Vol 1 Epilogue (1/1)

A week had passed since returning to themyself hopelessly unable to adapt due to et into theclasses, walking down West Main Street What you call ahooky,” if you want to be a jerk about it “What the hell was I doing all that tis were less Whether I was in ER3, Kyoto, or Wet Crow’s Feather Island, it had changed ed Kunagisa “Hmm, more nonsense?” II’d head back to , but on the way I reazine went on sale, so I stopped in a local bookstore to buy a copy “Kunagisa Toisa had stayed holed up in her house She was deeply i all sorts of repairs on the workstation and PCs and what have you that Akane-san had destroyed This ti to rebuild thehinvulnerable steel, but it seeically possible Of course, what she got fired up about was her business, so I didn’t say anything as to that As for Sonoyaisa looked up what had beco the skills of her old pal Chiikun Akane-san had retired froun a somewhat reclusive existence, but retained her prominence as a scholar shi+nya-san supposedly re the fact that no one had reported theh I entered the bookstore and bought what I wanted with a gift certificate, then stood and flipped through it for a while before leaving the store Outside, an extre—convertible was parked in front of the store It was an eccentric sort of car that would have stood out even if this was a street in the azines and the like You knoith names like “Anaconda” or “Viper” or “japanese Ratsnake” This probably wasn’t a japanese Ratsnake, but I was sure it was so in a car like this on a japanese road? Or more important, what type of person rode in this ridiculous beast of a lanced over just in time to see the driver step out of the car So as not to lose to the car, the driver herself was adorned in attire just as flashy She wore a generously revealing dress shi+rt inside a wine red suit that was bound to catch any passerby’s attention, wanted or not On top of that she had a spring coat draped over her shoulders with nothing in the sleeves Her shoulderlength hair was unnaturally shi+ she had used any nulasses coh to make you wonder if she was a model, and she was tall to boot She was a beautiful woman in the truest sense, but at the same time, she was the kind of beautiful woman you didn’t want to approach She looked like the type to have a lot of bad habits and lack universal appeal There was soed to eke out an utterance of wonder drivers, I thought as I stared at her striding towardshe wanted to stop in the bookstore, but I rong She caht in front of lasses Doaze, I found aze And as such, I was unable to avoid it Without any warning, she brought her long leg upward, sinking her puut I cruoing to puke until there was nothing left in my stomach But there was no tian sto on my collapsed body with the heel part of her shoe, so it hurt quite a bit As is always the case when you’re in trouble, there wasn’t a single person in the vicinity There was a bus stop nearby, but the bus must have just left because nobody was there damn,an ugly spectacle offor help I rolled over in an attempt to somehow escape, but this ended in failure as soon as she seized me by the collar Just like that, she lifted me up “Huh… You really don’t close those eyes,” she said as if i Haha That’s kinda cool Okay, anyway… hello” “hello” “Co about? I wondered as she tightened her grip around ed er seat like a suitcase She herself got into the driver’s seat She took off her shades and jammed her foot down on the accelerator It see the whole tiht as I rubbedon? Was this an abduction? Whytoo fast for o-with-the-flow nineteen-yearold, I had scarcely been caught up in a torrential rapid like this before Who was this woman? “Um, who are you?” “Hmm? My name? You just ask lare was even worse with the shades off It was a terrifying gaze that seeh aze like that? “The na a bell “Aikawa-san?” “Jun is fine” Her voice was brusque and surly It see how beautiful she was, but ly well “Uh, Jun-san Have we ot kind of a bad memory when it comes to acquaintances, but I don’t feel like we’ve ht so” Even if we had onlya woman like this “What’s that now? Eh? Youa hell, too “Uh, Iria-san, Iriasan…” Ah At last, the circuit in ht I remember “So then, you’re the ‘detective,’ Aikawa-san?” “I’m an independent contractor, to be precise,” she said cynically “Looks like you remembered” “I didn’t think you were a woman” “Thanks That’s the best compliment there is” She smackedto learn that the Aikawa-san I had long been thinking was a man was, in fact, a woht about it, except for the tagalongs like shi+nya-san andwo at it that way, I probably should have realized Aikawa-san was a wouous words like “hero” “I was going to go all the way to your college,” she said with a taint s in that bookstore It was a hell of a coincidence, so I thought I’d give you a whistle” “You ht to see withmy jobs Thanks to you, you chuonna h rip on my heart In my mind, the events that had occurred on