《The One-Room Apartment on the Sand》


 Prologue

    SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 ~ FLAMETJD


    Once again, summer had arrived this year.


    The rainy season came and went.


    However, the relative humidity and heat index remained at a high. The air felt so damp it seemed to cling to the skin. Throngs of people went to-and-fro as though swimming through this atmosphere saturated with water.


    ¡°I¡± was one of them.


    Dressed in a white dress and a pastel cardigan, I must¡¯ve looked the part of a well-bred lady if I do say so myself. It wasn¡¯t my usual outfit though. If you were to ask whether it suited me or not, I¡¯d lean towards saying it did. Nevertheless, it just wasn¡¯t my preference. And if you¡¯re asking whether there¡¯s a special someone I was trying to impress¡ªwhich was why I wore something I wasn¡¯t used to, the answer would be no.


    Even with a parasol, walking under the hot sun readily drained one¡¯s stamina, and that effect was all the more pronounced when wearing unfamiliar clothes. I slowly made my way, stopping frequently under shelter to rest.


    Many different species of cicadas were chirping at the top of their lungs. It sounded to me as if they were sneering at me.


    Where do you think you¡¯re going in this blazing heat? That place you¡¯re trying to reach does not exist anymore, and neither does that person. You can never return to that time. Aren¡¯t you just basking in the memories of that summer since it¡¯s that time of the year again? Well? And so on.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t actually the case.


    I mean, cicadas were just that. They sang at the top of their lungs for no reason other than their own, and it had nothing to do with me whatsoever. Their mockeries were all in my head, a product of the fear in my heart.


    Yeah, you¡¯re absolutely right, I acknowledged the cicadas¡¯ delusionary laughter.


    I won¡¯t make any excuses, for it was true that I was just reaching out in search of lost time. Filled with lingering attachments, I wished to indulge in memories of days past.


    Though no one was hurrying me, I sped up slightly.


    I made my way up a white stone staircase.


    A gust of wind brought over the sharp odor of a roadside tree whose name I didn¡¯t know, causing me to gag slightly.


    Proceeding up a slope paved with aged tiles, I passed by a group of suntanned grade-schoolers. For a second there, the scent of the trees was tinged with the acrid whiff of chlorine.


    Ah¡­


    Turning the corner at a fairly old tobacco shop, I saw it just ahead¡ªan apartment complex which looked just like any other.


    It was eight storeys high, with around four apartments per floor. The walls were surprisingly clean, and looked quite new despite the many years that had passed since it was built. A small open-terrace caf¨¦ occupied the first floor, but it was rather vacant owing to its distance from the nearest train station.


    Almost delirious from the heat, I shakily stepped into the building. The main entrance wasn¡¯t locked. I headed straight for the stairs, passing by a sign which read ¡°Please refrain from making noise at the common area¡± as I climbed up. From time to time, I stopped to take a break when I was out of breath. When I had rested enough, I continued my ascent.


    Eventually, I arrived before unit 508.


    I knew what was behind the door. A room bereft of furniture. A large window covered by pale-green curtains. The townscape of Hagamine City which lay beyond them, and even further, the sea. A single low drawer which sat against the wall, with a round fishbowl on top. Two red goldfish frolicked in the bowl, weaving around the swaying waterweed. That ¡°child¡± was sitting where the sun hit the floor, swaying side-to-side like the strand of waterweed as she stared at that person¡¯s back.


    I took a breath, and exhaled. Then, I reached a finger out towards the doorbell¡­


    And stopped. I pulled my finger away, and took a single step back.


    I could not go beyond that door, for I had no right to.


    The cicadas kept chirping in the background, sounding to me as if they were sneering at me.


    You guys were exactly right. That place I¡¯m trying to reach doesn¡¯t exist anymore. That person is gone, and time won¡¯t turn back. The only thing I can reclaim is this season we call summer, which comes over and over again.


    ¡°¡­Hahh,¡± I sighed. Standing right here, I was once again reminded of the glaring fact that I was nothing more than an outsider.


    It¡¯s true. I knew about them, about what happened that summer. However, that was but a one-sided relationship. Though I knew about them, they knew nothing about me.


    To them, I was nothing more than an intimate outsider. I wasn¡¯t an actor in their story; simply a part of the stage setting, or perhaps something like a stagehand. I was always there. In times where they suffered, rejoiced, grieved, and when they eventually came to understand each other¡ªI was always with them, and I couldn¡¯t do a single thing.


    There exists a word known as ¡°Prologue¡±.


    Apparently, it originated as a word to describe the introductory remarks of a theatrical performance. An explanation of sorts, recited by an actor for the audience before the start of the story, in order to establish the context or characters.


    Oftentimes, that position is given to a character with a supporting, but nonetheless indispensable role in the story. Someone who doesn¡¯t directly influence the plot, yet remains close enough to witness the story unfold firsthand¡­ That makes them suitable, I guess.


    And that made me think.


    If what happened back then were to be summed up as a single story¡­ If I were to look back on that summer shared by that awkward young man and that intelligent imitation of a lab rat bound to this fishbowl of an apartment¡­


    Then surely there could be no one else fit to narrate its prologue other than me.


    That¡¯s why, at this time and place¡ª


    I shall recollect the tale of a man and a creature, here where they are long gone. I don¡¯t care if there¡¯s no audience. I just want to bask in the memories, alone.


    It all started on that hot summer night, during August of the year before last¡­

 CH 1.1

    (1)


    The sample was named ¡°Cor Ouadae 17-C-B¡±.


    At the Yazuno Central Environmental Research Institute, research into this biospecimen proceeded along three main lines of inquiry: What are its characteristics? How can it be proliferated? What sort of being is it, in the first place?


    All in all, they knew close to nothing about it.


    Even its origin was dubious. Dr. Nagasue, who brought the sample to the laboratory three years ago, had gone missing the following year without telling anyone of his whereabouts. To top it off, its cellular structure did not resemble any of the multicellular organisms known to man.


    One of the researchers described it as resembling ¡°a display sample of chicken tenderloin.¡± His fellow colleagues had chortled wryly in agreement. Indeed, it looked no different from a piece of chicken tenderloin one could find in the supermarket¡¯s frozen section. While both resembled food, one was made of plastic resin and silicone, while the other of something completely alien.


    Nevertheless, there were certain things they had discerned about it.


    The cells comprising the sample were all totipotent cells, which meant that they were capable of differentiating into all other cell types. When inserted into the wound of another organism, it transformed itself into a replica of the organism¡¯s cell and aided with the cell division process. Subsequently, it became a part of its host (and on the surface, the wound would appear to be healed perfectly).


    One of modern medicine¡¯s goals is the reproduction of totipotent cells. It would have been the achievement of the century had they been able to replicate such a function in other cells via research into this special specimen. In the modern world, however, the buzz generated by any discovery could be a double-edged sword. Thus, while there were high hopes for this research, it was also being conducted in secret.


    Till date, they were still unable to find a way to cultivate the sample in its unchanged state. As such, they proceeded cautiously by slicing off tiny portions of it at any given time.


    There was a lab rat.


    Its stomach had been cut open and implanted with trace amounts of ¡°Cor Ouadae¡±. The ¡°Cor Ouadae¡± mutated before their very eyes, differentiating into the abdominal cells of Mammalia Rodentia Myomorpha and undergoing cell division. Within 52 minutes, the wound had closed completely, without even a scar left behind.


    After that, an abnormality was observed¡ªthe rat¡¯s behavioral patterns had started to change.


    The speed at which it performed certain actions in an operant conditioning chamber? had clearly risen. In addition, it had even developed a certain degree of foresight based on past patterns. In a classic maze experiment, the rat displayed greatly above-average learning speed. Not only had it not shown the increased aggression commonly observed in such experiments, it in fact started behaving more cautiously.


    Short-sighted members of the staff came to a conclusion: the treatment had increased the rat¡¯s intelligence. This was fantastic news; not only had¡°Cor Ouadae¡± repaired the damaged organ, it had also activated(?) the neurons(?) in its brain(?). What a marvelous discovery! This will surely bring humanity to the next level!


    The more prudent staffers rejoiced in moderation. Cells of unknown origin had caused a change through some unknown mechanism. Whatever the reason, we can surely gain more insight by studying this further. We ought to be thankful for that.


    However, a small fraction comprising the rest grimaced. They were well aware of the many parasitic organisms in the wild that were capable of inducing changes to the mental faculties of its hosts. If ¡°Cor Ouadae¡± were one of those, an astronomical effort would be needed to cross the colossal barrier of its conversion into a practical medical procedure.


    Lastly, a few said nothing. They averted their gazes from the rat which stared at the humans with its unfathomable eyes, and asked with a tinge of fear in their voices:


    Can we really still call that creature a rat?

 CH 1.2

    (2)


    The walls and ceilings were an immaculate white.


    The floor was a brilliant wine-red.


    The smell of antiseptic and air freshener hung in the air, slightly pricking at the back of the nose.


    I really don¡¯t want to hang around here for long¡­ Such were Ema Soji¡¯s honest thoughts in regard to the Yazuno Central Environmental Research Institute.


    He understood that sterility was of the utmost concern for a research facility dedicated to the biological sciences. Yet the bleached and pristine walls, which no doubt was the work of someone scrubbing every nook and cranny with a bunch of solvents, appeared to be more for appearances¡¯ sake than any practical purpose. Was that really the case? Some self-absorbed big shot holding the key to the institute¡¯s funds came down one day and decreed it to be so? He knew he was being biased, but it did sound rather likely.


    While such thoughts were swirling around in his mind, he made sure it didn¡¯t show on his face. He wasn¡¯t that expressive to begin with¡ªso, as usual, he kept those idle thoughts behind a stolid mask.


    ¡°The request I want to make of you is simple.¡±


    When it came to concealing their emotions, the client he faced was not too shabby himself. That affable smile plastered on his face hid his true thoughts splendidly. Not that it means anything.


    ¡°Our lab is currently conducting groundbreaking research that will surely revolutionize the market. Once we translate it to practical use, it has the potential to become the sole driving force of our company¡¯s growth. Unfortunately, a faction within our ranks would not think well of us being in such a position of power should we succeed¡ª¡±


    Soji paid scant attention to the man; he had already grasped the overall picture.


    In short, opposing forces within the company were trying to interfere with them, so they wanted him to beef up this research institute¡¯s security. For that purpose, they had invited him, an ostensible expert in the field (as recommended by someone else).


    The specifics of the request likely involved an audit of their current security protocols, detection of any vulnerabilities, and a proposal of countermeasures as well as the projected timeframe and costs for implementation.  In that case, I should be able to provide some assistance even with my meager knowledge. That was his natural conclusion, but¡­


    ¡°¡ªThus, I would like to request that you obstruct the partnership between the executive director?¡¯s faction and Epizon Universal Inc.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± It appeared that the man had just said something completely unexpected. ¡°Let me go over that again.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°You do know that I specialize in security, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°So, the reason I was called here was to discuss the strengthening of this building¡¯s security.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. That is correct.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you bring up the word ¡®obstruct¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see, if the partnership goes through without a hitch, the power and influence executive director Soneda would gain will enable him to outright hinder our efforts. I won¡¯t ask you to dissolve the partnership, but if you could just delay it for around two more months, we would have much more room to breathe.¡±


    ¡°What part of that has to do with security?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Offense is the best defense. That is an adage that has been passed down since time immemorial and universally applied.¡± The man¡¯s amiable smile never left his face as he gave an absurd reply.


    In any case, it wasn¡¯t as if Soji could not understand the man¡¯s logic. Rather than shoring up your defenses, it¡¯s far better to weaken your enemy. A sound argument indeed. He¡¯s like one of those famed generals of yore, who keep spouting jargon like ¡°starvation tactics¡± or ¡°alienation strategies¡± and what not.


    Still, Ema Soji was a normal citizen of modern Japan, and most importantly, one with common sense. He had no intention of living in the world of military history.


    Lowering his head, he spoke bluntly: ¡°I respectfully decline.¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡± The man was still smiling, but his eyes went wide in surprise. He¡¯s good at controlling his emotions, thought Soji. ¡°May I know why?¡±


    ¡°I do not know what you were expecting when you heard the name ¡®Ema Soji¡¯, but sabotage is not within my job scope. I came here expecting to work on your security infrastructure, but you¡¯re telling me to play at being a ninja. That, I am unable to comply with.¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡±


    ¡°If you are in need of such services, there are others more qualified for the job. If you like, I¡¯ll speak to a middleman who will arrange to have a more suitable professional for your consideration.¡± As he spoke, Soji stood up from the awfully soft sofa he was sitting on.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to play along with a hypothetical enemy, but count me out if you¡¯re planning on fighting an actual war. You can rest easy, everything I¡¯ve heard today is for my ears only.¡±


    He left the reception room without waiting for a reply.


    Industrial spy.


    It isn¡¯t a profession, but rather a group of people who engage in certain activities. Basically, they undertake clandestine actions that aim to either damage an opposing organization or reap benefits for the one they are working for.


    Their methods are diverse and varied. One could slip into a competing company and leak their proprietary or operational information, as well as sow discord among their employees. Others may infiltrate a location physically to steal intellectual property and sabotage their operations. The prevalence of the Internet also makes theft and vandalism possible through hacking and other such means. Just as companies and enterprises have various ways of vying for business legitimately, those who work in the underworld have ways to ply their trade.


    For a country like Japan with a long history of internal strife, one might even consider this rat race to be ingrained into their culture. In this long economic downturn, where all corporate entities are taking a hit, the need for industrial spies is only all the more greater.


    Spy. Deceive. Steal. Destroy. There¡¯s nothing these people won¡¯t do for their livelihoods.


    At any rate¡ª


    After excusing himself from the reception room, he took a sweeping look around on his way to the entrance.


    The security of this building is sorely lacking¡­ Yeah, there¡¯s no doubt about it. He had already caught sight of numerous flaws from a brief glance at the positions of surveillance cameras and movement of staff members.


    The shutters above the main entrance would be secure in case of an emergency, but it was all for naught given the breakable glass window a few meters to the side. One of the cameras was presumably pointed there for that reason, but it was obvious even to the untrained eye that it was merely a dummy. Furthermore, the only form of identification a staff member needed was an ID card. There were no fingerprint scans, voice recognition or iris scans in place. In other words, all you needed to pose as a staff member was to swipe their card and overlay your own face on it.


