Pathway to Japanese Literature

Professor Naranoki's specialty was gemology. One evening, to Professor Naranoki’s small house, of Kai no Hi Brothers Trading Company,

The Red-Nosed Manager arrived. “Professor, there’s an order for top-quality opals—might you consider undertaking the search?” “However, they specifically want the very highest grade ones.” “After all, since the client is an extravagant nouveau riche from Greenland, they simply won’t accept anything commonplace.”

Professor Naranoki clamped a cigar sideways between his teeth, gazed at the mica-paper-lined ceiling, and listened while tilting his head upward obliquely.

“I’m terribly sorry to trouble you so frequently, but might I inquire as to your decision?”

At that moment, he smirked and removed his cigar.

“Yeah, I’ll go find them for you.” “If you want good opals, you should search for rhyolitic glass.” “I’ll go find them for you.” “Once I actually set out to search, my feet would surely head toward where the gems are.” “And when I go to a mountain with gems, my legs strangely won’t move.” “It’s intuition, you know.” “No—in fact, that’s precisely why it can be troublesome sometimes.” “For example, in July 1919 when I received a commission from Giant Arm Company of America to search for rubies in Burma—sure enough, my feet eventually headed toward the ruby mountain.” “And then even after properly finding them, when I try to return, my legs simply won’t budge.” “In short, there’s this peculiar force between gems and me—the ardent desire of those deeply buried rubies to bask in sunlight must resonate through the nerves in my legs.” “That time was truly vexing too.” “Took me eleven hours just to come down from that mountain.” “But that’s what’s now called the Bararage Ruby Mine.”

“Ah, well—that does sound like quite an unexpected misfortune indeed.” “But might I inquire as to your current thoughts?” “I suppose this time as well it will likely turn out in such a manner?” “It’ll definitely go that way, you know.” “However, at that time—if circumstances like me being completely exhausted, or chased by wolves, or my nerves being overly agitated should arise—there might be moments when I suddenly don’t feel that attraction.” “But I’ll go and come back anyway.” “I’ll definitely return by the second week.”

“In that case, I humbly entrust this matter to you.” “This is truly trifling, but please consider it for your immediate travel expenses.” of Kai no Hi Brothers Trading Company,

The red-nosed manager of Kai no Hi Brothers Trading Company, a mouse-colored envelope, took out from the coat's inner pocket.

“I see.” Professor Naranoki paid no particular attention, reached out and took hold of the envelope, and tossed it into his coat pocket. “Once again, I humbly entreat your kind assistance.”

And of Kai no Hi Brothers Trading Company,

The Red-Nosed Manager left.

The next day, someone among you all would surely have seen, at Ueno Station,

wearing an extraordinarily long overcoat, shouldering a strange gray bag-like backpack, carrying a splendid large hammer that seemed to weigh seven kilograms— they would have seen such a gentleman.

That is Professor Naranoki.

He had set out to search for gemstones.

Because he had set out—finally—Professor Naranoki’s camping out also came about.

Thus came about three nights of camping out.

First Night Camping

Around 4:00 PM on April 20th，that well-known Professor Naranoki muttered，"Hmm—this riverbed’s suspicious." "Indeed，this riverbed’s suspicious!" under his breath while bending his body deeply，opening his eyes as wide as possible，scrutinizing the gravel at his feet，and hopping lightly like a rabbit.

the western bank of Katsumarugawa

He ascended the large riverbed. Both sides were extremely steep mountains. Professor Naranoki continued upstream endlessly. However, the sun finally set.

The mountains on both sides paid no heed to Professor Naranoki’s earnest efforts and grew steadily darker as night fell. Above them peeked out the distant snowy peaks of a mountain range that glowed with a desolate silver hue, while palm-shaped black clouds drifted to and fro across them.

Then, on the narrow plain along the riverbank, Flickering red wildfires crept,

A white bird closely resembling a hawk sliced sharply through the wind as it flew. Professor Naranoki paid no heed to such things. He tried to keep ascending the river endlessly. However, night finally fell. By now, even the riverbed’s pebbles could no longer be distinguished as red or black in the indistinct murk. “This won’t do. It’s already night. I must sleep. Tonight—after quite some time—I’ll be sleeping out in the pleasant open air. Splendid! Simply splendid! By the way, maybe I’ll sleep on the grass. Dry grass would certainly be good for that, but if I were to get caught in a wildfire while sleeping, there’d be no telling what might happen. Alright, alright—I’ll sleep on this rock. It’s practically a bed. Hmm, hmm. It’s truly soft. It’s a fine bed.”

The rock was indeed soft, and was white like a bedsheet.

Instead, Professor Naranoki,

He stretched out his arm and removed the backpack,

bent his elbow while still wearing his coat,

When he plopped down on his side, On the back of his coat was white powder,

The white powder had completely covered the back of the coat.