that island were already over, so this development was completely beyond my expectations “Because of you Ito be a safe and easy case” “Uh, I…” Not really understanding the situation, I decided to just go ahead and apologize “I’hed “No reason to apologize In fact, I should be thanking you forproportionally to otten myself into? It was beyond comprehension I had no idea what this Aikawa Jun character was trying to do “Uot” “They’re totally different”“Yup, totally different They’re complete opposites So we’re bound to end up at one of the without a care in the world Maybe we really were headed for hell It seeh In a relatively unexpected turn, uess the end is always unexpected “Well then, now that I’ve seen your face, that’s one thing to mark off the to-do list That leaves just one more” Without a shred of reserve, Aikawa-san leaned that alluring face of hers right next to mine I reflexively flinched at her whimsicalness I wasn’t very used to close contact with people other than Kunagisa “Uht I’d put one of your woes to rest,” Aikawa-san said “I’m an independent contractor It’s my job to solve people’s pesky little proble hand to those individuals with problems the likes of you could never handle You chump” “So that’s what you mean by ‘independent contractor’?” That is to say, insofar as a detective is also someone who takes up contracts “But what problem do I have?” “On rare occasions I have been known to work for charity Callthe last case so splendidly in my stead” “Reward?” “Don’t be so tense I oodness” Good people don’t usually beat the hell out of others with their puonna takeonna be? Your decision” She eird Like, crazy weird Her weirdness was in a league of its own If you set that pack of eccentric crazies on our favorite deserted island as the average, Aikawa-san’s weirdness was off the chart Nevertheless, I grabbed her hand in a rare exhibition of assuredness This bizarre huave a wicked set into anything, what is this ‘woe’ of ht to knoay better than uess? I’ve come to see you Me So obviously it’s about the incident at Wet Crow’s Feather Island” “The incident?” I said “Yup” Aikawa-san gave a s a visit to the island anyway I was originally planning to make it a vacation, so I was lucky the case had already been solved I really mean that Anyway, I talked to Iria, Hikari, Akari, and Rei Incidentally, Teruko didn’t say a word She was silent as always Even I’ve only heard her voice one time Oh yeah, there was also one hell of a chef and some creepy fortune-teller Ah, I don’t want to think about her What was up with that lady?!” Suddenly furious, she sla it Evidently so had transpired with Maki-san on the island What had that wo that those toru her story “Anyway, I talked to them about the incident No detail left out” “So you think there’s still so?” I said “I mean, what do you think personally, Aikawa-san?” “That’s Jun,” she said in a suddenly low and grim voice “Don’t call me by my last name Onlywrong, Jun-san?” I corrected ain “That’s better,” she sed like the weather, but not even ed this often “No no… I’ht? You solved the case And you did it damn well You did it so damn well nobody could even raise an objection But you yourself still have doubts, don’t you? Isn’t so from your detective work?” I was at a loss for words Indifferent to this, she continued “Aht? You solved the case in three days It’s only natural someone with brains like yours would still have doubts Stop , and obviously it wasn’t because she was out of line It was because she was exactly right Exactly I… Kunagisa and I hadthe case quickly a priority and shoved our own doubts into a dark corner She had submitted a solution we personally didn’t approve of Aikawa-san grinned“That feeling of discontent, those doubts, those things that seeot them pinpointed?” “Uh, well…” “Why would shi+nya kill Ibuki? Why would shi+nya and Sonoyaue provokingly “That’s it, isn’t it?” “Yes,” I nodded reluctantly “But that’s their probleht? It has to do with their rasp, so…” “You’re similar,” Aikawa-san said “Didn’t you think so? Didn’t shi+nya tell you that hiuy so much like you kill Ibuki Kanami, the one person irreplaceable to hiirl’ of yours?” “It’s probably just aIf it wasn’t… Yeah, it’s probably actually Akane-san who’s ‘irreplaceable’ to shi+nya-san” “Are you satisfied with that?” Aikawa-san said with sarcasht? There ain’t no way you’re satisfied with that I fully understand your senti around the bush, aren’t you? You’re right, Aikawa-san, I’m not totally convinced But…” “That’s Jun I told you not to call“Jun-san You’re right I’m not totally convinced, but there are no other possibilities, so there’s nothing I can do When you’ve erased all the i one is the truth, no matter how impossible it see that ridiculouspeople’s brains seriously?” Huh I was at a loss for words Aikawa-san snickered, reveling in ether Get yourself together, le idiot in this whole world