On a Godless Planet:Volume1B Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Flash Back

–Do you know what you have forgotten?

●

Yes. This was a clue.

This memory was a clue to regaining something important.

It hit me all at once.

●

“Yes. I used to loooove gambling when I waaaas younger.”

“––––––”

“Sumeragi, you intentionally took a loss so ––––––––––––!? Who loses while using ***!?”

“Huh!? –––––. I give every challenge my very best shot, but when ■■ played against me using %%% and swung her body around along with the controller, I couldn’t take my eyes off her jiggling boobs and a game over was unavoidable! So –––––”

“But ■■-chan? The match against Sumeragi-chan might be a special case, but why are you so good at this game?”

“Eh? A-am I that good?”

“I think it worked in her favor that she focuses on her hands without looking at her opponent. With a ––––– TV, she can still see the whole screen while focused on her hands. And–––––”

“Kh. I can’t believe I ended up in 4th while using ???.”

“Well, I’m not too upset since I ended up in 2nd.”

●

“Wow.”

What was with that conversation?

But I recognized it. I had held that conversation – probably recently – while playing Family Tennis.

Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have such a detailed memory of it. But maybe it was a dream? No, I couldn’t back down from this! Even if it was a dream, there were multiple girls there.

Do I really think I’m worthy of such a happy dream!?

But if it wasn’t a dream, was it real!?

Me, playing games with multiple girls!? That’s crazy!

Anyway, was this for real?

I honestly couldn’t believe it.

But who had been speaking to who? And about what?

I thought about it. My name had been mentioned a few times in that memory. For example:

“Sumeragi, you intentionally took a loss so ––––––––––––!? Who loses while using ***!?”

That loss must have been in Family Tennis.

Yes, we were playing Family Tennis. And my memory was during a post-match analysis.

I had to remember. Yes, I had to remember.

I had a starting point for resurrecting the memory: Family Tennis.

Two people would play against each other and they could choose their character.

You couldn’t both choose the same character and there were obvious differences in character abilities. The scariest part was how blatant the difference between the good characters and bad characters was.

So you could win or lose the match entirely based on what character you chose.

And there were only a few characters that basically guaranteed a win.

“Bunbun has the best serve and Endoru is the best all around.”

I noticed that I was oddly knowledgeable about this for someone who didn’t have a Famicom.

“I must have played it a lot.”

The *** in the conversation was probably Bunbun, the one with the super-fast serve.

Hitting a good serve to finish things quick was my way of playing the game. And I was probably speaking with an upperclassman. If I had intended to win, I would’ve gone straight for it instead of letting it develop into a rally. So that one was Bunbun.

That gave me a clue to solve another one.

“Kh. I can’t believe I ended up in 4th while using ???.”

??? would be Endoru, a good character with all-around high parameters. They were good for dealing with Bunbun, so that had to be the answer.

Both these lines were spoken by a male voice, seemingly an upperclassman. They had to be the same person.

The 2nd line that I only remembered as “––––––” and the 4th line starting with “Huh!?” were me.

I put those in place and tried to remember it all better.

●

“Yes. I used to loooove gambling when I waaaas younger.”

“––––––”

“Sumeragi, you intentionally took a loss so ––––––––––––!? Who loses while using Bunbun!?”

“Huh!? –––––. I give every challenge my very best shot, but when ■■ played against me using %%% and swung her body around along with the controller, I couldn’t take my eyes off her jiggling boobs and a game over was unavoidable! So –––––”

“But ■■-chan? The match against Sumeragi-chan might be a special case, but why are you so good at this game?”

“Eh? A-am I that good?”

“I think it worked in her favor that she focuses on her hands without looking at her opponent. With a ––––– TV, she can still see the whole screen while focused on her hands. And–––––”

“Kh. I can’t believe I ended up in 4th while using Endoru.”

“Well, I’m not too upset since I ended up in 2nd.”

●

I felt like it was coming together now. And I could fill in another one basically for free.

“Kuwajiri!”

Yes, that girl in my year I had just met. But I had recognized her voice.

It was so familiar I just knew I must have spoken with her before.

The 7th line starting with “I think” was you, Kuwajiri.

There were also two people with distinctive ways of talking.

There was that 1st line with the weirdly extended words. That one didn’t say anything after that.

I must have said something in response to his line, but since I didn’t remember what that was, my comment must have been fairly sensible or subdued.

That meant they were probably an upperclassman too. He seemed ranked above us all somehow. The way they spoke sounded male. I’m okay with girls who talk like boys, but the word stretching was a different story. Yes, that’s just what my heart was telling me. Sorry, I got a little carried away there. But with that decided, I would call him Boy Senpai 2.

Then there was a female voice that tried to calm down Boy Senpai 1. She seemed pretty casual with him, so I’ll call her Girl Senpai 1.

