The Detective Is Already Dead, Vol. 5

Table of Contents
Prologue
◆The adventure that started again after a year.
◆The cold memories.
◆The maid dancing in the night.
◆The truth to that day, the last wish.
◆The famous detective swears once again.
◆The order beckons.
◆Plant city 20XX.
◆That's how we did it.
◆To all living things, all of them.
◆Till one day we all come home.
◆The original wish.
◆The three warriors.
◆The future entrusted by the one next to me.
◆The unfortunate prince.
◇The story of the happy swallow.
◆Epilogue and Prologue
◆Those who protect the living.
◆On a journey to read the fortunes of the world.
◆Two detectives, twelve justices.
◆That’s how the world revolves.
◆The scales of justice
◆The detective’s completely defeated.
◆The enemy’s name is Arsene.
◆Surely the buzzer will ring thrice.
◆The white devil, and where the soul resides.
◆The curtains open for the next story.
◆Those three dazzling years I spent with her.
◆The True End of Route X.
◆The client and the substitute detective.
◆Nagisa begins to run.
◆Where this muzzle is pointed.
◆The name attached to this feeling.
◆A certain boy’s recollections.
◆A volley of oath 10,000 meters in the skies.
◇A certain girl’s recollections.
◇That is how I ‘live’
None
◇Buenas Noches
Epilogue
Prologue
It was a certain day, a usual scene of our daily lives.
"—Nacchan! I got these here, which one do you want?"
The afternoon sunshine entered the wardroom through the window.
The peach-haired girl who called me by the nickname ‘Nacchan’ got onto
the bed and laid out picture books on it. It seemed she wanted me to choose
one to read.
"Erm, Acchan? I'm also 12, you know. You don't have to read this to
me…"
But she's taking care of me, who's so weak that I couldn't go out, and
while I was grateful for this notion…
"Then, this one!"
Yep, she's not listening to me at all, as always.
Acchan put down the diary she had always scribbled in, opened a picture
book, and started reciting it excitedly.
It's a cute voice full of vigor.
I felt completely healed just from her voice, but after all, it's too childish
to have someone read a book to me.
1 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com
And so I smiled at Acchan while looking at the other girl in the
wardroom.
"What are you reading, Siesta?"
A white-haired girl was reading in a corner of the room.
She had a weird codename called Siesta and had a strange vibe to her.
She's no different in age to Acchan and me, but it felt as though she's a
mature adult.
I didn't know if it's a matter of perception, but it should be fine for her to
act like a carefree kid… I, still a kid back then, thought so.
"It's the story of a certain unfortunate and yet fortunate prince."
Siesta then introduced the story without mentioning the title.
A certain unfortunate and yet fortunate prince…what's that supposed to

mean?
"What kind of story is it?"
I didn't know when Acchan stopped reading the picture book and joined
our conversation. She's always interested in everything, but she's twice as
likely to lose interest in something. On the plus side, maybe I should pick up
this sense of freedom from her.
"The story's about how a certain kind prince monument shared treasures
to the poor in the city."
Siesta slowly closed the book and silently closed her eyes.
"A good man!"
And then, Acchan sat next to me, her legs swaying about.
So the story's about a rich and kind prince who saved the people of a
city??
…No, if that's the case, Siesta shouldn't be calling him ‘unfortunate’.
"But then."
Siesta opened her eyes.
She continued with a distraught look.
"That so-called treasure's merely the prince's own monument."
"…What do you mean? He doesn't have money or other valuables?"
"Hm, this kind prince monument had a sword ornamented with rubies,
sapphire eyes, gold leaves all over his body. The monument offered
everything to the people of the city, leaving behind only a heart made of lead
and a worn-down body."
Siesta said as she gently raised her hand over her left chest.
"That's so sad!"
Even though it's just a story, Acchan complained for the sake of this
monument.
The prince monument wanted to save others even though he had to

sacrifice himself. While it's worthy of respect, it felt somewhat sad.
"But this story doesn't end here."
Siesta's voice prompted us back, and I couldn't help but lean close to her
face.
"This prince monument had a very important being who could understand
him."
""Understand him?""
Acchan and I asked in unison.
And then Siesta spoke of ‘the reason behind the title of this book’—the
one swallow who accompanied him until the very end.
It's the story of a little black bird who, despite nobody understanding it,
remained by the side of its loved one until the very end.
◆The adventure that started again after a year.
"Calmed down a little?"

I heard Siesta's voice from beyond the bathroom.
"…Yeah."
I, inside the bathtub, sighed as I answered her.
—After that, Siesta advised me that healthy thoughts could only come
from a healthy body, and so I was forced to take a bath. But thanks to this,
the stiffness that stifled me physically and mentally was lifted, and the fog
that had hung over my head began to clear a little.
"You should shave while you're at it."
"Yeah."
"Can you wash your back by yourself?"
"Yeah."
"Don't pee in the tub."
"…Am I a kid?"
I let out a chuckle.
How old does she think I am?
"Well, I don't know how old you are after all."
Siesta sat down, and I could see her back through the polished glass door
of the bathroom.
"Boys look completely different if you don't see them in three days,
right?"
That's what you told me, so Siesta said, and I remembered.
"Yeah, that's right."
In our case, it wasn't three days, it was a year.
—On this day, for the first time in over a year, Siesta and I were truly
reunited.
"But I didn't think you'd still be living in the same apartment as four years
ago."
I could hear a little giggle from Siesta, who was in the changing room.
On this day, she used the master key of her《seven tools》to intrude into
my house, just as she had in the past.
"…That's my line."
On that dawn, I swore after the battle against Fuubi-san that I would get
Siesta back one day.
Of course, I knew it wouldn't be easily fulfilled. That's why I was
prepared to bet everything I had. But now, that wish was really—
"You're not《Siesta》, are you?"
The maid appeared in my mind, and I couldn't help but ask.
I couldn't tell the difference between them just by looking at her.
"Are you a fool?"
That nostalgic line darted sharply from the changing room.
"After all this talking, you're still not sure?"
"…Yeah, I guess so."
There's only one person in the world who could chastise me with those
words—Siesta, that's you.
So my wish was granted.
However, there's one reason why I couldn't truly be happy.
For this, an irrevocable price was paid in exchange.
"But it looks like you were able to make contact with that girl."
Siesta's voice interrupted me just as my vision was about to be obscured
again. Judging from the flow of the conversation earlier, the girl Siesta was
referring to must be the maid《Siesta》.
"Yeah. I think I've gotten through all the challenges you gave me."
Siesta, through the maid, gave us challenges and led us to solve our own
problems. The only thing that Siesta miscalculated was that we chose a
different future from the one she had envisioned.
"Where is the maid《Siesta》, now?"
I asked Siesta, her master. Days ago, when I met《Siesta》at the former
hideout of SPES, she seemed to be alive inside a mechanical terminal.
"She's playing a different role now. And I came here after she passed the
master key to me."
I remembered that I had returned the key to that laboratory. Did that maid
foresee this right from the beginning? Did she know that Siesta would wake
up like this?
"Siesta, you—"
—How did you wake up?
I swallowed the question that was about to come out of my mouth.
I didn't need to ask, I knew.
And Siesta herself probably knew that too. That's why she's here.
"So what I have to do now is to save our friends. To do that, I must defeat
SEED as soon as possible."
Then Siesta said what she had been wishing for, for the last four…no, six
years now.
Before she met me, Siesta encountered SEED on that island. It defeated
her there, took away all her memories of the facility, the organization, and her
friends. Even so, she never forgot her mission, and spent three years with me,
fighting SPES, all to pursue SEED.
At the conclusion of that story, Siesta lost her life, but she succeeded in
implanting her heart and consciousness into the body of her enemy, Hel…or
Natsunagi. That's why Siesta was able to share her memories with Hel and
regain the memories she had once lost.
"I forgot something important."
Behind that thin door, Siesta quietly noted.
"Six years ago, I met Nagisa, and I lost Alicia right before my eyes. I
couldn't let that past go."
Her voice sank. But I knew better than anyone else that this was not the
end of the story for the girl named Siesta.
"I won't forget anymore. I won't let it be taken from me. I won't be lost. I
won't lose. So, you,"
Siesta's feverish voice shot through the bathroom door.
"Just one more time, I want you to be my assistant."
Behind the polished frosted glass, a familiar silhouette emerges.
Four years ago, we had this conversation here.
I did remember turning her down back then. And when I thought of it, I
flushed my cheeks with hot water for the last time before answering.
"—Yeah. Please let me be your assistant again."
It's time to get out of the lukewarm water.
"So please, Siesta, help me figure out a way to save Saikawa."
A few days ago, Saikawa, the potential vessel of the《Primordial Seed》,
was abducted and taken somewhere by SEED. But if the goal was to turn her
into a vessel, SEED wouldn't kill her.
"Yes, SEED has always wanted a perfect vessel. But Yui Saikawa is
neither Hel nor me, and there is a high possibility that some preparation is
required to turn her into a vessel. I'm sure there's still room for us to help."
"I see, then…"
"Don't worry, I'll definitely save Yui as well."
Siesta assured firmly…but,
"Saikawa, as well?"
Something was amiss with what Siesta said. It seemed as if there were
other people to help besides Saikawa… Wait, was she talking about
Charlotte? But she's in intensive care right now, and unfortunately, there's
nothing we could do about it.
"…Wait."
My heart jumped noisily, and I shook my head, thinking it couldn't be
true, but if it's really possible, I would try to cling onto that single ray of
hope. After a moment of silence that lasted for what seemed like an eternity,
Siesta said the following words.
"I will not give up on Nagisa Natsunagi."
◆The cold memories.
"Siesta, what's going on?"

I hastily got out of the bath and asked Siesta who had returned to the
living room.
I wanted to know what she meant when she said, "I will not give up on
Nagisa Natsunagi."
"Dry your hair, you'll catch a cold."
But Siesta said, tapping a nearby cushion next to her. She probably
wanted me to sit down.
"Here's a towel."
I sat down on the cushion, and Siesta went up to me from behind, patting
my head dry with a towel. I looked at the table and saw a pizza box. Siesta
must have ordered it while I was in the bath.
"A healthy mind comes only from a healthy body."
So after I cleaned myself up, I had to eat.
I remembered that I hadn't eaten anything for the past three days, and
opened the box.
"…Is pizza supposed to look like Pac-Man?"
"…I couldn't wait until you got out of the bath."
I turned around, stared closely at Siesta's face, and found some traces of
cheese on her lips.
I couldn't help but grimace at that fact. Then, we sat across the table from
each other, putting pizza into our mouths. It's been a year since I've shared a
meal with Siesta like this.
"…Delicious."
The nostalgic junk taste seeped through my tired body. Four years ago,
Siesta and I had pizza at my place and then I went on an adventure with her.
We spent three years in a dizzying, dazzling, abnormal daily life.
We battled the《Androids》so many times, encountered many unexpected
incidents, and whenever we resolved them safely, we would celebrate with a
toast of coke and eat stuff like this.
…I really enjoyed myself. I could have a bath, eat a meal, and exchange
words with someone important to me. But that's a privilege only for the
living. For those who weren't living. Natsunagi—
"Assistant."
Suddenly, I noticed that Siesta's fingertips were wiping my eyes.
I don't know if I've ever been such a weak human.
"…My bad."
"It's too late."
Our grimaces overlapped.
"I know everything about you, even your weaknesses."
That's why it's okay. She said as though she's my guardian.
"You don't know about the past year, do you?"
"Not at all, but,"
Then Siesta's smile turns into a troubled one.
"All I know is that you've been trying to bring me back to life."
Yeah, that's right. About ten days ago, right after I fought Fuubi-san, I
swore to《Siesta》…It was at dawn when I shouted at her, who was in
Natsunagi's heart.
"You're not going to tell me?"
I asked Siesta who was across the table.
"Tell you what?"
"The usual."
She could have called me a fool. I thought she would.
What did she think about my wish back then—
"I won't tell."
I couldn't see Siesta's face when she said that.
"And you're not allowed to tell me."
I looked up at Siesta, who was staring straight at me, her eyes looking a
little moist, or maybe it was just me?
"…I don't think I have the right to tell you that though."
But it would be a lie if I didn't tell you that.
"It's good to see you again."
With that thought in mind, I told Siesta the words I didn't say for a long
time.
"Yes, I feel the same."
And Siesta accepted my words with a smile, without making fun of me
like she used to.
However, neither Siesta nor I could truly be happy about this situation. It's
true that my wish came true, but it's not isn't the ending we imagined, and
certainly not the one we wanted. I couldn't call this a happy ending at all.
"Hey, Siesta, what do you mean you won't give up on Natsunagi?"
So I asked her again.
"I can't say anything for sure yet. But has anyone actually seen Nagisa
Natsunagi die?"
…So that's what Siesta didn't know yet.
For a brief moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of light, but it quickly
faded.
"—I saw it. I held Natsunagi's hand as it grew colder."
The scene from three days ago suddenly flashed through my mind, and a
sour feeling welled up in the pit of my stomach.
That day, in my hospital bed, Fuubi-san told me that Natsunagi had died. I
was in disbelief, and even if I hadn't been so emotional about it, I still didn't
think I should believe it.
A year ago, I had misunderstood Siesta's death. I had lost part of my
memory due to Betelgeuse's《pollen》that time, and although Fuubi-san later
informed me of Siesta's death, it turned out to be something different from
the truth.
I decided that I couldn't take Fuubi-san's statement at face value, and
hurried out of the wardroom…where I met a doctor. The man said he's the
director of this hospital and led me to a certain wardroom. And then,
"Nagisa Natsunagi's sleeping on a bed with a ventilator attached."
There were many tubes connected to her body, and it looked like they
were trying to save the life of a girl with the power of science.
"Then Nagisa is still…"
"I thought she was still alive, too."
Although the situation was certainly unpredictable, Natsunagi was still
alive. There is a possibility that she could be saved, and when I had that
glimmer of hope, the doctor said to me,
"Nagisa Natsunagi is now in a state of brain death."
Brain death literally means that the human brain has completely stopped
functioning, and there's no chance of recovery—zero. The patient will never
wake up again, and in many countries around the world, brain death is
considered to be legal death.
The ECG beat quietly thanks to the ventilator and the medication, but it
wouldn't last for long… Because Natsunagi has no relatives, nobody could
make the decision to take her off the ventilator, and this was the only option
left.
Not long after that, Natsunagi's condition suddenly changed drastically,
and no one was allowed to visit her. The last time I held Natsunagi's hand, it
was as cold as ice, so unbefitting of her name.
"That's how it is."
When Siesta heard what had happened, she lowered her eyes as if she was
pondering about something.
"We can't even check on Nagisa's current situation, huh…"
Yes. As I stated earlier, I wasn't allowed to meet Natsunagi at this point.
In fact, given the definition of no visitors, one could guess to some extent
what happened to Natsunagi. After all, Natsunagi is already—
"I don't know what Natsunagi's condition is now."
I drowned out the answer that should appear in my head and answered
Siesta.
"However, I do know of a person who might know why Natsunagi's in
this state."
"That would be…."
Siesta frowned as if she too had thought of that existence.
"Yeah, that's your junior—Mia Whitlock."
◆The maid dancing in the night.
"I see, so you met Mia too."

Siesta, seated next to me in the back seat of the car on the way to our
destination, told me so.
The Priestess, Mia Whitlock is one of the twelve《Tuners》who protect the
world. She has the ability to foresee major turning points in the world, and
about a week ago, Natsunagi and I flew to London to look for Mia—looking
for any clue that could bring Siesta back to life.
"Yeah, we talked about you a lot."
I remembered the conversation I had with Mia, who was apparently
Siesta's junior, that day in London. We talked about how Siesta had been
involved with the《Primordial Seed》before she met me, how the《Bible》ended
up in the hands of《SPES》, and what Siesta had been preparing behind the
scenes.
"Are you angry?"
Siesta asked without looking at me.
"That I kept so much from you for those three years."
…I guess. That would include the identity of the enemy we're fighting, the
true meaning of Siesta's name, the《famous detective》, and her friendships.
Siesta had always kept me in the dark about the most important things.
"I won't get angry if there's a reason why you had to hide them…but,"
I realized that Siesta turned to look at me as I said this.
"I just don't approve of the way you sacrifice yourself."
That was something I wanted to say to both detectives, not just Siesta.
"I…suppose."
Siesta looked out the car window amidst the setting sun and let out a small
sigh.
"But I didn't expect Mia to be in Japan."
Then, as if changing the conversation, "It's been a year since we last saw
each other," and Siesta said with a smile on her cheeks.
Mia wasn't in London, but here in Japan. The last time she visited Japan
was to confirm in person a changed version of the future she had predicted.
This time, the world had reached a critical turning point when the《famous
detective》came back to life, but there was no way that the《Priestess》would
not come to observe this.
"And Mia might know what happened to Nagisa,"
"Yeah, at least she knows something behind the scenes that I don't."
That's why we're going to visit Mia. About a week ago, Mia and
Natsunagi had a secret meeting at the clock tower in London. We're on our
way to the place where Mia was supposed to be right now to find out what
was going on behind the scenes.
"But Siesta, are you okay?"
I asked, and Siesta nodded her head as if she didn't understand my
intentions.
"Well, you just woke up, and now you're moving."
In other words, after so long, I was concerned that I had taken Siesta
outside without paying attention to her body.
"I'm not so far gone that you have to worry about me."
But perhaps that was an unfounded fear, Siesta mumbled to herself as she
closed her eyes.
"Besides, we don't have much time."
"Yeah, I guess so."
It wouldn't be long before SEED takes Saikawa as its vessel. With that in
mind, I gave a little holler to the driver.
"Can you hurry up a little,《Siesta》?"
She glanced at me through the rearview mirror as she gripped the steering
wheel.
"You know, it's really annoying to be instructed by you, Kimihiko."
Right over there was the old maid version of《Siesta》—who had returned
along with the original famous detective. However, her body was returned to
the real Siesta, and now she has a completely new body…
"What's the matter? Have you fallen in love with the new me?"
Perhaps she noticed my gaze since《Siesta》asked me with a straight face.
"Even if you say it's a new me…isn't it still the same appearance?"
In other words, there was a girl there with a body that looked exactly like
Siesta. The only differences between her and the original are that she's
wearing a maid's uniform and that she doesn't have a hair clip.
"Yes, because this is《me》."
Just a while ago,《Siesta》was repaired by a mysterious doctor based in the
research facility of《SPES》. If that's the case, then perhaps her new body was
also created by that doctor.
"But unfortunately, I am not optimized for combat. My body and mind
have become machines and I could have become a fighting maid robot."
《Siesta》noted, her expression not changing in the rearview mirror.
"A machine's heart? That doesn't sound right to me."
And then I complained to her.
"Someone who can wish for someone else can't be just a machine."
She disobeyed her master's orders for the sake of saving the latter…given
this contradiction, her heart is definitely real.
"Isn't that right, Siesta?"
"…Yes. I never thought I'd see the day when the lot of you would surprise
me so much."
It was a line of dialogue in which she honestly admitted defeat, but her
mouth seemed to loosen up.
"Then we'll have to come up with a name for you."
Siesta then turned her attention to the driver's seat. It was true that《Siesta》
should be given a new name, both in the sense of distinguishing the two of
them and also to grant her a new lease of life.
"You will give me a name?"
The car stopped at a red light and《Siesta》blinked in the mirror.
Then Siesta leaned forward in the back seat, put a moon-shaped hairpin in
the driver's silvery-white hair, and said,
"Your name is Noches."
Well, that's certainly a fitting name for the girl who bore the name of
midday until now.
◆The truth to that day, the last wish.
"It's been a week, Mia."
Once I reached my destination, I breathed a sigh of relief that the person I
was looking for was there as planned.
"You really are quite the prude to request for a sudden meeting, aren't
you?"
Shaking off her bluish hair with her right hand, Mia Whitlock gave me a
cursory glance. She was dressed in her usual Priestess attire to fulfill her
duties.
"I thought I said I would contact you if there is any progress."
Yes, I had made a separate request to Mia, apart from the Natsunagi case,
to observe the next world crisis…in particular, it was to observe the
appearance of the《Primordial Seed》. I knew it wasn't exactly the most
appropriate of moments, but I put my faith in Mia, believing she would guide
me to where Saikawa is.
"Sorry, there's a slight change in the situation."
I stood several meters away from Mia and faced her.
Behind her, I can see the capital of Japan far, far away.
We're at the observation deck of Japan's tallest radio tower—just as she
did at London's clock tower, Mia Whitlock had taken on the Priestess role
here, where she could see the entire city.
"…Are you alone?"
Mia asked me, looking out over the glass wall at the sunset.
It's just me and Mia here in this gallery and nobody else in sight…in other
words.
"Siesta isn't here right now."
I said, and Mia's shoulder jolted a little.
I didn't need to check to realize Mia's main purpose for coming to Japan.
"There was a bit of an incident on the way here, so Siesta's handling it
now."
"Same old, I see."
Mia gave a small sigh and turned to me again.
"So? What are you really doing here?"
Mia's wisteria gaze pierced through me. Henceforth, she wouldn't allow
for any deceit. It wasn't something I was banking on though.
"Yeah, I just wanted to make sure."
I took a breath and asked Mia.
"Siesta was brought back to life by Natsunagi's heart, wasn't she?"
That was the common understanding that Siesta and I had arrived at
without speaking to each other. A year ago, Siesta had lost her heart and her
life, but her body was preserved in a cryogenic state and she continued to
exist in a state of suspended animation. Therefore, there's one necessary piece
required to truly bring Siesta back to life—the heart.
Due to the power of the《seed》, Siesta's consciousness remained in her
heart. In other words, as long as that heart could be returned to her body…her
physical body and spirit could be reunited once more, and she would be
revived. That's a simple story.
But there is one big problem with that, too big in fact. Siesta's heart was
buried in Nagisa Natsunagi's body. In the past, Natsunagi (Hel) had damaged
her own heart when she fought Siesta and then attacked random people on the
streets of London in an attempt to find a replacement. In the end, it was
Siesta's heart that finally fit the bill. Therefore, if she were to lose that heart
again, Natsunagi would—
"Yes."
Mia stared at me without changing her expression.
"Nagisa Natsunagi realized that possibility herself and told me. She said
to me, "If I die…this heart can be returned to its owner, then the《famous
detective》will be revived, right"?"
—As expected, Natsunagi resolved herself at that moment.
She decided that her death would bring Siesta back to life.
That's why, a week ago in London, Natsunagi had promised me.
"I'll get Siesta back, no matter what it takes."
No matter what it took, even if it cost her life.
"…Mia, didn't you try to stop her?"
I asked as I felt my nails claw into my palms.
"I did."
"! Then why…!"
"Because!"
Mia's scream echoed through the observatory.
"That's what changing the future is all about!"
She was the angriest she had ever been, her shoulders shaking furiously as
she cried further. She burst into tears with rage towards me, or perhaps
towards herself.
"No matter how painful the choice is, if you really have a wish that you
want to fulfill, we…!”
…Yeah, that's right. That's what I asked of Mia. Together, we could get
Siesta back, and I asked her to find a new future route. This was the result.
A year ago, Siesta died and Natsunagi survived thanks to her heart.
And now, Natsunagi's dead, and the heart revived Siesta.
This was the only Route X ending that could fulfill the miracle I'd hoped
for.
"I made her do it, didn't I?"
I was referring to Mia and Natsunagi. I couldn't blame them.
"No matter what you sacrifice, no matter what the cost, don't stop trying
to make your wish come true.”
I remembered Bat's last words to me.
I thought I was ready for this the entire time.
I was so prepared to do this that I consumed the《seed》, and in other
words, I gave up my body.
Even if the《seed》would take a body part or some of my lifespan, I was
willing to do it as long as it could bring Siesta back to life.
…But I didn't think of the possibility that Natsunagi was thinking the
same thing. I didn't realize how much Natsunagi wanted to get Siesta back
and that it wasn't just me.
Yes, Natsunagi and Siesta had already met six years earlier than I did.
Their memories were stolen by SEED. They met as enemies and eventually
parted by death.
But that bereavement was due to Siesta's devotion to Natsunagi, who used
her own heart to fulfill Natsunagi's wish to live again, to attend school. So,
now that Natsunagi had regained her memory and knew of the whole story, it
wasn't unnatural for her to try to save Siesta, even at the cost of her own life.
"Nagisa gave a relieved smile."
Mia said, wiping her tears again and again.
"Of course, she never thought about dying in the beginning, but… even
so, she finally fulfilled her duty as a detective, and was able to repay the debt
to you and Senpai."
"…!"
That's a mistake. Natsunagi wasn't the one who hadn't returned the favor,
it was me.
"I asked Nagisa, ‘Are you not scared? Is this fine?’ And then she said,"
Mia looked out into the distance,
"She said she was just returning what she owed. She said this is the right
route."
That was what Nagisa said, Mia recalled, describing what happened
behind the scenes that day.
"That can't be it, that's not the future I wanted…"
"Yes. I did not think it was right either. I was not supposed to think so."
Mia muttered as she looked beyond the glass window of the observatory
under the sunset.
"It is not the right choice. At least, I knew right away that that future was
not the one you, Kimihiko Kimizuka, wanted. After all you did to persuade
me, after all my emotions you moved, after all the help you gave me…if this
was the result, I felt I could not complain even if you beat me up."
"Still," Mia continued.
"I couldn't deny Nagisa Natsunagi's…zeal for that choice."
A single tear ran down Mia's face.
I wondered if Mia cried like this when she couldn't stop Siesta's bet a year
and a half ago.
"That is why I cannot bring myself to meet Senpai. I betrayed her wishes
and tried to put Nagisa Natsunagi's zeal first. That is why—"
"That's not true."
At that moment, a third person's voice echoed through the observation
deck, neither mine nor Mia's. Mia turned around, as though dragged by the
voice ripping through the air, and looked next to me.
"It has been a while, Mia."
It was the first reunion after a year between the Priestess and the
Detective, two allies of justice.
◆The famous detective swears once again.
"Sen…pai…"
Mia Whitlock stared dumbfounded at the white-haired famous detective.
Of course, Mia already knew that Siesta had revived, or the possibility of
it. However, she was sure that this was just a piece of information that she
understood in her mind.
It had been a year, and this reunion shouldn't have happened, so Mia froze
on the spot, still shedding tears.
"Looks like the crying part hasn't changed."
Next to me, Siesta smiled.
"I don't remember crying that much in front of you though…Senpai."
On the other hand, Mia turned her head unhappily.
Once Siesta saw Mia's reaction, she looked at me and sighed.
"I think you should fix that habit of making girls cry."
"As if there's anyone out there who wants to get into mayhem like that?"
"Well, I can say that I'm relieved that you're still the same."
"That's an unpleasant way of being relieved."
I couldn't deny that I'd caused her trouble all this while because of this
same old nature of mine though.
"Besides, this is where I always show up."
And with that, Siesta took a step towards Mia.
"…!"
But Mia's expression was contorted.
Surely she felt that she did not deserve to be face to face with Siesta.
"I've denied the future you wanted to protect, Senpai. In this new route I
found, another life was taken. I knew very well that no one would be happy."
Yes, Mia didn't think this ending was right. She couldn't ignore
Natsunagi's zeal, and she couldn't save the person who had once saved her
life. She had the chance to redeem herself…but the price was that another
detective would be sacrificed.
A week ago in London, Mia took a new step. But her toes weren't always
pointed towards the future she was aiming for.
"I'm sorry."
Mia's eyes reddened and she hung her head in simple words.
"I could not stop the《famous detective》from betting once again. I knew it
might be a mistake, but I could not do anything about it. I was, I was…."
"That's not true."
As if to interrupt Mia's words, Siesta hugged her softly.
"First of all, I'm the one who owes you an apology. I'm sorry, Mia."
Siesta then apologized to Mia.
"…Why, Senpai?"
Mia's round wisteria eyes flickered, as though she didn't understand
Siesta's intentions.
"I caused you trouble in the past because of my selfishness. I'd like to
apologize again for that."
It was a year and a half ago when Siesta planned to have the enemy steal
the《Bible》, with the possibility that she would ultimately sacrifice herself.
Siesta had requested Mia's help in realizing her plan.
"…You were just trying to fulfill your mission as a《Tuner》, Senpai. I did
not have the resolve."
Mia cried into Siesta's chest and let her tears flow.
"And now, once again, I… "
"That's different, too."
But Siesta grabbed Mia by both shoulders and insisted firmly.
"After all, we haven't reached the end of this route yet."
Mia's eyes widened.
"It's true that Nagisa's sacrifice revived me. But who says this is the end?"
And like Mia, my body trembled at Siesta's statement.
Just as I had vowed that this story would not end until I brought Siesta
back to life.
Siesta also hadn't given up on Nagisa Natsunagi, even in this desperate
situation.
"Okay, Mia?"
And so Siesta declared on this observatory, in the heart of Japan.
"I'm going to save Nagisa Natsunagi."
Just like she never gave up on me.
That's what Siesta promised Mia and me, or herself.
"…Really?"
Mia asked Siesta in a somewhat childish voice.
Siesta wiped away Mia's tears and said with a smile.
"Yes. After all, I like stories with happy endings."
◆The order beckons.
"I'm sorry."
Then, after a moment, Mia bowed to us again.
But that's not what she said earlier.
"The future surrounding this《Primordial Seed》is unobservable to me now,
no matter how I try."
The original plan was for Mia to observe the future surrounding SEED,
the《world's enemy》, but that had ended in failure.
"No, that's to be expected. I know it's not always so convenient to see
what you want to see."
"…That, too, I suppose."
But Mia glanced at me as if she wanted to say something.
"What's wrong? Something you can't say?"
The people around me usually weren't the type to shy away from speaking
their minds.
"Maybe she's implying it's your fault?"
The first to reply was the white-haired girl next to me.
"You think I'm the reason why Mia can't see into the future?"
That's ridiculous. I looked at Mia and she awkwardly averted her gaze.
Really, me?
"What did I do?"
"You changed the future."
Siesta took over and said plainly.
"In the future I originally envisioned, you, Nagisa, Charl, and Yui would
have defeated《SPES》…SEED."
Of course, so she said, it was just a wish. That was Siesta's dying wish…
Me and Natsunagi, Charl and Saikawa, we're Siesta's legacy.
"But from there, all of you started walking a path that even I couldn't have
imagined."
…Yeah, that's right. I couldn't give up on Siesta, so I started exploring the
possibilities with Natsunagi and the others. It's a future that neither the
Priestess nor the Famous Detective could have imagined.
And so here we are—Natsunagi lost her life, Saikawa got abducted by the
enemy, and Charl in critical condition. We've taken a route too far from
Siesta's expectations and my ideals.
"Now, the future is too uncertain."
Mia, who has been listening to us with her eyes closed, slowly opened her
eyelids and spoke,
"As a result of your disruption of the future, there is no longer a set route
for the battle against the《Primordial Seed》. There is no longer anything I can
observe, including the process of who will win."
That's the conclusion of the《Priestess》Mia Whitlock. Even she, a Tuner
who could see the future, couldn't foresee the end of this story—but.
"But that doesn't mean we've lost yet."
It certainly wasn't the route I had envisioned. I lost three of my most
important friends. But at this moment, there's still one last hope next to me.
"Right, Siesta?"
I stare at that hope called the famous detective.
If the future's uncertain, we'd just have to defeat the enemies of the world
with our own hands.
And then we'd get all of our friends back. That's the ending Siesta was
aiming for.
"Yes. That's why I came back."
Siesta's fleeting smile wasn't the confident face of a hero.
But in this current situation where there's no light, just having her next to
me gave me hope that I could still see tomorrow.
"Assistant."
Siesta pointed at my chest. I noticed my smartphone vibrating in the
inside pocket of my jacket, checked the name, and answered the call.
"Yo, shitty brat, about time you got out of the blankets, huh?"
I could hear a puff of smoke from the speaker.
The person on the other end of the line was none other than Fuubi Kase—
the one who had first informed me of the death of Nagisa Natsunagi.
"Fuubi-san, we still have Natsunagi after…"
"—Kimihiko Kimizuka."
A chillingly cold voice came from the phone.
"If you have time to cling to hope, take your weapon."
…Ahh, I knew. That's the person called Fuubi Kase.
She's an《Assassin》with the mission to eliminate all world crises, an ally
of justice—no, an enemy of evil. She's never one to believe in feeling
emotions or 1% of expectations, only believing in solid logic and the abilities
she gained to defeat the world's enemies. I knew very soon that the
circumstances that required them were imminent.
"—!"
It all started with a sudden ringing in my ears.
It felt as if a giant bell was ringing in my ear, and then I was afflicted with
a migraine and nausea. I involuntarily let go of the phone and dropped to my
knees.
"Kimihiko? …Senpai!"
Mia rushed over to me but soon turned her attention to Siesta as well.
It seems that Siesta and I were the only ones experiencing this mysterious
phenomenon.
"This…is?"
Siesta, who's kneeling on the floor like me, was clutching at her chest and
wincing at this mysterious phenomenon.
"The enemy's here."
I could hear Fuubi-san's voice again from the smartphone on the floor.
A moment later, I hear explosions from afar.
"What is it this time…?"
The migraine and nausea subsided a little, so I stood up and looked at the
scenery outside.
"What's going on?"'
From a height of 450 meters, I saw giant《feelers》attacking a group of
buildings.
◆Plant city 20XX.
"What is…this…?"
A tad later, Siesta and I recovered from our mysterious ailment and rushed
from the Tower to the scene. However, the sight before us made me stand
still.
We were on the streets under the setting sun, there were long, thick plant
roots that could only be described as giant《feelers》, wrapping the buildings
in the area. A large number of vines grew atop the elevated tracks and there
appeared to be a passing train caught in them. People rushed for cover, traffic
accidents everywhere, and smoke and flames were rising.
"Assistant!"
And at that moment, I felt a strong impact from my body.
"…?"
The next thing I knew, I was lying on the asphalt, and Siesta was on top of
me.
And right after, a pedestrian signal collapsed next to us. A mysterious
plant wrapped itself around a pole. I should have thought of why there were
so many traffic accidents around us.
"What's going on here…?"
I got up with Siesta's help and took another look around. The ground's
ripped apart, plants wrapped themselves around buildings. Traffic lights and
signs were wrecked, and there were many people who abandoned their
vehicles. The city's overrun by plants …or rather, by the《Primordial Seed》.
"Assistant, there."
Siesta pointed urgently. A single《feeler》attacked a young man who had
failed to escape and wrapped him up. The《feeler》then dragged the man
away.
"Siesta, go after him!"
What's the enemy doing, abducting civilians?
SEED definitely wasn't one who would attack humans directly, but…
"We can't get there in time if we go at this usual pace, Assistant."
Siesta pulled me by the hand and started running, eventually running up
the outside stairs of a nearby building. From a high vantage point, she
observed where the《feeler》was headed.
"That's…."
The tallest commercial building in the distance was pierced by a huge
tree. Atop the building was a large, swollen, ripe fruit-like object.
"Yui Saikawa is in there."
Siesta pointed to the top of a building in the distance, peering through
binoculars she had somehow obtained.
"Inside that giant《fruit》is Yui Saikawa, along with several other civilians
trapped."
"Are they safe?"
"They appear limp. Maybe they're unconscious."
"…But now we know where to go."
"Those trapped civilians are most probably…nutrients. It's absorbing them
to groom the vessel Yui Saikawa."
I see. Grooming the vessel…or repairing it, huh?
Saikawa was injured in the battle a few days ago in a way that SEED
could not have predicted. SEED must be desperately trying to restore the
damaged body and make it sturdy. Maybe it's the final phase.
"Siesta, let's hurry."
We knew what the enemy's planning, and where our friend's at. In that
case, there's no time for us to sit on the building stairs and watch from afar.
"We need to hurry to Saikawa—"
As soon as I said that, I felt my body float away.
"Assistant!"
Siesta shouted as she looked down at me, and I finally realized that I was
falling. Before I knew it, plant vines had grown from the ground, destroying
the stairs.
"—!"
I tumbled over, but there's no way I could survive falling ten meters down
to the concrete, right? Even though I believed my body was a little stronger
because I consumed the《seed》…
"Hmm?"
A few seconds later, my body crashed into something, but the impact
wasn't as hard as I had expected. I opened my eyes incredulously…and right
over there was…
"Oy, shitty brat, you're never going to lift your head around me now."
An annoying red-haired policewoman was holding me in her arms with a
smug look on her face.
"…How many hundreds of kilos of impact do you think this is?"
I gave a wry smile in Fuubi-san's arms as I stared at her face up close. I
weigh fewer than sixty kilograms. And considering the impact of falling from
a height of ten meters….
"Don't underestimate a policeman. I can hold an African elephant in one
hand."
…That's scary. Let's not fight her again.
"Assistant!"
A tad later, Siesta landed on the asphalt with a thud.
This one too is naturally inhuman.
"Long time no see, famous detective."
Fuubi-san grinned at the sight of Siesta, but she didn’t seem to be
surprised by the latter’s presence. It seemed she already realized that Siesta
had revived.
"I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you after I died."
Siesta then apologized to Fuubi-san in a way that only she could say after
reviving.
"Also, I want to thank you for protecting everyone, including Charl."
And that's what she said too…though she’s giving Fuubi-san a cold stare
for some reason.
"Hmm? Yeah, right back at you."
Fuubi-san lowered me from the princess’ carry in a scary manner.
"So, what's the situation?"
Siesta then asked Fuubi-san again about what's going on in the city. Since
she called us all of a sudden, she probably had an idea of what’s going on.
"Somehow, it just happened suddenly and without warning. A huge tree
grew through a building in the middle of the city, and the ground cracked
everywhere. Then the plants started attacking people."
The police are panicking now, Fuubi-san sighed.
"You think SEED is around here too?"
I asked Fuubi-san. With all the commotion caused, it’d be hard to believe
the enemy isn't at the scene.
"I doubt it. I don't even know what the enemy looks like."
"Is it possible that you are the SEED?"
Siesta stated bluntly. I remember such an incident in London about a year
ago, when SEED contacted us by taking on Fuubi-san.
"Huh, did your deduction skills dull while you were dead?"
But Fuubi-san laughed off Siesta's comment.
"If I was really your enemy, I would have killed that shitty brat back
then."
Yeah, that's true too. It seems that she is the real Fuubi Kase.
"But if that's the case, then what?"
Siesta then looked at Fuubi-san incredulously.
"The mission of defeating《SPES》was assigned only to the《famous
detective (me)》. The《Assassin (you)》isn’t supposed to assist."
That's the rule set forth in the Federation Charter. Since there were
countless《world crises》, the《Tuners》assigned to deal with them were
predetermined. The crisis of the《Primordial Seed》was supposedly entrusted
to the《famous detective》.
"Assist? No. I'm just trying to cover your asses."
Fuubi-san looked at me and Siesta with a mischievous smirk.
"But, well, the《Assassin》is having a break for now. Leave the evacuation
of the civilians to me, and you guys can focus on rescuing Yui Saikawa and
defeating the enemy."
Then she gave the survival knife to me,
"I'm going to do my job as a police officer."
As her red ponytail swung, she said with a confident look on her face.
"Assistant, let's go."
At Siesta's urging, the two of us once again headed for Saikawa. Our
destination was the commercial building we had seen earlier on the stairs, one
that was becoming one with the giant tree. Saikawa is asleep in that《fruit》.
We ran past the people who were escaping in the opposite direction, towards
the scene.
"How do we save Saikawa?"
"I guess we’ll have to climb up the building. I don't know if you can do
that."
"I'm surprised you would even think of something that has a 1% chance of
working."
"Hmm, I guess I should’ve taken that spider guy's ability sometime."
Siesta said, referring to one of the defeated《Androids》in the past.
Speaking of which, did Siesta know that I consumed Chameleon's《seed》?
It's a double-edged sword that granted me special abilities in exchange for my
senses and lifespan. What would she say when she discovered that I
consumed the《seed》to save her? Would she be worried, or…
"Assistant?"
Siesta, perhaps suspicious of my silence, turns around and gives me a
glance.
"No, it's nothing."
Let's hurry up, was all I said as I ran to my friend.
"Yeah, really hurry up. I've been matching your pace the entire time."
"…I'm starting to think it'd be faster if you carried me instead."
◆That's how we did it.
I looked up from the scramble intersection and found an eight-story