duenius, you beco if there is someone like that People are free to think what they want Everyone has the right to be feeble- with that We have freedoht, and freedo to use a corpse as a stepping stool, someone who has absolutely no respect for hu like that? What do you think, bud?” Well, indeed, that was a good point “Well, so what? What are you saying? I’ve always been confident in o this far” “That’s because you’re belowyou don’t know Not to say you’re inco yourself competent?” “I’m a jack-of-all-trades If I wasn’t, I couldn’t do this kind of work,” she boasted She was ally narcissistic “Well then, what do you think about it, Jun-san? You say you know it all, right? Please enlighten me” “If you had just asked ht to the chase,” she laughed “Co unnatural, didn’t you? I heard fro you modeled for Why was there a watch painted in?” The watch? I had coet about that, did you?” she said “Please don’t tellthat iht it was just a painting , so I thought it was just a memory issue” “Not likely It’s essentially impossible for someone who claims her memory and perception are synony it was possible, don’t you think there’s some other reason, bud?” “Okay, Ai… Jun-san What do you think?” “I don’t knohat other people think, but this is what I, Aikawa Jun, the world’s most powerful contractor, have concluded: that picture wasn’t painted by Kanaht That’s the only viable possibility I mean, think about it the other way around Let’s say Ibuki painted it If she painted it, it would be weird for there to be a watch, right? You weren’t wearing a watch when you were sitting in front of her So it probably wasn’t painted by her” “Why?” “What do you ht? Sure, maybe there are artists who alork alone, but I don’t think Ibuki was one of the” “She ‘couldn’t’ have? Kanami-san was an artist She was famous Surely she could’ve painted that” “Plenty of artists have used fraudulent ghost painters,” she said as if it was obvious “Roughly fifty thousand It wouldn’t be odd if Ibuki was one of them Not odd at all” “So you think Kanami-san was a fraud?” “Just think about it,” Aikawa-san said “You’re not a painter?” “Art is notlike ‘this person is an artist all the way to the bone,’ weren’t you?” Why did this wo so da her this would anger her, so I remained silent “Don’t compare me to that sketchy character” Hey now She looked at me with a s trick It’s just a technique With a little training, anyone can do it But that aside, why did you think Ibuki was an artist?” “Why? Well, I…” Cat had ht? She only told you that, bud You heard what she had to say, and then, based solely on that, you assus, too Like the one of the cherry blossoms and stuff” “But you didn’t see her paint it, did you? Man, for someone who doesn’t trust anyone, you sure are naive It’s like you don’t trust anyone but you don’t doubt them, either, or like you just withhold all conclusions indefinitely You just took Ibuki’s stea pile of doo-doo for fact” Doo-doo? Did she say doo-doo? Was everything Kana more than doo-doo? Hoas I supposed to kn— “Oh, hoere you supposed to know?” Aikawa-san beat me to the punch with my own line “I wonder I really wonder, buddy”“If there’s soo for it” “That’s no way to ask for a favor” “Please tell me” She smiled She was probably a littleWhen youher dress, and what did you say? You said, ‘You’re going to paint like that?’ right?” I didn’t knoho she had heard that from (and only Maki-san was likely to know), but she was exactly right “A real artist never dirties her clothes with painting materials,” Aikawa-san muttered And then suddenly, “Like anybody like that really exists!” she yelled “That’s iet her clothes dirty, they’d be soaked in stench! It’s not a matter of can and can’t—people don’t do that! Don’t you notice these things, you moron?” This was no act, she really seeht I was about to get pounded Suddenly I understood what Hikari-san had meant A “violent-te with paint on canvas, you at least put on an apron Even if you suck at art, that much is just common sense” “Sure But if that’s the case, then…” Then what did that mean? Kana about art? There was no way an artistic genius like Ibuki Kana as simple as that Why? Because it was a fact that anybody with a little experience would realize… Which ” Aikawa-san said with a slightly enius painter who couldn’t paint So, hoill you solve this conundru Kanami-san was a fraud then?” “No Think And then realize, man Ibuki didn’t paint that picture But Ibuki was the painter Thus, by the law of syllogism, Ibuki was a fake And thus, of course, she couldn’t paint” “A fake? But, a fake would… Why? Uht “So… in other words… an imposter Kanami-san was killed, and the real one wasn’t? “Yes And the real Sonoyama Akane was killed” Bam, another whack on the shoulder My brain ceased for a moment “Say what now? Akane-san?” “Yeah Sonoyama Akane If you think about it, that clears up all the confusion, doesn’t it? Why did shi+nya kill