Volume 1, Chapter 20: It Should Be Quieter Once You're Gone
The eighth day after the Mother Hive incident.
A little after four in the afternoon, the supermarket PA had just finished a round of limited-time sale announcements when Takahashi Misaki came out of the staff corridor carrying a cardboard box, stopped, and cleared her throat with great ceremony.
A few nearby employees looked up.
Tanaka Makoto didn't.
He had his head down checking the refrigerated delivery that had just come in that afternoon, and couldn't even be bothered to raise his eyelids.
"Manager."
Misaki called.
"What?"
"Today's my last day."
"It says so on the schedule."
"Don't you have anything to say?"
Tanaka finally looked up at her.
He thought for two seconds.
"The Nanting branch is short on staff, so don't be late tomorrow."
"..."
People around them immediately laughed.
Misaki stood there holding the box, as if she'd already predicted this answer. She sighed, but still set the box down on the table beside her.
"Forget it, I wasn't expecting the manager to say anything touching anyway."
She opened the box.
Inside was a pile of individually wrapped snacks and a few cans of drinks.
"Thanks for looking after me these past few days, everyone. It's not much, just help yourselves and don't be shy, or I'll have to lug it all back."
Shuichi had been restocking a few meters away.
At "help yourselves," his hands stopped instantly.
Yusei was right beside him and didn't even turn his head.
"If you go over there right now, I'll tell the manager you haven't finished this row."
Shuichi looked at him.
"I'm just looking."
"Your feet already moved."
"Normal walking."
"Toward the break room."
"Happens to be on the way."
Yusei grabbed the back of his collar and pulled him back half a step toward the shelf.
"Finish it."
Shuichi was yanked back a little, but didn't struggle; he just gave the box a few steps away a very dissatisfied look.
"It'll be gone later."
"Nobody's going to fight you for it."
"Takahashi didn't seem to buy much."
"You can have my share."
Only then did Shuichi turn back to the shelf.
"Should've said so."
Yusei blinked.
"Were you waiting for me to say that?"
"No."
"You turned around way too fast for that to be a no."
Asakawa Mio was pushing a small cart past behind the two of them, and after listening for a while, she finally couldn't help saying, "Why not just say you want some?"
Shuichi looked at her.
"Saying it straight out makes you look greedy."
"You don't look much better right now."
"At least I'm subtle."
Mio lowered her head and laughed.
Yusei stared at Shuichi for a few seconds, then reached out and rubbed the back of his head, making his already untidy black hair even messier.
"Subtle, my foot."
Shuichi reached up to grab him.
Yusei had already stepped back.
"Work."
"You messed it up."
"It was already messy."
"Put it back how it was."
"How it was is messy."
The two of them were about to keep going when Misaki walked over from the other side, just in time to see Shuichi standing there touching his hair.
"What are you two doing now?"
"He laid hands on me."
Shuichi pointed at Yusei.
Yusei corrected him.
"I patted his head."
"Without permission."
Misaki looked at the two of them and grinned openly.
"You really care about that kind of thing."
Shuichi was about to say something, but Misaki suddenly raised her hand and reached for the top of his head too.
"Then since it's my last day, can I pat it once?"
Shuichi instinctively leaned back a little.
It wasn't a big movement.
But he definitely dodged.
Misaki's hand stopped in midair.
"Huh?"
Yusei saw it too.
Mio happened to be standing nearby.
For an instant, all of them went quiet.
Shuichi himself didn't think anything of it; he fixed his hair and only said, "You'll mess it up."
Misaki blinked.
Then slowly looked at Yusei.
"How come he didn't dodge you just now?"
Yusei: "..."
Shuichi: "Used to it."
The answer came out far too fast.
The smile on Misaki's face got even more obvious.
Yusei himself seemed a little choked by those words, and looked down at Shuichi.
"Can you not say it so weirdly?"
"What's weird about it?"
"It's just..."
Yusei thought for a while, and found he really didn't know what was weird about it.
