Vol 4 Chapter 3.1 (1/2)
These are English translations of the novel No. 6 by Asano Atsuko.
Please hover over the text to see annotations.
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CHAPTER 3
Blackout
Did you come to me
because I dropped off to sleep,
tormented by love?
If I had known I dreamed,
I would not have awakened.
- Ono no komachi [1]
”You should write a letter,” Nezumi said, without looking up from his book.
”A letter―to my mother?”
”If you have other pen pals, them too.”
”Will you deliver them?”
”He will.” A small mouse was perched on Nezumi's knee, cleaning its whiskers.
”Thank you, Hamlet.”
”You don't need to thank him. Every time he goes to see your Mama, he gets to stuff himself with tasty bread. So he's in a good mood.”
s.h.i.+on scribbled a few words on a torn slip of paper. A score of letters. Just a single line. What feelings would he instill in them?
He finished writing, and stuffed the slip into a capsule. Hamlet took it in its mouth, and gave its tail a smart flick. Nezumi closed his book with a snap. It was a beautiful book bound in blue, with white flower petals scattered across the cover. s.h.i.+on decided to ask him about it.
”What were you reading?”
”An ancient story from a country far, far away, at the ends of the earth. A very ancient tale.”
”A myth?”
”A tale about humans.” Nezumi stood up, and slid the book back into the shelf. The room filled with books was warm, thanks to the old heater. It wasn't like when he was living in the luxury neighbourhood of Chronos in No. 6, where he was protected by the atmosphere control system, and was able to live in just the right temperature and humidity regardless of the season, hour of the day, or the weather outside. There was no hope of that kind of environment here, but he found the uneven heat of this room much more comfortable than something controlled by machines. If he was cold, he would don a blanket and draw closer to the heater. If he was hot, he would back away, and shed his overcoat. That was all there was to it. And he had not even known. He had learned, here, in this room.
”Say―” s.h.i.+on began, as he poured himself a cup of hot water that was boiling on top of the heater. ”Does it get hot here in the summer?”
Nezumi turned towards him from the bookcase, and narrowed his eyes.
”What about the summer?”
”Well, I mean―I figure since it's underground it would be pretty cool, and since the books aren't mouldy, it probably doesn't get that humid either... but I was just wondering if it's comfortable.”
”It's alright. Better than Inukas.h.i.+'s hotel.”
”But what should we do with the heater?”
”Huh?”
”In the winter we can just use it like this, but it probably wouldn't do in the summer, would it? But how else would we cook our food? We won't be able to boil water, either.” He handed a cup of hot water to Nezumi. It was the only kind of drink available here.
”Are you telling me you're worrying about food for the summer now?”
”I'm not worried, I was just wondering how―oh! You must cook outside. Get a fire going, and cook the food there.”
”Well―that's one way to do it.”
”Ahh, I see,” s.h.i.+on hummed in a satisfied way. ”Oh, but it must be a ha.s.sle if it rains.”
”s.h.i.+on.” Nezumi lifted his cup slightly. s.h.i.+on could see a pair of dark grey eyes looking at him through the rising steam.
”Are you planning to stay here in the summer, too? I mean, do you really think you can?”
”As long as you don't kick me out.”
”I'm not that pitiless. You can stay here as long as you like.”
”Thanks. I'm relieved.”
”Summer, huh,” Nezumi said pensively. ”Wonder what it would be like. I've never thought that far ahead. ―Wonder if you'll still be here.”
”I'm planning on it.”
”Alive, you mean? Or would you be a handful of bones in an urn or something?”
”No bones. I wouldn't wanna be buried in the ground, either.” I want to experience summer as a living being by your side. I want to live here, in this room, buried in thousands of books. I want to feel the sweat streaming down my body, and the sun's burning rays p.r.i.c.king at my skin.
”Nezumi, I want to see summer here.”
”Alive?”
”Alive.”
”A modest wish. But it'll be hard to grant.” Nezumi leaned back on the bookcase, and abruptly changed the subject. ”s.h.i.+on, do you think the commotion inside the city has something to do with the parasite wasps?”
s.h.i.+on seated himself on the floor, and raised one knee. A mouse scurried up on top of it. It was a third mouse, which s.h.i.+on had named Tsukiyo from the dark colour of its fur.
”Yeah, I do. I'm not quoting Fura-san, but I find it hard to believe that an unknown disease would suddenly begin spreading inside No. 6.”
”Really? It might be due to a new virus. Transmission via emergent virus. Not impossible, is it?”
In 1980, the World Health Organization announced the complete eradication of the smallpox virus. Ironically, in the following years, a continuous stream of viruses unknown to humankind began to make their appearance.
Ebola, HIV, the Sin Nombre, Nipah, La.s.sa, Hantan―to refer to such viruses that cropped up continually, people used the blanket term ”emergent viruses”.
s.h.i.+on shook his head in disagreement.
”I don't think it's a virus.”
”Why not?”
”Emergent viruses were originally naturally occurring parasites to animals living in the tropical forests. Viruses probably only began emerging from the sealed depths of the jungle because of deforestation―that's how humankind came in contact with them. So what I'm saying is that the viruses didn't come walking in themselves; it was a result of mankind stepping into their territory. But No. 6 is different. It's closed off, isolated. It runs its walls all around, and doesn't mingle with other realms. They manage and inspect every little thing that comes through the gates, right down to the nanometre scale. I don't think it's possible for a virus to enter from outside.”
”Awfully confident when it comes to these kinds of topics, aren't you?” Nezumi said sourly. ”But there are guys like that womanizer who come to the West Block in secret. He could've picked up the virus here. That's possible, isn't it?”
”Then there should be patients cropping up in the West Block as well. Given the population density here, there should be double, triple the number―all people who've suddenly collapsed, showing symptoms no one's ever seen before. If such a situation actually arose, all the gates would be closed. No one would be able to go into or out of the city.”
”So you're sticking with the parasite wasp theory.”
”Nezumi, I've seen it with my own eyes. Yamase-san collapsed, aged, and died right in front of me. And afterwards, a wasp appeared out of his―the base of his neck―his body. It was an unnatural death. I can't think of any other cause. What's happening inside the city right now has to have something to do with the parasite wasps.”
”But where did those wasps come from? How can an insect that's several centimetres long enter the Holy City that can weed out viruses only electron microscopes can catch? They're not normal wasps. They plant themselves in people's bodies and kill their host. They're skilled hitmen―or hitwasps, I should probably say.”
Nezumi fell silent. He cupped the warm mug in both hands, and looked s.h.i.+on in the eye.
”s.h.i.+on―are you thinking of the same thing I am?”
”Probably.”
”Say it.”