Ibuki? Sio into cahoots with Sonoya with Ibuki His irreplaceable Ibuki” “So Kanami-san and Akane-san switched places? When? Hold on a second here I spent three days on the same island with those two I may have a bad memory, but I definitely would’ve known if they did a switch” “What I’ is they switched before that, before they arrived at the island I don’t kno long those tere there, but it was before that” “One has blond hair and blue eyes The other is an intellectual-looking brunette How in the hell do two people that different switch pla—” “Hair can be dyed You can put on color contacts If you really want to look like someone else, it’s simple Especially when the person has such notable characteristics Think about it” “But— So those pictures—” “It’s like I’ve been tellin’ ya, Sonoya a watch every time Sonoyama saw you Thus, she’s the one who painted you Sonoyama… as Ibuki” Sonoyama Akane as Ibuki Kana? Was she in the atelier doing that cherry blosso ht? “Why would she—” “To make everyone think she was Ibuki Surely you would never have guessed the painter of that wasn’t her But you gotta admit, the whole watch mistake isn’t like her” “But… but, Iria-san… she’s the one who invited theure?” “I mean, she must’ve at least seen pictures of them before” “Pictures? Hey now Hey now,to h to death? Gimme a break here Do you think people’s faces look the same in real life as they do in photos? They leave different impressions, don’t they? That’s anted posters never work Photos are still s arbitrarily So naturally, when you coht Kana Suddenly I had the bizarre, truly bizarre feeling that I was the real criminal and detective Aikawa-san here was hot onthat?” It was a prank They switched places as a prank Iria and Rei switched places, too, right? And they said it was a prank when you asked why, right? It’s the same deal I wonder ill notice Will any of these so-called geniuses notice? Can this salon-running princess even tell the difference between us? “That’s at least what Sonoya Oh, the real one, I ether and ht it would be funny Scholars can be surprisingly willing to take part in such hedonistic pleasures Especially those ER3 systeht smack in the middle of it” That information froo They were acquaintances It wasn’t so i Kanau they planned so their switch wouldn’t be obvious? “So, what now?” It goes like this Ibuki and Sonoyama switched places Ibuki became Sonoyama, Sonoya one was Sonoyaht the woht dead and then pronounced the murderer was actually so as Akane-san?” Akane-san had retired froun a somewhat reclusive existence, but retained her prominence as a scholar shi+nya-san supposedly re the fact that no one had reported theh,” Aikawa-san said cynically “Are you saying that’s the hed as she narrowed her eyes at me “That’s an indescribably irrelevant question, my man Man, I mean ould you say if I asked you why you’re alive? “Granted, a guy like you probably never thought about it Have you ever wanted to beco? Haven’t you ever wanted to become someone? It not, then you’ll never understand Ibuki Kanas, no matter how many times I explain it You, with your one established style, will never understand Ibuki Kanami, even if you travel to the four corners of the earth” It was another virtual machine, I realized A fake There to trick the software “Does that s are beyondbrain, I can at least iine it Yeah All that sealed room stuff was just child’s play to the their real objective Even you got so distracted by all the sealed roo on that you didn’t even consider the possibility that they had switched, right?” She was right But… but it was all too sudden “Hey, I can’t just believe all this up front”“That’s right For sure It’s so convoluted it’s unbelievable It’s so convoluted,and even your personality isn’t an issue But one thing is clear That woman discarded her for reborn as ‘Sonoyaround” “But won’t she be found out?” “hell no She’d probably been preparing for this for a long, long time And don’t you think the whole crazy idea to replace Sonoyama, to turn into her, cain with?” “To turn into her… So you’re saying that’s why she killed her? I uess if you wanted to ‘becoet rid of the real person, but still…” To be sure, killing soet rid of them And indeed, a deserted island beyond the influence of the police was the prime place to do it “If that’s the case, then it should’ve just ended once Ibukisan was killed There was no need to make herself a victim and play dead” “Get a hold of yourself, man Geez, you’re useless If she did it like that, surely the question of why Ibuki was the only one killed would come up in no ti To hide her true intentions She had to pose as a lusteveryone’s brains was probably added on as an afterthought; no doubt after she overheard you guys talking about it But even if she had to kill someone, she probably couldn’t bear to kill an innocent, so she pretended to be the victim herself instead It’s so