The day after her second fishing trip with Diode, Terra left for work at Idaho’s Year 10 Ring, where the fan-shaped Antiquity District was located. Terra was in the media storehouse—its ancient style resembling an archive in the ruins of a nameless castle—sorting through the 3,000,000 files damaged during the early days of the Circ Calendar, when the minicell on the back of her hand received a message. She really didn’t want to field private messages at work, but it had come from the Council of Elders by the looks of it. It was pointless to simply ignore the message, so she opened her palm to accept it.
“Yes, this is Terra Intercontinental.”
“Greetings, how do you do? I am Salem Dishcrash.” A middle-aged man she had never seen before appeared on her palm. Wearing a gray butler uniform, he greeted her with a smile. “I am aware this is short notice, but would you happen to be available right now?”
“Not really, I'm in the middle of work.”
“Work? But is your pillar boat not currently docked at the pier? Do you happen to be occupied with maintenance work?”
“Ah, no, I’m at my job as a video distribution officer.”
“Video distribution officer? So you have not become a fisherman?”
“I’m doing that too, but I used up my clay allotment and am taking a break for a little while. So...”
“I have been informed it was a big catch that generated more than two months’ income. Yet, you find it necessary to continue with make-work?”
“Make-work? Really. I happen to very much enjoy my distribution work. It’s fun digging up interesting old articles and showing them to other people. They’re delighted with them. Are you saying my doing this is a bad thing?”
“No, not at all. There is nothing bad nor wrong about it—only, it is a line of work a fisherman should probably not be in.”
“Look!” That predictably ticked Terra off. “I wasn't recognized as a fisherman even though I said I wanted to work as one, so I’m going to keep working here too. Dishcrash-san, was it? You work for the Council of Elders, don’t you? How about you recognize me as a fisherman before telling me something like that?”
“That is exactly what this is about.” Dishcrash extended his hand as he smiled and nodded. “The Council of Elders is extending an invitation to a meeting regarding the fishing conduct of Terra Intercontinental-san and Kanna Ishidoro-san, to begin at ten o’clock. Please prepare yourself to be in attendance.”
“Meeting?”
He disappeared. Terra absentmindedly stared at her left hand. She hadn’t been given much time, as it was already after nine. The coworker seated next to her, Makia, had watched all of it.
“Tell-Tale, what was that about just now?”
“Who knows. Something like... a bid to deceive me and take my pillar boat away with a convoluted argument, just like a swindler would?”
“Don’t get delusional now, those guys have a habit of moving fast. But about that big catch... you got married? When?”
“Well, uh...”
Just then, they heard a high-pitched knock from the archive’s door. A reception worker who had already left returned in a hurry.
“Terra-san, Terra-san! A liaison from the Council of Elders is here!”
“Makia, let’s talk later, okay?”
Although they’d worked together for six years, the four-year gap between the two made Makia something more like a half-superior, so their relationship wasn’t close. Terra felt that if she talked about boarding her pillar boat while unmarried, and with another woman to boot, she’d only get laughed at. So, thankfully, she had managed to escape that conversation.
Mr. Dishcrash was a memorable personality—a thin man with good posture, soft sideburns resembling cream puffs, and narrow eyes that, at first glance, seemed to be smiling.
“Ooh, this seems promising,” he said looking up to Terra in admiration. He puffed out his chest and began to lead her.
A shaft descended from the Year 10 Ring, near the inside circumference of the donut-shaped Idaho, towards the outside circumference. There, in the Year 250 Ring, the current Council of Elders had established an office partitioned with precious, shiny chrome.
Terra was brought to a place that seemed to be a small waiting room. Like a kid waiting for a staff member, she sat quietly on the sofa and tapped her fingertips in boredom. She wondered why the downcast figure next to her wore simple fishing pants that resembled an inboard plumber's and an old-fashioned hat like the ones Terra had seen in ancient books.
