Vol 5 Chapter 3 (1/2)
A hu hu
1
Kouta-san was sitting by the stairs
I froze in position when I opened the third-floor eency door of Miyoshi+ Kokoro blade and turned the knob And then about ten seconds later I was finally able to pronounce, ”what are you doing?”
”I was being told that the person I aiting for would not come,” Kouta-san said nonchalantly ”It is not consummate”
” then I have just arrived However, you were supposed to be headed toward Neo-san's research ward”
”If you think about it, Kasugai-san is visiting Neo-san's place right now Returning to such a place is not consummate”
Kouta-san stood up and patted away at the dust that had latched onto the botto as a seat And then she stretched her back and cracked her neck left and right
Perhaps she had been worried about me and waited there the whole time That may have been the case, and there was also the same possibility that it was not the case It was indiscernible Either way, it would be the sae I said nothing and returned the blade I had borrowed to Kouta-san
”So, did you achieve anything, dear friend?”
”Somewhat,” I closed the door behind ress However, that was all I gained more information but I did not arrive at an answer”
”Excessive inforet in the way well, so be it If you may, allow me to hear”
I did not think there was any reason to hide things, so I told Kouta-san everything, froi's corpse to the idle talk between sensei and I My explanation was lacking because I have a bad memory, but it seemed she was able to understand after just one explanation
” the reason his arms were cut off”
”Apparently the reason for dis transport or hiding, or hatred, or sexual desire However, I think it is not entirely incorrect to reason that there must have been some cause to cut the arms off”
” you appear to have said so about the Venus de Milo to Miyoshi+-san, but what did you mean by that?”
Kouta-san asked me a question that I did not understand for athe intent behind the question, I si in particular”
”It is one of ards to the Venus' arms Kokoroht it up That is all”
”The theory about Venus I prefer the in with”
”Uh uh What about that?”
”No, just idle chat I'ardless of how it comes about, the result is the finished product The result -- regardless of what that may be Well then,” Kouta-san stared at me ”What shall we do next?”
”Next” I thought for a o to the roofstop There is no particular reason to stay here”
”As you wish”
And then Kouta-san fluttered her deni the stairs I walked behind her After cli with idle chat, or perhaps as yet more”
”Your teacher-student relationshi+p is not distinct”
She said
”How should I interpret distinct?”
”It is a story about the ah this is fro my personal opinion, despite all that you say and act, your attitude earlier belied certainty of safety Somewhere, somehow you seemed certain that sensei would not warn the Professor about you, and would in fact even lend a hand”
”That is a , Kouta-san I si things handled internally always existed, but it was still a dangerous bet”
”That may have been the case, but it is hard to throay the illusion”
”Illusion there is a difference between trust and being absolutely certain of each others' core behaviors,” I said curtly ”There was no one across the ocean that I got along orse”
”Across the ocean? You i”
”There is a fortune-teller that I get along with even worse over here compared to that, sensei is still on the cuter side Anyways, that is how it is The connection between sensei and I is as strong as the effect of the ravity”
”That may be so,” Kouta-san quickly stepped back, as it seemed her interest was really just at an idle chat level ”Well then There are now exactly three hours left for the time limit How do you feel about the odds of triumph?”
”Unfavorable It is like, please look forward to our next series”
”What do you mean?”
”Nonsense”
Come to think of it, I had once read a novel that had the premise of please look forward to hts, Kouta-san and I reached the rooftop of the third ward Kouta-san walked to the center of the rooftop, and then raised both of her hands in a banzai posture assu for a UFO, she was probably just stretching her back
”All that said, the view from here is spectacular,” I said to Kouta-san for no reason ”A cryptoet what I am to do This must be what they mean when they say it steals your soul away”
”I hate to ruin some poetic words,” Kouta-san said normally ”But what you see is not a cryptomeria forest It is mostly oak”
”Huh? Really?”
”Other than that, there are chestnut trees There's some pine There are other types mixed in, but there is no cedar”
”Is that so Huh I had always thought all mountains had cedar”
”That is an intense ht? Well, not that the topic of trees is any relevant,” Kouta-san turned to look at ht now, dear friend?”
” no I do not know,” perhaps she was thinking ofmountain trees No, of course she was not ”What?”