Of course, Professor Naranoki was unaware of it. Besides, even if he did know about that, he wasn’t the type to hurriedly get up.

he was not the type to hastily get up. The water of that wide riverbed, roared as it flowed near the opposite bank, In the pale violet light of the sky,

The mountains stood black and towering. Professor Naranoki gazed at them while lying still,

He began muttering to himself again. "Ah, those fellows are volcanic necks. Volcanic necks. Volcanic necks. No doubt about it." So Professor Naranoki, feeling quite pleased with himself, lay on his back waving his hands,

he began lecturing about volcanic necks. “Gentlemen, to put it simply, a volcanic neck is a thick rod of rock protruding slightly from the Earth’s crust.” “That neck constitutes an entire mountain.” “Indeed.” “It constitutes an entire mountain.” “Hmm.” “If you ask why such strange formations came to exist, that is indeed simple.” “Now, here we have a single volcano.” “It erupts lava.” “The lava ascends from deep within the Earth’s crust as a thick rod.” “As the volcano gradually weakens, its interior cools completely.” “The lava rod solidifies completely.” “Then, over a long period, the volcano gradually erodes due to air and water.” “Finally worn down and reduced until eventually the upper part completely disappears, leaving only the previously solidified lava rod barely remaining—that’s how it goes.” “This rod typically protrudes only its neck and becomes a single mountain.” “That is a volcanic neck.” “Ah, fascinating! In other words, this is the haze within a dream—haze, haze, haze, haze.” So, in other words—those mouse-colored volcanic necks, you see—the way those mouse-colored volcanic necks stand neatly lined up, exchanging glances with each other or pretending nonchalance toward the sky by themselves, is utterly fascinating. “Hmph.”

That was indeed exactly as he had described. The four black peaks across were the four brother volcanic necks, they had gradually risen up from the ground. Professor Naranoki’s delight was something fierce. “Ah, these must be the four Rakushan brothers. Now I see clearly. They are the four Rakushan brothers. Good, good.” As ordered, the volcanic necks protruded exactly up to chest level and stood lined up towering high into the sky.

The rightmost one was certainly Rakushan First Son. His jet-black hair was disheveled. He glared fiercely up at the sky with large eyes. He kept gaping his mouth repeatedly. He seemed to be shouting something, but

The sound could not be heard at all. The second from the right was

It was indeed Rakushan Second Son.

He was sleeping with his long chin resting on both hands.

Next was Rakushan Third Son. He fluttered his gentle eyes rapidly. The leftmost one was Rakushan Fourth Son, the youngest brother. He raised his dreamlike black eyes and stared fixedly at the eastern plateau.

When Professor Naranoki sat up to get a better look at the four,

Suddenly, Rakushan First Son roared like thunder. “What are you dawdling for? Crush them to pieces! Burn them up! Smash them to smithereens! Hurry up and do it!”

Professor Naranoki was startled. He hurriedly lay down again. He even pretended to snore in feigned sleep. He continued watching stealthily out of the corner of his eye.

However, the current shouting voice

It didn’t seem to have been directed at the professor either. For Rakushan First Son

[he] was still facing upward toward the sky Rakushan First Son continued his splendid shouting. “What on earth are you dawdling for? Crush them! Crush them! Blow them away! Blow them away! Spew fire wildly! Prepare the lava! Lava! Hurry up! Damn it! How long the hell are you dawdling? Prepare the lava! It’s already been two million years! Make ash fall! Make ash fall! Why aren’t you getting ready?”

The quiet Rakushan Third Son

The quiet Rakushan Third Son calmed his elder brother and spoke thus.

“Brother,” “Please rest awhile.” “Is this not such a tranquil evening?”

The elder brother paid no heed and shouted again.

“Blow half the Earth away! Clash stone against stone in the sky and ignite guttering purple lightning! Make thunder roar from pitch-black ash clouds! Hah, you spineless lot! Rain it down, rain it down—drown the seas in glittering lava! Extinguish the sun with bubbles rising from the ocean! Make everything from surviving elephants to the lowliest insects choke on ash! Hey, you brutes! What’re you dawdling for?” Rakushan’s young Fourth Son

Smiling, he began to calm his elder brother. “Eldest Brother, please don’t get so worked up. Ms. Ihatobu is laughing again in the sky over there.”

Then, this time, he muttered in a low voice.

"I wish I had a silver crown like that too." Even the raging Rakushan First Son calmed down slightly and looked at his younger brother. “Well then. If you prepare thoroughly for the next eruption, you could attain Ihatobu’s rank.” “With that crown, you’d get to adorn nine months out of twelve!”

The young Rakushan Fourth Son He ignored his elder brother’s words

He gazed through the starlight at the distant eastern cloud-covered plateau and murmured nostalgically.

He gazed at the cloud-covered plateau. Through the starlight he peered.

he muttered nostalgically. “Ms. Himuka isn’t visible tonight.” “That pitch-black cloud’s a real nuisance—it’s been hiding Ms. Himuka and her mother under its mantle for four days now.” “Maybe I should erupt once and blow that bastard away.” The Rakushan Third Son smiled slightly and said to his younger brother.

“He’s quite angry.” “What’s the matter?” “Yeah.” “Is it that eastern cloud guy?” “That guy’s making rain tonight.” “Ms. Himuka’s serpentine kimono must be drenched through by now.”

“Brother.” “Ms. Himuka is truly beautiful.” “Brother,” “The other day—I threw dogtooth violet flowers from here for her.” “And to Ms. Himuka’s mother—white magnolia flowers.” “Then—the west wind—silently carried them off for me.”

“Is that so? Hah. Never mind that. That cloud’ll clear by tomorrow morning. When Ms. Himuka puts on her dazzling new azure kimono at sunrise, she’ll surely greet you first, I bet. It’ll definitely happen by then.” “But Brother—what flowers should I give this time? There aren’t any left where I am.” “Yeah, well—I’ve got primroses where I am. I’ll give ’em to you.”

“Thank you, Eldest Brother.” “Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting?”

The violent Rakushan First Son blew a metallic roar high into the night sky.

