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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…
Acchan put down the diary she had always scribbled in, opened a picture
book, and started reciting it excitedly.
I felt completely healed just from her voice, but after all, it's too childish
to have someone read a book to me.
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And so I smiled at Acchan while looking at the other girl in the
wardroom.
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.
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.
And then, Acchan sat next to me, her legs swaying about.
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So the story's about a rich and kind prince who saved the people of a
city??
"But then."
"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.
Siesta's voice prompted us back, and I couldn't help but lean close to her
face.
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"This prince monument had a very important being who could understand
him."
""Understand him?""
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.
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◆The adventure that started again after a year.
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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.
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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."
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"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.
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"…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.
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.
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"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
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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."
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"That would be…."
Siesta frowned as if she too had thought of that existence.
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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?"
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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.
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"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.
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"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
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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."
"…!"
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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.
"Sen…pai…"
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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.
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"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.
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◆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.
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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.
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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.
"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
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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."
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"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.
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"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.
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"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.
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"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."
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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
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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."
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?"
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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
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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
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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.
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
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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."
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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
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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.
"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…"
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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."
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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
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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?"
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"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,
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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
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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.
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"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.
"…!"
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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,
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.
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."
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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.
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"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,
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"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.
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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
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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
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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.
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◆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."
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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."
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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.
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"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.
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》.
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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.
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"…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,
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"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.
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"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
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day, and told SEED the following reasoning,
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.
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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.
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."
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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.
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‘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.
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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.
"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.
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"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
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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.
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
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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
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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.
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◆Epilogue and Prologue
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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."
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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?"
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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?”
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"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
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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,
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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."
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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.
—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,
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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.
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"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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?"
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—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."
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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
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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."
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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
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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
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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.
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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?"
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◆That’s how the world revolves.
94 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com
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
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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,
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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
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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."
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…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.
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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
"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.
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》.
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."
"Those who had something stolen from them by Arsene will never be
aware of the fact."
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
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
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?"
"Are you saying that she’s trying to disappear before she becomes a
monster?"
"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.
"Yeah, I see. That's right, I've always wanted to be treated like this."
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."
"We’ll surpass Siesta once again. Not just with our feelings this time, but
with our abilities."
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
"—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?"
"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.
And so, at the foot of the great tree overlooking humanity, Siesta and I
pointed our guns at each other.
It was the first and last big fight between me and Siesta.
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
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?
"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."
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
"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
"But I, the detective, must not let myself be defeated by Assistant (you)."
"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’
"You're an idiot."
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.
Again, someday.
Ten thousand meters above the ground, in the sky.