Vol 5 Chapter 3 (2/2)
”It just means you aren't dead,” Kouta-san answered coldly ”Because things that hurry to their deaths for no reason cannot be called living”
”I see”
This ti reen I imitated a few stretches while I said to Kouta-san, ”Did you juhed
”It may have been a failure on my part to choose you as a partner,” Kouta-san said ”I did not think I would have to tag along with such recklessness It is not consummate Not consummate at all”
”However, noe have proven that you can jump from the sixth ward to the seventh ward -- in other words, that it is possible to move across All is well, Kouta-san This means there does exist a route to the seventh ward, and that the sealed room state has been lifted--”
In other words, there is no longer any reason to absolve the researchers from suspicion I had proven with my body that there was no need to bother with the one and only entrance, because one could infiltrate the seventh ward by ju across the rooftops There was no need to leave records of leaving your own research ward,the seventh ward
Of course, all this proved was that anyone could be the suspect, and so it still left the suspect at large; however, at the very least, there was no longer any reason to suspect Kunagisa Toer any just cause for this situation
”There's no talking carefulness with you and your way of thinking, is there,” however, Kouta-san's voice re off on h I can't stop laughing, really Perhaps you should get Kokoromi-sensei to dissect your brain once? It'll surely boast a different set of construction from other people”
”That is quite harsh of you well, I will apologize over going on ahead on my own, but because of it, ere able to prove that as supposedly iood?”
”Does your nor others to finish? When, where, and how did I ever say ju from the sixth ward to the seventh ward is impossible?”
”?”
Kouta-san's behavior finally an to feel soin with, when it ca so this research facility by co the Zerozaki surna acquainted with the treasonous Neo-san, and despite having a reason for it, helping isa and Suzunashi+-san The risks she faced were incredibly high To insinuate that Kouta-san to think this -- despite the possibility of death, this -- level of danger was any obstruction was insulting enough for her to be miffed, is it not?
Then there is so else
I thought that ht that ht A five-ivenThen why did I atte the odds? The reason The reason that I had recognized, subconsciously
I looked back at the sixth ward once more
And then
” ah, crap”
I see
So that is why
So that hy, Kouta-san
I understood I understood, completely And then I felt exasperated At my own personal idiocy, and at the reason this route is impossible, as stated by Kouta-san
”It is not a hobby nor principle nor style of mine to bother people about what they've already done,” Kouta-san said coldly, behind me, ”But please understand that we are now in an extreo off on your own again in such manner, I will have to reevaluate our alliance”
” indeed”
I nodded, and confirain because it could have beenAnd then I confirmed that it was not
The sixth as built slightly taller than this seventh ward Or rather, the seventh as slightly shorter than every other research ward From the sixth ward it was difficult to tell, but from this side -- from the shorter side, it was clear that the roof of the sixth as slightly -- even so it was still some tens of centimeters -- closer to heaven Then, ould that entail?
In other words, itfrom that side to this side becoht line, because of gravity and juet some tens of centimeters worth of assistance That hy I succeeded in ju While it sounds nice that my cornered mind unleashed the full power of my body, this sort of realistic explanation felt more sensible
Now, as for the ju easier this time As opposed to the other research wards, as ht
” we cannot go back”
I mumbled
I did not want to mumble, but I did
”Correct, dear friend,” Kouta-san dealt a finishi+ng blow ”That is the reason for this route being impossible In other words, this seventh ward, which was probably built after the fact, is the only one in this facility that has a different height The sixth ward is taller Yes, if you were to return to the sixth ward, I would guess you would need to jump about seven meters?”
””
”If you still want to try that, please, don't mind me”
”I will pass” I took a step back, and then I could not help but fall down on my butt ” crap I was an idiot, Kouta-san”
”It is consu as they are apologized for,” Kouta-san shrugged her shoulders, and then finally rehter tone ”And I recognize thatinformation was one such cause for this turn of events”
That was true, too If she had not explained it as ”you'll understand if you see” and siht, so you can go to but not back from the seventh ward,” this would have never happened However, at the sa despite seeing The only excuse I could offer was that blood had rushed to my head
”In the end, the sealed room remains a sealed room” I mumbled with despair ” however, maybe, one of the researchers has tremendous physical attributes?”
