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電車の中でも寝る前のベッドの中でもサクサク快適に。
もっと読みたい！がどんどんみつかる。
「読んで」「書いて」毎日が楽しくなる小説アプリをダウンロードしよう。
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電車の中でも寝る前のベッドの中でもサクサク快適に。
もっと読みたい！がどんどんみつかる。
「読んで」「書いて」毎日が楽しくなる小説アプリをダウンロードしよう。
テラーノベル
アプリでサクサク楽しめる
Takako ran desperately toward the shoreline in the dark of night, clutching the small creature in her slender arms.
Behind her, a crowd of adults was in pursuit, shouting her name.
“Takako! Can you hear me? Hand that creature over. It’s dangerous — please, listen to us.”
Ignoring them, Takako ran toward the water’s edge, kicking up sand with her sandals. She stumbled and fell just shy of the waves but scrambled back to her feet and kept running.
She released the small creature — covered in short, fine silver fur — once the water was deep enough to reach her waist.
Upon entering the water, the creature writhed and swam in circles around Takako, refusing to leave her side. She stroked its knobby head as it nuzzled against her, stretching its neck toward her.
“Go, hurry! If those adults catch you, terrible things will happen to you, Ebu-chan.”
A blinding light suddenly shone on Takako from behind. At the same moment, the voices of several men rang out in unison.
“There she is! Over there!”
“Secure the child! The rest of you, search for the creature!”
Startled, the creature called Ebu-chan shuddered, broke away from Takako, and quickly dove into the sea, vanishing from sight.
With a loud splash, a tall man in uniform scooped Takako up out of the water. He shouted into the headset he was wearing.
“This is Leading Private Yamamoto! I have secured the child! She appears uninjured. Over.”
A voice crackled back from the headset.
“HQ copies. Can you see the creature?”
“Creature not sighted! Presumed to have escaped into the sea. Over!”
“HQ copies. Yamamoto, escort the child to headquarters.”
“Yamamoto copies. Out.”
Still held in the man’s arms, Takako was carried to a large tent set up a short distance from the sea. Inside, her mother was sitting on a chair.
Her mother stood up and embraced her.
“Are you all right? What happened to Ebu-chan?”
“He went into the sea, Mama. Ebu-chan can live in the ocean, right?”
“That’s right. Hehe, you did a great job.”
Another man in uniform entered the tent and spoke to Takako’s mother in an intimidating tone.
“Prof. Kanzaki, I need you to accompany us to the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tokyo. We have a great many questions for you.”
Wearing a bold, fearless smile, her mother replied with perfect composure.
“That’s fine, but my daughter’s father is on his way to pick her up. Could you wait until then before taking me in?”
Before long, Takako’s father rushed to the tent, his face pale with alarm, and her mother was whisked away — aboard a dark green helicopter — into the now-pitch-black sky.
The next afternoon, as Takako was digging through the sand with her hands at the water’s edge, her father came running over and lifted her up.
“Hey, why did you come here? Especially after what happened just yesterday?”
On the verge of tears, Takako pointed to the left side of her head.
“You know … that thing Mama gave me? I think I lost it yesterday.”
At that, her father noticed that his daughter wasn’t wearing the barrette she usually used to pin back her hair.
“Oh, you mean the hair clip with the red flower decoration?”
He glanced around the beach and then spoke to Takako.
“The tide came in after that, so it probably got washed away. Let’s go home — I’ll buy you another one. If you hang around here on your own, the Self-Defense Force men will get angry with you.”
There was a sound of splashing water nearby. Thinking it might be something, she looked out at the sea, but there was nothing there — only a round ripple.
Takako started and sprang out of bed.
“Just a dream?”
The moment she muttered this, her phone’s alarm went off. She got out of bed, changed into her summer uniform, and checked her bag to ensure she had all her textbooks.
She went downstairs, got ready in the washroom, and entered the living room to find her father brewing coffee while watching the news. The broadcast reported:
“All crew members of the Chinese Coast Guard vessel that sank last night off the coast of the Sankaku Islands in Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture, have been rescued by the Japan Coast Guard. China, which has long claimed sovereignty over the Sankaku Islands, has demanded an investigation by the Japanese government, suggesting the sinking could have been caused by an attack from the Japanese side.”