    Japan was a country of law and order, which meant the chances of a frontal heist occurring were close to none. They probably aren¡¯t wrong to rule out the possibility of a gunfight here. However, everything else was fair game. Be it in Japan or anywhere else, as long as there was something to steal, burglary and theft would still be on the cards¡ªespecially for places that handled secrets.


    Moreover, there was another issue which had caught his attention.


    ¡­Nah. Whatever happens here has nothing to do with me, thought Soji as he continued walking.


    ¡°Is that you, Mr. Ema?¡±


    Out of nowhere, an unfamiliar voice called out to him, and he stopped.


    ¡°Huh?¡± He turned around.


    A few steps away, a young woman was looking at him. He appraised her with a single glance.


    She looked to be in her early twenties, possibly even 18 or 19. There wasn¡¯t a lanyard with an ID card around her neck.


    His first impression was that she wasn¡¯t particularly eye-catching.


    However, that plainness was manufactured. Her makeup, outfit, and glasses all served to downplay her outer appearance. That fact alone was highly reminiscent of an industrial spy. Though that probably isn¡¯t the case here.


    Her posture¡¯s good, but the instability of her torso and the curvature of her median line? suggests a lack of exercise. He guessed that her lifestyle consisted of sitting for long periods of time on an unergonomic office chair.


    Now, since I¡¯m done analyzing her, time to move on.


    ¡°Erm¡­¡±


    The fact that she had called him by name meant that she knew him. However, her face did not presently ring a bell in Ema Soji¡¯s mind. Upon a closer look, she did have beautiful features beneath her faux simplicity. Even so, it doesn¡¯t call back a name.


    ¡°It¡¯s you, Mr. Ema. You look exactly the same, I could tell it was you right away.¡±


    That too. ¡®Mr. Ema.¡¯ What¡¯s with that?


    The young woman seemed happy and smiled demurely. ¡°Long time no see. Do you remember me?¡± She straight up asked him mischievously.


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°Could it be that you don¡¯t?¡± The corners of her lips curved up in an impish smile.


    Seeing that expression brought to mind an old memory. It was a long time ago, far before the person known as Ema Soji had come to lead the lifestyle he presently did.


    He was only twenty at the time, a typical university student, and an average person with no links to the underworld. He had taken up multiple part-time jobs and led a busy life, always scurrying to and fro. Among the students he had taught as a private tutor, the one who was most brilliant and easy to teach had a particular grin whenever she teased someone older than her.


    That fragment of memory was like a faint echo of the life Soji had led in the past.


    ¡°¡­Are you Sakimi?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded joyfully.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t notice at all. I mean, how could I? How many years has it been?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been six years. I immediately realized, you know. Like, ah, that¡¯s Mr. Ema.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I mean, I was already a grown man at that time.¡± He choked up for an instant. Did she really see him and think he looked the same? Now, six years since then? ¡°You were only in middle school back then.¡±


    ¡°And now I¡¯m a second-year at university. ¡­Do I really look that different?¡±


    Of course, how could you possibly look the same, he wanted to retort. In his memories, she was just a sassy little child. Now, six years later, she had grown taller and her arms and legs were longer too, not to mention the change in her figure.


    ¡°Sure, you¡¯re all big now. You¡¯ve gotten prettier too.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like what an uncle would say to a niece he hasn¡¯t met in a long time.¡±


    ¡°Well, I feel pretty much like an uncle who hasn¡¯t seen his niece in a long time, after all.¡± They exchanged lighthearted chit-chat naturally.


    ¡°But that¡¯s so boring. Oh oh, but I felt kind of happy when you said I became pretty. Can you repeat that, this time looking a bit more bashful when you say it? Pretty please?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing it.¡±


    ¡°Cheapskate!¡±


    Soji thought back to the way they interacted six years ago and mimicked that¡ª


    ¡®You murderer!¡¯


    ¡°!?¡± For a second, a voice from the past admonishing him rang out at the back of his mind, and he grimaced reflexively..


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong, Mr. Ema?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t know about me?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She looked puzzled. ¡°Of course I know you. That¡¯s why I called out to you, didn¡¯t I? Mr. Ema, right? Don¡¯t go telling me that you¡¯re just a doppelganger or something now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that.¡± He took a deep breath and waited for his rough breathing to get under control. ¡°Sorry for asking something strange. Forget I asked that.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ If you say so.¡± Her face told him that she wasn¡¯t convinced. There¡¯s no blaming her.


    Ahem, came the sound of an exaggerated cough from nearby. When they turned to look, they saw a middle-aged security guard staring at them with eyes that yelled ¡®Stop flirting with each other in the middle of the road!¡¯


    A group of onlookers seemed to have formed while they were chatting at the area in front of the entrance.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re being a bother standing here and talking like this. Shall we head out?¡± He urged her somewhat stiffly.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, sounds good.¡± Sakimi looked a bit embarrassed as she started to walk. ¡°Oh, right. Could it be that you¡¯re working here, Mr. Ema?¡±


    He was lost for a second, then suddenly realized she was talking about the Yazuno Central Environmental Research Institute.


    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m not from here. I was just meeting someone to discuss some security matters. What about you?¡±


    ¡°My father works here. I came to deliver something he left at home today. Some thumb drive containing important data, he said.¡±


    ¡°O-Oh really?¡± Are you kidding me? At a time like this?


    Was it really okay for him to bring something like that out of the building?


    He was reminded once more of the security challenges the institute faced. If they¡¯re in the middle of an internal conflict, shouldn¡¯t they at least take some basic precautionary measures against being targeted by the enemy?


    Perhaps his concern was written all over his face, as she followed up.


    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s really risky of him, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± She looked at him somewhat awkwardly.


    ¡°Yeah, you could say so. At any rate, you need to be careful about things like that, especially since we live in such a dangerous era. The shareholders would surely raise a fuss if they found out about this. Not to mention, they¡¯re conducting top-of-the-line research over here, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    Scanning their surroundings, he added: ¡°That makes it even more likely that there are people setting their sights on this place.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    Soji turned back for a final look as he exited the automatic door.


    Three surveillance cameras covered the entrance.


    But two of them were dummies, with plenty of blind spots abound. Hence, there were roughly seven routes one could take to head inside without being reflected in the recording.


    And that was just what he could tell with a cursory glance. Someone who gathers even a bit of information beforehand would surely be more knowledgeable.


    They¡¯re here already¡­


    He spotted them on the way out¡ªmen who made their way in using the routes he had just traced with his own eyes.


    And from the look in their eyes, to the way they maintained their center of gravity as they stood and how they shifted their body weight around, he could tell that they were professionals.


    Spies. Saboteurs. That¡¯d probably describe them. Furthermore, unlike a handyman like himself, those guys were the real deal. They made their living off that sort of work.


    ¡­Makes sense. Considering how slipshod the defenses here are, it¡¯s no surprise to see ruffians like them waltzing in like they own the place.


    Offense is the best defense. Those were the words of the man from earlier, but it appeared he had been forestalled.


    Anyway, it¡¯s not something I should poke my nose into, I suppose¡­


    This research institute would soon pay the price for their erstwhile negligence. But that was something for the company to settle internally, and an outsider like himself had no business commenting.


    Ema Soji lived by a rule: I will only help those who seek aid of their own initiative, and only if they pay the appropriate fee. This was his most important directive. It was what he had set for  himself to preserve his life as he lived on the edge. It wasn¡¯t something he would violate on the basis of a momentary outburst of emotion.


    Thus, I ought to distance myself from here, Soji told himself.


    * * *


    The sun had long since set, and it had started raining heavily.


    Drops of rain pelted his umbrella like bullets as they made their way through the nighttime streets. Due to the downpour, the street lamps were barely lighting the path.


    Owing to the incessant noise from the rain, they had to speak rather loudly to hear each other. As they were in the business district, they were hesitant to raise their voices too much even though the place was quite empty at the hour. Thus, they weren¡¯t talking much.


    Even then, the young woman walking next to him, Sanakura Sakimi, seemed to be in good spirits.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you once mention that you wanted to go to law school? Something about getting an attorney¡¯s license and becoming an independent woman. How¡¯s that going?¡±


    ¡°That? Ahaha, let¡¯s just say the dreams you had when you were young are as ephemeral as smoke. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve moved on, and now I¡¯m right on track to my next dream.¡±


    ¡°I see. Good for you.¡±


    There was a gap of six years between them. Although they had been acquaintances in the past, they were not so close that they kept in contact during that period. Nevertheless, Sakimi chatted with him comfortably as though they were friends. He hadn¡¯t remembered her to be so outgoing before.


    Soji wasn¡¯t so na?ve, so conceited, that he¡¯d imagine that she liked him, or that she was surely overjoyed at reuniting with her beloved tutor after all these years.


    ¡°I still remember all the stuff you taught me. Like about the iguanas, for example.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what¡¯s that about? Did I ever talk about such things?¡±


    ¡°You did! You said they were delicious preserved in soy sauce.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re definitely getting things mixed up.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, how¡¯s that cute girlfriend of yours doing?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever brought that up, have I?¡±


    As they walked and conversed about mundane things like they had in the past, Sakimi¡¯s expression occasionally clouded over, as if she were comparing that period of time in the past to something else.


    Is she unhappy about something in her current life? Soji wondered.


    It¡¯s like how people reminisce about the past more frequently as they grow older. The more unsatisfied they are with the present, the more attractive the past appears. And if they had a chance to relive the old days¡ªby meeting someone from back then and catching up with them, for example¡ªthey couldn¡¯t be happier.


    That must be why she¡¯s in a better mood than usual. Despite it being rude, he couldn¡¯t help but think so.


    The street came to a split. The right led to the shopping district, and further down, Fukamichi Station. The business district continued down the left, leading to a residential area.


    ¡°Um, mind if we exchange numbers?¡±


    Soji froze for a second. This was something he should¡¯ve seen coming, but didn¡¯t. I ought to reject her, he told himself. He was aware that nothing good would come of this girl, who knew nothing, getting close with his current self.


    Yet he still nodded in the end.


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°Is it alright if I come to you for personal advice next time?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± He hesitated briefly. ¡°Sure. Though I must first warn you, I can¡¯t guarantee it¡¯s going to help.¡±


    ¡°No need for guarantees. After all, I¡¯m just raising my own expectations.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a master at being spoiled, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    As a man, he should have rejoiced at getting close to a younger girl. He should have gotten his hopes up and plotted ways to grow even more intimate with her. But I clearly don¡¯t feel that way.


    From another perspective, if he was truly concerned about her, he should have cut all ties with her. It¡¯s different now, compared to six years ago. Perhaps he should have warned her not to get close to the present Soji. But I  don¡¯t feel like doing that either.


    In the end, he couldn¡¯t choose either of the ¡°should haves¡±. I truly am spineless.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call you soon!¡± With that, Sakimi headed in the direction of the station.


    Alone, the pitter-patter of the rain sounded even more deafening. His gray-tinted world seemed to turn a whole shade darker.


    ¡°¡­How half-assed could I get?¡± He spoke out aloud, sneering at himself.


    Unfulfilled with the present, and constantly replaying the past. Yep, that¡¯s me. It had felt great to be chatting merrily with the girl he¡¯d been on good terms with six years ago, as if all that time had never passed.


    He took shelter under the eaves of a nearby building and took out his phone. He opened the contacts list¡ªconfirming once more that Sakimi¡¯s name was newly added at the top¡ªand dialed the number for the ¡°Chatterbox¡±.


    After a few seconds of dial tone, the call went through.


    ¡®Heya, Mr. Ema! My man! Where¡¯re ya at this time?¡¯ For some reason, the frivolous voice on the other end of the line spoke rapidly.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a few streets down from that research institute. I¡¯m sorry, but I turned them down since the terms were different from what I had expected.¡±


    ¡®Oh, I¡¯ve already heard about that. Nah, it¡¯s my bad for not getting the facts straight. I¡¯ll make it up to you next time, ¡®kay?¡¯


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± I won¡¯t wait up, he was about to say.


    But the voice from the phone was a step quicker than him: ¡®More importantly¡ª¡¯


    ¡®¡ªGet away from there right now. That research institute is about to witness sabotage.¡¯


    ¡°Oh.¡± Probably those guys I saw, huh. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m nowhere near the building. Since I saw those folks and all.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t mean that. Hurry up and hide yourself. Goto and his boys are on the move.¡¯


    In that split second, the sound of the rain seemed to fade out into nothing. A chill ran down his spine, as though it had been doused with a bucket of icy water.


    He¡¯s coming?


    That guy?


    Right now?


    To that place?


    ¡°¡­Now that¡¯s a familiar name.¡±


    Holding his breath to prevent the onset of hyperventilation,  he squeezed out a mangled groan after a while.


    In general, industrial spies behave inconspicuously. Things like stealing a password or sneaking out a file of secret documents don¡¯t require loud fanfare like shootouts or sword fights. Flamboyant actions attracted unnecessary attention that could potentially ruin the efforts of a job well done. Thus, they behave modestly by default.


    Yet there are always exceptions to everything. Goto was one of those, a contractor of notoriety in the trade.


    At the same time, his was an unforgettable name for the person known as Ema Soji.


    ¡°Is he going to destroy that place?¡±


    ¡®More likely than not. You don¡¯t want to get inside his crosshairs too, do you?¡¯


    I¡¯d hate that, he thought. And with Goto¡¯s name coming up, it was no exaggeration or joke to say that his life might be forfeit were he to stick his nose into this case.


    ¡°Well, of course¡ª¡±


    Just as he answered, he looked up.


    And doubted his eyes.


    Far away, beyond the veil of rain¡ªhe saw a human silhouette run past the street junction he¡¯d just been at. They weren¡¯t carrying an umbrella, and their hair trailed behind them as they dashed through the rain without care.


    He couldn¡¯t see their outline clearly. In the first place, it had all happened in the blink of an eye. It doesn¡¯t matter. I can already guess who that is.


    Sanakura Sakimi.


    The girl he¡¯d just parted with moments ago.


    Why had she turned back on the road, and in such a hurry?


