Volume 3 Chapter 6 (1/2)

”Ah!?”

A dull shock ran through the left side of my chest and as I sat up. I smelled stifling greenery and felt damp humus. I felt the chilly night air of the forest. The hooting I heard overhead was probably from an owl or something. When I looked up at the sound for no real reason, I saw the pale moon.

…Where was I?

Still seated, I looked all around. At the very least, I wasn't inside the convalescent hospital. Nor was I in the facility's courtyard. There was nothing artificial about this place. Only rolling hills of damp earth and a sea of half-rotten leaves. I was surrounded by the twisted silhouettes of trees and about half of those were collapsing from rot.

I was deep in a forest with no sign of artificial caretaking, where the trees destroyed each other in the fight for sunlight and nutrients. The image reminded me of an elderly person covered in bedsores after being left in bed with no one to look after them.

I was outside the abandoned hospital.

I was deep in the forest.

”…What is going on?”

My memories didn't reach this point.

The Cla.s.s Rep and my sisters were nowhere to be seen. I could find no sign of what had happened to take me here from the Peace Committee Convalescent Hospital. I couldn't just a.s.sume everything until now had taken place in virtual reality. The Cla.s.s Rep had become a Dhampir and my stepmom was Archenemy Lilith. No matter how unrealistic it was, I had to accept it.

But then what?

If it hadn't been virtual and it had all been solidly real…then had I experienced something that caused me to lose my short-term memory?

The skin on my fingertips was crawling.

My memories were gone and I couldn't be sure what I had done in the meantime. The calmer I got, the creepier it felt.

I had experienced something similar back when I had built Disaster Environment Simulator Maxwell all on my own. Staying up all night had been the norm for me at the time and I had set my smartphone's alarm to ring on the hour every hour. That way I would only suffer a small time loss if I did fall asleep.

…But once I slept for six hours straight. And during that time, I had apparently eaten and chatted with Ayumi when she brought me a bento.

That didn't mean I had a second personality. I had been myself when I shut off the annoying alarm every hour and when I had eaten the bento with Ayumi. It was just that none of the memories had been written to my brain.

This felt just like that.

But that had been an abnormal situation brought on by working for about 72 hours straight. It wasn't something that just happened for no reason.

It took a lot to trigger it.

But what exactly had it been this time?

”Erika, Ayumi…?”

I spoke softly into the darkness and then tilted my head at my own action. Why was I keeping my voice so quiet? It was a lot like I didn't want to give away my position.

”Oh, right. Maxwell.”

I searched through my pockets and was kind of impressed to find my smartphone was in its usual place. Right now, not even those normal things could be guaranteed.

”Maxwell, what in the world happened? Where did my sisters and the Cla.s.s Rep-…?”

”Warning: I do not recommend carelessly activating the backlight. Danger Level: Max. Top Priority.”

I frowned at the message that interrupted me.

And just like bugs drawn to the sole light in the dark, dark forest, that stepped on the squishy humus. The sound came from behind me, so I looked back without thinking…

”Ah!?”

My pounding heart rang loud in my ears. They must have been supplying an excessive amount of blood because I didn't have to touch my throat to tell the blood vessels on the sides were throbbing irregularly.

I was still in the deep, dark forest. But my position seemed to have changed. And I must have rolled around on the ground because my hair and clothes were covered in humus and cold, wet leaves. It was as if I had been running away in an absolute panic.

…What had happened?

I felt in my pocket and pulled out my smartphone, but then my fingers stopped. Using my smartphone in this darkness was dangerous. The backlight would be visible from hundreds of meters away. I still didn't know what was in this deep forest, but it didn't seem like letting them know my location was a good idea.

The Cla.s.s Rep, my older sister Erika, my little sister Ayumi, and my stepmom.

What had happened to them? Why was I alone? Were they okay?

I slowly crouched down and carefully observed my surroundings. I couldn't sense anyone there, human or Archenemy. But that was not enough to put my mind at ease. It felt like the darkness as a whole had become a giant monster. It felt like a tremendous pressure was going to crush me from all sides if I let my guard down.

Whatever the case, I wanted information.

Earlier, my smartphone's backlight had let something know where I was. This time, I crouched down, dug down into the soft humus, stuck my smartphone inside, and then hit the switch. It was far from perfect, but it kept more of the light from escaping than before.

”Maxwell.”

”Sure.”