Terra stared absentmindedly for a moment, unable to place who it was. The small figure looked at her and spoke up. “Terra-san?” Silver hair flowed out as she removed her hat. A familiar face appeared; it was the girl she had separated from a morning earlier.
“D—Die-san, what are you doing here?” Terra said, slightly surprised by Diode’s disguise.
Diode, on alert for some reason, frowned. “I should be the one asking why you showed up here,” she replied.
“It’s more like I was summoned here. They said it was something related to our conduct as fishermen.”
“...Ahh, so that’s what this is?” Diode glanced at Dishcrash, standing behind Terra, and took a deep breath. “I see, so he’s associated with the people denouncing us.” She looked relieved.
Terra leaned over her from the side. “Is it possible you thought I was on their side?” Diode’s cheeks quickly turned red and Terra smiled, seeing she'd guessed correctly. “Don’t worry about it. Not knowing anyone around you makes you distrust everyone and everything, doesn’t it?”
“...I’m not that paranoid. It’s just that I thought that you’d be treated differently from me since you’re a member of this clan.”
“It’s fine. I’m not exactly in good standing either, so it seems like they’re mad at me too.”
A lively smile grew on Diode’s face as Terra made light of their situation. “So, how about we pick a fight together?”
Terra nodded at her smile—then stopped that thought in its tracks. She'd been to multiple meetings with the Council of Elders regarding her pillar boat since inheriting it, but this was her first time being summoned directly by one of their subordinates. She had a really bad feeling about it.
“I’d like to say ‘gladly’, but would you mind holding back for a bit?”
“Huh?”
“You’ll go jumping ship again if it gets hard for you to stay here, and I’d like to avoid that. I want to keep fishing with you. So, can you trust me to do the talking for now? We can consider picking a fight later.”
“Ahh, well... if you say so.” Diode reluctantly nodded and extended her hand. Terra was quite surprised by how easily she accepted, thinking she would have put up more resistance. Relieved, Terra lightly grasped Diode’s hand.
“Huh.” “Huh?”
Diode made an unexpected face. She seemed to have been bothered by something other than the handshake, but she averted her eyes and said, “Nothing.”
“By the way, Die-san, what’s up with your look?”
“Ah, I’d like it if we could consider that later too, please.”
In her current state, she was giving off the smell of food waste. Terra was curious as to why Diode was willing to put up with dressing so shabbily, but given her bargain with Diode, she didn’t want to press the matter.
They waited for forty minutes without being served even a single tea-like before they were taken to another room at ten o’clock. It wasn’t a normal office or conference room; with the surrounding rostrum looming over them, it looked much more like a courtroom. Several figures stood above it. Dishcrash remained on standby at the wall to Terra’s back. She gulped nervously.
“Terra-kun,” a voice sounded. “So, you have come. My apologies for towering over you like this. This was a design choice made 50 years ago.” A slender man in the prime of his life bent forward. The dark skin on his manly face was weathered and bordered by a white mustache and hair.
Terra more or less nodded in response. “There’s nothing we can do about things that have been tall from the start.”
“That’s right. You yourself are the living, breathing example of that. I have seen you on Main Street and at W.E.B. on multiple occasions. This may be our first time being face-to-face, but it does not feel like our first meeting. Certainly, you’re the leading woman of our clan, hm?”
“Yes...that’s probably right.”
“It is something worthy of praise. Have you ever seen a woman taller than yourself?”
“I haven’t.”
“So there can be no doubting it. While we are at it, we could say you are splendid well beyond just your height. It is an honor for you to have come here.”
The man cheerfully laughed. At times like these, Terra would usually force a smile and think, ‘I just want to sit’, but here, she wasn’t in a position to request a chair. There didn’t even seem to be chairs in the room to begin with.
He hadn’t introduced himself yet, but his face was so well-known he didn’t need to. The cheerful, sociable man was Clan Chief Xeon Highhertz Endeavour, the clan’s sole elder and its head fisherman. He was 62 years old.