Takako asked as she took the coffee cup from her father:
“That’s near Ishigaki Island, right?”
Her father arranged the breakfast plates, his attention still partly on the TV screen.
“Yeah, that’s right. It’s been eleven years since all that commotion back then, hasn’t it?”
“I see — so that’s it. I must have dreamed about the past because I saw this news yesterday.”
“By the way, I heard from your mother yesterday. It sounds like she might be coming to Japan soon.”
“Huh? Is it safe for her to come back? Won’t she get arrested the moment she enters the country?”
“Hahaha, I doubt that. After all, she officially took a job at a U.S. government research institute. Even so, what is that mad scientist up to? You, on the other hand, need to get a proper job. Have you decided on your university entrance exam plans yet?”
“It’s too early for that, Dad. I’m a high school sophomore — I’ve got to enjoy my youth while I can.”
As Takako stepped out of her apartment building, dazzling summer sunlight was pouring down over Tokyo.
On the bridge of a Maritime Self-Defense Force flagship conducting a training voyage in the East China Sea, the captain and executive officer stood side by side by the window, conversing.
“By the way, Captain, what exactly is this secondary mission?”
“Ah, right — this is your first time on a mission in these waters, isn’t it? We’ve been ordered to investigate for any suspicious biological entities while we conduct our training exercises.”
“Suspicious biological entities? You don’t mean … ‘that’ thing — the one that supposedly escaped into the sea eleven years ago?”
“That’s the one. Investigations from back then suggested it might have grown to a massive size. Of course, we haven’t seen a single sign of it since. It likely ended up as food for a larger fish ages ago.”
“I see. But the Self-Defense Forces can’t simply give up the search, I suppose. What a search for very long period of time.”
A sonar operator wearing a large headset suddenly shouted out.
“Sonar contact! A submarine? No … that’s not it. There’s something massive and unidentified underwater!”
The captain rushed over and asked in a tense voice, “Location?”
“Directly beneath us, sir! Estimated length: fifty meters.”
“A whale? No … even for a whale, that’s far too big.”
The next instant, the entire ship was jolted upward by a massive impact from below, nearly throwing everyone on the bridge to the deck.
Water sprayed high into the air as “it” revealed the upper half of its body above the surface outside the bridge windows.
It had a head resembling a Western dragon and a somewhat elongated neck; its rugged black skin was covered in short, fine silver hairs.
The colossal creature swam leisurely through the center of the fleet, heading straight for the Japanese archipelago.
The captain ordered the communications officer to open a direct line to Yokosuka Base, then gripped the microphone and shouted:
“This is Escort Flotilla 9. We have visual contact with a giant creature! I repeat, we have sighted a giant creature!”
Three days later, while Takako was attending class, a loud engine roar suddenly erupted from the sky, heading straight toward the school.
Students crowded against the windows of every classroom — ignoring the ongoing lesson — to stare at the source of the noise: an aircraft with two propellers mounted on its wings. The boys began to clamor.
“Isn’t that a tilt-rotor?”
“Yeah, it’s an Osprey V-22.”
“So, is it the U.S. military?”
“No, look, it’s got Self-Defense Force markings. Hey, it’s really coming right for us!”
Upon reaching the airspace above the school, the Osprey adjusted the angle of its propellers and landed — much like a helicopter — on the open athletic field.
Two Self-Defense Force personnel in camouflage stepped out and confronted the principal and other staff members who had rushed over.
Trembling, the principal demanded an explanation.
“W-what is the meaning of this? This is a high school, and classes are in session!”
One of the personnel saluted and replied:
“This is an emergency, so please forgive the intrusion. We understand there is a second-year female student here named Takako Kanzaki. We have an urgent need to take her into protective custody.”
“Well, yes, we do have a student like that, but without the guardian’s consent…”
“I’m right here.”
A voice called out from inside the Osprey, and a woman clad in a shocking-pink skirt suit stepped down. She opened her passport and held it up before the principal’s eyes.
“I am that guardian.”
Watching the scene from a second-floor window of the school building, Takako cried out instinctively:
“Mom! That’s my mom!”
At the same time, at the Prime Minister’s Office, a secretary whispered into the prime minister’s ear during a Cabinet meeting.