fashion building. A large tree extended through the building in a straight line,
and its thick branches broke through the walls and windows.
"Saikawa…"
Atop of the tree that had basically become an integral part of the building
was a prominent looking《fruit》with ripe skin. Civilians, including Saikawa,
were supposedly trapped instead.
"Guess it’ll be difficult to climb the building from the outside, won’t it?"
"Looks like we’ll have to do it from the inside, huh?"
The building was pierced by the trunk of a large tree that had suddenly
grown out of the ground. I didn’t know what's going on inside. And even if
we went inside and reached the《fruit》, we might not be able to save everyone
at once. If we could separate Saikawa first though, we probably could stop
the supply of nutrients through the fruit and save the other civilians.
So I thought about this, looking up at the building again, and saw a
helicopter flying in the night sky. Are they checking the damage to the city
from above?
"…Hmm?"
And right at that moment, a long, thin《feeler》grew from somewhere,
reached into the sky, and eventually grabbed the tail of the helicopter. There’s
only one possible outcome thereafter.
"Assistant!"
Siesta's sharp voice rang before I could move my body, and I tumbled on
the ground, seemingly protected by her. A deafening explosion happened
thereafter.
"…! Siesta!"
We’re a long way from the crash site, but the hot air struck us. Due to the
black smoke, I was unable to open my eyes, and I called out to the
detective… but there was no reply. The next thing I knew, she's gone too. I
looked up, thinking it was impossible, and a moment later, a gunshot rang
out. The bullet ripped through the wind and cut through the black smoke.
"It's still a hundred years too early for you to worry about me.”
Siesta, implying that I would never be able to catch up with her, held the
musket before me while I was on my knees. And in the distance, beyond the
flames of the explosion, was the silhouette of the enemy I had seen days ago.
"—It's been a while, but you haven't changed."
The black smoke cleared, and the《Primordial Seed》said to Siesta. SEED
shouldn’t be able to distinguish between humans, but it seemed to think of
Siesta, a former vessel candidate, as a special existence.
"You look different every time I see you."
Siesta replied to SEED with a blank look. Six years ago, Siesta first
encountered SEED, and most probably had seen her enemy transform.
At this point though, SEED looked almost exactly the same as it did when
I met it a week ago. Its long hair was a contrasting mixture of white and dull,
and armor covered up to its neck. Its expression was lifeless and neutral, and
its eyes appeared devoid of emotions…as if it had abandoned them
completely.
"I think there used to be a bit more of a human side to you."
However, Siesta unexpectedly said this, as if to say that even though
SEED was a seed that came from outer space, it used to be more human to
some extent.
"What are you talking about?"
But SEED, of course, tilted its head at an unnatural angle, as if it couldn't
understand human language.
It was not playing dumb, being selectively oblivious about them like Hel
did. The fact that Nagisa Natsunagi couldn't defeat it even after such passion
was proof that emotions didn’t exist in the《Primordial Seed》.
"That's enough discussion. I've already given the order."
Four《feelers》grew from SEED's back, and thick thorns sprouted from the
ripped ground. The《seeds》that were already cast across the world were
starting to bloom.
"The vessel will be completed soon. For now, let's first eliminate the
foreign enemies that hinder this survival instinct."
And with that, the tips of the plants SEED controlled, including
the《feelers》, all turn towards us at once. It’s right in the sense that there’s no
room for discussion. What awaited us was truly the last battle.
Even though it got damaged in the battle days ago, could we actually beat
it in a straight fight? Now that night has fallen and the sun had set, we can no
longer expect the sunlight that was SEED's weakness.
"What do we do, Siesta?"
I ask my partner, the most reliable person in the world, as we stood side
by side.
"Don't worry, I've got an idea."
Ah, there it is. Such a relief. That's how I was protected under her big
umbrella for three years. Yep, so while I got carried up like this…
"…Hmm?"
Siesta picked me up on her shoulder and moved forward, darting through
the《feelers》.
Then, leaping through the air, she threw me behind SEED.
"That's unreasonable …!"
I rolled straight into the entrance of the building directly in front of us.
But that building was the very one we were heading towards.
"Take care of Yui for me."
"…Your words and actions always never match up."
◆To all living things, all of them.
In hindsight, whenever Siesta said she had a good idea, it was usually a
bad idea for me. But there was no time to complain.
"I'll be back in ten minutes."
I turned my back on the battlefield and went to Saikawa's rescue.
Ten minutes—that is, if Siesta could fend off the enemy's attack for that
long. For the time being though, I had no choice but to trust and respect the
choice Siesta made to send me out. Besides…I wouldn’t think she’d choose
to sacrifice herself now.
With this thought in mind, I walked through the deserted interior of this
fashion building—which just a few hours ago was supposed to be a vibrant
center of youth.
"Can’t use the escalators or elevators, huh?"
The electricity supply was cut off, and the building was pitch dark. A
large tree grew straight up in the middle of the floor, and there were vines
growing everywhere. I walked through them and found a staircase leading to
the upper floors.
The building’s eight-stories high. I thought that I could go up to the roof
and jump down onto that big《fruit》. I always simulated this in my mind, but I
had a headache thinking…about how easy it was to save Saikawa.
Siesta’s fighting SEED right now, and Saikawa’s held captive by the
enemy. The critically injured Charl’s still in the still in the hospital, and as for
Natsunagi—
"…!"
I knew I couldn’t do much to alter their fates, and there's no point in
thinking about them now. Nevertheless, as I ran up the stairs two steps at a
time, their faces naturally appeared in my mind.
I thought I was alone, but then I realized that they were all around me.
Before I knew it, there were too many important things in my life. The
moment I found find something more important than myself—
"!"
I was halfway up the stairs between the fourth and fifth floors. On the
landing, I saw a figure crouched down.
"Are you all right?"
Perhaps it was a shopper who had failed to escape or a civilian who had
been abducted by the《feeler》.
It's too dark to see clearly, but I reach out to touch its curled back.
"—Gaa, aaaaah!!!"
But at that moment, the crouched shadow let out a screeching moan,
suddenly turned around, and lunged at me.
The figure grabbed at me like a zombie, but it’s not as strong as I thought.
I knocked it off its feet and put a gun to its head.
"You."
At the muzzle was Chameleon, a foe I'd seen many times before.
"…No."
But I soon realized it wasn’t the Chameleon I fought before—it's a doll.
About a year ago, I encountered SEED at the《SPES》experimental facility, it
cut off a piece of itself to spawn a clone—Perhaps this doll had a seed, and
while not being as powerful as an《android》, it was by definition a plant, an
organism.
"Forgive me."
Still, I uttered so and shot the enemy in the head. Then the Chameleon-
like doll rapidly shriveled up, as if I were watching a plant wither in fast
forward.
"—I, t."
And finally, with such a strangled voice, the doll disappeared.
—it hurts.
I couldn’t help but think about the meaning of the words left behind.
Was it the urge to feel pain, to scream in that way, so different from
emotions? If the《Primordial Seed》had no emotions, then the《android
clones》created—
"—Mission, accomplished."
The voice came from behind me.
I turned to see a large, sharp claw looming before me.
"!"
I dodged it, lost my balance, and caught sight of the attacker.
"You're still as big as ever, Cerberus."
The《android》Cerberus was a two-meter tall man with the appearance of a
priest. Though this enemy ultimately changed its form into a full-blown
beast, just as it did in the past.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have time to deal with you."
I didn't hesitate to pull the trigger of my gun and silenced the enemy with
three bullets.
"—I, t."
Cerberus chirped with a faint voice, but it too was a doll. Normally, this
would have been enough to stop the enemy, but it took three bullets and
collapsed towards me as if it had run out of steam.
It was two meters tall, but I could hardly feel its weight, and its body
began to wilt while leaning against me. Finally, the proud wolf murmured
into my ear.
"—I want to live.”
It wanted to live.
It didn’t say it was in pain. It wanted to live.
Chameleon, Cerberus, all living things, all of them. Everyone wanted to
live, everyone wanted to stay alive, just as I wanted Siesta to revive, just as I
want Natsunagi to live.
"Everyone wants that."
After all this time, I understood once again the fear of death as an instinct,
a fundamental emotion that no one could deny. Even with terms like dolls,
plants, androids, this remained a common factor...
Hel, Bat, even Chameleon, Cerberus, and the clones of the《Primordial
Seed》that we fought, they were all like us ordinary humans, terrified of
death, angry, and emotional.
Cerberus's loyalty to SEED, Chameleon's torment towards Natsunagi, and
hostility towards me, were clearly emotions. Yes, unlike the《Primordial
Seed》, the《android clones》had definite emotions—
"—No, that’s not it."
A hypothesis jolted through my brain like an electric current. Perhaps I…
or we were mistaken the entire time.
"So, you're…"
At that moment, a tremor shook the floor beneath, and my feet wobbled.
A fierce battle waged on the outside. There was no time to stop, so I hurried
up toward the roof.
◆Till one day we all come home.
I ran up the stairs and finally reached the door leading to the roof. I shot
the lock, kicked the door open, and stepped out.
"Here too…!"
The roof was covered with thick branches and leaves, and a canopy of
large trees was protruding from the top. I waded through them, heading
towards the edge of the rooftop.
"Saikawa!"
I looked down a few meters, and saw the giant《fruit》clinging to the wall
of the building. From afar, it looked like a distorted half-sphere, but when I
looked at it from above, it resembled the cross section of a pomegranate, with
Saikawa and the others sleeping inside, surrounded by its spherical reddish-
black flesh.
I made up my mind to jump down toward the《fruit》, which seemed
capable of withstanding another human’s weight. Then I managed to land
safely.
"If we cut off this stem…"
The bodies of the civilians and Saikawa were intertwined with thick stalks
of plants that appeared to be transporting nutrients through the stem. I cut
them off one by one with the knife Fuubi-san gave me. However, while I was
doing so, by trial and error—
"Give me a break!"
I suddenly realized that a《feeler》had broken through the wall of the
building and was aiming at me.
Some trunks seemed to have sprouted from the tree that had grown
through the building and seemed to act like a defense system meant to deter
alien objects.
"!"
The《feelers》multiplied into three. I hurriedly fired back one or two shots
with my gun…and ran out of bullets. At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to evade
the third《feeler》. It’s really a bad situation, or so I thought until I noticed the
incoming call.
"—Thanks for the save, Charlotte."
A moment later, the third bullet ripped through the wind and knocked out
the《feeler》.
"As expected of you, I guess. You’re at least 500 meters away."
I deduced where she most likely was from the trajectory of the bullet, and
spoke through the wireless earphone while staring at the building in the
distance.
"It’s nothing, really.”
A few seconds later, the expected person responded.
"A good sniper can eliminate an enemy from 2,000 meters away."
This self-deprecating tone was typical of an agent who’s raised by the
world's most demanding boss.
"Charl, you alright? I heard from Fuubi-san…"
It was three days ago that I heard Charl was in a coma. Fuubi-san was
supposed to contact me if her condition had changed though.
"You think that person’s going to take care of me for three days?”
…Well that’s very convincing.
"I can only do this because I'm still not okay yet."
It’s a self-deprecating voice stating that she’s still unable to move well.
"Well you sure helped me out here. How did you get to that building from
the hospital though?"
"That girl helped me get here."
Charl’s probably referring to《Siesta》…Noches. If that's the case, Noches
must have told her about the current situation of Natsunagi and Siesta.
"I see. You should go somewhere safe and rest…"
"Kimizuka."
I was about to hang up.
"Save our friends, please."
It sounds like a run-of-the-mill line of dialogue and would have sounded
more natural if we’re working as a platoon or a team. These words coming
from Charlotte Arisaka Anderson seemed so much more important, however.
"Yeah, I know."
That's why I summarized all the years of my thoughts into one word, and
ended the call.
"Saikawa, it's time for you to get up.”
Then I finally cut off the stalk-like connection between Saikawa and
the《fruit》and shook her awake.
"…Kimizuka, san?"
Saikawa woke up in a daze.
The ocean-blue eye peeped out of her left eye socket which was not
covered by an eye patch.
"Yeah, Kimihiko of Kimizuka-san's family.
I said, holding Saikawa in my arms like a princess.
"You've come to save me?"
"I'm being helped, too."
I was saved by Fuubi-san, Siesta, and Charl just now. Apparently, I
wasn’t strong enough to protect what's important to me alone. I was just
making do with whatever I could get.
"…You're still the same, Kimizuka-san."
Saikawa gave a dumbfounded wry smile.
"That's okay. You don't have to make a punchline every time."
"You don’t mind if I’m a little more wilful? Once in a while."
We hadn't seen each other for a few days, and we bantered away but the
rest of our conversation would have to hold until we got out of here…once
everything’s over. I held Saikawa in my arms and got ready to leap to the
ground.
"Yes, but you don't have to act cool like that."
And Saikawa clung to me,
"You've always been cool, Kimizuka-san."
She muttered something softly, and it vanished with the sound of the
wind.
◆The original wish.
"Siesta!"
I returned to the battlefield and found Siesta a short distance away from
the building. Despite the little cuts on her forehead and shoulders, she
appeared to be standing firmly on her feet.
"That was quicker than I expected. I thought you wouldn’t be back in
another two hours."
…Underestimating me like always. I'd say I was two minutes late though.
"So, how’s Yui?"
"Yeah, she's fine…we got into a little argument at the end though."
It seemed her opinion of me plummeted when I decided not to jump off
the building, and chose to return to the building through the window. That's
unreasonable.
"I left her to Fuubi-san for now, so don't worry."
When I went downstairs with Saikawa on my back, I came across a red-
haired policewoman with an anchor-like device stuck into the outer wall of
the building. I asked her to rescue the others who were trapped inside
the《fruit》, so she's helping Saikawa and the others escape to safety.
"So, Siesta, what's your current situation?"
I look around again. Many of the buildings were wrecked and covered in
vines, and the ground was so splinted, the city was basically paralyzed.
"I guess it's round two now."
Siesta suddenly stared sharply at one of the collapsed buildings. Soon, out
of the cloud of dust—
"SEED…"
SEED’s armor was partially shattered, and it appeared, swaying from side
to side. Apparently, for the past ten minutes or so, the《famous detective》had
been going toe-to-toe with the《world’s enemy》.
"I've got Saikawa back."
I stood next to Siesta and said so to SEED.
"You’ll never get Saikawa again. SEED, that’s the end of your
ambitions."
I point my Magnum at the enemy, while Siesta pointed her musket in
unison.
"—Yes, I know. That's why I had just retrieved the《seed》."
And then, in the depths of the SEED's colorless eyes, there was a brief
flash of blue light.
…Wait, did he use the《fruit》on the large tree to extract the《seed》from
Saikawa's body?
"The vessel I’ve been seeking is here."
And so, eight《feelers》extended from SEED's back, their tips all pointing
towards Siesta at once. There were too many to shoot back with bullets, and
these《feelers》would soon regenerate. We ducked behind a collapsed building
to avoid the enemy's attack.
"So I guess that's it."
Siesta, wiping the sweat and blood from her forehead, added to what
SEED just said.
"This is a repeat of a year ago. Now that I have a heart in my left chest,
and my body is currently intact. In other words, SEED is trying to set me up
as a vessel once again."
"So that's what this is about…"
A year ago, Siesta lost her privilege to be SEED's vessel when she died.
But now that she's come back to life, she's qualified to be a vessel for SEED
again.
"But don't worry. I won't become a vessel again."
Siesta said with a resolute expression, however.
"While you were gone, I actually noticed something."
"Well, what a coincidence. Me too."
We looked at each other and nodded. I didn’t know if we're both assuming
the same thing, but at least we're not misguided.
"Assistant."
Just as Siesta got me to duck, the enemy《feeler》shattered the outer wall of
the building we were hiding in. At that moment, however, Siesta sprinted
toward the enemy while under the camouflage of dust.
"—I've already seen through that attack."
SEED's eight《feelers》tried to catch Siesta in the smoke, weaving about
like serpents. Siesta, however, used them as a springboard to run through the
air and approach the enemy.
"Siesta!"
But just as Siesta caught up to SEED, the eight《feelers》took on the shape
of insectivorous plants with their mouths open, ready to prey on their enemy.
And Siesta, surrounded by the eight "feelers" without any space between
them, said,
"You're no match for me now."
She shot the《feelers》down, and they splattered into pieces. Siesta landed
atop the enemy and fired another shot into SEED's neck.
"—!"
SEED's face winced slightly, as though it too had a sense of pain. The
armor around its neck was destroyed, revealing the skin underneath. There
were wounds on the enemy’s neck, in addition to the bullet marks, as though
it was once slashed by a large blade.
"Your regenerative abilities are also weakening."
Siesta said as she hopped back with a light step, not caring about the poor
foothold.
"I've heard that you were exposed to sunlight and mortally wounded in the
battle with Bat. That's why your cells' regenerative abilities aren’t longer
working as well as they used to."
Besides, Siesta says, further hypothesizing that she realized during this
battle.
"You're becoming weaker whenever you share your abilities with your
comrades."
SEED wobbled over as it heard these words, and mucus sloshed down its
neck.
"Even though you’re creating clones, they aren’t perfect replicas."
I said, "That's what I meant.” And Siesta nodded.
"The《Primordial Seed》creates《androids clones》by sharing its own seed.
That's why the original SEED itself will continue to lose power the more
clones it creates."
Yes, while SEED continued to transfer its power, its own power had
weakened as it shared its abilities with its own subordinates and sowed
its《seeds》all over the planet. This was the truth that Siesta had realized only
because she had engaged SEED once before, and encountered it again several
years later.
Even so, while SEED should be much stronger than ordinary《Androids》,
its current physical regeneration ability had been weakened due to the sun's
rays, which Bat sacrificed his life for. The resurrected《famous detective》was
able to fight on equal footing.
"—I do not understand."
Then SEED said with its spine bent, its face facing the ground.
"Why would I go to the trouble of losing my powers and then share them
with a clone?"
It wasn't playing dumb or trying to bluff us. It really didn't understand.
"Because that's what you wanted, right?"
Then I'll at least remind it of its thoughts.
Perhaps it had forgotten that wish.
"SEED, what do you want? Your survival instinct—"
And so I said the hypothesis I'd derived in that building.
"It’s really just a way to get your offspring to survive, wasn't it?"
A moment later, SEED's《feeler》flew toward me.

"…!"
But Siesta stepped forward and blocked it by swinging the musket down
like a sword.
There was no sign of anger on SEED's face. The attack seemed to be a
defensive reaction to the fact that it had just been attacked.
"So, this survival instinct isn't meant for me? That it's only there to keep
them alive?"
SEED paused its attack and asked, referring to Cerberus and Chameleon.
Was it my destiny to create those clones and leave them on this planet?
"So you are implying that I went through the trouble of sharing my power
with them? You know that doing so would cause my body to age? Did you
think such devotion—"
"What is strange about that? After all..."
I answer SEED's question.
"Aren’t you their parent?"
SEED's unfocused eyes widened at my words.
"That's why you shared your power, and your feelings, with your
children."
Yes, we've been mistaken all along. It's true that at this point, SEED’s
devoid of emotions, but it wasn’t always the case. When the《Primordial
Seed》crash-landed on Earth about fifty years ago, it entered the body of a
human and learned the structure of the human body. Obviously it wouldn’t be
unsurprising if SEED, which had come to mimic humans, had also acquired
human-like emotions.
In fact, there were signs of this. About a year ago, when I met SEED on
that isolated island that was《SPES》hideout, SEED was angry at Chameleon
for interrupting its conversation. While it was a trivial incident, it did show
that it would get angry. Also,
"Chameleon and Cerberus…both of them are born from you, SEED, you.
If those《Android clones》have emotions, they must have been influenced by
their parent, the《Primordial Seed (original)》."
In other words, we’d been looking in the wrong order. The《Androids》
didn't acquire emotions or personalities on their own. They were implanted
emotions from their parent, SEED.
Looking back on it now, SEED's tone and expression of emotions had
become more flat compared to a year ago. There was only one reason for
SEED's devotion.
"You didn't want to survive yourself. You wanted your seeds to survive."
It’s also a natural instinct for living things, an irresistible, fundamental
feeling that all living things have, that they'd rather have children than
survive themselves. But SEED didn't realize it…no, it forgot. A year ago, in
that experimental facility, SEED had declared its goal to fill the planet with
seeds.
However, the more《Android clones》SEED created, the more power and
emotions it lost, and it eventually lost sight of its original purpose. Its hair
was drained of pigment, its eyes devoid of emotion, SEED had lost its
humanity without even realizing it. To this SEED, I said again.
"So, SEED, you never wanted to survive. You wanted your children,
the《seeds》to survive on this planet."
That was the final reasoning that Siesta and I came to in this story
about《SPES》.
"—I see."
SEED, standing in a distant place, muttered.
"That's my longing. A purpose I had forgotten. A reason to live, a reason
to sow seeds, the survival instinct—I see, that is so."
It understood everything, right at this now. If SEED had any emotions left
to mock itself, it might have smiled sadly, spitefully.
Siesta and I had proven our hypothesis. And for the first time, there was a
mutual understanding between the《humans》and the《Primordial Seed》.
We've come to understand each other, and yet, in the next moment, I realized
this moment of silence didn’t mean the end of the battle.
"To leave my offspring. If that is my mission, all the more I cannot die
here."
SEED sprouts a thick《feeler》from his back and thrusts it into its stomach.
Immediately afterwards, it let out a groan and stomped forward to stop
itself...
"—Rise,《compatriot》!"
The fluid that spilled from SEED's stomach soaked the ripped ground.
And then,
"—Gooooaaahhhhh!"
The gates of hell were seemingly opened with this deafening roar, and a
calamity emerged from the depths of the earth. Initially, some liquid appeared
to be seeping out, but it gradually took shape as a gigantic quadrupedal
creature.
A black behemoth—the biological weapon《Betelgeuse》.
The monster, which had no eye-like organs, looked at me now with a loud
roar. I couldn’t move my legs, not because I was afraid of this monster. It's
just that I couldn’t help but recall the scene a year ago. On that island, what
that monster did to Siesta—
"Assistant!"
It wasn’t the distant memory, but a real voice, that brought me back to my
senses.
"......! My bad."
Once again, I looked up at the monster, which was even bigger than
before. The surface of its body was covered by some black scales that I hadn't
seen before.
"—Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The monster that appeared to be about ten meters long ripped down the
traffic lights, crushed abandoned cars and rushed toward us on all fours.
"…!"
It's not something we could intercept with a gun. Siesta and I ran as fast as
we could to dodge, but Betelgeuse couldn’t stop in its tracks, and crashed into
the building behind us. The monster quickly turned around again and,
perhaps having sniffed out blood, immediately set its sights on us. We're
running out of time, and there's no way out.
"Assistant."
Just then, Siesta pointed upward.
I could hear an engine in the sky—reinforcements, perhaps arranged by
Fuubi-san, or maybe the military’s officially mobilized. A number of combat
drones appeared from beyond the moon, readying missile bombs.
"…Thanks for that, huh."
"I don’t think we’ll be safe either…"
Siesta and I nodded at each other and sprinted again as fast as we could.
Not long after that, we were hit by the sound of explosions and the heat of
the flames behind us. I could smell burned stuff, and,
“—Gooaaaaaahhhhhh.”
It was such a deafening roar that my eardrums would burst if I didn’t
cover my ears. It showed that the missile did indeed land on the monster. We
ducked beneath a pile of rubble, shielded ourselves from the hot air, and
watched as the black smoke cleared…
"—Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The monster roared again. The black scales might have withstood the
attacks, or maybe it didn't care about the swirling flames, for Betelgeuse
extended dozens of its《feelers》at the drones flying above.
"If any one of those things crash on us, we're not going to escape
unharmed…"
Betelgeuse's《feelers》chased the fleeing drones through the night sky,
knocking them down one by one into the distance.
"While you still can,"
But then Siesta, right next to me, moved.
"If only this bullet could shoot through it."
—The red bullet—Red hot bullets. That's the same weapon Siesta used
against Bat four years ago. If it hits, Betelgeuse's《feelers》wouldn’t be able to
target Siesta.
And so, while Betelgeuse's《feelers》were engaged in a battle with the last
remaining drone, Siesta ran up to the enemy again.
"Ah, Siesta!"
But the next moment, Betelgeuse spotted an eye that should not have
existed. That《feeler》was automatically tracking us…its consciousness had
been on us the entire time.
"…!"
Siesta stopped trying to run away, and fired a red bullet at the huge
enemy. The monster's black scales repelled it mercilessly though.
"Siesta!"
My feet were moving before I could think.
No, by the time I shouted her name, I was already right next to her.
"…!"
I shielded Siesta, but there was no way I could protect her from the
enemy's attack. Right when I prepared myself for my demise.
—Zassshh, and then.
If I had to describe it, that was the sound of a large blade or spear slicing
through something. I didn’t feel any pain though, so my back wasn't gouged
by the monster's claws—which meant,
"Don't you think you should be my partner after all?"
A girl wearing a black coat swung her red glowing saber to the side.
Her long hair flowed in the wind. The slight glimpse of her profile was the
face of the girl I wished to see again, no matter the cost.
"Yeah, that’s not a bad idea...Natsunagi (Hel)."
◆The three warriors.
Betelgeuse let out a cry of pain and reeled back. It was the pain caused by
a large wound in its right paw—Hel's cleaving red blade had shattered the
monster's scales.
"This sword is specialized to cut the cells replicated by the《Primordial
Seed》."
On the scorched battlefield, she turned and said, lowering the tip of her
saber.
She has fiery crimson eyes beneath her long glossy hair. She’s dressed in
a black and red cloak-like military uniform, just as she did when I met her a
year ago.
"Come to think of it, that sword was used to kill Cerberus back then…"
I recalled back to the night I first encountered Hel a year ago. Back then,
the saber wielded by Hel decapitated the《Android Cerberus》with a single
blow.
"And my own heart too, you know."
That night, Hel's brainwashing ability was used against her by Siesta,
losing her heart to her own blade.
"It was originally entrusted to me by Father to prevent a rebellion among
my people."
Hel narrowed her eyes at SEED, standing beneath the giant monster
which stood slumped and unconscious with a hole in its stomach.
"I never thought I'd be pointing this at the Father."
There was a large cut on SEED's neck, beneath the shattered armor, that
hadn't fully recovered. Who inflicted that wound…that was the first question
she had to ask.
Days ago, there was a fight in an abandoned building. While I was asleep,
there was a girl who fought for her life. And now, the presence of this girl in
uniform in front of me brought me more than just additional fighting strength
—it brought me so much hope.
"You're alive, Natsunagi."
I muttered to myself, my voice trembling. No, it wasn’t just my voice. My