“One.”
Hearing a voice beside her, Terra looked over to see Diode calmly standing, her index finger casually pointed at the floor.
Aside from Xeon, it wasn’t possible to clearly see the faces of the others at the rostrum. Terra noticed that they were only projected avatars—those individuals were actually somewhere else, meaning the Council of Elders didn’t have time for this. They might interrupt if an argument grew violent and needed intervention, but at the moment, Xeon was the only one speaking.
“Now, before we move on to the important matters at hand, there is one more person I would like to greet. Diode-kun—that is how you have introduced yourself, so it will be fine to use that name here, correct? Or would you prefer your real name? You may be small and cute”—“Two.”—“but it seems you have arrived on our ship through your own show of strength.”
Terra instinctively glanced at Diode again. Her partner muttered quietly, now making a peace sign at her thigh. She gave a short response with a 20,000-kilometer stare. “Please, call me Diode.”
“Very well. I believe you have already grasped the fact that our clan greatly values individual freedom. I may be only somewhat familiar with the customs of other clans, but compared to the JT and Pollux, I am certain life is much more pleasant here on the Endeavours’ ship. Diode-kun, what do you think?”
“Compared to the Pollux’s, it does seem habitable.”
“You’re quite correct. And how about the JT’s?”
Diode, still facing an imaginary horizon, closed her mouth.
Terra leaned over and whispered, “Would you like me to answer instead?” Receiving a mumbled response, she straightened herself and answered for Diode. “Her experience with the Jack-of-All-Trades was colored by a mistake on her part, so she can’t fairly say.”
“Hahaha, what an interesting young lady. She seems rash but remains honorable. I have taken a liking to her.”
“Thank you very much.” Relying on the habits and fortitude she had cultivated over many years, Terra smiled and nodded.
Xeon seemed to be in a good mood, and their discussion might be headed in a positive direction.
“It is a shame that I must tell this to such a likeable pair, but let us get straight to the point. As I have inherited the will of the early Endeavours, who established our livelihood around Fat Beach Ball, I have the duty of guiding both our clan and the fleet into the future. To that end, it is desired that a proper pair make use of your pillar boat.”
The direction wasn’t positive at all. Terra felt slightly discouraged, but since she had already braced for the news, she maintained her smile and responded.
“Uhh, Clan Chief Highhertz–”
“Terra-kun!”
“Yes...?”
“I do not mind if you call me Xeon.”
“...Xeon-san. I’ve had multiple meetings like this with the Council. Yes, my pillar boat has been grounded for a while, but my understanding is that it isn't currently having a big impact on our clan’s profits and expenses. Has the situation changed? Could it be that someone sank?”
“I appreciate your concern, but all eleven of Endeavour’s fishing families, yours and mine included, thankfully remain in good health.”
“Then if that’s the case, the situation hasn’t changed, right?”
“That is correct, it has not changed. Only that—and I am assuming you can understand this as well—nobody expected your situation to persist for six years. Our Endeavour clan has been tolerating it for a good while now.”
“I’m really sorry about that... It might sound like I’m making excuses, but I have been trying hard to marry a good man.”
“A ‘good man’?”
“Yes? Ah, um, these last few times, I have been more particular about my partner.”
“That is an admirable attitude. Of course, we know about that aspect of yours—striving to properly fish before solidifying yourselves as a married couple.”
“Ah, thank you... though I'm really sorry I couldn’t achieve an outcome that lived up to everyone’s expectations...”
“You worked hard, but that’s not the only admirable thing. Allow me to go ahead and say it: from the start you have been in a favorable position. Your height is a clear flaw”—“Three.”—“but your fascinating appearance makes up for it, and your attitude has been hugely cooperative. There has not been a single case where you rejected someone after meeting them face-to-face. That is truly wonderful—Diode-kun, is there something wrong?”