“What’s this ‘Himuka’? “Himuka... “Himuka must be that girl-shaped mountain over there. You weakling! How many times have I told you to stop associating with that thing? In the first place, we were born from fire—unlike those guys born in pale water!” The Rakushan Fourth Son hung his head dejectedly as his quiet immediate elder brother placated the eldest brother for the younger sibling’s sake. “Brother, Ms. Himuka comes from a good lineage. She was born from fire. She’s a magnificent peridotite.”

The Rakushan First Son grew even angrier. A magnificent golden roar blazed up as if it were fire. "I know that already! Himuka’s peridotite! She was born from fire! That’s fine! But if that’s the case—when exactly did she ever stage a spectacular eruption like ours? That one got exhausted and quit halfway through rising to the surface! Right now, thanks to the crust’s sluggish uplift and wind and air, she stands shoulder to shoulder with us—but fundamentally, her very birth differs entirely from ours! You lot still don’t properly understand our work! Our work—listen—is to retrieve magma melted limp upon limp in the crust’s deepest depths, steam crushed from above into shriveled old cotton clumps, then when the moment comes, tear apart great black mountain masses and erupt them into fragments!"

“We solidify smoke and fire and hurl them into the sky. We smash stone against stone to spark lightning. We gather a million thunderbolts and make the ground rumble and quake.” Just then，Professor Naranoki，having suddenly heard my roar，was so startled that he shook his head unsteadily，as if dazed. “Ha ha ha!”

“Mountains and seas—all get buried in thick ash. It becomes like a flat athletic field. Only upon that hot ash may our souls dance. You see? Everyone’s already in an uproar. Now when that smoke settles and the air turns crystal clear—what do we do? We’ve grown so tall we practically scrape the sky, putting on faces like ‘Did any of that really happen?’ wearing crowns of silver or platinum, sitting there all prim and proper!”

The Rakushan Third Son paused thoughtfully before speaking. “Brother, I truly detest such matters.” “I’ve no desire to bury my surroundings in hot ash merely to elevate myself alone.” “Do you not see how water and air perpetually strive to level the ground?” “And I myself shall likely keep flowing ever downward. That path strikes me as truer than yours.”

The volatile Rakushan First Son At that moment, he burst into glittering laughter. He glittered and laughed.

(I had never seen such a strange way of laughing—never witnessed anything like this before. It was astonishing—magnificent indeed.)

Professor Naranoki thought. The volatile Rakushan First Son

After glittering fiercely for an extended period, he finally quieted down and spoke thus.

“Water and air, huh. “They come right up to our ears from morning till night, spouting nonsense about whittling down your arrogance for the sake of world peace, but every day they sneak around scraping and wearing us away—it’s all a complete lie. “From what I’ve heard, those guys go off to the coast’s fluffy black soil or those beautiful green fields and—acting all innocent—dig ditches, build moats; they’re downright awful, I tell you. “Not even worth discussing.”

The Rakushan Third Son also

The Rakushan Third Son ended up laughing out loud.

“Brother. Somehow such forced, insinuating, theatrical lines don’t suit you at all.”

However, the Rakushan First Son

However, the Rakushan First Son did not even begin to get angry as one might have expected.

Glittering and shining, he laughed uproariously— He laughed and laughed and laughed.

The flood of that laughter

flowed through the sky, going far, far to the south It rumbled like drowsy thunder. “Yeah, right. Let’s stop with these petty quibbles unbecoming of us.” “We’ve wronged our Father.” “Father had nine glaciers back then.” “At that time, this area was a vast expanse of snow and ice where polar bears and arctic foxes and all sorts of creatures lived.” “Father passed away when I was born.”

Suddenly, the Rakushan Fourth Son shouted.

“Fire is burning. “Fire is burning.” “Eldest Brother.” “Eldest Brother.” “Look here!” “It’s spreading wider and wider.”

The Rakushan First Son shouted in surprise.

“Lava, prepare! “Make the ash fall! Hey, damn it! What’s this? A wildfire?”

At that voice, the Rakushan Second Son

startled awake, raised that long jaw, as if his eyes had been nailed in place, he continued staring at the wildfire for some time. “Did someone do this?” “Who’s there? Who’s there, at this hour?” “What’s this? A wildfire?” “Sweeping away the ground’s debris with that rustling sweep—you’ve got no business with that.”

Then the Rakushan First Son smirked somewhat maliciously and flapped his hands wildly. "Stone! Fire! Lava! Prepare! Hmph."

the Rakushan First Son shouted.

The foolish Rakushan Second Son

immediately took the bait and began to panic, while his face flushed bright red, “Hey, Aniki, shall we give a howl?”

he said this. The elder brother laughed. “Even one howl would’ve taken hundreds of thousands of years—and here you’d been snoring away all that time.” “So you still have some strength left after all?” The lazy younger brother uttered just a single word. “None.” He answered. And once again rested his long jaw on his arm, He fell fast asleep peacefully and deeply.

The quiet Rakushan Third Son

The quiet Rakushan Third Son said to the Rakushan Fourth Son,

“The sky has become quite light—tomorrow morning will surely be clear.” “Hmm, no hawks out tonight, huh?” The elder brother laughed and tested the younger brother.

“I wonder if the hawk’s chicks got burned in that wildfire earlier.” The younger brother answered wisely.

"The hawk chicks' feathers have already grown quite stiff. And since they're quite strong, they must've escaped without getting burned." The elder brother laughed pleasantly. "Then that's good. Now, you older brothers should get some proper rest. Professor Naranoki was sleeping soundly. He's been seeing our dreams for a while now, you know."