”I a up”
”Ahh” I nodded ”That is true However you htful when it comes to profits She would not stay herself in such a place without having a reason”
”Unlike Professor Kyouichirou, you would say?” Kouta-san said ”Professor Kyouichirou seeh I do not blame you after such treatment However, that cannot be helped After all, character is like a bonus part attached to the well-off”
”What do you mean?”
”It's a heartwarood person when they have composure But everyone's quite pressed,” Kouta-san said cynically ”True geniuses like Kunagisa-san and Utsurigi-san can of course be kind to other people It is like that proverb if I were Edison I could have been called the King of Invention, too So someone 10 million Because even so, they are 9 billion 990 million better than the other”
”You are quite defensive of hiraveyard”
”My You do know grave-robbers are the most profitable of professions?” Kouta-san boasted happily ”Well, in any case, composure is most important”
”Leaving Kunagisa aside -- Utsurigi may have had plenty of composure, but he did not seem the type of person to be kind to others He was the detestable kind that put all of his co nastier”
”If one can be kind, one can also be unkind Such is the bliss of those who can choose After all, having these things decided for you without giving you any options is a tragedy Don't you think?”
”I do not think it is a tragedy Just sad,” I followed up absented the topic ”Sensei seems to have decided to leave this place already, but what of Neo-san? If what Kokoroer has any reason to continue being a spy? Andwhat are you going to do, Ishi+maru Kouta-san?”
”That is itself a superfluous worry The three of us, Miyoshi+-san and Neo-san as well as myself, have our three different objectives, so there is no need for us to walk the same path And, Miyoshi+-san already abandoned this place, but -- and I suppose that could be praised as having a splendid eye -- my personal opinion is that the Professor's plan is not that bad While I shall not say it has a high chance of success, it also does not have a low one And the isa Toreat The risk has consummate value”
”Although that bothers us greatly,” my voice had naturally become displeased ”Each and every one is like a vulture A sample, an experimental subject, a test body really, are any of them human?”
”They used to be human Before they became academics”
Kouta-san's sarcastic words sent a chill straight throughinhuman, of those within this facility, was it not this one that was far and away thethat term?
”Well, your each and every onemyself But that is also itself consummate Well In any case, shall we return to Neo-san's place and coy? Neo-san ood to know of the Professor's actions”
””
While I listened to Kouta-san's words, I was facing the complete opposite direction fro in the direction of the second ward Inthe distance between here, the third ward, and there, the second ward Kouta-san seemed to have noticed my look, as she walked in front of ?”
”I wondered if it would be possible to go from here to the seventh ward”
” I think I said it is impossible”
”I have not yet heard the reason for that And, from the way I see it here, the distance to the second ward is roughly two meters Around the same distance as between the fifth ward and the fourth ward no, this one seems a bit shorter And then if I remember correctly, the next one, between the second and primary ward in other words the distance to reach the Prireat either”
”You're quite fixated would that not bedesperation?” Kouta-san said with some bit of exasperation ”This is not consummate”
”Then tell me By what reason is it impossible?”
I could not see the distance going from the primary to the sixth ward, and then the ile fro that the distance is an issue? I did not knoever, Kouta-san was ically, that there was no point in refuting Kouta-san's opinion when it ca I understood, but
”But, I cannot think of any otherits security”
”Then it would be best you didn't,” Kouta-san said bluntly ” perhaps you ht as well experience it yourself No action is wasteful to such a reverse-psychology person like yourself, and it is ”
Kouta-san said, and then she walked toward the second ward, and with legwork akin to avoiding a puddle, moved to the rooftop of the second ward I could not help but adh it was just a two- would be the end of her life
I followed Kouta-san and moved to the second ward Kouta-san walked quickly, and she soon ht up, and when I looked, the distance between the second and pri the air space between the fourth and third wards, this felt like nothing
Kouta-san gave herself a bit of a running start, and jumped to the pri it her all, and with a light flight, she landed on the rooftop of the primary ward As soon as she landed, she turned around, and silently waited for me This had already beco used to this However, I have also heard that it is once you get used to this sort of acrobatics that things becoerous I kept myself focused as I jumped from the second ward to the primary ward
” this is a heliport,” Icircle painted on top of the pri H in the e antenna despite its isolation, communication is not completely disconnected from the rest of the world”
”Do you want to ask Kunagisa's brother or your acquaintance contractor now?” Kouta-san teased ”You o ahead if you please I' immediately”
Kouta-san did not seem to pay it much heed, but that line seemed to insinuate that she knew Nao-san and Aikawa-san Despite the suspicion, I decided not to pursue the matter In retrospect I would think that I should have pressed the issue, but I arets This is not yet the tihtly responded, and then I turned to the east The fifth to priht, but the sixth and seventh wards had probably been architectural afterthoughts, as they were placed to the side I looked straight ahead to the sixth ward, and finally to the seventh ward
”Professor Kyouichirou and the others,” Kouta-san stared at the floor of the rooftop, as if she had x-ray vision, and spoke ”I wonder what sort of evidence they are collecting in preparation for what sort of isa-san up as the suspect Fufu, even if ere to succeed in infiltrating the seventh ward, there is nothing to be done if ere to run into so the evidence”
”There is no point in such negativity”
”Indeed Let us leave such s to others is not your preference”
Kouta-san gave an out-of-place smile and then walked to the sixth ward
”Yes -- wait, huh?”