legs were shaking to the point that they could buckle at any given moment,
and then I involuntarily fell to one knee.
Nagisa Natsunagi is alive. She’s alive.
"It's too early to be relieved."
But the girl in the military uniform approached me, sheathing her sword,
"I am here, but not my master—Nagisa Natsunagi."
Her red eyes narrowed as she calmly told me this reality.
It is not that Nagisa Natsunagi was revived, so she said,
"Also, while you can continue to think about Master, I wish for you to
look at me now."
Hel knelt down, put her fingertips on my chin, and we stared at each other
at close range.
"—Hel."
A white-haired detective, who was standing nearby, watching the
exchange, calls out to the girl in the military uniform.
"Yo, it has been a long time, famous detective."
Then Siesta and Hel, who had just stood up, glared at each other.
A year ago, they were at each other’s throats, and here they were again.
"Hel, why are you here?"
Siesta wanted to know Hel’s intentions to help…no, there's more. She
wanted to know what miracle revived Hel, and how,
"I took orders from Father. Surely you will know what I mean."
"….! That ringing in the ears…"
I remember the low bell-like noise I heard at the Tower. Mia did not react
at all, while Siesta and I were the only ones to experience that phenomenon.
…. It must have been because we both had SEEDs sleeping in our bodies. It
must be because the《seeds》were inside us.
"This physical body of Master's is temporarily in a dormant state due to a
fatal wound. It is a form of self-defense reaction as triggered by
Father's《seed》."
"Plant dormancy…I see…"
The trivia from a book I read some time ago flashed in my mind.
Hibernation is a defense system of organisms, including plants, to minimize
their own energy consumption and maintain a minimal level of vital activity.
For example, as is known from the hibernation of bears and moles, when an
organism’s life is threatened by sudden changes in the environment, it tries to
resist by sleeping for a certain period of time.
And that dormancy system might have been implanted within Natsunagi
through the《seed》, in the name of survival instincts. It’s likely that
Natsunagi, who was fatally wounded by SEED's attack, probably
unconsciously shut down most of the body functions, including her brain
stem to preserve her life by minimizing energy consumption.
"Speaking of which, Siesta too…"
Looking back, a year ago, Siesta too survived an attack by Chameleon by
stopping her own heartbeat and putting herself into a state of suspended
animation. I wonder if that was also an application of the《nap》system.
"And so, at Father's command, the seed sleeping in my body began to
awaken again."
Hel added while placing her hand on her chest.
I too heard of the command of the《Primordial Seed》, and it resonated
with the Seeds scattered around the world. Natsunagi (Hel) was no exception
to this, and the Seed buried within her body had moved her body once again
and driven her to this battlefield.
—But,
"But now, your heart,"
Siesta stared at Hel's left chest with a pained look.
Yes. The《nap》had barely kept her alive, and the《seed》gave her incredible
resilience; Natsunagi's (Hel) heart was still beating—
"Before that let’s do something about this."
Hel said as she looked forward. There was a monster trembling with rage,
its survival instincts threatened by its dire injury. Betelgeuse drooled and let
out a low growl, catching the three of us with his invisible eyes.
"If you want to shoot those red bullets, you need to destroy those hard
scales first…now then, what shall we do, famous detective?"
Hel deliberately asked Siesta who was standing next to her.
"I don't think you and I are going to get along after all."
Siesta, on the other hand, didn’t give Hel a second glance and sighed hard.
Nevertheless,
"But please, Hel, I want you to open a path for me."
Siesta requested her former enemy for help.
Hel's eyes widened for a moment, as if she had been caught off guard…
but she quickly reverted to her usual expression,
"Hm, I guess it does feel good to be requested by you."
The corners of her lips were raised in satisfaction.
"…Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to play nice with you."
Yep, the two of them hadn’t made peace, much less become friends.
The enemy of the enemy is the friend—the white and black girl who
clashed gun and sword faced the monster together.
"So, what do you want me to do?"
I ask, watching their big backs, thinking it's about time I joined the
conversation.
"Hmm? Well, of course, you can—"
"Stay where you are so you don't get in the way."
Come on, that's unreasonable.
"—Gogyaaaaaaah!"
At that moment, the roar of the numbed Betelgeuse bellowed. The
monster, dragging its injured paw, rushed forward with its huge body,
shaking the earth.
"Goodness me, I thought I had trained it well."
Hel sighed, put her hand on her saber, and in an instant, she was gone.
Literally the next moment, she was slashing at the monster's other paw with
her red blade.
"…What happened to the talk about fighting together?"
Siesta, who was left behind, let out a frustrated whimper. I hope you'll
take this opportunity to understand how I feel.
"If you're frustrated, why don't you follow me?"
Hel turned around, looked at Siesta and smirked.
"…. I think I'll defeat you first."
Even so, Siesta bounced along and fired a bullet into Betelgeuse's missing
scales.
"With a body this big, one bullet won't do much good."
"I don't need you to tell me that."
The two of them bickered away as they continued to fight the monster.
From an outsider's point of view, it's like two sisters fighting. However,
having inherited the same DNA from the same parent through the seed, they
might actually be sisters.
"—Common DNA, huh?"
I was suddenly reminded of something a year ago, when Siesta and Hel
battled on that isolated island. At the end of it, Hel took Siesta's heart and
adapted it to her body, but since that heart had been returned to Siesta's left
chest by Natsunagi's plan. Whose heart then was in the left chest of
Natsunagi (Hel)…and whose heart was throbbing away now?
"—G-gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The monster's high-pitched noise-like scream bellowed. It unleashed lots
of《feelers》at Hel and Siesta, who continued to bicker as they inflicted
irreparable damage on Betelgeuse.
"So, Hel, how are you moving now?"
Siesta took one look at Hel's left chest while pointing her musket at the
enemy. The new heart should be buried there…and it seemed she wanted to
know who the donor was.
"I, or we, are borrowing her life now."
"….Her?"
Then, leaving a frowning Siesta behind, Hel dives into the enemy's bosom
alone.
"—So, it is what it is."
And then I realized a possibility. Since they had the same clinical trials
at《SPES》experimental facility, I realized that like Natsunagi, someone
acquired SEED’s DNA….I realized who this ‘her’ was.
"Now you should be a little more obedient."
Hel finally subdued the monster with sword-fighting no normal human
eye could follow, and returned next to me. As I looked at her left chest, I told
her a hypothesis that came to mind.
"Hel, that thing in your left chest is Alicia's heart, isn't it?"
When I said that, Siesta widened her eyes before Hel did.
Hel, on the other hand, blinked slowly for a moment, and opened her red
eyes that were illuminated with a quiet flame.
"Yes. We are now kept alive by her heartbeat."
"…How?"
Siesta's blue eyes flickered.
"Why Alicia's heart? Six years ago, she…. "
In the past, Alicia was supposedly dead after protecting Natsunagi and
Siesta in the《SPES》experimental facility. Nevertheless, why’s Alicia's heart
in Natsunagi's left chest now?
"Because she was also one of the candidates for Father's vessel. That's
why special measures were taken at that time."
Hel then recounted the information from six years ago that she learned as
a former executive of SPES.
"That day, she couldn't accept Father's《seed》, and her body died. But as a
potential vessel, her organs were a valuable sample—just as your body
survived cryonics, her heart alone was left behind in a special environment."
The explanation reminded me of the《SPES》experimental facility I had
visited days ago. Siesta’s will wasn’t the only thing there, Alicia’s will too.
"Alicia's heart has inherited SEED's DNA. That's why it's compatible with
your body."
Six years ago, at the experimental facility of《SPES》, Siesta, Natsunagi,
and Alicia were subjected to drug experiments under the guise of clinical
trials. The purpose was clear, to prevent their bodies from rejecting SEED
when they would one day become its vessels. The cells of the《Primordial
Seed》were implanted in their bodies as antibodies.
"This is the case. However, this heart was from when she was twelve
years old….and since it hasn't fully matured yet, we cannot push ourselves
too hard with this body."
Hel said so, having played an important role thus far.
"So I cannot say I'm as strong as I used to be…"
As Hel was about to say this, she suddenly widened her eyes in surprise.
Siesta was crying in front of her.
"I'm sorry, Alicia."
A single tear fell from her blue eyes.
"I couldn't save you six years ago."
Siesta cried as she apologized to Hel's left chest.
That was her past before she became the《famous detective》. That's the
only regret she could no longer revisit. It was because of that day that Siesta
embarked on her journey to fight the enemies of the world.
"I was so weak back then. I couldn't protect you—but."
Siesta said proudly, her tears still flowing.
"Not anymore. I won't let anyone take what's important to me anymore.
So I want you to fight with me again, you."
And with that, the detective reached out her left hand to the friend in her
distant memory.
"My name is Hel, codename Hel, and as queen of the underworld, I shall
grant you this."
With that, Hel looked at Siesta in the eye and said.
"Thank you for remembering me."
It was the reply of Alicia's last wish. But now Hel informed Siesta of the
voice that must have come from the heartbeat in the left chest.
Immediately after that, the monster that had sunk to the ground bellowed
again. As a last stand, dozens of《feelers》grew from its back and swung
wildly. But those that were hit by the red bullets flailed aimlessly, unable to
attack Siesta standing in front of us.
"It looks like the story of six years is about to reach its climax."
"Yeah, let's end it now, all of us."
And so the black and white girls stood side by side, grasping their gun and
sword.
Was it just me?
My eyes caught sight of another small back between them.
◆The future entrusted by the one next to me.
The exchange of lives seemed like an eternity, never letting up for even a
moment. But the battle, which lasted mere minutes, came to an end with a
short whimper from the giant monster.
"You did it, huh?"
As I saw Siesta and Hel huff their shoulders heavily, and opened my
tightly clenched fists.
"…Haa…haa, isn’t your pet not too well trained?"
"…!…Haa, they say that troublesome children are more adorable."
They bickered as they saw Betelgeuse sink to the ground at the foot of a
large tree that is now almost an integral part of the fashion building. The evil
monster was now finally stopped by Siesta's gunfire and Hel's swordplay.
"Finally, how did you manage to slip into the enemy's pocket and hit it
with bullets?"
"I didn't want you to take all the credit."
"Still an ally of justice who hates to lose, like always."
So they said, still facing each other. They weren’t enemies or allies, but as
comrades with a common goal, they succeeded in fighting together—
however.
"Be careful you.”
I warned as I approached Siesta and Hel. What would happen the moment
the《biological weapon》Betelgeuse was defeated? I knew more than anyone
else, since I was the one most affected by it.
"—Pollen."
Siesta squinted, staring into the distance. From the prostrate remains of
Betelgeuse, the buds of a large flower begin to sprout. A year ago, during the
battle against Hel, I was exposed to the pollen that were released from that
flower, and I lost my memory of the events of the past few hours. After that, I
spent a lukewarm year, forgetting the truth of Siesta's death and even the
wishes she entrusted to me.
And now, the same thing is about to happen again. So, I had to nip the
buds before they reached full bloom.
"Something's wrong."
But this time, Hel stopped me from taking action. The next moment, all
the buds that had sprouted all over Betelgeuse's body began to wither at once.
At first, I thought it was because Betelgeuse had lost the power to bloom,
having been completely defeated by Siesta and Hel. However, once I thought
about who created Betelgeuse in the first place, the answer was obvious.
"—SEED."
Beneath the big tree, next to the fallen monster, a humanoid silhouette
appeared, swaying.
SEED, the parent of all the clones.
And before I knew it, the hole in the belly closed up like a regenerating
cell. Several《feelers》extending from its back started absorbing energy from
Betelgeuse on the ground. SEED was capable of sharing its power with
the《androids》, but it was also capable of retrieving the power it had given
away.
"Father."
Hel blurted out.
Her expression was obscured by her black hair blowing in the wind.
"—Why?"
SEED uttered noisily.
"Hel, why are you standing on that side? What is your mission? Are you
going to let our《seed》die out like this?"
And so SEED, reunited with his former right-hand for the first time in
perhaps a year, stated coldly without any emotion or sentiment whatsoever,
demanding for her to fight under it once more.
"I would like to say I always wanted to do that."
Hel then took a few steps towards the distant SEED and said,
"Unfortunately, I am no match for this famous detective. Throughout the
battle I saw it up close. I cannot inflict even a single fatal wound in this
state."
Hel's mouth slackened as she calmly analyzed the difference in strength
between herself and Siesta. She knew better than anyone that she would lose.
"Father, we have lost."
With that, Hel declared the end of the long-running battle between《SPES》
and the《famous detective》. She wasn’t just referring to herself, and
determined that at this point, even SEED wouldn’t be able to beat Siesta.
"—Then, Hel, be my vessel."
But SEED's answer was different.
I, Siesta, and Hel all froze for a moment.
"That is your mission, that is the meaning of your birth."
…Yes, Natsunagi (Hel) was also originally a potential vessel for SEED.
Until now, the presence of Siesta's heart inside her had prevented SEED from
using her, but since they’re separated again, SEED could use either Siesta or
Hel as a vessel.
"I, as Father's vessel…"
Hel's red eyes flickered. Ever since she was born into this world…as a
new consciousness within Natsunagi, she has lived her life based solely on
the commands of SEED as her parent. It’s an absolute and unchanging curse
for Hel. The directive of her actions was due to SEED.
And so, it’s been a year since Hel was given a mission by SEED. At this
point, it’s theoretically impossible for Hel to fight and win against Siesta, and
she could. But it’s also possible to become a cornerstone of SEED. Then,
Hel's refusal to obey SEED's orders—
"No."
It wasn't Hel who said that.
As if she had been caught off guard, she turned aside and saw a white-
haired detective.
"…Why, you?"
Hel asked why Siesta was protecting her.
Even though they were once enemies.
"I don't know."
But Siesta responded in a different, somewhat childish tone.
"I just don’t want this to happen."
That's a conclusion that Siesta, who used to be driven by logic, would

never have come to.
But the Siesta at this point knew what human emotion was.
Probably because for the past year, she'd been living inside a girl with
more dramatic emotions than anyone else.
"I see."
Hel smiled. It wasn't a grimace, nor was it a scheming smirk. It was a
radiant expression, as though she was unburdened.
"Sorry, Father. No, SEED."
Hel then looked back at the《Primordial Seed》and gave a new answer to
the question that had been swirling around in her mind for years.
"What I choose now is a future where the ones next to me smile."
The tip of Hel's saber, held in her right hand, was pointed at SEED.
That was the conclusion Hel came to. She had once been tormented by the
fact that she had no identity, and had questioned her raison d’etre. At this
moment though, she had discovered the answer by entrusting the proof of her
existence to others. And for Hel, that other person was a mirror that looked at
her from the outside and saw what she couldn’t with her own eyes.
Just as Siesta now tried to protect Hel’s own existence from the enemy,
and just as Natsunagi had taught Hel about the passionate emotions that she
had been unaware of, Hel had entrusted her course of action to a neighbor
who understood her better than she did herself.
"SEED, with this sword you gave me, I shall lead you there."
Hel's crimson eyes glowed, and her words were filled with her entire soul.
But that has nothing to do with her ability to use the《seed》. It was Hel's vow
to bring this story to a close.
"—As expected."
And SEED, standing next to the wilting Betelgeuse, quietly accepts Hel's
defection. There was no one left on the battlefield to join SEED.
Paradoxically however, the《Primordial Seed》remained is still here. The
future that SEED, whose instinct was to produce offspring, will choose on
this battlefield was—
"If the parent dies, the child cannot survive.”
A dark purple color appeared in SEED's dull eyes.
"Assistant, are you ready?"
"Yeah, for a whole year."
This was the beginning of the final battle between《SPES》and the《famous
detective》.
◆The unfortunate prince.
SEED showed its will to fight again to protect its survival instinct to leave
offspring, and might be done collecting energy from the《biological weapon》.
Also, from both shoulders, huge《feelers》spread like a dragon's wings.
"Siesta!"
Seeing the enemy ready itself for battle, I grab my gun. At the very least,
it's not a situation where I could afford to slow them down.
"Yeah, let's go."
I attacked the enemy from the right side with Siesta, while Hel attacked
from the left side with the saber at her hip. Our first priority was to deal with
the two《feelers》that extend from both shoulders. We split into two groups to
deal with each one《feeler》.
"—First, the right ear, there is no need for this anymore."
A moment later, SEED's right ear pops off.
We stopped the moment we saw that but at that moment,
"...! I won't let you."
Sensing that something is about to happen, Siesta fired at SEED.
"These ears have already done their job. It is time to put that energy to
better use."
But before SEED finished his words, the《feeler》atop the right shoulder
transformed into a huge silver sword, repelling Siesta's shot.
"Now then, with this,"
With a violent metallic sound, Hel's red saber parried away the
silver《feeler》. However, she only managed to parry it and did not cut it.
"…"
Hel was forced on the defensive against the《feeler》that was sturdier than
Betelgeuse's scales.
"Next, the left eye, that too is also unnecessary."
SEED said this, and the light suddenly fades from its purple left eye.
"It already lost its true power seven years ago."
And now, the《feeler》on its left shoulder splits into dozens of pieces, and
they attacked Siesta, seemingly with a will of their own.
"There's too many of them...!"
Siesta tries to fight back with her musket, but the countless thin《feelers》
began to regenerate a few seconds after she shoots through them, and like
Hel, she was forced on the defensive.
"…Just me, huh?"
With Hel and Siesta stranded, I was the only one left on this battlefield. I
use Chameleon's shape-invisibility to blend my appearance into the
surrounding scenery. The ability that SEED originally had in its《right ear》
was the same as Bat's…and since it lost that ability, it probably wouldn’t be
able to find me that easily. I vanished and ran on the ground towards the
enemy.
"And now, I shall abandon my right eye."
SEED uttered as it continued to attack with its《feeler》.
The purple light in its right eye vanished too.
"…?"
The next moment, the ground beneath me rumbled, shaking violently.
Perhaps the seeds that were sown on the earth—the fissures had sprouted
again and I was caught in the cracked ground, and then,
"…! Ouch…"
A thin thorn grew from the ground, skewering my right foot.
"Assistant!"
Siesta tried to rush towards me, but she was obstructed by
countless《feelers》attacking her in waves. And Hel, like me, was trapped on
the broken ground, parrying the silver《feelers》in that state.
"…You don't need hearing or sight?"
I cut the thorns with my knife and somehow managed to get up on the
spot. Then,
"Come on, Siesta."
Siesta and I didn’t need to say a word as we made eye contact. I kicked
off the asphalt and leap towards one of the《feelers》.
"…!"
I felt a sharp pain in my right foot, where a thorn had pierced it. Still, it
didn't matter. I was sure Nagisa Natsunagi felt the same intense pain and took
on the great evil all by herself.
I ignored the pain and used the countless《feelers》while I tried to navigate
through. While Siesta opened a path for me by distracting the enemy, I—.
"I recognize the smell of human blood anywhere."
Right before I reached SEED, a《feeler》gouged me in the flank. SEED lost
its sight, but it could still pinpoint my location with its Cerberus-like sense of
smell. And then,
"You are not the one I entrusted this. I shall have it back."
"…, kaa, haaa…"
SEED's thin《feeler》dug through my body and pulled something out.
Reddish-black blood spurted from my mouth. My organs were gone.
"Chameleon's, seed…"
SEED pulls out the black mineral that was buried in my body and
absorbed it into his own body through the《feelers》. I then fell to the ground,
unable to reach SEED.
"…! Assistant!"
It was Siesta's voice. She rushed towards me while darting through
many《feelers》.
"…No, good.."
Siesta awakened and shot down all the《feelers》while I was in a pinch…
such a deus ex machina really was impossible though. If the enemy’s attacks
were spread out at this moment.
"……Ah."
As SEED had absorbed the reptilian《seed》from my body—before I knew
it, its《feeler》transformed into a giant snake and snared Siesta’s neck from
behind.
"Sie, sta…."
Siesta collapsed next to me, bleeding from neck to shoulder.
"…I guess, I messed up after all."
"That's why…you're too anxious whenever I’m in a pinch…"
When I got abducted by Hel, Siesta came to my rescue in a very
distraught state. The usually calm and collected famous detective acted like
this whenever this happened. Goodness—
"…Do you like me or something?"
"…Are you a fool?"
We bantered off as our faces winced in pain on the asphalt.
"—I knew it."
Then, beyond my blurred vision, the enemy looked down at us with those
eyes that had lost their light.
"You humans have emotions, which is why you put your lives in danger
like that, even if it means threatening your survival instincts."
Fool, so SEED growled ruthlessly as if telling the objective truth, without
anger or pity.
"You have feelings too…"
I tried to stand up again, clenching my teeth so hard that I crush them.
"It's just that you shared those feelings with your offspring, and forgot
about them. You used to be …."
"Yes, I did. That's why the《Primordial Seed》evolved."
"…?"
SEED said to me, who was unable to comprehend while my
consciousness was fading in and out due to the pain in my stomach.
"Emotions are not necessary for protecting the survival instinct. No, they
should not be. That is why our bodies discard them in the process of
evolution."
…Yeah, that’s SEED’s understanding. To it, Instinct and emotion were
different, and that emotions were merely a threat to SEED…no, to any
organism’s survival instinct, which was the most important thing. Therefore,
it assumed the loss of emotions was a correct evolutionary choice for
organisms.
And I didn't have the words to refute that. If I hadn't been bleeding, if my
body was still able to move as it should or if I could come up with some
counterargument…no, maybe it’s wrong to think with my head. I wondered
what she would have done in such a situation. I wonder what Nagisa
Natsunagi, who has fought with passion, would have done—
"—You have not lost your feelings yet."
I heard a voice rip through the air, and my kneeling body turned around.
There stood a girl who looked exactly like the person I had imagined, holding
a reddish-brown sword to the ground with both hands.
"There is still one emotion you still have left."
With cuts all over her body, the girl in the military uniform still stood tall
in front of the enemies of the world. Next to her, the shattered silver《feeler》
fell to the ground next to her.
"What are you talking about?"
SEED stared at Hel with those eyes that had already lost their light. In
response, Hel bit her lip and recounted an incident from that day that even I
didn't know about yet.
"You said so that day, when Nagisa Natsunagi dealt a blow against you.
‘You too, Hel?’"
Hel clutched the hilt of the saber that Natsunagi had probably wielded that
day, and told SEED the following reasoning,
"You were surprised and saddened by my rebellion."
At the moment Hel said this, all the plants growing from the ground began
to wither at once.
The eyes, which should have lost the light of SEED, still seemed round
and open.
"The relationship between you and me is just that of one who gives orders
and one who accepts them. Nothing more, nothing less."
Hel said quietly, describing the relationship that she and SEED had built
over the years. In contrast, Siesta and I were neither lovers nor friends, but
rather weird business partners.
"I was just a convenient pawn for you. I did not know what the《Bible》
really was, and I did not know that I was about to be made into your vessel."
…Right. When we first met a year ago, Hel just blindly believed in
SEED. Because of that bond, she wouldn’t use this opportunity as
Natsunagi’s alter ego to figure out the meaning of her existence.
But then, when Natsunagi took in Siesta's heart, the unconscious Hel
shared Siesta's memories and realized that she had been used by SEED all
along.
"I was angry, I felt betrayed. That's why I did not put up much of a fight
after I was sealed inside Nagisa Natsunagi by the famous detective. That is
probably why I am pointing my blade at you now that I am released."
But, Hel said, lowering her saber.
"I realized that you were just like me. Just as I tried to earn your trust, to
continue to exist with my bond to you, you really wanted someone to be next
to you."
It must have been a miscalculation on the《Primordial Seed》’s part when it
got too close to humans in order to survive on this planet. It unintentionally
acquired emotions that should have been repulsive to its survival instincts.
However, SEED lost its power and emotions as it created the《androids》.
The loss of one’s possession would be far greater than when one never
had it in the first place. For example, I lost the memory of the truth behind
Siesta's death, just as Siesta forgot the past when she met Alicia and
Natsunagi, and just as Natsunagi had long lost sight of who she was.
So surely SEED was just like us. It was SEED itself who, more than
anyone else, was bewildered by the hole that had opened up in its heart,
losing its emotions with each child it bore.
"Father."
Hel called SEED once again.
She dropped her weapon and approached it with tears in her eyes,
shouting,
"I am the one you trusted, and I shall speak for you—Father, you are not a
monster! You wanted to be human, but you cannot be a monster! You lost
your eyes, your strength, your life, and the name of that feeling when you
were trying to protect your child is—"
At that moment, a chipped silver《feeler》extended from SEED's right
shoulder and pierced Hel's left shoulder.
"—!"
Hel's expression was one of bitter anguish, but she picked up the dropped
saber and swatted it away.
"Father…"
"No. That's not SEED anymore."
Siesta then eked her voice out while holding her injured neck.
"SEED's consciousness has already been hijacked."
By that《Uroboros》.
Siesta then looks up at the《Snake》extending from SEED's left shoulder.
"Right, left, front, back, this is your own consciousness."
With a deep noise, the serpent growing from SEED's left shoulder spoke.
It eliminated what little consciousness and emotion SEED had left as if the
serpent was now in charge and free to use the body. Perhaps《Uroboros》was
the name of the survival instinct that had taken root in SEED.
"—Blood. There's not enough blood."
And instead of SEED's head slumping downwards,《Uroboros》golden
eyes stared towards us.
"Assistant…"
"Siesta…"
Still unable to stand up, Siesta and I reached for each other.
"…Goodness."
The huge poisonous fangs of the《Uroboros》came at Hel, who stood there
as though she was protecting us—my blurred eyes saw a spray of blood, and
then I lost consciousness.
◇The story of the happy swallow.
I was in a deep, deep, light.

There was a light so blinding that it pierced my eyelids even when I
turned my face away, even when I closed my eyes.
In the past, I was born as an alter ego of a girl, an existence so vague that
it could vanish at any moment. That girl—Master, had been physically weak
since childhood, and as a way to escape the pain of her treatment, she created
me inside herself.
I was confined to the world alone, my knees tucked in as I shared half of
Master's pain. But what I could not stand more than anything else was the
‘light’ that my master created.
It was a smile as dazzling as the summer sun. She was able to smile like
that because I shared half of her pain, and I hated, really hated Master who
got to chat happily with her friends without knowing that.
—But then one day, the time came when we swapped roles.
‘Your name is Hel, code name Hel.’
And so the first voice I heard after I awoke in this world was from
the《Primordial Seed》.
My name is Hel.
Code name—Hel.
It called me by name, and I was recognized as somebody. I felt as if
darkness had appeared in the light. But for me, the coldness of that darkness
was more comforting than anything else.
"You have a mission. To protect your people, destroy the world.’
SEED said that, and handed me a book.
"Is destroying the world what I am supposed to do?’
"Destroying the world is what we do.’
And while I tilted my head, SEED…Father, told me so,
‘Your one task is to survive, no matter what.’
Looking back on it now, it may have been just the first words of a
tentative plan to realize Father's plan. It was just a convenient way to use me
as a vessel one day.
But at that moment, a certain feeling overwhelmed me. It was a bond that
gave me the will to continue living in this world. So I began to destroy the
world, following a book that would later turn out to be a prophecy called
the《Bible》.
“I know this is not justice.”
I told myself, and still wielded the red treasure sword that Father entrusted
me with.
This is good, so I thought. In that dazzling light, I clung to the stain of a
single black drop—hoping that by doing so, this existence would be
recognized by the world, by Father. If my mission was to be an enemy of the
world, then I would live only for that purpose.
The only thing I miscalculated was that I had somehow come to cherish
that light that I should have hated above all else…and I cherished Master,
whom I should have hated. Having realized this hesitation and weakness
created the current battlefield, I could not help but give a bitter smile.
"—No, when did it happen?"
Since the beginning, my relationship with Nagisa was that we were two
sides of the same coin, a mirror reflection.
Jealousy was the opposite of love.
"I am still alive."
The golden eyes of the《Uroboros》look down at me from afar as I fall to
my knees.
That's the embodiment of Father's survival instinct. If that was the case,
would my words from the outside world…not reach Father unless I drop that
head?
"You still stand? Do you still want to give me some blood?"
The snake coiled in midair, its red tongue flickering in the air. Surely it
was aiming to absorb my blood, which contains Father's DNA, to gain more
power.
"I do not want you to get the wrong idea."
I stabbed my saber into the ground and got up, using it as a support.
I did not know why I could still stand, why I could get up. Apparently, the
snake did not know either. Well, it is to be expected if it is just instinct with
no memory or emotion.
But she did say it.
"I was ordered by Father to survive."
My apologies, but that was the promise.

I held up the red sword that Father gave me and ran toward the enemy that
reigned beneath the great tree.
"Do not worry, Father, you do not have to do this anymore. Your initial
instinct for survival has been fulfilled."
I sliced through the thorns attacking from the surface with the sword as I
ran towards Father, who stood there unconscious.
Already, the armor covering the《Primordial Seed》was almost completely
shattered, and cracks had appeared on his body. Its eyes were blind, and I
could not tell if its remaining ear could hear. I called out to the person who
has lost all consciousness and emotions, that seemed to be waiting to wither
away.
"What you wanted to leave behind is certainly alive on this planet! The
sapphire eye, the ruby sword, the lead heart –they are all on this world!"
The《Androids》were not the only things Father left behind on this planet.
There was a sapphire eye that could look into the hearts of men.
There was a ruby sword that glowed with flames of passion.
There was a heart of lead that would not break even in death.
All of them were supposed to be the things Father wanted to protect.
"—The ears to hear those words are lost."
At that moment,《Uroboros》swung its tail towards me, ripping through the
wind.
The snake smirked at me, but then its golden eyes widened in surprise.
The attack that aimed at my heart stopped just before it reached my left
chest.
I did not need to explain why the attacking blade stopped right before me,
or exactly who stopped the attack.
"The survival instinct you insist on exists on this planet as love that
protects your children! That alone shall never die!"
That must be the essence of the《Primordial Seed》's initial survival
instinct.
It was the name of an emotion that Father himself had lost long ago.
"…! Such unnecessary, imitation …!"
The《Uroboros》glared at its host for a moment, and then, when I was only
a few meters away, it intercepted me with its massive fangs. As a result, my
body was thrown far backwards, as the blade of my saber met the enemy's
fangs.
"…I guess I was a little too reckless."
I tried to stand up from the abandoned concrete ground, but I could not
gather strength in my body, and I fell to my knees. Not much time has passed
since Alicia's heart took root in my body. In the first place, this body should
have died days ago, and it would normally be a miracle just to be able to
stand up like this now.
"—Ha, ha ha."
The snake laughed again, as if it is consuming the few remaining
emotions it has sucked out of Father.
"Those who rebel against the rules of life have no right to live again, nor
do they deserve to go against their own survival instincts."
And with that,《Uroboros》roared loudly and attacked me with its
poisonous fangs, flinging my body far.
"Sorry for being late, Hel. I was sleeping."
This time though, the Assistant boy of the famous detective spoke.
"As to be expected of my partner, here to help me."
I dared to laugh at that bold-faced lie, and got up with his help.
Then I hear a gunshot. The famous detective too seemed to have woken
up from her nap, and she stood with her long gun pointed at the《Uroboros》.
"Goodness, you lot are not hurt, are you?"
I sighed as I looked at the boy bleeding from his forehead and abdomen.
"Yeah. I couldn't keep that promise."
Saying that, he bit his lip.
—Promise. That must have been the vow he made days ago, when he
carried Nagisa Natsunagi on his back in that experimental facility. I won't
forgive you if you make Master cry...go die twice over.
Was that why he was trying to protect Master through me as a proxy? If
so,
"That promise will be valid for a long, long time. So please continue to
stay by Master’s side."
I told him, grasping the red sword in my right hand again, and turned my
eyes to the enemy.
"—Are you going?"
The boy, perhaps sensing what I was about to do, held me back for a
moment with these words.
"Yes. So you should go to your partner. You're going to need some help."
"…Yeah, but you're…"
To my surprise, his eyes were watering.
Could it be that he felt pity for me, his enemy? If so, this does put a smile
on my face, but it was no laughing matter. I hoped his indecision wouldn’t be
a hindrance to him in the future…but his partner should be able to educate
him about that. With that in mind, I turned towards the《Primordial Seed》
once again, only to look back at the boy once more.
"I’m glad I was born."
When I said that, his eyes widened for a moment in seemingly surprise,
and then he smiled softly.
I wondered why I wanted to tell him this now.
And strangely, my mind was not calm.
"Take care of Master, Kimihiko Kimizuka."
I called out his name one last time and ran with the wind.
In the midst of this, my eyes met the blue eyes of a girl with swaying
white hair, holding a gun.
It had been a year since that certain day.
I asked the two enemies standing in front of me why they trusted each
other so much. But at that time, I could not understand their relationship until
the end, and I was sealed in the body of my Master. But now I understand…
that was what they said.
"That was a bond."
I thought to myself as I used the red treasure sword to unconsciously cut
off the tail of the《Uroboros》that loomed before me. Finally, I exchanged one
last silent glance with the famous detective and kicked the ground hard.
"This is fine for me, and for her.”
I chuckled to myself, thinking this might be another form of bond—and
that I might be summing up the story a little too nicely.
At the very least though, I was able to establish a bond with my master…
Nagisa Natsunagi in the end. It was to share that with Father, and that was the
last mission I had to fulfill.
"My feet shall not stop."
Finally, I use the power of《word spirit》to command myself to do so.
Then the sword in my hand glowed red as if it were burning in response.
I put the remaining power of the《seed》in my body and my own
consciousness into this red sword, and destroyed the《Primordial seed》itself.
Surely then《Uroboros》would die out. My feet could not be stopped as I ran
forth towards《Uroboros》.
I was at the foot of the fashion building that the giant tree had pierced.
The tree had grown larger, almost completely engulfing the fifty-meter-long
building.
"I take full responsibility for all my sins.”
The wounds I inflicted on this world could never be undone.
I ran on the battlefield carrying the weight of all my sins, all the blood I
had spilled, all the lives I had taken.
The power of the《seed》and my consciousness ran through every cell in
my body. They were eventually concentrated in my palm and transmitted to
the ruby-colored sword.
"I believe this is love."
And then.
"Hel…!"
With Kimihiko Kimizuka's calling out behind me, my red sword pierced
the《Primordial Seed》in the abdomen.
"Aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
I did not know what this feeling was.
It was neither anger nor sadness.
It just could not help but scream.
I imbued the power that seemed to shatter every bone in my body into the
sword I held in both hands, and thrusted SEED into the towering tree before
me.
"—Ha!"
A small groan escaped from Father's mouth, who seemed to have
recovered when it looked up.
At the same time, he heard the monster's dying voice behind him.
The last enemy was rotting away at this moment.
"—Hel?"
Suddenly, I thought I heard a familiar voice.
That voice from six years ago, when I was given the name.
"Yes, codename Hel is here."
So I responded the same way I did that day, and gave a different answer.
"Father, let us go back. To the world where we belong."
It looked up at me, and I wondered if it was my imagination.
It seemed to be smiling a little, just a little.
"—Yes, I am a little tired."
Those were the last words I heard from Father, as if it were a normal
human being.
Slowly, slowly, I closed my eyelids as I fell into his chest.
◆Epilogue and Prologue
"Yes, the world crisis is over."

The girl on the phone breathes a sigh of relief.
"Yeah. It's been a week since then, but there's no sign of SEED's seal
being broken."
I was in a small hospital, resting my back against the wall in the corridor.
—A week ago, in a city ruled by plants, we took on the《world crisis》.
Siesta and I, and then Hel, battled against the《Primordial Seed》. We were
ultimately victorious, but the cost was great.
Nagisa Natsunagi’s alter ego, Hel, imbued the remaining power of
the《seed》in her body and her own consciousness into the red blade, and
sealed herself together with SEED into the Great Tree. Even now, that tree
stood tall in the city, looking down on us humans.
"Good work, Kimihiko."
The girl on the phone said to me."All of you chose a route to the future
that even I could not foresee, and successfully saved the world crisis. As
one of the《Tuners》, I express my thanks."
Thank you, so she said.
I could tell that she was bowing on the other end of the phone, even
though she’s 9,000 kilometers away.
"…Nothing from me."
Indeed, while a《world crisis》had passed, it wasn’t something I could have
done on my own, but through the dedication of Siesta, Natsunagi, and many
comrades. And finally, it was Hel—who inherited the passion of her Master,
who put SEED to sleep.
I wondered if Hel was able to meet a happy end as I looked at the big tree.
The dead couldn’t talk, so the living should respect their silence and not
speak for them.
And yet, I thought, I couldn't help but wish that Hel, who had been
seeking the bond of love, would rest in peace in that big dwelling tree…with
SEED, who had finally realized its feelings.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Mia."
I told Mia, wanting to change topics.
The Priestess—Mia Whitlock is a《Tuner》tasked with predicting
the《world crisis》. For many years, she fought SEED by assisting Siesta.
They may have a longer history together than I do, but it’s all resolved now,
so Mia was back at the clock tower in London.
"That makes two of us. How are your injuries?"
"Ah, I guess I’m fine enough to chat like this."
In summary, SEED's《feeler》gouged me in the flank during that battle.
Really, I would be on the verge of death…maybe the《seed》had consumed
earlier still had some effect, and my wounds were almost completely healed
thanks to this astonishing recovery. The《seed》had been removed by SEED,
but its effects, for good or bad, might linger for some time to come.
"If anything, Siesta’s the one who’s seriously injured."
Siesta was bitten on the neck by《Uroboros》during the battle and suffered
a severe wound. She was taken to this hospital…and finally recovered well
enough that I could visit her. She should be more resilient than most people,
but the wound must have been rather deep.
"Then, will she not heal until you go see her?’
With the power of love, Mia said teasingly.
"Is that also a prophecy?"
"A woman's intuition."
…Ah yes. "See you later.", then I hung up.
I reached the wardroom where Siesta was sleeping, stood in front of the
door, then took a deep breath.
I hadn't seen my old partner in a year. Back then, I couldn't even talk to
her calmly because of the situation, but since I had calmed down, I wondered
about what I should say, what I should tell her. Unable to think clearly, I still
opened the door.
"Hey, you doing okay?"
It was a rather large private room.
The famous detective, dressed in hospital clothes, was on a bed by the
window with her upper body upright.
"I guess I'm a little miffed that you recovered faster than I did."
Siesta looked back at me. Her silvery hair was shining in the morning sun,
and she smiled at me as she joked away. I didn’t know if I could say she was
fine, but she seemed to have recovered enough to talk a little at least.
"Oh, Charl's here too."
I then spotted a blonde agent sitting on a chair near the bed, probably here
to visit Siesta, but Charl herself was still bandaged up, all over her body.
"…? What's wrong, Charl?"
But Charl has been silent for a while now, glancing at Siesta and looking
down at her hands. Charl, who had been so fond of Siesta, should have been
happy to see her again after such a long time and should have hugged her.
"Yes, that's what I expected initially."
Siesta seemed to have read my question and explained on Charl's behalf.
"She suddenly became embarrassed and didn't know how to treat me after
a long time."
"Ma-ma'am, please don't say that!"
Charl continued to look down at her lap, her face blushing like an apple.
"Charl, what kind of maiden in love are you?"
"S-shut up. It can't be helped…"
And it seems that her condition was rather serious since her vitriol remark
was lacking.
"…I never thought such a miracle would happen… No, of course, I
believed in it, and I was going to do what I had to do. But now that it actually
happened, I don't know what to do…"
Charl clenched her fists and let out a little whimper.
"—Come here."
Siesta, who saw her dear disciple acting so, called out gently. Charl's
shoulders jolted slightly, and she slowly raised her eyes.
"I'm sorry for making you sad."
Siesta apologized to Charl just as she did to me some time ago, and gently
patted her head.
"…Uuu…Ma'am, Ma'am…!"
Then Charl opened his eyes wide, and soon tears welled in her eyes. She
hugged Siesta, bawling a child.
"Seriously, why couldn’t you just be honest from the start?"
I watched the scene for a moment, then let out a wry smile as I replaced
the flowers in the vase by the window.
"…I don't want to hear these words from you of all people, Kimizuka."
However, Charl, who overheard me talking to myself, popped up from
Siesta's arms and glared at me.
"You guys are still the same, aren't you? Can't you two get along a little
better?"
"There’s no future where Kimizuka and I will ever get along!"
And Charl, now resting her head on Siesta's thigh, swore at me.
"Here I thought we were starting to understand each other a little better."
"There are things that you know in your head, but you can't
physiologically handle, right?"
"Siesta, I'm sorry. It seems nothing has changed since a year ago."
Sitting on a round chair near the bed, I sighed, thinking that if we couldn't
get along after this incident, we never would.
"Fufu."
Surprisingly, Siesta loosened her mouth and patted Charl's head on her lap
as she said,
"This is fine. It's been a while since I've seen you two continue your
bickering act."
""It's not an act!""
My voice overlapped with Charl's, and we glared at each other.
And while we continued to argue away.
"Please don't hold a fun party without me!"
Yui Saikawa, an idol with pink and white mesh hair and an eye patch on
her left, entered the wardroom.
"Yui!"
Charl woke up and looked relieved.
But the position of her gaze on Saikawa was lower than usual.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine! Not quite, but I'm fine!"
Saikawa, who was in a wheelchair, turned her head. Her lower body was
not badly injured, but she had not yet recovered enough strength to walk
around. Pushing Saikawa's wheelchair was the former maid version
of《Siesta》—Noches, who has been taking care of us all week.
"You're still wearing the same maid outfit, aren't you?”
"It is exactly how you see it, Kimihiko."
Well, I could tell it's not a compliment.
And while Noches and I were having a separate conversation.
"This is the first time we've met face to face, Yui Saikawa."
On the bed, Siesta smiles softly at Saikawa.
"Nice to meet you, Siesta-san. I'm Yui Saikawa, the world's cutest idol!"
The wheelchair-bound Saikawa did her best to appeal to the audience.
They're meeting for the first time, although on her part, Siesta already
recognized Saikawa, and had been working to protect the latter in the
shadows.
"I’ve caused you a lot of trouble even though I wasn’t aware of it. I'm
sorry."
Saikawa's smile faded, and she bowed to Siesta. Her parents used to fund
the activities of《SPES》.
"It's nothing for you to apologize for."
Siesta then reached out and patted Saikawa on the head.
"And thank you for staying by Assistant's side while I was gone."
"Siesta-san…"
Then they looked at each other…
"Yes, it was a lot of work taking care of Kimizuka-san. I had to massage
him, cook for him…and sometimes I had to hug him, he’s such a
sweetheart…"
"Don't make up stories."
"Owie!"
I slapped a karate chop onto Saikawa's head, "I wasn’t making them up
though…" so she muttered something that I could hear. Siesta side-eyed me
and muttered some four-letter katakana, but I couldn't hear it because of the
construction noise outside.
"But, I see."
Siesta looked at me with the corner of her eyes lowered.
"These are your friends now."
In addition to Siesta, there were Saikawa, Charl, and Noches in the
hospital room. There's also Mia, who was on the phone with me just now, and
a red-haired detective, who I could call an ally.
Compared to a few years ago, I've certainly made more friends and gained
something important. I was supposed to be able to truly feel that way about
it…but there’s still one person missing here. So I shook my head at Siesta's
words.
"There's another person who gets angrier than anyone else whenever she’s
left out."
Once I said this, Saikawa and Charl turned their heads.
That girl's name was Nagisa Natsunagi.
Alicia's heart transplant was a success, and she was awakened from
her《nap》caused by the《Primordial Seed》. In that final battle against SEED,
Hel sealed her consciousness forever, so it should have been no surprise that
Natsunagi's personality would awaken in her body.
But it's been a week since then. Even after all the injuries were treated,
she still hadn't woken up and was still sleeping alone in another wardroom.
"Of course I haven't forgotten."
How could I forget? Siesta said with her eyes closed.
But when she opened her eyes,
"So, Assistant, let's go on a journey to help our friend."
Then she held out her left hand to me.

