Diary of Sakichi Sougo - Part 2

Chairman Ryochi Sougo was absorbed in the pages of his father's diary, determined to find any clues that could help him locate the missing passengers. He took a sip of his coffee and read on, stumbling upon an entry that described the joyful news of Rongi Tarahashi becoming a father to a baby boy. The announcement had put everyone in a jubilant mood, and even the Chairman himself had signed a contract for funding a new rail line. With permission from the government, he and Tsukasa had begun the daunting task of breaking an old well that was obstructing their progress.

Despite the challenges, the two men were making some headway when they suddenly hit a roadblock. The well seemed indestructible, and all their efforts to break it had been in vain. Tsukasa furrowed his brow, trying to think of another approach. "How could this old well be so tough?" he mused aloud.

Suddenly, a voice from behind interrupted their thoughts. "We're thinking the same thing, Mr. Tsukasa." Tsukasa and Chairman Ryochi turned around to see a man dressed in casual clothes walking towards them. He had a friendly smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

"Mr. Nakamura!" Tsukasa exclaimed in surprise, his face lighting up. "It's been a while. How are you?"

The man replied with a grin, "I'm great! What about you, Mr. Tsukasa? I heard you become a father."

Tsukasa beamed with pride. "Yes, indeed. And thanks to Chairman Ryochi here, we'll be able to build a new rail line for our community."

The man, whose name was Mitsu Nakamura, nodded in agreement. He was a partner in Tsukasa's business, but more importantly, he was a college friend whom Tsukasa valued greatly. Despite his financial struggles, Mr. Nakamura worked tirelessly to provide for his family, which was living far away in Shimbashi. He always kept himself busy with different jobs, and Tsukasa frequently hired him to help out with various projects.

The three men stood in silence for a moment, gazing at the stubborn well that refused to budge. Then Mr. Nakamura spoke up, "This is definitely strange. I've never seen anything like it."

Tsukasa nodded, "I agree. It's almost as if this well doesn't want to be moved."

The Chairman chimed in, "We've tried everything we can think of, but nothing seems to work."

Mr. Nakamura paused for a moment before suggesting, "Have you considered using dynamite?"

Tsukasa and Chairman Ryochi looked at each other in surprise. It was a risky idea, but it just might work. With a newfound determination, they set to work planning their next move, grateful for Mr. Nakamura's unexpected help.

After shaking hands, Tsukasa and Mitsu started talking about the well. "I was good until this well made me unwell," Tsukasa says with a hint of frustration in his voice. Mitsu laughs and replies, "That well is quite interesting. But how could this well still be so hard, despite being so old, Mr. Tsukasa? Do you know any reason?"

"Not at present, and I think only Mr. Eiji can answer that," Tsukasa answers.

Meanwhile, Rongi was accusing the workers of not using their machines to their full strength, and threatened to withhold payment if they didn't do it properly.

Eiji and Sakichi were drinking their beers inside the open car when they heard Rongi yelling at the workers. Sakichi asked, "What happened, Rongi?"

"These guys aren't working at all. That old well can't be that hard," Rongi replied.

Eiji, who did not like Rongi, replied without even looking at him, "Once Rai mentioned that this well is very old and ancient. Built by his ancestors and they were like watchers."

"I don't give a shit about it. If this well isn't removed, the rail line won't start, you should know that. I don't want my money to waste on something like this," Rongi retorted.

Sakichi tried to calm the situation down, "First, you go and calm yourself down, Rongi. Until then, I and Eiji will think about what to do with it."

"Needless to tell. I was planning to do that," Rongi said as he stormed off.

After discussing the situation with Tsukasa and the others, we decided to call it a day and planned to stay at a nearby inn. As the night drew closer, Eiji and I snuck away to the Well location to stargaze, something Eiji had mentioned as being incredible. We sat on the edge of the well, our legs dangling off the side, and cracked open a bottle of beer while we reminisced about our college days.

Eiji pointed up at the sky. "Look at all the stars! It's like a whole different world up there."

I chuckled. "Yeah, it's pretty amazing. I can't believe we're the only ones out here."

As we continued to chat and drink, we both got more and more excited, our voices growing louder and more animated. Suddenly, Eiji lost his footing and slipped, his leg dangling over the well.

"Whoa, be careful there, man," I said, reaching out to grab his hand just as he started to fall. I pulled him back up, but he was heavy, and I struggled to keep him from slipping again.

"I'm sorry, Sakichi," he said, his voice slurring slightly from the alcohol. "I didn't mean to scare you like that."

"It's all good," I said, trying to catch my breath. "Let's just be more careful, okay?"

But as we attempted to stand up, we both lost our balance and tumbled into the well, landing with a thud on the rocky bottom.

For a moment, everything was quiet. Then, slowly, we began to stir, our eyes opening to darkness all around us. We were safe, but we were deep inside the well, with no way out in sight.

As we took stock of our surroundings, we noticed a door and a screen in front of us. The screen displayed a riddle, which we both thought might hold the key to escaping the well.