clear-cut Her calculations were so disgustingly sharp” “Would ainto it?” “Not all murderers are bloodthirstyyour objective, it’s only natural to try and avoid danger as much as possible The ive everyone A to kill everyone, and I believed hi to kill Yayoi-san andof mercy However… “But she tried to kill Yayoi-san” “She didn’t kill her” Aikawa-san cut off my objections in one fell swoop “You made an assuain after she went as far as recycling a corpse to hide herself That’s why you thought up that trap, using Sashi+rono as bait But you were blind “Think about it Then realize,in the palm of Ibuki and shi+nya’s hand Why would shi+nya show you the sleeping bag? Why would Ibuki s when everyone clearly had an alibi?” “Even that?” Everything, even that, had been precalculated? They had predicted—no, dictated—our actions that far? The shon in Yayoi-san’s roouish, all of it, all of it was in the pal y so devious there was no roo all the while ere so clever, ere really just being controlledAnd ue But wasn’t this all just a little too outrageous? That vague sense of disconcertion I felt had now disappeared without a trace Aikawa-san stretched her right hand in front of an brushi+ng ht it felt veryraped “Surely they had fallen in love with their target’s work Those paintings of Ibuki Kanami’s, completely errorless, sans wristwatch and all ‘Now that’s an artist,’ they probably said Haha, I’ll bet they were originally planning to use me in their scheme It didn’t matter who they used All they needed was so as soured out and exposed the truth that ‘Sonoyaered her as the killer, Ibuki would be reborn and that was all that nificent new identity Enjoying ide recognition as a corounds and ed to turn into someone else, you still have to account for ability ‘Akane-san’ is still to this day continuing her life as a wellrounded and outstanding scholar, even though she’s retired from the Seven Fools If those two really did switch places…” “If, huh?” Aikawa-san said “You’re still talking about it in those terive up, do you?” “Based on your detective work, Akane-san is really Kanaisa has researched, she’s still an active scholar” “What’s wrong with that? She can paint and study pictures, obviously she’s capable ofher identity entirely Doesn’t that essentially enius?” Why had Ibuki-san been summoned there? Was it not because she possessed extraordinary ability? She was the outsider of all outsiders The penultimate Transcendent of boundaries Yes, that was absolutely… “What was your definition of a genius again, buddy? So It’s a vector, basically… someone who devotes all of the tile direction, to reach a given s can do all sorts of stuff But if, instead, they just focus on one skill, they can hone it to a ridiculous level So ht say” A prominent function The direction of a vector A restrictive bias If you set that arrow in a single direction, instead of dispersing every which way… The power of focus The savant syndrome An inexhaustible motivation Pon pon, Aikawa-san smacked me on the shoulder “You did well, pal But you’re still an auer, Mr Pitcher And just when you thought your opponent was a Little Leaguer, too, she turned out to be Do You know hi a little friendly as she reeledto end the story before the lead detective arrived,on a second here Kanas can sit in a wheelchair,” she said cynically “That’s all there is to it, really Even Ibuki Kanas are just a decoration Sure, they helped in kicking you around, but that’s about it” “Maybe that’s the case for Akane-san All she had to do was sit in a wheelchair But Kanas She couldn’t just jump around all over the place like—” “Ibuki Kanami wanted to become Sonoyama Akane She wanted to take over the identities of others I wouldn’t be surprised if that wasn’t the first time Ibuki Kana had shi+nya-san been serving Ibuki-san? He had said it was a long time Since when, exactly? And even now he reo on? It was a virtualthe presence ofthe very concept “Did…” What about Maki-san? Had the famous, transcendental Hi over—or blowing off— the situation with a goofy grin, despite knowing everything? What was real? What was fake? Who was real? Who was fake? “You can’t ask questions,” Aikawa-san giggled And at last, she pulled the car over to the side of the road “Tough break, kid That’s all I can say And you did good You did real good How’s that for a cootta try a little harder than that If you’ve got lingering doubts, don’t just blow them off Settle your suspicions Make the inconceivable conceivable Don’t write your thoughts off as just a pile of caca Okay?” “Okay” “That’s the A answer,” she said, sticking out her dark red tongue “Well, I’ you It’s thanks to fellas like you that life’s worth living I really think so But pal, you just need to cut down on the slacking a little bit Huet out there and do it, dammit” Then, with a little tilt of her head: “Well, that’s it for today See ya Hey, get outta here, kid, you