There was nothing like an entrance on the rooftop of the sixth floor According to shi+to-kun the sixth as a power plant -- what sort of power plant was it? A carbon power plant I think, or a silicon power plant Or a nitrogen power plant? It was certainly one of those three, but I was not really listening, so it had becoue, and it was not a place that people would enter and exit, nor would people hang laundry, so this should have been expected, but there was nothing like an entrance door on the rooftop of the seventh ward that I could see Large water tanks were placed along the eastern edge, and there were some wide pipes connected to the tanks, but otherwise it was a clean, flat plain
”Is this what you meant, Kouta-san?” I asked Kouta-san, stunned ”In other words, there is no entrance from the rooftop on the seventh ward--”
”There is,” Kouta-san iht?”
”I have not had it , so it is probably around 20-20”
”Then you should be able to see About threethat looks like a ency exit, but we can enter the building from there”
Indeed, as Kouta-san said or rather, once she mentioned it, I noticed that door (if it could be called such) However, in terms of distance, because the sixth as still in between, it was hardly visible How good ht be to be able to see such a thing so clearly? Her glasses must surely be fake
”There is a separate reason for it being impossible In any case, let us head to the sixth ward It is easy for you to see up close”
Said Kouta-san, and then she jumped from the primary ward to the sixth ward The distance was probably one and a half isa could probably stretch herself sideways and becoine)
Without givingstart, I simply jumped over It was silanced down One would say to not look down in that case, but one could also say that is aabout the human mind
”So Now do you understand?” Kouta-san hadfor et to the seventh ward”
””
As I walked closer to Kouta-san, I gradually understood what Kouta-san said After reaching around the center point of the rooftop of the sixth ward, I could do nothing but confirm her words I had to confirm her words even if I did not like it
” how could it be?”
Indeed, this would be impossible
The distance between the sixth ward and the seventh ward Compared to the distance between the wards so far -- two meters between the fifth and fourth, three and a half meters between the fourth and third, just less than two meters between the third and second, just less than three meters between the second and primary, and then the one and a half meters between the primary and sixth ward -- this was on a different level No, it was not really on a different level, but it was big enough gap that one could not be faulted for despairing and expressing it as such
Five meters
Five meters
”Is it not impossible?” Kouta-san repeated ”Now do you understand why I said we cannot use this route to enter the seventh ward, dear friend?”