”Even if there were, it is not consummate, dear friend There is, after all, one more reason that I stated this route was iht, e ?”
”Rain?”
I looked at the flooring on the rooftop It was mostly dried, but indeed, there were still puddles that had been formed by rain
Right Rain It was raining last night
” ah,” why did I just realize that ”Ahh”
”With Miyoshi+-san's esti well, let us say they were able to get from the sixth ward to the seventh ward However, didn't Miyoshi+-san also mention? The arms that were cut off were for some reasonseveral hours later In other words, the return trip after killing Utsurigi-san and then finishi+ng the beautification of the scene, when they began returning to their research ward, would it not have been under rain?”
If that were the case, then ould happen Simple There is no way someone could perform the same feat in rain as without And of course, they would not be able to beat their record
I was careless Too careless If I had been even been able to reht, I would not have been surprised by this route being deemed impossible In the end, I am just a helplessly foolish idiot I rushed, rushed, rushed, and then rushed myself into an irreparable act Perhaps this stupidity could not be cured till death
”What shall we do”
Rather than solving the sealed roootten even more sealed, and furthermore, we had become trapped within our own sort of sealed rooistered ID nor knew the keycode nor had set up the vocal and retina check, and neither Kouta-san nor I had adisa, so it would be ih the front At the same time, just because it was shorter than other research wards, I was not suicidal enough to ponder juo for Kouta-san, but at the very least she did not see had no s We were, in short, trapped
”Two hours and forty-five minutes remain We do not have much time to think,” Kouta-san eventually said ”In any case, how about going into action? We can think about later so our infiltration into the seventh ward as a blessing -- unfortunately it is debatable whether it should be called that rather than a curse -- and check the crime scene, dear friend?”
” you are optimistic”
”Because it's not my problem”
Kouta-san said, and then she began opening the manhole next to the water tanks Either due to rust or due to being set tightly to begin with, it did not open easily I helped, and in the end, ere able to open the steel lid
”There is no need to be so crestfallen, dear friend Thereto say that there isn't rope strong enough to carry the weight of a person In that case, ould be able to escape”
”Do you think there is?”
”Not at all,” Kouta-san's placating was half-hearted ”Now, let's go, dear friend”
Regardless, that was all I could do We climbed down the steel ladder and infiltrated the seventh ward
3
Thirty minutes later
Kouta-san and I stood in the trei Gaisuke le word as if ere siated to be here for some purpose
Kouta-san leaned her tall physique against the wall next to the entrance, ar If one were to see Kouta-san now, they may think her to be some sort of philosopher Such was how calm, how transcendental she looked By contrast, like a cat that had just been shaved, I was pacing frenetically around this room, this completely barren, this reddish-black, this crappily painted rooetting hoalk
shi+t I did not think having a time limit for a problem would be this much of a pain There were about two hours and fifteenHowever, that leaned toward a best-case scenario, one in which ere given the most time possible
This fourth floor of the seventh ward, after Utsurigi's corpse had already been carried off, this private rooi Gaisuke, as if the die When I ca In total, I had come here three tied I certainly did not like that i, and I do not think I ever would have liked him, but I feel like the tiued with Utsurigi was the least objectionable And this third ti
”-- have you not learnt anything?” Kouta-san opened her eyes, and her mouth, for the first ti rather not consummate, dear friend”
”I cannot see anything,” I answered, and then I openedthe trick aside, I cannot see anything about the plot I truly, literally do not understand”
”Are you co?”
”I a, and it see that even so coht of co to this end”
”Iht or perhaps they were not”
” yes Perhaps”
Then it leaves me completely helpless As a third-party and observer, even if I were to be able to track another person's thoughts, I cannot track their ideologies Cannot
”Ritualistic or rather, it see this to religions, the way Utsurigi was killed seeious In other words, this is less mysterious and more eerie If it were mysterious, wethat can be done That was gruesome to that level”
”Was it?” Kouta-san said in a surprised tone ”I have seen to this point ruesome life forms I do not wish to try to order them, but if I were pressed, I would say the decapitated head I sao years ago was the most extreme”
”A hanging corpse?” I was not really getting anywhere in thought, so I joined Kouta-san's topic ”I have seen those, too”
”No, a living decapitated head A person living with just their head”
”That is impossible? A person would die with just their head”
”There is no proble as one performs proper medical procedures After all, the heart is but a puans can be si as you provide the brain with blood and oxygen and nutrition, one can live with just a head Of course, there are no internal organs nor throat, so they cannot talk, but they can still communicate”
” what is the purpose of that?”
