones, you know.” “The grand champion is the biggest one with a protruding belly.” “On the flip side, they turn out to be surprisingly slow when you make ’em race.” “Why on earth would you keep oil bugs around?!”

“It’s ’cause of the boredom,” “Even oil bugs can work as pals when they’re alive and wrigglin’ around, see?” “Plus when ya let ’em lick butter or feed ’em taters, they start warmin’ up to me bit by bit.” “They’re right cute, I tell ya.”

Kin-chan narrowed his eyes and smiled. That Kin-chan insisted he absolutely come see the cook's room, so Masakichi followed behind him to take a look.

Then, even outside the room, numerous human buttocks were protruding from the doorway. They were all people who had become completely engrossed in betting on oil bug races. In place of Kin-chan, a barber called Tora-san was methodically directing the oil bugs and having them race. Both Kin-chan and Tora-san on the management side seemed to be making quite a profit. However, the crucial oil bugs didn't race so frequently. In other words, they raced solely to reach butter or potatoes for licking—once they'd had their fill from one round, their bellies would swell up. By the second or third attempt, they'd grow utterly disinterested, and even with butter scenting the finish line, the oil bugs refused to dash out.

“Hey, Little master. How about you take charge of raising oil bugs and increasing their numbers? Then I’ll pay you a hefty allowance!” Kin-chan made this proposal to Masakichi with complete seriousness. Masakichi explained to Kin-chan that he disliked oil bugs because they had bitten him before, and declined.

Secrets of the Moon People

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

There, Captain Marumo had gathered along with Dr. Kanno, Dr. Sumire, and Engineer Kako. Another person was present—Dr. Mouri’s white-haired figure among them. The doctor should have been sleeping until just now. He had probably come out here because he had recovered from his fatigue. The elderly doctor was surprisingly energetic. Everyone was listening intently to Dr. Mouri's story. “Oh, Masakichi. “Please have a seat here.” The doctor beamed a smile at Masakichi and moved a nearby chair.

“I was just explaining about the Moon people to everyone here.” “If you can comprehend this, listen carefully.” “It will undoubtedly prove useful to you.”

With that, the elderly doctor turned back toward everyone, gesturing with his hands and face as he began recounting the Moon people’s peculiar way of life. “The Moon people have made numerous entrances and exits across the lunar surface.” “When you go inside through them—though it naturally forms a tunnel—it’s dug at a slant.” “The sides have staircases, while the center becomes a polished stone pathway designed for slipping.” “In essence, this serves the same purpose as the ‘slides’ you find in children’s playgrounds.” “It has been devised so one can slide down swiftly, you understand.” “The Moon people show remarkable skill in crafting such ingenious ideas.”

At that point, the elderly doctor turned back toward Masakichi. When he confirmed that Masakichi was listening intently, he smiled warmly and turned his face forward again. “When you slide down, there’s a single checkpoint there. A large, spherical, cave-like room fitted with a heavy revolving door.” “In other words, this room is an airlock.” “Beyond that point, the air is dense; near the entrance, 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 in the depths.” “The structure is the same as the previous tunnel—the central area is equipped with a ‘slide,’ and there are stairs on both sides.” “It’s quite an elaborate setup.”

“Then it appears the Moon people possess exceptional civil engineering skills.” “That’s right,” “I must certainly acknowledge that.” “The Moon people had no choice but to master civil engineering to sustain their lives on that frigid, airless lunar surface.” “In other words, they kept digging downward into the ground—deeper and deeper.” “Though the surface is cold, the interior remains much warmer.” “Moreover, while most air had scattered from the Moon’s surface, some remained trapped underground.” “Thus the Moon people vanished deep beneath the earth, their descendants continuing to sustain life even now.” “Truly an admirable people.”

Dr. Mouri stated emphatically. Even the doctor, who feared the Moon people, held sympathy and respect for the destiny they had endured thus far and their persevering efforts. "But, Uncle," Masakichi said. "With only that much air, the many Moon people wouldn’t be able to survive, right?"

Masakichi said. “Well, in fact, when they dug underground, they found there were surprisingly many places where air had accumulated.” “Of course, it seems the total number of Moon people who went underground at that time wasn’t particularly large.” “It’s said that some of those thousands of settlements succeeded in burrowing underground.” “So did the Moon’s air suddenly vanish from the surface at some point?”

“That’s right. “This occurred because a rather large comet passed extremely close to the Moon at that time. “At that time, part of the comet collided violently with the Moon’s surface. “At that time, many Moon people died. “The comet departed. “That was when, it is said, the air vanished from the Moon’s surface. “This is what the Moon people have passed down to their descendants—a so-called legend. “But this certainly seems to be true.”

Dr. Mouri's story grew increasingly bizarre.

“The Moon people are now manufacturing air underground through various methods.” “Just as we Earthlings turn on a water tap to draw and drink water, the Moon people live in their homes—which are of course underground burrow-style dwellings—and draw air from pipes installed in their rooms to breathe whenever needed.” “And as I explained earlier, fearing that air might escape through cracks and such to the outside of the ground, they have sealed the passageways between the surface and underground with elaborate devices to prevent air leakage as much as possible.”

“I see. So this connects to what you explained earlier about the tunnels and revolving doors, right?” The group was deeply moved, and everyone let out a sigh. Even Marumo Ken, known as a famous expedition leader, had not known the Moon people’s profound secrets to the extent elderly Dr. Mouri had until now.