”I see”
Five meters That distance was such that it would be reckless to risk a life trying to jump across Not even reckless, but simply a suicidal action I am not familiar with athletic records, but based on what Kouta-san had said earlier, the world record was eight meters and seventy-five centimeters Let us call it nine meters The distance between the sixth ward and the seventh as four ht up that comparison, I maintain that it is preposterous to compare me to a world record I am a japanese, and my body is not particularly built I aisa, but I am still an indoor person
Five meters
Truly, this is an unreasonable demand
” well then, there is no point in reer, so let us return to Neo-san, this time There may yet be another route--”
As I listened to Kouta-san's not-really-placating words -- no, I was not even listening to such words, as I thought ht Yes, this is an unreasonable demand Solid and unparalleled, completely and utterly impossible
”----------”
But that is why
That is why
The crucified Utsurigi Green Green Green Gaisuke Both arms cut off, both eyes and even the brain behind them destroyed, throat slashed out, chest and torso cut open like a dissected frog, both crushed legs pierced That truly empty, colorless and stateless roo reddish-black atmosphere, and then on the as literally -- truly literally -- a blood-written e
The research ward that was locked by an impenetrable hard security lock, the sealed roo There was no record of anyone having even left their own research wards The crime was physically, theoretically only possible for one, the adisa Dead Blue Tomo, the leader and ruler of the Team and Cluster that rewrote the rules of japanese cyberspace by fifty-five fold
The Mad Demon Shadou Kyouichirou Research Facility
It was absurd This was no usual incident A criument, a murder so abnormal that it left no space for excuses, a phenomenon so paranormal that it left no space for retorts
That is why That is why
That is why the answer to this incident ical[1] It is necessary Not just the suspect behind this incident I as the detective must also becoic
A deep breath Once Twice Thrice
” hey What are you thinking, dear friend?” Kouta-san said, suspicious ”I have a terribly bad feeling right now”
”You're on the mark”
The answer, frohly tenI had no composure I had no cole centi, I forgot I was living, and I used every bit ofLike a soul-less robot, it followed orders
Not yet I did not jump yet One more step
”You -- idiot!”
Kouta-san's shouting voice, changed fro, for the first time carried emotion -- and the moment after the insults washed over , like h the center ofout, like en I had never experiencedshowered with liquid nitrogen, however, probably, this was how that would feel
In other words
I was freed fro
I freed everything
Unfettered
This is dying
This is dying
This is disappearing
This is vanishi+ng
This is ending
Death
Here I can die I can die I can die with I can die to I can die it I can die for I can die too I can die me I can die of I can die from I can die more
”That's why you--”
Like a revolving lantern, I was reminded of a line that someone had told me
”-- should just die”
Yes
You are right
Juic
2
”Kusanagi? Kuginasa? What?”
”Kunagisa, it's Kunagisa K U N A G I S A, Kunagisa And then Toisa Tomo”
”Hisa-kun Huhhh, your head, it's pretty cool”
”You can call me Tomo”
”Alright Then you can call me Tomo, too”
”That's confusing I' to call you Ii-chan”
”Then I'll call you Ii-chan, too”
”That's confusing”
”That one's like a baby bird”
”Baby bird? What do you mean?”
”Do you know about 'i'? They say when baby birds're born, they look at whatever thing they see that moves first, no matter what it is, and adore them as a parent well, it's a superstition”
”Are you saying that your sister is like that to me?”
”Yeah Now you're To post You're the one and only, irreplaceable That makes me extremely displeased”
”This is not any pleasant to me, either”
”You've gained the right The right to demand obedience froained free ownershi+p over Kunagisa Tomo”
”There are parents in this world who are killed by their children, Nao-san”
”Don't you wanna die? Don't you wanna die, and apologize? Don't you wanna beg for forgiveness?”
””
”Then pray Go ahead and pray Cry, and beg for forgiveness, and pray”
””
”Like I once did toward Kunagisa Nao, plead to God or even Satan”
””
”If I'”
””
”A pig, a cow, even aJust isa Tomo”
I had lost consciousness for probably just a moment -- truthfully an instant, just the instant that I had blinked I was lying down on the rooftop of the seventh ward, on that unfinished concrete Or truthfully, I was sprawled out there I had probably failed at landing My legs hurt a bit However this was no doubt due to the i In that case, the moment that I landed, because of the sense of security -- or perhaps from despondency, I momentarily lost consciousness I had subconsciously braced myself, and did not see that I had been beaten up by Suzunashi+-san and Kokoroless, dull pain
”Well then -- Ibad in a previous life”
I survived
I was able to jump
I chewed on that as I slowly picked round Or tried to
”-- I am currently exasperated beyond all belief”
Sounded the voice froht next to me, and so my attempt to raisestill as she let the rooftop wind play with her deni down at me
” huh? Hmm, but”
I turned azed at the direction I had jumped from, in other words, in the direction of the rooftop of the sixth ward Kouta-san was not there In other words, unless this situation was not a dreato this side While the former did not seeher than the chances of a coin flip showing heads), this pain running along my body was unmistakably real However, the phenomenon of phantom pain does exist in this world I did not know for sure, so I decided to ask Kouta-san
”I a, correct?”