In the end, all he could do was reach out and mess up Shuichi's freshly fixed hair again.
"Forget it."
"Yusei."
Shuichi's voice had even gone a little cold.
"Hm?"
"No dinner for you tonight."
"I'm the one who cooks."
"Then I won't eat."
"If you don't eat, you'll just end up coming over in the middle of the night to raid my fridge."
"..."
Misaki finally laughed out loud.
Mio, standing beside them, had been laughing too, but after noticing that little detail just now, her gaze lingered a bit longer between Shuichi and Yusei.
Shuichi would dodge other people.
But he wouldn't dodge Yusei.
It really did seem to be true.
She had never paid special attention to it before.
Thinking back now, whether Yusei grabbed his wrist, draped an arm over his shoulders, pushed down the back of his head, tugged his collar, or even hauled him straight up off the sofa, Shuichi usually did no more than complain about it.
The times he had actually avoided it were few.
When had that habit formed?
She didn't know.
She just suddenly felt she had probably entered these two people's lives much later than she'd imagined.
"Asakawa?"
Misaki suddenly called her.
Mio came back to herself.
"What?"
"What are you thinking about?"
"Work."
"You keep looking at those two."
"..."
Mio paused for half a second.
"Because they're noisy."
Misaki nodded with a big smile.
"Uh-huh."
For some reason.
That "uh-huh" sounded especially grating to Mio.
***
At 5:30 p.m., Misaki finally got her break and handed out everything she'd brought.
Shuichi got Yusei's share.
And then got his own share too.
So on the table sat two packs of little cakes and two drinks.
Yusei sat beside him and glanced at them.
"You actually took two shares?"
"You said I could have yours."
"I only said that so you wouldn't go over and grab it."
"The result's the same."
"..."
Shuichi had already torn open the first pack.
Mio sat across from them, holding a box of strawberry cream cookies Misaki had slipped her separately.
She had just opened it when Misaki dragged a chair over and sat down.
"Asakawa."
"Hm?"
"I'm leaving tomorrow."
"I know."
"So there's a question I have to ask today."
Mio had a bad feeling about this.
"What?"
Misaki first glanced at Shuichi eating his cake beside them, then at Yusei drinking water.
"You really don't like either of them?"
Yusei nearly choked.
Shuichi only raised his eyes.
Mio froze completely.
"...What?"
"Those two."
Misaki lowered her voice, but not so much that the other two couldn't hear. "When I asked a few days ago, you said you're all friends, but after watching for this many days, it still feels off to me."
Mio instinctively glanced at Yusei.
Then at Shuichi.
Both of them were looking at her too.
That only made her even less sure how to answer.
"What's off?"
"Everything's kind of off."
Misaki said it quite earnestly. "Do ordinary friends go to and from work together every day, eat together, go to the hospital together, wander around the supermarket together after work, and then go home together?"
Mio was silent for a moment.
"We live close."
"You don't live in their apartment building, do you?"
"..."
Misaki went on: "And you kept looking at them just now."
Mio said at once, "Because they're noisy."
"And yesterday, when that pretty researcher got close to Yusei, you didn't look too happy either."
"I did not."
"And the day before yesterday, when I asked if Shuichi was free after work, you turned me down for him."
"There was training that day anyway."
Shuichi finally spoke.
"I actually didn't know about it beforehand."
Mio's head whipped toward him.
"You shut up."
Shuichi kept eating his cake.
"Okay."
Misaki could barely hold in her laughter.
"See."
A vein jumped at Mio's temple.
"See what?"
"Nothing."
Misaki didn't push further; instead, she picked up her own drink and took a sip.
After a while, she said, "I just think it's kind of interesting. It's not a big deal if you really do like one of them."
"I don't."
This time, Mio's answer was still quick.
It was just that there was a slightly longer pause than there had been a few days ago.
Misaki didn't call her on it.
Yusei, sitting beside them, didn't interject either; he just lowered his head and turned the water bottle in his hands.