“That’s right,” Dr. Mouri continued. “It’s that chain of tunnels and revolving doors I mentioned earlier. After the first revolving door comes another tunnel, then a second revolving door beyond it—you must pass through at least five such doors to reach the Moon people’s residential area. I lived in that district for many years.” “Remarkable, Dr. Mouri!” Captain Marumo interjected. The elderly scientist nodded. “The Moon people guard their air so jealously that they detest venturing to the surface. Though their intelligence surpasses ours Earth humans in certain aspects, and though they possess abundant resources unknown on our world, they lack even a single aircraft. Once our rocket departs the Moon’s sphere, we needn’t fear pursuit from them.”

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

Captain Marumo also smiled warmly for the first time.

Mars came into view

To Mars, to Mars—

The Rocket New Moon advanced steadily through the vast universe.

When the Rocket New Moon left the Moon, the distance to Mars was approximately seventy million kilometers.

The calculation was that after approximately three months of advancing through space, they would reach Mars, at which time Mars would be at its closest approach to Earth and the Moon, with the distance between Mars and Earth expected to be about fifty-six million kilometers.

Therefore, the Rocket New Moon didn't need to cover the seventy million kilometers separating it from Mars at that time after leaving the Moon. In other words, within three months Mars itself would draw closer to them, allowing the New Moon to proportionally reduce its journey distance. Since they had successfully loaded the valuable Lunavium resource, the New Moon's speed rose as planned, and it was believed their arrival date on Mars would remain unchanged from schedule.

Everything was proceeding smoothly. One month passed, two months passed, and they entered the third month. Between the Rocket New Moon and Earth, communications were constantly being exchanged, with television signals both received and transmitted from their side. However, this tedious and uneventful journey through the dark void of space found little welcome among those on Earth. In contrast, the crew members hungered to receive as many communications, radio broadcasts, and television transmissions from Earth as possible—listening to them and watching them. It was only natural. By now they truly spent every moment confined within the same New Moon spacecraft; whenever they peered through the windows, stars perpetually glittered in the pitch-black sky as if diamonds had been strewn across it. Even the most stoic of humans could no longer endure such unrelenting monotony.

Around that time, their sole and greatest comfort—the communications system—no longer functioned as smoothly as it had before. The communication bureau staff were overjoyed to escape boredom now that work had finally materialized.

However, the cause of the communication malfunction remained unclear. If this had occurred on Earth, they could have attributed it to phenomena like magnetic storms or Dellinger effects—but in this remote corner of space, such terrestrial causes shouldn't have been responsible for the disruption.

“This is serious. This could very well be the precursor to a major catastrophe. Everyone, please remain vigilant.”

Dr. Sumire, the Communications Director, finally ordered all crew members to be on alert.

According to calculations, the New Moon approached to within about two weeks of reaching Mars. Mars now appeared about twice as large as a full moon seen from Earth.

However, Mars's outline was also blurry. The whole was painted in a red-orange hue, looking somehow dingy. Dark green lines could be seen crisscrossing like a net. At the poles, the white crowns shone particularly brightly.

Undoubtedly, Mars was now visible right before their eyes.

In the captain’s room， rumors about Mars were flying among the officers． “Dr．Mouri． “Have you ever been to Mars？” “Actually，this will be my first time． “But I had always wanted to go and had been conducting research on it． “Mars is truly a planet of deep interest，isn’t it？”

“That’s absolutely right. It’s been discussed since ancient times and remains the most popular celestial body even now.” “Captain Marumo – about how many times have you visited 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 emergency takeoffs before even touching down.” “Mars just isn’t my forte.”

“Even for you?” “This is unexpected.” “That’s why I’m determined to land properly this time and have proper discussions with the Martians.” “Discussions with Martians?” “Hmm. Is that so?”

Dr. Mouri’s eyes widened in surprise.

Cosmic dust “They say communications have completely failed.”

When Masakichi heard that rumor, he grew worried, went to the wireless room, and met with Dr. Sumire, the director, to inquire about the situation.

“Yes, since we’ve identified the cause, there’s no need to worry anymore.”

Director Sumire said cheerfully. "So, have the communication capabilities been restored to how they were before?" “It’s completely hopeless.”

Despite the communications not working properly, Masakichi couldn’t quite grasp why Director Sumire was laughing so cheerfully.

"That would be a problem."

“But there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s something beyond our capabilities. Around Mars there’s a layer where cosmic dust has accumulated in large quantities. Because our ship is currently passing through it, radio waves are being interfered with by the cosmic dust—that’s why communications aren’t working properly.” Through the director’s explanation, Masakichi finally understood—“Ah, so that’s how it was.” “You do know about cosmic dust, don’t you, Masakichi-san?”

“You mean the dust that’s accumulated in space, don’t you?”

“If you’re saying such things, it seems you truly don’t know.” “What on earth do you think this ‘dust’ is?” “Well...”

When questioned to that extent, Masakichi found himself at a loss for a reply. “Since it’s called cosmic dust, I suppose it refers to things like fragments from rocket ships that were wrecked during space travel, or human corpses, desks, chairs, and such that spilled out from them—all broken down into something like dust.”

“No, that’s not it.” “Cosmic dust refers to fragments of stars traveling through space.” “In other words, even meteors can be called cosmic dust while they’re moving through space.”

“Oh, I see. Ah, so it’s cosmic dust.” “The cosmic dust surrounding Mars is said not to be a collection of meteors, but rather debris from one of Mars’s satellites that orbited it long ago and broke apart. Alternatively, it is also said that we currently do not understand how this cosmic dust came to exist at all. In any case, countless fragments of stars must be enveloping Mars. When such a layer exists, radio waves get absorbed by the cosmic dust and have difficulty reaching their destination.”