”What happened? My short-term memory was wiped clean twice now, so I can't rely on my own mind. I want an objective opinion.”

”Sure. Generally, such things are a subconscious attempt to reject a fact or existence that you find difficult to accept. This is not a physical change to you brain structure, so do not worry.”

”You're kidding, right? That means I'm up against something that wipes your memories just by looking at it and it's wandering through this dark forest without any other witnesses. How can I not worry? Besides, why am I in the forest? What happened to the convalescent hospital?”

”It collapsed.”

I had mostly just been complaining. I hadn't expected a serious answer.

And certainly not that answer!

”Coll…apsed?”

”Sure. It occurred approximately fifteen minutes ago. On your own instructions, the Peace Committee Convalescent Hospital's Ghost was commanded to evacuate by sending its data into online storage. But the s.p.a.ce requirements were too great for the target location and the command failed. The Ghost's physical engine seems to be contained in a protective sh.e.l.l similar to a flight recorder, but its connection has currently been lost. You said you would dig it up later.”

”…I don't remember any of that.”

I held my head in one hand.

I did understand the logic of it. An unidentified monster had risen from the convalescent hospital's bas.e.m.e.nt and the building had collapsed. Maxwell or the Bright Cross's Laplace hadn't been able to leave the Ghost there and had tried to rescue it. With the abandoned hospital itself gone, there was no more reason to stay there. And if the monster that had crushed the Peace Committee Convalescent Hospital had been let loose, we would have had to get as far away as possible. It was easy enough to see why I would be hiding in the dark forest.

But.

What had happened in the abandoned hospital?

What had happened to the others who should have fled with me?

”Maxwell, are you aware of what happened? No, of what showed up there?”

”Sure.”

”It seems I lose my memories if I directly see whatever it is. So, Maxwell, I want you to tell me indirectly. …What happened? What kind of threat is here and what happened to the Cla.s.s Rep and the others?”

”Sure. Explaining it would be simple enough, but I am not certain that information would be helpful for you. I must warn you that I do not currently recommend this course of action.”

”…What? Is it really that dangerous? Just to remind you, I've already seen a vampire, zombie, and demon lord with my own eyes.”

”No. This is not a simple matter of bodily structure. This problem is related to your heart. It is too deeply connected to the very formation of your personality, so it is difficult to predict what internal changes will result from contact with the requested information.”

Maxwell's roundabout and self-important phrasing left me initially unsure what that actually meant. But once I realized that was Maxwell's way of resisting when she could not lie in response to my command, the meaning gradually hit home.

”…Are you saying it's someone I know?”

”If that is what you have decided.”

”Quit beating around the bush. Just tell me, Maxwell! Who came out of the bas.e.m.e.nt! Are they trying to harm everyone!? Just tell me!”

But Maxwell did not respond.

No, she sent a higher-priority message.

”Warning.”

I didn't wait any longer. I switched off the smartphone to eliminate the backlight and slowly began to move while still crouching. I tried to make as little noise as possible as I walked across the damp humus and next to a nearby tree.

…I wasn't going to let the same thing happen again.

There was something different about this person than the Dhampir-ized Cla.s.s Rep or Archenemy Lilith. I couldn't directly face them when simply seeing them erased my memories. It was like being pursued by Medusa and her petrifying eyes.

…Rrr, rrr, rrr, rrr….

They slowly approached with some kind of mechanical noise accompanying them. Had they noticed me here or were they merely patrolling? I had no way of knowing. I simply tried to keep the tree trunk between us in order to hide myself.

My throat grew dry from tension. My heart pounded like it belonged to someone else. If I shouted, no one would come. Even if I called 110, the police would never arrive in time. This was no longer j.a.pan. It was the forest of some bizarre cult.

…Rrr, rrr, rrr, rrr….

I focused on the noise I had been hearing.

It had to be a chainsaw or something. The small engine had been lowered to idling and whoever-it-was was walking around with it held at their hip. It was obvious what would happen if their eyes captured a poor target. My heart was squeezed by a fear more grounded than that of vampires or zombies. Being dismembered alive by that brutal blade would be far more frightening than being bitten by an Archenemy.

I couldn't afford to have my memories taken from me in this dangerous situation. I doubted I could continue escaping if I didn't have a plan. I needed to understand. I had to find a way to understand who my enemy was and what the situation was. Only then could I decide whether to fight or flee. The idea of acting rashly frightened me more than anything.