Shuichi, meanwhile, finished one pack of cake and was about to open the second.
Just when Mio thought the topic was finally over, Misaki suddenly turned to Shuichi.
"And you?"
Shuichi: "?"
"Do you like Asakawa?"
The break room went quiet.
Mio's hand holding her drink stopped abruptly.
Yusei looked up too.
Shuichi obviously hadn't expected the fire to spread to him.
He glanced at Mio.
Mio was looking at him too.
The two of them looked at each other for two seconds.
Shuichi thought about it.
"I like her a lot."
The air went completely still.
Mio's eyes visibly widened a little.
The water bottle in Yusei's hand stopped too.
Misaki hadn't expected such a straightforward answer either.
But Shuichi had already lowered his head and gone back to opening his cake.
"She's a nice person."
Mio: "..."
Misaki: "..."
Yusei: "..."
A few seconds later, Yusei spoke first.
"Can you finish a sentence in one go?"
Shuichi looked up.
"What else is there?"
"The way you said it is really easy to misunderstand."
"She asked if I like her."
Shuichi was very earnest.
"I do like her."
After saying it, he seemed to feel that wasn't quite accurate enough, and added one more thing.
"It's comfortable being around her."
The sides of Mio's ears slowly started to heat up.
She knew the "like" Shuichi meant probably wasn't the kind Misaki meant.
This guy definitely wasn't thinking along those lines himself, at least.
But the problem was—
How could he say it so naturally?
Misaki, sitting beside them, had gone completely silent.
She just looked at Mio.
Mio forced herself to stay composed and picked up her drink.
She took a sip.
Not sweet.
Today she'd grabbed an unsweetened tea.
Yet for some reason, there was a strange taste on the tip of her tongue.
Yusei suddenly said, "What about me?"
Everyone looked at him again.
This time it was Shuichi who stopped.
Yusei leaned back in his chair, as if he were just saying it offhand: "You just said you like Asakawa a lot. So what about me?"
Shuichi looked at him for a few seconds.
"I like you too."
Yusei's expression instantly turned a little subtle.
Misaki lowered her head.
Her shoulders started to shake.
Mio, holding her drink, suddenly felt as though she'd witnessed something she shouldn't have.
And yet Shuichi didn't seem to think there was anything wrong at all.
"You're both my friends."
He said.
"Why wouldn't I like you?"
Yusei stared at him for a while.
Then suddenly laughed.
"Fine."
"Then I like you a lot too."
Shuichi: "Mm."
"Just 'mm'?"
"What else?"
"I just confessed to you."
"No, you didn't."
"If I say it was, it was."
"Then rejected."
"Why?"
"You're a guy."
"You're discriminating against men?"
"..."
Shuichi finally frowned.
"Are you sick in the head today?"
Yusei couldn't stop laughing.
He reached over and hooked Shuichi toward himself, his arm pinning down Shuichi's shoulders.
"Come on, say you like me one more time."
"Get lost."
"Weren't you being so honest a second ago?"
"Let go."
"Say it first."
"Asakawa."
Shuichi started calling for backup.
Mio sat across from them.
But this time she didn't help him right away.
She looked at Yusei.
Then at Shuichi, locked in his arm.
For some reason, a thought suddenly surfaced in her head, very clearly.
These two men...
Really did seem a little strange.
But when she thought further, she inexplicably felt a little uncomfortable.
Not strongly.
Like something she didn't like had fallen into a drink she'd just bought.
She couldn't say what it was.
So she reached out and pushed Yusei's arm away a little.
"Stop fooling around."
Yusei let go.
"You're actually helping him."
Mio's face was blank.
"You're too loud."
Shuichi straightened his collar.
"Thanks."
Yusei looked at her.
"And me?"
"What?"
"Misaki asked just now too."
Mio suddenly didn't much want to answer.
"Asked what?"
Yusei smiled.
"Do you like me?"
Misaki collapsed completely onto the table.
Mio stared at Yusei.