“Ah, I finally understand why communications were malfunctioning.” “And that means communications won’t work properly as long as there’s cosmic dust.” “That’s right.” “So unlike Earthlings, Martians might not be very skilled at using radio waves.”

While Masakichi and Dr. Sumire were talking like this, there was a sudden loud Gaan! At the same moment, the rocket ship vibrated so violently that it seemed it might break apart, and both Masakichi and Dr. Sumire were thrown onto the floor. Inside the room, countless instruments were overturned; fireworks erupted from between the machinery, and the alarm bell began ringing—a terrible uproar ensued. And then the power went out.

“Ah, that hurts!” “Wh-what was that?” The power came back on. At the same moment, the loudspeaker blared loudly.

"A fire has broken out. Central Warehouse. Leave essential personnel at their posts; all others gather at the Central Fire Control Area."

This was bad!

There was nothing as unsettling as a fire breaking out while traveling through space. Why did such a fire break out? Since Masakichi wasn't among the essential personnel assigned to any room, he had to immediately rush to the Central Fire Control Area. However, his anxiety was so overwhelming that before dashing off, he asked Dr.Sumire. "Why did a fire break out?" "That was likely caused by a large piece of cosmic dust colliding near our ship's central warehouse—it ignited the fuel stored there."

Dr. Sumire answered.

“Whoa... Do such large pieces of cosmic dust exist?” “It has long been known that cosmic dust as large as Mount Fuji is by no means uncommon.” “About the size of Mount Fuji? Do you call something that large ‘dust’?” “It’s precisely because it’s cosmic dust that it’s large.” “If we collide with such a large piece of cosmic dust, this ship wouldn’t last a moment before getting destroyed!” “That’s exactly right. Fortunately, what collided with our ship earlier was probably just a small rock.” “Oh, the signal light came on.” “I’m being summoned.” “Troublesome work is probably about to begin.” “You should hurry to the fire control area and get to work.”

Dr. Sumire said this to Masakichi and put the receiver to her head.

They landed on Mars.

Masakichi hurried to the Central Fire Control Area. Everyone had already gathered.

Sure enough, flames were spewing violently from one of the fuel warehouses. When they inquired, it turned out just as Dr. Sumire had said—a huge piece of cosmic dust had collided and caused the ignition. “Can the fire be put out?” “Won’t the ship explode?”

Worried out of his mind, Masakichi asked Academic Tomoda, who was directing operations as the fire control chief.

“I think we can manage the fire,” “But the real problem is this huge hole the cosmic dust tore in the ship’s side when it hit us.” “Air keeps leaking out through there.” “If this continues, we’ll have to keep releasing all our stored oxygen.” “This is bad.” Academic Tomoda shook his head from side to side.

“There should be an airtight door around here. If you lower that door, it should stop the air from leaking out.”

Masakichi voiced his suggestion. An airtight door refers to a door that lowers at boundaries where the ship’s interior is divided into small compartments. Lowering it would prevent air from passing through. So by lowering the airtight door, they could prevent air from leaking out—that was what Masakichi thought.

“That’s a correct idea. However, Masakichi-kun, unfortunately, the collision with that cosmic dust earlier severed the wiring for the motor that lowers this airtight door—so now the crucial door won’t come down.” Masakichi despaired, wondering just how unlucky they could get. However, upon closer consideration—this wasn’t a matter of bad luck—shouldn’t they have designed this rocket spacecraft anticipating such scenarios from the start? In other words, the design was flawed. It was a failure. Even if they built many rocket spacecrafts, to create a perfect one, the engineers must still have more to learn. Above all, unless they not only puzzled over designs at their desks but also thoroughly listened to firsthand accounts from experienced individuals like Captain Marumo Ken and based their designs on that foundation, they couldn’t create something complete.

Through the crew’s desperate efforts through the smoke, the motor’s wiring was newly laid out. With that, the airtight door came down. When that came down, the fire also subsided somewhat. However, since small explosions still occurred occasionally, they could not rest assured.

Fortunately, as the distance to Mars drew steadily closer and they realized they could last until landing, the crew members’ faces brightened considerably.

The rocket spacecraft New Moon landed on Mars exactly three months and two days after departing the lunar world. Although the arrival had been slightly delayed due to the fire, it remained largely as planned. At the time of landing, since the fire had not yet been fully extinguished and sections damaged by cosmic dust remained unrepaired, there was concern about whether a safe landing could be achieved.

But everything went smoothly. From the lower part of the ship, the landing sled was extended. And then, having found a flat desert on Mars’s surface that was perfect for a landing zone, they descended toward it in one swift motion. As the New Moon gazed sideways at Mars’s forest of strange giant trees, it landed on the pure white desert while kicking up a cloud of sand behind it—a truly spectacular sight.

The sensation when landing on the lunar world was vastly different from this time’s landing on Mars. The lunar world was an airless, cold realm of death—a land of ice. Mars was not like that. Though scarce, air exists. It also holds warmth. Rather than a realm of death—though their forms were bizarre—plants thrived here.

Moreover, it was possible to consider that Martians might be living somewhere. Mars was far more habitable than the lunar world. These factors had eased the explorers' minds, but... Captain Marumo ordered all crew members to fully extinguish the fire immediately upon landing. Indeed, a critical task still remained. Most crew members leaped outside through the hole damaged by cosmic dust and worked to put out the flames. At this time, they still needed to wear air helmets. The reason was that while Mars' surface had air unlike the lunar world—this air proved extremely thin—so humans still required supplemental oxygen to avoid breathlessness and maintain composure. However, those imposing air suits weren't necessary. The air helmet formed a cylindrical object fitting snugly over the head and sealing tightly at the shoulders. Since most of each helmet consisted of transparent organic glass, from even a short distance away it became nearly impossible to distinguish whether someone wore one. Oxygen tanks supplying these helmets were mounted on their backs.