The prime minister stood up and addressed the ministers.
“I apologize, but we must suspend the meeting for a moment. I have received a request for an urgent phone call from the U.S. President.”
In a separate room at the office, the prime minister picked up the receiver. An interpreter standing nearby relayed the caller’s words to the prime minister’s headset. Upon hearing them, the prime minister turned pale.
“What was that? Use a nuclear weapon? No, wait, Mr. President. This is a matter concerning our country, and …”
About ten minutes later, the prime minister reconvened the ministers and informed them:
“The U.S. President has notified us that if our country fails to deal with that giant creature, they will use a small-scale tactical nuclear missile.”
The defense minister leaned forward.
“That is outrageous! Are they saying the U.S. doesn’t trust the Self-Defense Forces?”
The prime minister replied wearily:
“If that giant creature crosses the Pacific and reaches the U.S. West Coast … it seems the U.S. government is afraid of that scenario.”
The other ministers also began to speak out in a rush of agitation.
“Why has that giant creature — which hasn’t shown a trace of itself for eleven years — suddenly appeared now? Why is it heading straight for the Japanese mainland?”
“It must have some objective.”
“Whatever its objective might be, if the creature of that size wanders through densely populated areas, it is obvious that the damage will be catastrophic.”
A secretary whispered something to the defense minister. The defense minister gave a low-voiced instruction to let her in.
A secretary opened the door, and Takako’s mother strode into the room with an air of imposing dignity. The defense minister addressed the other Cabinet members.
“Everyone, this is the strategic advisor dispatched by the U.S. government.”
The prime minister looked at her and spoke with a grim expression.
“Prof. Kanzaki — is that you?”
Kanzaki spoke provocatively, a smirk playing on her lips.
“It’s been a while. Not since you were the defense minister, actually. Let’s skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point. That thing is an artificial organism I created through genetic engineering back in the day. My daughter, who used to look after it, called it ‘Ebu’.”
“Ebu? Does that name mean something?”
“Evolution Boosted Ultimate. So to say, ‘the ultimate form with accelerated evolution.’ EBU for short. My child pronounced it ‘Ebu,’ so that’s the name that stuck.”
As Prof. Kanzaki continued her explanation, the Cabinet ministers listened, their faces filled with astonishment.
Once she had finished speaking, the prime minister said in a solemn tone:
“We need a name for it. From now on, we will refer to that giant creature as ‘Ebura’.”
In a guest room at the Ministry of Defense, Takako and her father sat awkwardly on a sofa. Her mother — Prof. Kanzaki — entered the room, accompanied by the defense minister and the head of the Self-Defense Forces Joint Staff.
Her father stood up and confronted the three of them.
“What is the meaning of this? Why are you dragging Takako into this now?”
Professor Kanzaki replied:
“That giant creature, Ebura … it’s heading straight for Takako.”
Takako also stood up from the sofa and cried out:
“Is that monster … Ebu-chan?”
“Yes. Ebura has telepathic abilities. It knows exactly where Takako is.”
“But why is it showing itself now?”
“That’s the one mystery. Since Takako was the one who cared for Ebura right after it was born — feeding it and washing its body — it might think of you as its mother. But that doesn’t explain why it’s appearing now.”
The defense minister spoke up.
“Ms. Takako Kanzaki, I would like to ask for your cooperation. We intend to lure Ebura to a location where collateral damage can be minimized, and the Self-Defense Forces will intercept it there. We need you to travel to that location.”
Her father pressed the issue further.
“You intend to use my daughter as a decoy?!”
Prof. Kanzaki stepped in.
“Please, calm down. Ebura has no intention of harming Takako. If we can figure out what Ebura wants and resolve the issue, it might just return to the sea.”
Her father asked, his body still trembling with anger.
“So, where are you taking her?”
The head of the Joint Staff showed the tablet he had been holding to the father and Takako. The father muttered.
“Odaiba?”
The Chairman continued.
“Evacuation of residents in the area is already underway. Since it is an island, we can seal off the Rainbow Bridge and establish a final line of defense. Naturally, the Self-Defense Forces will commit all their resources to ensuring your daughter’s safety.”