Now, let’s see what it looks like with all that in place.

●

“Yes. I used to loooove gambling when I waaaas younger.”

“––––––”

“Sumeragi, you intentionally took a loss so ––––––––––––!? Who loses while using Bunbun!?”

“Huh!? –––––. I give every challenge my very best shot, but when ■■ played against me using %%% and swung her body around along with the controller, I couldn’t take my eyes off her jiggling boobs and a game over was unavoidable! So –––––”

“But ■■-chan? The match against Sumeragi-chan might be a special case, but why are you so good at this game?”

“Eh? A-am I that good?”

“I think it worked in her favor that she focuses on her hands without looking at her opponent. With a ––––– TV, she can still see the whole screen while focused on her hands. And–––––”

“Kh. I can’t believe I ended up in 4th while using Endoru.”

“Well, I’m not too upset since I ended up in 2nd.”

●

“–––––––”

I recognized it. I recognized this conversation. I mean, I was right in the middle of it.

But there was one person who I didn’t know.

Who had spoken the 6th line?

The one whose name only appeared as ■■.

I had apparently let them have a win. No, I had been so ecstatic about getting to play a game with them I ended up losing.

They were a girl. I mean, I mentioned her boobs!

“Woo hoo!”

What did this mean? I had played Family Tennis with a busty girl in a memory I couldn’t fully recall!? Hey, you! Yeah, you! You’d better bring that memory back right this instant or I’ll never forgive you! Never ever!!

But who was ■■?

Oh, dammit! I just figured out what %%% had to be! If a female player was doing a lot of running around, it had to be Ebaruto! Yes, Ebaruto is the 3rd best female character in the game. If she chose her, she must have been new to the game. Maybe that’s why I let her win.

I wasn’t sure.

But I was sure this person was a girl and an upperclassman.

The way I seemed to look up to her tells me we aren’t in the same year. Actually, I seem to look up to her so much I practically worship her. And if she has big boobs, that makes sense!

But what’s her name? She’s a girl, an upperclassman, and probably someone close to me.

“–––––––”

That upperclassman was the only one in my memory who was referred to be name. My name was mentioned, you say? No, my name is mere garbage compared to the name of a busty girl.

So what name is that ■■ hiding?

I feel like the two blocks must mean it’s two kanji long.

Um, what names are two kanji long? Tanaka, Hirano, Satou, Suzuki, Nakamura, Takahashi, Itou, Watanabe, Yamamoto…no, none of this feels anywhere close.

Those are all family names, so maybe a given name?

Let’s see – Take, Matsu, Ume. No, wait, those are the three sushi ranks! Which one is eel again? And a Makunouchi bento contains- wait, I’m getting sidetracked.

Maybe the name was two katakana instead of kanji?

Miko, Yuri, Rika, Yumi, Mako…oh, no! In katakana, they all sound like the names hostesses use at cabaret clubs! I’m so hopeless! And now I’m thinking about The Jungle Adventures of Miko & Akemi. The way it displayed things so quickly was so impressive at the time. Come to think of it, the jungle adventure theme led me to buy El Dorado Denki, didn’t it? I just about never made it out of the first room.

Uh, oh. I’m getting sidetracked again.

Oh, right. I need to figure out what two-kanji name that ■■ is hiding.

But something about that feels wrong.

Let’s look back at my line from the past.

“Huh!? –––––. I give every challenge my very best shot, but when ■■ played against me using Ebaruto and swung her body around along with the controller, I couldn’t take my eyes off her jiggling boobs and a game over was unavoidable! So –––––”

Yes, that line.

The ■■ is in place of two kanji and it’s what I call someone I practically worship.

Then could it be a one-kanji name with an honorific attached?

“Ue-sama?”

No, that’s what you call the Shogun!! Take this seriously, me!

●

Damn, I just don’t know.

This was as far as Family Tennis was going to take me, but I had gotten a lot of hints.

Who did ■■ refer to?

I didn’t know. I only knew they were a female upperclassman and they were busty. I felt like it was on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn’t find it.

“Dammit.”

I sat down. The courtyard looked dark through the open door. There was no sign of anyone coming here.

That meant I would have to find an answer on my own.

I belatedly realized that Kuwajiri probably could have answered it right away.

If I waited here, she would eventually return. Even if it was summer break. Maybe not today, but tomorrow or the next day. Assuming she didn’t go on a summer vacation or got so busy with her homework she forgot about this place, I would have my answer eventually.

“Then that’s good enough.”

No, no, no, it wasn’t.

But I couldn’t find the answer.

It really was on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn’t get past that point.

It was a lot like when I was sitting on the toilet in the morning, and…

“Here it comes! Oh, yeah, it’s totally coming out now!”