The crew members who had gone outside were all unaccustomed to Mars' gravity since it was their first time on the planet. Because of this, they repeatedly made unexpected mistakes. In other words, on Mars, gravity was only one-third of Earth's gravity. So when they tried to jump one meter high, their bodies would end up rising three times higher—three meters up. This was an amusing situation, but it also caused them to create unnecessary mishaps.

The fire was 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 to be expected. If the damaged section were left unrepaired there, they would face significant trouble during any unexpected incident when attempting to take off from Mars. Therefore, once the fire was extinguished, they had to prioritize repairing the section of the ship with the hole above all else.

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 intently about something. Since both of them were not specialist technicians, they could not be of use in repairing this ship. So that’s why they had a bit of free time now.

Let’s listen in on their conversation for a moment.

"Hey, listen up. 'Come with me over there, will ya?' 'C'mon, won'tcha?' Kin-chan wheedled at Masakichi. 'I might go along with it, but what're you plannin' to do in that creepy forest?'"

Masakichi pointed to the giant tree forest behind him as he spoke; those giant trees, different from Earth's trees, appeared like scraggly, soft lower-order plants. They somewhat resembled horsetails and ferns. Moreover, some of their trunks were so thick that even four or five people holding hands couldn't wrap their arms around them. Kin-chan wanted to go near those trees. "I figure if I cook that tree, it might turn out quite edible," "I just wanna check it out a bit." "If I can whip up some proper Martian cuisine, you'll be first in line to taste it." "So come along with me for a bit."

“Are you scared to go alone?” “There’s nothing to be scared of. But it’s just kinda creepy, you know.” “So you are scared after all. That’s strange, coming from an adult.”

Masakichi followed Kin-chan and walked toward the forest. In truth, Masakichi was also unbearably creeped out. “Hey. For some reason, I can’t stand how floaty my body feels.” “It’s because of the low gravity.” “Hmm, is that right? Somehow I feel like I’m walking through water. Earlier I tripped on a stone and fell over, but when that happened, my body just floated up and smacked the ground. Didn’t hurt one bit—so weird!”

“If we were on Earth, you’d have gotten a nosebleed right away.” “Whoa, here we go. “I see, this darn big tree is oddly spongy. “If we cook this, it should be edible. “Let’s cut off a bit and take it with us.”

Kin-chan took out a small knife and began cutting pieces from the giant tree's trunk, lopping off branches and leaves as he gathered what he needed for cooking. Masakichi grew bored watching this and kept venturing deeper into the forest. Then he reached a pond's edge. It might have been better described as a marsh than a pond. To Masakichi, this formed an unfamiliar landscape. Giant trees grew tangled together. Thick clusters of peculiarly shaped leaves crowded the marsh's border. The water stood murky red. Something swam within it. The creature resembled both a small fish and some sort of amphibian or reptile. It kept surfacing from beneath algae only to dive back down.

“Oh!”

Masakichi suddenly let out a cry. He discovered a strange, large fish. A fish as large as Masakichi thrust its big head up from among the others. Two bulging eyes. On its slender shoulders, scales glistened. As it vigorously shook the fins growing on either side of its shoulders, it opened its large mouth and glared at Masakichi. The inside of its mouth was bright red.

This time, it was Masakichi who trembled violently and froze in place. What in the world could that strange fish have been?

The Glaring Monster Fish

At Masakichi’s cry of surprise, this time Kin-chan, startled, came running from the forest behind him.

“What’s wrong, little master?” “Shh!” Masakichi signaled Kin-chan not to make any noise.

“Whoa. That’s creepy.” With that, Kin-chan crouched low like a burglar cat, parting the grass as he slowly approached Masakichi. The strange fish that had been poking its head out from the pond’s surface—startled by Kin-chan’s loud voice—sank down with a splash, leaving ripples behind. Masakichi told Kin-chan, who had come to his side, about the incident. “Whoa! That’s a huge fish! And such a rare one too. I should catch it and serve it up grilled or boiled!”

Being a cook, Kin-chan immediately thought of such things. However, Masakichi said.

“I won’t eat that fish dish.” “Why?” “Because it’s uncomfortably large and keeps staring at us with those bulging eyes. If we eat its meat, we might get poisoned.” “Ah, so you’re saying it’s poisonous.” “Fine.” “Whether that fish is toxic or not, this Kin-chan can tell in a single glance!” “Next time it surfaces, you tell me right away, got it?”

“Shh!” “It looks like it’s about to come up to the surface again.” The once calm water surface now showed small ripples here and there. No—rather than ripples, it became clear that those were the strange fish poking their eyes above the water’s surface to observe Masakichi and the others on the shore. “You need to stay quiet. “We’ll stay quiet like stone statues until those monsters fully show themselves and get bold enough.”

With that, Masakichi repeatedly cautioned Kin-chan.

Masakichi’s prediction was correct.

The strange fish soon thrust their large faces above the water’s surface. Their faces were not pointed like the fish Masakichi and the others were accustomed to, but instead had a rounded, bump-like shape. And their two bulging eyes kept moving restlessly. “Hmm. I wonder if that’s even a fish.” “Is that even a fish?” With that, Kin-chan let out an involuntary groan. “It must be a fish. They live in the water after all. And look—they have something like fins, and don’t their faces belong to fish?”

Masakichi whispered in a hushed tone. “Hmm, I wonder...” “However, that fish doesn’t look edible.” “Even if it’s not poisonous, the meat must taste absolutely terrible.” “What a letdown!” Kin-chan determined they were inedible. “There, take a 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 them, let’s catch at least one. Because it’ll make a good souvenir.”

