Chapter 154
Watching Tumanako’s jaw muscles as he quickly chewed and devoured the candy, I nodded. To think I’d have the chance to hear about New Zealand mythology while living my life. The myth I’m most familiar with is about eating mugwort and garlic to transform from a bear into a human, but I wonder how people from other countries would react if I told them we’re descendants of bears.
As I lifted my head after checking if John Doe was breathing properly and if his pulse was beating, I saw an English sentence I hadn’t noticed before in the elevator. I must have been too out of it to notice such a thing when I first got on this elevator.
Our home is girt by sea
…I’m not sure why they engraved such a message here. Is it meant to remind you that this elevator is surrounded by seawater, so you should be aware of your current situation?
Looking at the elegantly engraved English text, I thought that all the phrases engraved in elevators seem a bit odd. After hearing my opinion, Tumanako looked at the elevator wall once and said.
“Ah, that? It’s probably a line from the Australian national anthem.”
Oh, I see. The impression it gives when you don’t know it’s from a national anthem versus when you do is quite different. But still, the impression of being surrounded by seawater doesn’t go away. To shake off the eerie feeling, I started to focus on the people around me.
The Engineering Team D members were exchanging opinions on which route to take in the Third Undersea Base for the best chance of escaping. Tumanako and I made eye contact. The dentist and hair designer, newcomers to this undersea base, kept their mouths shut and quietly listened to the engineers exchange opinions.
Various routes were being discussed, but I sighed in relief when I realized that none of them prioritized the hidden stairs.