I would get all fired up, but then nothing would happen. You know, when only the very tip came out.

The answer here was being just as uncooperative.

But if I decided to forfeit the game and stand up, I would be able to feel that demon deep inside my ass.

Wait, what am I saying? I can’t associate a busty girl with that morning struggle. I must be more flustered than I thought. It was like I was going for a cheap laugh. Calm down, boy. I-I’m no boy! I’m a man! Wait, that’s a cheap laugh too!

“Ahhh, I can’t stand this!”

I wanted the answer.

Who was that person?

It was like my entire being had been ruled by that ■■ for the past few minutes. Yet I didn’t even know her name or what she looked like.

Those two simple kanji behind ■■ eluded me.

“Not even Tetris has a piece that simple.”

But I couldn’t solve it.

I couldn’t.

I wanted to remember it, but the memory just wasn’t there.

“Dammit,” I cursed while roughly standing back up.

Then I noticed the shoulder bag I had brought from home.

The books had spilled out.

They were explanations and stories about the Shinto gods and a few scientific books. They had to do with…

“Terraforming.”

●

That had to be wrong.

But what about it was wrong? In fact…

“It’s right.”

You don’t know what you’re talking about. Calm down.

What about it was wrong? And how was it right?

“It’s right for the books to be here.”

Yes.

The Shinto books didn’t feel out of place when I looked at them. That meant they were right. I didn’t know what that meant, but it was okay for them to be here. I felt like I had checked them out for a good reason. Even if I didn’t know what that reason was.

But this was it.

“Terraforming.”

Wait, wait, wait. That was right too. It was. But why did it feel wrong too?

It was this, but not this. That’s how it felt.

●

“–––––––”

I opened to a random page and it felt like a simple introductory text.

All the pages were in color and it used a manga format to explain the basics of what terraforming meant and how it was done.

But this was wrong. But what about it was wrong? Um…oh, I know. That’s right, that’s right, that’s right, that’s right. I really need to stop saying “that’s right” to psyche me up when I don’t know the answer at all. Psyching me up doesn’t make me magically know the answer.

But the answer was on the tip of my tongue.

What was it? Um, this was…

“An introductory text!”

That’s right. This time I’m allowed to say that! That’s right. It was an introductory text. It gave you the information you needed before you started working on something.

Yes, that’s right. This was the answer here.

“It’s an introductory text!”

So what did it mean if that felt wrong?

“I know more than just the introductory stuff!! I’ve seen this stuff at work, so I don’t need this preliminary information!”

Yes, that’s right!!

●

Calm down.

Japan was starting on what was known as the new cultivation industry.

Terraforming would be needed to complete a project involving a move to some distant planet.

So it made sense for me to have an introductory text and there was nothing wrong with me reading it.

The new style uniform fit in there too. Those uniforms that the previous upperclassman, Kuwajiri, and I were wearing were designed for when we would eventually move out into space.

So I was saying something really weird here.

“How could I have seen terraforming at work when that’s something from the distant future?”

I had heard they were running small tests on asteroids, the moon, and Mars, so maybe that’s what it meant?

But no, that doesn’t work.

I know stuff that the introductory text doesn’t cover.

“I did have SimEarth at home, didn’t I?”

Did my memories of playing that end up as something else in my mind? But…

“–––––––”

I noticed something when I picked up the terraforming book again.

“It isn’t about the introductory text.”

There might be something else that was making this feel wrong. And that led me to realize something else.

Yes.

What could I have seen other than that?

If this felt wrong…

“I’ve read a more in-depth book.”

●

Yes, that was it.

I had read it. That was it. I had only checked out an introductory text, but I must have gotten someone else to show me a more in-depth one.

Yes, someone had taught me.

Someone had used non-introductory books to teach me about terraforming.

●

“I-I brought a book!”

“Ohh, so did I.”

“This book explains all about terraforming. It’s actually a bigger book, but–––––”

●

I remembered.

Yes, I remembered. After that, Girl Upperclassman 1 pulled something like a poster from her cleavage, shocking me and ■■.

That’s right, that’s right. That happened on site.

But who was that ■■ who had brought a useful book for me to our work site?

I couldn’t remember her name.

She was ranked above me, she was kind, she would listen to me even when she didn’t understand what I was on about, and she would stay by my side. What had I called her?

I mean, she was busty. And older than me. So what’s wrong with worshiping her? I’m sure I worshiped her like crazy.

If she had lived next door, I’m sure I would’ve prayed toward the wall 10 times a day!

But what had I called her?

“–––––––”

That was when I realized I had made a fundamental misunderstanding.

●

I was so stupid.

Why hadn’t I noticed it sooner?

I was dumb, I had no real friends, and I had never had a girlfriend, so if a busty, good looking, kind goddess of a girl was actually willing to hang around me…

“I’d never have the guts to call her by her given name or her family name.”