The mysterious fish gradually revealed themselves. They thrust their bodies quite far out from the water’s surface. Somehow, it seemed as though each monster had thrust itself out from chest up to shoulders. However, since they couldn’t tell how long these mysterious fishes’ lower bodies were or what shape they took，they could only assume them extended no further than chest level.

Before long, the number of mysterious fish increased. They increased to twenty or thirty. Moreover, the mysterious fish, with their upper bodies thrusting out from the water’s surface, gathered in one place. Then, they let out strange whistling sounds, twisted their necks around one another, and pressed their faces together.

“Those fish are making noises. Ah, that’s creepy.”

Kin-chan clung to Masakichi.

“They’re not just making sounds. They’re talking to each other.” “Huh?!” “You mean they’re talking to each other?” “Can fish really talk to each other?” “Oh no, this is bad! They’re definitely monster fish now!” “There’s no way this is edible!”

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 forming a scrum and slowly moving closer.” “What?! They’re coming this way?” “That’s terrible!” “Let’s get out of here!” “Don’t worry. They might just want to talk with us.”

“That’s absurd, little master. I don’t wanna get eaten alive by those monster fish! Let’s just get out of here! Come on, let’s get out of here!” Kin-chan grabbed Masakichi’s hand and forcibly started fleeing. Kin-chan was incredibly strong, so Masakichi had no choice but to retreat with him. From the pond’s surface, the mysterious fish—climbing onto each other’s shoulders and stretching up higher and higher—intently watched Masakichi and Kin-chan as they fled.

Aquatic Fish People

“This is bad, this is bad! There’s a whole swarm of monster fish in that pond over there!”

Kin-chan dashed to the spaceship and began shouting loudly, starting a commotion.

At this commotion, Captain Marumo and his team, wondering what was happening, came out.

Masakichi gave a detailed account of the mysterious fish in the pond he had just seen. "I see. That is a significant discovery," said Captain Marumo. "There are scholars who say that while plants exist on Mars there are no animals—but you've discovered animals do exist here! Fine work."

“However, Captain,” “those fish have a truly bizarre shape, you know.” “And for fish, they stare at us in an eerily intense way.” “Therefore, I think those monster fish are more intelligent than Earth’s fish.” “But I want to meet Martians more than those fish.” “Captain.” “When will you depart for the Martian exploration?” Masakichi blurted out what he was thinking.

"The notion that there exist higher life forms on Mars surpassing humanity could very well be just a legend." "What do you say about this view of mine?"

Captain Marumo turned to look at Dr. Kanno beside him.

“That’s correct. I think so too. Even if Martians do exist, I believe they would be inferior to us Earth humans,” said Dr. Kanno. Dr. Kanno declared he did not believe in the theory of mystical Martians. “Oh dear, then I’ve come all this way thinking I’d become friends with Martians and shake hands, only to be disappointed.” Masakichi was truly disappointed. Then Dr. Kanno spoke encouragingly to Masakichi.

“However, those monster fish you saw earlier in the pond are extremely fascinating creatures.” “I believe they might well be the most advanced lifeforms inhabiting Mars.” “Some years back, Dr. Garner launched an unmanned rocket fitted with television equipment to observe Mars from orbit for three weeks. His report from that time notes: ‘There appear to be moderately advanced aquatic animals present.’” “‘Caution is advised,’ it states.” “Regarding Martian biology, Dr. Garner recorded nothing beyond this.” “That makes your discovery of these monster fish tremendously valuable.” “We’ve brought some specialized equipment with us—let’s take it and investigate the pond.”

“Please take me along too.” “Of course, we’ll have you act as our guide.” Some time later, Dr. Kanno emerged from the spacecraft with Dr. Sumire, carrying something like a portable wireless communication device on his back. Masakichi widened his eyes and asked what kind of machine that was. “With this device, we’ll record those monster fish’s language and brain activity.” “We’ll analyze and study this later to determine what level of abilities these monster fish possess as creatures. Then, if we learn more, we’ll investigate what exactly they were thinking and saying.”

“Ah,” said Masakichi. “That sounds fascinating.” “Oh, that’s right,” Dr.Kanno responded.

Dr. Kanno seemed to remember something he had forgotten and clapped his hands.

“Masakichi-kun. To keep those monster fish cooperative, we need to bring some food they’d like. What do you think would work?”

“Ah,” said Masakichi. “You mean preparing food for those monster fish? Then I think it’s best to leave that entirely to Kin-chan.”

Kin-chan was called. Dr. Kanno’s instructions were relayed. Kin-chan, “Oh! If that’s the case, got it! Just leave it all to me!” Kin-chan then rushed into the kitchen, packed a bag full of food, and emerged carrying it.

Thereupon, the group set out for the pond in question. The group split into teams—Masakichi and Kin-chan, and Dr. Kanno and Dr. Sumire—and began their tasks. Masakichi and Kin-chan cautiously approached the edge of the pond and set about winning their favor with the monster fish. The food Kin-chan had brought pleased the monster fish. Above all, soda and crackers delighted the monster fish. Each time soda and crackers were thrown, hundreds of monster fish would leap from the water’s surface into the air, vying to catch the falling crackers midair in their mouths. It was then that they were able to see the monster fish’s entire bodies for the first time. They were truly—whether to call them grotesque or bizarre—a fearsome form and coloration. Their total length was a little over one meter, with a stocky, short build. The upper bodies were large，but the lower bodies were underdeveloped. The skin was mottled with pale pink and green, and the abdomen was white. The two pairs of upper and lower fins worked vigorously, and the still relatively small round tail fin moved like a propeller.