    There could only be one reason: She had noticed the irregularity at her father¡¯s workplace. That was why she had ran back, in hopes of being able to help somehow¡­ All without a clue of what awaits her there.


    A place conducting top-of-the-line research is bound to be targeted by other organizations. The one who¡¯d warned her was none other than Soji himself.


    ¡®Hello? Mr. Ema? You there?¡¯


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s the matter, something up?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll call you back.¡±


    ¡®Hey, wait up. Hello¡ª¡¯


    He cut the call and stuffed the phone into his back pocket.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I have a death wish!¡± Tossing away the umbrella, he threw himself into the torrential downpour.

 CH 1.3

    Morality and ethics aside, what¡¯s the surest way to neutralize a competitor? If you were to ask that, most people would probably answer with the following:


    All you need to do is wipe them out.


    This time round, Goto and his team¡¯s job went roughly as follows:


    First, they took over the control room without raising a commotion. Typically, research facilities had numerous systems in place to prevent accidents¡ªhence their first move was to shut those systems down. Things like indoor air composition readings and the various lifesign gauges of lab animals could all be accessed from there. Even externally-managed systems like the fire alarm and sprinklers had vulnerabilities which were well-known, and a simple dummy program could put them to sleep.


    The most effective way to spread fire had also been completely simulated from the floor plan of the building. Where to start the fire? Which direction should the air-conditioning blow? How to best propagate the flames so that they swallow everything? All these were known beforehand. The extra fuel needed to accomplish that had been brought in from outside in a discreet manner and placed at their respective locations.


    When all the preparations were complete, it was then time to execute the plan.


    The initial blast was made to look like a gas explosion. Flames quickly spread, but the alarm didn¡¯t ring. To make matters worse, the sprinklers malfunctioned due to an unfortunate fault and were unable to put out the fires. The staff members panicked and made a mad rush for the exit. An explosion occurred then, this time injuring multiple people. Chaos ruled the scene as the fire enveloped the building. Precious data and samples were engulfed by the merciless blaze and reduced to ashes.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Good, good.¡±


    In the control room, a middle-aged man stroked his stubble as he viewed the pandemonium through the surveillance cameras.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing quite like this. You know, I came into this line because I can¡¯t help but admire James Bond. Nothing says ¡®Spy¡¯ quite like treading through a sea of fire and explosions, eh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the fans would be fuming if they knew this was your way of paying tribute,¡± the small-statured henchman commented, tapping away at a keyboard through gloved hands.


    ¡°Let them. A fan¡¯s free to choose the way he enjoys something, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m also sure that principle¡¯s based on the unspoken assumption that you don¡¯t go beyond the bounds of law and common sense, though.¡±


    Even as they exchanged light banter, the situation continued to evolve.


    A calculated explosion, an inferno, swallowed up all in its way.


    Soji knew of Goto¡¯s method. He would demolish an entire building and make it look like an accident.


    He was never particular about how many victims there would be. If you wanna live, you had better struggle with all your might. If not, just die quietly. That was his stance.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that he¡¯d leave things up to chance. He¡¯d make sure to silence those who were not meant to live. Specifically, that would be the original target, and anyone foolish enough to remove something they were not supposed to from the scene of the ¡°accident¡±. Once spotted, Goto would never let them escape.


    Soji was right in the middle of the commotion outside the front entrance, among fleeing staff and curious onlookers. From the look of things, firefighters had yet to arrive.


    He grabbed a nearby man wearing a white coat.


    ¡°Did you see a young woman going in?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah, chief Sanakura¡¯s daughter just ran inside¡­¡±


    He reflexively clicked his tongue; he had been right on the money. ¡°Which way did she go?!¡±


    ¡°Probably Lab C, where the chief¡¯s at¡­¡±


    Without even listening to the end, he sucked in a deep breath and dashed. A voice from behind called at him to stop, but he ignored it.


    A quick glance around the entrance told him that the fire alarm and sprinklers were not on, yet the surveillance cameras were live. As expected, Goto has most likely seized the control room. He¡¯s probably controlling this disaster from there. He briefly considered hacking the building from the outside, but immediately abandoned that thought. It¡¯s unlikely to go well, and more importantly, it takes too much time.


    Making sure not to be caught on camera or by Goto¡¯s henchmen (who may or may not be patrolling), he entered the research institute.


    ¡­Shit! It was dangerous to breathe in smoke at the scene of a fire, so he kept his breathing to a minimum.


    The only silver lining was that he was completely drenched from the rain, providing him a bit of protection against the fire, and allowing him to filter the air by breathing through his sleeve. Even then, the longest he could stay in this inferno was five minutes. He had to wrap everything up by then.


    It¡¯s burning up.


    The scene reflected in his eyes, no¡ªeverything he felt with his five senses stirred unpleasant memories within him. He had jumped, of his own will, into this hell which he wished to never experience again.


    Part of Soji¡¯s mind berated himself: Why do something so foolish? It doubled down: Hurry up and get out of here! He clamped down on those voices and headed further in.


    Keeping his posture low and taking care not to trip over any debris, he pressed on, half running and half gliding forward, all the while maintaining his cover in the shadows.


    His aim: Lab C.


    ¡°Hmm. Again?¡± The short man sitting in front of the monitors paused.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Another one just jumped in. This time, it¡¯s a guy. A local hero-wannabe or something?¡±


    ¡°Jeez.¡± Goto lifted his head.


    ¡°I wish they¡¯d stop. Can¡¯t they take a hint? Guys like this are gonna die for sure. And then it¡¯ll look as if I was the one who killed them. Did they not learn that playing with fire is dangerous in all their years of compulsory education?¡±


    ¡°I agree with that part about them rushing towards their deaths. Still, I don¡¯t think it changes the fact that we¡¯ll be the ones who killed them. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what the authorities would think too.¡±


    ¡°Nah, who cares about the facts, or whatever the authorities think? The problem here¡¯s how I feel, you see. They¡¯re the ones in the wrong, so it¡¯s not my fault. In fact, I¡¯m perfectly justified. And that emphasis is what keeps me happy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that argument a lot growing up. But to assert it at this level really makes you a helluva scumbag.¡±


    Soji found Lab C located at the furthest end of the second floor. Thanks to all of the fire doors along the way being open, he didn¡¯t have much trouble getting there.


    He checked the situation in the lab from behind the door.


    ¡°What the¡­?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but utter, even though he understood how precious the air in his lungs was.


    To describe it in one word, it would be ¡°webs¡±; spider webs.


    It covered the floor, walls, ceiling¡ªand everything in between. Lit by the flames, that pinkish thing, whatever it was, continued to spread across the lab.


    At first sight, it appeared to stretch out in thin, string-like fibers, but a closer look at the floor and the walls revealed something spread out like a sheet of fabric. In addition, there were several mysterious lumps on the floor. He couldn¡¯t tell what it was, but guessed that that was its original form and the thin threads were what it had transformed into.


    Some kind of slime mold? Or, if not, a similar organism. And most likely the object of groundbreaking research that was being conducted here.


    It seemed to be trying to escape the fire, stretching out its tendrils as if saying it wanted to live. However, their edges were scorched by the flames, and it slowly turned to ash.


    ¡°¡­Kh!¡± This wasn¡¯t the time to be absorbed in the strange sight. Recalling his objective, he stepped inside the lab.


    Immediately, he spotted her.


    Behind a desk, a man in a white coat was pinned under a collapsed shelf. Sanakura Sakimi was clinging onto his chest, unmoving. He rushed up to her.


    ¡°Sakimi!¡±


    When he called out, she stirred slightly. He then pressed a finger on the man¡¯s carotid, and checked his pupil.


    The man was dead.


    He turned over the man¡¯s nametag, which read: Sanakura Kengo.


    He remembered. This was a face he saw all the time six years ago, when he was still tutoring Sakimi. A kind father who loved his family. Soji often witnessed him getting scolded by his wife and daughter for munching on his favorite donuts when he had a chronic heart disease. Did he not make it in time when the accident occurred? Soji closed his eyes and mourned for a moment.


    ¡°Sakimi!¡± He called out once again to the young woman who had just lost her father, but there was no response.


    Her side was stained red. She¡¯s injured!


    I¡¯ve got to take a closer look and check how bad it is, but there¡¯s no time for that! He lifted up the motionless Sakimi.


    It hurts to breathe. The conflagration had grown in intensity. There was no time to head back the route he¡¯d taken. They were on the second floor, but most of the windows were shut and could not be opened.


    He had to find a way out somehow.


    ¡­Tch. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a moving red dot belonging to a surveillance camera in motion.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird¡­¡± the short man grunted in doubt.


    ¡°What is it this time?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t seem to find the man who barged in just now anywhere. He¡¯s not showing up on the cameras.¡± He pointed at the monitors sequentially. ¡°Well, my guess is he probably ran out of juice somewhere and collapsed. Even then, I should¡¯ve at least seen him running around in circles somewhere. And yet, the only time he showed up was back at the entrance, he just went poof after that.¡±


    ¡°Huuuh?¡± Goto stroked his stubble. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s that. He¡¯s moving about while hiding in the blind spots of the cameras?¡±


    ¡°That might be thinking too far. It¡¯s entirely possible that he just buckled right near the entrance.¡±


    ¡°Is it? Hmm, maybe you¡¯re right.¡± Goto went silent for a few seconds. ¡°Why don¡¯t you rewind the footage a little? Back to when that guy showed up.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing. You curious?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am. The thing about a job is, you gotta be bold yet delicate when it comes to the details.¡±


    ¡°Nice line, but I¡¯m 100% sure it¡¯s bullshit you just made up.¡± The short man froze the display on one of the monitors, and wound back the footage until it showed the scene of interest.


    ¡°That¡¯s our guy?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    The playback quality was atrocious. They could tell that someone just dived into the building, but his outline was blurry.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell from the still. Play it for a bit.¡±


    Without blinking, Goto followed the man in the video closely with his eyes.


    As he instructed, a brief clip of the man running was played over and over on the monitor.


    ¡°Did you figure something out?¡±


    ¡°Nope¡­ but something about him¡­¡± Goto scratched the side of his head. ¡°Reminds me of someone I¡¯ve seen before, but I can¡¯t find a name.¡±


    ¡°You mean it¡¯s someone in the trade too?¡±


    ¡°Highly possible. Argh, where have I seen this guy¡­¡±


    Just then, on another monitor, the silhouette of a person could be seen cutting across the screen.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    They wound back and replayed the footage. It showed the same man from earlier, only this time with a much better clarity than before. A man in his twenties, carrying a young woman in his arms and walking with a steady gait.


    His face could not be seen. It should have been visible from their perspective, but somehow it was completely hidden.


    ¡°He¡¯s totally aware of the camera.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s more, he¡¯s moving like he knows that we¡¯re watching here,¡± Goto muttered, seemingly impressed.


    His lips curved into a fiendish smile.


    ¡°What it means is this¡ªI don¡¯t know who or where this guy came from, but he¡¯s no doubt an enemy who¡¯s come to get in the way of our job.¡±


    With the heavy rain beating down on his body, Soji took a deep lungful of the outside air.


    The sudden influx of oxygen to his brain caused him to be struck by a bout of severe dizziness for a second. He staggered a step, but somehow found it in himself to stand straight.


    The escape was a success.


    And in a stroke of luck, he was at the opposite side from the entrance and there were no prying eyes around. It should be possible for me to leave this area without anyone knowing.


    His upper body was in direct contact with Sakimi. Something feels a little out of place. Although the bleeding looked severe, the wound on her flank was apparently rather small. Nonetheless, it was still an injury he couldn¡¯t leave as is. It irritated him to no end that the situation did not allow for him to stop to apply first aid even now.


    There¡¯s no need to even think about it. They¡¯ve noticed.


    He hadn¡¯t been able to take a path that was completely in the blind spot of all the cameras. In order to make their exit from there through a window on the unshuttered recess floor, he had no choice but to reveal himself to one of the cameras. The only consolation was that he¡¯d managed to hide his face, but that only attested to the fact that he, the intruder, wasn¡¯t just a random passerby.


    I¡¯ve got to leave the area ASAP.


    The rain was a great ally at this time. It hid his figure and masked any sound he made as he ran. Taking care to avoid being seen, he created some distance from the research institute with Sakimi in his arms.


    Concealing himself in the shadows, he took out his handphone. Even though it was waterproof, a layer of water had made the screen difficult to navigate. With some struggle, he managed to phone the Chatterbox.


    ¡®What were you thinking, Mr. Ema?! Are you mad?!¡¯


    From the words of rebuke that immediately greeted him, it seemed that the Chatterbox already had an idea of where and what Soji was doing.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess that¡¯s it. I¡¯ve gone mad.¡±


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe it, jeez! You alright?! Are you still alive?!¡¯


    ¡°For the moment, yeah. Can¡¯t speak for an hour from now, though. Goto seems to have sniffed out my presence.¡±


    He could almost hear the speechless incredulity on the other side of the line.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯d like to ask a favor of you¡ª¡±


    ¡®Oh my god! You¡¯re suuuch a hopeless idiot!¡¯ A loud voice roared from the phone as if¡ªno, precisely¡ªto vent its owner¡¯s frustrations. ¡®If you¡¯re around that area then, uh, head towards Fukamichi 3rd Street. As it happens, I have an unused safehouse over there. Hide there and lie low for the time being, you hear me!?¡¯


    Almost at the same time, his phone received a deluge of messages. They contained information such as the apartment¡¯s address and appearance, and the depository where its key was being kept.


    ¡°Thanks, you¡¯re a lifesaver. By the way, since you¡¯re already in for a penny, there¡¯s something else I want to ask of you.¡±


    ¡®What?!¡¯


    ¡°Is it okay if I bring a girl over there too?¡±


    There was a long silence.


    ¡®Huh? No, seriously, what?¡¯ The other voice asked back in a low tone.

 CH 1.4

    Soji unlocked the door and stepped into the designated apartment.


    It was a one-room apartment with wooden flooring. As there was barely any furniture, it looked more spacious than the floor area seemed to suggest. Going by the thin layer of dust that covered every surface, he surmised that no one had stepped foot in it for quite some time.


    Soji took a quick look around and confirmed that nothing was out of the ordinary. Just as he was about to open the windows to let air circulate around, he caught himself. With how things are, it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry.