Then the Rakushan Fourth Son laughed slyly and said: “In that case, I’ll give him a little scare.” The elder brother, Rakushan Third Son, tried to stop him: “Stop it, stop it. Don’t play pranks.” But

The mischievous younger brother ignored this, stuck out his big glistening long tongue, and licked Professor Naranoki’s forehead with a slurp.

Professor Naranoki was terribly startled, Even so, he woke up laughing, He shivered violently from the cold.

The sky had cleared completely as if the whole expanse were stars twinkling, the four jet-black volcanic necks having properly returned to their original form stood motionless in a row.

Second Night Camping

Our dear Professor Naranoki, wearing his usual long coat, bathed his back in the sunset’s glow, appeared completely exhausted, frequently making motions as if biting at the air while letting out big yawns, walked briskly along the flat Kumade Highway.

Suddenly, on the right side of the road, a large desolate quarry yawned open. Professor Naranoki cleared his throat.

As he entered inside, he picked up a triangular stone fragment. "Hmm, this place is hornblende granite too," muttering to himself, he scrutinized his surroundings. When he looked around, it was a quarry. The stonecutters also seemed to have returned, leaving only a single small bamboo grass hut

was merely sitting forlornly in a corner.

“This is perfect. Perfect timing. He envisioned himself standing at someone’s doorway: ‘Good evening! I'm a traveler—night has fallen and I'm in quite a predicament.’ ‘Please let me stay tonight.’ ‘I have my own food so you don't need to prepare anything.’ Heh—just thinking about having to say such things made him sick. ‘So I'll stay here tonight.’”

Professor Naranoki adjusted his large nearsighted glasses and smirked while making slight adjustments. He entered the hut. On the earthen floor were four stone fragments that served as a hearth, with some firewood also piled beside it.

Professor Naranoki struck a match.

built a fire，then took out some biscuits. He munched away and jotted something in his notebook.

He had been occupied like this for some time. He finally blazed up the fire. He flopped down onto the straw.

In the middle of the night, Professor Naranoki

“Brr, it’s cold.”

he muttered while

he abruptly sat up and looked around, the firewood had burned out completely,

The fire had become nothing but embers. Professor Naranoki hurriedly added firewood. The fire blazed up cheerfully in crimson. Professor Naranoki puffed out his chest.

He thoroughly warmed himself. Then he stepped outside briefly. The April 20th moon hung in the eastern sky. The air was colder than water. Professor Naranoki stamped his feet for a while. Then he put a cigarette in his mouth and struck a match.

"Hmm, it's truly quiet. Still three and a half hours until dawn."

Muttering to himself, he entered the hut.

Absentmindedly gazing at the campfire, he lay down on the straw, folded his hands behind his head, and began to doze off. Suddenly, near the spot beneath his head, he heard them whispering quietly to each other. “Don’t stick out your elbows so much. You’ll give me a disease in my side!” “My, what a strange thing to say. When exactly did I stick out my elbows?” “Aren’t you sticking out this much? Honestly, maybe you’ve absorbed too much moisture lately—you’ve started sprawling out terribly.”

“Oh, is that about me?” “Isn’t it your doing? You’ve been trying to press against me relentlessly with your head lately.”

Professor Naranoki opened his eyes wide

He sat up and looked around, but

There seemed to be no one there.

The voices grew gradually louder. “What’s so terrible? You’re the one who’s gotten a bit full of yourself lately—acting all mean like you’re a different person.” “Well now, are you really the one to criticize me for stretching my limbs just a little? Just think about what happened 102,000 years ago.” “What does some hundred thousand years ago matter? It’s from even earlier—hundreds of thousands, millions, tens of millions of years ago! Have you forgotten that time fifteen million years past? Surely you haven’t forgotten? If you hadn’t forgotten, would you have had the nerve to press against my side with your elbow like this now?”

Professor Naranoki, upon hearing these words,

He was utterly astonished. "They have remarkably sharp memories," he thought. "What? Have you forgotten that time fifteen million years ago?" "You couldn't possibly have forgotten." "This is truly beyond me—who on earth are you?" "Oddly clever ones."

Professor Naranoki slowly rose up again, He searched the area but found nothing.

The voices grew even louder.

“That’s certainly true—you are my senior. But what does that matter?” “What do you mean it doesn’t matter? Just when I finally completed my body and personality and let out a sigh of relief, what kind of noise do you think you immediately started making at my feet? That’s how it was.” “Lord Honburen, I too wish to linger here a little longer. Please permit me to attach myself even slightly to the hem of your esteemed presence.” “Well, those were your very words.”

Professor Naranoki clapped his hands.

"Aha! I see. Lord Honburen and—one of them is Hornblende. Then who could the other one be? Hmm, I can't figure it out. But, hmph, this is amusing. At last, today’s debate had begun. Got me there! This is exactly why I can’t quit camping out."

Professor Naranoki took out a fresh cigar. He took out a match and lit it.

The voices grew even louder. However loud they might have been, at best it was about as loud as a mosquito's military chorus. "That is certainly true, but how did you respond to that? 'No, that's quite a problem—please consult someone else,' you brushed me off splendidly, didn't you?" "Oh, well, anyway. Even so, you went ahead and attached yourself to my feet regardless. Well, could such a thing even have been possible? Though I suppose someone certainly managed it."

“Don’t get sarcastic with me. “It’s not like I latched on!” “Your foot was right at the head of my body structure!” “I asked Jikko-san, who was born even before you, for help.” “Even now, I’m carefully and attentively looking after Jikko-san.”