Xeon looked to Diode after she whispered a single word, pausing for a response that didn’t come. “However,” he said, turning his eyes back to Terra, “you have been turned down every time. That means you failed the fishing trials with your possible choices, correct?”
“Yes...”
“You are aware that you yourself have made us listen repeatedly to your yearning to sail your own pillar boat. However, Terra-kun, despite being blessed with a talent for decompression, you have found nothing but misfortune.”
“I’m sorry, I’m the one who’s at fault.” She had no excuses. Terra hung her head.
“No, no.” Xeon calmly waved his hand. “Please do not misunderstand me, I am not blaming you. That is just how it is when there is a difference in ability. Besides, you have a very good reputation as a video distribution officer. It was only recently that I investigated, but I do believe you could please many in that arena. Do you understand what I am getting at, Terra-kun?”
“I understand.” By now, none of her sore spots remained untouched. “Even though I’m talentless, I am still holding onto the boat, and that’s not good.”
A painful sensation came from the inside of her nose; she found herself sniffling. Just then, she felt a light tug at her sleeve. Diode gave her a look and repeatedly pointed back and forth between herself and Terra.
“Huh?” Terra asked.
Diode, clearly frustrated, flapped her hand in front of her face over and over like she was trying to deny something. It looked like she wanted to say that Terra being untalented wasn’t true. Diode’s humorous gestures, faithfully keeping her promise to let Terra do the speaking, caused a chuckle to escape Terra.
“Yeah, you’re right. Um, Xeon-san. This may be presumptuous of me, but it’s not like I’m completely incapable of being a decompa.” Diode frowned in denial as Terra spoke, but she chose to ignore it for the moment. “I haven’t been able to fish the normal way with any of my marriage candidates so far, but I can successfully fish with Diode-san.”
“Hm.”
“So, well... we’d like to contribute to the clan’s catch if possible. Would it be possible, Xeon-san?”
Maybe he hasn’t received our catch report. Terra’s face was full of anticipation as she raised it, but the Clan Chief had turned thoroughly serious, looking at her as he held his chin between his fingers.
“Terra-kun, it seems that you have not heard me clearly, so I will repeat myself. I said that as the Clan Chief, I have the duty of guiding what we inherited from our clan and fleet into the future. You understand, don’t you?”
“...Yes.”
“No, you do not. Tell me, what is it we have inherited and are guiding into the future?”
“Things like our family name... or our hopes?”
“Our bloodlines. When fishers become husband and wife, they will entrust their fishing techniques and boat to the children they bear. That structure is the core of our society, is it not?”
Terra was momentarily speechless. That was another sore spot of hers. However, considering what the two of them were doing, it was also a point she'd expected to come up.
“Excuse me, Xeon-san.”
“What is it?”
“There are regular couples without kids, aren’t there? And those are unavoidable because of personal matters, right?”
“Yes, naturally. Those situations are unavoidable.”
“And if by chance, when those couples happen to be fishers, we have a system that allows them to pass down their fishing techniques and boat, don’t we?”
“Yes, there is an adoption system. It allows our long-established fishing families to select a youngster suitable to bear the responsibility of inheriting their boat.”
“So, if that’s the case—”
“Hold on, Terra-kun.” He firmly interrupted her and bent forward from the rostrum. “Is it possible you are trying to suggest that in place of joining our valuable fishing lineages together with others, you wish to use our exceptional adoption system so you two can casually fly your pillar boat for leisure? Is that what you are suggesting?”
“Huh...no.” Terra grew pale, not expecting Xeon’s opposition to be so fierce. “I thought that it could be a solution to our problem...”
“Did you really think that solution would be adequate, Terra-kun?!” Xeon asked forcefully.
Terra shrugged.
“Do you understand what you are asking for? You want to take an aid system intended for those who have genuine troubles and justify its use for reasons that stray from the righteous path. Imagine we do as you suggest and allow just anyone to board and inherit a pillar boat. If that were to happen, what would become of our traditions? Our successors? Everything would be completely ruined! Do you think that is okay?”