"But, how?"
Was there really anything we could do?
As I hesitated, again and again, Siesta said,
"We still have people we need to meet and talk to."
…Oh, yeah. It's someone who had a lot to do with our current situation,
but who hadn’t appeared on the stage until now. I had tried to contact him
many times during the past week, but he had never shown himself to me.
But if Siesta said so, then he's ready to face me. We had a lot to discuss
with him.
"Now then, shall we get ready to meet him?"
Siesta, who was still on the hospital bed, got into a sitting position and
said to me,
"The back-alley doctor who saved our lives."
◆Those who protect the living.
After that, I placed Siesta in a wheelchair and headed for the wardroom.
The two of us went as representatives because we didn’t want everyone to
gather.
We walked down the old corridor of the small hospital, and when we
opened the door to the room we were looking for—there was a girl asleep on
a bed.
"Natsunagi…"
While pushing Siesta's wheelchair, I approached the girl—Nagisa
Natsunagi.
I dropped by this room so many times over the past week, but I’d yet to
see Natsunagi smile like she used to.
"It certainly seems like the conditions are right for Nagisa to wake up."
Siesta remained in her wheelchair and analyzed the situation while staring
at Natsunagi who was on the bed.
"But there are also aspects that us laymen can’t realize. There’s still some
serious damage accumulated inside her body, for example, and even if she
does miraculously overcome her brain-dead state with that《nap》, the burden
on her cerebrum is still unavoidable. She’s still in a vegetative state."
"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. I've been reading a lot of medical books
this week, but I couldn't come up with much of a hypothesis as a layman.
Besides, in a special case like Natsunagi's, we can't rely on past cases."
That's why we need an expert at this time. A medical expert who once
saved Natsunagi's life, and who might be able to help her regain
consciousness again.
"—Before you start worrying about others, you two should be aware that
you are also seriously injured."
And behind me was a man's voice. I turned my head around…but the man
didn’t look at me as he went straight towards Natsunagi.
"She's doing well. There didn't seem to be any problems while I was
gone."
The man in the white coat murmured in a flat voice and adjusts the IV
connected to Natsunagi's arm.
"Thanks for your help."
I said, and the man finally turned around to look at me across the bed.
He looked to be in his mid-thirties. He had bright blond hair, and contrary
to that, dusky eyes peeping out from behind round glasses. He had a
distinctive intelligent-looking face, and the white coat gave him the look of a
doctor, and also a wise researcher.
"Is it about this girl? Or are you talking about yourself? Certainly, I've
taken care of countless patients, too many to mention."
The man made a light-hearted remark with an indifferent expression on
his face. After all, he wasn’t the type of person to make jokes.
"Both. No, Siesta, Saikawa, and Charl…you’ve taken care of everyone.
Thank you."
And it's not just this time. Speaking for myself, this doctor treated my
injuries after the first time I fought SEED and was brought here. And also,
this man was the hospital director who I asked about Natsunagi's condition.
According to what I've heard, this hospital wouldn't accept ordinary
patients, and was a facility that would take in people in special situations like
us. In the past three years of our travels, both Siesta and I have been saved
many times by such back-alley doctors.
"No, you don’t have to thank me. That's my job, and that's the role I have
to play in this world."
…There was a subtle disconnect between our conversations. It's as if he
wouldn’t allow any alternate interpretation. It's as if he refuses to let us read
between the lines, or even to interpret otherwise.
"I’ve yet to tell you my name, no?"
And without reading the mood, the man told us with the same blank
expression as ever.
"My name is Stephen Bluefield—the《Inventor》."
—Inventor, the first thing that came to mind whenever that term popped
up would be something akin to the world's greatest inventor, Thomas Edison.
Or if we’re to go further back in time, Gennai Hiraga of Japan, inventor of
the electric heater. Or perhaps this man wasn’t talking about such an ordinary
Inventor.
"A《Tuner》."
Siesta, who had been watching from the sidelines up to this point,
intervened,
"He was involved in the creation of my《seven tools》, kept my body in a
state of suspended animation through cryopreservation, and also created
Noches with artificial intelligence—this is the back-alley doctor.”
…So that's how it was. We missed the opportunity to meet each other at
the《SPES》hideout two weeks ago, the unknown doctor who was based there
was this Stephen. He is one of the twelve《Tuners》protecting the world,
the《Inventor》.
"It's been a long time, Stephen."
Siesta, seated in her wheelchair, looked up at Stephen across from her.
It seems that the《Tuners》, the protectors of the world, are well acquainted
without my knowledge.
"Ah yes, now that I see you actually moving and talking, I can see that the
year-long therapy has been a success."
Stephen then narrowed his eyes at the patient he had worked so hard on
for so long.
Siesta, on the other hand.
"I owe my life to you and Nagisa. But, Stephen, if you consider it your
mission to save people's lives, please. I want you to save Nagisa's life this
time."
Once again, she begged Stephen for help, wanting to repay the favor she
had received from Natsunagi. She believed this man was the only one who
knew how to wake up Nagisa Natsunagi.
"Daydream."
Stephen called Siesta by her common name as he stood up and wrote on a
chart.
"That's a gross underestimation of me as a doctor."
The way he said it made me feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Not an overestimation?
He wasn’t being modest and going all 'I'm not that good'.
"I always do my best to save my patients and clients, pouring my heart
and soul into them, using all the knowledge and skills I have. I never regret
whenever the subject still doesn’t wake up, for I’m proud that I've already
done all I can do."
There was no hint of anger or frustration in his voice.
Siesta and I listened to Stephen, who was simply stating a stark fact.
"So, at this moment, if there's anything I can still do for my patients, it
proves that I had been slacking in the past, it's proof that I've been slacking in
the past. My pride as a《Tuner》and a doctor shall deny that with all my pride
as a Tuner and a doctor."
Hearing Stephen's assertion, I understood why Fuubi-san had told me that
day that "Nagisa Natsunagi is dead". It must have been because of her faith
in the《Inventor》.
Fuubi-san surely knew the philosophy of the《Inventor》Stephen Bluefield.
Thus, she understood that if the result of Stephen's treatment was "brain
death", there would be nothing left to do.
"…That's why, even then."
In hindsight, when I vowed to bring Siesta back to life a few weeks ago,
Fuubi-san informed me about the existence of the《Priestess》Mia Whitlock as
a possible hint. But normally, it would seem more natural to introduce
Stephen, the《Inventor》, who was also involved in Siesta's treatment at the
time.
Fuubi-san didn't do so because she understood that there was nothing else
to be done, since the《Inventor》had already done everything. But even so, the
only existence back then that could somehow present itself to me, who
believed in miracles, was probably the《Priestess》.
"Therefore, there's nothing new I can do for Nagisa Natsunagi."
This will be the last thing I shall do for her, and with that, Stephen put on
his lab coat and left the wardroom briskly. Stephen had been gone for the past
week, probably somewhere else…visiting patients with special needs.
"Wait."
Then on her own, Siesta moved her wheelchair and followed Stephen. I
followed her into the hallway and saw the《Inventor》stand still with his back
to Siesta's call.
"I too know your philosophy."
Siesta then spoke from behind Stephen's back.
"There's another philosophy you have. It's that you never attempt an
operation that's one hundred percent impossible. Paradoxically, as long as
you're involved, there's always a chance that the patient will survive."
That's another belief of Stephen the《Inventor》. Therefore, Siesta argued,
there is still a 1% chance that Nagisa Natsunagi would wake up.
"Nagisa was diagnosed as brain-dead and donated her heart to me
according to her previously stated intentions. But you didn't stop there."
Stephen then transplanted Alicia's heart into Natsunagi. Normally, a
patient who's been deemed brain dead would never recover. But Stephen still
went through with the second transplant because he saw a 1% chance of
recovery.
"Indeed."
Stephen spoke up with his back turned on us.
"That day, I transplanted a heart from the brain-dead Nagisa Natsunagi
into you. And that was the end of my work as a doctor."
But, Stephen continued.
"After that, I decided to work as an Inventor."
The blue eyes turned towards us, and he gave a wry smile.
"I don't like unrepeatable miracles."
However, Stephen's expression quickly returned to his original cold yet

intelligent face.
"I realized that normal people do not resurrect, but I also knew very well
that your bodies were not normal."
Saying that, Stephen stared at Siesta, or rather, at her left chest.
"And I was also interested in the《Primordial Seed》that made you so."
"…So that's why you've been using the《SPES》experimental facility as
your base of operations?"
That's what Noches had said when Natsunagi and I visited that place a
couple of weeks ago, there Stephen had continued to treat Siesta while
investigating the《Primordial Seed》.
"Yes. In fact, when you died a year ago, Daydream, you were also
successfully preserved by cryonics…but that wasn't a case of success due to
me alone. Immediately after your death, you also unconsciously tried to
preserve your life by using the《nap》."
Stephen took one look at Siesta and added another reason for her
resuscitation.
"Then the other day, I realized something else while I was operating on
Nagisa Natsunagi, as the only one fully compatible with the《Primordial
Seed》, she could have intentionally placed herself in a state of suspended
animation by means of《nap》."
This was the reason why Stephen wanted to reach out to the supposedly
dead Natsunagi once again.
"So, after transplanting the heart from Nagisa Natsunagi into Daydream, I
also transplanted the heart of a girl named Alicia into Nagisa Natsunagi. I had
brought a spare heart from that facility in case Nagisa Natsunagi's heart was
too damaged to be transplanted, and it worked out well."
"So, Alicia's heart is here…"
Siesta blurted out while still in the wheelchair.
Natsunagi, Siesta, and Alicia all carry SEED-derived DNA from the
medication experiments they underwent six years ago. That's why their hearts
were compatible with each other, and why they were surgically matched.
"The two surgeries were successful, and there were no issues with the
transplants themselves. However, neither Daydream nor Nagisa Natsunagi
woke up immediately. As for Nagisa Natsunagi in particular, there was no
biological reaction that would overturn the diagnosis of brain death that I had
once made, and she seemed to be approaching her limit."
That's when you came to the hospital room that day, Stephen said. I
recalled that scene from ten days ago when I took Natsunagi's hand that was
getting colder.
"That's why I didn't overturn the diagnosis of brain death, in fact, I
thought the result was natural. If the dead could be brought back to life so
easily, there would be no need for the profession of a doctor."
…Ah, yes, that’s right. If we apply the logic of modern medicine,
Natsunagi was indeed dead at that time. But Stephen, perhaps three days
later, reversed his own view. On that day a week ago, Siesta woke up, and
Natsunagi (Hel) came back to life later. Siesta's heart, which was originally
hers, took three days to activate, and Natsunagi woke up from suspended
animation by SEED's command.
"I hate that shallow word 'miracle'."
Stephen repeated the same words.
"Why can't miracles happen every time? –How absurd that assumption is.
I only believe in things that are repeatable. In that respect, the《Primordial
Seed》, which brought two people back from the dead, should be called the
Philosopher's Stone, because it is repeatable."
"Then there's the miracle of waking up Natsunagi once again…"
As I said this to myself, I immediately noticed a contradiction.
The《Primordial Seed》had already been lost. After all—
"Right now, there is not a single piece of《seed》left in Nagisa Natsunagi's
body. I've already done all I can do for an ordinary person."
Eventually, the discussion wound back to the beginning. As a doctor, as
an Inventor, Stephen had already done his part. Now he was going to save
another patient with special needs somewhere in this world. He would leave
behind Natsunagi, who still hadn't woken up.
"You used Alicia's life…!"
The voice I eked echoed through the corridor.

He used Alicia's heart, her life.
There was no way that Natsunagi would go to that much trouble and never
wake up again.
"Assistant."
Siesta gently tugged at my cuff. I clenched my fists, my nails unwittingly
digging into my palms. Yes, there was another problem that came to my
mind.
I know that Stephen, as a doctor, used Alicia's heart to help Natsunagi.
But of course, Alicia's will wasn’t involved in that. I didn’t know if that was
really the right thing to do.
"My job is not to speak for the dead."
Stephen's voice echoed in the hallway and I looked up.
"The words of the dead have already been lost. My mission is to save the
lives that are right in front of me, to save people with science. Nothing more."
I know. The dead wouldn’t tell us anything. It's arrogant of us, as the
living, to speculate and hope that ‘he or she must have thought this'.
However, there was once an idol that cut through such contradictions with
beautiful things. She dressed up in beautiful dresses and sang songs to
overcome their doubts. As to whether that’s the right thing to do, I don't
know.
—But, there were no prerequisites to ask of since the dead wouldn’t
speak. Maybe there is no right answer to begin with.
"Allow me to repeat myself again, Kimihiko Kimizuka."
Stephen calls out my name when he shouldn't have.
"I'll kill one to keep two alive. I will not save all three. I always think of
the greatest happiness of the whole. Numbers are everything. The greater the
number saved, the greater the justice. I don't have time to dwell on the wishes
of the dead as I continue to save the living."
The next patient is waiting, Stephen said as he left. I couldn't say anything
back as I saw the smiles on the faces of…Alicia and Natsunagi.
"Let's go back."
Siesta gave me another small tug on my cuff. I nodded silently and went
back to Natsunagi's wardroom, which I had left open.
"I'm sorry, Natsunagi. I spoke such strange things to you."
Then I spoke to Natsunagi, who was still asleep. I tried to take her hand…
but somehow I was too afraid to do so. Now that I hadn't figured out how to
wake Natsunagi up, I felt like I wasn't qualified to take her hand.
"…Hm? What's this?"
Suddenly, I noticed what looked like an old book on a nearby shelf. It was
near where Stephen had been standing in the first place.
"…That’s!"
I handed the book to Siesta, whose blue eyes flickered.
And when Siesta opened it…it looked like a child's picture diary. In it, a
dark-haired girl was sitting on a bed, surrounded by a white-haired girl and a
girl with peach-colored hair, and they were chatting away.
"It's Alicia's diary."
Siesta uttered and hugged the diary close to her chest.
"…If you're looking for answers, you've already found them."
I looked at Alicia's diary and Siesta's sidelong face and remembered.
There was a point when Natsunagi's body was awakened by Alicia's heart.
I saw three little girls standing side by side at that time. That’s the answer.
Even if it was a selfish wish, I still wanted to believe in that scene, in Hel's
words.
"Wake up soon, Natsunagi."
I called out to her while she remained sleeping in bed.
And then we’d have our usual silly bickering, like we always do.
◆On a journey to read the fortunes of the world.
Three days have passed since then. In the meantime, Siesta and I, along
with Saikawa and Charl, continued to discuss and brainstorm ways to wake
Natsunagi up.
Stephen, the attending physician, has already withdrawn. He said
something like "there is nothing left for me to do," but that shouldn’t mean
"there is nothing left for anyone but Stephen to do."
With that in mind, Siesta mentioned the name of an expert who could
replace the《Inventor》, and the two of us immediately went to the place where
he was…or so.
"Hey, can I order some snacks?"
Siesta asked me, looking at the in-flight meal menu.
I never thought I'd be taken on a flight the day right after I got out of the
hospital…
"No, it's too expensive. I told you to buy it at the store."
"Well, what can we do when we barely made it due to the train trouble, so
what can you do? Mainly because of you."
Siesta's stern eyes turned to me. I'm sorry, but working with me means
you're bound to get into unexpected trouble. Don't you remember that?
"Anyway,"
Siesta looked at me as if she's switching sides.
"It's been a while since we've been on a plane together."
We're in the sky, 10,000 meters above the ground. It’s how I met Siesta
that day four years ago.
"Yeah, how many times have I flown with you since then?"
"I can't believe how many miles we’ve accumulated."
We giggled, remembering those three years.
Today's destination was New York, where we were traveling to a dizzying
world for the first time in a year, to meet someone and attend a conference.
"But are you sure we're safe?"
I inquired again about Siesta's condition. Siesta was more seriously
injured than I was, but as soon as she was able to walk, she immediately
discharged herself from the hospital and took a plane ride.
"Yeah, I'm in a bit of a hurry."
"Yeah, about Natsunagi and that meeting."
Then I asked Siesta about the purpose of this trip.
"So? What exactly is this conference about?"
—The Federation Conference, which Siesta urged me to go along to, was
where all the《Tuners》in the world gathered. It's said to be held at random
places, this time in New York, and Siesta, the《famous detective》of
the《Tuners》, was required to attend.
"To put it simply, it's a place for the twelve《Tuners》to gather and talk
when there's a major turning point in the world."
Siesta says as she bit into a piece of long, thin chocolate candy. When did
she buy that?
"It's also a place to decide who will deal with the new《world crisis》, or in
this case, a post-mortem on the《Primordial Seed》crisis that was just over."
"I see, so it's a place for the《famous detective》to announce the results."
Apparently, we're going to play a leading role in this Federation
Conference…though, in this day and age, a face-to-face meeting seems rather
analog.
"Are you nervous?"
"Shaking like a warrior."
"You’re actually shaking."
Imagine being thrown into such an important discussion that could
determine the future of the world.
"But I have a lot of allies. You know, like that guy."
"Ah, Fuubi-san. I was wondering why she’s involved, but I didn't expect
that."
Four years ago, after the hijacking, Siesta handed Bat over to Fuubi-san.
As comrades protecting the world from behind the scenes, they were related
without me even knowing it.
"Does that mean Mia's coming too?"
"I doubt it. She’s never been to one, at least not until now."
Well, it's certainly hard to imagine that lazy girl attending such a tense
meeting. Come to think of it, Fuubi-san did say that she never met
the《Priestess》before, right?
"But it seems Mia was allowed to not attend."
It would be harsh on her if it's a conference to divine the state of the
world.
"Except for me, all the other《Tuners》have their own quirks, or rather, few
are the harmonious type."
"You make it sound like you're the only one who's not weird."
I say, and Siesta sips her tea with an indifferent face. Don't bring in your
own teacup as a matter of course.
"But we're going to see the most annoying person of them all."
…Oh. There's another reason why we're going to New York, I mean, to
the Federation Conference.
"The vampire—Scarlet."
I muttered, and Siesta gave a small nod.
"You know about him already, don't you?"
"…Not that I'm too fond of seeing him."
As rumoured, the《vampire》was the most abnormal existence of
the《Tuners》. I personally felt something unfathomable in the way Scarlet's
eyes looked at me. He also hinted that he had some sort of connection with
Siesta…
"It looks like something bad happened to you. Did he bully you?”
"…I just kind of don't like him. More importantly, do you really think
Scarlet knows how to wake Natsunagi up?"
Yes. That vampire was the key person Siesta mentioned, who we needed
to wake up Natsunagi. In anticipation of that, we were heading to the
Federation Conference where the《Tuners》, including Scarlet, were gathered.
"Well, it's only a possibility, though. However, he's still an expert on life
and death, so he's got a lot to say about human consciousness."
"…I, see?"
He’s a vampire who has the ability to bring the dead back to life with only
their strongest living instincts intact. He certainly has insight into human life
and death, consciousness, and the soul…
"But can we really rely on a vampire that’s supposedly fantasy-like
existence?"
"Are you a fool?"
"That's unreasonable."
It's been a while since I've heard this.
"Vampires aren't some imaginary entity from folklore, and they didn't
spontaneously appear anywhere."
Siesta said as she sipped her tea again.
"Things happen for a reason. There are causes. Don't ponder over them
and rely on convenient words like 'chance' and 'coincidence'."
I looked at Siesta’s sidelong face while she said something that I had
heard somewhere before, and that face was similar to someone I wanted to
meet most.
"The origins of these vampires are…"
Siesta then tried to continue her vampire-related story.
"Oh, by the way, did you see today's horoscope? Taurus’ the worst."
"No, you're not very good at diverting the topic."
And you're only talking about unnecessary stuff. It'll just make you feel
depressed for the rest of the day.
"Goodness sake, don't hide important information for no reason. Explain
the situation to me from the start."
"Because it's fun to watch you freak out when you don't know anything."
"That’s for the worst reason."
◆Two detectives, twelve justices.
After a twelve-hour flight, Siesta and I arrived safely in New York. We

left our luggage at the hotel and headed for the Federation Conference before
we had a chance to rest.
"I guess we'll be treated like VIPs with transportation."
I said to Siesta in the back seat of the black car. It was waiting for us the
moment we left the hotel, and seeing how Siesta got into the car without any
hesitation, it seems that we were headed to our destination.
"Even if we get VIP treatment now, we might not be alive in a few hours."
Siesta then says something disturbing.
"Didn't you say that the《famous detective》is the main character?"
"The defeat of the《Primordial Seed》took a lot longer than originally
planned…also, there was a deviation from the future that the Priestess had
originally indicated."
"…I see. We may be held accountable for drastically altering the route
that should have been taken."
As originally written in the Bible, the future of the《Primordial Seed》was
that Siesta would be defeated by Hel, and that Hel would become the vessel
for SEED. In order to prevent this from happening, Siesta appointed me, a
person with a tendency to get into trouble, as her assistant, and the future
gradually changed as a result.
However, the route that changed was the past we experienced a year ago
when Siesta and Hel went mano a mano. SEED lost its candidate’s vessel,
and only Natsunagi, Hel's main personality, survived.
According to what Siesta saw of the future, SEED was supposed to be
defeated by the surviving me, Natsunagi, Saikawa, and Charl. However, I
rejected that ending as well, and swore to bring Siesta back to life, and in the
present—Natsunagi sacrificed herself to bring Siesta back to life, before she
finally managed to seal the《Primordial Seed》.
…In hindsight, it was inevitable that Fuubi-san, who was in the position
of the《Tuners》, would be angry with me, and Mia would cry as well. I
disrupted the stability of the world for the sake of my own wish. I distorted
the future, and as a result, Natsunagi—
"As usual, you're easy to understand."
Then Siesta let out a small sigh.
"Don't worry, Nagisa will wake up."
But the next moment, with a soft smile, Siesta said.
"Maybe Nagisa is now in a long sleep, thinking that she has done all she
can do. You know that’s not true though, don’t you? Nagisa Natsunagi is not
a substitute detective. She's not a replacement for anyone else. She's your one
and only partner."
She squeezed my hand once as if to convey the feelings she had put into
her words, and after a short pause, she let go of my hand.
"…I see. That's right."
Nagisa Natsunagi lost her memory, forgot how to live, and was tormented
by the fact that she was nobody, but now she accepted her entire past, learned
how to run, and finally understood who she is.
She's not going to stay asleep forever. Even if she wanted to, I wouldn’t
let her. I’ll kill her twice over, for myself and for Hel.
"But I do have one correction."
I saw Siesta's puzzled face, turned to look forward, and said.
"Siesta, you're my partner too."
Siesta told me that Nagisa Natsunagi was my one and only partner.
But for me, Siesta is also,
"—I see."
And Siesta, like me, looked forward and spoke, but we didn’t look at each
other.
"We're almost there, Assistant."
She didn’t say another word. As long as she called me by that title, our
relationship naturally remained the same.
Not long after that, the car came to a slow stop, as if it had reached its
destination. The backseat door opened and I followed Siesta out of the car.
"This is…"
At the end of a large garden was a magnificent palace-like structure. It
was the venue of the Federation Conference.
"Is it okay to hold a secret meeting in such a public place?"
"Don't worry, no civilians will notice this building."
Siesta said and walked towards the palace without hesitation.
"Is there a boundary or something or something…?"
Walking three steps behind Siesta, I took a step through the palace's wide
entrance.
"There are twelve《Tuners》in total…and so far I only know about half of
them."
I climbed the long staircase and counted the number of《Tuners》I
currently knew.《Famous Detective》Siesta,《Assassin》Fuubi Kase,《Vampire》
Scarlet,《Priestess》Mia Whitlock, and《Inventor》Stephen Bluefield, whom I
just met—and there’s also the《Phantom Thief》, whose existence I only
learned of recently, was currently locked away somewhere deep underground
for stealing Mia's《Bible》.
"There are other《Tuners》who were involved with you as well."
Siesta says, looking back at you for a moment.
"What do you mean? Could it be that Saikawa is actually a《Tuner》as
an《idol》or something?"
"The fact that you can only think of Yui shows your lack of friendships."
It's none of your business, and besides, there’s Charl too.
"Well, I guess you're involved without even knowing it."
You’ll meet them soon, so Siesta said, having decided not to explain
further at this point.
"For now, though, I think I'll tell you about some of the other members
you should be aware of."
"Yeah, nothing better than to be prepared."
It was a welcomed suggestion to someone who had been subjected to too
many nerve-wracking surprises during the past three years on the road.
"Yes. The most dangerous ones are the《Mage》and the《Executioner》."
Siesta continued talking as she finished climbing the stairs and walked
down the long red-carpeted corridor.
"The《Mage》is an old witch-like granny who never comes out of the
forest…but she’s said to have once destroyed a village using a certain magic.
Her power was recognized and she was appointed as a《Tuner》."
"Can you be on the side of justice even if you committed a crime a long
time ago?"
Perhaps that secret art was judged to be useful in protecting the world.
"That's a difficult question…but if we’re talking about the guilt aspect. In
terms of the same crimes, the《Executioner》is inarguably the deadliest of
the《Tuners》."
"Well that escalated quickly. Aren’t the《Tuners》the ones who protect the
world?"
I guess like Fuubi-san and Scarlet, they’re not all on the side of justice
after all.
"I guess it depends on how you view justice. In fact, the job of
the《Executioner》is to execute criminals who could not be judged by the
outside world."
"…So, a necessary evil."
In this world, there certainly were cases that couldn't be judged by the
law. The dark hero 《Executioner》 was thus the one who would eliminate
such persons from behind the scenes.
"Yes. And with only a single scythe on the back, this《Executioner》mows
down the criminals lurking in the shadows. In terms of pure combat skill,
probably no worse than《Assassin》or even《Vampire》."
"The 《Mage》and《Executioner》, huh? If possible, I don't want to get
involved with them for no reason…"
That was close. Any more words and I would have set off a flag.
As I hurriedly covered my mouth, I arrived at a large door.
"Ready, Assistant?"
Siesta gave me a quick glance.
"From here on out, don't expect conventional wisdom to apply."
Yeah. I just need to remember what she said, and the other《Tuners》I had
met.
We nodded at each other, and Siesta opened the door with both hands, and
the scene in the big room was,
"So what Rel is trying to say is, why is it that only the《Famous Detective》
is allowed to be so selfish?"
"Oh? You’re jealous of the《Famous Detective》and you want to do the
same?"
A girl jumped up on a long desk, holding a black stick…exchanging

glares with Fuubi Kase, a red-haired policewoman who was sitting deep in a
chair, smoking a cigarette.
The girl on the desk was much younger than the《Mage》I had heard of,
and the weapon she held was different from the《Executioner》's scythe. So
who was this not-so-peaceful girl?
"I wonder who that girl is."
Siesta tilted her head.
You don't know either?
So she's neither the《Mage》nor the《Executioner》?
"This is a sacred place. Lower your weapons."
At that moment, a visceral coldness suddenly swept over my body. It was

as if someone's hand was directly stirring the pit of my stomach.
Siesta and I, as well as the two people who had been struggling, turned
our attention to the source of the voice. Then, at the back of the room, an
elderly man was seated at the top seat and said without blinking.
"Here comes the star of the day. Now, let the meeting begin."
Hearing this, the girl at the table glared at Fuubi-san one last time before
finally returning to her chair.
"Assistant, let's go."
Excluding us, there were a total of six allies of justice lined up at the long
desk.
The meeting to decide the future of the world thus began.
◆That’s how the world revolves.
"《Famous Detective》Siesta, I apologize for my tardiness."

Siesta apologized and bowed to the people at the long desk.
"You too."
At her urging, I followed Siesta's lead. Sorry for being late.
We sat down side by side on the nearest chairs.
The《Tuners》were lined up in a row, some familiar faces, others
completely unfamiliar. Unfortunately, we couldn't find the vampire we were
hoping for.
"It's nice to see you again—famous detective."
Then the girl with the stick glared at Siesta sitting before her. Her
language was polite…but her tone and eyes were clearly hostile. She was
dressed in a flamboyant outfit that looked like an anime costume, but her
expression was cold and stern.
"How many times have you broken the rules of the《Federal Charter》,
allowed so many exceptions, and then come back to life from the other
world… How much do you want the world to love you?"
Rel probably wanted some of that good fortune.
The girl who called herself Rel, once again pointed the stick in her right
hand towards Siesta, who did not fight back. Things were going so fast for
me, and my body froze involuntarily.
"Stop!"
But the people here are all fierce defenders of the world who have risked
their lives to protect it. For example, while I couldn’t keep up with them, the
red-haired《Assassin》was holding a gun to the girl's head right now.
"Weren’t we told to put down our weapons? –Reloaded."
"Isn't it customary that anyone who breaks the Articles of Confederation
is guilty of death? What's the problem?"
"Even if that's the case, the one who gets to do so isn’t you, Reloaded."
With that, Fuubi-san and the girl called Reloaded snared at each other
again.
"—Fuubi, you too."
A man in a suit sitting at the end of the table admonished Fuubi-san to put
away her gun. Apparently, he has a particularly strong voice in this group.
Fuubi-san and Reloaded reluctantly put away their weapons.
However, this man seemed familiar to me. All back brown hair, deep
green eyes, and the expensive suit he wore made him look like some kind of
politician…
"…I see. You're Flip Stuart."
When I said this, the man lifted his icy mask and smiled.
"Nice to meet you again, I'm Flip, the mayor of New York."
Ah yes, I recognized that face from the TV screen.
Flip Stuart—a politician who emerged during my time in this country with
Siesta. His warm personality and solid track record won him support, and he
continued to be on the stage as mayor of New York.
"I didn't expect to find someone like you among the《Tuners》."
"Yes, in this world, I have been given the title of《Revolutionary》."
Revolutionary…in other words, a《Tuner》title?
"I can't say much about the specifics, but the mission given to
the《Revolutionary》is to lean this world slightly from the other side. In any
age, the act of governance is to balance a seesaw the children are playing on.”
To maintain and sometimes destroy the balance of the world for the sake
of peace. The《Revolutionary》Flip Stuart was no beautiful woman who could
charm the world on its heels, but he’s probably interfering in the world's
politics and economy from behind the scenes. The world crises didn’t simply
refer to aliens and otherworldly beings. The world too would soon be
destroyed by the people running the countries.
"Flip, are you the leader of the《Tuners》?"
I asked, based on Flip's behavior so far.
"No, no, I'm just the moderator for this meeting."
Flip, on the other hand, explained to me that he had no knowledge of this
conference.
"But, yes. If that's the case, didn't you know that we, the《Tuners》, are an
organization directly under the Mizoef Federation?"
"…Ahh, this business partner of mine won’t say anything until I ask her.
Sometimes she doesn’t."
I took a glance next to her, and to my surprise, Siesta was sipping tea by
herself with the tea set she had set up.
"But, well, it's something I've been expecting. Assuming that some
country is taking the lead in organizing the《Tuners》, there are no other
options than the United States, Russia, and China…"
The six existing continents are Eurasia, Africa, North America, South
America, Australia, and Mizoev. It’s said that the Third World War, which
was fought between continents over the《Akashic Records》, didn’t cause
much damage to the countries, due to the《Silent Rule》of the Mizoef
Federation.
"Nevertheless, we are working as《Tuners》under the charge of the《Federal
Government》, which includes some important people from other countries
besides Mizoev. And among them, the《Revolutionary》has now been
appointed as the moderator of the conference."
And Flip concluded his answer to my first question. Flip's role as
moderator seemed appropriate, as he was probably used to acting as a
politician.
"But this is your first time participating in the《Federation Conference》.”
Flip looked at me again.
"Of course, everyone here knows you, but the reverse is not necessarily
true. So before we get to the main issue, let me introduce you to the
members."
…That's a scary thing to say. Why do all the《Tuners》know who I am, and
why are they all staring at me like that?
"Can you really spare time for me as an outsider?"
"You and the《Famous Detective》are the stars of the day, after all."
In response to my question, Flip continued, "In addition," he said.
"All《Tuners》are allowed to have one person, with prior permission,
attend the Federation Conference as their proxy or assistant. Just like her, you
know."
Flip's gaze then turned to the seat across from me.
"So you and I are in a similar position, Olivia."
It was Olivia—the Priestess' messenger. It seemed she was attending not
as a flight attendant, but as a representative for her master, who too was
a《Tuner》.
"Yes. But by the way, the《Priestess》herself is also here."
Olivia opened her laptop and turned it towards me...and there she was.
"…What are you doing?"
Mia, I wanted to call out her name, but I clammed up to protect her
privacy. On the screen, however, was a girl dressed in a Priestess costume,
clearly Mia Whitlock, wearing a fox mask.
"I heard it was possible to participate online."
We are in this era, right? Mia argues from within the screen. I never
thought I'd see the day when a recluse would be ahead of the times.
"—But I do not need this."
And at that moment, Mia took off the mask she was wearing. Olivia and
the rest of the《Tuners》stared at her, looking somewhat surprised.
Until now, Mia has never shown her true identity, including her name and
face, to anyone. We would never know what changed her mind until she told
us. The only thing certain though was that the eyes of the current Mia were lit
with a determination to get involved with this world.
"I see, I guess it's just as well that you're acquainted with the《Priestess》."
Flip then looked at me with some interest, and then wandered his gaze,
"So you know him too?” Siesta, the famous detective, and Fuubi Kase, the
assassin, turned their gaze to…a man in a dark suit sitting at the far end.
"…………"
But even though it was indoors, the sunglasses-wearing man remained
motionless in his chair, his posture neat and clean. He looks like an elaborate
android, and not a word is uttered from his ever-so-slightly relaxed mouth.
I didn’t know this man. But this man had probably existed in my life so
many times.
"《Blackrobe》."
Flip said the man’s title and not the name.
"They're assigned to the《Tuners》as a single entity called the 《Blackrobe》,
deployed around the world as handymen, so to speak."
"…Yeah, that definitely rings a bell."
For example, four years ago, I was forced by them to smuggle a musket
and met Siesta 10,000 meters in the air. After that, they occasionally helped
us with our work under Siesta's direction, and I personally relied on them
after Siesta and I parted ways through death.
"Yes. In other words,《Blackrobe》is a replacement for a piece of a huge
puzzle that was lost near the time of its completion. A lubricant to get the
rusty gears turning again. A deus ex machina that allows the characters the
opportunity to make a story work. That's what they are."
In this world full of contradictions, the reason why people could live
without feeling any conflict might be thanks to, for example, a bullet fired
from the darkness, invisible and unremembered.
"So, I guess it's my turn now."
At that moment, the other person, who had remained silent until now,
spoke up for the first time. An old man with a white beard and a silk hat
loosened his mouth.
"My name is Bruno, the《Informant》, it is my job to provide you with
useful information."
The old man who called himself Bruno had a soft smile that made me
wonder if Santa Claus would smile like this if he existed in this world.
"It's been a long time since I've seen Miss《Famous Detective》, hasn't it?"
"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bruno."
Siesta was surprisingly reverent and bowed to Bruno. It seems that the
two were old acquaintances.
"Actually, he took care of us without your knowledge."
Siesta, sitting next to me, whispered in my ear.
"You mean in those three years?"
"Yeah, I'd say 30% of the cases we've had, we couldn't have solved
without his knowledge and information."
I see. Of the《Tuners》that Siesta had mentioned just before I left for this
meeting, the《Blackrobe》and the《Informant》weren’t mentioned.
"By the way, don't the《Tuners》have a retirement system?"
Suddenly curious, I whispered to Siesta.
"No, we don't. Also, you're surprisingly natural in how rude you are."
…It's rare that Siesta got angry with me in a straightforward manner. Most
of the time, I would get scolded for no reason.
"Hahaha."
Bruno laughs with unexpected bemusement. It seemed he heard exactly
what I said.
"No, I'm not worried about it. I'm sure I’ve been taking care of my body
well."
Bruno said, squinting softly at me…but on the other hand, there was
someone else glaring at me, and she could have killed me with a look.
"Listen here you little shit."
I had to stop myself from saying that she’s a kid compared to the old man.
"He's lived more than ten times as long as you have, and he's fulfilled his
duties as an《Informant》. Don't ever forget to give him your respect."
…Ten times my age? So Bruno’s…wait, he looked like he's in his
seventies at most.
"Thanks to a little special potion. It doesn't make me immortal, but it
gives me a body that can live a little longer than most."
Bruno then said to me, stroking his beard and mustache.
"It's just that I've lived a little longer and know a little more about things. I
have a lot of respect for the《assassin》and《famous detective》who are always
on the front lines facing the《world crises》."
With that, Bruno turned his kind eyes to Fuubi-san and then to Siesta.
"Then I'd like to move on."
And so the meeting that had begun at Flip's suggestion finally moved on
to the seventh《Tuner》. The last one was a troubled girl who had been arguing
with Fuubi-san before we entered the room.
"I can finally talk to you."
The girl—Reloaded, changed from her stiff expression, baring her white
fangs proudly, and brushed her orange-red hair aside before saying to me.
"Kimihiko Kimizuka—would you be interested in becoming the familiar

(pet) of this《Magical Girl》?"
So why is it that all the girls around me are so annoying?
◆The scales of justice
The introductions were over, and the positions of the seven《Tuners》

present today were revealed. The《Revolutionary》Flip Stuart,《Informant》
Bruno,《Blackrobe》???,《Famous Detective》Siesta,《Assassin》Fuubi Kase,
《Priestess》Mia Whitlock, and—
"Hey, why does Rel have to be the only one to be swept off her feet?"
The girl with the bright orange hair, still calling herself by the nickname
"Rel", stood up, slamming the desk with a bang. The impact knocks her black
stick onto the floor.
"I'll say it again, Kimihiko Kimizuka: you, be Rel's familiar."
She's the seventh《Tuner》and《Magical Girl》, Reloaded. She's about the
same age as Siesta and I, but she's wearing a Magical Girl outfit from an
anime, and it suited the adorable face she just showed me for a moment.
However, from the beginning, her words and actions had been
consistently uncharming. I wonder if ‘familiar’ was her way of calling me her
errand boy. If that’s the case.
"…I don't see how that's going to benefit me at all, you know?"
"Of course you do. I'm sure you're tired of being an assistant to this
famous detective. It would be more fun to be a cute Magical Girl's dog."
"Did you just say dog?... I mean, why me?"
I didn’t need to jog my memory, and I was certain I’d never met this girl
before. Why is she trying to place me in the position of a dog…or an
assistant?
"Of course, Kimihiko Kimizuka, that’s because you are the world's—"
"—I'm sorry, but Assistant shall never be yours."
Siesta interrupted this exchange. Reloaded had been the one jostling since
this meeting started, but Siesta seemed to think it was time for a fight, and
although she didn't have a weapon in her hand, she started a cold war across
the desk.
"What? Are you trying to be possessive? I didn’t think you'd like a jealous
woman."
"I'm not talking about those silly feelings. This is a contractual issue."
"Contractual? After three or four years, contracts are usually revised."
"I'm sorry, but my assistant has a lifetime contract with me, and he has no
time to be your sidekick."
…There was some mysterious contract with Siesta that I was not aware
of.
Would this lifetime employment mean that I’ll have to be with Siesta until
death? That's unreasonable.…….…ah no, I guess not.
"Are you going to fool around like that?"
Reloaded then continued to bicker with Siesta again.
"If only Rel could use《Singularity》, she'd be able to work more
efficiently…"
"No, Reloaded, you’ve always done a proper job as the《Mage》."
At that moment, Flip gave Reloaded a few words of praise to defuse the
situation.
"…I said I’m not a《Mage》, I’m a Magical Girl. I told you I'd change my

job title in exchange for becoming a《Tuner》."
Reloaded, however, disapprovingly put a hand at her cheek and glared at
Flip.
It seems that this Reloaded girl has been appointed as the new《Tuner》,
replacing the old granny who was the《Mage》Siesta had mentioned. It seems
that there is no retirement system for《Tuners》, but if that's the case, then
what were the reasons for the previous《Mage》's resignation? My doubts and
queries just piled on for quite a while, but no one, including the clear-
faced《Famous Detective》sitting next to me, could give me the answers.
"Well. So much for the digression."
And so Flip Stuart, the moderator of the Federation Conference, spoke
with a voice that caused my gut to sink. We were finally going to get down to
business. I had heard that one of the purposes of the conference was a kind of
debriefing on the defeat of the《Primordial Seed》, but what was the outcome?
"It was late, but once again, Daydream, thanks to you, the《Primordial
Seed》crisis is over."
Flip turned to Siesta and complimented her on her work as the famous
detective.
"The secret society《SPES》, including its collaborators scattered around
the world, will soon be destroyed. It has also been decided that the isolated
island they have been illegally occupying will become the territory of the
Mizoef Federation. The crisis surrounding the《Primordial Seed》has now
been resolved. Good job."
Then several claps sounded. There was Mia on the screen, Olivia, and
then Flip and Bruno congratulated Siesta on completing her big mission.
"…I."
But Siesta's face was anything but radiant.
Six years ago, she encountered the《Primordial Seed》, and four years ago,
she embarked on a journey with me to fight《SPES》. Counting the number of
things she's lost, there's no way Siesta could show a smile on her face. She’s
not someone who would smile at a time like this.
"It’s not like your work is of particular note, is it?"
The self-proclaimed《Magical Girl》then gave Siesta a cold stare with her
cheek propped up by an elbow,
"And several of the other Tuners in the room have also broken the rules."
She then begins to rat out people other than Siesta.

