I Don't Like This, Jeff
Shine and I, who had been watching Rain, also ran toward the wormhole. Its black, shimmering form was always unsettling to look at, but the thought of Rain being on the other side quickly calmed our anxiety.
"Whoa!" The moment the wormhole touched my body, a strange current swept through me. It felt a bit unpleasant. But just as that thought crossed my mind, a cold wind brushed past my entire body. My long hair, which reached all the way down my back, scattered and blurred my vision.
We were in a bright space. The sudden, dazzling sunlight made me shield my eyes with my hand.
"Yahoo!" Rain was running around all over the place. It was a wide-open space—the rooftop with the helipad where we had arrived once before. No matter how many times I saw it, her ability was amazing. The power to distort space and connect it to another location. If I were to research this ability thoroughly... I shook my head to dispel the mischievous thoughts popping into my mind.
"Whew—" My breath formed a white plume in the chilly air. A white mist also drifted from Shine's mouth, slowly dispersing. The sunlight was beautiful. The rays pouring down from the sky struck Shine's hair, illuminating our surroundings. It sparkled so brilliantly that I unconsciously reached out and stroked her hair. The soft strands slipped through my fingers.
"Mmh." Shine shook her head at my touch and ran toward Rain. Her glowing hair trailed behind her, swaying like a tail of pure sunlight. I followed her toward Rain, who was clinging to the railing at the edge of the rooftop.
"Whoa." I ran over and hung onto the railing. Below us, a massive sea of clouds was flowing. The sight of the clouds completely enveloping the building left me speechless. Just how high up were we that we couldn't even see the ground?
"Jeff."
"Yeah?"
"Want me to show you something cool?" As I hung from the railing and stared at the clouds, Rain spoke up. I nodded eagerly.
"Show me too."
"Okay. I'll show Shine too." Shine, who was hanging next to me, apparently wanted to see as well. Rain nodded and raised one hand into the air. Her short legs dangled precariously, but she was skilled enough to support herself with just one hand.
"Behold!" Rain's hand began to sweep through the air. I thought it was a meaningless gesture at first, but that thought quickly vanished. The clouds were moving.
"Wow!" Hanging from the railing, I swung my arms back and forth. My body swayed dramatically. The whistling wind blew my hair forward, blocking my view. I untied the hair tie from my wrist and bound my hair back. I was getting pretty good at doing it myself now. Now that my pesky hair was out of the way, it was time to watch the clouds.
Prompted by Rain's hand gestures, the shifting clouds formed the shape of a colossal whale. The white whale parted the mist, raising its massive body. Shine and I stared blankly, our mouths agape at the magnificent sight. *Whoosh—* The whale began to fly through the sky. Emerging from the sea of clouds, it glided over the vapor, swimming through the empty air. Its giant, outstretched fins pushed the surrounding clouds aside. As we marveled at the spectacular sight, the white whale's body began to sink back down.
"Ah." The whale is diving! Excited by the sight, I kicked my feet frantically. My legs swung back and forth, making my whole body sway. *Thump!* The great whale sank beneath the clouds, thrashing its massive tail. In its wake, a vast shroud of mist surged outward in all directions.
Clouds. I wondered what they tasted like. As the mist rolled over us, I opened my mouth and stuck out my tongue. Shine did the exact same thing next to me.
"Aw..." I was deeply disappointed. I had expected the clouds to taste like sweet cotton candy, but they didn't taste like anything at all. My mouth felt damp. I raised a hand and wiped my lips.
"How was it? Cool, right?"
"It was amazing!" I hopped down from the railing and clung to Rain's legs. She didn't seem to find it difficult at all, swinging her legs while still hanging from the railing. My body swayed gently back and forth, turning her into a human swing.
"Cloud whale!" Shine shouted, equally excited.
"We need to head out now. Stop playing and gather round~" Amy's voice called out from behind us.
"Okay!" I immediately let go of Rain and ran toward Amy. Shine, who had been hanging from the railing and staring intently at the clouds, followed close behind me.
"What was so fun?" Amy asked, looking at my face as I approached. Seeing the gentle smile on her face, I spread my arms wide and began to explain what we had just seen. We saw a huge whale. But it wasn't just a normal whale. It was made of clouds. Rain made it, a super big whale. I was so excited that I barely knew what was coming out of my mouth. I just wanted to brag to Amy about the sight we had just witnessed.
"Is that so?"
"Yes!" Amy patted my head.
"I saw it too. The whale Rain made," Shine said, stepping forward cautiously after watching me. Amy looked down at Shine in silence for a moment, then laughed warmly and gave her head a vigorous rub. Shine didn't seem to mind her hair getting completely messed up as she accepted the affection.
"Rain, did you show the kids that?"
"Yeah. It's a new technique I developed."