…The conditions were still a mystery, but did I just have to avoid seeing them directly? So what if I did it indirectly?

While moving from one tree to another, I focused on my smartphone. I obviously couldn't ask Maxwell. Activating the backlight to read the response would be suicide in this darkness. So with the screen still dark, I gently held it out from behind a tree trunk. Any middle or high school student would have used their smartphone screen as a hand mirror at some point.

If even this was enough to affect my memories, I would have to give up, but I couldn't make any progress just by avoiding them out of fear. And unlike in a game of chess or shogi, things were moving in real time. The person wielding the chainsaw would not wait around. The longer I hesitated, the more they would corner me.

…Rrr, rrr, rrr, rrr, rrr, rrr….

They were approaching.

At this point, I began to suspect they had known I was here from the beginning. But that still wasn't certain. If I gave into the pressure, screamed, and bolted, then they were guaranteed to lock onto me. So I had to bear with it. Bear with it and find the answer. I had to strip the veil of the unknown away from this source of fear.

Still hiding behind the tree trunk, I held out just the smartphone and gradually changed the angle. The branches and leaves overhead blocked out a lot of it, but there was some moonlight. Right now, I could see them. I could reflect them in the dark smartphone screen, and…

”Ah.”

Then I saw them.

My mind had erased my memories to protect me, so there had been no reason to seek it out. It was obviously going to do more harm than good.

Thrill seeking, Pandora's Box, the joy of violating taboos. Those concepts came to mind and then vanished once more.

I regretted it.

The smartphone's dark screen reflected someone holding a brutal ma.s.s of metal far too involved to simply call a chainsaw. And that person was…

”Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?”

My memories left me again.

The next thing I knew, I was fleeing at random while tripping and falling over and over in the dark, dark forest. I doubted it was due to peeking at that ”someone” using my smartphone as a hand mirror. I remembered screaming afterwards. I must have rushed out from behind the tree without thinking and then seen them directly.

I was scared.

So very, very, very scared.

…They had not held a simple chainsaw meant for cutting wood. It was clearly a custom device. It was held by a leather belt worn diagonally across the chest and a large V-shaped handle like a weed eater. For one thing, a normal chainsaw did not have three rotating blades lined up side by side. Nor would they have a giant crossbow - so big it looked hard to draw with human hands - attached at the top of the chainsaw, the area that would be the back of the blade for a sword.

That was not a tool; it was a weapon. And it was a human-hunting weapon with each part clearly designed to pursue bipedal prey through a dark forest.

If that was targeting me, I was dead at close or long range. There was no point in using the idling engine's noise to judge how far away they were.

But.

For some reason, it was something other than that direct threat which came to mind.

Would it be rude to refer to her as my ”previous mom”?

But these days, the person I thought of as ”mom” was usually Amatsu Yurina, who had brought Erika and Ayumi with her.

But that didn't mean I hated or disliked that person. Even if she had made less of a presence for herself than an Archenemy like Demon Lord Lilith, she had still been pretty for her age.

…To me, she had changed quite a lot.

No matter how kind she had been or how proud I had been to have her as my mom, she was never coming back. The rails had switched over and she was gone. I imagined a lot had happened between her and my dad. They had probably only gotten divorced after a lot of agonizing over the decision. But all that remained in my heart was a hopeless emotional fissure and the unwanted knowledge that even the common image of ”a family that supported each other no matter what” could not survive a true storm.

I still couldn't forget that image.

I could still picture her back walking away after she left through the front door. And I could see the door after she never once looked back and it slammed shut. That was the moment when a family member became a stranger.

Why was I remembering that now?

Wasn't it obvious?

”Why? Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why!?”

I ignored all a.s.sumptions and logic as I shouted and ran through the dark forest. They must have pressed the switch on the V-shaped grip because I heard an explosive roar much like a large motorcycle starting up. Behind me, that someone engaged the clutch for the three rotating chainsaw blades and the metal blades lined up like shark teeth began to ferociously rotate. But that didn't matter. I continued running and nearly tripped through the rotten forest. Meanwhile, I pulled out my smartphone again. The backlight came on brightly and I angrily shouted a question at Maxwell.

”Maxwell!!”