But I already had an idea of who Reloaded was referring to.
"Flip, you're aware of this, aren't you? The《Assassin》and《Priestess》have
overstepped their bounds."
…As expected. Indeed, the two were helping Siesta defeat the《Primordial
Seed》, which was her mission.
Mia had shown Siesta the《Bible》, which was originally forbidden to
anyone but the《Priestess》, and Fuubi-san helped Charl and I fight《SPES》
after Siesta died. Reloaded raised the issue of whether or not all of this was a
violation of the Federal Charter rules.
"…S-senpai is not at fault."
The girl's voice came from the computer screen.
"That was my decision, so senpai is…"
"Huh? So? I don't see how that's an argument."
"…Olivia, how do I get off this call screen?"
Mia, who wasn’t used to talking with others…let alone arguing, was
defeated by Reloaded's pressure and tried to retreat from the screen. Poor
little thing.
"I'll tell you something about that."
At that moment, the《Informant》Bruno raised his right gloved hand.
"In fact, I've received a suggestion from the《Assassin》. It's true that the
Federal Charter states that a single world crisis should be dealt with by a
single《Tuner》."

—But, Bruno tapped the floor with his cane.
"《Assassin》said that as long as one has enough time to finish the duties
given, anyone should be allowed to help other《Tuners》. In fact, I do also
help other《Tuners》with their missions, although it's not my job to do so. I
can understand where she's coming from."
Bruno's comment drew all eyes to Fuubi-san.
Did Fuubi-san know that her actions would eventually become a problem
and brought it to the attention of《Informant》, who was the oldest and seemed
to understand the nature of her work?
"If someone is in trouble, we help them. It's a natural thing for a
policeman."
Fuubi-san, despite the attention she was attracting, kept her relaxed
attitude and tried to make light of the situation. And then,
"Well, it may be difficult to understand for a kid who is too occupied with
her own duties to even have time to care for others."
She snorted, clearly mocking someone else.
"Are you talking about Rel?"
"Oh, so you do have some self-awareness."
"Huh?"
"Ah?"
…Fuubi-san, you're not exactly good at socializing.
"I understand the situation now."
Flip's expression did not change, and he accepted Fuubi-san's and Bruno's
arguments for the moment.
"It's true that the《Primordial Seed》is a threat rarely seen in recent years. It
would be acceptable if some irregularities were allowed."
"...! A mere moderator doesn't have the authority to decide such things,
right?."
But Reloaded was not satisfied with the decision, and snapped at Flip.
"Yes. When it comes to formal rule changes, the federal government will
have the final say."
—However, Flip's tone changed again.
"I have made such a ruling as my first priority is to keep this meeting
running smoothly. Do you have any objection to that?"

The chilling voice made my heart ache. Reloaded, who had been so
arrogant, seemed to flinch for a moment, and then gave up trying to argue.
"Well, then, I guess it's decided."
As if not daring to read the tense atmosphere, Bruno's hushed voice broke
the silence.
"A new era requires new rules and new values. I'm proud of the young
people who are not afraid of change…or maybe this is just an old man
struggling to keep up with the new times."
Bruno said, gently stroking the cane in his hand with his fingertips.
"Thank you for your concern."
Fuubi-san bows her head to the《Informant》.
Like Siesta, she seemed to have genuine respect for Bruno.
"Haha, it's a request from a cute little girl."
"…Thank you for your concern."
Fuubi-san, who answered with the same line, showed a rare perturbed
look, and I couldn’t help but laugh…that was close.
"So, let's get down to business, shall we?"
—And Flip's cold eyes turned to me.
Oh, I see, I realized. The purpose of this meeting wasn't just a debriefing
on the defeat of the《Primordial Seed》. In other words, this.
"What's your opinion on the change in the future written in the《Bible》?"
This was a place to denounce me for reversing Mia's prediction and

seeking an entirely new Route X.
"I heard that in the original future, Daydream would die, and a
new《Famous Detective》would wilt along with the《Primordial Seed》. But
you overturned it, distorted it—and as a result, Daydream came back to life,
but the new candidate for the Famous Detective, Nagisa Natsunagi, died."
No, I heard she's in a coma, Flip said, looking at me with one eyebrow
raised.
"Do you really think this is what you…or Daydream, would have
wanted?"
Flip directed this question to me alone. Do I think Siesta would have
wanted Nagisa Natsunagi to die and come back to life? I couldn’t answer
that question, because I already know the answer.

"《Singularity》"
Flip said as he looked at me, the other《Tuners》all looked at me in unison.
"It's the irregularity that always appears when the times change
dramatically, that overturns the future as the《Priestess》sees it, that changes
the established way of the world—"
That's you, Flip told me.
Singularity— that's what Scarlet used to say. Or maybe Mia once said
something similar while looking at me.
The one who would change the future, the one who will move the world,
the Singularity…that’s me, Kimihiko Kimizuka. I laughed in my mind,
thinking, you gotta be kidding, there's no way that could be true, and then I
thought of all the foreshadowing that had occurred in my life.
For example, I've always had this annoying tendency to get caught up in
trouble, and it's because of my《Singularity》that unexpected things have been
happening around me. By the way, Hel once told me that my nature was
essentially the kind of thing that would change things and cause incidents,
and that I was the center of the world. And most of all, there was a certain
famous detective who took me 10,000 meters above the ground in order to
change the future, when disaster was around the corner.
Suppose it's all because I was that《Singularity》, that’s why incidents
happened around me, and the famous detective and enemies of the world
gathered around me, and eventually, even the future the《Priestess》saw was
changed. The real reason why I was able to do something as forbidden as
bringing the dead back to life was—
"I ask of you,《Singularity》. How do you relate to the world from now
on?"
Flip asks me once again.
"Well, thanks to the help of the other《Tuners》, Daydream was revived,
just as you had hoped. We also managed to get rid of the《Primordial Seed》by
accident, but this is merely a one-off. I don't think results are everything."
Flip Stuart crossed his fingers and rested his elbows on the desk as he
watched me fall silent. And like me, Fuubi-san and Mia couldn’t open their
mouths to argue. They may not have said what they did was wrong, but they
knew it wasn’t right.
Even though my choices angered Fuubi-san and made Mia cry, I still
managed to convince them. I tricked them. Then it's up to me, no one else, to

tell them.
"Assistant?"
Siesta looks at me in surprise as I suddenly stand up on the spot.
Until now I've only relied on the detectives. For the past three years, I've
been standing next to Siesta, overconfident that as long as she was there, the
case would be over, that my hopes would be fulfilled. But I got my
comeuppance and lost Siesta, and I spent a year in vain, unable to forget her,
and met another detective.
Natsunagi can live her life as only Natsunagi can. Even though I told her
so, I ended up asking her to continue working as a detective, and before I
knew it, I had become dependent on her. And like those past three years, like
the year I spent in a lukewarm bath, and for the past few months that I've
been standing up again, I've been clinging to and being helped by the
detectives—but,
"Isn't it about time we switched places?"
That's probably why I stood here on this day.
My legs were trembling slightly, but it’s nothing to be worried about. It’s
just me feeling tired from sitting in the same position for so long, or perhaps,
a shiver.
"Flip, so you're saying there was a problem with us trying to bring Siesta
back to life, is that it?"
I look over at the《Revolutionary》and everyone present at this meeting.
Surrounded by the《Tuners》, I was a mere civilian, and I wasn’t supposed to
speak. With the gazes of the heroes who had protected the world, what could
I say?
"In summary, that's what I'm going to say."
Flip answered for them all. His face remained unchanged, and he spoke
not as a politician on the outside, but as the《Revolutionary》in control of the
underworld.
"In the correct history, the《famous detective》should have been sacrificed
to save this world."
The detective should have been dead, so the guardians of the world
deemed.
Hearing this, my heart was strangely restless. The rules of the《Tuners》,
the stories recovered in the《Bible》, whether or not I was the《Singularity》,
none of that mattered. There was only one thing that mattered, and I had

already decided what I had to say.
"I see. So Siesta shouldn't have come back to life, huh? Do you really
believe that? Then you'd better quit this job right now."
Because they couldn’t understand something so simple.
They don't deserve to protect the world, do they?
"The loss of Siesta is a loss to all mankind, the world, the universe."
Ever since I met the detective that day, 10,000 meters above the ground,
those two had been there for me. They've saved me. But now it's the opposite.
Whether I'm the《Singularity》or not, it doesn't matter. The world doesn't
matter to me. The only things I can't compromise are...
Siesta and Nagisa Natsunagi.
I'm not letting the detectives die.
"……"
Silence fell over the room, and all I could was the sound of your own
heartbeat. Some of the seven《Tuners》glared at me, some smiled with
interest, and some stared indifferently into the void. Then, after a few dozen
seconds of silence that felt like an eternity.
"…That’s what I think, but I'll leave the rest for you big shots to decide."
"Are you a fool?"
I couldn't take the silence any longer, so I slunk back to my seat and was
greeted, as I expected, by Siesta's blank stare. Eventually, Siesta sighed
heavily and said,
"But thank you."
Her expression was somewhat troubled. Even so, there was a smile on her
pursed lips.
"Well, I can't let the Assistant work this hard and not say something, can
I?"
Then, Siesta stood up for me.
"Of course, I'm ready to take responsibility for this incident."
Then, looking around at the people in the room, she said in a calm
manner.
"I hereby resign my position as a《Tuner》, and officially appoint Nagisa

Natsunagi as the next《Famous Detective》in my stead."

◆The detective’s completely defeated.
After the Federation Conference, Siesta and I went to a cafe near our
lodgings to have a light dinner. As we ate pasta and scones, we tried to
discuss further about the conference.
"So, what's the story, Siesta?"
I ask her as she neatly rolled up the pasta with her fork.
"Are you serious about quitting the role of《famous detective》?"
About an hour ago, at the Federation Conference, Siesta announced that
she would be stepping down from her position as《famous detective》and
appointed Nagisa Natsunagi as her successor. However, upon hearing this,
the reactions of the other《Tuners》(except for Mia) were subdued.
"Oh, you're talking about that? I thought you would talk about
the《Singularity》part."
Siesta wiped her mouth with a napkin, looking as clear as ever.
"I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me at all, but…I have more important
things to do right now."
"Heh. I thought you were going to get angry again and say, 'You should
have told me about those important things beforehand’."
From the way she said it, I guessed Siesta was aware of my existence as
such. But at least now, that information was relatively meaningless to me.
"Suppose I really do have some kind of influence on the world, that still
wouldn’t affect my actions."
I've been living with this annoying nature of getting into trouble my whole
life. Giving it a different meaning wouldn’t change my thoughts or my way
of life. I had only one thing to do, one wish to fulfill.
"…I see. You've really grown up, haven't you?"
Siesta sat down to eat again, seemingly satisfied with herself.
"So? What I want to ask is, why did you suddenly decide to quit being
the《Famous Detective》?"
It sounded like a good story, but Siesta's specialty was to obscure
important stuff like that.
"My mission as the《famous detective》is to eradicate and destroy《SPES》.

Now that I've accomplished that, I don't think it's so strange that I'm resigning
my position as a《famous detective》, right?"
"…But I thought you were born with the nature of a detective?"
I asked Siesta, staring at the glass in my hand.
I could see my distorted face on the water surface.
"That's right. That's why, now that I've defeated my sworn enemy, I'm
going back to being a normal《detective》. That's all."
Siesta's mouth eased up as she stared at me.
"So, from here on, it's your story."
Her tone was soft, but she didn't allow any room for objection.
"…I see."
But yes. Even if Siesta stopped fighting the enemies of the world, she
would still be challenging the mysteries and evil that lurked in everyday life.
She wouldn’t just disappear from my everyday life just because she quit
being the《famous detective》.
"Assistant?"
I suddenly noticed that Siesta was peering into my face.
"…No, it's nothing."
Even though I had already decided to stop relying on the detective, I was
surprised at myself for assuming that Siesta would be next to me, I coughed
and cleared my throat,
"So you're saying that Natsunagi will take your place?"
"Yes. It's all thanks to Nagisa that I'm able to move my body like this now
and that we were able to defeat the《Primordial Seed》. I'm sure she can take
up the role of the《Famous Detective》better than me…no, Nagisa deserves
this role more than me."
I've lost, Siesta said, leaning back in her chair.
It was as if she was admitting defeat to Natsunagi (Alicia), whom we had
met in London just last year.
"Of course, that's if Nagisa still wants to be the《Famous Detective》. The
Nagisa now might have lost the power of the《seed》and returned to being a
normal girl."
"…Ah. That's why we need to ask Natsunagi herself about it."
We nodded at each other and confirmed our future plans. No matter how
much Siesta wanted Natsunagi to take over the position of《famous
detective》, that wish would not be fulfilled until Natsunagi herself woke up.

"That's right. I don't have much time, but I'll make sure Nagisa wakes up."
In fact, as a condition for Siesta's resignation to be formally conveyed to
the higher-ups at the Federation Conference, Nagisa Natsunagi’s attendance
was mandated. In other words, unless Natsunagi wakes up and takes over
Siesta's will, Siesta will remain the《Famous Detective》.
"But we didn't get to see Scarlet."
Siesta tried to meet the vampire to get a clue on how to awaken
Natsunagi, but unfortunately, he didn't show up at the meeting after all.
"I guess it's too early. I was sure it would be safe indoors."
Yes, vampires only show up at night. Like the《Primordial Seed》, it didn't
like the sun.
"But in the end, there were only seven《Tuners》in attendance."
The remaining non-attendees were the《Vampire》, the《Inventor》, the as-
yet-unseen《Phantom Thief》, and two more…no, one of them was
the《Executioner》that Siesta had mentioned.
"It's rather unusual to have more than a majority in attendance. We were
also lucky enough to meet the new《Magical Girl》."
Siesta muttered, moistening her mouth with tea. She was somehow able to
remain calm after all the intimidation.
"Did she say she took over as the《Mage》? Is it really that easy to replace
a position?"
Well, in this case, it might just be a change of title.
"Yes, it happens. There are more than twelve roles for the《Tuners》, and
they are chosen according to the time period. There used to be an《Exorcist》
and a《Swordsman》, I think."
"They're being replaced all the time, aren't they?"
"That's what fighting the《world's enemies》is all about."
Siesta's mouth twisted into a slightly lonely expression.
I was talking about a simple reshuffling of positions, but Siesta probably
interpreted it differently–the death of the《Tuners》. It seemed the《Tuners》
would be replaced on a regular basis.
"In fact, the《Executioner》I knew seemed to have disappeared in the past
year."
…I see. It's not that he didn't participate after all. Maybe another person
had already taken over the role of《Executioner》, or maybe the whole position
has been replaced.

And Siesta, knowing what her future would be, had been fighting
the《world's enemy》those three years. I had been standing next to her all these
years, but I couldn't notice her determination.
"More importantly, I'm thinking about Nagisa now."
Then, as usual, Siesta returned to the topic as if she had read my thoughts.
"As I said before, I think Nagisa's consciousness is in a deep sleep."
Holding her fingertips to her chin, Siesta tried to contemplate Natsunagi's
current situation.
"I thought I'd done my job, and I fell asleep, satisfied and relieved."
That's what happened to me, Siesta spoke of her past experiences.
She too had the experience of her consciousness living and sleeping in
Natsunagi's heart.
"…Hmm? Then how did you do it back then?"
"Back then?"
Siesta tilted her head slightly at my question.
"You know, on that luxury cruise ship, when I fought the berserking
Chameleon, you came to my rescue, borrowing Natsunagi's body, right?"
At least that time, Siesta woke up and came running to me.
"…Did that ever happen?"
"No, you can't play dumb like that."
But for some reason, Siesta looked away from me and twisted her head
unnaturally.
"Oh, I see."
And that's when I thought of a possibility. It seems that I acquired a bit of
reasoning power through my years of working as an assistant.
"In other words, you woke up in a hurry and couldn't keep calm when I
was in trouble."
"…"
"On an unconscious level, you just couldn’t help but worry about me."
"……."
Siesta's eyebrows twitched as she tried to maintain her composure.
I remembered back to the time when I was abducted, and she rushed over
to me in a robot, trying to act natural. So, in other words,
"Siesta, you like me too much, don't you?"

After a year of waiting, I got my chance for revenge.
"……Are you a fool?"
And the result was the feeblest abuse I had ever heard.
"…Huh."
Then Siesta sighed loudly,
"Are you sure you want to be having this conversation with me? I'm sure
Nagisa would be very upset if she hears us talking like this.”
She said and looked at me in disgust.
My partner, whom I met again after a year, seems to have a slightly more
changeable expression than before.
But that's probably due to the fact that…she spent a year with a girl with a
fiery passion, never leaving her side. So I thought, and I answered her,
"Yeah, she'll be mad."
—That’s why.
"That's why I want her to wake up early and scold me."
That's all I wanted at this point.
"…Aren’t you too fond of Nagisa?"
Siesta gave me a wry smile.
As I pondered how I should respond to such an act of quick revenge.
"Everyone, freeze!"
Suddenly, there was a man's voice and the sound of a gunshot in the store.
When I turned around to see what was going on, I saw several masked men
pointing their guns at the clerks and customers.
I see, another incident. Come on, you guys can’t read the mood for a
moment? I thought and withheld a wry smile as I waited for the detective's
instructions.
"Assistant, shouldn’t it be time to do something about your nature?"
"Yeah. That's my second wish right now."
In the past, the Phantom Thief made some deal with the world's enemy,
the《Primordial Seed》, and stole Mia's《Bible》. Of course, this was a betrayal
that the《Tuners》, supposedly allies of justice, should not have committed,
and as a result, he was imprisoned in an underground prison.
"Well, it seems that there have been a lot of terrorist attacks here in New
York recently, with the aim of freeing Arsene, and Flip's guys are busy
dealing with them."

Fuubi-san then exhaled smoke from her cigarette and mentioned the name
of Flip, the《Revolutionary》who also works as a politician in the public
world.
"And it's not just New York, I heard that such incidents are being reported
here and there all over the world now. Do you remember any of them?"
Then Fuubi-san's sharp eyes turned to me.
"…Don't tell me the bus hijacking in London is one incident too?"
It happened about three weeks ago, when I was riding a bus with Mia in
London. There was a man with a gun demanding the police to release his
friends. Was he referring to the《Phantom Thief》Arsene…
"Are there that many of Phantom Thief's friends?"
There were people in New York and London…or around the world trying
to rescue, even if they had to hijack a bus and cause incidents.
"I've heard that《Phantom Thief》had a lot of help."
Siesta answered my question.
"But perhaps it was…"
"Yeah, those liberation activists are definitely not Arsene's friends."
This time, Fuubi-san followed Siesta's words.
"The proof is that they didn't know any concrete information about
the《Phantom Thief》, except for the alias Arsene."
If Fuubi-san was so certain, it wouldn’t be that these men were lying to
protect the《Phantom Thief》, right? If that’s the case,
"So they weren't《Phantom Thief》's friends, but just pawns to be used?"
"Or..."
Fuubi-san interrupted, extinguishing her cigarette with an ashtray.
"Or maybe Arsene has them at his mercy."
To save him from this prison.
He shall order the rest of the world.
"…How is that even possible?"
Did Arsene have some skill to control a complete stranger as if he were a
puppet?
"I don't know exactly how. But,"
Siesta replied with an unusually grim expression.
"He's the Phantom Thief—he can steal a human's mind and will too."
"…But if Arsene is planning to break out of prison now, isn't there
anything we can do about it?"

It’s said that Arsene was still imprisoned deep underground in some
country. If that's the case, we should take strict measures before anything else
happens—
"Yes, that’s right. I wish I could do that at least."
Fuubi-san replied on Siesta's behalf, exhaling smoke towards the ceiling.
"According to my incompetent superiors, the《Phantom Thief》Arsene has
already escaped from prison."
◆The enemy’s name is Arsene.
The next day.

Siesta and I were called to the New York Police Department by someone.
"Yo, had a good time last night?"
We were ushered into a reception room, and a certain policewoman—
Fuubi Kase, sat on the sofa with a cigarette in her hand, mouthing a line like
something out of a famous RPG, grinning at Siesta and me.
"I don't understand what you mean by fun."
I sit down with Siesta on the sofa facing Fuubi-san, playing dumb.
"No, I mean, that girl’s looking sleepy. I thought maybe you didn't let her
sleep."
"…This famous detective is always sleepy."
I glanced at the person sitting next to me, rubbing her eyes sleepily,
seemingly not hearing the conversation between Fuubi-san and me. If you
ask me, I think I slept worse than usual, but…I swear to God, nothing
happened last night. Nothing more needs to be said.
"Anyway Fuubi-san, how can you be so proud to be part of the NYPD?"
The Japanese policewoman occupies the room as if it was hers, smoking a
cigarette. What happened to the talk about quitting smoking in the first place?
"Oh, this? I'd like to quit smoking right now."
Then Fuubi-san gave a faint smile and said,
"I thought I'd smoke with him for a while."
To my surprise, I should say, she’s mourning her now-deceased enemy in
her own way.
"…So? Is there something you want to tell me about yesterday's

incident?"
It was about the attack by the mysterious masked men at the cafe where
we were having dinner. Unfortunately for them, there was a famous detective
among the customers. In the end, I didn't have a chance to make a difference
by the time Siesta routed the men in an instant and whisked them over to the
police.
We had accomplished our purpose and were thinking of going back home,
but right before that… Fuubi-san, who was still staying in New York,
contacted me about that incident, and here we are.
"Oh, those guys you rounded up yesterday? I had them tell me their
motive for causing the incident. Then they started saying some interesting
things."
Fuubi-san's interesting things certainly meant trouble for us. Nodding in
agreement, I listened to what she had to say.
"They said—let Arsene go."
Upon hearing this, Siesta, who had been sleepy until now, reacted with a
jerk. She put her fingertips to her chin with a grim expression. But I still
didn’t know why. Arsene? What’s with that name…
"It's Phantom Thief."
"…! Phantom Thief, no, wait."
Siesta looked at me and nodded.
"Yes. Arsene, one of the twelve《Tuners》, the traitor is the《Phantom
Thief》."
I've been told that's also an alias, Siesta said with a complicated
expression on her face.
The traitor, the《Phantom Thief》. The《Priestess》Mia Whitlock once told
me the reason why he was dubbed so.
◆Surely the buzzer will ring thrice.
After that, we left the police station to discuss the《Phantom Thief》

Arsene… But Siesta completely trampled on that idea.
"Looks like we're seated here."
Siesta and I sat down side by side in the theater. Somehow, we were now

in a theater at Broadway, watching a musical.
"We really don't have time for this, though."
"You can't always find the answers you want in a hurry."
Siesta said calmly, looking down at the brochure in her hand.
I wonder if there's any significance to the fact that she made this decision.
"Well, it's been a while. I think it's been two years."
Siesta then mentioned a certain memory. We'd been to this theater before,
at Siesta's invitation.
"We didn't get to enjoy it properly that time because of the terrorist attack
on the theatre though."
"So this is a do-over…after all, we’ve always been getting into trouble."
"Mostly because of you."
And we bantered off before the show.
Two years had passed since then.
I'm sure we promised to make it up…but a year later, I realized that it was
an unfulfilled promise. Another year has passed since then, I never thought it
would come true like this.
"So, what do you think? In the past year, have you grown into a mature
man who is comfortable with musicals, other fashionable cultures, and
places?"
"Well, I'm eighteen myself. I don't get nervous in formal situations, and
I'm pretty good at escorting women."
I said, brushing off Siesta's probing question.
"In the past year, I've been able to go shopping and out to dinner with
girls, playing pool and going to casinos on vacation, even taking them out to
bars."
"…Yeah. It doesn't matter to me what kind of woman you've grown up
with."
It seemed I stepped onto a minefield, for Siesta's mood became blatantly
bad.
"It was a joke. To tell you the truth, it’s just Natsunagi, Saikawa, and
Charl."
After Siesta and I parted ways, I spent my days in lukewarm water until I
met Natsunagi.
"But I'm sure I gained a lot of experience."
I said, Siesta looked at me and nodded.

"Well, so be it. We’ll first wake up Natsunagi, and when things settle
down, we'll meet again."
We had this conversation while dreaming of such a future.
"Do you want to go out somewhere together?"
"—Yeah, sure."
The buzzer rang, indicating the start of the performance.
"It's nice to see a real musical."

Three hours later, we left the theater, and while we walked back to the
hotel, Siesta stretched herself. The crescent moon was high in the sky, far
beyond her outstretched hand.
"It was interesting to see how awkward you looked watching the two
leads kiss so intensely."
"Don't read into it for your own amusement. Don't look at me, look at the
play."
"Ah, you were right. I couldn't see your face in the dark."
That was an unfair trap…
Siesta raised the corners of her mouth slightly and walked three steps
ahead of me.
"But we’ve to go back to Japan soon, don't we?"
"…Yeah, I'm worried about Natsunagi, too."
We couldn't meet Scarlet in the end, and we didn’t have a clue to wake up
Natsunagi. Siesta is right, we should go back to Japan tomorrow.
"……"
"Assistant?"
I suddenly realized that Siesta was standing in front of me, peering into
my face.
"Have you been thinking about the《Phantom Thief》?"
…As expected, the famous detective had seen through me. The story
Fuubi-san had told us continued to still haunt me.
"Yeah, I was wondering how the guy who was supposed to be in jail
managed to carry out terrorist attacks on people all over the world."
As Fuubi-san and Siesta said, even if《Phantom Thief》Arsene really had
the ability and skill to manipulate others, it would be difficult for him to
display that power while in prison.
"That's true. If he could control the prison guard who supervises the

prison, he could have easily escaped from the prison at that point. I can't
think of any reason why he would control a stranger from around the world in
this way."
Yes, Arsene's actual scheme to involve others seemed like a very
roundabout way of doing things. If escaping from prison was the sole goal,
there were more efficient ways to do so. There is a big discrepancy between
what Arsene could do and the actual results, and that’s the greatest mystery
of this case.
"Siesta, is there anything else you know about the《Phantom Thief》?"
Until now, Siesta hadn't been willing to talk about such things with me.
But now that I had learned of the《Tuners》and had gotten more involved in
the otherworld, there was no reason for Siesta to withhold information to
herself.
"Arsene has always been a man of many secrets. I don't know much about
him other than what he's capable of as a《Phantom Thief》. But what I do
know for certain is that his skills are—"
Siesta prefaced her statement with some information about the Phantom
Thief that I still didn't know.
"Those who had something stolen from them by Arsene will never be
aware of the fact."
Siesta told me that he was appointed as the《Phantom Thief》because of his

unparalleled theft skills.
Whenever a person had something stolen, he might know something was
missing, but not realize what it was. The old me might not have been
convinced that such a thing was possible, but the fact was that I had once
forgotten the truth of Siesta's death through the《Pollen》. And Siesta, too, had
been deprived of her memories of meeting Natsunagi and Alicia.
These lost objects would disappear beyond the mosaic waves, their
owners oblivious to their losses. Was this how Arsene, the《Phantom Thief》,
stole away the will and even the heart of others, without them knowing?
"But still..."
Then Siesta, who had been silent, called out to me.
"You're willing to try to solve this. You used to look so uncomfortable
when I tried to bring in some work."

Siesta stood a little taller and patted me on the head.
"You’ve grown before I realized."
Siesta gave a forlorn smile as she said this.
"…Stop."
I tried to shake her hand off, but my old regrets came back to haunt me,
and I lowered my arm.
Siesta’s right, this matter concerning the《Phantom Thief》wasn’t
something that we necessarily had to solve. The fact that Fuubi-san went to
the trouble of bringing it up though suggested that she expected something
from the《famous detective》, but even so, Siesta wasn’t forced to take on the
case. The reason why I'm getting involved in this matter myself is because—
"I think I’m motivated because this case is special."
"Special?"
I nodded, and Siesta ruffled my head.
…It's time to make her stop, or she'll give me a haircut I couldn’t show to
anyone.
"Yeah. Mia told me that the《Phantom Thief》once demanded from SEED
a certain price as a condition for stealing the《Bible》. I was wondering if that
price might be the《seed》, and if that’s the key to solving the mystery of this
case."
In other words, my idea was that this case was also an extension of the
world crisis related to the《Primordial Seed》. If that's the case, then this case
should be taken care of by the《Famous Detective》and her assistant.
"—I see."
Siesta then withdrew her hand from my head with a satisfied look.
"Even so, don’t you think we should have done more before he broke out
of jail?"
Why was I in such a hurry? I had just complained to the other《Tuners》
and their supposed superiors.
"Besides, didn't Arsene get stripped of his position as the《Phantom
Thief》? I suppose it wouldn't be surprising if such a measure was taken when
he stole the《Bible》."
"I don't know much about the past year or so, but the selection of the
Tuners is ultimately up to the higher-ups, so the decision to keep Arsene alive
in prison as the《Phantom Thief》may have had some meaning."
Regardless of whether it’s the right thing to do, Siesta concluded.

"But, yes."
Instead, Siesta tapped me twice on the shoulder.
"You're able to see things from more angles than before. Let's keep it up."
"…That's the most annoying compliment I've heard in a long time."
"That's why,"
Siesta looked at me with her blue eyes,
"I want you to continue to support Nagisa Natsunagi."
As she said this, she lowered her left hand from my shoulder.
I was about to reply to her when she said,
"Assistant, I think it's time to go."
"Time…!?"
We were in a dark alleyway, the sun had completely set.
Out of the darkness, or as if melting out of the shadows of the lights, the
white demon appeared.
One of the twelve shields that protect the world—the《vampire》Scarlet.
He turned his golden eyes next to me, as though he was watching his prey,
and says, baring his blood-stained teeth.
"It's been a while—Daydream."
◆The white devil, and where the soul resides.
A white suit appeared in the dark, and the red tie was reminiscent of the
color of blood.
This man's name is Scarlet—and he's a real vampire.
I met him for the first time a few weeks ago, in the underground parking
lot of a TV station, and since then, we've been keeping a distance, neither
friend nor foe.
"Nice to finally meet you."
Siesta's eyes narrowed as she stared at the vampire, who stood with his
back against the wall.
Apparently, Siesta had timed it so that she could meet Scarlet here.
Vampires wouldn’t really appear whenever the sun shone, and Siesta wasn’t
really in the mood to enjoy the musical either.
"Hah, I see. You came back to this world because you wanted to see me

so badly?"
Scarlet nodded his head in satisfaction.
"No, that's not it. I only came to see you because I have business."
"No need to be shy, dear former potential bride."
"Scarlet, what did you just say? Bride? Siesta? Who?"
"Assistant, don't complicate things. Don't pull a gun now."
…That being said, there’s no doubt they had some history between them,
given what Scarlet had said. Maybe there’s a good chance that Siesta was
being blackmailed. If that's the case, there's something I should do as an
assistant, right?
"You're here again sooner than I thought. Human."
So I thought, and Scarlet's gaze turned to me as well.
"…Yea. There's something I need your wisdom on."
But at this point, I got something more important to talk about than
Siesta's history with this guy. I exchanged a glance with Siesta and got right
to the point.
"Scarlet."
Siesta said, taking a half step towards the vampire.
"Do you know how to regain consciousness in a person who won't wake
up?"
That's why, right after the《Inventor》, she wanted to consult
the《Vampire》.
As a vampire, Scarlet could revive the dead. The resurrected subject
would then be left with only the strongest instincts before it died. In other
words, the vampire could draw out the human instinct…the consciousness.
Siesta wanted to ask Scarlet how she could wake up her friend who remained
in slumber.
"Where do you think a person's soul resides?"
And Scarlet asked us a question in return.
"In the brain, or there?"
Scarlet's golden eyes look down at Siesta's left chest.
Where in the body does the human heart or soul reside?
Even if we were to replace ‘mind’ and ‘soul’ with ‘consciousness in a
more concrete way, the definitions still differed between different disciplines,
like philosophy, psychology, and medicine. Philosophy focuses on thought,
psychology on sensation, medicine on mechanical reactions based on stimuli.

