Vol 1 Chapter 5.2 (1/2)
[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 1 Ch 5 (b)
This is a continuation of PART A.
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”Nezumi.”
”Hm?”
”Could it be the park?”
”The what?”
”The Forest Park in the centre of the city. My workplace― could that be where the parasite wasp originated?”
”Why?” said Nezumi. ”That park is right in the middle of the city. It might be a forest, but it's still artificial. All the wildlife is managed and controlled by the city. If a parasite wasp sprung out of nowhere, they'd notice.”
”That's true, but... out of all places in the city, the park would be the most adequate environment for a new species to appear. And all the victims so far, including me, were in the park when it happened. Of course―” s.h.i.+on hesitated. ”I don't know if there's been casualties anywhere else― but I think part of the reason why the city suspected me was because the incidents were concentrated in that location. But if that's the case―”
”That monster must have been born there somehow without being noticed by the control systems.”
”It's plausible, right? And what's more, the park is where lots of people gather.”
”No shortage of hosts,” said Nezumi grimly.
It was a park that was beautifully and conveniently crafted for the citizens. If a species that preyed on humans actually did inhabit it, then―
”Spring,” s.h.i.+on murmured.
Spring? Nezumi echoed in question.
”Once winter comes, the wasps will cease activity as they enter a dormant stage. The eggs that have been laid already will probably pa.s.s the winter as they are.”
”Inside people's bodies.”
”Yeah. And when spring comes, they'll be able to resume activity as an imago. Then they'll hatch all at once.” In a season abundant with sunlight and flower blossoms, a ma.s.s of black wasps would simultaneously break out of people's bodies to take flight. How many would they be? How many people would be sacrificed?
”We have to do something.”
”And how are you gonna 'do something' about it?” replied Nezumi bluntly. ”Don't even think about going back to the city. You'll be killed. You're an amateur, you can't pull any fancy tricks like slipping past surveillance. Ten-to-one, as soon as you step inside the city, you'll be shot dead. We don't have a trump card to pull out, you know.”
”Actually― I think we might.”
Nezumi narrowed his eyes.
”I survived that wasp attack. There's a chance that I've developed antibodies that resist the toxin. If I have, then it'll be possible to make a serum out of my blood.”
Nezumi shot an appalled look at s.h.i.+on and hunched his shoulders exaggeratedly.
”And then what're you gonna do? Go waltzing into the city's Health Bureau and say 'Please check my blood. And if you like, please make a serum out of it'? That's idiotic. They'll probably suck all your blood out and throw you in the trash with the rest of their organic garbage. Sure, what you're saying is impressive, but are you prepared to risk losing your life for these people?”
”I don't want to die.”
”Then don't think about useless things. Whether you have antibodies or not, once you're caught, you're going to get killed anyway. It's just a matter of how soon or how late.”
”Then what should I do?”
”Don't do anything. Just leave them to fend for themselves.”
s.h.i.+on lifted his face.
”Leave them?” he asked quietly.
”Yeah. What a magnificent stage it'll be,” Nezumi sneered. ”You can watch the Holy City crumble into ruin, glowing in the light of spring. And you'll have the best seats in the house.”
”Nezumi!” s.h.i.+on raised his voice sharply.
”Whoa, don't go dumping water on me again.”
”Are you under the impression that the West Block is safe from this?” he said incredulously. ”We're human beings, the same as them. There's no knowing when the wasps might attack us too.”
Nezumi fell silent. A crooked smile played on his lips.
”We're not the same.”
”What―”
”The people inside the city sure don't see the residents of the West Block as the same human beings. You still don't know what kind of place this is, do you? This is the Holy City's garbage dump. No. 6 has thrived by throwing everything it doesn't want out here. You should take a good look and see for yourself.”
”Nezumi...”
”This is just my hunch, but listen,” he continued. ”That monster is probably only going to choose residents of No. 6 to be its host― the people who have pushed everything dirty into the hands of others to live in that perfectly hygienic environment, well-nourished and in excellent health. Mr. Monster has gourmet tastes.”
”How can you be so sure?”
”I have no clue about the biology of insects, s.h.i.+on. But I'm probably right in guessing that any bee, wasp, ant or gra.s.shopper will appear most in places where there's the most food. In terms of population density, we're much higher than the city. But do you see any sign of the monster here? No. Which means that there are simply no prey, no hosts here. Right?”
s.h.i.+on was at a loss for words. His thoughts were becoming tangled, and there was a dull pain throbbing at the back of his head. Nezumi's hand touched his cheek.
”Sorry―” he said softly. ”I didn't mean to give you a hard time. I forgot. You're from the other side, the inside of the wall.”
”I don't understand what you mean by inside and outside.”
”Of course you wouldn't,” Nezumi said gently. ”That's normal. You guys have probably never tried to understand what was going on outside your walls, have you? You probably weren't even curious about it. Oblivious, arrogant, blissful people... But you, poor thing,” he murmured. ”You've fallen off that pedestal.”
Which means I can no longer be oblivious, arrogant or blissful anymore. Is that what you want to say? s.h.i.+on let his gaze speak for him as he looked Nezumi in the eye.
If arrogance is knowing nothing and never having tried to know, and if my blissful life until now has been built upon this arrogance, then sure, I don't mind throwing everything away. Falling off my pedestal would be the best thing that could have happened to me.
”Nezumi,” he said steadily.
”Hm?”
”I want to know the truth. I want to know what's real, what's happening to this world I'm living in. I want to see its true face.”
Nezumi hunched his shoulders and flashed him a wry smile.
”Such youthful words.”
”We're the same age.”
”I have more life experience than you. Geez, I don't know who else would rattle off a line as embarra.s.sing as 'I want to know the truth'. Except Hamlet, maybe.”
”Who's that?”
”A prince of Denmark. I think you should balance out that knowledge bias before working on knowing the truth. You really know next to nothing about cla.s.sics, huh?”
”Well, I've never needed them before...” frowned s.h.i.+on. ”The Arts weren't encouraged much, so...”
Nezumi reached into the shelves and pulled out two books.
”If what you're saying is true, then once winter comes, the commotion will die down. Which means we have a moratorium until spring.”
”Probably.”
”Then there's no need to get worked up,” he said airily. ”Nothing will come of it. So until you recover and you're well enough to move around, you can read him these.”
”Him?”
A brown mouse scurried up onto s.h.i.+on's knee, and stood on its hind legs.
”He loves Macbeth. The other is Faust. Ever heard of it?”
”No.”
Nezumi grimaced, and heaved an exaggerated sigh.
'If feeling prompt not, if it doth not flow
Fresh from the spirit's depths, with strong control
Swaying to rapture every listener's soul,
Idle your toil; the chase you may forego!'[1]
”―is how it goes. You should give your brain a break and work on training your soul. Your Mama used to read to you, right?”
”Yeah.”