Her ears were getting hotter and hotter.
"Are you sick in the head today too, same as Shuichi?"
Yusei laughed even harder.
"See, you won't answer."
"Why would I answer a question like that?"
"Shuichi answered."
Mio immediately turned her head.
"Don't use him as your standard."
Shuichi lowered his head and drank some water.
"What's wrong with me?"
"You shut up."
"Okay."
In the end, it was the announcement for the end of break that saved her.
Mio stood up almost immediately.
"Back to work."
With that, she left.
A little faster than usual.
Misaki sat there watching her go.
After a few seconds, she suddenly turned to the two remaining men.
"You two..."
Yusei: "What?"
Misaki thought for a while.
In the end, she shook her head.
"Never mind."
By now, she had completely lost track of which relationship to start asking about.
***
7:40 p.m.
The store was nearing its evening rush.
Shuichi was in charge of the drinks section, while Mio had been pulled away by Tanaka to help check a batch of promotional goods.
Yusei had just come back from the stockroom, and Misaki was waiting for him at the mouth of the aisle.
"Help me with something."
"What?"
"Get that box down from up there."
She pointed at a high shelf.
Yusei looked up.
"This one?"
"Yeah."
There was actually a ladder right beside them.
But given Yusei's current height and strength, there really was no need.
He reached up and lifted the box down.
Misaki was standing close, and helped steady it as it came down.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
After the box was on the floor, Misaki didn't leave right away.
"Yusei."
"Hm?"
"Let me ask you something."
"Go ahead."
Misaki smiled.
"If I weren't just here temporarily, if I actually worked here, would I have a chance if I went after you?"
She didn't say it all that seriously.
It sounded more like one last joke before she left.
But Yusei was clearly taken aback for half a second.
In the distance, Shuichi, straightening drink labels, heard a bit of it.
He didn't look up.
On the other side, Mio, who had just come over with a checklist, happened to stop behind the corner of a shelf too.
She'd been about to walk over.
But for some reason, her feet didn't move right away.
Yusei thought about it.
"You're really nice."
Misaki raised an eyebrow.
"The standard opening for a rejection."
"I'm not done."
"Then go on."
Yusei smiled.
"But I'm not really thinking about dating right now."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Not even one person?"
Yusei instinctively glanced to the side.
His gaze first swept over Shuichi.
Then landed on the other side of the shelves.
He had no idea Mio happened to be standing there.
But Misaki saw that glance.
The corners of her mouth slowly rose.
"Okay."
She didn't press either.
"Then let's say I just confirmed it before leaving today."
Yusei nodded.
"Sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?"
Misaki laughed. "Getting rejected isn't going to kill me."
With that, she reached out and patted Yusei on the arm.
"But if you ever really get a girlfriend, be sure to tell me."
"Why?"
"I want to see who it is."
"What's there to see?"
"Curiosity."
Misaki picked up the box to leave.
But the moment she turned around.
Mio had already stepped out from the other side of the shelf.
Their eyes met.
Misaki paused.
Then said nothing.
Only smiled.
Mio was baffled by the smile.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Why are you smiling like that?"
"Last day, good mood."
"..."
It didn't look like it at all.
Misaki carried the box away.
Mio stood there.
Still holding the checklist.
Yusei saw her.
"Tanaka needs you for something?"
"Mm."
"What's up?"
"Checking promo stock."
"Oh."
Yusei reached out to take the checklist from her.
"Let me see which row it is."
Mio didn't give it to him.
Yusei blinked.
"What?"
"Don't you still have your own work?"
"I'm done."
"It's still not necessary."
She turned and walked off.
Yusei stood where he was.
He had no idea at all how he'd set her off.
"Asakawa."
Mio didn't look back.
"What?"
"Are you mad?"
"No."
"You sound like you are."
"This is my normal voice."
Yusei followed two steps.
"Then look at me."
Mio stopped.
And turned around.
"I'm looking."
"..."
She really was looking.