”Warning: In your current situation, bright lights and loud noises will-…”

”That doesn't matter. I don't have time to read all that c.r.a.p, so don't send long messages! More importantly, what is that? Why is my previous mom - to use her maiden name, Magatsu Taori - wandering around the forest with a murderous triple chainsaw!?”

”No. I do not understand the situation any more than you do.”

I felt a pain deep in my eyes.

I could not look behind me. With a direct look, either the fear of the blades or something else would mess with my memories. So even as my spine tingled from the pursuing roar of the triple chainsaws, I kept my eyes forward and continued to run.

”However, it is undeniable that this Magatsu Taori climbed the stairs from the convalescent hospital's bas.e.m.e.nt floor.”

What did that mean?

Was this the monster sealed in the bas.e.m.e.nt because the abandoned hospital had feared it more than anything? Was this who was wandering the late-night forest with a human-hunting toy made from combining a triple chainsaw with a crossbow?

Was it all my…blood-related mother?

”This is insane…!”

I could understand that my stepmom, Amatsu Yurina, was an Archenemy. The origin of my vampire older sister and zombie little sister was pretty suspicious, so my stepmom might have had a secret too. But Magatsu Taori was my blood-related mother. Half of my blood was inherited from her. If she was an Archenemy, I would be a half-Archenemy. But I'd never heard anything about that. It was true Itou Helen the Witch hadn't been aware she was an Archenemy, but this was different from that. There hadn't been any hints of this whatsoever. I just couldn't believe that I wasn't a pure human.

Or had my mom been bitten or otherwise turned into an Archenemy after the divorce? If so, that was very sad and hard to accept. I thought I was fairly understanding of my vampire older sister and zombie little sister, but I didn't want them to spread their damage indiscriminately.

”Pant, pant!”

The b.u.mpy forest floor of soft humus was poor footing. Unlike a schoolyard or asphalt, it sapped my strength and I was gasping for breath in no time. The military manuals lying around the internet often said not to leave footprints and not to break any branches, but I couldn't give things like that any focus whatsoever with a murderous triple chainsaw and crossbow pursuing me from behind. It was clearly all over once she caught up with me. I couldn't sense any of her former motherly love in the brutal roar of that engine. Before we could even speak, she would slice vertically through me or fire a metal bolt between my eyes or into my heart. Then it was the end. That was the only possible future. That back that never once looked back and the echoing sound of the door coldly slamming shut would not leave my mind.

But using that memory to escape this frightening reality was apparently a bad idea.

”Gh!?”

Without warning, a slender arm stuck out horizontally from behind a tree trunk in front of me. I spun around it by the neck as if I had been hit by a lariat. I didn't have time to figure out which way was up. While I began choking on reflex, someone's soft hand covered my mouth and their other hand grabbed my collar and pulled me behind the thick tree.

It was a bewitching woman with her fluffy long red hair tied back with a hair tie. She wore a blouse so thin her black bra showed through and jeans so tight the shape of her b.u.t.t showed through.

”Yahoo, Satori. How have you been?”

”Mom…”

”Heh hehn. So you still see me as your mom, do you? And that's after the major bombsh.e.l.l about being Archenemy Lilith. Heh heh heh. How cute.”

I couldn't move while trying to catch my breath and she took advantage of it by embracing my upper body and rubbing her cheek against me. Her behavior was a bit of a problem when she only looked college aged and yet had been born in BCE times. I wasn't blessed with a ”normal” family due to my parents' divorce, but I was pretty sure this was not normal behavior between a mother and her son!

”Ugh, cough. Mom…what is going on? Where are the Cla.s.s Rep and my sisters…?”

”Hmm? I can't be certain since we got split up as we ran away, but I'm sure they're fine. First, Magatsu Taori has no real reason to attack the Cla.s.s Rep from next door. And even if she does defeat Erika or Ayumi, she should take them hostage instead of just killing them. From her perspective, she was driven to divorce over the Bright Cross's stance on killing monsters, but the next thing she knew, her husband had married one of those monsters. She must not have been able to forgive me for that. I imagine it makes her feel like a fool for leaving over her fierce opposition to Archenemy persecution.”

”It's so troubling, isn't it? She was probably an amateur Archenemy advocate who had heard bits and pieces of information. She must have been a sensible person who attacked your father for working with the Bright Cross, but she was unaware he was shouting for reform from the inside. But the depths of her benevolence must have grown into twice the hatred once it cooled.”

Wait, don't tell me…