There were also many different ways of understanding this aspect called the
human ‘consciousness’.
And so for Siesta, who probably was influenced by the《seed》, the
consciousness was within the heart in her left chest. On the other hand, Hel,
her sworn enemy, was sleeping in Natsunagi's brain as another
consciousness. If so, would Natsunagi, her Master, also have a consciousness
lingering in her brain? That might be the case scientifically.
"……"
The next thing I knew, Scarlet stared at me, a sneer plastered to the sides
of his cheeks.
"Is there a place for human consciousness? Well, I don't have the right
answer for that, either."
Then, Scarlet made a snide face.
You don't know either?
"This is the biggest waste of time…"
"This guy does things like this with a big smile on his face."
Siesta stared at Scarlet in disgust.
"I don’t have a choice in this. The《Immortals》I create can only revive
with its own instincts. My will has nothing to do with it."
"You don't think this is what you want?"
"It's the same as me not wanting to live like this."
Scarlet gave such an unintelligible response. I was about to ask what he
meant, but the vampire's beautiful yet terrifying profile made me hesitate.
"The only thing I can say is,"
The vampire spoke up again.
"Whether it's a single hair or a piece of a tooth, as long as there is a piece
of flesh, the dead can come back to life. In that sense, the human instinct
within all that DNA probably awakens the consciousness."
And once he said so, Scarlet reverted to his usual aloof expression.
Human consciousness runs through our body like blood from our toes to
the top of our head. The eyes look to tomorrow, the hand that grasps the
sword to protect someone, the heart never stops beating even after death, and
each organ contained an indelible will.
"Bat died."
While we were talking, I remembered that I had an enemy, and informed
Scarlet.

When I first met Scarlet that night, he was working with Bat, who was an
interested party at the time. Then, through a series of twists and turns, Bat
became an ally not of Scarlet, but of Saikawa and me, and eventually, as if
fulfilling his true purpose, he fought SEED and scattered.
"I see."
Scarlet muttered without any particular emotion in his voice,
"If you bring me a part of him, I can bring him back to life."
He offered such a suggestion, probably without malice, just as a vampire
should.
"No, it’s fine."
I didn’t need to speak for the dead, but he would never want to do that.
Because,
"Bat's wish has already come true."
He didn’t have to fight anymore.
I just wanted him to sleep peacefully.
"Well. I don't know what happened, but I'm sure that's a good thing."
Scarlet stared off into the distance, the night wind ruffling his silvery hair.
"There's one more thing I wanted to ask you."
Siesta asked Scarlet on my behalf.
"Do you know what kind of deal《Phantom Thief (Arsene)》made
with《Primordial Seed》in the past?"
What did Arsene receive from SEED in exchange for providing
the《Bible》? That might be a clue to unravel the mystery behind this series of
events.
"Well, I hadn’t been to that boring meeting in a while, so I don't know
anything about that."
But Scarlet shrugged and again didn't give us the answer we were looking
for.
"Besides, I'm only interested in my enemies."
Was he referring to the《world's enemies》as a《Tuner》? Or—
"Scarlet, what are you fighting against?"
The vampire didn’t answer my question.
His golden eyes just stared at the distant night moon with a dazzling glare.
"Oh, there's one thing I should have told you."
But Scarlet, as if suddenly remembering, turned his face towards us again.
"I have no way of knowing about the《Phantom Thief》, but I can disclose

information about the 《Primordial Seed》that no longer exists."
Consider it your reward for defeating it, Scarlet gave a boastful smile as
he said.
"When I negotiated with the《Primordial Seed》, it asked me ‘shall we
destroy the sun together’."
That's probably what Scarlet was referring to earlier when he said SEED
asked him to fight alongside it. I had asked Scarlet what kind of negotiations
had taken place at that time, but he hadn't been able to tell me back then.
"So that's it.”
To tell the truth, I had been somewhat aware of that possibility when I
learned of the《Primordial Seed》’s weakness to the sun. SEED approached
Scarlet, who was also weak against the sun, to negotiate.
"But why did you say no, it wasn't a bad deal for vampires, was it?"
"Oh. I thought it would be fun to take it up on that offer."
Then Scarlet looked from me to Siesta,
"I was just taking pity on a former potential bride who wouldn’t be able to
take a nap while basking in the sun."
His mouth slackened softly.
"…Well, if it's the number of times I've seen Siesta sleep, I too…"
"Assistant, I don't see why you're competing with him in this aspect."
Not arguing, just stating a fact.
But now I had asked Scarlet everything I needed to know, and there was
no further progress on Natsunagi's consciousness or the story of the《Phantom
Thief》. With that in mind, I signalled to Siesta that it was time for us to leave.
"You never know what the《Phantom Thief》might do now. Be careful."
Siesta told Scarlet.
"As expected of someone who cares for her husband", and the latter
muttered with satisfaction.
"But you're right, there's definitely been some shady business going on
lately."
Scarlet's golden eyes narrowed like a thread.
"About a month ago, a man's body arrived at my door. I was asked if I
would buy it for a million dollars."
It sounded like an organ trade. But the act of buying and selling a corpse
probably meant a lot to a vampire who could bring the dead back to life.
"So the corpse wasn't a normal human?"

I asked Scarlet, sensing the flow of the conversation.
"Yeah. I didn't take the deal after all, but he was certainly worth the
price."
Scarlet then mentions a certain dead person he saw a month ago.
"It was the corpse of Flip Stuart, the《Revolutionary》."

◆The curtains open for the next story.
And so the next day, Siesta and I were in a room of a building.

It was right after 4 PM.
Sitting side by side on the guest sofa, we’re waiting for the person we
promised to meet.
"By the way, your deductions have improved."
Siesta said while enjoying a cup of tea from the tea set she brought with
her.
After I left Scarlet last night, I came up with a hypothesis about the series
of events surrounding the《Phantom Thief》and spent the night discussing it
with Siesta back at the hotel. Now that we’ve come to a conclusion, we were
waiting for a certain person to answer our questions.
"I could sense your growth when we were walking down the street last
night, but I didn't think you were the type to evolve further in a fight."
Siesta then praised me like I'm a hero in a battle manga.
"You’re all grown up before I knew it. I miss the days of changing your
diapers."
"Was there such a period? You're the baby. How long did you sleep in
today?"
As per the previous day, Siesta didn't wake up in the morning or in the
afternoon, and in the evening, she finally crawled out of bed after I shook her
body repeatedly.
"It's okay once in a while."
But Siesta shrugged off my sarcasm with a clear face. This wasn’t a once-
in-a-while issue.
"Besides, the other party was busy, and this was the only time we could
get together."
"Well, it’s true that we’re the ones who asked for this, but…"
While we were having this conversation, the door suddenly opened, and a
person walked in. Nobody knocked on the door, but that’s expected as we’re
in the office of that man.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."
The man's name was Flip Stuart.
Dressed in a fine suit, with an ostensible business smile on his face, he
took his seat in the back of the room and didn’t face us. We hadn't seen each
other since the Federation Conference just two days ago.
"Sorry I had a lot of work to do. I hope you'll allow me to talk to you."
So Flip, the mayor of New York and also a《Tuner》, opened his computer
and busily taps away at the keyboard.
"Are you dealing with all the incidents?"
"…Ah yes. I heard from Fuubi Kase. You guys took care of an incident
the other day."
Flip turned his head toward us for a moment, "Thanks for the help," and
beamed.
He was referring to the terrorist attack that had occurred here in New
York to free Arsene, the《Phantom Thief》. Flip, the mayor of this city, was
still busy dealing with it.
"She's still as meddlesome as ever, isn't she?"
Flip chuckled and teased Fuubi-san.
As mentioned at the Federation Conference, Fuubi-san had gone beyond
the scope of her work to help the《Famous Detective》, and this time she
seemed to be pursuing the case of the《Phantom Thief》.
"And then?"
Flip asked us as he ran his pen over the papers in his hand.
"I've heard that there are some new facts about the series of incidents
involving the《Phantom Thief》."
Yes, we had come to this man to talk about it.
"Yeah, actually, we figured out where the《Phantom Thief》is."
As soon as I said that, Flip's hand stopped moving.
Then he raised his eyes and frowned suspiciously.
"You're telling me you've already located the escaped《Phantom Thief》?"
"I’d be troubled if you pester this famous detective and her assistant."
But that was also the answer I derived from the words and actions of the
other《Tuners》.
"So, let me ask you something."
Flip's emerald green eyes turned to us.
"Where is the《Phantom Thief》Arsene now?"

"Right over there."
I answered bluntly.
And in turn, a small round hand mirror was in Siesta's hand. On the
mirror's surface was a man with eyes as cold as ice, who probably didn't even
realize he was there.
"—I'm the《Phantom Thief》? That's a funny thing to say."
But Flip turned his eyes away from the mirror and began tapping away at
his keyboard again.
"I thought we introduced ourselves a while ago. My name is Flip, and I'm
the《Revolutionary》."
Then, without making eye contact, he rejected our hypothesis.
"No, you're not Flip Stuart."
Siesta said as she put away her hand mirror next to me.
"This Flip Stuart guy is already dead. And you, the《Phantom Thief》, have
taken the place of the dead《Revolutionary》."
That's what Scarlet said last night—the《Revolutionary》 Flip Stuart was
already dead. If that's the case, then who was that《Revolutionary》we met at
the meeting two days ago? It seemed that Scarlet, a stranger who usually
abstained away from the mundane world and didn’t show up at the
Federation Conference, didn't know that there was such a fake.
What was certain, however, was that someone was standing there in the
place of the《Revolutionary》Flip Stuart.
"So, let's assume this Flip Stuart guy is a fake.
So said Flip…no, the man who called himself Flip stopped typing on the
keyboard altogether.
"How can you be so sure that it is the《Phantom Thief》?"
Yeah, that's a fair question. No one will be convinced by the mere
reasoning that the《Tuners》could simply switch places. However, with the
existence of this《Phantom Thief》, there was a certain reason why it was easy.
"The《Phantom Thief》can use the《seed》to transform into Flip."
That's what I assumed the《Phantom Thief》 Arsene once received from
SEED in exchange for stealing the《Bible》. That's how he transformed into
Flip, who was also a《Tuner》 and stole the position of《Revolutionary》.
"What's more, the fact that none of the《Tuners》noticed your switch until
now is proof in itself."
And Siesta also tells us why we can assume that this fake Flip was

Arsene.
"You pretended to be Flip Stuart for a month, and even attended the
Federation Conference of《Tuners》in that state, acting boldly as a moderator.
Even so, the fact that none of the other《Tuners》, including myself, noticed
the Revolutionary's replacement can only be attributed to your supernatural
nature as a《Phantom Thief》."
Siesta wasn’t being overconfident in her own observation of the
other《Tuners》. They certainly were capable of such, given that they had
handled countless《world crises》. Even so, there’s no doubt that the position
of《Revolutionary》had been stolen because the enemy was the《Phantom
Thief》Arsene.
"Those who had something stolen from them by Arsene will never be
aware of the fact."
That was exactly what Siesta had said the previous.
"I see. I suppose it's a bit short-sighted to think that you're only aware of
this because you're Singularity."
The man, still sitting at his desk, smiled and continued.
"So, why do you think I (boku) needed to replace Flip?"
His voice was soft. It was round, warm, and soothing. I was so wrapped
up in that soothing voice that I didn't even notice for a moment that the first
person pronoun had changed. It was different from the cold voice I had heard
so often at the meeting.
"—Assistant."
Like a water-filled balloon bursting, my consciousness awoke with a
bang.
Next to me was a familiar figure, my partner, and I suddenly remembered
what I had to do now. Yeah, this man had already confessed that he’s Arsene,
the《Phantom Thief》. But he's still trying to calmly get us to talk about the
motive behind the switch.
"《Phantom Thief》 Arsene."
Siesta called out to the man who still assumed Flip's form.
"The reason you are disguised as Flip Stuart is to brainwash people all
over the world through the media."
Maybe that was just a hypothesis, but it’s true that Arsene had a special

skill that allowed him to manipulate others. If that was the case, he could
have taken the form of Flip Stuart and spread his voice around the world in
order to maximize his power.
"—I see."
Arsene muttered with a sigh, and a moment of silence fell over the room.
"Well, let me make one point, so as not to cause any misunderstandings."
But then it was Arsene who spoke up again. He propped his elbows on the
desk and crossed his fingers in front of his chin,
"I have nothing to do with the death of the《Revolutionary》Flip Stuart. I
was merely filling in for him right after he passed."
In a soft, rippling voice, he insisted that he had nothing to do with the
death of the man.
"Then what is your purpose?"
Siesta got up and stood in front of Arsene.
She’s not asking why the《Phantom Thief》replaced the《Revolutionary》.
We had already covered that.
"Flip Stuart was already dead a month ago, and yet he seemed to keep
appearing in the media. That means you broke out of prison at least a month
ago and lived to replace the《Revolutionary》Flip Stuart."
Then why, Siesta asked.
"Even though you've been outside the walls for so long, why on earth
would you be manipulating and inciting complete strangers to free you?"
It was a question that we had once dismissed as impossible on the streets
last night. There was no point in choosing someone outside the walls as a
collaborator if he could have escaped immediately.
But the fact was that Arsene was not only able to escape from prison at
any time, he was already free a month ago. So why was he manipulating
people in London and New York to get him out of prison for no reason?
To such a natural question, Arsene said—
"The fact that it doesn't make sense is the most meaningful thing to me.”
Arsene gives a zen-like, incomprehensible answer. Looking at Siesta and
me, "Don't you understand?" He continued.
"It's an experiment to see how many meaningless things people can do at

the behest of others."

It's a thought experiment that seems to be beyond logic. The Phantom
Thief and the Detective were both destined to fight each other since ancient
times, as opposites like a spear and a shield.
"Do you think I'll let you continue with this experiment?"
But because of that fate, the detective took up the spear.
Siesta stood next to me, pointing her familiar musket at the enemy.
"Do be at ease."
Arsene however paid no heed to the muzzle pointed at him, and spoked
airily.
"All the experiments are done, and I do have enough statistics. They will
lead to the next one."
"There won’t be a next one…"
"And,"
Arsene stood up, interrupting me.
"The《seed》I obtained from the《Primordial Seed》is just a fragment. It
doesn't have many side effects, and its functions are limited. That's why I
can't keep this form for long. We should go now."
"…A《seed》fragment? That's why you broke the Federal Charter and stole
the《Bible》on the《Primordial Seed》?"
For some reason, Arsene's eyes narrowed in disappointment for a moment
when I asked so.
"I would never let others know what I have stolen. Nevertheless, since
you all know that I stole the《Bible》from the《Primordial Seed》. Doesn't that
make you wonder?"
I'm sure that's what you were telling me, Arsene admonished us.
Sure, we knew that Arsene stole the《Bible》. But that's because Siesta and
Mia had arranged it beforehand, and there's nothing particularly strange about
it—
"No way. Are you saying that the《Bible》wasn’t the only thing you stole
for the《Primordial Seed》that day?"
Siesta asked, keeping her muzzle pointed at Arsene to stop him from
moving.
"…I see, so Arsene has another goal in mind huh?"
Siesta and Mia were aware that Arsene was trying to steal the《Bible》.
Therefore, they were truly on their guard, yet Arsene managed to sneak
through the defences and stole something else in addition to the《Bible》

related to the Primordial Seed—and neither Siesta nor Mia knew about it.
"So you've been trying to—"
Siesta's blue eyes narrowed. She finally realized that instead of her using
Arsene, the latter had been using her back.
"I don't like the idea of simply getting paid. I will steal what I truly want
with my own hands."
And Arsene walked past us.
"You think you can get away with this?"
I followed Siesta's lead and pointed my gun at the enemy.
"Escape? I've never wanted to run, not from anyone, not ever."
Just then, I heard an eerie clicking sound in my ear.
"It's just that no one can keep up with me."
Then a black gun flickered into view. Both Siesta and I were forced to
raise our hands in the air by the sudden appearance of men with muzzle
flashes to the back of our heads.
"…Are these guys being manipulated too?"
They were apparently city employees, judging by their appearance.
Perhaps they were being manipulated by Arsene's powers.
"No, they're not."
Arsene paused there for a moment.
"They're all working for me of their own volition."
But he left us to our own devices and went for the door.
"I'm sure you heard that the other day."
But the girl stopped him again.
Despite being held at gunpoint by men in suits, she…Siesta said to the
enemy behind her that was leaving.
"A new《famous detective》will take my place. Nagisa Natsunagi will

never be defeated by an enemy who manipulates the hearts of men."
In response to the《famous detective》's declaration, the《Phantom Thief》

said.
"I'm looking forward to stealing that passion."
He left with a somewhat chirpy voice.

◆Those three dazzling years I spent with her.
After the confrontation with the《Phantom Thief》Arsene, Siesta and I

stopped by a restaurant before heading straight back to our hotel. Our goal
was to have dinner and reflect on our failure to catch Arsene…
"Don't strain yourself, Siesta."
I didn’t know where the food went in that thin body of hers, but Siesta
deftly emptied her plate at such a dizzying pace, that there's no time to talk
about Arsene.
"But you know, we should eat while we can."
"What do you mean, you know? You can always eat again."
Siesta didn't listen to me and looked at the menu again. I was disgusted
with her…but I also felt a sense of nostalgia.
We used to be together all the time, always sitting around the table like
this, discussing requests, making plans for future work, or just talking about
trivial things… In any case, this sight of seeing Siesta eat anything delicious
was the one scene that reminded me most of those three years we spent
together.
"Oh, by the way, what's your favorite food?"
Siesta suddenly asked me while we were waiting for the next dish to be
served.
"What? You're talking like we’re two strangers who've just met."
"No, I just thought that we haven't talked like that before."
Yeah, she’s right. It seems to me that we've always been bantering each
other without talking about the important, basic things.
"Come to think of it, I don't even know your real name, where you're
from, or how old you are."
"Well, that's true, but I've rarely asked you what you really think."
Yeah, of course. We never really pried into each other while we walked
side by side, or sometimes front and back. We never really tried to
understand each other. And I've never really thought about whether that’s the
right thing to do.
"Basically, anything is good as long as it tastes good."
I answered Siesta's question, not necessarily because of that, but because
of what I'd just said.

"Richly flavored food. It's not even a genre."
"Anyway, as long as it tastes good and satisfies me."
During those three years, in particular, I ate a lot of pizza and junk food…
and it’s probably because of the strong memories of those flavors that I was
always strongly reminded of Siesta.
"What about you, Siesta?"
"Hmm, hard to say. I don't have anything I don't like."
I asked, then Siesta stopped reaching for her glass. If I remember
correctly, Siesta seemed to enjoy every kind of food that she ate. The only
time she frowned was when I made her a bad curry…it seemed there’s
nothing that she would call her favorite dish.
"But if I had to think about my last supper in life."
Siesta then responded to my question with this analogy.
"I think I would want to have dinner with the person I enjoy being with
the most."
She smiled thinly and gave an answer that was a little off from the
original question.
"…I ate too much."

I fell on my back on the hotel bed, still in my clothes.
"Fufu, you've got a big belly."
Siesta, on the other hand, must have emptied her plate even more than I
did…and she sat down on a chair by the window with a cool smile on her
face. After a long dinner, Siesta and I were back to the hotel where we were
staying…And one more thing.
"By the way, I didn't expect you to back down so easily."
Still, on the bed, I turned my head to the ceiling and discussed about
Arsene to Siesta again. A few hours ago, Siesta and I were surrounded by
men in that office, and we ended up letting the 《Phantom Thief》escape.
"We didn't know how Arsene got those men to follow him. I couldn't just
use brute force."
…I see. If we hadn't backed down, we didn't know what he would have
ordered them to do. The only way to ensure the safety of everyone there was
to pretend to be helpless.
"Besides, even though I lost, the《Famous Detective》hasn’t."
Siesta said adamantly.

"One day, Nagisa Natsunagi will defeat the Phantom Thief."
"…Yeah. Now I'll have another reason to wake her up."
There's no way that girl would forgive an enemy who takes control of
other people’s minds.
Nagisa Natsunagi—if it's her passion, surely.
"But that's not the biggest reason for you."
The bed creaked. Siesta straddled my body and peered into my face.
"The only reason you want to wake up Nagisa Natsunagi is because you
want to see her again."
"…Don't try to speak for me."
"But I'm right, aren't I?"
We’re in a dimly lit room. The moonlight shone through the curtains, and
Siesta's smile became more radiant.
"…Who knows."
I knew I didn’t have to bluff it, but it still tingled me that Siesta could see
through me, and I involuntarily turned my head away.
"Tsundere men aren’t the in-thing, you know?"
"That's none of your business."
But today's Siesta didn't let that stop her from pursuing the matter.
"Then tell me one thing you like about Nagisa."
What's with the ‘then’? I had a similar situation almost three weeks ago…
well, I guess I had to answer this time too.
"…Natsunagi, well, anyway, she’s, well…cute, I guess?"
"……"
Why the silence? Or should I have said something about her personality
first?
"No, when I hear the word 'cute' from your mouth, it kind of makes me
shiver."
"That's unreasonable."
Don't get goosebumps over that.
Give me some credit. I tried my best to say something I wouldn't normally
say.
"Hmm. But now that I think about it, it's getting interesting."
"Interesting? It's not going to be fun for me, is it?"

"Because even when you’ve been teasing Nagisa and giving her the cold
shoulder, you've actually been thinking, 'My partner is super cute,' right?"
"Stop your calm analysis! I definitely didn’t make such a face!"
…Damn it, Natsunagi, you put me to shame.
"That's it, isn’t it?"
"So don't read my mind."
And you, get off of me. I pointed to the bed next to me and told Siesta to
move. Good thing I got a twin room.
"…No, that's not what I meant by that."
For some reason, the famous detective started to lie down beside me
instead of on the bed next to me.
"Oh, that's right. I didn't notice that."
She’s clearly doing this on purpose.
Siesta said in a monotone, stared at my sidelong face, and her face
relaxed.
"What do you want?"
"I was jealous of how much you talked about Nagisa, so how about…?"
"If you were more emotional, I might have hugged you."
"You're the one with no emotion in your words."
We said this to each other and ended up blowing out the wind.
"We haven't changed, have we?"
"Yeah, we're the same as we were a year ago."
We’re in a room with the lights out. Siesta and I stared at each other on
the narrow bed.
"Well, now that you've satisfied your need for sleep and appetite, I'm
actually wary of the possibility of you asking for the other one."
"…So you said I only have two major needs. And vigilance."
Siesta's eyes narrowed in frustration.
"You say that, but didn't you say that back then?"
"That time?"
It's been over a month now. When we fought the runaway Chameleon on
the cruise ship, Siesta, who had borrowed Natsunagi's body, said to me.
"I thought you could sleep with me for once…"
"…….!"
Siesta looked uncomfortable for a moment.
"…I was sure you'd be happy to hear that. It sounded like you wanted it

more than I did."
She retorted.
Back then, I didn't expect to see you again like this.
"That's why I thought you'd be the one who'd lose control of your
emotions at seeing me again after a year and hug me."
And then Siesta, who has somehow gained the upper hand, starts to berate
me…uh oh.
"You're so self-conscious, you know that?"
I was about to flick her forehead right before she slept next to me.
"Because,"
Siesta suddenly gives me a sad look.
"Because you're being too reckless for my sake."
On the contrary, her hand gently touched my cheek.
…Ah, she knew that I consumed the《seed》.
"Though the seed was removed from your body, once you've ingested it,
you might have to suffer its side effects someday."
Perhaps it was my imagination, but Siesta's eyes seemed to be moistening.
"For example, you might not be able to see your beloved Nagisa, or hear
from your beloved Yui, or quarrel with your loathed Charl, and yet you—"
"I don't care."
I said as I hugged Siesta who was lying next to me.
"I chose to see you again that day because I knew it wouldn't matter."
Because I wanted to see Siesta again, no matter what it cost me.
"I'm sorry. I know I just said I wouldn't change, but I've learned to be a
little more honest."
Because I've known the regret of not doing so, twice.
"…Are you a fool?"
I hear Siesta's weak voice in my chest.
"Then you're just like…me."
But the words didn’t follow.
She just wriggled a little in my arms and…eventually sighed loudly.
"I think…you're going to get stabbed by someone someday."
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
Even with this nature of mine, I wouldn't want to be involved in such an
incident.
"Hey."

Then Siesta popped out of my arms.
There was no dampness in the air.
"By the way, I didn't ask you then, but I’m sure you’ll answer now."
Siesta prefaced her question by asking me.
"How did you feel about those three years?"
That was the question a month ago on the cruise ship.
Back then, Siesta said while protecting me from the enemy’s attack.
"The dazzling three years I spent with you were memories more important
than anything else."
But at that time, I had no answer to her words.
And now, I've got a chance to answer her question again. Then...
"That's obvious from the start."
I said with a smile, knowing that she wouldn’t see clearly in the dark
anyway.
"Annoyingly, it was fun."
Hearing my answer, Siesta said,

"I see."
Siesta muttered, looking somewhat relieved.
And this time, she hugged me instead, and said,
"Thank you."
Ah yes.
That was a promise I made a year ago.
If I ever live to see you again, spoil me in your breasts.
And now, after a year, that wish has come true.
"What do you mean thank you?"
But as usual, I talked lightly and wrapped myself in the warmth of Siesta's
arms.
Without a chance to struggle against my weighted eyelids, I slowly fell
asleep.
—The next morning.

When I woke up, Siesta, who was supposed to be sleeping next to me, was
already gone.

◆The True End of Route X.
"What do you mean Ma'am's gone…!?"

Charl grabbed me by the chest and went into a frenzy.
Her blonde hair was wildly dishevelled, and she turned her sharp, angry
eyes on me.
"…It’s as I said."
I didn’t fight back, I simply told her the truth.
"Siesta is not coming back to us. That's what the letter said."
I remember the events of the prior morning. The moment I woke up, I
noticed that Siesta wasn't sleeping next to me, and I found a letter on the desk
instead. In it, she wrote her usual light-hearted words, a simple thank you for
everything, and a farewell.
Usually, she would sleep until the next evening, but it took her just a
moment to disappear. At the wall next to my bed was a familiar musket. It's
as though she was saying she didn’t need it anymore.
And in the letter Siesta left behind, there was no mention of the all-
important reason for her disappearance… No, there was logic in that. She
said that she was going to retire from《famous detective》and become an
ordinary detective again, and that she was going to travel alone from now on,
and that she wanted me, who had grown enough as an assistant, to support
Natsunagi, who was going to become the new《famous detective》one day.
Her argument was a good one that I couldn’t really argue, and that's why I
intuitively thought that it was not true. It wasn't just a hunch, it was the
experience of spending three years with her telling me so.
But the fact remained that Siesta was no longer around, and I had returned
to Japan that day with only her musket, so I called Charl and the others to
report.
"So you just saw that letter and came back alone without knowing
Ma'am's true intentions or anything? Then, Kimizuka, nothing has changed
since a year ago…!”
"Calm down, Charl-san!"
A girl interceded between us.

"Kimizuka-san, let me ask you again. Is Siesta-san really gone from you,
Kimizuka-san…or from us?"
Yui Saikawa turned her faltering eyes towards me, and we were in a room
in her mansion.
"Thank goodness you can walk again."
Saikawa had been in a wheelchair just a few days ago, but now she was
standing on her own feet.
"Please don't throw me off. I'm not talking about myself, I'm talking about
Siesta-san…"
Saikawa got a little angry, probably trying to reprimand me…only to stop.
"Kimizuka-san, you look awful."
"Haha, are you insulting me?"
"…There’s no need to try and joke it off."
Please sit down, Saikawa said, offering me a chair.
"…Now that I think about it, I kind of had a hunch."
So I plopped down in the chair and told the girls what I'd been thinking
before I came here… and what I'd been feeling about Siesta's behavior lately.
For example, Siesta had been saying stuff like she didn’t have time every
once in a while ever since she was revived. However, I had assumed this
might mean that we had to defeat SEED quickly or that we had to wake up
Natsunagi.
In addition, while saying that we had to hurry, Siesta actually took me to a
distant foreign country to meet with《Tuners》I hadn't seen yet, or invite me
out to a musical, or suddenly start reminiscing …but the inconsistency in her
words and actions was something I had experienced a year ago.
And above all, Siesta relinquished the position of《Famous detective》and
appointed Natsunagi as her successor. She said that she could continue to be
a detective even if she stopped being a《Famous Detective》, but there’s a
different meaning to her retirement.
"Perhaps, Siesta is—"
"—! That's not possible!"
Charl, who had finished listening to my story, looked down and shouted.
"Ma'am just came back to life, the《Primordial Seed》was finally defeated,
Nagisa will wake up, and we'll finally get to the happy ending she was talking
about, right? But Ma'am is going to …Ma'am can't just disappear again, that's
not…!"

"Maybe Kimihiko's guess is right."
At that moment, another person entered the room.
It was the ex-maid《Siesta》—Noches. She apologized for being late for
this matter and started talking, probably to reinforce my hypothesis.
"As Charlotte said, the《Primordial Seed》was indeed destroyed. However,
seed fragments still remain in this world. Yes, in Siesta's left chest."
…Ahh, that's right. The《seeds》 were removed from my body, Saikawa,
and Natsunagi's bodies during the final battle against SEED. But it still
remained in Siesta's heart. Until now, she had been benefiting from the power
of the《Seed》, fighting the world's enemies with physical abilities that were
impossible for ordinary people.
"However, the《seeds》created by SEED have many different hidden
blades. Those who consume it will lose their eyesight, hearing, or even their
life span to the seed. And the end result is…"
"Wait a minute!"
Saikawa hurriedly interrupted Noches.
"I know the rest. Mr. Albert told us before what happens to people who
have been eaten up by the《seed》. But Siesta-san was originally a candidate
for a SEED vessel, wasn't she? Then…"
"…I see, Siesta wasn't a perfect fit."
I said, and Noches nodded quietly.
That was before Siesta had conspired with Mia to deceive SEED. The
original entry in the《Bible》showed a future where Siesta would be defeated
by Hel. That was one fact that could be derived from that authentic history.
Siesta was a lesser vessel for the《Primordial Seed》compared to Hel.
"Nagisa Natsunagi is the only one fully compatible with the《Primordial
Seed》."
At this moment, the words that the《Inventor》Stephen had offhandedly
mentioned a week ago came to mind. Natsunagi was the most suitable vessel
for the《Primordial Seed》, and Siesta was destined to be eaten away by the
Seed in her heart.
"Then, no way, Ma'am."
And then Charl said something decisive.
"Are you saying that she’s trying to disappear before she becomes a
monster?"

Yes, a person whose body has been completely consumed by the《Seed》
will lose his or her sense of self and fall into a monstrous form. Just as we
fought the berserking Chameleon on the cruise ship, or Betelgeuse which was
created as a biological weapon, such was the ending for those who were
controlled by the《seed》.
Siesta knew it was a matter of time until this happened. That's why she
disappeared from our sight before the time limit came.
"Wait, wait. What if Ma'am knew that she would eventually become a
monster, and she…?"
There’s no need to mention what Siesta would do in that case.
Before she transformed into a monster, she—
"…!"
Charl ran out of the room.
"Where are you going?"
"Isn’t it obvious!? To find Ma'am…!"
"She's!"
Charl's shoulders jumped at the unexpected outcry from me.
"She knew what she was doing, and that’s her choice."
"But then! Just because she knows he's going to become a monster, it
doesn't mean she's choosing to die…!"
"That's not true."
I told Charl, staring at the floor.
"You know how much we thought about Siesta, how happy we were to
see her again. Yet she knows all of that and made this choice."
"…!"
Thus, it’s a different story than the last time.
It's true that we got her back again, beyond Siesta's will or intentions.
But this time, Siesta knew all about our feelings. She knew. And then she
decided she had no choice but to do this, and disappeared from our sight. I
couldn't easily disregard the silent intentions of such a famous detective.
"Don't worry, let's calm down first."
Suddenly, I feel a warm touch on my hand.
“Hold your hands together, roll your shoulders, breathe calmly, close your
eyes, take a deep breath, and exhale. Feel the blood moving, open your eyes,
and your blurry vision will clear up.”

That was Saikawa's usual spell. She gently took my opened hand.
"Siesta-san has made her choice. Now it's your turn to choose, Kimizuka-
san."
She takes off her eye patch and stares at me with two different colored
eyes.
"…Am I allowed to choose again?"
"Of course, it's your life, Kimizuka-san."
Saikawa approached me with a smile that somehow made me want to cry.
But I couldn't give her an answer so easily, considering that my
selfishness had caused the situation.
"We've always been like this, haven't we?”
It was Charl who looked away and let out a lonely sigh.
"We'd have conflicts, we'd argue, we'd fail, and then we'd get on the
wrong side of each other again.
Yeah, that's right. Every time we did that, Siesta would scold us, sighing
at us like we were idiots, but in the end, the detective would guide us down
the right way with a smile at the very end. But that Siesta is no longer here.
All because of my naive wish.
"Charlotte, I'm sorry."
The one person who can lead us to tomorrow is gone.
"The detective is still here!"
Charl came up to me with loud footsteps, angry or bawling.
She put her hands on my shoulders and yelled out loud.
"There's another detective in our group! Because that day, she told me…
that she was the detective, that she was Ma'am's legacy, that she wanted to
continue being the famous detective!"
The scene on the cruise ship someday comes back to my mind. Back then,
Charl had never acknowledged Natsunagi as the famous detective, thinking
that only she herself was worthy to carry on that mantle.
But now, Charl has entrusted this role to her. She had entrusted our
futures…and Siesta’s, to another famous detective who remains alive.
"Kimihiko."
Noches called out to me. In her hand was the key to her car.
Would the answer lie wherever Natsunagi was? Wouldn’t it just be
confronting a reality that we couldn’t change? I didn’t know.
"If you do not know, let go."

Noches, who had once been conscious in Siesta's body, said as she looked
over her back.
I felt a trace of the famous detective in her and found myself stepping
forward.
◆The client and the substitute detective.

When I opened the door of the wardroom, I found a girl lying on the bed
as before.
"I'm back."
I called out to her, staring at her sleeping face.
It's been two weeks since we fought our last battle against SEED, but
Nagisa Natsunagi still showed no signs of waking up.
"Not so convenient, huh?"
Although Saikawa and Charl had pushed me to come here, there was no
miracle that Natsunagi had just woken up. Still, I just wanted her to listen to
me, so I sat down on a chair near Natsunagi.
It had been four days since I had been here, and before I left for New
York, I had visited this hospital room many times, and I had scolded her
often.
"Do you know, Natsunagi?"
Seeing your sleeping face reminded me of that matter again, and I ended
up complaining again. I said I wanted to get Siesta back, but I didn't want to
lose you in return.
Natsunagi paid no heed to my anger though and was sleeping peacefully
with a cute face.
"…Natsunagi, what do you think I should do?"
Her breath escaped from her, and the red ribbon on her pillow came into
view.
Siesta had come back to life, and Natsunagi had died instead. Natsunagi
was supposed to have inherited Alicia's and Hel's life and will and come back
to us once more, yet she's still asleep, and in the meantime, Siesta left us
again, and would probably disappear from this world as well.
"What is it with you people?"

Why do you always trouble me like this? It’s annoying.
Why can't you two be safe? Why aren't you smiling and laughing?
Serious, you famous detectives are always...
"No, I know. It's my fault."
The whole reason Natsunagi ended up like this was because I misjudged
the willpower she had. My desire to bring Siesta back to life at any cost was
something that Natsunagi had as well.
I didn’t consider the situation Siesta was in…with the《seed》inside her
body, I brought her back to life out of selfishness alone. This was the
result...Siesta, trying to disappear on her own, before she becomes a monster.
"It's only been two weeks."
That's how long I was able to meet Siesta again. During the first half of
that time, I was hospitalized due to the aftermath of the battle against SEED,
so I was barely able to talk to her. Ultimately, all the sacrifice made was a
few days' worth of memories to lessen my regret and the sadness of a second
goodbye.
"What do you think I should do, Natsunagi?"
Knowing there would be no answer, I still asked again. I told Siesta what I
hadn't been able to tell her before, and Siesta accepted my thoughts and
feelings… But still, she was going to take the option of disappearing from
our presence.
In response, Saikawa told me that if Siesta made that choice, I could make
my own choice too…but I wondered if that really was the right choice. No, I
didn’t mean to say that Saikawa's advice is wrong.
I was just hesitant to deny Siesta again. It is true that I once exceeded
Siesta's intentions on my own. But if this is the result of that, then I have to
admit, however begrudgingly, that Siesta's decision was more correct than
mine.
"The answer is already there, isn't it?"
That's all I needed to ask myself at this moment. I was wrong and Siesta
was right. I didn’t have to overthink it. She was always right those three years
and had never been wrong, not once.
…But looking back to a year ago, the day Siesta died. At that moment, I
wanted to be wrong for once. Of course, that's just me being childishly
emotional. I don't need anyone to tell me that.
"Still, I wanted Siesta to live…"

I knew I was making a mistake, and I was sure that my wish was nothing
but arrogance. My wish is so clear, but I couldn’t think of any way to make it
come true. I bite my lips, dig my fingernails into my palms, and my eyes turn
black at the thought that nothing will change.
"…What should I do, famous detective?"
If biting my lips didn’t change anything, I spoke up, at the very least.
Yeah. Before I got here, Charl shoved me back, as if to reproach me for
being so beaten down. She said that if I couldn’t find an answer, I should go
to another famous detective.
So I clung to her even though I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do. If
digging my fingernails into my palms couldn’t change anything, at least I can
say...
"—Please, famous detective, save Siesta."
Then I opened my stiffened fist and grasped the left hand of Nagisa
Natsunagi, who was asleep in her bed.
"If you want me to act as your detective, I'll do it."
I suddenly heard a familiar voice.