To these strange fish, Dr. Kanno gave the name "Aquatic Fish-People". While Masakichi and the others were interacting with the Aquatic Fish-People, Dr. Kanno and Dr. Sumire set up the device in the grassy area and recorded brainwaves and sound waves.

Glowing Cylinder

Dr. Kanno and Dr. Sumire secluded themselves in the spacecraft’s laboratory to analyze and study the language and brainwaves of the Aquatic Fish-People they had recorded.

Operating complex devices and continuing their tedious analysis, the doctors finally obtained results that exceeded their expectations. Just as Masakichi entered the room immediately after the brilliant results had been obtained, Dr. Kanno and Dr. Sumire, their exhausted faces tinged with excitement, explained to Masakichi the success of this research. “We’ve deciphered the Aquatic Fish-People’s language.” “We’ve mapped their brain functions.” “This confirms our hypothesis—the Aquatic Fish-People aren’t ordinary fish but higher-order beings.” “In all likelihood, these Aquatic Fish-People constitute the true ‘Martians.’” “Which means on Mars, they reign as the most advanced organisms.”

“So, in Earth terms, those monster fish occupy humanity’s position, right?” “That’s right. And I think those Aquatic Fish-People will eventually climb out of the water and come to live on land. Then, they might even become adept at flying through the air. After all, Mars has low gravity, so flying would be relatively easy for them. In any case, by applying evolutionary theory to imagine how the Aquatic Fish-People might evolve from now on, I think they could develop bodies resembling ours but with wing-like appendages.”

“That’s interesting. How many years from now do you think that will be?”

“Hmm, how much later would that be?” “At the earliest, two hundred thousand years... No—longer than that.” “It might take three hundred thousand years.”

“So that’s quite far in the future. However, since Earth humans will come to Mars in great numbers and transplant their culture, the Aquatic Fish-People will likely become intelligent more quickly.” “Well, I suppose that’s right.”

“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?”

“I think that’s also true,” said Dr. Kanno. “Earth humans will make Mars a colony. And we need to steadily implant Earth culture and raise Mars’ cultural level as much as possible, don’t you think? Mars and its creatures will greatly benefit thanks to Earth and Earth humans.” Masakichi nodded. “There were rumors that Mars was inhabited by beings superior to Earth humans, so we landed here with pounding hearts. But now that we’ve come to understand things like this—though we’ve escaped our anxiety—our tension has slackened, leaving us feeling a bit disappointed.”

“Ha ha ha, that’s too bad for you,” Dr. Kanno chuckled. “Be that as it may, we intend to urgently design a machine that can communicate with the Martian Fish-People, complete it, and put it to practical use.” “What? A machine that can talk to the Martian Fish-People?” Masakichi exclaimed. “That’s wonderful! When do you think it’ll be finished?” “Even at the earliest, I’d say it’ll take about a week.” “I wish it could be done faster. Please let me help too.”

“There there.” “I’ll have you assist us.”

For Masakichi, the remaining week felt interminable; he simply couldn’t wait.

However, before that week had passed, something unexpected occurred. It happened on the fourth night thereafter—an indescribably loud, strange noise resounded across the vast sky. It was a roar like a storm but even more intense. The air shook violently, and soon even the ground began to tremble.

Many of the Marumo Expedition Team members rose and looked outside. The source of the strange noise became visible. It was the "glowing cylinders" falling from the sky. Countless cylinders fell from the heavens and landed at a point approximately two kilometers away from where the Marumo Expedition Team was currently encamped. To their astonishment, the "glowing cylinders" pierced into the ground at regular angles with heavy thuds, and in the blink of an eye, took on a form resembling that of a bamboo fence.

“What could that be…”

“How strange. It’s not a spacecraft—what on earth could it be?” As they were saying this, the subsequent glowing cylinders began lining up in orderly fashion one tier above the fence-like structure. Layer upon layer were stacked up until finally a gigantic tower formed from the glowing cylinders. It was a magnificent structure. Who could be controlling that tremendous force? It was something we could never possibly do. Both Dr. Kanno and Dr. Sumire turned completely pale, staring in silence at the glowing cylinders’ extraordinary feat.

They stood frozen in bewilderment. Dr. Kanno's complexion changed. Dr. Sumire, too, held her breath and fixed her wide eyes on the glowing mysterious tower. Only Captain Marumo Ken, true to his seasoned experience in exploration, watched the mysterious tower with a smirk.

“Captain.” “I’m not dreaming, am I?” Engineer Kako came staggering unsteadily toward Marumo Ken. “It’s not a dream.” “Kako, keep your eyes wide open and watch closely.”

“Captain. What on earth is that? What’s happening over there?” Engineer Kako snapped in a shrill voice at the Captain. “I don’t know. You’re more of an expert than I am.” “What do you mean by that?” “A space projectile—wouldn’t you say it’s something like that? At any rate, this must have come from beyond Mars.” “When you say ‘space projectile,’ what exactly do you mean?” “Now now, you shouldn’t ask me. Use your professional eye instead. Observe it thoroughly first, then report back to me quickly.”

Captain Marumo avoided further explanation of the space projectile, diverting the matter with a laugh. Engineer Kako became aware that he was finally beginning to regain his composure.

(That's right. It's shameful for an engineer to panic in such a situation. Alright. Whatever that was, I'd uncover its true nature.)