“No, I don’t think it’s okay. That’s really not what I’m trying to say.”
“Really? Do you really believe that? Very well, are you also capable of explaining why women are not twisters, then?”
Terra’s mind instantly blanked.
“That’s–”
“Terra-kun?”
“That’s, um, well–”
“Thank you for providing us with an actual example, Terra-kun. That is exactly what I am referring to.”
“Huh? What?”
Losing track of the conversation confused Terra even more. Xeon gave her a deep nod.
“That is your answer. Women have difficulty reacting to unexpected situations. What would you do if you were at FBB and a sudden downburst hit you while you were in a fight with a myriad bachi orca at the eight kilometer pressure level? Nothing. You would get turned completely inside out. Only those who are capable should expose themselves to such danger.”
“That’s... that’s true but, but Die-san isn’t bad at a–”
“There are numerous methods to make it appear that way. However, we are deviating from the topic at hand, the main point of which is that a twister and a decompa must be united by a strong bond. For the twister to be capable of fighting FBB’s relentless, merciless nature, the support of the decompa is indispensable. For the decompa to weave the proper net, direction from the twister is indispensable. What kind of relationship is capable of doing that? Not just for the sake of enabling the continuation of your lineage, but for the very sake of survival itself. What is the proper form for that pair to take? Well, Terra-kun?”
“But, but we–”
“You?”
Terra was at a loss for words again. She was taken with an incredibly odd feeling. She lived in such a vast world that she was in the presence of things she didn’t even know about. She didn’t know what was being denied to her yet, but even without knowing what exactly it was, she had a strong hunch it was something wonderful—and something that wouldn’t make a difference even if she could put it into words.
“I, I–”
“You were on strike four before, and that was strike five.” The voice was resolute. Terra turned to her side and saw Diode wiggling all five fingers. “I put up with it five times.”
“So, that’s what you were doing?”
The girl dressed as a boy plumber nodded once. She stepped in front of Terra.
“Clan Chief Highhertz.”
“Yes, Diode-kun–”
“I’ll be calling you Xeon. You’ve been shamelessly spouting a bunch of empty arguments. Do you really not feel any shame engaging in that level of sophistry, constantly cycling between puffing yourself up and being so cocksure of your judgement that you think you can ignore anything Terra says, Xeon?”
“What did you say?” Xeon raised his eyebrows and shut his mouth.
“Die-san!” Terra tugged on the hem of her dress.
“Well, Xeon, you must have accumulated an extensive history of failure and deception at your age, so it's no surprise your sense of shame and remorse have declined, degraded and depreciated well past their expiration date, but looks like it’s not enough for you to just mock me, the outsider, with your tattered pride—wait, maybe that’s just a rag—so you’d also go as far as to harass one of your own, Terra-san, in your gross, backhanded way. Anyone who saw the degree to which it finds new dimensions of horrible would have been so taken aback, so disgusted, that they’d have no choice but to remember it, so, in spite of it being a pain and there not being enough time to address every single detail, I’ll give you a proper scolding that you’d better be grateful for. Well, I’ll go through this in order, but first off, don’t ridicule others for their height—don’t ridicule others for their body, period. You can’t mock a woman and render judgement just from the sight of her; there’s absolutely no way you don’t know something as basic as that, right, Xeon?”
“Diode-kun, Diode-kun!” Xeon’s face turned deep red as he shouted. The two heard footsteps as Dishcrash approached them from behind.
“Please mind your words.”
“So even you would like to join in roasting him too?” Diode said as she turned to face him. Her question didn't register with Terra, and naturally, it didn't with the liaison, either.
At a loss for words, he replied, “What?”
As Terra had expected, Diode had gone completely out of her mind.