It sounded like a conversation we had in a classroom at dusk.
Or perhaps I was the one who said a similar line.
Then I felt my left hand grab hers, and she squeezed my hand back.
"You held my hand like this back then, didn't you?"
I looked up from my prone position and saw a girl looking at me with a
reassuring smile on her face.
Her words now reminded me of that day. It was more than a year ago
now. Back then, I held her hand when she was Alicia, on the hospital bed.
"Natsu, Nagi…?"
I managed to squeeze a faint voice out of my throat.
Seeing me, Nagisa Natsunagi smiled as she laid back down.
"You're an idiot, Kimizuka."
Then she slowly untied our hands, and flicked my forehead with her
middle finger, saying.
"I don't want you to keep talking about other women whenever you come
to visit me."

◆Nagisa begins to run.
"Natsunagi…"
I called out her name again, stunned.
Nagisa Natsunagi, my classmate and partner, who I had once parted with
by death and who had been asleep ever since was now blinking in front of
me.
"Yes, my name is Nagisa Natsunagi…hehe, it’s been a long time."

Then Natsunagi slowly raised her body and gave me a peace sign with a
mischievous grin.
"Hey, Kimizuka, are you crying? Ahaha, you missed me that much…!?"
I hugged Natsunagi as hard as I could.
"W-wait… Eh? Ki-Kimizuka…?"
I could hear Natsunagi's panicked voice right next to my ear, but I wasn’t
in the mood to check her face or her condition. But for now, if I could, I
wanted to stay like this.
"…! This is really unexpected…no, Kimizuka? …Eh, eeeeh~…"
Natsunagi stiffened and looked confused by this situation.
"Hey Kimizuka, is your character okay? You're not usually the type to do
something like this, are you?"
"…Shut up."
Argh, my nose got stuffy while I talked.
I hugged her tightly, trying not to let her see my face at least.
"…Ahh dear, guess I can’t help it."
I felt a soft touch wrap my back.
Natsunagi's arms were holding me.
"Yeah, I see. That's right, I've always wanted to be treated like this."
It was basically a reenactment of the time I met Natsunagi in that

evening’s classroom. At that time, she was looking for me as a detective, to
find the owner of her heart. But in fact, the wish for the heart had already
come true at that time, and Natsunagi hugged me in her arms.
"Erm, well, what’s this about? Oh, after all these tears and snot, do you
still want to play with me? Really?"
"…! You don't have to try to recreate that scene!"
I shook off her arms, and we finally looked at each other.
"Pfft."
"Pfft."
And then we both giggled.
It's been a while since I've seen Natsunagi smile like this.
"Kimizuka, you look terrible."

Then Natsunagi pointed out my reddened eyes.
"You wanted to see me that badly, huh?"
I said to Natsunagi teasingly.
"Yes, I missed you."
I told her exactly how I felt.
"I wanted to meet you and be angry with you."
"…Uuu."
Natsunagi turned away, looking unhappy as if she had a premonition of
what was to come.
Since Natsunagi had woken up, I would first tell her off. Sacrificing her
own life to save her friend wasn’t the decision. It's not a future anyone would
want…but.
"Well, I’m not in a position to tell you off."
And when I said so, Natsunagi turned her face towards me.
I could not deny the possibility that if I were in Natsunagi's position, I
would have done the same thing. In fact, I did consume the《seed》, for I was
prepared to sacrifice my own life.
"Besides, I’m so happy to see you alive that I can’t bring myself to be
angry."
"…What is that about?"
Natsunagi laughed in exasperation, then wiped away the tears that had
somehow collected in the corners of her eyes with her fingertips.
"But, Natsunagi, why did you suddenly regain consciousness?"
While that was a joyous outcome, we shouldn’t dismiss it as a
coincidence. I asked her why this miracle had happened.
"Why, I wonder?"
Natsunagi looked out the window of the hospital room.
"While I was unconscious, I stood by the edge of the beautiful waves. Not
in the dark where I couldn't see anything, not in a birdcage where I couldn't
go anywhere, like how I was in the past… I was by the clear blue sea and on
the white sandy beach where I wanted to run barefoot. There, I've been sitting
on the edge of the waves, looking at the ocean."
It's probably the unconscious world inside Natsunagi. But unlike the time
when Hel had controlled her consciousness, it was a mental landscape that
Natsunagi had reached as a goal after she assumed she had completed her
mission.

"But as I was looking at the sea, a small hand tapped me on the back."
Then Natsunagi's right hand reached out to her left chest.
"When I turned around, there was a cute little girl in front of me who
looked like she had just stepped out of Wonderland, like a doll. She was
desperately trying to say something, but for some reason, I couldn't hear her
voice."
Natsunagi clutched at her left chest…and her heart within, as though she
was remembering that moment.
Natsunagi already knew who was there, certainly.
"But then, I heard another girl's voice coming from her mouth. That voice
was also very familiar to me, and I couldn't separate the two… I found myself
following the voice, just moving along."
…Yeah, that’s how we always were. We've been moved by her voice
when she was our enemy and when she was our friend. She, who bore the
name of the underworld’s ruler, wanted to push Natsunagi back into this
world. And that word spirit spoke for the voiceless voice of the girl with the
peach-colored hair.
"What did she say to you?"
I asked, and Natsunagi looked up, saying.
"Start running," she said.
The dignified face was different from any other Nagisa Natsunagi I had
seen. Nagisa Natsunagi, who has had several other beings in her heart,
memories, and consciousness, had thus wholeheartedly accepted the will of
those other beings, and surely was reborn again. The girl who had suffered
from being a nobody was no longer there.
"I feel like everything else went by so fast."
Natsunagi's expression suddenly relaxed.
"My body, every cell in my body was screaming to meet you. So I ran,
ran, and ran past the old Nagisa, now I’ve caught up."
I'm coming for you.
Then Natsunagi put her fist lightly against my chest.
"Why me?"
"Because, Kimizuka, you were so depressed that you couldn't pick
yourself up."

I could tell even in my sleep, Natsunagi gave a wry smile.
"…That's why you're."
That night, Scarlet told me that human instincts were rooted in the DNA
of the body, just as blood ran through it, the dead that vampires brought back
to life were resurrected with those instincts.
I didn’t know where Natsunagi's heart, soul, and consciousness lie within
her body. Was it her brain, her heart, or each of her cells? But at the very
least, we knew what Nagisa Natsunagi's instincts were—detective, and
passion.
Natsunagi, who couldn’t be anybody for a long time, found the path she
was supposed to walk when she took on the role of a detective one day. She
pursued Siesta, sometimes choosing a different path, but still never lost sight
of her duty as a detective.
That's why, now, the detective had awakened to my call. It was the same
as when I battled Chameleon on the cruise ship. Siesta, whose consciousness
had been sleeping within Natsunagi's body, woke up when I was in a crisis.
This time too, Natsunagi—
"Aren’t you two quite fond of me?"
I felt all the baggage fall from my shoulders and teased her.
"Now, about that problem you're having..."
"…Oy."
In response to my retort, Natsunagi giggled as she covered his mouth with
the blanket.
"Too bad, I'm afraid I don't really like Kimizuka."
Yeah, I know. I don't like you or Siesta one bit either, so it's a mutual
thing.
"But we'll run to you whenever you need us, Kimizuka."
Natsunagi's ruby gaze turned to me.
"We'll ignore all common sense, we'll deviate from all theories, we'll
replace that coincidence with the word ‘miracle’, and we'll go meet you,
Kimizuka."
If that's what you want.
Natsunagi spoke for the other detective who wasn’t present.
"…Say, Natsunagi."
"Hmm?"
Natsunagi looked at me gently.

"Then, if I want to see Siesta again…"
"Oh, yeah!"
Then Natsunagi sat up in bed and confidently puts her hands on her hips.
"That's why you came here, isn't it, Kimizuka?"
"…You knew."
As expected of this famous detective, she then said "You have to be up to
date when it comes to such stuff" like she had heard that line somewhere
before.
"I mean, I heard you mumbling something to yourself earlier, Kimizuka."
"…Couldn't you have woken up earlier or something?"
I just got called a wimp for no reason.
"In short, Kimizuka, you’re wondering if it's okay to overturn Siesta's
answer again, right?"
Yeah, that's right. Siesta knew all of our thoughts and wishes at this
moment, and I didn’t know if it's okay to ruin the decision she made because
of my selfishness.
"Then..."
Natsunagi's voice cut through my hesitation.
"Why don't you just rely on such vague things as thoughts and wishes?"
And with that, she abandoned her one and only weapon, her passion, and
said.
"We’ll surpass Siesta once again. Not just with our feelings this time, but
with our abilities."
And so began our strategy meeting to surpass the famous detective.
◆Where this muzzle is pointed.
After the meeting with Natsunagi, I made all the preparations I could, and
the next day, I went out to a certain city.
"It's almost exactly the same."
I crossed the barricade tape and entered the now uninhabited city. I
walked on, paying attention to the cracked ground…and soon came upon a

tall tree that had swallowed up the fashion building that had once stood here.
It was the city that was overrun by plants two weeks ago when we fought
SEED. This city was surrounded by barricade tape, with many collapsed
buildings fallen within, so civilians weren’t allowed to enter. There's only one
reason why I stepped into this place.
"Hey, what a coincidence."
I called out to a girl who had her back turned towards me.
She was standing there, looking up at the big tree. A silvery-white short
cut, a dress that resembles a military uniform. I couldn’t have mistaken her
for anyone else. The girl’s name–
"What are you doing, Siesta?"
I called out to her, and she turned around with her usual relaxed smile as
if she had been ready for a while.
"Nice to see you again, Assistant."
Codename, Siesta.
My partner, who had once disappeared, now appeared in front of me
again.
"What are you, a cat?"
It’s said that a cat about to die will leave its owner before its demise came.
"Who's my owner?"
Siesta gave me a dumbfounded look.
Then with a frustrated sigh.
"It looks like I’m being set up."
Looking up at the towering giant tree, she blurted out.
"I heard that the seal on the《Primordial Seed》was going to be broken?"
That's one of the preparations I made. If I were to persuade Siesta, I would
have to find her first. I knew that it would be pointless for me to just call
Siesta and say "I want to see you again," so I thought I should call a famous
detective instead of Siesta.
As long as Natsunagi hadn't taken her place, Siesta was still the《Famous
Detective》, and would never abandon her job. That's why I lured Siesta here
by having the《Priestess》Mia Whitlock lie that there were signs that SEED
would be unsealed.
"I did say there's a possibility of that happening someday."
"So, at least there is no immediate danger?"
"Yes, it might become indispensable to us humans instead."

I told her what I heard from Fuubi-san the previous night.
"Apparently, some unknown atoms not found in the existing periodic table
were observed in the tree. Looks like people are busy analyzing it now."
That's why the area was off-limits to all interested parties. What will this
great tree where the《Primordial Seed》was sealed really bring to us humans in
the future?
"I see. So there's nothing for me to do."
That's good, Siesta muttered…trying to end the story here.
"What is?"
Just as Siesta was about to turn around and leave, I called out to her.
"Are you going to die?"
I said to her from behind, and she stopped.
"In the not-too-distant future, I’ll be a monster."
Siesta looked back at me and smiled, somewhat forlornly.

"It dawned on me that I might not be the most suitable vessel for
the《Primordial Seed》when I saw the《Bible》that was written long ago.
The《Primordial Seed》that lies dormant in my body may one day consume
me."
"…Are you saying that you were carrying that bomb all by yourself
during the three years you were traveling with me?"
"My《seed》rests in my heart. That's why, somehow, I knew the time limit
myself. I'm okay for now, but I know it will come."
Saying this, Siesta put her hand on her left chest.
"And in the not-too-distant future—I won't be able to see you, or hear
you, or quarrel with you. I will forget you.”
And someday, I'll kill you.
So, Siesta said, smiling beautifully even at this moment.
"Before then, I'll be gone from this world."
That was my hypothesis that I didn't want to be true.
But that theory had been proven by Siesta's own words.
"I'm really glad to hear how you guys feel."
Siesta said to me, who remained silent.
"I can't express myself in simple words, but I'm just happy. I'm just happy
that you guys got mad at me, that you cried for me. Surely, I'm…happy."

Because of this, Siesta sometimes puts reason before emotion, seeking
only the result while ignoring emotions. She was such a person that the words
she said to me felt genuine, not embellished.
"Do you have any regrets?"
I knew how terrible of a question that question was, but I asked it anyway.
"A year ago, I might have."
Siesta smiled wryly, her silvery hair flowing in the breeze.
"There were still things I wanted to ask you then."
But, Siesta said, tucking the hair strands behind her ear.
"I knew you cared about me. I knew you enjoyed those three years. And I
unexpectedly got to go to your house again, eat pizza with you…fight
enemies, take flights, solve crimes, see musicals, and hug you. So, no more
regrets."
There was no hesitation in Siesta's expression as she said this.
Then, my answer to that was—
"So, why are you trying to stop me?"
Siesta's cold gaze shot through me as I grabbed my gun.

"Sorry for being an assistant who doesn’t always do what you want."
"—Now then."
But right after that, we gave each other cold stares.
I'm here to stop you. Not to kill you, not to wound you. I’m here to keep
you alive, to protect you, so I pointed my gun at Siesta.
"Why do I have to deal with you?"
But Siesta didn’t want to deal with my resolve. And rightly so. There's no
reason for Siesta to go along with my defiance. If I lowered my gun, or if this
conversation broke, Siesta will walk away from us for good this time—so.
"I will pursue you with every means at my disposal, with the help of the
Saikawa family fortune, with the help of Charl's unit. I will chase you to the
ends of the earth, the bottom of the sea, even 10,000 meters above the ground
—everywhere."
I wasn’t going to lose to a famous detective when it comes to giving up.
"It's too much trouble, but you want to fight me here?"

Siesta, staring at the muzzle of the gun pointed at her and guessed my
intentions.
"Yes, this battlefield will decide everything. If you win, I will no longer
interfere with you."
"There’s no competition between us, right?—Besides."
But Siesta, seeing that I wasn't really going to shoot her, turned around.
"No matter how many times you and your friends come after me, I will
never be caught. I will complete my story on my own, in an empty place, at a
time where nobody else is around."
She said as she turned her back on me, and started to walk away.
This was Siesta's story as a famous detective. Did it start as soon as she
was born, or did it start six years ago when she made a connection with
the《Primordial Seed》at the facility? …I was only her assistant, so I didn’t
really know.
But, yes. I was Siesta's assistant. Then when did my story as an assistant
begin? Or when did the story of me and Siesta, the two of us begin? …At the
very least, I know that much. It was that day four years ago.
"Oh, yeah, Siesta, you are."
That's why for four years, I had decided on the line I was going to say
here.
"You're so scared of your assistant that you’re bluffing, saying that the
game has already been decided without a fight, and you're trying to end this
by saying I’d already lost. You’re just scared, aren’t you?"
As soon as I said this, Siesta, who had turned her heels, stopped in her
tracks. There was no way she could forget when or who had first provoked
her.
"Are you a fool?"
Siesta taunted me with her usual words.
But her voice sounded a little chippy on this battlefield.
"You're a thousand years too young to taunt me."
Turning around, Siesta had a small pistol in her left hand.

"Come to think of it, we've never really killed each other, have we?"

"No, though I did almost get killed by you."
Even in this situation.
No, I'm sure it was precisely because of this that Siesta and I laughed
together.
"Are you ready, Siesta?"

"That's my line, Assistant."
And so, at the foot of the great tree overlooking humanity, Siesta and I
pointed our guns at each other.

"I'm gonna stop you."

"You can't stop me."
It was the first and last big fight between me and Siesta.
◆The name attached to this feeling.
"Well then, be my guest."

As soon as Siesta muttered it, she disappeared.
"…!"
But I knew her strength better than anyone in the world. Siesta's
movement was basically instantaneous. I threw myself in an absurd direction.
And the next moment, a shot rang out nearby.
"I guess I can't kill you with one shot."
It seems that my bad luck prevailed this time, and I succeeded in dodging
the bullet while rolling on the ground. I ducked behind an abandoned bus.
"Can't you just give me a little time?"
"The word ‘wait’ doesn't work in war. For that matter, how do I win this
battle?"
"Hey, don't fire before you’re actually sure…that I admit defeat, that is."
"I see, so it's only a matter of time. But given your personality, I'm afraid
this is going to take much longer."
Not only did Siesta never expect to lose, but she also implicitly dissed my
unwillingness to give up.
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to reverse the balance of power between
us today."
I shot a bullet from behind the bus…but Siesta acrobatically leaped over
it.
"You're too kind to aim at my legs."
"You're the crazy one for aiming at my head out of nowhere."
"You won't admit defeat if I don't inflict even one fatal wound, will you?"
While we exchanged the usual battlefield banter, I used the large bus as a
shield to catch my breath and think of a plan. The battle with SEED two

weeks ago had left the place in disarray, so I was able to keep my cover.
"Do you really think you can beat me like that?"
"…!"
The voice of the famous detective descended from above my head, having
raised my own death flag. Before I knew it, Siesta was on the roof of the bus,
and she jumped without hesitation before kicking me in the right arm. The
pistol fell out of my hand.
"…In fact, I exceeded your expectations at least once."
I ducked my body under the bus for a moment, not paying attention to the
dropped gun.
"That's just out of emotion. It doesn’t matter if you can’t beat me through
skill."
Yeah, that's a good point, but I knew that too. I’d been thinking about it,
and so I stood on the battlefield. That's why I couldn’t simply retreat.
"…!"
When I saw Siesta's feet from under the bus, I jumped out of the vehicle
and opened fire with the other gun in my holster…but.
"…Seriously, I could have died."
Siesta seemingly anticipated this as her bullet whizzed right by my face.
No, it only grazed me by a few millimeters, and a thin stream of blood flowed
from my cheek.
"Do you want to die?"
Siesta tilted her head in a dumbfounded manner.
Still as relaxed as ever. So,
"You said it yourself—this is war."
I didn’t hesitate and continued to fire at Siesta randomly. Obviously, I
wasn’t going to kill Siesta with these bullets; that would be defeating the
purpose. In other words, this attack is based on the trust that Siesta will
dodge. But in the process, if just one bullet, just like the one that just grazed
my cheek, if just a little bit of the bullet grazed Siesta—
"I see."
Siesta dodged the hail of bullets with the movements of an action actor,
leaped high as if she just jumped off a trampoline, and landed on the rubble a
few meters above the ground. Then looked down at me with a blank
expression.
"Is there some kind of anesthetic in that bullet of yours?"

Too bad, she’d seen right through my plan.
"…"
"You've got the same look as usual."
Siesta dodged another one of my bullets as she jumped down, giving me
unnecessary advice on how to improve my poker face.
"Your victory condition isn’t, but to immobilize me, and,"
…The hasty shooting might have alerted her to this plan. But still.
"Yes, every weapon I use has that drug. Even 0.01mg in the body will
stop an African elephant or a blue whale. In other words, if I get even one
shot, I win."
The issue however was that I couldn’t get a scratch on her fatal wound.
That restriction would be the greatest pressure on the battlefield. While she
saw through my plan, I could still use that against her.
"I'm not going to take even a millimeter of your attack from the start."
But the next thing I know, I feel a presence behind me. By the time I
realized it was Siesta, I got kicked in the right arm again, and the gun in my
hand flew away.
"…! You’re right, I don’t have anything to use in my right hand…"
I immediately drew a knife from my pocket and held it up with my left
hand to confront Siesta in front of me.
"I wonder if the tip of that blade is coated with anesthetic as well."
I saw a ballpoint pen in Siesta’s hand and flicked my knife with it. Siesta's
powerful kick exploded in my abdomen.
"…Grr…ha!"
The moment I was out of breath, the laws of physics sent my body
sprawling across the asphalt. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed with pain
all over, but I overcame that with the unwillingness to give up as I reached
for the gun I've been missing.
"Yes, you shall die here."
At the same time…or rather, a tad earlier, Siesta’s voice stopped me in my
tracks. I slowly looked up to see Siesta holding the gun with her left hand,
pointing the muzzle at me.
"If I pull this trigger now, you'll die. But you won't. I don't think you're
stupid enough to know what that means."
Siesta's blue eyes narrowed slowly. Just as I had started this big fight
while making this a repeat of the hijacking incident four years ago, Siesta

was trying to get me to admit defeat, as if this was a reenactment of how she
subdued Bat.
"…You've been calling people stupid for so long, and now you're finally
going to do it?"
But Siesta was right. If I didn’t want to be hurt, if I didn’t want to be
fatally wounded, I should probably back off here. But when I saw Siesta
holding the gun with her left hand facing me, a conversation I had with her
came to my mind.
It was an ordinary scene in my daily life. In terms of money, we had no
money, and we were sitting at a table in a cheap apartment in a foreign land.
Siesta was acting like most Japanese, holding chopsticks in her right hand
and poking at a side dish, so I asked her.
"Siesta, aren't you left-handed?"
She nodded her head dubiously at this obvious question. Of course, Siesta
had always eaten like that, and on the battlefield, she had held her gun with
her right hand. Still, I had mistaken Siesta for being left-handed because I had
been brought into this world by her left hand.
—Let's go on a journey, Siesta always reached out her left hand to me and
gave her billion point smile, so that’s why I made the mistake of assuming so.
"Are you a fool?"
Siesta chided me as usual.
"The hand that holds the gun is my right hand."
"You’re saying that while holding chopsticks?"
We exchanged a few snide remarks, but for some reason, Siesta smiled
and said,
"So from now on, I'll only offer my left hand to you."
Siesta's philosophy was both understandable and illogical. It’ll probably
be a cliché if I tried to explain it, but as long as I keep the answer in my heart,
she would continue to extend her left hand towards me. So that day, I didn’t
ask Siesta to explain any further.
If there’s one thing I knew, it's that Siesta is standing here on the
battlefield with a gun in her left hand that she should have been holding out
to me, and in Siesta's words—I wasn’t so stupid enough to know what that
means.
"…Yeah, you're right. I've lost."
Siesta held me up at gunpoint, I fell to my knees, pathetically admitting

defeat.
—But.
"So, can I just say one last thing?"
I was in the middle of an unobstructed scramble intersection.
I slowly stood up, raising my hands in the air as if to show that I have no
intention of resisting.
"Begging for your life?"
"Don't try to take my life when I've already admitted defeat."
I sighed as I saw Siesta with a threatening look.
"It's not that, it's just that I don't think I’ve answered the question…of why
I'm trying to stop you."
That's what Siesta asked me just before this battle started. Why won't you
let me die, the monster I'll eventually become? Why do you keep chasing me,
why do you keep trying to get involved with me? The answer that came to my
mind was so obvious, but that's why I didn't say it to Siesta.
Looking back, that’s how we always were. We didn't tell each other the
important things, we thought we understood each other, and we always found
ourselves at odds, yet believed in this invisible bond…no, it certainly
connected us, but after some point, we started to rely on it too much.
I was sure there was a bond between us, but we never confirmed it with
words because I didn't think we needed to. I thought we could communicate
by putting our backs to each other in a firefight.
"Thoughts are more than just words. It sure sounds good when you put it
like that."
I took a step, two towards Siesta, undaunted by the gun pointed at me.
"! What…?"
Siesta, perhaps unsure of my intentions, exerted more grip on the gun in
her left hand.
"I'm just trying to demonstrate that you have to say it to get it across."
It's been three years. We've talked so much.
But apparently, we've been slacking off a little too much.
"Why would I want to bring you back to life? Why did I think those three
years of trouble would be fun? There's only one answer to that question, isn't
there?"
I've never said this simple thing before. It seemed to me that if I said it,
everything would seem like a cliché.

"It's because I like you."
I stood before Siesta and said these words, her blue eyes widened in
surprise.
I wasn’t going to try to explain whether this feeling was so-called
infatuation, family love, or neighborly love. I couldn’t name this feeling as of
yet. But still, that would be the closest and simplest word to this feeling that I
have had for the past three years, and still have till this point.
"Well, that’s surprising."
Siesta lowered her gun, probably without realizing it herself, and muttered
in an absent-minded voice.
"You never noticed that before, did you, Famous Detective?"
"…The problem was that your level of tsundereness was extraordinary."
We exchanged a few words, and then our mouths slackened.
Apparently, this time, my words had reached her.
"—But."
But a blue flame flickered again in the depths of Siesta's eyes.
"Some problems can't be solved by emotion alone."
A gunshot rang out. The bullet from her gun passed right by my cheek.
"You knew that. I'm not going to be persuaded by your confession now."
"I didn't mean to confess though?"
"Oh, I see. A marriage proposal perhaps?"
Why is this a choice? I chuckled as I raised my hands meekly again. I had
already admitted defeat, to begin with. I couldn’t resist at all when I had no
weapon at hand.
"After all, I'm no match for you."
But I'd known that from the start—because.
"From here on out, we'll take the challenge."
The next moment, there was a deafening explosion and a cloud of black
smoke.
"A hand grenade…!"
When Siesta noticed the intruder, she leaped backward and left the scene.
However, following Siesta, a girl burst onto the battlefield, cutting
through the black smoke.
"Is it not a little too cruel to not meet the maid who had taken such good

care of you until now?"
The maid with the rapier in her hand rebelled against her master, her
silvery hair fluttering in the gales—and then.
"Charl-san, now!"
A girl's voice echoed across the battlefield from the phone in my breast
pocket. I then heard gunfire, and it was the sound of an agent sniping at a
Famous Detective from the roof of a distant building.
"…So that’s how it is."
Siesta narrowly dodged the shot that pierced the asphalt. Having realized
what I…or we were up to, she frowned unhappily.
"Sorry, Siesta, but this is the real final battle."
We’re not going to stop until we save the famous detective.
◆A certain boy’s recollections.
"I’ve always wondered why you’re so bad at working with others."

Siesta sighed behind me as we walked down the path under the setting
sun. As far as walking speed was concerned, we both knew that we couldn’t
even match each other for pace…but I guess that's not what Siesta wanted to
say.
We were returning from a mission that I splendidly failed, and there’s
only one reason for that. Charlotte Arisaka Anderson, who joined the mission
this time, was hopelessly incompatible with me. No matter how many times I
was scolded for repeating the same mistake, the situation would never change
until the cause was removed.
"I haven't walked beside anyone for a long time. It's too much of a hurdle
for me to walk alongside someone now."
About a year ago, before Siesta took me on this journey around the
world…I, unfortunately, didn't have anyone I could call a friend. I was born
with this annoying nature of getting into trouble. People always stayed away
from me, and fifteen years passed before I realized it.
"Are you okay with things as they are?"
"My will has nothing to do with it."
So I said, but there had been times when I wanted to change something.

Even now, at fifteen years, I would sometimes sigh and wonder if I could
simply live a more decent life. Still, as long as I have this nature, I couldn’t
stand next to anyone, and no one could walk next to me.
"Well, I'm used to it now."
I chuckled as I stepped on the asphalt. I never had my parents since birth,
let alone friends. So I had to gain life skills on my own since my childhood.
"But sometimes there's nothing you can do on your own. Today is no
different."
Siesta spoke from behind me, as though she’s telling me to join her.
Today, I had trouble getting along with Charl and almost got hit by an enemy
bullet. Even so, Siesta came to my rescue in the end.
"You never know when you might lose me, you know?"
…You're the one who brought me on this journey, and now you're
suddenly being irresponsible.
"However, if I were to make friends with them, there's a possibility that
they'll be in danger."
Considering my nature, there’s a high chance of that. It’s not that I had
resigned myself to this, but that I simply realized it. I didn’t need a
companion to walk beside me.
"Where are you going?"
I realized Siesta's voice was coming from behind me.
"Are you a fool?"
I heard a voice to my left.
"It's this easy to stand next to someone."
Two black shadows stretched out in the orange of the sunset, staining the
pavement.
"Of course, I'm not your lover, and I'm sure I'm not your friend. I don't
even know if it's appropriate to call me a friend."
But, Siesta said, looking forward.
"I'm standing next to you now."
The orange light shone gently through her silvery-white hair. I couldn't
help but glance at Siesta's sidelong face, she looked so dignified and more
beautiful than any masterpiece or sculpture.
"Someday you'll have a friend, too."
Then Siesta turned to me and gave a gentle smile.
"And I'm sure that someday you'll be able to accomplish something

together."
…I didn’t know, I couldn’t imagine myself doing so. Maybe it’s just due
to my nature, and even if I did get a bunch of friends like Siesta said, they'll
be a bunch of weirdos.
"Well, if that really happens someday, I'll introduce you."
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it."
We began to walk side by side along the sunset path, stepping on the
shadows.
◆A volley of oath 10,000 meters in the skies.
The explosion of hand grenades filled the battlefield with black smoke. A
girl jumped in the air, and her maid's uniform was fluttering in the wind.
"I'll leave it to you, Noches."
Holding my useless right arm, I moved to the shade of the rubble.
"I see. This is your companion now, I suppose?"
But just then, through the black smoke flickering in the wind, Siesta's blue
eyes caught sight of me for a moment.
Our consensus was that we didn’t want Siesta to die. If by definition,
those who share the same wishes and goals are friends, then the girl who’s
running with a sword in her hand was definitely one of them.
"Still, I didn't expect you to turn against me too."
In response to Noches, Siesta held up her gun and tried to fight back…but
at that moment, the weapon she was holding was shot down by a sniper from
far, far away.
"Charlotte, Yui, you too?"
Siesta took one look at the building in the direction the bullet had come
from, but then quickly turned her gaze back to the person she was now
facing.
"Noches, you weren't made for combat, were you?"
Avoiding the stab of the one-handed sword, Siesta voiced her unhappiness
at her former maid.
"Yes, as you can see, I have been bluffing in anticipation of this."
"So you have been planting seeds for two weeks to catch me off guard?

That's pretty good preparation."
Siesta replied with a cool face, probably not taking what Noches said
seriously. Did she also realize that Noches had borrowed the power of a
certain《Inventor》again?
"It was Master's teaching that we should be ready to solve a case before it
happens."
Even so, Noches re-positioned herself low and closed the distance
between them immediately.
"I wonder if the tip of that sword is also coated with that anesthetic."
Yeah, that’s right. If that grazed Siesta even by the slightest, we would
win this battle.
"…But Master, are you not cheesier than me, an android?"
But then, Siesta pulled out a ballpoint pen from her pocket again and
flicked Noches' one-handed sword.
"I see. Are you implying that the pen is mightier than the sword?"
"…You're the one who can't keep your mouth shut."
Noches then switched weapons to her two pistols. The two bullets, fired
by her amazingly ambidextrous hands, would certainly…hit the target
standing on the ground.
If the target wasn't Siesta.
"From now on, none of your attacks will ever get through to me."
Siesta kicked the ground and threw her body into the air in a backward
leap looking down at the bullets tearing through the void below.
"Then I shall keep going until I get through."
Noches showed no signs of stopping her attack as she continued to fire
away. The maid's uniform was filled with an inexhaustible supply of heavy
weapons. Seeing the situation, I thought about what I should do once again
and tried to move from my spot.
"A contest of endurance? That's not very intelligent."
On the other hand, Siesta continued to dodge Noches' bullets with
precision. She kicked the asphalt, ran along the walls of the building, leaped
across the roofs, and eventually reached the elevated train tracks. Vines were
growing everywhere due to the battle with the《Primordial Seed》, and thus
there were no trains running on the empty tracks.
"I shall not let you escape."
Seeing this, Noches too followed Siesta, using abandoned cars and

telephone poles as footholds.
"…I’m completely out of their league."
But it suited me perfectly well. I couldn’t possibly take the shortest route
to the elevated tracks like they did. I ran for a few minutes through the
deserted streets and somehow made it to the station.
I leaped over the empty ticket gates, ran up the stairs before I could catch
my breath, and my legs got tangled as I ran to the end of the platform. Then,
as I cast a hazy glance toward the end of the tracks, I saw Noches on one
knee with Siesta pointing a gun at her. Siesta had probably seized the gun,
and Noches could not move from the spot.
"Charl-san, the wind has stopped!"
A moment later, an idol's voice rang from Noches’ wireless earphones
onto the battlefield, which Noches had accidentally dropped. Another bullet
flew out of nowhere and missed Siesta's feet.
It was a sniper shot from a building hundreds of meters away. By using
Yui Saikawa's《left eye》to read the wind, Charlotte Arisaka Anderson's sniper
shot would be even more accurate.
It’s true that the《seed》that was dormant in Saikawa's body was retrieved
by SEED the other day, but the ability that remained in that left eye hadn’t
disappeared. It was as if SEED had tried to leave only the sapphire eye in this
world.
Now, if only their attacks and the pressure of their combination, could
slow down Siesta's movements—
"—That attack won’t work a second time."
Siesta kicked aside Noches who was in front of her, and quickly turned
around and pointed her gun at the blonde agent who was approaching from
behind.
"…Ma'am, you're not surprised I'm here, are you?"
Charl, who held a dagger, stopped moving immediately.
Considering that Charl had been sniping from a building far, far away,
Siesta couldn’t have expected that Charl herself would climb up the elevated
train tracks by herself. But Siesta did.
"I knew that Assistant and Noches had been deliberately making me listen
to Yui's voice all along. The instructions that sounded like they were coming
from Charl were all a bluff. The truth is, Charl has been lurking nearby,
watching for an opportunity."

—She knew.
At gunpoint, Charl bit her lip and threw away the knife she was holding.
"I didn't expect you to point your blade at me too, Charl."
"An apprentice must one day surpass her master."
A moment later, for the umpteenth time, a single bullet grazed the ground
beneath Siesta's feet.
"How did you get this far with only your《left eye》?"
As it hit the rail, it made a violent metallic sound, distracting Siesta for a
moment. Meanwhile, Charl stepped back and pointed the muzzle of the gun
she had pulled from its holster.
"You think you can beat me with a quick shot?"
Siesta did the same, holding her pistol with her right arm straightened.
"…Well, yes. It's true that I'm still no match for you, Ma'am."
But, Charl said valiantly.
"Maybe all of us can surpass you."
That was the signal.
"I don't usually let people play this role without a license."
I straddled the motorcycle that was prepared beforehand, twisted the
throttle along with my head, and descended to the tracks below the platform
with the engine roaring. And then,
"…! Why did you do that?"
Charl threw herself over the edge of the tracks, and Siesta's eyes instead
turned towards me as I charged forward on the bike with the《famous
detective》musket at the ready.
"…I didn't give that to you for that purpose."
"Yeah, return to sender."
Since that day four years ago, it’s been my job as the detective’s assistant
to hand this over to you.
"But first."
The target’s about 20 meters away.
I readied my legs on the bike and used my free hands to fire the musket.
"Well, I certainly didn't expect this attack."
But, Siesta's blue eyes turned to me as I blasted down the deserted railroad
tracks on my bike.
"—For the third time, I knew you'd team up."
And with that, Siesta pulled the trigger in her left hand. The bullets we

shot at each other hit each other with the precision of a sewing needle hole.
Bam! And they were nullified in mid-air.
But by the time that happened, the bike I was riding was already in front
of Siesta. If I were to hit Siesta with this momentum…
"…Dammit."
I swerved and leaned my weight to the right as hard as I could, trying to
avoid collision with Siesta. Inevitably, my body is thrown into the air—
"Are you a fool?"
I thought I heard a voice seemingly reproach me for trying to do
something rash. And then, for a brief moment, I felt my body softly still in
midair.
"…Ow!"
But right after that, my body was rolling on the railroad tracks. I felt as if
my whole body had been whipped. Still, there was no time to gasp in pain or
catch my breath on this battlefield. I quickly looked up from the gravel to
check the battle situation, and what I saw was.
"Because this is a battlefield, Charlotte."
"—!"
A bullet fired by Siesta had grazed Charl's right shoulder. That shot was
surely a courtesy that should not be missed by agents who risked their lives
on the battlefield.
"…Not yet. Not yet, I'm Ma'am and…"
But Charlotte stood up again with blood pouring from her shoulder, still
holding her gun in an attempt to right her master's wrong. Seeing her
apprentice, Siesta seemed hesitant as she pointed her gun. Was she thinking
about where she should shoot to stop the target's movement for sure, or...?
"…Charl-san!"
Then a girl's shadow intervened. The voice of an idol, which I had heard
through the phone earlier, was ten meters away from me.
"—For the fourth time. I know that dedication too."
Siesta sighed and muttered.
There was a lag between the shot and the impact, and Siesta, aware of this
lag, must have noticed that the sniper was getting closer and closer. Saikawa
stood in front of the wounded Charl, gun in hand, and Siesta pointed her gun
at Saikawa.
"I will not let you."