It was just that her eyes weren't very friendly.
Yusei was even more certain now.
"You're definitely mad."
"I'm not."
"Then what did I just do?"
Mio almost blurted out "Figure it out yourself."
But with the words right on her lips, she suddenly realized.
What exactly was she even mad about?
Takahashi had only asked whether she had a chance with him.
And Yusei had turned her down.
What was there to be mad about?
Even if Yusei had said yes—
What would it have had to do with her?
Mio was silent for two seconds.
The more she thought, the less sense it made.
In the end, all she said was: "You're in the way."
Yusei stepped aside.
"How about now?"
"..."
Mio walked past him.
Yusei stood where he was.
Even more lost.
Shuichi happened to push a small cart over.
He looked at Yusei.
Then at the direction Mio had gone.
"You upset her?"
"I'd like to know that too."
"What did Takahashi say to you just now?"
"Asked if she'd have a chance going after me."
Shuichi said "oh."
And kept pushing the cart.
Yusei grabbed him.
"What does that 'oh' mean?"
"Nothing."
"Do you know something?"
"No."
"Then why are you running off?"
"I'm working."
"Since when do you love working this much?"
With his wrist in Yusei's grip, Shuichi stopped and thought about it seriously for a while.
Then he said, "Asakawa might not like you getting too close to Takahashi."
Yusei froze.
"Why?"
Shuichi looked at him.
"How should I know."
"Then why did you say that?"
"Just a guess."
"Why are you guessing about everything lately?"
"My hit rate's decent."
Yusei went silent.
He instinctively looked in the direction Mio had gone.
A few seconds passed.
"She wouldn't..."
Shuichi cut him off immediately.
"Figure it out yourself."
"Can't you just finish?"
"No."
Yusei narrowed his eyes.
"You're getting more and more punchable lately."
Shuichi turned around.
"I'm going to restock."
Yusei still had his wrist.
"Hold on."
"What now?"
"What about you?"
Shuichi: "?"
"Didn't Takahashi invite you to that café a few days ago?"
Yusei asked very naturally, "Are you interested in her?"
Shuichi looked at him for two seconds.
"No."
Yusei let go noticeably fast.
"Oh."
Shuichi didn't leave.
Instead, he looked at him.
"What does that 'oh' mean?"
Yusei: "..."
Shuichi: "Nothing?"
Yusei simply reached up and covered his face with a hand, pushing him aside.
"Get lost."
Shuichi was pushed back a step.
"You're feeling guilty."
"What would I be guilty about?"
"You know."
"I don't know!"
Two young employees not far away turned at the noise.
They saw Yusei with one hand pressed over Shuichi's face, and Shuichi gripping his wrist, pulling it down.
The two of them fell silent for a moment.
Then went back to work as if it were perfectly normal.
They'd gotten used to it over the past few days.
***
9:00 p.m.
Misaki's last shift ended.
Tanaka Makoto kept saying there was nothing worth sending her off with, but in the end he still brought a packed cardboard box out of the office.
"Near-expiry drinks."
Misaki took it.
The box was heavier than she'd expected.
"This many?"
"If you don't want them, leave them."
"I want them."
"Then take them."
"Manager."
"What?"
"You're actually a pretty good guy."
Tanaka frowned.
"Don't give me that."
Misaki laughed.
The others came over one after another to say goodbye to her too.
Then it was Shuichi's turn.
Misaki stood in front of him.
"Come visit the Nanting branch sometime."
"Are there discounts?"
"No."
"Then we'll see."
"You really are..."
Misaki thought about it.
In the end, she couldn't help herself.
"A handshake is okay, at least?"
Shuichi glanced at the hand she was holding out.
This time he didn't dodge.
He shook it.
"Thanks for all your hard work."
"You actually say things like that."
"Occasionally."
Misaki let go with a smile.
Then it was Yusei's turn.
She held out her hand.
"You too."
Yusei shook it.
"Be careful on your way back."
"I will."
Last was Mio.