    He pulled the curtains close and switched on the lights.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± he muttered an apology, lifting up Sakimi¡¯s bloodstained clothes in order to examine the wound. Viewed under a stable light source, a crimson bloodstain visibly covered her flank.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Underneath, he could not find a single wound. He gently wiped the blood with a towel, revealing her pale skin.


    It ought to have been around her flank¡ªor, more accurately, the lower part of the abdominal external oblique muscle, at the area from the side of the navel to the groin. From the way the blotch grew, he had anticipated a few-centimeter-wide laceration around there. However, there was nothing like that. At most, the slight purplish coloration indicated some internal bleeding.


    He gently prodded the skin with his fingers.


    What is it? he wondered. Something felt different about it. It feels somewhat¡­ stiff.


    He slid his finger to her abdomen and touched it. It¡¯s soft here. He touched her flank again. Yep, this part¡¯s stiff. This sensation is different from muscle tightness or inflammation, he thought.


    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Sakimi groaned faintly, like she was suffering. He hurriedly removed his finger.


    He was slightly bewildered, but there could be no better news than if she wasn¡¯t injured.


    Perhaps the injured one was her father instead. She had gotten the blood on herself when she hugged onto his body, and Soji mistook it for her own during all that mayhem. It was a rather wishful train of thought, he reflected, but since he hadn¡¯t found any wound, there was no point in worrying over it.


    He placed a hand on her forehead, and felt that it was hot. She must be both physically and mentally drained. Setting the question of her injury aside, he wanted to let her rest as soon as possible.


    Apologizing to her inwardly, Soji started to clean the young woman¡¯s body. He grabbed a bunch of towels and wiped her down in her unconscious state. After that, he took off her soiled clothes and dressed her in a clean tracksuit he found in the closet.


    He lay her down on the bed in the bedroom. He then fished through the kitchen shelves and found a box of medicine. There, he took a tablet of fever medicine and a cup of water before heading back.


    ¡°¡­-ter¡­¡± a voice called out.


    Sakimi was holding out her hand, as if trying to reach for something.


    She regained consciousness, he thought, inwardly relieved.


    ¡°¡­Mis-¡­ter¡­ Ema¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    She seemed to be gasping in pain as she called his name.


    ¡°I¡¯m right here. So don¡¯t worry,¡± he answered softly, grasping her hand.


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°He-¡­lp¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you bet I will,¡± he nodded reassuringly, promising her. He never even hesitated, because that was what he¡¯d intended from the start. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely help you.¡±


    Her lips parted slightly like she wanted to continue speaking¡ª


    And then she closed her eyes, and fell back into slumber.


    ¡°Sakimi?¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond even when called. Her breathing was shallow, but stable. He left the fever medicine and water on the nightstand. It¡¯s probably best to let her mind and body rest for now.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    He left the room.


    The large needle on the analog clock by the wall pointed toward 9.


    An annoying buzz came from the intercom.


    Soji looked at the monitor to see who the visitor was. They had silver-dyed hair, slightly tanned skin, and were dressed in a garish shirt paired with dark sunglasses. Several chain accessories hung from his body, clinking with his every move. The wide grin on his face revealed a row of pearly teeth.


    ¡®Wassup, it¡¯s me. I¡¯ve brought gifts so please let me in.¡¯


    It was a face and voice Soji recognized, so he opened the door.


    ¡°Woah, awesome! As expected of you, Mr. Ema, insane!¡±


    The man, Shinogi Kotaro, kept exclaiming ¡°Awesome!¡± or ¡°Insane!¡± as if he had lost his vocabulary. That flippant way of speaking was that of the ¡°Chatterbox¡± Soji had heard over the phone earlier.


    He talked to various people, listened to their various troubles, and occasionally introduced somebody to someone else. That was the way he made his living and why he called himself the Chatterbox. Though his personality wasn¡¯t particularly attractive, he had a way with words that made few people seriously hate his guts. As such, he had a network of contacts that was shallow and thin, but incredibly wide.


    ¡°Nowadays, you don¡¯t see guys legit picking up highschool girls off the streets anymore, do you? I mean, it¡¯s risky business AND a crime! Aren¡¯t you afraid of Section 224 of the Penal Code? I wouldn¡¯t dare play with fire like that!¡±


    ¡°You seem to be misunderstanding several things.¡± Soji pondered for a moment over where he ought to begin. ¡°First off, she¡¯s not a high school student. Apparently, she¡¯s already in university.¡±


    Well, that was a completely irrelevant point to start with.


    ¡°I see. Yep, even if she looks petite, age does make all the difference in the world. In a grown man¡¯s eyes, the chasm between a university student and a highschool student is impossibly wide, no? I mean, the spirit of youth just gets swept away once they take their entrance exams, amirite? I totally get you. In order for old men like us to get back that youthful feel, a uni chick¡¯s not enough to cut it, yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got no clue what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°The fact that it¡¯s illegal in real life is what makes it so exciting, isn¡¯t it? After all, there¡¯s nothing quite as spicy as the condiment of immorality. No matter how far you guys go, you¡¯re both accomplices in the act. That¡¯s big, you know. After all, if it¡¯s between adults, you¡¯d just call that cohabitation. This way¡¯s much more vivid and unforgettable.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if we could get to the main topic already.¡±


    ¡°Shall I recommend you a few manuals?¡±


    ¡°No thanks,¡± Soji lightly waved his hand, and continued: ¡°Let¡¯s get back on track. How are Goto and friends doing?¡±¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean, it¡¯s such a large-scale operation. They¡¯re pretty much still focused on there.¡±


    Of course they are, he thought.


    Torching the place in such a flashy and haphazard manner could only be possible if they had strong backing from their employer to cover up the incident. Afterward, a detailed investigation by the police was bound to reveal the unnatural outbreak and spread of the fire, and the firefighting systems¡¯ unusual failure.


    They would surely try to obstruct the investigation by giving the reason that the place was conducting proprietary cutting-edge research. Still, Goto and his group needed to erase as much of the more obvious evidence as possible before retreating.


    And, in that case, it was unlikely that he had sufficient manpower to chase after a suspicious character.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t sense any shady individuals around here either, so I think you can relax for now. But I¡¯m sure a search will go down before long. For a mysterious spy at the accident¡¯s scene, that is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no doubt about that.¡±


    Of course they would, he thought.


    The research institute was razed to the ground. The research they were conducting there had gone up with the flames. That was the end of Goto¡¯s job¡ªexcept not.


    There existed someone who had purposely rushed into the burning building. And coincidentally, this person was armed with the technique and know-how to anonymously infiltrate a place. There was only one conclusion Goto could reach, which was that they had retrieved the research data. That couldn¡¯t be good news in the eyes of their employer, who¡¯d wanted to stop the research so badly they ordered the demolition of the entire facility. Goto could never afford to let the thief escape.


    And I did indeed abscond with the data.


    A thumb drive was tucked into Soji¡¯s pocket. It had dropped from Sakimi¡¯s pocket when he carried her out.


    ¡°So, let me just mention this. You¡¯d best cut that girl off if you know what¡¯s good for you.¡±


    Yeah, thought Soji. That¡¯s probably the right call.


    ¡°It¡¯d be one thing if this was just a small skirmish. But we¡¯re looking at someone who¡¯s willing to burn down a whole building just to stop the research, you know? The risk¡¯s too big and not worth the return. You have that policy, don¡¯t you? ¡®Help only those who seek aid of their own initiative, and only if they pay the appropriate fee.¡¯ I really don¡¯t think that girl is capable of paying you the corresponding remuneration.¡±


    ¡°You have a point, but¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°¡­No, you¡¯re absolutely right. What am I doing, seriously? But still¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. You can¡¯t bear to forsake her, right? Well, that¡¯s just fine, isn¡¯t it? A policy¡¯s healthier if you allow for the rules to bend a little from time to time.¡± Kotaro shrugged, having said something which hadn¡¯t quite made sense to Soji. ¡°Just thought I should mention it. Not that I have any right to criticize you for not abandoning her.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. Jeez.¡± Kotaro gave a look around the apartment. ¡°You should assume he has already identified you. For now, the two of you should just sit tight and stay low here.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. I¡¯m not so optimistic about going back to my place¡ªWait, the two of us?¡±


    ¡°The two of you.¡±


    That made sense. Both Sakimi and himself had reason to be chased by Goto. They both needed to hide.


    ¡°¡­I see, both of us, huh.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? What, you mind? I mean, sure. You¡¯re a healthy young man, Mr. Ema. Could it be that you can¡¯t trust yourself to hold back when living under one roof with a cute girl like that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem.¡± He¡¯s saying that on purpose, isn¡¯t he? Soji glared at him.


    ¡°Chill out, I know what you mean.¡± The frivolous smile disappeared from Kotaro¡¯s face, and he looked somewhat abashed. ¡°You know I can¡¯t put you up in another place. No matter how much you say you want to be alone, you should know this is not the situation for that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± Soji heaved a deep sigh.


    He sincerely wished to be left alone. Still, he knew what the immediate priority was.


    ¡°There should be the minimum here you guys need to hole yourselves up for the time being, but with a roommate, you¡¯re gonna start running out of things, especially if you¡¯re in it for the long haul. If there¡¯s anything you need, just give me a ring. I¡¯ll send someone trustworthy over with the goods.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I appreciate it. How much is this going to cost?¡±


    ¡°Nah, thank you for the patronage. I¡¯ll send the invoice over to you later.¡±


    Hehe, Kotaro chuckled, his accessories jingling.


    ¡°You know, I really respect you, Mr. Ema. Both now and in the past. Especially that policy of yours. Nothing can be more obvious than that, eh? If someone asks you for help, of course you¡¯d help them to the extent they can pay for. And besides¡­¡± After a short pause, he continued: ¡°Out of everyone, you came specifically to me for help. You, a solo player who¡¯s always tried to do everything by yourself. You bet I¡¯d be feeling extra motivated.¡±

 CH 1.5

    Why am I living my life like this? Ema Soji pondered now and then.


    Obviously, he hadn¡¯t been like that in the beginning. At least, six years ago he was just an ordinary university student. Ordinary as he was, he was less worldly than those around him, but a bit more righteous than others and had the energy to act on it. He firmly believed that helping those in need was the right thing to do, and went out of his way to do so.


    Living expenses were a bit tight, and he took up multiple part-time jobs teaching at cram school and as a private tutor. Sanakura Sakimi was one of his students. Back then, she was only thirteen years old, in middle school and very much still a child¡ªeven if her way of thinking was slightly more mature than her peers.


    Six years.


    Looking at Sakimi reminded him of how long it had been. The thirteen-year-old child had turned nineteen and grown so much he couldn¡¯t even recognize her at first glance.


    Six years.


    In the time it took for a child to become an adult, the already-adult Soji had only fallen. He had racked up several irrevocable failures, became slightly more acquainted with the ways of the world, and grown afraid of getting close to others. He had picked up skills, experiences and accomplishments he could never be proud of, made a name for himself, and chosen to live in the underbelly of society.


    He had become completely unrecognizable from his past self.


    In the bedroom, Sanakura Sakimi slept peacefully on the bed, dressed in a tacky red tracksuit.


    Her fever seems to have receded, Soji sighed in relief. She really has become pretty, he thought once more. And it¡¯s not just her looks.


    Now that he observed her in a quiet place, he had quite a different impression from before. She looked translucent and ephemeral, as if she were enveloped in some kind of inexplicable, incorporeal aura.


    As he stared at her face, he absentmindedly thought back to what had just happened.


    ¡°¡­¡®Mr. Ema¡¯, huh.¡±


    The girl had called out to him in the same way as she did six years ago. She had believed, and treated him as if the Ema Soji of today and six years ago were the very same.


    That must¡¯ve been the reason why.


    The reason I broke my golden rule. The reason I leapt into the inferno even though I knew, all too well, that I shouldn¡¯t have. The reason I¡¯ve gotten myself embroiled in a case involving Goto. And the reason why I went so far to prevent Sakimi from dying. It all boils down to one thing¡ª


    I felt happy that she remembered who I¡¯d been before, so I didn¡¯t want to lose her, that¡¯s all.


    ¡°I¡¯m such a dumbass, aren¡¯t I?¡± He muttered under his breath, chiding himself. As a matter of fact, he wasn¡¯t feeling too terrible then.


    Under the faint glow of the nightlight, Sakimi¡¯s eyelashes stirred lightly.


    Slowly, she opened her eyes.


    Oh, she¡¯s regained consciousness. Relief flooded his heart and the tension in his cheeks relaxed.


    ¡°Sakimi.¡± He called out her name, then realized belatedly that perhaps he shouldn¡¯t have done that. After all, she was at an age where it wouldn¡¯t be strange to call her an adult. He considered that it might have been rude to call her by her first name, as if she were still the child he¡¯d known six years ago.


    Oh well, let¡¯s just go with it. I mean, I¡¯ve been calling her that since just now. At worst, I¡¯ll just ask if she¡¯s fine with it later.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± He thought for a while before continuing. ¡°It might be a little confusing for now, but listen to me calmly. We¡¯re in a bit of a complicated situation right now¡­¡±


    Her blue-tinged black eyes stared back at him, but only the pupils were moving.


    This silently continued for a few seconds. Then, using only her waist, she slowly raised her upper body.


    ¡°Sakimi?¡±


    Turning only her neck, she faced him directly. She moved as if she were a ball-jointed doll, each part moving on its own. At once, Soji noticed that something was off.


    ¡°Sa-¡­¡± She¡¯s just not feeling herself, he screamed on the inside. She must still be in a daze from waking up and confused from the shock she received at the lab. She¡¯ll go back to normal soon, he told himself.


    A bead of cold sweat rolled down his cheek.


    ¡°Are you feeling unwell somewhere?¡±


    He didn¡¯t receive an answer. Or rather, Sakimi wasn¡¯t even responding. She was behaving exactly like a doll, with her expression frozen and her eyes unfocused.


    ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re still feeling groggy? Why don¡¯t you lie down and rest some more?¡±


    He prayed that she would nod her head. He wished that the reason for her behavior was as simple as that.