"It doesn't seem very practical, but I'm glad the kids liked it."
"What do you mean, not practical? Do you have any idea how amazing it is to move clouds?"
"Sure, sure. Good job, Rain." Amy patted Rain's head as well.
"Preparation for departure is complete." Victor, who had been standing silently behind us, finally spoke. Just as he said, it seemed the helicopter was ready for takeoff. Seeing the wide-open door of the helicopter, Victor walked over and climbed inside.
"Ah! Me too!" Seeing him, Rain ran over and scrambled inside as well.
"Shall we go too?" Amy said, scooping Shine and me up in her arms—one in each—and heading toward the helicopter. The interior wasn't much different from the one we had ridden before.
"Everyone's on board. Let's go." As Amy spoke toward the cockpit, the pilot sitting in front nodded. *Zzzzt—* I felt the distinct electromagnetic wave that always accompanied the startup of large machinery. Shortly after, the roar of the helicopter's propellers began to fill the air.
"Jeff. Sit still."
"Ah." As the helicopter began to lift off, I tried to stand up and head toward the window, but Amy wrapped her arms tightly around my waist, pinning me in place. I was the only one who had stood up to look outside. Everyone else was quietly wearing their seatbelts. Blushing with embarrassment, I buried my face in Amy's chest.
The helicopter flew for quite a while, cutting straight through the vast sea of clouds. "Amy, I want to see what's under the clouds."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because it's dangerous."
"Dangerous?"
"Yes. There are still a lot of bad guys out there targeting us." Only then did I nod. Still, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. I puffed out my cheeks and swung my legs back and forth.
"Want me to show you the whales again?"
"Yes!" Perhaps feeling bad that I was bored, Rain offered to show me the whales. I nodded vigorously. Seeing my reaction, Rain laughed heartily and raised her hand. Shine, who had been sitting with an indifferent expression, also seemed to like the whales. She turned her gaze toward the window, focusing on the upcoming cloud whale show.
It started very small. A pillar of cloud shot up from the endless sea of mist. The pillar rose with a gentle *pfft* sound, catching our attention. Immediately after, the sea of clouds below began to churn, spitting out a massive shape. Once, I had watched a video of whales with Rain on NewTube's recommended feed. Rain recreated that exact scene. The whale leaped high into the air, exposing its underbelly before plunging back beneath the clouds. The impact of the giant whale sent white waves billowing outward.
Grinning at my delighted reaction, Rain spread her arms wide. She looked intensely focused, as if putting her all into it. And then, something incredible happened. Whales began to soar high into the sky. And it wasn't just one. Dozens of whales of similar sizes leaped into the air. A parade of cloud whales blanketed the entire sky. The white whales passed over our helicopter, diving back into the sea of clouds on the other side. *Splash, splash—* the white sea of clouds rippled violently.
"The end!" Rain shouted, catching her breath.
"That was amazing!" I clapped until my hands hurt, showering Rain with praise. Shine joined in, clapping along with me.
"Amy! Amy, did you see that? Those whales!"
"Yes, I saw. They were truly wonderful."
"Victor! Victor, you saw them too, right? The whales Rain made. Aren't they super cool?"
"Yeah, I saw. Impressive." Victor's lukewarm response drained my energy. My shoulders slumped as I looked up at him. Meeting my gaze, Victor looked away to the side and let out a soft sigh.
"...It was cool."
"Yay!" I finally got the answer I wanted.
After flying for a long time while watching Rain's cloud show, the helicopter eventually hovered in place. "We've arrived." No sooner had Amy spoken than the helicopter began to descend. *We're sinking. We're going to sink!* The helicopter was submerging into the sea of clouds. I stared out the window, tense. The clouds wrapping around the helicopter's black fuselage completely blocked the windows. I couldn't see a thing. I clung to the window, looking around frantically. As the helicopter continued to sink, it finally broke through the sea of clouds. The mist enveloping us slowly dispersed, revealing the view below.
The first thing that caught my eye was a massive building. The towering structure felt as if it were lightly brushing against the very edge of the clouds. The helicopter prepared to land on its rooftop.
"There are people waiting to greet us."
"Yes, because we've arrived." Several people were waiting on the rooftop, dressed in formal suits. For some reason, their faces felt vaguely familiar. They didn't seem particularly happy about our arrival. In fact, they looked incredibly tense.
"Amy, they don't look very happy to see us."
"I'd feel the same way if I were them. If they mess up and give me an excuse to complain, their funding for this month will be cut in half."
"Funding?"
"Yes." The helicopter landed safely, and the engine shut down. Just as the vigorously spinning propellers slowed to a halt, Amy threw the door open.
"Welcome, ma'am!!" At that exact moment, a deafening roar of greeting erupted. Startled, I quickly covered my ears.