He took up the binoculars and trained them closely on the Glowing Mysterious Tower. Masakichi and Kin-chan stood shoulder to shoulder, gaping at the Glowing Mysterious Tower. “Look, look! That’s incredible—it’s grown another tier higher!” “It looks like a tower of canned food. I wonder what’s inside that.” The glowing tower gradually grew taller. Cylindrical objects continued falling one after another, piercing into the already stacked tower and gradually making it taller.

For Masakichi，the way the tower kept stretching upward was strange and fascinating，and Kin-chan was curious about what was inside those cylinders． “This is truly bizarre beyond measure！” Behind them，an old man’s voice sounded． When Masakichi turned around，it was his uncle Dr．Mouri． Masakichi was glad his uncle had come to his side at just this moment． “Uncle． “What is that amazing tower？” “What are the Martians building？”

Masakichi asked Dr.Mouri what he wanted to know. Dr.Mouri tilted his head slightly and, "When we speak of Martians, we're referring to those aquatic fish people. Since they're said to be Mars' most intelligent creatures,I don't think they could build such an impressive tower through their own means."

“Then, who is building that?” “Well, if we knew that, everything would be clear—but we can’t determine whose doing this is.” “It doesn’t seem like human work.” “Then who could it be?” “If it’s neither Martians nor humans, what in the world could be doing this?” “We can’t say anything definite unless we go closer and investigate thoroughly—but perhaps it’s a swarm of organisms that came from another star.”

“What?! Organisms that came from another star?!” “Do such creatures even exist?” “I can’t definitively say they don’t exist.” “In fact,I’ve discovered creatures on the Moon.” “Even if Mars’ lifeforms are primitive beings like aquatic fish people,there may be more advanced organisms inhabiting other stars—ones that might have come to Mars.” “Are there other planets besides Earth and Mars where living creatures can exist?” “If any [habitable worlds exist],they’d likely be near Venus—as for Saturn,MarscuryNeptuneUranusPluto...I’ve read books saying those planets can’t sustain life.”

“What I was considering earlier wasn’t about creatures inhabiting the planets of our solar system.” “I think they might be beings living far beyond.” “As you know, this vast universe contains hundreds of millions of stars like our Sun, with planets similar to Earth and Mars revolving around them—this is estimated to exist in great numbers.” “Among these, there must certainly be worlds where living creatures dwell.” “Some of these beings may possess intelligence comparable to humans, while others might surpass it entirely.” “I believe such advanced creatures could accomplish large-scale projects beyond human imagination.”

“Oh! So—” “So Uncle, you’re saying that the ones building that Glowing mysterious tower are creatures living beyond our solar system—beings far more intelligent than humans?”

“No—I haven’t yet reached such a definitive conclusion.” “In any case, unless someone gets closer and thoroughly investigates it, we can’t say anything definite—but it’s good to keep such possibilities in the back of your mind.” “This has turned into something serious!” With that, Kin-chan widened his eyes and let out a sigh.

Mounting Dread

The Glowing mysterious tower finally settled into a pyramid shape after reaching fifteen stories.

When the terror was temporarily set aside, it appeared as a truly magnificent structure.

The Marumo Expedition Team set up binoculars and telescopes at their base and did not take their watchful eyes off the Glowing mysterious tower for even a second. Engineer Kako and others wanted to immediately approach the Glowing 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 all essential to our space voyage, I want you to avoid going when such dangers are foreseeable.”

The captain had said that.

In this matter, the counsel of Dr. Kanno and Dr. Sumire proved instrumental. These two scientific technologists had grown deeply wary of the Glowing mysterious tower. They had gone so far as to inform Captain Marumo that it was only prudent to regard this as the expedition's gravest crisis yet. For this reason, Captain Marumo commanded that the spacecraft be kept prepared to lift off from Mars and launch into space at any moment, maintaining constant readiness.

“The crucial issue lies in what emerges from that Glowing mysterious tower.”

Dr. Kanno said. “Based on our observations thus far, constructing such a Glowing mysterious tower through those methods would require beings closely resembling humanity.” “And they must be far more advanced beings than humankind.” “If they are even slightly more advanced than us, we will be placed at a severe disadvantage. From now on, we’ll have no choice but to have our heads pressed down by the masters of the Glowing mysterious tower.” “It would be most unpleasant 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 major explosion.”

Dr. Sumire continued. “As for what purpose the explosion would serve—I believe it would be to study Mars’s geological composition. I believe those who launched it prepared everything intending to observe various things from afar—like what color flames would appear when the explosion occurs and how long they would burn. Of course, I believe that is preparatory work for their eventual migration to Mars.”

"I wonder if there isn’t some way to ascertain their true nature as soon as possible." Captain Marumo, by virtue of his responsibility in leading the team members, wanted to ascertain that fact. If there was danger, he wanted to gather the team members and leave Mars as soon as possible. I want to explore that Glowing mysterious tower and gather more souvenirs from this space voyage.

“That’s it. “I have good news.”

Dr. Kanno’s eyes lit up. “What exactly is this ‘good news’?” “Captain—I want to attempt a dialogue with those Martian fish people. Let’s ask them whether they’ve ever seen such a Glowing mysterious tower before. If those cylinders have been falling frequently, we could determine what kind of mechanism they employ and their intended purpose. I believe we can uncover this.”

“That’s an excellent idea. You should go ahead and ask them right away—but are you sure that’s possible?”

“We can do that. “Dr. Sumire and I have completed our research on communicating thoughts with the Martian fish people during this period, so it’s perfectly feasible.” So Dr. Kanno and Dr. Sumire shouldered the device and set out for the marsh where the Martian fish people had gathered in large numbers. Masakichi, upon hearing this, joined the group along with his uncle Dr. Mouri.