At that moment, Noches intervened like the wind and kicked up Siesta's
right hand. The gun the latter wield flew high in the air.
"I'm sorry, but I might as well."
But that didn't stop Siesta from kicking Noches sharply in the stomach
again.
"—!"
Saikawa and Charl were knocked aside along with Noches, and the three
of them rolled on the gravel of the railroad track. Finally, there was no one
left to stand in front of Siesta.
"—Is this the end?"
She closed her eyes and took a deep, slow breath. After a few moments,
Siesta opened her eyelids again. Her blue eyes stare at us, and I couldn’t see
any emotion in them. In other words, the usual famous detective was standing
there.
"Nagisa can't come here, she's still asleep. So it's Priestess, Assassin…or
Vampire, but no matter who comes next, I won't lose."
Siesta said, picking up the musket I had dropped on the tracks with her
left hand, and she fired it high into the sky.
"I'm going to protect the world, so I will kill myself. If you want to
prevent me from killing myself, I shall defeat you, and protect you. This is
my last job as the《famous detective》."
That was Siesta's oath as a defender of the world, as a《Tuner》, an ally of
justice. In order to keep the《world destroying seed》from sprouting in her
body, Siesta must complete her story with her own hands.
"Therefore, you are my last enemy—Kimihiko Kimizuka."
With that, Siesta turned her musket on me as I stood up again.

"Well, this is the first time I've ever been called by my name properly, and
here I am."
I chuckled and pointed my gun at Siesta as well.
There were two corrections to be made to the oath that Siesta had taken.
The first is.
"…You really never learn, do you, you and your friends?"
Siesta sighed at the three shadows that stood up behind me.
Yeah, it's not just me. No one here had yet given up on standing in front

of Siesta.
And Siesta misunderstood something else.
Siesta, I won't let you finish the job.
I immediately saw the chance to win.
◇A certain girl’s recollections.
"So? With what kind of people do you think you can work well with?"
I asked Assistant over a cup of tea in an open terrace cafe.
Today, Assistant made a mistake during a mission, so we had a debrief on
our way back—and this was an extension of that. I continue to talk to the
Assistant with the goal of getting her to make friends.
"What type of people do I think I can get along with?…"
Assistant, who was sitting in front of me, had an unexpectedly serious
expression on his face as pondered the question before answering.
"A big sister who’s generous and kind enough to accept my faults."
"You're talking about the type of woman you like, not as a companion."
Goodness, and I was the one taking this seriously.
"With that description, aren’t you just describing me?"
"What? That’s the exact opposite of you."
I wasn’t trying to joke, but he just joked at me. Really, I didn’t get him.
"I mean, you keep asking me that, but what about you, Siesta?"
And now, Assistant asked me. Do you have any friends? I could think of
several faces, Charl aside. For example, there’s the Priestess girl who lives in
the high clock tower, the red-haired policewoman who I would call a
comrade rather than a friend.
There were also others, such as…let’s see, I did have people I could call
my friends a long time ago, but I felt like my memories were foggy for some
reason…I couldn’t remember their faces or names, even though they were
surely there.
"…That's why I'm nagging you, right?"
I lost them, so that’s why I wanted Assistant to find friends…
"In the first place, I don't know what the definition of a friend or
companion is."

But I guess he didn't hear me talking to myself because Assistant started
talking like an omnipotent junior high school student. Well, it's true that he's
of an age when he would normally be attending junior high school.
"Sometimes you respect others more than yourself…no, you want to
respect them. Isn't such a relationship called friendship?"
Of course, there was no clear standard, but I felt that sometimes, it was
necessary to use words to describe intangibles.
"Then aren’t you and I the same?"
At these unexpected words, I stopped myself from reaching for my
teacup.
"…Today, Charl and I were having trouble getting along, and I almost got
hit by an enemy bullet. But you stood forward and protected me. Anyway,
you're talking about me, right? I mean, what is it…?"
Assistant looked at my bandaged left shoulder with an expression of
mixed emotions. This level of injury wasn’t a big deal to me.
"I protected you because it was a contract."
It was a promise I had made about a year ago—that I would protect
Assistant. I took him on this journey on that condition. So, when the
Assistant was in danger, it was my job to protect him at all cost…
"But you seemed to be in a bit of a panic today."
But for some reason, the Assistant looked at me as if he had discovered an
interesting fact.
"Come to think of it, Siesta, when I'm in a real pinch, you're rather
distracted, aren't you?"
"—?"
He’s cocky for an assistant. I was—
"Haa."
I didn't feel like saying anything back at him, so I sighed loudly instead.
All that mattered to me was protecting my client's interests. I was fine as long
as I could do that.
"Oh, by the way, you're acting unusual. No coffee for you?"
I suddenly became curious and asked the Assistant in an attempt to
change the subject… Assistant often ordered hot coffee, but on this day, he
was sipping the same tea as me.
"I’m just in the mood for something a little different today."
"—I see."

And so we sat on the terrace, sipping the same tea, watching the same
sunset.
◇That is how I ‘live’
"Siesta, you will not fulfill your last job."

Assistant said and pointed his gun at me. The other three followed
Assistant's lead and surrounded me. The four of them lined up in a diagonal
formation as if to say that I couldn’t escape.
"…Are you all fools?"
Even if they did it, even if their wishes came true, the future awaiting me
would be that I would be consumed by the《seed》and turned into a monster.
There's no way to prevent that.
"Don’t you understand—that my disappearance is the last job I can do?"
It’s my last job, but really, it should have been over. A year ago, when I
died and sealed Hel, I entrusted my last wishes to Assistant, Nagisa, Yui, and
Charl…and through Noches, I freed them from their problems and spells. My
work should have been complete then.
However, Assistant and Nagisa overturned the ending I had envisioned. It
created chaos in the world, and Nagisa became a victim of that distortion.
Even so, Hel, whom I had sealed as my final act, defeated the《Primordial
Seed》, and the《Bible》that was compiled by the Priestess…showed a new
ending to this story.
That's why I'm still here now, just as overtime. No, it's an addendum. This
is an epilogue…that does not need to be told. Still, as long as I stand on this
battlefield, now that I have this gun in my hand again, I will.
"I will never give up my job. I will risk my life to fulfill my duty as a
famous detective."
A few shots rang out, and the final battle began.
"I'm tired of seeing the same bullet speed since four years ago."
The lead balls flew in all directions, but by grasping the angle of the
muzzle to the millimeter, a man could overcome the speed of the gun. I ran
with the wind, leaving behind the few bullets that were going to be fired into
the void and gravel.

There were four of them, but they were already wounded. If I dealt with
them one by one, I’d be fine. First, I'm sorry—
"Yui Saikawa...your left eye is a nuisance."
"…!"
That eye already has a level of dynamic vision beyond the reach of
ordinary humans. On the battlefield, it would be more useful than any heavy
weapon with firepower. I ran straight up to Yui to mitigate its ability, and she
seemed taken aback.
Of course, I didn’t intend to kill her, nor did I intend to hurt her blue eye.
This musket I raised was brought by Assistant, so it should contain a
tranquilizer bullet…no, it's possible that he only loaded the first shot in case I
took the gun. I had to try it first. I would let the bullet graze Yui by a few
millimeters, and hopefully, she'd sleep for a while. With that thought running
through my head as quickly as possible, I put my fingertip on the trigger and
—
"—!"
Just then, Charl crossed behind Yui. At this angle, the bullet would have
hit Charl who was behind…in the head. If it hit her in the shoulder, that could
also be a fatal wound.
"…It's so unlike you, Charl."
I lowered my weapon and stepped away, complaining to my apprentice
who had misread the situation.
"Master Siesta. This is a battlefield, a place where lives are exchanged,
isn't it?"
I suddenly felt a sharp killing intent and ducked, only to find Noches'
sword cleaving the spot where I had been a moment ago. If the tip of the
sword that was coated with an anesthetic caught me, it would all be over. The
number of restrictions almost overwhelmed my head, but I quickly aimed my
gun at Noches. She had a mechanical body, so she could shoot anywhere she
wanted. This time, I could be sure that—
"Noches…!"
Just then, Assistant leaped forward to protect Noches.
"…! Are you a fool?
I made a last-minute decision to fire a bullet into the void. Assistant’s
movements were beyond my expectations, and a bad hit could still be fatal.
"…You still have bad instincts as always."

The most recent case I remembered was the battle with Chameleon on the
cruise ship. Again, Assistant was in the wrong position and took the full brunt
of the enemy's attack. It was obvious that I was much better at taking enemy
fire than he is…in this case, Noches should be much better at taking enemy
fire than him.
"…Is that what you mean?"
In the moment, a bad premonition flashed through my mind, and at the
same time, a bullet passed right in front of me.
"I'm sorry, Charl-san, but Siesta-san might have noticed earlier than we
thought."
"Yeah, because Ma'am is the first and last master I've decided to respect
until the day I die."
A few meters away, Charl smiled triumphantly and pointed her gun at me
again.
"Evade or you'll get hit."
I knew right away that that wasn't a line she'd said to me.
"Yeah. But I'll be fine, more or less."
"—!"
Pam! The moment the gunshot rang out. I grabbed Assistant by the chest
while he was standing behind me, and we dodged Charl's bullet, falling
together.
"This is how Siesta will save us."
The Assistant, his back to the ground, gave a faint smile, and picked
himself up to point his gun at me again.
"Are you all fools…!"
I turned around at my four enemies.
"…So this is your last-ditch effort to push me over the edge?"
It's a foolish strategy full of seeming contradictions: if I was about to
attack someone, someone else will step in to protect them, and yet, these
friends wouldn’t hesitate to shoot each other. At first glance, it's hard to tell
whether they wanted to protect their friends or prioritize their goal of
stopping me. But if there is an answer to this contradiction—
"Yeah, Siesta, you'll never let us be killed."
A moment later, a bullet was fired by Noches towards me…or rather,
Assistant who was standing behind me.
"…!"

I flung my musket to the side and deflected it, but at the same time, the
pistol in Yui's hand took aim at me and Charl, who was on the opposite side.
"That’s why…!"
I didn't have time to speak. I pulled the trigger at about the same time that
Yui fired and shifted the trajectory of the bullet that was aimed towards Charl
with my own bullet.
—Yes, this is war, so I told myself, but I was going around, ensuring that
they wouldn’t die. I instinctively knew that the countless bullets flying
around the battlefield would eventually cause them fatal wounds. I
instinctively avoided them, but the four of them were taking advantage of my
hesitation, daring to put themselves in dangerous situations and trying to limit
my actions by rattling me.
"You’re especially hesitant when attacking Saikawa who’s not used to
fighting, and you’re a softie who unintentionally saved me from a motorcycle
accident. Your inability to kill your comrades is your strength and your only
weakness."
…I didn't hesitate at times like this in the past. I put the utmost emphasis
on completing my work, and I also believed that I could achieve the greatest
happiness of the greatest number by doing so. In fact, I was proud of the fact
that I had protected the interests of many clients by doing so.
That was why I used to think that such hesitation was 'naïve'. To someone
else though, it was 'kindness', and to another, it was 'passion'. And
unknowingly, I knew them all. That's why my heart was still beating loudly,
because of that hesitation—at this moment, this heart right now.
"…That’s a cowardly plan. Don't you think you're taking your lives for
granted?"
"Well, it’ll be rude not to risk our lives if Ma'am's life is on the line."
Charl said firmly as an agent. I shot her in the shoulder once for the same
reason before, so I couldn’t think of anything to say back. Then what I should
do at this moment—
"I won't let you escape!"
Yui's《left eye》foresaw my next action. I was about to leap and leave this
elevated train line, but I was momentarily distracted by a sudden, loud
explosion. Then I felt a loud vibration under my feet. It sounded like the earth
was rumbling, and in the blink of an eye, the scaffolding was collapsing.
"…Explosives."

I wondered if it was something Noches had planted beforehand. But there
was no time or reason to check. The scaffolding that held up the railway until
a moment ago suddenly turned into rubble, and my body was thrown into the
air, mixed in with the gravel and scrap iron.
"—!"
I was in free fall for about ten meters. Usually, I could have landed
without any problems if I had been prepared to jump from the beginning, but
I was taken by surprise, and as a result of being swallowed by the avalanche
of gravel, I hit my body hard on the asphalt while taking cover.
Even so, their plan was based on a certain level of trust that I would
survive this fall due to a certain seed…even if I did, they weren’t going to—
"…Assistant!"
"…Seriously…you’re really more concerned about other people than you
are about yourself."
I turned my musket in the direction of the voice and saw Assistant
standing behind a cloud of dust, holding a gun with his left hand. I don't
know how many times I've seen this scene. Behind the Assistant, the other
three also stood up from the rubble. Noches was probably protecting
Assistant, and Charl was protecting Yui.
"…Haa……you look really, awful."
Assistant's right arm was slumped and weak, and his head was bleeding.
His black jacket, his pride and joy, was in tatters.
"…Haa…you too."
Doesn't he know that he's not supposed to say that to girls? Goodness me.
"…!……Haaa!."
But I couldn’t fake the ragged breathing and heart rate.
Worst of all, I sprained my foot. I couldn’t escape either way.
"…Why is this happening?"
Finally, I made up my mind, and got on the plane again with Assistant to
travel around the world, where we got caught up in an unexpected incident
and encountered a new enemy. Assistant thought that the battle against the
enemy named《Phantom Thief》was an extension of the crisis surrounding
the《Primordial Seed》. That’s why, for a moment, I wondered if I could
continue to be the detective, and that Kimihiko Kimizuka would continue to
be Assistant, and that the two of us would continue to fight against
the《world's enemies》, including the《Phantom Thief》in the future…I'd be

lying if I said I didn't imagine such a future
—But still, I couldn’t go any further than that. I couldn’t just remain in
this half-hearted epilogue forever. I would fulfill my role as a player of Route
X, as a《famous detective》. It was already a miracle that I, who should have
died a year ago, could be involved in this route at all.
That's why I was going to face the last enemy, Kimihiko Kimizuka…or
rather, the protagonist. I didn’t intend to lose at all, not at all. If I lost, it
would mean that I was saved by the protagonist. I couldn’t allow such a half-
baked story.
"You're righteous, I'm evil. That's fine, that's what I want."
I kicked the ground with only the strength of one foot. This battle would
soon come to an end. I sprinted, gun in hand, toward the last opponent I
needed to defeat.
"Kimizuka-san, on your right!"
Yui's voice said. Once he heard that command, Assistant threw himself
out of the way to dodge my gunfire.
"…! Are you sure you want to do that?"
Assistant rolled to the ground and fired with his left hand, while I dodge
with only the movement of my upper body.
"Say, Siesta, what's your wish?"
I heard gunfire again. Noches and Charl were somewhat far behind me. If
I got even a graze, I lose.
"My only wish is for all of you to live, that's all."
That's why I point my musket at them. To unleash the bullet that will keep
them alive.
"That can't be all!"
—Ugh, they’re persistent. My hand trembled slightly while Assistant
stood in front of me once again, my heart jolted annoyingly, and my shallow
breathing blurred my vision.
"H-how could you possibly know that!?"
"That day, you told me…!"
Assistant shouted with an anguished look. A year ago, I said this to
Assistant who fell asleep due to the《pollen》after the battle against Hel. It was
probably something I let slip just before he lost consciousness, a faint thought

I really didn’t want Assistant to hear.
"I don't remember any of that?”
I replied and fired to rid myself of the hesitation. I wasn’t really aiming,
and I missed the Assistant by a wide margin. I was ready though. I ducked
and dodged the bullets from Charl and the others, and challenged the
Assistant to a final shootout.
"You don't even remember what you said, do you?"
On a battlefield where there was no time to chat, Assistant continued to
talk while firing.
"If you won't tell me, I will."
…….
"You don't want to die, do you?"
No, it's too late for that.
"We'll take care of it."

You can't.
"I'll find a way to keep you alive!"

I told you it's impossible.
"The clients you've always wanted to make happy are all the people in this
world. It's wrong that…the world doesn’t have you in it!"
No. I was happy.
I should have been happy enough.
I was.
"Siesta, I want you to live."
And when you say that, I just—
"Ah!"
Assistant fired a bullet aimed at my left arm to keep me alive. But at that
moment, I instinctively moved my left arm, swinging the musket to parry the
bullet away…still, my contradictory instincts asked my brain the same
question.
What do I really want?
"—I."
I asked myself again. I died once, I didn’t need to look good, I didn’t need
to be proud. I discarded my shame and pretense, and I didn’t intend to be

manipulative or deceptive.
Let’s ignore for a moment the position and occupation I'm in, and assume
that my past career and what I've said never happened. There’s no point in
thinking about the future, and I will pretend to ignore my responsibility to
this world for now.
Let's just say that I, a single individual, am here at this moment. What do I
want now, what do I want to achieve? It doesn't matter now whether it is
possible or impossible. I'm not talking about the unreasonable or reckless
stuff. If there's one thing I wish for—
The answer’s simple.
"I want to drink tea with you again."
Which would mean the same thing as "I want to live."
"Yes, you do. We hear you."

The Assistant's muzzle was pointed at my face.
I see, you've learned to smile like that.
"You sound like a detective."
I quipped back at him.
At this rate, the bullet from that muzzle would just barely graze my cheek.
Then my wish would come true.
I’d be saved by my beloved partner—the protagonist.
Surely that's the kind of happy ending everyone wanted.
So I said, in the face of the bullet that would end it all.
"But I, the detective, must not let myself be defeated by Assistant (you)."
Until the end, I won't let him see my back.

As the detective, I must not let Assistant see me be defeated.
I dodge the oncoming bullets and point this musket at him, the one that
has served me all my life as a famous detective.
"Yes, you're right. I'm still no match for you, detective."
So, he said.
Assistant's mouth moved.

"Siesta's request will be taken care of by her instead."
The next moment, I felt a presence behind me and turned my musket
back.
"…Why are you here?"
Then, unconsciously, my eyes widened.
"—I command you as Queen of the underworld. You are forbidden from
coming to our world."
I saw a girl in a military uniform, with a black short cut.
"Why are you…Hel?"
But at the next moment.
The girl in military uniform hugged me and said,
"Sorry for lying to you. I'm Nagisa."

◇Buenas Noches
"Why…"
I blurted out, but I had actually expected Nagisa to come here.
Just like when I woke up and borrowed Nagisa's body to help Assistant in
the past, Nagisa would rush to Assistant's side no matter where she was.
People probably laugh at that as a deus ex machina, but that's how we were.
"It's been a long time, Siesta."
The arms that had been holding me gently left my body.
I saw Nagisa's soft smile before me, her long hair completely cut off.
She got me. I hadn't expected her to trick me by disguising herself as Hel.
"You haven't changed, Nagisa."
Somewhat frustrated that she had surpassed my expectations, I snapped.
"Really? I think this is quite the bold image change for me though?"
"I'm talking about what's inside. Anyway, did you get your heart broken?"
"…Please don't make it sound like I’m a losing heroine."
Nagisa stared at me with dumbfounded eyes, and then we laughed at each
other—but,
"…Hmm, huh."
I suddenly felt my body lose strength, and my knees involuntarily
buckled.
"Oops."
And as I was about to fall, Nagisa held me again. I didn’t remember being
hit by the anesthesia gun, but I just suddenly felt sleepy.
"I'm sorry."
Nagisa apologized with a quiet voice to my ear. I couldn't stand upright,
and my knees fell to the ground while I leaned against Nagisa.
"What is this…?"
Speaking of which, I feel a slight pain in my left arm. I managed to open
my eyelids that were getting heavier to check the spot, but there was no
bleeding. I felt something when Nagisa first hugged me—
"Sleeping pills."
It was Assistant's voice.
With his jacket all tattered, he approached me, borrowing Noches’

shoulder for support.
"It's a special potion I got from a certain back-alley doctor. It seems to
have been made using the same pollen that put me to sleep a long time ago."
"…That's the thing, huh."
If that's the case, then perhaps the potion in the Assistant's weapon was
really this sleeping potion. A week ago, the《Inventor》was supposed to have
left us, but it seemed he had returned. Maybe he wanted to observe Nagisa’s
progress because she had woken up and assisted Assistant with this plan.
"But, then what? What are you going to do to me now that I'm asleep and
unresisting?"
I teased the Assistant as I rested my head on Nagisa's lap, frustrated once
again that I had fallen for their plan.
"Are you an idiot? You still have zero trust in me after all this time?"
Yeah, that’s the face I want to see.
When I laughed, the Assistant also laughed with a sigh.
But then Assistant reverted to his serious face and explained why he was
putting me to sleep.
"The《seed》buried in your heart should stop working for a while."
—Ah, as expected.
I closed my eyes and listened to the Assistant's blunt, but somewhat gentle
voice.
"Yesterday, when Natsunagi woke up, we thought about how we could
help you and came up with a plan. And then I realized that there was one
thing that didn't feel right—when you were alive inside Natsunagi's heart,
you only came to save me only once, when Chameleon was trying to kill
me."
That was over a month ago now. On a large cruise ship, I borrowed
Nagisa's body and fought Chameleon with Assistant. I was persuaded by
Nagisa to reunite with Assistant through her body only once.
"But the problem is the one-time part."
Assistant then explained the truth of that day somewhat wistfully.
"Why did Siesta only wake up once, and never again? …It was simply to
keep the seed that takes root in your heart from waking up. In other words, as
long as you continue to sleep, as long as you don't awaken your
consciousness, the seed won’t grow."
—He’s right.

I wondered if Nagisa had already noticed it. No, maybe they noticed
because she had been working together with Assistant over the past few days.
The fact that I slept longer than usual on that trip to New York was also an
unconscious defensive reaction to protect my body.
"But, Assistant, you do realize that this doesn't make any sense, right?"
I opened my heavy eyelids to find not only Nagisa and Assistant, but also
Noches, Charl and Yui gathered there. They were all staring at me, and I felt
a little embarrassed…but yes, they were all Assistant’s friends.
It's okay. Assistant. It’s okay.
I felt at ease, so I told him that he didn’t have to do this.
"No matter how much you put me to sleep, this is only a stop-gap
measure. Besides, we can't guarantee that this will completely stop the
growth of the《seed》in my heart. In the years to come, the《world-destroying
seed》will sprout, and I may transform into a monster that may kill you all
someday. That’s why—"
"That’s the choice we made after knowing that."
Assistant got down on one knee and approached me, "Besides," he
continued.
"You know what Stephen gave me this sleeping potion for, don't you?"
"…I see. You really don't cut corners until the last minute, do you?"
That's right, the《Inventor》Stephen Bluefield wouldn’t help patients that
certainly couldn’t be saved. That's because he would devote all his energy
into lives that have a chance of survival. In other words, given that he
prescribed this medicine to me, there's always a safe chance for me, and he
wouldn’t let me give up on living. After all, I was the one who told Stephen
that philosophy at that time.
"—A complete defeat, it seems."
A detective should protect the interests of her client and ensure her wishes
come true.
Nagisa fulfilled both my wish ‘for the Assistant to be alive’ and their wish
‘for me to be alive’ at the same time.
The old me couldn’t have done that. Back then, I could only fulfill it with
my own death, but Nagisa made the same mistake I did once—and then
found the answer. At this moment, she had surpassed me.
"Ma'am! Ma'am…!"
My right hand was warm with tears and the warmth of a hand. Charl has

both hands wrapped around my right hand. She couldn't hold back the tears
that were dripping down her cheeks, and she would always be cute and
adorable, my number one student.
"…Hmm, I see. I was finally surpassed by the two of you."
My eyelids grew heavier as the medicine began to take effect again. Still,
I peered into Assistant and Charl's faces as though I was looking up at the
sky. Did you guys get along a little better? I didn’t know for sure, but one
thing is for sure.
"You’re stronger."
Strong enough to surpass me.
When I said this, Assistant's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, and
then his cheeks relaxed.
"Yeah, actually, making Charl and I look like we don't get along was part
of the plan. We're actually very close friends, you know?"
"Huh, ehh? …yeah, that’s right! I-I love you, Kimizuka!"
Charl's cheeks twitched as she smiled at the Assistant's recklessness.
"…Hmm. Well, that's good to know."
I couldn't help but laugh since I never dreamed that I’d see these two
hugging each other, even though it was just an act.
"It must be tough for you to have so many rivals, Nagisa."
"Ahh, ahh, I can't hear you."
Nagisa covered her ears in response to my teasing…and she smiled, just
like Assistant.
"Hey, Siesta."
"Hmm?"
Nagisa's shortened hair swayed in the wind.
"Thank you for giving me a place to stay, famous detective."
Nagisa laughed through her tears and said something she had said to me
before.
"No, me too."
I reach out a heavy hand and wipe away Nagisa's tears with my fingertips.
"Thank you for teaching me how to feel, famous detective."
Because of you, Nagisa, because of your passion, I'm sure I'm smiling
right now, wrapped in a feeling of incomparable happiness.
"Siesta".
Assistant was gently nudged in the back by Yui and Noches,and gently

took my left hand.
"Assistant."
As I squeezed his hand back, I said something that came to mind.
"If you ever lose your energy, first of all, get a lot of sleep."
Assistant looked at me bewilderedly, and blinked slowly.
There was one last thing I wanted to tell Assistant. I couldn’t think of
anything too difficult anymore, so I recalled a recent memory, and told him.
"Then, take a bath, okay? Clean your body, clean your mind. Then we'll
eat a lot of food."
"… Yeah, just like last time."
"But you can't be eating pizza all the time. You need to balance your
health, and get some exercise… and you have a lot of friends, so if you have
any problems, talk to them right away. You tend to take everything on by
yourself."
"That's my line."
Assistant tried to flick my forehead with his middle finger like before—
and gently brushed my bangs with his fingertips.
"You've been talking about me a lot."
"I don't know. I'm too sleepy to understand what I’m talking about."
All I wanted was for Assistant to eat a lot of food, laugh with his friends,
and spend an ordinary, peaceful, and extraordinary life.
"Haa, goodness."
Then Assistant looked at me with a probing look.
"Don’t you like me too much?”
And he tried one really big payback at the very end.
"Yes, I do. I like you."
"…Please don't be straight with me."
Yeah. It's unacceptable for a famous detective to keep losing to an
assistant.
With the help of Nagisa, I finally sat next to Assistant.
Assistant sighed heavily and said with a bitter smile.
"You're an idiot."
If that is the case, my response to that was obvious.

"That's unreasonable, isn’t it?”
Then we all burst out laughing, Nagisa and Charl, and Yui and Noches, all
laughing. We were laughing and crying at the same time.
"I'll…we'll wake you up one day, I promise."
So, until then...
Assistant grabbed my left hand tightly.
"Good night, famous detective."
I, who loved naps, heard Assistant's mutter at the very end.

A ray of sunshine passed through the thick clouds, illuminating us
warmly.
"Yeah, I'll wait."
Again, someday.
Ten thousand meters above the ground, in the sky.

Epilogue
A week has passed since then.

By school standards, the summer vacation was over long ago, and I had
been skipping classes that had already started. Thus, according to the
calendar, autumn has already arrived.
However, the sun shining through the window was still hot, and the glare
of the late afternoon sun made me close the thin curtains of my wardroom.
"Hey, are you listening to me?"
I hear a voice that’s rather husky for a woman on the phone.
Needless to say, it's the red-haired policewoman, Fuubi Kase, who seemed
to be calling my cell phone a lot lately. Maybe she just likes me.
"I'm listening. I heard I’m going to be honored by the police as a super
high school student who saved the world."
"I never said anything about that."
Guess not.
"It's about SEED."
Fuubi-san sighed in exasperation and brought up the subject of
the《world's enemy》that we defeated a few weeks ago.
"I guess that big tree he’s sleeping at is a little special after all."
She was referring to the tree that engulfed a fashion building in the center
of the city. It has been pointed out that the giant tree where SEED was sealed
might contain atoms unknown to mankind, but…it seemed that the
investigation has taken another step forward.
It's a story that I personally wouldn’t be able to handle, but it’s not
irrelevant to the《Famous Detective》who once fought against the《Primordial
Seed》. If so, I had a feeling that one day, we wouldn’t be able to ignore it.
"Yggdrasill."
Fuubi-san uttered this loan word.
"What's going on all of a sudden?"
"It's the name given to the tree, the object of observation.”

I heard a puff of cigarette smoke coming out of the phone.
Yggdrasill, also known as the cosmic tree in Norse mythology, was said
to encompass the nine realms, including the world in which we humans live.
Would we humans continue to live in harmony with that plant? And what
effect would it have on humanity?
"I'm sorry, Fuubi-san, but my friends will be here soon."
It's not a question I could answer right away.
Looking at my watch, I tried to hang up.
"Huh, I never thought I'd hear you say that."
"Well, I guess people do change one day..."
When I said that, I heard an unusually good-humored exhale from the
phone.
"See you later."
"Yeah, say hi to the《famous detective》."
Fuubi-san hung up the phone without telling me the specific name.
Then, just then.
At this seemingly perfect timing, the door to the hospital room swung
open with a bang.
"Siesta-s~an! I've come to visit you…you’re here too, Kimizuka-san?"
The person who came in was the world's most adorable idol, Yui Saikawa.
She smiled as she compared the girl sleeping in the bed with me standing
beside her.
We’re in a private room of the hospital where Stephen, the《Inventor》, is
the director. I’ve been visiting Siesta, the famous detective sleeping there,
since this morning.
"Business as usual. Whenever I come, this guy is there too."
The blonde girl who came in after Saikawa also sighed as she looked at
me with her arms crossed. That’s weird, we were supposed to be friendlier
recently for some reason.
"S-sorry, both of you! I'll put it on the side table!"
The last person to enter the room was a girl carrying a fruit basket, Nagisa
Natsunagi. She had since been officially discharged from the hospital, and
was thus able to visit her friends.
"Thank you, you three."
And so I thanked the three of them for coming to visit Siesta.
Natsunagi was at school, Saikawa was working as an idol, and Charl, in

between her various jobs, had come to visit Siesta.
"Erm…?"
But when Saikawa tilted her head curiously, the girls, for some reason or
another, looked at each other in confusion or dismay.
"Why are you thanking us just because we came to visit Ma'am,
Kimizuka? What are you, Ma'am's…?"
Charl looked at me and then at Natsunagi.
"Kimizuka, you haven't come to school at all. You've been hanging out
with Siesta."
Pointing at me, Saikawa and the others complained about me.
What are they being mad about?
"Isn't it part of my job to look after my partner?"
I said as I looked at Siesta sleeping in her bed.
Siesta had been asleep ever since. Nothing seemed to have changed for
the time being much, and the growth of the《seed》seemed to be under control.
Someday, I’d find a way to destroy the seed that had taken root in her
heart, or an alternative, and wake her up. That’s my wish, and the goal of the
story is to wake her up.
"Partner, huh."
I noticed that Natsunagi was looking down at me.
"What?"
"Nothing~"
That's unreasonable.
"…Fufu."
Natsunagi smiled as she stared at me, ran her fingers through her
shortened hair, and finally broke her gaze.
This is what we've been doing since Siesta went to sleep. Some things
definitely changed that day, but there were also things here that’d never
change. I would think I was stepping into a new everyday life that's not
lukewarm.
"But we're almost out of time. We have to leave now."
Charl said, looking at her watch.
We’re going on a trip later.
"It's so exciting that the four of us are traveling together!"
Saikawa spun around on the spot, excited at the thought of the three days
of travel ahead.

"It's not like we're going out for fun, though…"
The purpose of this trip was an invitation from the《Federal Government》.
There's going to be some sort of advisory meeting regarding Natsunagi's
decision to follow Siesta's lead and become the《famous detective》. We
decided to go along with her during the September holidays. Incidentally, it
seems that the conference will be held in Singapore.
"I wonder if there's a good time to wear my new swimsuit…"
"You're the most excited person I know…"
I stared at Natsunagi, feeling déjà vu.
"Wouldn't you like to see me in my swimsuit, Kimizuka?"
But I was sure I didn’t get to see her in her swimsuit on that cruise ship
after all.
…If there’s a chance, yeah.
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to have fun for a day or so."
I said, and Natsunagi beamed like the summer sun.
"Okay, everyone, let's get going!"
And Saikawa stretched out.
"We'll be back, Siesta-san!"
She waved to Siesta and left the hospital room. And then,
"Ma'am, I'll definitely come back when I get back home! What would you
like as a souvenir? Meat? I'll buy lots of meat!"
Charl spoke to Siesta in the same tone as ever…but then gave a little
forlorn smile, and kissed Siesta's right hand before walking away.
"I guess I'm the only one you barely saw after all."
Natsunagi also looked at Siesta's face and muttered.
"We had so much more to talk about, so much more to fight about..."
The only time Natsunagi was able to see Siesta again was at the last battle.
It seems that having two Famous Detectives in this world is a lot harder than
I imagined.
"But, we'll definitely meet again someday, right?"
Natsunagi's lips tighten with a determined expression.
Siesta and Natsunagi had met six years ago, and again a year ago.
I sincerely hoped that one day, I could see them together again.
"I'll…we’ll make sure to wake you up again. So wait for us."
Until then, the will of the famous detective is mine to carry on.
Natsunagi promised Siesta, took one look at me, and left the hospital

room.
"Singapore, huh? You and I have been there before, haven't we?"
I recall such a distant memory. That time, I remember, we had fun at the
beach and the casino …but as usual, we were also involved in a terrible
incident. It’s the same old troublesome experience, a nostalgic tale, and one
that I hope I never have to go through again.
"…But well, maybe someday, you know."
We’ll go somewhere together.
I remembered that we had promised each other in New York, while
watching a musical.
"Well, I'm off."
I was the last one left, looking at Siesta's comfortable sleeping face.
The next time I would see her would be in four days, I said, feeling a little
regretful.
There was no reply, of course.
The detective is already—
—No, that's not it.

Yeah. There's really no need to be sad, no need to be anxious.
Because the detective is not dead, not anymore.
After all, she's just starting a long, long siesta.

The Detective Is Already Dead, Vol. 5

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The Detective Is Already Dead, Vol. 5

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Table of Contents

It was a certain day, a usual scene of our daily lives.

"—Nacchan! I got these here, which one do you want?"

The afternoon sunshine entered the wardroom through the window.

"Then, this one!"

Yep, she's not listening to me at all, as always.

It's a cute voice full of vigor.

"What are you reading, Siesta?"

A white-haired girl was reading in a corner of the room.

"It's the story of a certain unfortunate and yet fortunate prince."

Siesta then introduced the story without mentioning the title.

A certain unfortunate and yet fortunate prince…what's that supposed to

"What kind of story is it?"

"A good man!"

…No, if that's the case, Siesta shouldn't be calling him ‘unfortunate’.

Siesta opened her eyes.

She continued with a distraught look.

"That so-called treasure's merely the prince's own monument."

"…What do you mean? He doesn't have money or other valuables?"

The prince monument wanted to save others even though he had to

"But this story doesn't end here."

Acchan and I asked in unison.

"Calmed down a little?"

"I will not give up on Nagisa Natsunagi."

◆The cold memories.

"Siesta, what's going on?"

"All I know is that you've been trying to bring me back to life."

"Yeah, that's your junior—Mia Whitlock."

◆The maid dancing in the night.

"I see, so you met Mia too."

◆The truth to that day, the last wish.

◆The famous detective swears once again.

"Yes. After all, I like stories with happy endings."

◆Plant city 20XX.

◆That's how we did it.

I looked up from the scramble intersection and found an eight-story

◆To all living things, all of them.

◆Till one day we all come home.

◆The original wish.

A moment later, SEED's《feeler》flew toward me.

"Don't you think you should be my partner after all?"

"Yeah, that’s not a bad idea...Natsunagi (Hel)."

◆The three warriors.

"You're alive, Natsunagi."

I muttered to myself, my voice trembling. No, it wasn’t just my voice. My

"I just don’t want this to happen."

That's a conclusion that Siesta, who used to be driven by logic, would

"What I choose now is a future where the ones next to me smile."

◆The unfortunate prince.

"You were surprised and saddened by my rebellion."

"Right, left, front, back, this is your own consciousness."

◇The story of the happy swallow.

I was in a deep, deep, light.

"I was ordered by Father to survive."

My apologies, but that was the promise.

"I’m glad I was born."

"Yes, the world crisis is over."

"So, Assistant, let's go on a journey to help our friend."

Then she held out her left hand to me.

◆Those who protect the living.

"My name is Stephen Bluefield—the《Inventor》."

"I don't like unrepeatable miracles."

However, Stephen's expression quickly returned to his original cold yet