I Think I Fell for You at the Bottom of the Abyss (Probably) - Episode 3

The surface of the crystal pillar grew colder the higher Riko climbed. The wound on her palm was something she'd gotten used to by now. It stung, but the bleeding had mostly stopped. The real problem was that her fingertips were gradually losing sensation. But worse than that was the fact that no matter where she looked, she couldn't find Reg or Nanachi anywhere. Riko paused partway up the crystal pillar, at about eight meters high. "Where'd they go…" Her voice was low. She noticed it immediately and instinctively tried again. "Ah." "Eh." "Uh." All low. It was funny. She felt like a video game character. But this wasn't the time to laugh. If she climbed all the way to the top of the tallest crystal pillar, she'd be able to see farther. That's where she'd go, Riko decided. She gripped with her fingertips and started climbing again. The Sea of Corpses on the Fifth Layer was quiet as always. Light from the force field filtering down from the ceiling stained the inside of the crystal pillars a pale blue. Lines of light ran across the landscape, making the entire world seem to glow faintly. It was beautiful. She thought so. But finding her companions was more important right now. By the time she'd climbed to about twelve meters above the water's surface, Riko finally looked around. Nearly forty crystal pillars stood in a dense cluster. The water between them was still. She could see two Oogasumi drifting slowly beneath the surface, their transparent bodies faintly luminous in the force field's light. Touch one of those and you're dead instantly. She confirmed that and turned her gaze toward the spaces between the pillars. ——There. "Found them!" Someone was clinging to the crystal pillar two columns over. She could see something white. Small. Fluffy. Ears she couldn't possibly mistake. "Nanachi!" The white ears twitched at the sound of her voice. They turned toward her. Their eyes met. "…Riko?" A voice came back. Low. Much lower than Riko's. Completely a man's voice. Riko laughed a little. "Your voice changed" "Don't talk to me about it" The voice that came back was low too. Both of them low. Something about that struck Riko as funny, and she almost laughed again. She held it back. "Where's Reg?" "Don't know. We got separated" "After that tremor?" "Yeah. The Daiou Kabura came. It was closest to her. I'm worried" Daiou Kabura. Riko had seen it too. That thing with jaws three times the size of a human that had blown away an entire rock shelf. If Reg had gotten caught in that—— But Reg was a robot. Her body was made of rock and metal. She had to be much tougher than a normal person. Probably. Definitely. (She's okay, right?) "I'm coming over there" The problem was how to get from one pillar to the next. Going down and crossing through the water was out—the Oogasumi were there. The distance between pillars was about two meters horizontally. Whether she could jump it from this height was iffy. Riko looked straight across. She could see the far pillar through the gap. (I think I can make it…maybe) "Going" She couldn't get a running start. The pillar's surface was barely thirty centimeters wide. Still, she turned her body away from the pillar, faced her back outward, supported herself with just her arms, and pushed off with her feet. She was in the air. One second. Both hands reached the pillar where Nanachi was. Her fingers dug into the surface. Her hands split open. Split again. But she stopped. "…Wow" Nanachi made a small sound. Riko pulled herself up and laughed. "This body's got some arm strength. Might be useful" "The nerve to call that useful—that hasn't changed since the old days" Riko thought that was a compliment. Probably. The two of them clung to the pillar side by side. At the same height, side by side, looking out over the Sea of Corpses. "Where do we search?" "East. The Daiou Kabura went that way. If Reg was being chased——" "The cluster of pillars to the east, got it" There was a moment of silence. The light in the Sea of Corpses swayed slowly. The light inside the crystal pillars rippled like waves. Slowly. Quietly. "Nanachi" "What" "Do you think we can go back to normal?" Nanachi was quiet for a moment. Her white ears twitched. "…I think the story about the Nanakamaado spring is true. Your map doesn't lie" "What's your basis for that?" "None. But that map has been this accurate. Everything about the Fifth Layer, the call stone hollows—it was all written there. So the spring——I think we can trust it" Riko turned the words over in her mind for a moment. Her mother's map. The one Lyza left behind. Detailed. Careful. Written years ago but still useful now. "Thanks, Nanachi" "Don't thank me. It's gross" "I will" "Don't" "I will" Silence. "…Your voice is too low to sound threatening" "Same goes for you" The two of them laughed a little. Both their laughs were low, and that made it even funnier. When the laughter died down, Nanachi turned her gaze east. "Let's go" "Yeah" Riko looked at the cluster of pillars to the east. Pale blue light. Crystal pillars lined up in rows. Somewhere in their shadows, Reg was there. She chose to believe that. The two of them started descending the pillar. Her hands hurt. Her feet were cold. But she wasn't alone anymore. The light in the Sea of Corpses swayed slowly. ——Then, from the east, a low sound reached them. Like the earth groaning. Like something colliding. Riko and Nanachi looked up at the same time. Beyond the cluster of pillars, the water's surface was churning violently. Something was there. Something large was there. "…Reg?" There was no answer. Only waves spreading outward. Riko picked up her descent.

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Episode 3

Name: I Think I Fell for You at the Bottom of the Abyss (Probably)
Author: Novelia

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