That settled it.

This was a girl who I naturally gave the win to when playing video games.

This was a girl who would bring me a textbook I needed on site.

This was a girl who stayed with me and cared for me.

She went to my school and was older than me, so if I wasn’t going to use her name, what would I call her?

“Senpai!”

●

It hit me.

It hit me all at once. I remembered praying toward the wall shared by our rooms, following after her up the stairs and silently bowing toward the butt visible through her skirt, and silently worshiping the boobs she rested on the table. Man that’s all getting dangerously close to crossing the line into criminality! But I can’t help it! I’m a shy boy! Don’t make me come out and say it!

Dammit.

I’m such a pathetic guy.

“Senpai!”

She was so important to me, but she had vanished from my mind.

That alone warranted punishment. But Senpai wouldn’t want to see me in pain, so I couldn’t do that! I couldn’t and I wouldn’t!

But I understood now.

“Senpai!”

Man, I’m a creep. That’s all I’ve been saying for a while now. But my memories of her come rushing back each time I do.

“Senpai!”

My voice seemed to call the memories back.

“Senpai, Senpai, Senpai!”

Do you think I could get away with saying “boobs” instead just once? Oh, who cares. But I grew happier each time I said it. It was like a magic word. Calling that name put me at ease.

But what did this mean?

My memories had been sealed off, and…

“Kuwajiri was pretending not to know me, wasn’t she?”

●

She was pushing me away.

I didn’t know why, but Senpai was probably pushing me away right now.

The Senpai who had always been by my side was gone now.

That about summed it up. Well, maybe I shouldn’t have said “always” there.

“Senpai and I were supposed to meet in the morning.”

I wasn’t sure how to describe it, but I knew that should have happened.

But it hadn’t.

That was weird.

And it led to only one conclusion.

“Senpai has left me for some reason?”

●

What was that reason? Why would Senpai leave me?

“Did I give her a reason? Impossible. I show respect to her boobs, butt, and somewhat defenseless behavior every day, every hour, and every second!”

Or was that it? Was that the problem? Yeah, that’s the answer right there.

But if that was the problem, it was a really fundamental one. It meant I would have to rethink how I engaged with her from the ground up.

In fact, could it be?

“Does Senpai hate me now?”

●

Calm down, I thought.

“Th-th-th-th-that’s right. H-h-h-h-h-how could she hate me? I’m, y’know, like a cute little animal. The type that needs lots of love or he dies. H-how could she hate me?”

What had I done wrong?

I was sweating in a very unpleasant way. Even though this room felt kind of chilly.

Actually, now I was remembering taking a bath with Senpai? At a bathhouse somewhere? She was wearing some kind of see-through swimsuit and…no, wait! I’m not ready! This is bad, I need something to record this with! Where’s my camera!!

“Oh, I bet that sort of thing was the problem!!”

Calm down.

I only had circumstantial evidence suggesting Senpai hated me.

Nothing was certain yet.

So I was still safe.

I was panicking, but I was still fine. I could turn this around. Remember that, Sumeragi Izumi. You aren’t the type to lose heart. Because losing heart is meaningless!

It’s so obvious!

The only advantages of losing heart are a reduction of future costs and the preservation of your pride, but I never consider the cost when I want to do something and I never had any pride to begin with!!

So I needed to think.

That’s right. Senpai couldn’t possibly hate me. And I had proof.

“Senpai isn’t with me anymore, but the other upperclassmen aren’t around either.”

I could abandon the theory that they had all overslept, right?

Anyway, the other upperclassmen weren’t here. Nor was Senpai.

Then where were they?

“The terraforming!”

●

I got moving.

I remembered Shifu-senpai pulling some visors from the locker when we moved from the club to the terraforming before.

But I knew now that those visors had been fake.

They had been to help the transition feel more natural to me. Because the others were all gods and could move around freely.

“Wait? Gods?”

That was quite a leap. Did that mean my memories were coming back? Or was I just saying random crap again?

No, it didn’t matter.

Because I knew what the Senpai in my memories was.

“She’s a goddess.”

That settled it. I could go with that for now. It was possible me thinking the others were gods was some kind of memory glitch, but I was fine with that. It was a trivial matter.

And I was a human.

That meant I didn’t have the power to terraform like the others did as gods, so they had used the visors to guide me in.

That meant the visors would still be in the locker.

I walked over and grabbed the handle

I opened it with a metallic creak. A slightly musty smell hit my nose as I viewed the contents of the metal box.

There were no visors inside.

“This is the locker Kuwajiri checked before, isn’t it?”

I called out into the empty air.

“Hey, it’s time to get to work.”

<Took you long enough.>

The screen sounded exasperated.

<Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised it took an evolved ape that long to figure everything out.>

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