But Misaki didn't shake hands.
She just opened her arms.
"Asakawa."
Mio blinked.
"What?"
"Girls can hug, right?"
"..."
"I'm leaving tomorrow."
Mio had no choice against that, and let her give her a hug.
Misaki didn't hold on long.
But as she let go, she took advantage of how close they were and said quietly:
"I'm giving up the chase."
Mio didn't catch on at all.
"What?"
Misaki had already stepped back.
Smiling brightly.
"Nothing."
"..."
Nothing again.
Mio was starting to feel this person was especially punchable on her last day.
As usual, someone from the company helped carry the cardboard box outside.
Once everyone had dispersed, Misaki looked back once at the automatic doors.
Just in time to see Yusei lower his head and fish out the hair of Shuichi's that had gotten caught in his jacket hood; Shuichi stood still and let him, and Mio, after watching, very naturally reached out and pulled the half-closed zipper on Shuichi's chest up a bit more.
Shuichi looked down.
"I'm not cold."
Mio: "It's windy out."
Yusei: "Hear that?"
Shuichi: "Since when are you two suddenly on the same team?"
Mio: "Sometimes."
Yusei: "Depends."
At some point, they had picked that line up too.
Misaki stood at the door and watched for a few seconds.
And finally felt that she might have been asking the wrong questions all these past few days.
At first she'd wanted to figure out—
Which one did Asakawa actually like?
Then she'd wanted to know—
Was there actually something going on between those two men?
But now it looked like.
They weren't that easy to pull apart at all.
The three of them already had their own places with one another.
They just hadn't given those places names yet.
The automatic doors opened again.
The night wind blew in from outside.
Misaki held on to her things and smiled.
Oh well.
She'd have another chance to see anyway.
***
10:20 p.m.
Yusei's place.
The three of them hadn't made anything complicated today, just boiled some udon.
After eating, Mio didn't leave right away.
She sat at the far right end of the sofa, holding her pale-blue mug and watching TV.
Shuichi lay at the other end.
Yusei sat in the middle.
A very familiar arrangement.
The TV was playing a completely mindless variety show.
Ten minutes in, Shuichi started getting sleepy.
Yusei noticed his eyes closing more and more.
"If you're sleepy, go home and sleep."
"Can't walk."
"It's ten meters next door."
"Far."
"Then sleep on the floor."
Shuichi reached out with his eyes closed.
Who knew what he was trying to grab.
In the end, his hand found Yusei's left hand resting on the sofa.
His fingers touched it.
And didn't let go.
Yusei looked down.
"What?"
"Pull me up."
"Get up yourself."
"Sleepy."
"..."
Yusei complained out loud.
But he still turned his hand over to grip Shuichi's and hauled him up off the sofa.
Shuichi only got halfway up, never found his footing, and pitched straight forward.
Yusei caught him on reflex.
It ended with Shuichi's forehead resting against his shoulder, one hand still held in Yusei's, and his other arm draped loosely at Yusei's side.
Both of them froze for an instant.
Shuichi really was sleepy.
Once he was leaning there, he didn't even move right away.
Yusei looked down.
All he could see was the top of a black-haired head.
"Are you planning to sleep standing up?"
"Could."
His voice was muffled against Yusei's shoulder.
"Could, my foot."
Yusei said that, but didn't push him off right away.
Instead he freed his other hand and steadied the small of Shuichi's back, so he wouldn't actually slide down.
Mio sat to the side.
Her gaze landed on their joined hands.
Then on Yusei's hand, supporting Shuichi's lower back.
"..."
On the TV, a crowd of people was laughing loudly.
Yet the living room suddenly felt a little strange.
A few seconds passed.
Mio finally said, "Why not just toss him next door?"
Yusei looked at her.
"How do I toss him?"
"Help him over."
"You'll help me?"
Mio didn't answer right away.
But just then, Shuichi lifted his head a little.
His eyes were still extremely sleepy.
"Asakawa."
"Hm?"