"What's that?" Eiji asked, pointing at the screen.

"I don't know," I said, squinting to read the words. "It looks like some kind of riddle."

"What's the riddle say?" Eiji asked, curiosity piqued.

I cleared my throat and read aloud, "If they're two, it's always called different even though they're the same way. Tell me what it is."

We both furrowed our brows, deep in thought. "What could it be?" I asked.

Eiji stroked his chin, his brow furrowed. "Hmm, maybe... Another?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, think about it," he said. "Even when you say 'another' twice, it sounds different each time. So even though it's the same word, it's always called different."

I nodded, impressed. "That could be it. Let's give it a try."

Excitedly, we both shouted out the answer: "Another!" And with a sudden flash of light, the door before us creaked open, revealing a narrow staircase leading upwards.

After we had solved the riddle, the screen lit up with a bright blue light which enveloped us from above. We felt weightless for a moment before suddenly being transported to another location. As we fell through the sky, I could feel the wind whipping through my hair and the adrenaline pumping through my veins. The ground approached quickly and we landed with a thud, knocking us both unconscious.

When I regained consciousness, I slowly opened my eyes and was greeted with a surreal landscape that was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The two suns were aligned perfectly in the sky, casting an ethereal silver glow over everything. The sky itself was a beautiful mix of oranges and yellows, with fluffy clouds that were almost too perfect to be real.

I took a moment to absorb my surroundings and noticed the grass was delicate to the touch, just like on Earth. However, the soil had a brownish tint to it and was extremely aromatic. As I looked around, I saw two-headed birds flying overhead and trees that looked like they were alive in different forms. The environment was filled with unknown creatures and breathtaking landscapes that I couldn't even begin to describe.

Suddenly, Eiji began to stir beside me. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around, panic etched on his face. He asked me where we were, but I too was at a loss for words. I did my best to describe what I had seen and understood so far, hoping it would bring him some comfort.

"Let's go and see some nearby town," I suggested to Eiji.

"Yeah! That would be better than being blank out," Eiji replied, enthusiasm shining in his eyes.

I offered him my hand, and we set off towards the right direction - straight up. As we walked, we encountered all sorts of beings, some of which we recognized, like tigers, but others were new to us. We saw a giraffe, but its neck was shorter than the ones we knew on Earth.

Suddenly, we stumbled upon a woman who was attempting to rebuild her house with her bare hands, and wood seemed to flow out of her palms. She wore a bracelet adorned with crystals around her wrist, adding to her mystique. Although she had a human appearance, both Eiji and I were too afraid to approach her, so we watched her from afar.

But then, we realized that we outnumbered her, so we slowly made our way towards her. As she noticed us coming, she didn't attack us; instead, she bowed down and said, "Welcome, I'm Yula. Are you a traveler?"

I leaned towards Eiji and whispered in his ear, "It looks like she thinks we're from this planet and owns a tavern. Let's stay here for a while." Eiji pondered over it for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Yula then invited us to stay with her for some time, and we thought she was very kind. We chatted with her and learned more about her life and the unusual skills she possessed.

However, our perception of her changed when she called guards from the palace to capture us. Eiji and I were taken aback by her sudden betrayal, but we knew that we had to escape before the guards arrived.

Meanwhile, chairman Ryochi was determined to complete his diary no matter what. He had been working on it for a while, and he refused to let sleep get in the way of his goal. He took a break to refresh himself and then settled back into his chair, sipping coffee as he continued to write.

He let out a hearty laugh and expressed his amazement at his father's past experiences. "You told me about it when I was ten years old but I was thinking of it as some fairy tale. But you are a really amazing father," he said with a smile. "Let's see what you experienced there."

After taking a sip of his coffee, Chairman Ryoichi proceeded to read a passage about a troublesome encounter. "That bitch called the guard. They caught us because we didn't know that they were coming," he read out loud, irritation evident in his voice. "They take us to the palace where His Majesty is holding a meeting with his various subordinates about us when he got informed by that bitch."

"The palace was really big from the outside and inside it was really dazzling and huge," Ryoichi continued. "When we reached where His Majesty was, atop His throne was a crystal with a sphere inside but its color and structure similar to that of our Earth." He paused, reminiscing. "Then he had four subordinates. Each two on both sides."

"A man with a fancy cap on his head," he said, pointing to his head, "then a woman with fierce eyes and that too giving a bitch vibe," he added, scowling. "The man called himself Zel and the woman called herself Reina."

"In front of them was another man in a well-tailored suit with a little girl hiding on his back," Ryoichi continued, painting a vivid picture. "He called himself the little girl's butler because she was His Majesty's child." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Then another woman who was not paying attention to us, so I wasn't able to see her. But her aroma was nice and eyes were shining like making me fall for her," he said with a chuckle.

Both men were also confused, unable to speak as they listened to His Majesty addressing them. "Welcome to Etsuchi, you humans," His Majesty said, his voice booming through the grand hall. The men could sense the power and authority he held over the palace and its inhabitants.