Professor Naranoki burst out laughing joyfully. “Ha ha ha! So Jikko-san here is magnetite. I’ve got it now—the one you’re quarreling with is Biotite. When I look around, there’s a piece of granite from earlier right here, isn’t there? The minerals inside it are chattering away, aren’t they.” Sure enough, beneath Professor Naranoki’s head, about the size of a Chinese six-sen silver coin, a fragment of granite lay fallen.

Professor Naranoki grinned even more broadly. “Is that so? “Then that’s fine.” “You ungrateful wretch—hurry up and turn into clay already.” “Oh, you’ve cursed me now, haven’t you?” “I’m not backing down either.” “Come on, someone like you—” “Just a moment. “What exactly have you all been fighting about since earlier?” Two new voices

The two voices began to ring out clearly in unison. "Orthoclase. Please do not mind him. It's simply that this fellow here comprehends little." "Twins. Please do not concern yourselves. It's simply that this fellow here is too ungrateful." "Ah," Professor Naranoki observed as the twin-crystal Orthoclase stepped in to mediate. "This is truly fascinating."

Professor Naranoki toasted his hands over the campfire, grinning from ear to ear as he exclaimed joyfully. Two voices rang out again: “Now, calm down. Haven’t we indeed been tightly bound together for ages in that pitch-black darkness, enduring both the crushing pressure around us and that tremendous heat? There was even a time when we all nearly lost our minds from the sheer intensity, yet we endured it steadfastly—didn’t we?”

“That’s correct—that’s exactly how it is. But is it really a good thing for people to rely on others in tough times to ease their burden, only to turn around and envy them?”

“What did you say?” “Wait, wait, just wait a moment. Okay?” “And now we’ve finally seen the sun, haven’t we?” “And isn’t this sun a far cry from what we heard about from that Conglomerate under the soil long ago?”

“Yes, that is indeed different.” “According to the Conglomerate’s account, the sun was bright red and the sky was brown, but now that we look, the sun is pure white and the sky is deep blue.” “That person was a liar, weren’t they?”

The twins’ voices could be heard again. “Well, but perhaps when that Mr. Conglomerate was merely gravel long ago, the sky truly was brown.” “Is that so? Anyway, both telling lies and repaying people’s kindness with enmity are bad things, aren’t they?” “What did you say? Are you talking about me? All right then, I’m resolved too. Let’s duel! A duel!” “Now, just wait a moment. Ah, how happy we were when we saw that sun. How we must have cried out! We didn’t know anything about fifteen million years of light. Back then, the steel hammer clanged gratingly against our heads, didn’t it? In the distance, someone was shouting, ‘Ah, you all will finally emerge into the sunlight,’ and we had to determine who among us would unite and who would part ways. We had absolutely no idea, you see. ‘Goodbye, goodbye,’ we all shouted, you see. Then suddenly everything flashed bright, and we went flying up into the sky, you see. At that moment, I think I saw something red and shining beyond the sun.”

“I saw that too.” “I saw it too. What do you suppose that was?” Professor Naranoki laughed again.

“That, you see, is clearly a spark from the tip of a chisel.” “It probably made a snapping sound.” “And it was probably hot.”

However, the professor’s voice—

The professor’s voice was inaudible to the minerals. “Then what will become of us from now on?”

The twins’ voices could be heard again. “Well, it doesn’t seem particularly pleasant things await us from here on out.” “From what I heard earlier from Conglomerate, we’ll either stay buried in the soil as we are or simply break apart into sand or clay.” “Even remaining in this hut won’t bring peace of mind.” “Whether inside or out, let two thousand years pass and it’ll all come to the same end.”

Professor Naranoki was utterly astonished.

“They’re truly being philosophical here.” “Whether they stay inside this hut or out, if you let two thousand years pass, they’ll end up as clay or sand grains—truly philosophical indeed.”

At that moment, there was a sudden crackling sound. Then Biotite started crying. “Aah, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, huuurts, it hurts!”

“Ms. Biotite.” “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” “We must call Dr. Plagio quickly.” “Ah, so ‘Dr. Plagio’ means plagioclase—since it’s pale, that makes it the doctor, huh?” Professor Naranoki muttered to himself and strained his ears.

“Dr. Plagio! Dr. Plagio!” “Dr. Plagio!” “Coming!” “Ms. Biotite is in terrible abdominal pain.” “Please examine her quickly.” “Yes, there’s nothing particularly concerning.” “She must have caught a cold.” “Ah, so when these fellows catch a cold, their stomachs hurt.” “That’s what weathering is, then.”

Professor Naranoki removed glasses.

[He] wiped them with a handkerchief and muttered.

“Dr. Plagio.” “Please hurry.” “She has just fainted.” “Yes?” “I’m gradually turning that way now.” “There we go.” “Yes, yes.” “This—I see.” “Hmm.” “Let me check your pulse now. There.” “Next, your tongue. Ah, good.” “And you report pain in the eighteenth preliminary cleavage plane.” “I see, hmm—no, I understand.” “This disease is truly fearsome.” “Moreover, your body has been suffering from chronic chloritization disease since our time deep within the earth’s crust and has significantly softened, so there really is no hope of recovery.”

The patient creakily wept.

“Doctor. “What is my illness?” “When will I die?” “Well, strictly speaking, patients need not know their diagnosis—but this is lepidolite disease in its early stages, one of the so-called weathering maladies.” “As they say, a cold breeds all ailments.” “Now then—your other question concerned your lifespan, I take it?” “To be frank, you won’t last ten thousand years at most.” “My condolences, but you won’t endure ten thousand years.”

