At the edge of Dragon God’s Lake, while the morning mist was still dissolving into the water, Mocchi crouched on a stone by the shore.
He held his large hand out flat, just above the water’s surface. Holding his breath, careful not to make a ripple .
“A hundred and twenty-three.”
Footsteps came through the grass behind him, and Spice appeared, holding a measuring instrument he’d apparently assembled all through the night, his eyes still bloodshot.
“Three more species than last year,” Spice said, pointing the device at the water’s surface. “A new record, just for Dragon God’s Lake.”
dragonflies skimmed the water. The moss on the bank glowed deep green, soaking in the May morning sun. A tiny, unnamed winged insect brushed past both their faces before vanishing.
Mocchi slowly stood and wiped his wet hands on his work clothes.
“You know its name? That bug.”
“It’s in the data. But this is the first time I’ve actually seen it.”
“I see,” Mocchi said quietly. “They’re all so small. But if even one of them weren’t here, I bet the lake wouldn’t be this clear.”
Spice looked at the numbers on his screen and said nothing. Species name, population, water temperature, clarity . Things that could be measured lined up neatly. Things that couldn’t be measured didn’t line up at all.
Somewhere deep in the lake, the Dragon God’s presence stirred. No clear shape to it — just the water felt, somehow, a touch warmer than the end of spring.
“Spice,” Mocchi said. “Do we count among that number too?”
Spice quietly turned the instrument’s screen face-down.
“…Can’t confirm that right now.”
The two of them stood side by side, gazing at the lake for a while. The mist thinned, and a hundred and twenty-three lives quietly began their morning.
Margin note: That night, as Spice was organizing his data, one item — “species name: unknown” — had quietly increased by one.
【Today’s Motif】
- International Day for Biological Diversity: May 22nd is the UN-designated International Day for Biological Diversity. A day to call for understanding and protection of how countless living things across the earth support one another and maintain the balance of ecosystems.
- Pac-Man’s 46th Anniversary: On May 22nd, 1980, Namco released the arcade game “Pac-Man.” That yellow circle, running through a maze while eating and fleeing , is still loved worldwide 46 years later.
This is an English translation of “種名、不明”, part of Tales of Amencho Town (蛙鳴町奇譚).