    Yet that was not the case. The girl in front of him acted so strangely that he could think of no plausible reason for the change. Why didn¡¯t I realize it back then? I was just thinking that she felt incorporeal a while earlier. And it¡¯s precisely because that aura belongs to something inhuman.


    Her long hair, which held a trace of gold; that snow-white skin, which looked unfathomably icy, and her faintly pearlescent lips which trembled ever so slightly. Her black eyes tinged with blue stared blankly at him, a mysterious and ephemeral light gleaming within.


    Was that really a human which sat before his eyes? He couldn¡¯t even answer that simple question with confidence.


    ¡°Wha-¡± Swallowing the bitter saliva that had welled up in his mouth, Soji asked: ¡°What are you exactly?¡±


    A few seconds passed¡ªor maybe it was a few minutes.


    Her thin lips opened gradually.


    ¡°Yo-u¡­¡±


    Her voice was like a whisper.


    Naturally, it was nothing like the sweet whispers between two lovebirds. Instead, it was more like she had forgotten how to produce her voice and could not enunciate properly.


    ¡°I a-m¡­¡±


    She stared straight at him, not blinking even once with those unfocused eyes.


    ¡°Wh-at, am¡­ I¡­?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an answer. But at the same time, that small voice which came out with great difficulty spoke volumes as to her current state.

 CH 2.1

    (1)


    Soji flipped open the laptop he borrowed from Kotaro.


    After setting up a secure sandbox, he plugged in the thumb drive. It was protected by a simple password, which was nonetheless easily broken via a brute force attack. Two seconds was all it took for the cracking tool.


    Surfing through the file list, he opened up a document titled ¡°Brief Report¡±. From the name, he surmised it was probably a report documenting research findings and data meant to be submitted to the company¡¯s higher-ups.


    ¡°What the¡­! Are you kidding me¡­¡±


    In it was the very data that had warranted the destruction of the research institute. It was no exaggeration to say that it was the root cause of Sanakura Kengo¡¯s death, Sanakura Sakimi collapsing, and him getting caught in Goto¡¯s sights.


    Sakimi had been holding onto the thumb drive last night. In all likelihood, it was what she had been tasked to deliver. Earlier, he had been shocked when he heard that, but seeing its content left him completely speechless.


    The antivirus software was completely silent; there was no sign of any malware or malicious scripts activating at all. Apparently this document¡¯s not a dummy, but an actual classified report.


    ¡°And they just let him bring home something like that¡­¡±


    He could feel his head spinning at the thought of that, but it was already too late to cry over spilt milk at the na?vet¨¦ of their security protocols anyway. Besides, he didn¡¯t have the time to waste fretting over irrelevant things.


    Switching gears, he started poring over the report.


    ¡®Wh-at am¡­ I¡­?¡¯


    After piecing together that sentence, Sanakura Sakimi¡ªor rather, that thing which she had become since last night¡ªlost consciousness with her expression twisted in anguish.


    Her fever had since subsided.


    Soji languidly gazed at her slumbering face for a moment, then snapped out of his daze and immediately got up in search of the reason for her abnormality.


    Naturally, he couldn¡¯t accept at face value the intuition that told him ¡°that wasn¡¯t Sakimi¡±. After all, it was only based on his impression of what he had seen, and was too preposterous and far-fetched. It was far more reasonable, and indeed the only plausible explanation, to think that her memories were in temporary disarray.


    Thus, he embarked in search of clues that would support such a hypothesis.


    ¡°¡­A biospecimen of unknown origin.¡±


    Soji wasn¡¯t a specialist in the biological sciences. He skimmed through the technical jargon, examining only the portions he could understand. Even then, he learned a lot.


    ¡°Cor Ouadae¡­ ¡®Heart of Ghost¡¯?¡±


    That was a strange name, he thought, reading on.


    ¡­It possesses totipotent properties¡­


    ¡­It can mimic the cells of another organism and fuse with the flesh seamlessly¡­


    That indeed sounds like a lucrative opportunity for commercialization. Or rather, the report¡¯s contents bordered on the realm of science fiction. If it could be put into practical use, he thought, it would surely have a significant impact on human society.


    Anything a person can conceptualize, mankind will surely realize someday¡ªthose were the words of a certain sci-fi author. If this report was true, he could understand how the research staff banked on it being the driving force of the company¡¯s growth, and how the executive director¡¯s faction would be wary of it and send a team to destroy them.


    ¡°That must be the thing I saw.¡±


    It brought back to mind that pinkish thing he had seen at Lab C. Regrettably, even if it held the potential to progress humanity¡¯s future by leaps and bounds, it was probably nothing but a pile of ashes by now.


    ¡°¡­The experiment on a lab rat was a success. In the following tests, the rat displayed increased intelligence¡­¡±


    The fact that they had named the rat ¡°Algernon¡± made him smile wryly. The research team had borrowed the name of the world¡¯s most famous lab rat without any change at all. That¡¯s awfully blatant of them.


    He read on. Algernon went on to pass the subsequent intelligence tests with flying colours. There were researchers who simply believed that the rat¡¯s mental acuity had risen, but the author of the report, Dr. Sanakura himself remained sceptical. His train of thought was as follows: It matters not how high its intelligence has become, but rather, the question is if a creature such as a rat ought to have this level of awareness.


    ¡ªCan we really still call that creature a rat?


    What looked like a memo was scrawled to the side, most likely to be erased before the report¡¯s formal submission.


    Ahh¡­Soji gazed up in despair. The answer he seeked was right there.


    In short, Sanakura Kengo¡¯s misgivings were dead-on.


    After being implanted with the mysterious cells of the Cor whatchamacallit, Algernon had stopped being the lab rat it had once been.


    And the same thing was happening to Sanakura Sakimi who now had those cells, transforming her into something unlike the girl she had been.


    Soji had heard of a term known as ¡°cellular memory¡±.


    It was said to be a phenomenon in which organs¡ªsuch as the cornea, liver or heart, when transplanted, contain the thoughts and memories of the donor, which then affects the recipient. He had also read several novels with that as a theme.


    But that¡¯s just fiction. Experiments had shown that it simply wasn¡¯t possible.


    Although there were multiple real accounts of such occurrences, they were all believed to be misdiagnoses by the medical community. Atypical newfound memories after an organ transplant were found to be due to the stress of the surgery, as well as the circumstances leading up to it rather than actual memory transference.


    He looked up from the laptop, and saw rays of light streaming in from the gaps in the curtains.


    It was morning.


    Soji entered the bedroom. Bathed in the sunlight shining through the curtains,  ¡°Sakimi¡± was sitting on the bed with her upper body raised, her face still completely expressionless.


    Seeming to notice his presence, she turned to face him, her doll-like demeanour unchanged since the night before.


    He hesitated. How do I interact with her?


    ¡°¡­Can you hear me?¡± He asked from a short distance away.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Her head slowly bobbed up and down.


    ¡°Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He had succeeded in making contact with the unknown. What¡¯s up with this sci-fi experience?!


    ¡°You¡¯re not Sakimi, are you?¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°Do you remember anything about yourself?¡±


    The silent treatment again. Could it be that she can¡¯t answer?


    After a lull, just as he was about to hit her with the next question, she opened her lips.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ differentiate.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    It was hard to decipher what the taciturn girl meant.


    He began to think.


    If he took her current words as they were¡ªdid it mean she couldn¡¯t differentiate whether her current consciousness was based on ¡°her memories¡±, or from something else altogether?


    ¡°Remembering¡± was a word people used for their own memories. So, with Sakimi and that thing sharing one mind, maybe she can¡¯t give a clear answer?


    ¡°I¡­¡± Word by word, that thing in the shape of Sakimi began to speak. To ask. ¡°What, am, I?¡±


    From her words alone, anyone would think she was being delusional. Yet in this case, that doubt was utterly serious and difficult to resolve.


    ¡°¡­Looks like you¡¯re able to speak much more smoothly now.¡±


    She seemed to be in thought for a moment, not a muscle on her face moving.


    ¡°Here.¡± She lightly balled her hand into a fist and placed it against her chest. ¡°I borrowed, a little, from SAKIMI.¡±


    ¡°You can read the memory of your host?¡±


    ¡°Just bit, by bit.¡±


    Soji pondered.


    Normally, a person¡¯s memories were stored in their brain. It went without saying that humans also used their brains to think and form thoughts. That thing in Sakimi¡¯s body was probably also borrowing her mind to process its thoughts. However, a borrowed brain was just that, a borrowed brain, and hence it was unable to use it at the same capacity as Sakimi.


    To be exact, it presumably couldn¡¯t access the synapses linking countless memories together. The memories were all there in Sakimi¡¯s head, but it had to sort through and painstakingly categorize them one by one in a time-consuming process.


    One might compare it to an encyclopaedia. All its knowledge was certainly within its pages, but you¡¯d never learn anything unless you flipped through them yourself.


    Once it fully understood something, it could probably make that knowledge its own, he conjectured. With the passing of time, it would most likely grow to become more like Sanakura Sakimi by assimilating her memories and experiences.


    ¡°I have learned, the shape of human HEART, from Sakimi¡¯s memories. Is it still unformed? Incomplete? But, I, copied that.¡±


    I see, she needs to start from all the way back there, huh.


    It made sense that a nonhuman being wouldn¡¯t be equipped with man¡¯s mental structure. It would normally be unthinkable to copy that, but perhaps, he thought, it might just be possible given that it had hijacked the entire body.


    ¡°What is your objective? Are you planning on taking over that body completely?¡±


    That risk certainly existed.


    If his fears were true, it would grow more familiar with Sakimi¡¯s memories over time, eventually behaving no different from the real deal. No one would be able to tell and it would have successfully taken over Sakimi¡¯s life.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Fragmented chains of words spilled from her mouth, somehow making her sound weak-willed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t, understand, myself.¡±


    The implicit meaning behind those words was that it didn¡¯t know its raison d¡¯¨ºtre either.


    I guess that¡¯s only natural.


    That thing had only just become cognizant of its own existence. What¡¯s the point of grilling it about its future plans?


    Seriously, what is going on here¡­


    At any rate, it didn¡¯t seem like he was going to get any more answers then.


    The moment Soji reached that conclusion, all the exhaustion caught up with him. It was only to be expected, for he had been running on high gear since yesterday, got drenched in the rain, and racked his brain all night until the sun rose. And on top of that, he hadn¡¯t eaten anything for a while. In any case, he wasn¡¯t superhuman enough to sweep all that aside like nothing.


    Thinking of filling his stomach with something, he got up.


    They were in a safehouse intended for unforeseen long-term stays, so there was a stockpile of food reserves with long shelf lives. The looks and taste were nothing to boast about, but they weren¡¯t in a position to be choosy. After some thought, he took out several sports drinks and nutritional gels from a box by the wall.


    He gave it some thought.


    ¡°Here, eat this. It won¡¯t do to let that body weaken.¡± He tossed a packet over.


    Soji didn¡¯t have a clue whether her body could accept food at this time. However, he also couldn¡¯t let her starve just because he was afraid of the risks. Thus, he chose something easily digestible to test the waters.


    ¡°Eat¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for you to acquire the nutrients needed to maintain the body through oral intake.¡±


    He ended up putting it across in a prickly manner. Still, she didn¡¯t appear offended at all and just stared at the pouch in her hand blankly.


    ¡°¡­Eat¡­?¡± The girl tilted her head slightly.


    She poked the packet with her fingers. She then squeezed, rubbed and kneaded it. She touched the plastic tube, pinching and hitting it repeatedly.


    After some time, she finally realized the cap was meant to be twisted open. It was also possible that she had found the relevant knowledge from Sakimi¡¯s memories at last. Whatever the case, she managed to get it open, and the contents spilled out.


    She stared at it intently for a while, then started licking it with the tip of her tongue bit by bit.


    Look at her, she¡¯s almost like a newborn animal or something¡ª The thought crossed his mind for a second, and he immediately pulled his face taut.


    He thought her gestures were adorable, like she was a hamster of some kind.


    He had begun to think of her a bit more favourably.


    However, he mustn¡¯t forget. The one before his eyes was a monster; an alien being beyond human knowledge, and a parasite which had hijacked Sanakura Sakimi¡¯s body. It was something he could never be too careful around with. That he understood clearly in his mind. And yet, just by seeing her perform an action clumsily, he had lowered his guard.


    Screw this. He stood up. This situation is unbearable.


    He had to do something, and soon. With that thought in mind, Soji dragged his weary body up.


    ¡°Eat¡­¡±


    Muttering something in a small voice, the girl brought the nutritional gel away from her mouth and looked up at him. He quickly left the room as if to cut away from her gaze.

 CH 2.2

    (2)


    As expected, Kotaro was flabbergasted.


    ¡®What?! You want to bring her to a doctor?! Are you for real?! Come on, it hasn¡¯t even been a day, you know!¡¯


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m ¡®for real¡¯. I can¡¯t get into the details now because it¡¯s hard to explain, but it¡¯s an emergency. I¡¯ll let you know later. Anyway, how¡¯s it with Goto? What moves are he making now?¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    After giving a noncommittal grunt, he said nothing for a while.


    ¡®It¡¯s fine for now, I don¡¯t see any obvious signs of his men doing a search. That being said, the situation¡¯s not so optimistic you can let down your guard.¡¯


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve already taken all the countermeasures I can.¡±


    ¡®Countermeasures, you say. Still, it would be best that you guys don¡¯t budge an inch from there¡­ God, jeez!¡¯ Kotaro spat exasperatedly, like he was completely done. ¡®At the very least, you¡¯re NOT going on foot or by train. I¡¯ll bust the car out so just sit tight. You¡¯re gonna tell me everything on the way, alright.¡¯


    With that, he cut off the call.


    Oh right, there¡¯s still the option of a car. Soji belatedly realised how hung up he¡¯d been when he hadn¡¯t even thought of something that simple.


    ¡°¡­I really owe you a ton.¡±


    He lowered his head towards his phone, but was only greeted by the beep beep of the call tone.


    The Kadosaki Surgical Hospital was located on the outskirts of the business district, well away from the station.


    Normal patients seldom frequented it, not because they weren¡¯t well-equipped or that the doctors there weren¡¯t skilled, but simply because of the inconvenience of its location. However, it was rather popular among those with special circumstances.