“Aah, that Hornblende guy’s curse worked after all.”

“No, no. “No such thing. “Indeed, contracting weathering disease and turning into soil is indeed something none of us can escape. “Indeed.”

“Ah, Dr. Plagio. What treatment should I undergo to be proper?” “Now then, crying in such a way is most improper. Twisting your body and creating gaps across various cleavage planes is even more improper. Furthermore, exposure to wind will bring complications of the illness. Exposure to sunlight will intensify the disease’s progression. Exposure to frost will advance the disease’s progression. Exposure to dew will progress the condition thusly. Exposure to snow will worsen the symptoms. Remaining still is even more harmful. Rather than that, you should—well—close your eyes spiritually and contemplate: What exactly is this death we fear? What constitutes its essence? Standing at life-and-death’s precipice—how strange—wait, strange—no, this won’t do—ah—it hurts—it hurts—it hurts—it hurts—”

“Dr. Plagio, Dr. Plagio, get a hold of yourself.” “What in the world have you done?”

“Hmm, I too, hmm—among the weathering diseases—hmm, hmm.” “This must be painful—how truly unfortunate this has become.” “Hmm, hmm—no, it’s not painful.” “Hmm.” “Is there any treatment we might provide?” “Hmm, hmm—the truth is, I too had been suffering from kaolin disease since our time deep within the earth’s crust—hmm, hmm—Mr. Orthoclase, Mr. Orthoclase.” “Hmm, now I shall disclose it to you.” “You have exactly the same illness as I do.” “Hmm.”

“Ah, so that was indeed the case.” “Truly, truly, truly, indeed, indeed—it hurts—it hurts—it hurts—it hurts.”

At that moment, Hornblende's voice sounded.

“They’re quite oversensitive.” “Then the ones not sick are only me and Mr. Quartz.” “Hmm, hmm, that Hornblende also shares Biotite’s affliction.”

“Ah—it hurts—it hurts—it hurts.” “Oh dear, oh dear, everyone is so weak.” “The only healthy one left is I.” “Hmm, hmm, it’s unfortunate for Mr. Quartz as well, but the gas within the cavity is the cause of the disease.” “Hmm.”

“Ah—it hurts—it hurts—it hurts—it hurts.” “It hur—” “What a terrible doctor.” “A quack of Chinese medicine.” “So everyone’s finally weathered away.” The professor once again freshly

The professor held a cigar in his mouth and smirked. Beneath his ear lay the clamoring minerals, their voices shouted in unison. “Ah—it hurts—it hurts—it hurts—it hur—hurts.”

Everyone’s voices gradually grew lower. Their voices finally fell completely silent.

“Hmm, have they all died? Or have I alone become unable to hear?” Professor Naranoki took hold of a fragment of granite in his hand and examined it closely.

With a snap, he flicked it to the far corner.

And then he added a log to the fire. By that time, it was already dawn. From his backpack,

Taking out two packs of cigarettes, In gratitude for the firewood, he placed them on the straw,

He shouldered the backpack and left the hut. The quarry walls were completely white, Only on the western side,

The moonlight was reflected.

Third Night Camping

(I suppose agreeing to take that on was a bit reckless.) To think I agreed to find opals impressive enough to astonish some Greenland nouveau riche within two weeks—that was truly somewhat reckless. Coming to this kind of deserted coast and walking pensively in the evening makes me feel utterly pathetic about having spun some half-baked tales to those red-nosed folks right in the middle of Tokyo. How dreary this shale is. I’m completely fed up with this. What’s more, the sea has darkened, and I still haven’t encountered any rhyolitic glass. What’s more, tonight I’ll still have to camp out again. Two nights of camping out are manageable enough, but a third really starts to wear on you. But well, I suppose it can’t be helped. As long as I have biscuits, walking and camping out—it’s a gain to see some interesting dreams, I suppose.)

The one and only Professor Naranoki,

with both hands thrust into his backpack

slightly arching his back while pondering deeply through the evening's mouse-gray shale washed by waves he strode along the coast. The sea had darkened completely - only its faintly white wave crests stretched in a line like some beasts. Even walking all day today would prove futile, he realized -

He came to an abrupt halt against the rock. For some time—the black sea surface and the cloud floating in the distance that resembled a rotten potato—he had been gazing, but again from his pocket, he took out a cigarette and lit it. And then he turned around sharply and peered steadily toward the land.

He hurriedly walked over there.

There was a low cliff there. At the base of the cliff—likely eroded by the waves— there was a small cave that appeared to have been hollowed out. Professor Naranoki smiled and entered inside to retrieve his backpack. Then, in a pitch-dark spot, he noisily chewed on biscuits.

Only a line of waves roared far in the distance.

"Hah! How's this—now that lodging's settled and my stomach's full, camping out isn't half bad after all. Right then, one last cigarette before bed. Tomorrow will surely go well. Wouldn't hurt to have that dream tonight either." The cigarette Professor Naranoki smoked showed only a solitary red glow,

"When I settle in like this, I too might as well be a cave bear or a cave dweller." "Well then, I should get to sleep." In the darkness beyond, Only the waves plopped and lapped. No birds sang, No birds sang, and no one came to peer into the cave. "Hmph. So this is how it is." “Go to sleep, go to sleep.”

Professor Naranoki immediately dozed off. Exhausted, he slept without dreaming.