"You help too."
Mio: "..."
Why?
But Shuichi had already, very naturally, held out his other hand to her.
With no other meaning whatsoever.
As if he simply took it for granted that she would help.
Mio looked at it for a few seconds.
In the end, she reached out and took it.
"Just how sleepy are you?"
"Very sleepy."
"Walk on your own."
"Walking."
He said he was walking.
His body basically didn't move.
So the final picture became—
Yusei on the left holding Shuichi.
Mio on the right holding Shuichi.
The three of them standing in front of the sofa.
Shuichi like a piece of luggage that had completely given up on moving itself.
Yusei looked at him.
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
Shuichi kept his eyes closed.
"No."
Mio was starting to doubt it too.
"I think you are."
"You don't believe me."
"Naturally."
"That hurts."
"Doesn't sound like it."
Yusei laughed and swore at him.
In the end, he let go of Shuichi's hand anyway.
Then turned around.
"Get on."
Shuichi opened his eyes a little.
"What?"
"I'll carry you."
Mio was taken aback too.
Yusei patted his own back.
"Hurry up, or walk yourself."
Shuichi considered it for less than a second.
And actually climbed on.
"..."
Mio watched.
Yusei hooked his hands under Shuichi's knees and hitched him up once.
"Did you get lighter again?"
Shuichi's head rested on his shoulder.
"No."
"Feels light."
"You got stronger."
"True."
With that, Yusei actually carried him piggyback toward the door, just like that.
Mio followed behind.
And suddenly had an extremely strong sense of déjà vu.
It was just like...
She thought for a long time.
And in the end found that no description fit.
So she simply stopped thinking about it.
Shuichi's door was right next door.
Yusei even had a key.
Opened the door.
Went in.
Tossed him onto the sofa.
Shuichi sank all the way in.
"Bed."
He was still making demands.
Yusei stood beside him.
"You've got a lot of demands."
Mio, standing in the entryway, suddenly laughed.
Yusei looked back.
"You're laughing?"
"It really is like looking after a kid."
"He's twenty-one."
"I know."
Shuichi was lying on the sofa.
He objected with his eyes closed.
"An adult."
"Adults go to bed on their own."
"Can't walk."
Yusei took a deep breath.
In the end, he still hauled him up again.
Mio watched for a moment.
Then walked over and helped support Shuichi's other arm.
That was how the three of them got him into the bedroom.
Shuichi fell onto the bed.
Finally quiet.
Yusei tossed the thin blanket over him.
"Sleep."
"Mm."
Mio stood by the bed.
She saw one of Shuichi's hands still sticking out from under the blanket.
And casually tucked it back in.
Yusei had already seen.
But he didn't laugh at her.
He just picked up the empty water bottle from the nightstand.
"Out of water again."
"There's some in the kitchen."
Shuichi said with his eyes closed.
"You can't get it yourself?"
"Forgot."
Yusei turned to go pour some.
Mio stood there.
Shuichi suddenly opened his eyes a little.
"Asakawa."
"What?"
"Are you still mad?"
Mio froze.
"When was I mad?"
"After Takahashi talked to Yusei."
"..."
She had never expected Shuichi to suddenly ask about that.
Shuichi looked at her.
His eyes were actually so sleepy they'd gone a little unfocused.
"You didn't look happy."
Mio was silent for a few seconds.
"I wasn't mad."
"Oh."
That "oh" again.
Mio frowned.
"I really wasn't."
"Mm."
"You don't believe me?"
"I believe you."
"..."
He still didn't believe her.
Mio was about to keep going when Yusei came back with the water.
"What are you two talking about?"
Shuichi closed his eyes.
"She's not mad."
Yusei stopped mid-step.
Mio: "Shuichi."
"What?"
"Go to sleep."
"Okay."
Yusei looked at Mio.
Mio shot him a fierce glare.
"Don't ask."
The corners of Yusei's mouth were already starting to lift.
"I haven't said anything yet."
"And no laughing."