    There, patrons could receive treatment for injuries or illnesses without being questioned, and without leaving a record if they so wished. Naturally, one could neither claim their insurance nor expect medicine from legitimate sources, and could expect to pay an exorbitant fee inclusive of a privacy surcharge. Still, those who were unable to visit normal hospitals for whatever reason couldn¡¯t be more grateful for such a service.


    Yeah, people usually call that a back-alley clinic, said Soji without thinking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you smear our good name. Say something rude again and I¡¯ll kick you right out,¡± scolded a foul-tempered female doctor, who gave his backside a good kick.


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve brought another troublesome fella to my place again,¡± the doctor grumbled doubtfully, in a tone that was part impressed and part exasperated.


    She had summed up the situation in just a word: troublesome.


    ¡°Thanks, you¡¯re the only one I can turn to.¡± Underneath a cap and sunglasses¡ªthe bare minimum of disguises¡ªSoji thanked her.


    ¡°Hmph.¡± The old doctor brushed up her hair and snorted.


    She was supposedly in her seventies. However, it was hard to imagine that given how she was taller than Soji by a fist and how straight her posture was. On the other hand, the deeply chiselled wrinkles and long white hair made her look her age. She looked every part the evil witch from a fairy tale¡ªin fact, he had many times witnessed kids saying that to her only to end up bawling.


    ¡°And you, your face looks as hideous as always. Have you been sleeping properly?¡±


    For one, he hadn¡¯t slept a wink last night. Though, he supposed she probably wasn¡¯t talking about something on that level.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been having trouble falling asleep lately.¡±


    ¡°Was there ever a time where you haven¡¯t had a problem with that? You¡¯re gonna collapse and not wake up again one of these days, I¡¯m telling you.¡±


    ¡°Enough about me. Tell me about her.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡±


    She held out an envelope and he took it. Inspecting it, he saw a single X-ray image.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Even his untrained eyes could see that there was something wrong.


    A white shadow was present.


    It wasn¡¯t very pronounced. Most people would¡¯ve probably missed it without prior knowledge of something abnormal in that region. But it wasn¡¯t small either¡ªaround the left flank, something like fungi mycelium? was spread over a wide area.


    That unknown foreign object had encroached deep into her body.


    ¡°Its X-ray absorptivity is close to that of healthy organs, but differs slightly enough for it to be visible on the image. My shock comes from the blood vessels and nerves linking them. Aside from a few capillaries, everything in that region displays no damage whatsoever. Neither is there any sign of transplant rejection. If you told me she was given the latest artificial organs, I wouldn¡¯t have believed you.¡±


    Soji let the explanation go over his head, for there was nothing new he didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°What I want to know is if it can be removed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± she answered instantly. ¡°You should know just by looking at that. There¡¯s no way a human could live if you dug out such a huge portion of their flesh and organs. Modern medicine¡¯s not at a level where you can keep someone alive in that state. Besides, we don¡¯t even know if it¡¯ll remain stable like it is now. It wouldn¡¯t even surprise me if her whole body were to melt and turn into slime by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Please, you¡¯ve got to do something.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re much better off praying to God than asking me to perform a miracle.¡± She flicked her hands in resignation. ¡°In the first place, we can¡¯t even confirm if its consciousness truly lies in that specimen or not. What if that white thing just gives rise to a new personality? In that case, removing it wouldn¡¯t bring back her original self.¡±


    That is¡­ entirely possible.


    ¡°Listen,¡± the doctor lowered her voice. ¡°This is just a personal warning. What you¡¯re facing ahead of you isn¡¯t something you can take on alone.¡±


    When he tried to retort, she raised a hand to stop him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re serious about charging headfirst into a corporate war while keeping up that lone-wolf act of yours? Someone who doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s getting into is what I¡¯d call a short-lived idiot. Besides, what you¡¯re doing now is totally out of your character.¡±


    That is, by all accounts, true.


    ¡°Either you get yourself the backing of those managing the research institute, or you pass her along to the attackers. If you hate both options, go look for another organisation you can trust and place yourselves under their protection. If not, just hiding and holding your breath is never going to change the status quo.¡±


    Indeed, her words are most sensible.


    ¡°You know what the situation¡¯s like. I can¡¯t think of any place that would prioritize saving Sakimi¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°Then just let her go.¡±


    Yeah, she can¡¯t be more correct.


    After Kotaro from yesterday, now it was the doctor spelling out pretty much the same sound argument to him.


    He understood. No matter who he asked, the conclusion would¡¯ve been the same. Yet, it was precisely because he couldn¡¯t accept it that he couldn¡¯t take their advice to heart.


    Why am I living my life like this? Ema Soji pondered every now and then.


    He had always known the answer.


    He hadn¡¯t been that way in the very beginning. Six years ago, he was but an ordinary university student who believed in helping those in need, and acted with that belief in mind.


    That¡¯s why I lost everything.


    At rock bottom, he had picked up a number of deplorable skills such as trespassing and thievery. He then made a livelihood with those skills, turning his back to the light to creep in the shade.


    For what it¡¯s worth, I could¡¯ve changed my name and face, and led a different life. The thought had crossed his mind countless times, and many had also advised him thus¡ªyet, ultimately, he couldn¡¯t do it. He had desperately clutched at the remnants of ¡°Ema Soji¡¯s¡± life, telling himself there must be something that he could still do. And, in the end¡ª


    ¡­Why am I living my life like this? That thought crossed his mind yet again today.


    ¡°The way I see it, your current way of life barely gets a passing grade. That policy of yours, ¡®I will only help those who seek aid of their own initiative, and only if they pay the appropriate fee.¡¯ That¡¯s the only lifeline keeping you afloat. Without being bound by something like it, life would be too miserable for someone as awkward as you.¡±


    ¡°¡­Perhaps so.¡± He could do nothing but repeat that phrase.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t learn a single thing from my past failures. That¡¯s how much of a fool I am¡­ Even then, I still can¡¯t abandon her.¡± He smiled vaguely. ¡°You can just call it egoism on my part. Of course, I feel bad for always troubling you, I really do.¡±


    The doctor said nothing for a while, and stared deep into his eyes.


    ¡°Well, so long as you¡¯re aware. Let¡¯s bring that topic to an end here.¡± She clapped her hands, ending on a lighthearted note.


    To that end, she was the same as Kotaro. They¡¯d point out and advise him, but in the end, they left the choice up to him.


    ¡°Regarding our earlier topic, I only have two points to mention. That girl¡¯s body is pretty much the same as any other healthy person. She¡¯ll need to eat, sleep, and breathe just like anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much?¡± He asked weakly, his shoulders slumped.


    ¡°Her metabolism¡¯s not exactly the same, is what I¡¯m saying. It probably takes a bit more energy to mimic a human¡¯s cells while retaining its original characteristics. In short, she¡¯ll probably need to eat more.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± He nodded, and asked just in case. ¡°It¡¯s not like she¡¯ll leave the house at night to prey on other people, right?¡±


    ¡°What kind of ¡®80s horror flick scene are you imagining? Hell, how old are you even?¡±


    With the advent of online streaming, it¡¯s no longer accurate to judge a person¡¯s age based on their taste in movies¡­ he was about to reply on reflex, but managed to swallow it. It didn¡¯t change the fact that he enjoyed old films, and besides, they were getting off-track.


    ¡°We¡¯re just talking about the essential vitamins and minerals here, there¡¯s no need to get those from human flesh specifically. And since she¡¯s digesting using her human stomach, that isn¡¯t really efficient too. Of course, I can¡¯t say for sure she wouldn¡¯t either.¡±


    She¡¯s right. No one can make any guarantees when it comes to the unknown. In fact, he thought, she ought to be praised for even being able to make intelligent guesses about it.


    ¡°What¡¯s the other thing?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°You mentioned two points, so what¡¯s the other?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that.¡±


    Right then, the door opened.


    He lifted his head and turned in the direction of the sound. Someone in a nurse uniform led a woman in by hand. She was wearing a dress¡ª


    ¡ªHuh?


    ¡°What kind of pervert brings an adult woman around dressed in nothing but a tracksuit! You never considered a police officer might stop you on the streets?¡±


    ¡°There, my clothes fit her to a T.¡± The supposed nurse sounded rather proud as she puffed out her chest.


    ¡°I¡¯ll look for more spare clothes and deliver them to you later. Um, I can add those to the charges too, right Granny?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, put it all on this Casanova¡¯s tab.¡±


    ¡°Ro-ger that! I¡¯ll do my best to dress her up,¡± she said enthusiastically, hands on her hips.


    But Soji caught none of that, for he was gazing absentmindedly at the other woman.


    Simply put, he thought she looked lovely.


    A cool pale blue dress, with a lime-green cardigan on top. The combination of the pastel colors further accented ¡°her¡± ephemeral feel.


    It wasn¡¯t overly glamorous, but rather a simplistic sort of beauty. Naturally, it was nothing like the dull tracksuit from before, nor did it have the roughness of her attire the previous evening. Unlike them, her current appearance held a sense of youthful vitality that suited her perfectly.


    When her artificial plainness was stripped away, she simply looked lovely. That¡¯s right. It looks good on her¡ªthere¡¯s no doubt about that. But¡­


    ¡°Hmm, what¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t tear your eyes off her?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡± Soji looked towards the aged doctor with a slight frown. ¡°How should I put it¡­ Doesn¡¯t this just make her look like a completely normal girl?¡±


    ¡°She is, in fact, a normal girl.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but-¡±


    He felt reluctant to call her that.


    The body belonged to Sakimi, and her outer appearance was precisely that of a young woman. But back when she was still in her bloodstained clothes or when he dressed her in the tracksuit, he hadn¡¯t paid any particular attention since it was an emergency. Now that her appearance had changed, he felt unsettled.


    His perception that an incomprehensible monster dwelled within her body was getting hazy.


    ¡°I get why you¡¯d feel apprehensive. Still, it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t dwell on the fact that that¡¯s no human.¡± The doctor leaned in and whispered into his ears, as though she had read his mind.


    ¡°Her self-image is still shallow, but she¡¯s an obedient child. It¡¯s not exactly the same as a certain king of Cyprus, but if the one who¡¯s closest to her keeps expecting her to be a monster, then a true monster she shall become. All to fulfil the wish of none other than your own.¡±


    She was referring to Pygmalion of Greek mythology, the king of Cyprus who had fallen in love with a statue of a woman he carved himself, and loved it like he would a person. A goddess was touched by his earnestness, and brought the sculpture to life.


    Of course, it was nothing more than a legend, but in educational psychology, the phenomenon where a person¡¯s expectations led to a change in another¡¯s performance was well-documented and named after said king.


    ¡°¡­I know,¡± he sighed as if to expel his doubts. ¡°Thanks for the change of clothes. It looks great on Sakimi.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll say you barely passed there.¡± The doctor shrugged her shoulders.

 CH 2.3

    (3)


    A wave of hot air washed over him the moment he left the hospital.


    ¡°So damn hot¡­¡± he mumbled inadvertently.


    He looked behind. The girl was following right at his back. Her expression was blank as usual, as if she hadn¡¯t noticed the change in temperature¡ªNah, maybe she doesn¡¯t even feel that sensation.


    For some reason, that dearth of human emotion was irritating to see.


    ¡°Come here.¡± Soji walked ahead, pressing her on.


    He could feel her soundless movement behind him.


    The cicadas¡¯ cries were deafening. It further fueled his irritation, despite him knowing that it was to be expected during summer.


    Kotaro¡¯s car was parked within walking distance. Meanwhile, the man himself was enjoying a smoke at the smoking area right next to it. He spotted them the moment they came over and let out a ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°Check this beauty out.¡±


    ¡°Enough chatter, let¡¯s go. We can¡¯t just be standing around, can we?¡±


    ¡°You have a point.¡± Tapping the side of his head playfully, he snuffed out the cigarette and kept it into his portable ashtray.


    The windows of Kotaro¡¯s car were all heavily smoke-tinted. Simply getting inside greatly reduced the risk of them being noticed.


    ¡°Nothing ever fazes that granny, eh. Even when you bring an unknown creature to her, she still conducts a proper checkup.¡± Such was Kotaro¡¯s opinion upon hearing of his prior discussion at the hospital. ¡°I was totes expecting a reaction like ¡®I can¡¯t allow something which science cannot explain to exist!¡¯, as she whips out a machine gun.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go expecting something like that. I don¡¯t want to end up as swiss cheese.¡±


    ¡°But you see, that¡¯s when you end up surviving somehow, due to the power of love or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Like hell that¡¯s going to happen. And don¡¯t say ¡®love¡¯, it¡¯s nothing like that.¡±


    ¡°Buuut look how cute she¡¯s become. Can¡¯t you feel the buds of love blooming?¡±


    ¡°The one who looks good is Sakimi, not that thing.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re a young, healthy man, that doesn¡¯t matter at all to your lower half, does it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± For a second, all the blood rushed up to his head, and his chest tightened. To clear the lump in his throat, he breathed in deeply and exhaled. ¡°¡ªnot true at all.¡±


    That¡¯s absolutely out of the question, his words implied.


    ¡°My bad.¡± Seeming to notice his faux pas, Kotaro apologized.


    A moment later, however, his easygoing and shady smile returned.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m glad it turned out like this. You may not be able to tell, but I was quite worried, you know?¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°All this time, you¡¯ve only been helping out random scumbags, haven¡¯t you, Mr. Ema.¡± He grinned crookedly. ¡°Any normal guy out there has gotta have an ulterior motive if they¡¯re putting their life on the line for someone. ¡®Hot girls and ladies only¡¯, so to speak. And well, sometimes things like friendship, or standing up and being a man, that ain¡¯t so bad either.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden spiel¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m just saying it the way it is. A man only wants to be a hero when there¡¯s a heroine. That¡¯s nature¡¯s law,¡± he asserted. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re such an oddball. Who else but you would reach a hand out to weirdos like a shitty brat who doesn¡¯t know how the world works? Or that fat old slob who doesn¡¯t understand human language, or that haughty bespectacled matchstick? You¡¯re saddling on unnecessary baggage, and going so far as to risk your life that I¡¯m starting to think you¡¯re a masochist.¡±


    With his hands still on the steering wheel, Kotaro shrugged. ¡°I was even wondering if you¡¯ve got some special fetish where such guys appear as damsels in distress to your eyes. I was thiiis close to believing it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m certainly glad we got to clear up that misunderstanding,¡± Soji groaned. ¡°What¡¯s everybody¡¯s problem? Worrying about this and that.¡±


    Kotaro guffawed heartily as he clutched the wheel.