Before he knew it, night had fully broken— the same stretch of shale from last night was glowing faintly with a bluish-white pallor. Professor Naranoki stood utterly startled,

He hurriedly fled the cave. In his haste, he nearly dropped his hat. He even managed to hold it in place.

“I’ve completely overslept.” “By the way—what on earth was I walking for?” “Hmm—can’t quite recall.” “Certainly—yesterday and the day before yesterday—I’d been trudging through uninhabited places—” “No—I’d been walking much longer than that.” “A whole year now—” “As for that purpose—hmm—forgotten now—” “This won’t do.” “A scholar doesn’t travel without purpose—there must be one—” “Fossils—wasn’t it?” “Hmm... ‘Please investigate Tertiary humans,’ someone seemed to have said—” “No—not that—‘Large Cretaceous reptile skeletons—the museum requested—how about searching?’—something like that—” “That’s it—that’s it—no mistake—” “Now—this here is Cretaceous shale—” “I meant to find it right here—” “Ah—clear at last—” “Now search—the dinosaur skeleton—” “The dinosaur skeleton.”

The professor's shadow Darkly cast upon the shale, Because he was taking long strides, Looked as though it were dancing.

The sea was dreadfully blue, The sky was even bluer than that. Several torn fragments of clouds Floated there dazzlingly.

“Oh, there it is!”

Professor Naranoki shouted. On the flat, clean stratum of gray shale, five-toed footprints with diameters of about one meter were deeply embedded in orderly rows. Here and there, overlying rocks concealed parts of them, but even the wrinkles on the soles remained clearly discernible. "There, I've found it! Where these footprints end, this creature must have fossilized right where it collapsed. It's a huge bone! To start with, the spine alone must be twenty meters long. It's enormous!"

Professor Naranoki was practically hopping about like a sparrow,

He followed the footprints. The footprints continued quite far. There was no telling how far they went.

Moreover, the sun’s rays were ochre, His legs were terribly tired.

While thinking it was rather strange, when he suddenly noticed and came to a stop, his feet felt somehow soft— they seemed to be sinking into mud. Thinking it should have been hard shale,

Professor Naranoki turned around.

Then he was utterly astonished. He had been single-mindedly following them all this time. The large, toad-shaped footprints continued all the way to Professor Naranoki’s feet, They seemed to continue even further ahead, but And another—how about this?—the Professor’s long boots made in Ginza had left deep tracks trailing behind. “This is awful. The fact that even my footprints were sinking in so deeply was actually rather disconcerting. But even so, I would achieve what I set out to achieve—achieve it I would. It’s just a bit hard to walk. Well, now that it’s come to this, I’ll chase them no matter how far they go!”

Professor Naranoki took increasingly large strides.

He followed those footprints. The thudding was my heart.

My breathing was like a bellows, Even though I was so desperate,

Once again, the surroundings were utterly still. Professor Naranoki suddenly looked at the shoreline. The waves had completely subsided.

It was true that until just moments ago, the waves that had been surging, roaring, and shattering before he knew it had completely subsided.

“This is strange. And on top of that, isn’t it awfully hot?”

Professor Naranoki looked up at the sky. The sun was just like a ripe apple, The entire area was unnervingly red.

"The weather had turned quite nasty. But even so, this sun was far too red. A volcano somewhere must have erupted. That fine volcanic ash must be precisely mixing into the upper air currents and enveloping the Earth. However, that didn't mean it posed any hindrance to my pursuit. At the end of these footprints already lay that enormous reptile's bone. I record this location. Just one more step."

Professor Naranoki grew increasingly determined,

He followed those footprints.

However, before long, the muddy beach jutted out like a cape.

"Alright，let’s turn here once and see. Immediately on the other side lies that bone. But depending on circumstances，it might not be there anymore. If it’s not there immediately，I can just pursue it a bit further. That’s all there is to it."

Professor Naranoki grinned, stopped and took out a cigarette, struck a match and exhaled smoke.

He then deliberately scowled, walked quite composedly with large strides, and made his way around the cape. But what do you know—the renowned Professor Naranoki stopped as if nailed in place. Those eyes opened wide and emptily,

His knees stiffened and then began to tremble.

The cigarette had also fallen into the mud at some point. Under the blue sky, on the muddy beach across, the owner of those footprints

The unimaginably enormous Mr. Thunder Dragon stretched out its disgustingly long and slender neck

was drinking water at the shoreline. With a length of eighteen meters and rough-textured, the mouse-gray-skinned Thunder Dragon drew in its short, stout legs, writhed its repulsively long neck, glinted its small red eyes, and was noisily slurping up water.

So overwhelmed was Professor Naranoki that

His head fell utterly silent.

"What on earth was happening? Had I come to the Mesozoic era? Or had the Mesozoic era come to me? Ah—either way—it was all just semantics. At any rate—there sat Mr. Thunder Dragon across there—one glance our way would send him charging. Professor or minnow—we'd both meet identical fates. Don't look—don't you dare look. I'll now retreat with utmost stealth. Please—for mercy's sake—keep facing away awhile."

Now, Professor Naranoki step by cautious step retreated, He fled back in the direction he had come.

His eyes remained fixed on the Thunder Dragon. His hands gently pushed the air. And then the Thunder Dragon’s thick tail first disappeared from view; next, the mountain-like torso vanished. Finally sticking out its black tongue, it noisily gulped down water. When that snake-like head disappeared,

The professor was now safe for the moment. He abruptly turned toward the direction he had come from.