While Takako and her mother, Prof. Kanzaki, were being transported to the anti-Ebura interception command center set up inside Tokyo Big Sight, a flotilla of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers launched an attack off the coast of the Izu Peninsula.
Anti-submarine missiles were fired in rapid succession, but Ebura skillfully dodged them underwater and swatted them away with its long tail, preventing any direct hits.
Ebura continued its advance, approaching the Uraga Channel — the gateway to Tokyo Bay. A submarine fleet comprising ten vessels attempted to block its passage but failed.
Ebura headed straight for Odaiba, where a Ground Self-Defense Force tank unit lay in wait along the Rainbow Bridge — the final line of defense.
An Izumo-class flattop carrying F-35B stealth fighters stood by on the water near Odaiba, while Air Self-Defense Force F-35A fighters assembled at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo.
U.S. Forces Japan went on full combat alert, with the 7th Fleet deploying off the coast of Yokohama Port. At the U.S. military base in Guam, B-1B supersonic strategic bombers armed with nuclear missiles began preparations for takeoff.
However, none of the Self-Defense Forces’ conventional weapons proved effective against Ebura. Neither missiles nor artillery shells could halt its advance, and it broke through directly beneath the Rainbow Bridge.
Finally, Ebura came ashore at Odaiba Marine Park. Standing upright on its hind legs, the colossal bipedal creature advanced toward Tokyo Big Sight, swinging forelimbs — resembling a Tyrannosaurus’s but far larger — wildly as it trampled over the overpasses and structures blocking its path.
Inside the defense command center, the operation commander decided to evacuate Takako.
He went to where Takako and Prof. Kanzaki were waiting in a secure area deep within Big Sight and spoke to them in an urgent tone.
“We’re landing an Osprey for your escape out back. Please board it. We likely won’t be able to hold this position.”
The two of them stepped out into an open area at the rear of the facility just as an Osprey began to descend.
At that moment, Ebura spread its forelimbs wide to the sides.
Membranes stretched from its forelimbs to its flanks, allowing its massive body to glide through the air like a giant flying squirrel.
The blast of wind from its movement blew the approaching Osprey away, and Ebura landed right in front of Takako.
Its massive, dragon-like face drew closer to her. Prof. Kanzaki, helpless to intervene, could only embrace Takako from behind.
Ebura opened its mouth wide, bringing it within arm’s reach of Takako. Seeing this, one of the Self-Defense Force members let out a cry of anguish.
“You can’t mean … is it going to eat that girl?!”
Takako reached out and touched the tip of Ebura’s snout. Despite the difference in size, she was certain — this was the very same creature she had adored when she was six years old.
“Is that you, Ebu-chan?”
Takako spoke the name softly. Ebura narrowed its eyes and let out a soft, whimpering sound, like a pet seeking affection.
Ebura’s long, slender tongue retrieved something from deep within its mouth and extended it toward Takako. She gasped when she saw what lay at the tip of its tongue.
It was a hair accessory adorned with a red flower. Although the pin had discolored and turned black, it was unmistakably the very same accessory she had lost on the beach of Ishigaki Island all those years ago.
“Ebu-chan … Did you find this and come to bring it back to me? Is that why you were looking for me?”
Ebura let out a low, rumbling sound. To Takako, it seemed to express delight.
Once Ebura saw that Takako had taken the accessory into her hands, it slowly stood up, turned around, and began to walk toward the sea.
Causing the ground to rumble all around, Ebura headed straight for the sea and gradually submerged into the water.
Clutching Takako in her arms, Prof. Kanzaki murmured:
“It seems what was being sought has been found. For everyone.”
コメント
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わあ……第2話、すごく重厚で切ない話だったね……😢 冒頭の、幼いタカコがエブちゃんを逃がす場面からもう胸がぎゅっとなったよ。あの小さな生き物に対する愛情がしっかり伝わってくる。 そして時が経って、まさかエブちゃんが“巨大な存在”になって戻ってくるなんて……「エブラ」って呼ばれるようになってても、タカコの前ではあの頃のままのエブちゃんなんだね。 最終盤、ヘアピンを差し出して甘えるような声を出すシーン、もう涙が止まらなかったよ……「探していたものが見つかった」って言葉、全部を象徴してる気がする。続きが楽しみでたまらないよ🌙
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