”There is no purpose Just interest Are you not curious, yourself? Whether a person can live with just a head I can understand that ideology, personally Colanced at the opposite wall The rei Gaisuke's y at all There is just logical ideology”
Kouta-san pushed herself lightly off the wall, and opened the door
”Where are you going?”
”I a you space Is it not easier to think when you are alone?”
”Well, true still, where are you going, Kouta-san?”
”Have you forgotten about rinned audaciously ”I was able to enter the ie Things may have already been sorted, but well, I'll be back soon enough”
And then Kouta-san left the room
”Real profession I ah” I mumbled, and then I , and leaned against the wall as she did ” why did things turn out like this what do things turn out like this, always always always”
I complained to no one
” I ah with this I really ah”
Son of a bitch Son of a bitch son of a bitch son of a bitch Sons of bitches more scum than people Want i's blood? Take out the knife from my left breast-pocket and stab it into my abdoans and scatter thes up and then stab blades into these eyes that are not being of any use to anyone Once they reach the brainnorht down the skull just like that past the throat and slice the collarbone and sunder the ribs and then reach the aorta, and if th and consciousness last, to the heart I would certainly put forth a grand display of spurting blood The problem is whether this knife has that much durability However, even if it did not, I would still die And then if I were to be born again this time I would study and study and study and become a researcher I would become a researcher and then construct a research facility deep in the o mad, and for the world and for people, yet not for praise, I would research day and night For people in trouble and for people un-blessed I would use ths unheralded I would not accept the cheap stereotype that just because I a insane, and I would feel empathy for others and would be a person who thinks of others, first
” , no what a”
To begin with, once you go into rebirth, you signal the end of humanity I must be extreainst the wall A tre I was imprisoned in the sense that I had co I cradled hed
”Have I broken”
What passed through ht that I was no longer capable, then I could call Nao-san Or perhaps the red contractor Mankind's Strongest In the case that I were to rely on her I would cease having to experience such a struggle I could borrow a phone from Neo-san or perhaps I could use the network to reach out which, despite the slight need for effort, should not be too difficult The contradictory situation in that despite being able to use such a backdoor I cannot Ah to approve of such a contradiction ah?
Have I not done enough?
” of course I have not”
There is never a point to effort unless it is given to the end
Not that this was so that could be called effort
”How, ugly”
There is a difference between value and rarity Having co the world onthat I had already been bla the hatefulness towardthat way, and stood up
As I thought that I had wasted time for no reason, I looked at the opposite wall
You just watch, 『DEAD BLUE』!!
”Shut up and watch could it be that this is the one with the e?”
There re a clue on his own accord I ignored various theories and tried changing the order of the twenty-five letters on the wall, tried dissecting each letter and recreating letters, tried writing it over in a different language, and tried other such things, but in the end, none of the conclusive I even forcibly created a language for it, but it felt like I was just trying to will so to happen These words may have to just be taken literally
While I did that, the ti ticked down to two hours
”Really, what shall I do, Kunagisa-kun”
As I did a long tiirl, I called out to Kunagisa Of course, the Kunagisa Toisa Tomo existed in the basement of the fourth ward Thus, there was obviously no answer
But there was so else instead of an answer Suddenly, froan echoing everywhere No, this was not so as normal as a noise This was like a shockwave It applied air pressure sufficient to blast apart my ear drums It was so unpleasant that if one had the talent of purity of tone they still would not be able to identify the note, and it slah the door
”What! What did I do! Really!”
I shouted at the top of h the door There was no particular reason to be so loud, but the alar like this it would not even count as speaking to myself When I entered the hallway the noise beca hammered with cymbals
”----------!”