    Meanwhile, the outside view flashed by.


    Hagamine City had a less-than-fortuitous history. During the real estate bubble, a huge plan was drawn up to convert the city into a tourist spot, and all the old wooden buildings were torn down in favor of sparkling new structures.


    That included an eight-storey hotel with sea view, a modern waterfront shopping street packed with gift shops, an aquarium-cum-local history museum, a food court with numerous famous restaurants, and palm trees lining the streets to evoke a sense of the Bahamas.


    Thus, the streets themselves were pleasing to the eye. And despite the decades that had passed, the facade that was meant to rival famed tourist spots still retained some of its former lustre.


    As a side note, the plan to convert the city into a center of tourism failed spectacularly with the bubble¡¯s collapse. While the projected footfall had been in the thousands, the reality was that less than a hundred people walked the streets at any one time.


    Maybe that¡¯s why this mundane, everyday view sometimes feels so empty.


    ¡°By the way, did the old lady say anything about me?¡± Kotaro asked as he adjusted the car¡¯s audio. A slightly dated but staple summer song began playing.


    ¡°No, not really. What, you¡¯re still not good with her?¡±


    ¡°If anything, I¡¯d say it¡¯s the opposite? She¡¯s the one who looks at me as if I¡¯m a cockroach. I mean, she pretty much treats me like one? Like, she rolls the newspaper up into a club and whacks me with it, and even sprays the insect repellant at me.¡± He laughed. ¡°Oh well, I guess I¡¯m just reaping what I sowed.¡±


    ¡°My condolences.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so nice, Mr. Ema. Even if no one else acknowledges me, your words are enough to make everything alright.¡±


    Yeah, sure thing.


    Letting Kotaro¡¯s insincere words in one ear and out the other, Soji glanced outside the window. A world in gradations of transparent blue filled his vision. Through the tinted window, the skies were so clear last night¡¯s downpour seemed like a lie.


    All of a sudden, he realized it was strangely quiet and turned to look at the back seat.


    That thing in the young woman was staring at the outside scenery with a blank face, the interest obvious in her eyes. A convenience store, a built-for-sale house?, a multi-tenant building, a set meal restaurant, a bus stop, another convenience store, a mailbox, a person out on a walk with their dog¡­ Her eyes followed every single thing studiously, her pupils darting around.


    I still can¡¯t tell what she¡¯s thinking, but I guess she really is fascinated by the scenery outside.


    Even though she said she could read Sakimi¡¯s memories, she has had barely any experiences of her own ever since she gained self-consciousness, making her no different from a newborn baby. Everything in this world, everything she sees and touches must be a first for her.


    ¡°Speaking of which, in the end, what¡¯s her name?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Sakimi of the Sanakuras is the name which belongs to her body, but the one in control now is someone else, right? So, we need a name to call this child right here.¡±


    Perhaps she had sensed that they were talking about her, as she stopped looking at the outside scenery and faced forward to look between the two.


    ¡°¡­There¡¯s no need.¡±


    ¡°Look now, Mr. Ema.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary, is it? Not like it¡¯s caused any trouble so far.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, it is rather troubling. Are you planning on calling her by ¡®You¡¯ or ¡®Hey¡¯ the whole time? That¡¯s only allowable between an aged couple from the Showa era, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± That¡¯d be undesirable. He thought for a while. ¡°I read this from those research reports. Apparently, the lab rat which was implanted with the same cells as this thing was called Algernon.¡±


    Algernon¡ªthe name of the world¡¯s most famous lab mouse, which appeared in a short story published in the middle of the 20th century. In the tale, the mouse had gained high intellect after a brain surgery was performed on it¡ªalbeit temporarily. For a rat which similarly showed increased intelligence after a surgical procedure (if they could even be placed under the same category), perhaps it was rather fitting. Zero points for creativity though.


    Soji pondered. In the story, there was a young man who underwent the same surgery as the mouse. His intelligence also increased, and he learned new things, understood things he didn¡¯t understand before, felt new emotions, forgot emotions he knew, and spent a period of time acting like a different person altogether.


    How about we borrow that young man¡¯s name? Just as he was about to say it¡ª


    ¡°Oh, I think that works,¡± Kotaro interjected before he could speak. ¡°Algernon, or ¡®Al¡¯ for short? Or is ¡®Non¡¯ better? Combine it together for ¡®An¡¯ instead? It¡¯s got that foreign-sounding vibe to it, and all those characters make it sound kinda chuuni.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯re you saying, I mean¡ª¡± It sounds foreign precisely because it¡¯s from an American writer¡¯s work. And when a word¡¯s converted between two languages that don¡¯t share phonemes, of course it¡¯ll have a lot of characters. And it only sounds chuuni to you because you¡¯ve got the mentality of a gradeschooler. In the first place¡ª ¡°That¡¯s the name of a white mouse, you know.¡±


    ¡°So what if it¡¯s a mouse¡¯s name? Sure, it might not work if the mouse was black or blue or yellow, but it¡¯s fine if it¡¯s a white one. Say, don¡¯t you agree?¡± He casually tossed the question over to the back seat.


    Still wearing the same blank look, the thing in the back seat turned toward them. ¡°Al¡­gernon¡­¡± She rolled the word around her tongue. ¡°Am I, Algernon?¡± she asked Soji.


    He hesitated to answer.


    Algernon was originally a masculine name, which, if he remembered correctly, derived from a word meaning ¡°with moustaches¡±. On that point alone, it clashed greatly with her outer appearance of a nineteen-year-old girl.


    But, in a sense, that¡¯s why it fits.


    She was a completely different being from Sanakura Sakimi. Thus, it was apt that her name called to mind the difference between body and soul.


    ¡°Whatever you prefer¡­¡± He replied with a deep sigh.


    ¡°¡­Algernon.¡± The girl nodded. ¡°My name is, Algernon.¡±


    She repeated it over and over again. Her expression was as unreadable as ever, but somehow she looked overjoyed.


    The song from the car¡¯s radio came to a stop. Through the closed windows, the cicadas¡¯ cries seemed to get louder.


    The male radio host spoke without pause in his low voice. Now, let¡¯s follow it up with a summertime hit number fit for the hot days ahead. Burn it all to ashes with the blazing emotions behind this song. I present White Sheep Q¡¯s ¡°Magnesium¡±.


    After a bouncy intro, the female singer group started singing rapturously, their volume on par with the cicadas outside. Neither overpowered each other, and of course they didn¡¯t cancel each other out either. In other words, both were terribly noisy.


    For some reason, Kotaro seemed to be enjoying himself as he smirked.


    In the back, Algernon continued to murmur her own name to herself.


    Unable to make up his mind over what to feel, Soji chose to scowl.


    Each of the three were left to their own devices as they cruised down the summery streets.

 CH 2.4

    The safehouse of another person felt to Soji like a hotel on a trip. Even when he stepped foot into the apartment, it didn¡¯t feel like he had returned home.


    As such, the phrase ¡°I¡¯m back¡± never even crossed his mind as he entered without a word.


    There was something he never failed to do whenever he entered a room. It was to check that there were no abnormalities¡ªbefore that, however, he washed his hands and kept the groceries in the fridge.


    The order might¡¯ve been reversed, but he didn¡¯t skip the check. The door, windows, all the various appliances and their surroundings, and let¡¯s not forget the electrical sockets. All in all, no signs of intrusion at the moment.


    ¡°Phew.¡± Finally letting loose, he plopped down on the sofa.


    Algernon, who was waiting by the entrance, poked her face in.


    He called out: ¡°¡­You can come in now. Don¡¯t forget to take off your shoes.¡±


    Slowly, the girl took off her loafers.


    She stood still atop the entrance mat, and stopped moving.


    She won¡¯t do anything by herself, he thought. Armed with only a hastily-established sense of self, and barely knowing what to do with it, it seemed that she could not decide what to do of her own will.


    It would probably be unwise to leave her hanging.


    ¡°Oh, for Christ¡¯s sake!¡± Soji scratched his head roughly. ¡°Get over here and wash your hands and rinse your mouth and dry your hands with the towel!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Did she actually understand what he was saying? He couldn¡¯t tell anything from her dazed expression.


    She walked towards the basin as instructed, and the sound of water followed.


    He spoke again: ¡°After you¡¯re done, come over here and sit down.¡±


    Algernon followed his words to the letter. She entered the room and, as he indicated, lowered herself onto the high chair. She then looked over at him, and bent her head slightly as if to ask his approval.


    ¡°So you know how to wash your hands, rinse your mouth and dry your hands?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded minimally, answering in a flat voice.


    Algernon was able to read the memories of her host, Sakimi. Conversely, it meant she didn¡¯t know anything if she hadn¡¯t made the effort to read through the memories.


    When instructed to do this or that, she¡¯d look up the way to do so in Sakimi¡¯s memories before taking action. However, without being told what to do, she could not even decide what to do next.


    ¡°¡­From now on, without me telling you to, do everything that would ensure the survival of that body, or rather to maintain the condition of that body. Actually, just do everything that is part of her everyday life.¡±


    ¡°Everyday life,¡± she murmured using Sakimi¡¯s lips, her gaze directed outside the window.


    That reminded him that Sanakura Sakimi was a (probably studious) university student. If Algernon referred to her memories to figure out her everyday life, that would obviously include going to university to attend lectures.


    ¡°Oh¡­ but you can¡¯t go out. Unless I specifically instruct you to, no leaving this building. All your actions are to be within this area only.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± Her head moved slightly.


    That was most likely a nod. Probably.


    ¡°Am I really getting through? Jeez.¡±


    Soji had never owned a pet before. I guess this is what it¡¯s like to welcome a new dog or cat. I gotta start from square one, teach her what it means to be human. Just the thought of it made him tired.


    As he agonized about what lay ahead, doubt suddenly clouded his mind.


    ¡°Do you know how to use the toilet?¡±


    As usual, a short silence followed.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded.


    ¡­Which is it? Had she understood right from the start? Or perhaps, it being an unfamiliar term to her, and she had read through Sakimi¡¯s memories to find out? He had no way to tell.


    Slowly, she got up, and walked towards the toilet quietly.


    ¡°Right away, huh.¡± Watching her back recede, Soji softly heaved a deep sigh.


    This is just great. It¡¯s really like I¡¯m breaking in a new cat or dog.


    The sun was setting in the west.


    Soji was glaring at the laptop screen.


    He was studying the research data for the mysterious sample, attempting to decipher the heavy text in hopes of finding additional clues. But it wasn¡¯t going well, since he lacked the necessary domain-specific knowledge. A few hours had passed with him in front of the screen, yet he had nothing to show for it. He hadn¡¯t learnt anything new beyond what he read this morning.


    This would be easier if it was  heavily encrypted data. Barring anything extraordinary, those could be cracked eventually with sufficient time and effort. However, when the content itself was abstruse, he could only raise his hands in defeat.


    Seems like that¡¯s as far as I can go¡­


    Suddenly, he realized that it was quiet and looked to the side. Algernon was lying on the sofa, sleeping with her knees slightly tucked in.


    Watching her like that, drowsiness? began to set in as well, and a small yawn leaked out of his mouth.


    Just then, the sound of flutes and drums wandered in from afar. It was festival music.


    Is it already that time of the year?


    Hagamine City¡¯s summer festival was a rather big affair. After all, the streets were meant to draw in tourists, unsuccessful though they were. For the previous two years, the pandemic had caused them to stop holding the mikoshi procession, but the main street was still lined with food and game stalls, and they also launched small-scale fireworks.


    Soji stood up and opened the sliding glass door of the balcony slightly. Sultry summer air rushed in along with the sounds of the festival, bringing back certain memories to his mind.


    The calorific junk food, yakisoba. The shooting gallery, set up to be impossible to win. The countless stalls peddling hot tapioca. The overpowering smell of kebabs.


    When I was a boy, I¡¯d be right in the middle of all that.


    Now, it¡¯s so far away that I can¡¯t reach it. Still, it¡¯s close enough that I can hear them.


    The buzz and commotion of strangers. Hearing that made his heart settle down somewhat, for it cemented the fact that though Ema Soji was alone, he remained near still to the other people going about their lives.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    He felt a slight stirring and a faint grunt from behind, reminding him that he was currently not alone. Thinking that it would be a pain to have Algernon wake up, he closed the door. The hot air was cut off, and the sound vanished.


    Just then, the intercom rang, signaling the arrival of a visitor.

 CH 2.5

    The visitor was the nurse he saw this morning at the Kadosaki Surgical Hospital. He didn¡¯t know her name, but she was apparently the old doctor¡¯s granddaughter. And from what he heard, she had a rather large fanbase among their patients.


    Outwardly, she looked to be in her twenties, same as Soji. She wasn¡¯t a jaw-dropping beauty, but exuded a caring and gentle vibe around her. The type of person who makes you feel relaxed by just being in her presence.


    ¡°Sorry for the wait, here¡¯s a change of clothes and stuff,¡± she announced. Standing in the entranceway, she raised the paper bag in her hands slightly.


    He recalled hearing her mention something about that. ¡°Thanks. Change of clothes¡­ and stuff?¡±


    ¡°Yes, stuff. Girls have lots of daily necessities, you see. Things like underwear, skincare products, and other girl-specific items, if you get what I¡¯m saying.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ My bad, I didn¡¯t think it through at all.¡±


    Now that she mentioned the obvious, he felt ashamed for not having thought about it, and was grateful for her consideration.


    ¡°No worries. By the way, here you go.¡± She abruptly thrusted a tied plastic bag at him. It was filled with clear water, and in it, something red was swimming about.


    No matter how I look at it, these¡­


    ¡°¡­These are?¡±


    ¡°Goldfish.¡±


    Right, they were unmistakably goldfish. There were two of them, each about three to four centimeters long, and of the Japanese wakin variety?.