“The position of Clan Chief should naturally be dignified and noble, so isn’t it insulting to ignore all of the drivel pouring from his mouth? If he means to lecture you as to inheriting your ancestors' legacy, then surely you already demonstrate strength and virtue worthy of being passed on to future generations. Is it the Endeavours’ will to judge people as inferior without putting them to the test, especially ostracizing people under the guise of being considerate of their useless nature, or was it an idea that he imposed on them himself? Is that really okay?”
Dishcrash’s face was filled with surprise, “Whew, if we are going by that logic–”
His words were drowned out by the loud sound of a fist hitting the rostrum.
“Diode-kun!”
Diode slowly turned around. The elder clan leader’s eyes were blazing, and he began to speak through clenched teeth. “I have quietly listened to everything you had to say. I hope you are aware that I can arrest you solely on the basis of contempt. What is the point you are trying to make?”
“I’d only be repeating myself, but of course, if you require further assistance in insulting yourself–”
“Knock it off with the pointless, annoying argument!”
“But who was the one that started those pointless arguments?” The girl, so small a man could blow her away with a single sneeze, proudly puffed her chest towards the rostrum. “Aren’t you basically saying that the ones who excel at fishing make history? And yet, you needlessly brought up topics like ‘what about our lineage’ or ‘women are incompetent’. Why is that?”
“That is not what I am saying!”
“Then what are you saying?”
“Are you trying to turn this into a contest? This is an unacceptable way to settle our discussion!”
“Our entire discussion strikes me as unacceptable, Clan Chief Highhertz. How about you use your amazing reflexes to deal with unexpected situations like needing to dodge bachi orcas in FBB’s atmosphere—that is, if you are better than a woman.”
“You're stepping into the abyss, little missy!”
“But that’s where I came from?”
To translate Xeon’s shout to an older mode of speaking, it essentially meant the same as ‘go to hell’. Diode’s calm retort intercepted his words, causing an invisible mid-air explosion.
Terra watched open-mouthed as they went at one another. The population of 20,000 might be small, but Xeon was their leader, and even raising a single foolish objection during their dispute could be a serious matter for Terra. Yet, as casually as pushing trash into the can with a sandal, Diode had squared off with him and was arguing splendidly.
It was a reckless act certain to bring them to ruin. But it was a historical feat.
To that point, there had been nothing but shadows on the surrounding rostrum, but they began to show their faces one-by-one. It looked like the argument had caught the interest of the Council of Elders.
With all eyes turned towards him, Xeon declared, “I cannot turn a blind eye after you have gone this far. I can impartially judge your real abilities, but are you sure that is what you want?”
“If anything, you’d better not be a defiant chicken and take it back when the results are shown front and center in the Wharf.”
“Wait, please a moment!” Dishcrash spread his hands and stepped in. “Clan Chief, please forgive this act of insolence on my part, but we have gotten off-topic. Fundamentally, this matter regards the appropriate course of action we should take with Miss Terra’s pillar boat, not issues related to Miss Diode’s skill.”
“Excuse me!” Terra reflexively shouted. “If that’s the case, I think the end result will be the same. I can’t fish with anyone other than Die-san! So if she’s no good, then I’m also no good!”
“This is dangerous,” Dishcrash whispered to her.
“Huh?”
Terra was confused, but Xeon pounced on the opportunity.
“I hear you loud and clear, Terra-kun,” Xeon shouted. “That simplifies things. For this matter, the Council of Elders will judge Terra-kun and Diode-kun’s abilities with a bachi orca catch, and in the event they do not achieve superior results, we shall seize the Intercontinentals’ pillar boat. Happy, Diode-kun? You brought this upon yourself.”
“If it’s about being better, I have no objection. If you’re going that far, then you will have no problem with our becoming fishers if we win, right?”
“Right. If you win you can become a fisherman, a swordsman, whatever you want. But that’s only if you win!”
The entire Council of Elders had become spectators to their shouting.