Yuko could barely believe the woman. At the same time, though, she felt the need to keep asking questions and she couldn't stop listening to her.
The woman told them some small things about Sanroku as they walked. Just like how the party had felt, Sanroku’s people hated the prospect of submitting to a tyrant. Somehow his children had joined the rebellion, and they used the knowledge of their father's advancements in technology to take the people of Sanroku and leave.
The city had been around for a little over ten years by now, and that the “aboveground” Sanroku was founded to flee the oppression of Niku. This all didn't happen long after the citizens of the underground Sanroku were forced to flee to the surface, as bad airflow had caused a buildup of deadly gasses. The airflow had since been repaired, however the life on the surface was so much more desired that a vast majority of people wanted to stay.
In turn, Shizumi and Satoru took turns to ask questions and explain their situation. While Shizumi talked about Shini, Satoru asked questions about the things they'd encountered on their journey here.
The concept of weather took some time for Yuko to wrap her head around, but at least it made more sense than the sun. Out in the emptiness of the sky there's a large floating ball of fire that we could never dream of reaching, and that “star” was so big and burned so bright that it kept the entire world warm? Yeah right. And there were tons of them, too? Those were just even more ridiculously far away that they only showed up as small glittering spots. That went beyond fairy tales.
On Shizumi's side, things were more technically productive. The medicine that they'd been taking was real, and they had a large stockpile of it. The woman said it protected people from the higher concentration of radiation than our bodies were used to handling from underground, making us sick without killing us immediately. Taking the medicine would encourage our already existing resistance to handle all of it if given enough time. Was radiation what they called kegare?
Shizumi had the same question, and based on comparisons and descriptors, they seemed about the same.
Furthermore, Yuko wondered why the surface world was so deadly. She couldn't quite put her finger on exactly why this bothered her so much, but it did.
As they walked, Yuko decided to focus on looking around Sanroku. The buildings had such an odd shape. They were rather decorative in their building, able to afford more than the bare minimum. She almost wondered if there was a symbolism behind it. Even if she was getting stared at left and right, actually getting to see another real, living city was like a dream come true.
The city of Sanroku was quite a bit smaller than Shini, based on the estimates Yuko could get. Everything was very spread out compared to the incredibly compact nature of Shini's East District. Then again, most of East was destroyed in the flood, so maybe they could fit what's left of Shini in a city like this. She also couldn't know for certain that Sanroku sprawled out evenly. Thanks to how spread out it was, and the lack of walls to serve as easily accessible vantage points, she couldn't exactly get an overhead view. Maybe if she climbed one of the trees? Or that big smoking structure seemingly at the center of the city?
Yuko decided against it. They weren't exactly going to pause their trip to sate her curiosity, and hoped she'd get to sate it later.
Eventually they stopped in front of a building. This had to be their destination. The building was quite pretty, if odd. A structure of stone both ancient and new, with one central spire that ended in a dome. It was quite clear that the building was once partially destroyed a long time ago, and fairly recently an effort was made to rebuild it, without taking down all, if any, of the ruin walls. The inside looked like it was identically rebuilt.
After a few short conversations with some more people and the confiscation of their weapons (they either did not notice or care to take Yuko's knife, and she hoped the others had similar weapons hidden), they were brought in to meet the leaders.
The room was fairly large, with a brown haired woman in glasses sitting at a small desk with a book in hand, while a blond haired man moved around the room waving some sort of wooden sword around in a clearly practiced routine. Both looked young, maybe around Yuko’s age. These were their leaders?
They were once again different from the other people the party had seen before. They had no protruding nose and wide mouths, for one. Their eyes had no visible sclera. Oddest was probably the second thumb they had on the opposite side of their hands.
The man noticed the group first, pausing his routine in surprise, before whispering. “Wakane, look.”
This got the woman to look up from her book. She too, showed visible surprise, before putting her book down and jumping out of her seat with an uncannily wide smile. “Oh goodness! More survivors!” she exclaimed joyously.
“Welcome to Sanroku,” the man greeted with a warm? smile. They were even more alien than the others, it was unsettling. He gestured towards a larger table off the side. “Please, take a seat. We'd love to hear your story.”
Wakane was quick to join them at the table, she couldn't keep her eyes off the new arrivals. Before Yuko even knew what was happening, the girl had taken hold of her hands from across the table and leaned over it to take a closer look. “Your eyes, they're fascinating. How well can you see?”
As Yuko's eyes dilated to adjust to the person being so close now, the girl was in awe. Yuko couldn't help but recoil, a little flustered. “They work just fine, thanks…”
“Wakane,” the boy scolded, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“Yes, Kosuke?” she asked in a feigned innocent tone.
“Don't scare off our new guests.”
Wakane then pulled back with a giggle. “Sorry~ ” she said as she bowed her head.
Satoru spoke up. He was tense. “Could you tell us about Yoshinaga first? We were told he is your father.”
Wakane’s smile faded for a more somber look. Kosuke decided to answer. “Niku was not a city that resurfaced out of necessity, but out of ability, thanks to our father's knowledge of history and his eyes on the future of the nation. He led the city back to the surface and claimed it. We were very young, then. He's… afraid, of the world beyond these islands. If he could unify everyone that's left, he thinks he might stand a chance to take a stand and make a statement. Use all the technology he spearheaded to make anyone regret even thinking about hurting this place.”
Wakane then spoke up as well. “Thing is, that was 300 years ago. We don't know how the outside world even feels about us anymore. Do they even still care? Really, I don't want to look at the rest of the world with a weapon pointed at them. We just wanted to enjoy the life we had, and welcome the world with open arms when they decide to find us-”
Kosuke interrupted her with a balled fist. “But our father is stuck in the past. He wants to rebuild the glory of the once incredible Japan. Even if it comes at the cost of destroying the new world that's evolving to make this place into something new. So… we left. We took our father's knowledge and built Sanroku with its underground survivors and have been enjoying our lives.”
Yuko was left with more questions than answers. Japan? How big was the world, even?
“We're glad that you found your way here,” Wakane added with a smile.
Reluctantly, Yuko looked between Wakane and Kosuke, then Satoru and Shizumi. When she spoke up, she told them everything. About their journey. About Fukui. About the thirioid they encountered in the tunnels, which turned out to be a mockery of a creature called a bear. About Shini, the flood and her father. The last details earned her some compassionate looks from her companions as well as the siblings.
“Every city fails eventually. They weren't meant to last forever. It seems like Shini's decay is starting to become too much to delay anymore, based on the fact that you're here,” Kosuke explained.
“So… you can't help?” Yuko asked.
“We can't repair your city, but we can bring your people here, should they want to.”