He even resolutely followed those footprints, "If I just keep fleeing, soon enough— Waves were breaking against the shore, the sky was no longer red. The footprints no longer sank into the mud. He walked across the hard shale. On the cliff was last night’s cave. Once I reach that point, I'll be safe."

As for such dangerous expeditions— I’ll quit after this time— I’ll have the museum notified of my refusal as well.

In Tokyo’s city center, with those red-nosed folks, I could simply tell them tall tales. Such was my general scheme. And even that scheme vanished like lightning.

However, Professor Naranoki

He stopped dead in his tracks once more. His knees had already begun to clatter uncontrollably.

Behold—the muddy shore in the direction from which the Professor had come was utterly covered in a teeming mass of Thunder Dragons. They were so densely packed they turned the area pitch black. Some stretched their long necks toward the sky. Some slowly bobbed their necks up and down. Some hurriedly rushed into the water. They were an utterly teeming swarm.

"This is bad. I've been completely outmaneuvered. Now I'll really get eaten. The title of Professor will disappear along with me. These Thunder Dragons are too vicious. They're ahead and behind. Well, my only recourse now is this cape. If I climb up there—whether I survive or not—depending on circumstances, maybe the Quaternary period of the Cenozoic era will come rushing to save me. Come on, now it's just this cape left."

The professor quietly ascended the cape. As if between mushrooms and cypress trees— strange trees resembling crosses between mushrooms and cypresses grew in wild tangles across the cliff face. And the truly fortunate thing was there were no Thunder Dragons there. However, even after painstakingly climbing up,

The scenery there wasn’t exactly what you’d call good. To both the right and left of the cape, the muddy shore was now completely covered with Thunder Dragons in a truly wild tangle. In the water, like black swans, they raised their heads to swim or swiveled their necks around. The grotesqueness and terror of it all made the Professor shut his eyes. However, at some point, Professor Naranoki noticed his nose was sniffling.

He noticed the warmth.

"They’ve finally come. I’m going to be eaten." The Professor resigned himself and opened his eyes. A square measuring two feet across—

The pitch-black face of the Thunder Dragon had slid forward until it was right before his eyes, its eyes red and ripe.

Its neck stretched endlessly toward its mouse-gray, scratchy-textured torso, continuing exactly like a tube. Professor Naranoki clanged metallically—he’d been eaten—no, he’d woken up. He had awakened—the cave was still pitch-dark, and likely—it likely wasn’t even twelve o’clock yet.

Then Professor Naranoki cleared his throat slightly.

since it seemed the Thunder Dragon was still there,

He peered intently into the darkness. Outside, there was indeed the sound of waves. "Oh. Damn thing’s mocking me. Now I can’t get back to sleep. It's cold."

He took out a cigar again. He lit it.

Professor Naranoki was a specialist in gemology.

the Professor’s small house

of the Kai no Hi Brothers Trading Company

The red-nosed manager arrived.

“Since there was a letter for you, Professor, I rushed over immediately. You made a remarkably swift return. Did you happen to find the highest-grade ones? Given our client is that preposterous Greenland nouveau riche, I’m afraid he simply won’t accept anything commonplace.”

Professor Naranoki held the cigar sideways in his mouth. The mica-paper-lined ceiling he said while looking at it obliquely. “Yeah, I’ve brought them back. Once I head into the mountains, I never fail to find anything—why, all the gemstones come flocking to me without exception.” “In fact, that’s precisely why this time I found myself in such an awful predicament!” “Especially since your order was for relatively soft opals.” “When I entered that mountain, the opals all swarmed over me with a gritty clamor—there was just no getting rid of them!” “Those were all, you see, noble opals blazing like fire.” “Of course I wanted to pack every last one of them into my backpack as desired, but that would’ve left me completely immobilized—a pitiful state indeed—so I just selected the very finest specimens from among them.”

“Ah, haha! That is indeed most splendid. “However, regarding the ones you have brought back—which might those be? “I would most humbly beg to take a brief look at them.”

“Ah, I’ll show you. But I’m thinking that since they’re such splendid specimens, there’s a chance they might’ve already clouded over completely. Actually, there’s no gemstone as unreliable as opal. Today they glow like rainbows; tomorrow they turn into plain white stones. Today they’re round and beautiful; tomorrow they crumble into fragments. That’s them—they’re such tricky things. But anyway, let’s crack this thing open—this backpack here.” “I see.”

of the Kai no Hi Brothers Trading Company The red-nosed manager

He gasped sharply.

He was staring at Professor Naranoki’s hands. Professor Naranoki, with utter nonchalance,

He opened the backpack and turned it upside down. Inferior glass opals About thirty or so spilled out.

“Professor, this simply won’t do. “Professor, with these—really—this is simply beyond the pale, isn’t it?”

Professor Naranoki flew into a rage. “What’s ‘too much’?” “Not my concern.” “I endured dreadful hardships out there.” “Returning the travel expenses should settle matters.” “Now take them away.” “Out, out with you.”

Professor Naranoki took a mouse-gray crumpled envelope from his coat pocket and suddenly hurled it. “Professor, this is unacceptable! This is too much!” As he protested, the red-nosed manager of Kai no Hi Brothers Trading Company swiftly snatched the travel expense pouch and flung it into his coat’s inner pocket.

“Get out, get out. Don’t come back.”

“Professor, this is unacceptable.” “This is too much!”

Finally, the Kai no Hi Brothers Trading Company’s The Red-Nosed Manager departed,

Professor Naranoki placed a cigar sideways in his mouth, the mica-paper-lined ceiling while looking obliquely at it, he smirked.