    ¡°May I ask why?¡±


    ¡°My classmates pushed them onto me just now. After checking with Kotaro, he said I could bring them over as a souvenir. Something about it being therapeutic for the mind or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Huh¡­?¡±


    Wait. Wait a second. Upon hearing a couple of words which didn¡¯t quite mesh together, Soji was lost for a moment and tried to wrap his head around them. Wondering where to begin, he spoke: ¡°Wait a sec, um, by Kotaro, you mean that Kotaro?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Kotaro the Chatterbox. Isn¡¯t he your best friend?¡±


    I don¡¯t recall ever calling him that. Still, I¡¯ll let it pass, since it¡¯s now confirmed that she¡¯s not talking about some stranger with the same name.


    ¡°¡­What do you mean your classmates pushed them onto you?¡±


    ¡°We got them at the goldfish scooping stall and they just went ¡®We can¡¯t keep them at home so here you go¡¯, and yeah. It¡¯s not like my situation¡¯s any different though, you know?¡±


    He thought for a while.


    Then, he blinked a few times and verified that the girl in front of him looked to be around his age.


    ¡°Whose classmate was it again?¡±


    ¡°Mine. Kadosaki Io, Class 3-C of Watagase Affiliated Middle School.¡±


    He was slightly bewildered. ¡°Middle school?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Now he was confused. ¡°How old are you?¡±


    ¡°Fourteen, going fifteen this autumn.¡±


    Fourteen. One, four.


    He was struck with a light dizziness, and shook his head to clear it. ¡°Why¡­ a nurse?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I often get that, but it¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking. I¡¯m just lending granny a helping hand for some simple stuff here and there. No way have I got a practising license or anything like that.¡±


    Yeah, that goes without saying. There¡¯s not a chance they¡¯d let a fourteen-year-old take the national examination.


    ¡°People often tell me I look older than my age.¡±


    Well, yeah, I can see that too. If even I mistook her to be in her twenties, what would the other middle schoolers think?


    I see, it all clicks into place now. He wouldn¡¯t put it past that elderly doctor to dress up her mature-looking granddaughter in a nurse uniform and have her act as a poster girl, saying things like, ¡°it¡¯s gonna be a hit with the patients to have a young lass around.¡±


    He wanted to drop her a remark about how she was probably breaking a certain law somewhere, but considering the legality of his dealings, he supposed he was in no position to judge others.


    ¡°So, where is she?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± He turned around, casting his glance at the sofa. ¡°Algernon¡¯s right there.¡±


    She was balled up with her arms around her knees as before, sleeping.


    ¡°My my.¡± Io looked in, uttering in surprise. ¡°By Algernon, you¡¯re referring to her, right? So, you¡¯ve named her?¡±


    ¡°I was told it¡¯d be inconvenient otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get it. One of my friends picked up a kitten on the streets and totally can¡¯t make up her mind on whether to name it or not. Thanks to that, my ears are about to fall off hearing her go on and on about it. Hehe.¡±


    She placed a finger to her lips and laughed in a strangely refined manner.


    ¡° ¡®But, if I give it a name, it¡¯ll be like we¡¯re really family and I¡¯ll have no choice but to take care of it,¡¯ she says. And I¡¯m like, it¡¯s already too late the moment you brought it home, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    That¡¯s¡­ He couldn¡¯t give an answer when pressed to agree. ¡°Have you heard about her situation?¡±


    ¡°I got the gist of it from granny. That lady over there received a huge injury, then an unknown organism entered and animated her body, am I right? It¡¯s alright, I totally get it. I saw an anime just like this last month.¡±


    ¡°I-Is that so¡­?¡±


    Is this really something you can accept at the drop of a hat just because you watched a similar story? Or is this something specific to youngsters her age nowadays? Young people scare me.


    ¡°I mean, sure, I was a bit scared at first, but she¡¯s a good girl who listens to instructions so it¡¯s totally fine.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­?¡±


    From his point of view, that was probably due to how her sense of self-identity was barely present.


    ¡°Non, huh. Yup, that¡¯s a cute name, like the kind you¡¯d give to a plushy.¡±


    She put on a pair of indoor slippers and entered the apartment, pitter-pattering towards the sofa.


    ¡°Al-ger-non, mind waking up a bit for me?¡± She started shaking the older girl¡¯s body.


    ¡°H-Hey?!¡±


    Is it alright to touch her directly? That question was at the top of his mind. He immediately thought to stop Io, but she moved before he could, and now Algernon opened her eyes narrowly.


    ¡°Sorry to wake you up when you were sleeping so soundly.¡±


    Her unfocused eyes stared at Io. ¡°You called, Algernon?¡± she mumbled groggily.


    ¡°Yep, I was calling you.¡±


    ¡°Algernon is, me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°I am, being called?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Algernon raised her body sluggishly.


    Soji groaned. ¡°You really are one fearless young lady.¡±


    In response, she turned back and looked up at him. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. That¡¯s an absurd organism whose origin we know nothing about, and yet you just touched it like it¡¯s nothing, even though you have no idea what it might do to you.¡±


    ¡°Not knowing what could¡¯ve been done to you is the same when facing any other person, no?¡±


    Well, she¡¯s not wrong about that.


    ¡°Especially that old man, Sasaki. His favorite pastime is pranking others.¡±


    I don¡¯t know who you are, old man Sasaki, but I send my best regards to you.


    ¡°Anyways, sorry for waking you up like this, Non. I brought some clothes over, so I¡¯ll teach you how to wear them and stuff, okay?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The older girl nodded hazily.


    ¡°That¡¯s that, so I¡¯ll be borrowing this room for a while. Don¡¯t you dare peek.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, go ahead. And just in case, shout if anything happens.¡±


    ¡°I hear you loud and clear.¡± With a wink, she dragged Algernon into the bedroom by the hand.


    Soji watched their backs disappear behind the door and looked away.


    She¡¯s somewhat pushy, you could say, or maybe she¡¯s just a busybody. Fourteen, huh. That¡¯s around the same age as Sakimi was back then. That reminds me, Sakimi was also probably like that at the time. Do all girls her age behave this way, or is it just a coincidence those two are alike?


    ¡°What do you think?¡± He directed that question at the goldfish, but naturally, they did not reply.


    Speaking of which, I need to find a place for these guys to stay too.


    After searching around the apartment, he found a round fishbowl. For some reason, it had even come with an underwater filter.


    This was supposed to be a safehouse for someone on the run to lie low at. Thus, it was a slight mystery why the apartment came with something like that. I¡¯ll just ask Kotaro about it later.


    Soji was bad with pets¡ªno, any living thing in general. And he also heard that the goldfish that commonly came with summer festivals weren¡¯t that robust to begin with. He¡¯d even heard of stories where they dropped dead the moment they were placed in a tank.


    First, he prepared the water. After sterilizing it with some bleach powder, he added a small amount of salt and adjusted the water temperature. Checking the instructions on his phone over and over again, he wondered whether he was really doing it correctly.


    He released the goldfish into the fishbowl.


    For a moment, the two fishes spasmed.


    He feared that he had messed up a step somewhere, and that they were dead. Luckily, they soon regained their spirits and swam energetically around their new home, and he relaxed his shoulders in relief.


    Phew. Using the back of his hand, he wiped away the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead. Living creatures really aren¡¯t my thing, he came to think once more.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be going now to see the fireworks with my friends,¡± said the young woman¡ªNo, the girl¡ªbefore leaving.


    She had probably drilled in quite a bit of information as Algernon came out looking weary somehow, despite her expression being completely unchanged.


    ¡°Here.¡± He held out a glass of cold-brewed barley tea to her.


    She took it, but looked as if she didn¡¯t know what it was, and just held it blankly. Only when he started to drink did she realize that it was supposed to be a drink. She then copied him and washed it down her throat.


    ¡°There¡¯s more over there, so get it yourself if you want more.¡± He gestured towards the pitcher on the table.


    She pondered for a while with the empty glass in her hands before reaching out for it. Despite her awkward motions, she managed to refill her glass with the tea.


    ¡­Looks like she¡¯s gradually getting used to the body.


    Sakimi¡¯s memories were inside her, and she could read them. The more she reads, the more intimately she knows about the person known as Sakimi, and the closer she becomes to her.


    And in this way, her imitation of a human being becomes more perfect.


    He could not decide whether or not that was a good thing. Only Heaven knew if it was the prelude to unprecedented destruction, or if it was the silver bullet to breaking out of their current predicament. Since he couldn¡¯t arrive at an answer no matter how much he thought, he concluded it was meaningless to base his further actions on that.


    At times like this, the orthodox approach would be to envision a plan with the worst-case scenario in mind.


    However, seeing as he was faced with an unknown organism for which any kind of absurdity could not be ruled out, what even was the worst-case scenario?


    As such, he chose to maintain as peaceful a lifestyle as possible. If he were to borrow from the analogy of the Cypress king mentioned by the elderly doctor this morning, he would mimic the king and wish for Galatea. After all, it would be unbearable were she unable to even relieve herself without his instruction.


    As he was thinking to himself, Algernon finished her second glass of tea, and her eyes turned elsewhere. When he followed her gaze, he found that she was staring at the fishbowl atop the low drawer, which had just received its first residents.


    ¡°What, is that?¡±


    How rare. She¡¯s actually showing interest in something, he thought.


    ¡°As you can see, they¡¯re goldfish. Don¡¯t eat them, okay?¡±


    ¡°Goldfish¡­¡± As always, she spent a few seconds searching through Sakimi¡¯s memories. ¡°They¡¯re small.¡±


    ¡°Well, goldfish usually are.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re swimming, inside the glass.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what they do.¡±


    Her stare was unfaltering.


    ¡°They¡¯re not food, okay? I mean it.¡±


    ¡°I know. I won¡¯t, eat them.¡± She answered, turning to face him.


    ¡°I¡¯m, not a cat.¡±


    Is that her way of giving a witty answer? Nah, it could just be that she has this clich¨¦d notion that ¡°something which eats goldfish¡± equates to ¡°cat¡± from Sakimi¡¯s memories.


    I have no idea which is which.


    It didn¡¯t feel like they had established communication at all.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stare at them too hard, you hear me? Apparently it stresses them out.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Despite her reply, her eyes continued to follow the fishes keenly.

 CH 2.6

    It was nighttime.


    The safehouse only had one bed which was in the bedroom, and he decided to let Algernon use it. I¡¯ve no intention of caring for Algernon, I just want to let Sakimi¡¯s body recover properly.


    As such, Soji was stuck with the sofa. He lay down and closed his eyes.


    He couldn¡¯t sleep.


    His body was unmistakably nearing its limit. After all, he had spent the whole day doing this and that, and he¡¯d gone without sleep since the previous night¡¯s furor. Still, his consciousness wouldn¡¯t disperse.


    With a sigh, he raised his body.


    He recalled that there was wine among the stockpile, but immediately banished the thought. He wasn¡¯t in the habit of having a drink before bed to begin with, and besides, he read somewhere that alcohol sometimes worsened insomnia.


    Thus, he reached out for the remote control nearby, and turned on the smart TV.


    He called up a streaming service and logged in to his account. Sifting through the sea of titles, he searched for his desired overseas drama series. It was a popular long-running series currently in its sixth season. Soji only watched it on-and-off, so he was still in the middle of the third.


    Lowering the volume such that it couldn¡¯t be heard from the bedroom, he stared at the screen absentmindedly.


    ¡®Screw this, I¡¯m not gonna be a part of this farce any longer!¡¯


    ¡®Oh, Tony, please wait! You¡¯ve got it all wrong!¡¯


    It seemed they were in the middle of a lovers¡¯ spat. The young man on the screen burst out of a room, and a middle-aged woman? chased after him. Soji couldn¡¯t recall what happened before that, and was completely lost.


    Nonetheless, he could feel the raw emotions of the two characters as they argued fervently. That was enough to satisfy Soji even if he couldn¡¯t catch the finer details of the story.


    ¡ªI guess I quite like fictional stories like this.


    His independent lifestyle had long since fallen apart, and the day-to-day actions taken by Ema Soji hadn¡¯t felt real to him in a long time.


    Maybe that was why it felt comfortable when he was watching the lives of others from afar like this.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s Jones! That bastard!¡¯


    ¡®Wait, please! Oh, Tony! It¡¯s all a misunderstanding!¡¯


    The man was now trying to jump out of the window, and the woman was right at his back.


    Soji stared at the screen vacantly. He still had no clue how the situation had turned out like this.


    ¡ªSuddenly, he heard a door opening.


    A faint presence made its way as if sliding across the floor. It approached soundlessly, and sat down on the sofa next to him.


    His eyes flit to the side, and sure enough, there she was watching the serial drama on the screen with the same expressionless gaze.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to go to sleep,¡± he muttered as if talking to himself.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she muttered as if talking to herself.


    ¡°But, I was curious.¡±


    ¡°About what.¡±


    ¡°About, what you are doing.¡±


    What¡¯s there to know¡ª But he didn¡¯t feel like asking anything further, so he said nothing more. The one next to him also didn¡¯t open her lips any further, and their back-and-forth stopped.


    ¡®N-No! Stop¡­¡¯


    ¡®Ah, I¡¯m so glad, Tony! You finally got it!¡¯


    The middle-aged woman on the screen was swinging around an axe, while the young man was shivering in the corner of the room.


    Soji watched the scene indifferently.


    Next to him, the girl¡¯s motionless profile stared fixedly at the scene.


    That look again, he noticed. Algernon¡¯s gaze as she watched the serial drama through the liquid crystal display was reminiscent of the one she had earlier when she stared at the goldfish in the fishbowl.


    As a matter of fact, there was a common point linking the two. In her eyes, both depicted living things from another world, separated from her by an invisible wall. She couldn¡¯t reach them even if she stretched her hands out, for she would feel only the cold sensation of glass.


    In any case, what Algernon felt as she watched them¡ªsetting aside the question of whether or not it even had the machinery of the heart known as emotions¡ªthat was something Soji could never know.


    ¡®Oh, Lord¡ªAt last, I know now what thy will is¡ª¡¯


    ¡®Wait, please! Oh, Tony! It¡¯s all a misunderstanding!¡¯


    It was the middle of the night. The two shared a sofa as they watched the made-up lives of other people.


    Gradually, Soji¡¯s eyelids lowered as sleep descended upon him.