I could no longer hearSuch a se tidal wave of sound There ht, as I covered both ofwith my eyes Unless I can find and destroy the speaker, o nuts
However, before I could even do just that, the next o of uard yet There exists the term 'eye of the hurricane' It would be a folly to think that it was over after going silent once There could still be a second wave No, wait, this is indoors There should not be a hurricane No, I am confused I do not understand Am I stupid?
”Are you feeling consummate?” the door to the stairs opened and Kouta-san arrived fro time no see”
”No, long time no see, it has not yet been fifteen minutes”
”Has it not? Well that is consummate”
Kouta-san beamed as she pulled the briaze Yes Her behavior was clearly and obviously suspicious
”Kouta-san what did you do?”
”I acquired such a thing,” she said as she pulled an four MO discs [1] from her pocket -- I think -- and fanned them out ”They are not directly related to i Gaisuke's research data is still quite a find”
”And you found the alarm system, too” I could tell my speech was still a bit slurred ”I know I am not one to talk, but Kouta-san, do you think before you act?”
”How rude, of course I do I a even as we stand here now”
That was synony
”We are best partners” I mumbled a joke that was not a joke ”What shall we do? That sound probably reached the Professor in the first ward This building is very heavily secured so the sound probably did not reach hih the security system”
”It would be thankful if he thought it were just a false alaro as smoothly,” Kouta-san seemed to say indifferently, as if it were somebody else's business, yet it was so clearly hers this time ”How bothersome”
Indeed, it is bothersome
While I may pull Kouta-san back, it was unexpected that Kouta-san would pull me back instead This indeed was truly and without a doubt nonsense
” let us run to the rooftop We may not be found there”
”Indeed At the very least, it does sound better than being in the building,” Kouta-san quickly answered, and then we climbed the stairs, climbed the ladder, opened the steel lid, and went out onto the rooftop Kouta-san stretched her back once, and then walked to toward the west and crawled to the edge I did not knohat she intended, but I followed suit anyways From the cedar trees -- or was it oak? I do not really know -- but in any case we could see two silhouettes walking in a jog (given the contradictory overlap of my expression you can tell how disobbulated I still am) I see, ere prone so that they could not see us even if we could see the to eht that
”--- umm,” I squinted my eyes and looked at the two silhouettes ” shi+to-kun,Misachi-san I think?”
”It see position as she backed up, and then once she reached a point where she would not be seen froround with both hands and stood up ”They received orders from the Professor to take a look would be how it seems”
They turned the corner, and so I could no longer see the two That corner led to the entrance of the seventh ward, to that steel door I confirmed that, and then backed up the same way Kouta-san did However, coer see them anyways, there was no purpose to this action
”It is not consuhtly fortunate,” Kouta-san said ”I worried about a full squad of tough guards costers are no trouble at all It seems the Professor decided it was a false alarm”
”That would be great if true however, we still must not be seen”
”Then co I wondered where she was leading us, but it was to the shade of the water supply tank She ledover several water pipes ”We will not be seen here”
”Well, perhaps ould not be seen with a silance but”
I could not call it a particularly large space No h space for one huht it impossible that the tall Kouta-san and my not especially sether
”That is not at all the case”
Kouta-san laughedto happen -- and she pulled me to her and then shoved ht look like she were hugging me, or rather that was all it could look like, as she pressed herself againstarht shoulder Naturally, I could feel her breathing, hear her heartbeat, and feel her war, my heartbeat, my warmth also could be heard and felt by her
”Now this space is sufficient for the both of us”
”-- this can end up problematic, you know” My arms were locked in place by Kouta-san and so I could not resist No, that was not the proble problem”
”Do you dislike problems?”
”I generally also hate solutions”
”You're quite naive,” Kouta-san giggled It was a very leay of laughing ”By the way, if wefor that MO disc, I tried looking for so like a rope”
”Was there anything?” I restrained h, hearts are auto that can be suppressed ”Rope”
”There was not There were threads, like coether it would be impossible to reach the sixth ward and of course if even cables were gone things would be obvious”
”Is that so”
To begin with, it er to hope that a research facility like this would keep rope strong enough to hold the weight of a person around If there is no rope, then so like a rope or so I tried to think, but the scent of Kouta-san's long hair kept obstructing hts were the ones derailingelse
” hair Kouta-san, how about hair?”