"..."
Yusei forcibly suppressed his smile.
"Fine."
Then Shuichi, lying in bed, added one more thing.
"She kept looking at you all day."
Mio: "..."
The next second.
A pillow slammed straight into Shuichi's face.
***
11:10 p.m.
Mio finally went home.
Yusei closed Shuichi's door too and went back next door.
The room went quiet again.
Shuichi lay in bed.
But the sleepiness from earlier had slowly faded a little.
He didn't fall asleep right away.
He just stared at the ceiling in the dark for a while.
Nothing had really happened today.
Takahashi had left.
Asakawa seemed to be in a bad mood over some baffling thing.
Yusei was still annoying.
All very ordinary.
His phone was right by the pillow.
Shuichi reached over and picked it up.
There were no important updates on the Girl Hero Observatory.
No new calamity beast alerts in the news either.
He scrolled a few times.
Then suddenly stopped.
Not because of the news.
But because of a local traffic notice.
【From 3:00—5:00 a.m. tomorrow, some roads in the Northern Old Industrial District will be temporarily closed for maintenance.】
A very ordinary notice.
It didn't even have many comments.
Shuichi looked at it for a few seconds.
He had been about to swipe past it.
But his finger stopped.
The Northern Old Industrial District.
There were no major construction projects over there right now.
Nor any city works that would need a sudden road closure in the middle of the night.
At least, according to public information, there weren't.
He stared at the notice.
In his head, he slowly put the events of the past few days together.
Nexus suddenly stopping Yusei's examination.
The core still remaining in Linjiang.
The old system being woken up.
And then—
A road closure in the middle of the night.
Shuichi lowered his phone a little.
"..."
A transfer?
Quite likely.
But transferring it where.
Why in such a hurry.
And why start the transfer right after discovering Yusei, of all times?
Shuichi was quiet for a while.
In the end, he didn't get up to open the old hard drive.
He put his phone back beside the pillow.
If Nexus was just afraid something would happen and was sending the thing far away.
That was great.
The farther, the better.
He had no interest in getting involved.
Shuichi closed his eyes.
A few seconds passed.
And he opened them again.
There was a very faint irritation in his chest.
Like many years ago, before every mission officially began, when his body knew something was about to go wrong before he did.
Very faint.
But it never faded.
***
At the same time.
The Linjiang Security Technology Center.
Basement level two.
The black core's transfer time had been reconfirmed.
【03:40】
Kamiya Risa stood outside the isolation area, watching the staff run a final check on the passive seal.
Saeki Soichi hadn't left today.
The old man sat in the monitoring room, having already gone through the entire transfer procedure from start to finish three times.
"The vehicle?"
"Ready."
"The route?"
"Exists only as a paper copy, handed to the driver after departure."
"Communications?"
"Independent short-range channel, not connected to any public network."
"Surveillance along the way?"
"Temporary shutdown requested in advance for three stretches."
Saeki nodded.
That was clean enough.
At least by Nexus's current standards.
Kamiya stood beside him. It was the first time she had ever seen an ordinary transfer handled to this degree.
"Do you really think someone will come to steal it?"
"I don't know."
"Then why..."
Saeki looked at the isolation case on the monitor.
"Because this thing looks for Kings."
"And it came from Headquarters."
He said.
"Put those two conditions together, and I don't want to gamble."
Kamiya didn't ask any more.
On the monitor, the last mechanical lock slowly closed.
The staff withdrew.
The isolation chamber's lights went out.
All monitoring systems switched to an external passive state.
In theory.
Nothing inside could produce any signal that could be picked up anymore.
12:17 a.m.
Inside the sealed case.
A very fine crack slowly appeared on the surface of the black core.
There was no light inside the crack.
Only a small patch of something deeper than darkness.
A few seconds later.
It closed up again.
And somewhere very far away from Linjiang City.
On a device that hadn't lit up in thirteen years.
The indicator light at the very edge.
Flickered faintly.
Once.
Then went out.