The spectacle of that encounter was both strange and worthy of record.

The device captured the brainwaves occurring in the minds of humans and Martian fish people, converted them into brainwaves understandable to the other party, and transmitted them. Therefore, even without speaking, simply thinking what they wanted to ask in their minds was enough for the questions to reach the other party.

If the other party simply thought of a verbal response in their mind, it would be understood. Because the Martian fish people were far less advanced beings than humankind, they could not respond to complex matters. Therefore, while they succeeded in obtaining responses from the Martian fish people, it was inevitable that the communication lacked the clarity of human-to-human conversations. In any case, they proceeded to record the key points answered by the Martian fish people.

“We’ve never seen anything like that before… We’ve seen one or two of those things flying through the sky, but never so many coming at once… Never before have we witnessed something glowing 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 there have also been others—not you—with different body shapes who came.” “They did not stay long.” “Everyone went back... They took our comrades away.” “They never came back after that.” “Please don’t do such bad things… Give us lots of rare, delicious food…”

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

However, even from these simple replies, there were several significant discoveries. Namely, the fact that the Glowing mysterious tower was something they had never seen before.

the fact that non-human creatures had previously landed in this vicinity.

These two were extremely significant matters. Great caution became necessary. There was indeed a sufficient possibility that non-human creatures would emerge from that Glowing mysterious tower. At that moment, the Marumo Expedition Team would face their worst crisis—a reality they had long been prepared for.

At this juncture, Captain Marumo had to make a decisive resolution.

Unexpected True Identity

Finally, it was decided that a death-defying scouting team would be dispatched to the Glowing mysterious tower.

The selection was made by Captain Marumo.

Dr. Kanno was appointed as a scouting team member. Then came Engineer Kako, Engineer Takuma, and Masakichi-kun, making four members in total.

However, Kin-chan the cook insisted, “Please take me along!” and wouldn’t take no for an answer. In particular, he was worried about young Masakichi’s well-being and earnestly pleaded with the captain to assign him as a guardian 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 on our way.” With that, Dr. Kanno—true to form—hardened his expression and bid farewell to Captain Marumo and the others.

“I pray for your success. Because everyone’s fate hinges on your actions, I ask that you act with restraint.” Captain Marumo said that and blinked.

The five-member party set out.

The remaining crew members still did not relax their surveillance of the Glowing mysterious tower. In case anyone appeared from inside the tower, arrangements had been made to immediately notify the Kanno scouting team via a signal.

But the Glowing mysterious tower remained deathly silent. No matter how much time passed, not even a single mouse appeared. All the more, it grew increasingly eerie and unbearable.

Since it wasn’t too far a distance, Dr. Kanno’s group was soon able to approach the Glowing mysterious tower. When they drew near and looked, it was an even more magnificent structure.

It was deathly silent. Only the tower was glowing bluish-white.

They circled around the tower. The tower had no windows, nor anything resembling an entrance. It was merely that the cylinders had gathered more densely, forming a tall tower. “There’s something like writing here. This is where the first floor connects to the second floor. It’s definitely writing.”

The one who had said that was Masakichi. It looked like decoration. However, just as Masakichi had observed, when examined as letters, they did indeed resemble writing. They were characters from the alphabet. "Well now, this is quite mysterious!"

Dr. Kanno's eyes suddenly lit up as he looked up at it.

The letters were indented. They appeared to have been worn down by heat, yet remained as legible letters. "What kind of letters? Are they letters humans use?" Kin-chan shook Masakichi's arm. "It's the alphabet. They're letters used by humans." "Is that so. Oh, we were startled, weren't we? Then this tower must have come flying from Earth, right? Inside, there must be a whole feast!" Kin-chan said point-blank.

Masakichi thought, No way—, while Dr. Kanno and the others hadn't even considered that possibility. Yet what Kin-chan had declared proved mostly accurate.

When they read the letters, the following text emerged.

“To the Marumo Expedition Team. We pray that you will use these materials effectively and succeed in your great expedition. From Manhattan Street, New York City, World Federation Headquarters Science Bureau.”

Having finished reading, Dr. Kanno and the others 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 trepidation while steeling themselves to encounter other planets and face a terrifying conflict, turned out not to be such a dreadful danger but rather its exact opposite. Even though they hadn’t anticipated such a thing in the slightest, it was a warm, precious gift from the World Federation Headquarters on Earth that had been watching over the Marumo expedition team with concern. It was a tower filled to the brim with relief supplies. Food rations, clothing materials, fuel reserves, mechanical tools—all were packed inside. It was a flying warehouse. It was the superior scientific technology possessed by America. Inside each and every cylinder, those items had been carefully packed. Of course, the method to open them was also written down.

Kin-chan's sixth sense had struck true with sharp precision. "Kin-chan, you're amazing. I see you in a whole new light!" Masakichi grasped Kin-chan's hand and shook it.

The Marumo Expedition Team made full and effective use of these supplies, then remained on Mars for three months to thoroughly accomplish 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 group. Masakichi served as Captain Marumo’s secretary, and Kin-chan, as always, made it his job to prepare delicious and nutritious meals for the group.

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 dispatch as many explorers as possible at the earliest opportunity. I firmly believe that unless we do so, other planetary organisms will inevitably outpace us, thereby constraining humanity’s developmental prospects.” “The people of the world should join hands immediately and set to work on this crucial task.” As expected of Captain Marumo, he truly had a clear vision of the future. The prosperity of Earth's humanity undoubtedly lay in the direction Captain Marumo had indicated. To quickly realize this and put it into action was what made one a global citizen. Since boys and girls would certainly take up this crucial task eventually, they had to study even harder from then on.