bothery to contradict her, so I opened the door and stepped out Looking around to see where I was, I discovered ere right in front of Kunagisa’s condominiu in Kyoto, it was this swanky residential one, shi+rosaki Even Aikawa-san’s bloodred car didn’t see up toward the roof of the building “This really is Heaven” “Or hell Haha This is where you were headed anyway, right?” “How’d you know?” Aikawa-san pointed at the bag in my hands from the bookstore Come to think of it, I was on isa But this lady really figured that out just fro? She was like… like one of those famous books of yore Like… Like a detective “Ha,” Aikawa-san laughed “Well, if our fates are linked, we shall ave ular, noncynical smile and pattedto the top floor of the condoisa for me, too,” she said Now that was a little suspicious If there was anyone to coisa deserved at least half the credit So why had Aikawa-san only coisa later? “Aren’t you going to see her?” I asked “You caht as well” “Nah, that’s okay I saw her yesterday” So I was the one on the back burner The strength drained out frohed “Jun-san…” My final question “Then… then what do you live for?” “Like you have to ask I’ on the accelerator, and in another instant the red car had vanished froid in that spot for a while, unable to think Unable to want to think Sigh… “I feel as if I just ran into a street bandit” It was a fairly accurate analogy I felt an ee had been snatched offoff by kicking the crap out ofwhat she heard fro she had come all this way toher turn? Maybe that was it, or maybe she was just in “one of those moods,” or maybe it was just as she had claimed, some kind of reward But maybe none of that mattered, either At any rate, she didn’t see about that, I wasn’t so far wrong that it was uncorrectable Really… Dammit What is this? I’m surrounded by it here Really now “Really now, this is just a bunch of crappy nonsense” Take Akagaeniuses, deceived the she wanted only for the sake of her own enjoyment, for the sake of the little world that was all her own Take the Chiga sisters All three of the so totally different They were like the Sierpinski gasket, bearing complete self-similarity, the individual parts and their su completely different, an infinite abyss inside them impossible for anyone to view Take Himena Maki She who had the end of her life to look forward to in two years, she who knew the truth of all things, the truth of everything, and yet all she did was laze around yawning and purring like a kitty Take Aikawa Jun A big blur of red in the guise of a detective with a reputation as the world’s best contractor, she had shown up on the island and solved the already solved case beyond any shred of doubt, no blade of grass left unchecked, all for no reason, and then vanished in a cloud of cynicism Take that woman whose name I didn’t know, that woenius “And then…” And then And then, take Kunagisa Nothing really matters to me The world just does what it wants, and even if it didn’t, that would have nothing to do withto do with me, I wouldn’t be interested I’ve never wanted to beco I had to do Sometimes I wonder if that’s okay, but in the end, that doesn’t reallythe way I just cooled off No, that’s not right Probably, I dried out Apathetic and indifferent And that’s why Kunagisa was ht to myself Was shi+nya-san the same way? Sakaki shi+nya, stuck to that woman like a shadow If so, he and I really were of the sah I didn’t knoho our worlds revolved around, but this world revolved around the sun That’s all there was to it, really, and it never aoes for everyone The truth is always out of my reach And what’s more, I never really care to reach for it Maybe that was the proble” “Eh, that doesn’t matter I don’t live to sit here and think about those kinds of things, and it’s not like I’e the world or solve its mysteries When I’ If I can just keep on living like this to towould just be a bother I’d leave it to the people anted to do the thinking No offense to Aikawa-san, but I wasn’t looking to give some kind of worth to the world If anybody asked me why I was alive, I’d probably say just in case That’s about the only reason people have, and that goes for isa is different You know, if you were to put it in words “Whatever” With Kunagisa’s condo in plain sight, I thought about just going back hohty contractor’s expectations, that’s all Even if we didn’t meet today, we could alwaysain And I thought Five years ago, beforenow, even now that ere able to be together forever, I still had nothing I was e, just living “Ah, dammit” The contractor’s cynical smile crossedsisters’ words, too And then, the advice of that woo” Aggravating as it is,with the flow Letting myself be manipulated however people like, however they please, however they desire Like a doll Like a heartless uous andof unanswered questions, accompanied by a certainty so undercooked it’s practically unnatural, coue, crimson fairy