”Yes? What about hair?” Kouta-san asked as she huggedlike thistreated like a child Suzunashi+-san treats me like a child too but, how should I put it, Kouta-san see me like a child ”Do you mean my hair?”
”No, I am not but would hair be a substitute for rope?”
I had heard that hair is rather firm Of course, each strand is a mere thread, but some thousand, so rope There are cases in history of people having been strangled by hair, so if you were to ask whether it were possible or impossible--
”Ahh, you mean Koutari-san, dear friend,” Kouta-san spoke as if she hispering into oosebumps ”Indeed, for him to have become bald just from a sentence from you is unnatural--”
Exactly NoThen in that case, therehair -- to shave that long hair I thought a little about that expressionless, apathetic researcher
”For example -- if Koutari-san were to infiltrate the seventh ward using the route we just took And then he i to the wall, and then when he was leaving, realized it would be i, so it was even more impossible However, helike a rope--”
”And so he used his own hair?” Kouta-san asked ”Somewhat consummate, but there is a problem”
”What do you er problehs? ”What do you mean, Kouta-san?”
”First, every single one of the rooftops in this facility lacks a fence or railing In other words, even if you were to throw a rope, there would be nothing to tie it to You would need soes Second, there is still too much distance”
”Distance -- do yourope, you would not have to worry about angle”
”Even if Koutari-san's hair were aseen hiood amount of hair, even if you were to use it all, if you were to even fold it five tih to hold a person Even if you were to weave the most efficient of rope, four meters would be the best you could do”
Five tiht, in order to use the hair you would need to twist it to strengthen it, and you would need to deal with knotting it, too Indeed, in that case it would hardly reach five meters As Kouta-san said, four h, and even if you were to make one or two ridiculous assurow -- and the hair were able to reach across the chasm, the first problem still existed, in that there were no hook, and that he would not be able to latch the hair onto the sixth ward I felt like I had finally co my chastity threatened like this, too! -- but it seemed Koutari-san had indeed si to do! If this were aunfair
”Is it really not possible to jump that sort of distance”
”It would be possible for someone world class However it is unthinkable for an ordinary hu”
”Hu,” I latched onto that phrase ” then, would it be possible for so not human?”
”Huh?” Kouta-san answered with an astonished tone ”What do youto say that the suspect is a ? Huh I don't care, but you knoonder what the others would think? You ht want to care for who you try to persuade with that”
”There is no need to jump to s and s,” I continued without stoppingto lose e dog to jump seven meters?”
”Are you referring to the three dogs that Kasugai-san kee no, owns?”
”Well, yes An ani itself deeper into Kouta-san's body Augh ” even otherwise, someone mentioned that there are boars in this mountain and while it may be impossible for boars to make the jump, then perhaps a bird”
”Are you serious? I ad one silly theory after another,” Kouta-san did not sound as if she were adi-san? Are you saying the dog used a knife to slice Utsurigi-san up? It is a bizarre and incredulous theory, and you do not feel it any odd?”
”Depending on training no, it is iument I could win either way, so I decided to retreat ” shi+t So the suspect remains undecided”
”Undecided? Don't you mean uncertain?”
”We shall have to call someone the suspect in the end anyways, so undecided is fine anyways, is it alright now? shi+to-kun and Misachi-san probably went back already”
I squirmed and tried to escape fro, ”It is too early to feel safe” She says it is too early, but it has already been ten, fifteen minutes since shi+to-kun ca embraced by Kouta-san for ten, fifteen h time had passed for them to consider this a false alarm
”Kouta-sa--” ”Shh”
My complaint was forcibly suppressed by Kouta-san Or rabbed and my face was pushed into Kouta-san's shoulder, and so I was forced into silence I wondered as going on and turned my head, and noticed that the lid to the rooftop on the other side of the water tanks was slowly turning Of course, that inorganic steel lid with noon its own--
”shi+t! What is this lid! It's fucking heavy! da Olympian?”
shi+to-kun's voice shi+to-kun's voice could be heard fro trouble pushi+ng up the lid
”-- I ahed with despair ”Wary, I suppose I