“If the scarecrow went down there with the doctor, it would have to be a pretty big opening…”
We’ll have to go and look.
“… seven PM already. We only have three hours until we’re overrun with bloodthirsty humans. We don’t know for sure if there’s an escape route in the basement, but it’s our best bet.
Maybe we should get everybirdie from the gym to come with us as soon as we find the stairs…”
“Leave that to me.”
“I’ll take care of the other students. Don’t worry, I’m not a Massive Agent for nothing.”
“Well, then. Thank you, mister One.”
“Umm… you arne’t going with him, sir?”
“I’m going to come with you, Kawara. We never know what could happen!”
“… thank you, sir.”
“You’re welcome. I am your homeroom teacher, after all. You’ve done such a good job so far, I want to be there to help you if things get dangerous.”
“… what about you, Sakuya?”
“… you two go ahead. I’ll catch up with you.”
“Right… okay. We’re going to get out of here together, okay?”
Too much has happened today, for both Sakuya and me. I don’t know what’s on his mind and he doesn’t seem interested in telling me, but— if he wants to be alone, that’s for the best.
“I guess it’s the two of us then, mister Nanaki. If something bad happens, one of us can come back to warn you and the others, mister Leone.”
“Understood.”
“Commence operation breakout it is, then.”
Before the two can mobilize, a hurried voice chirps in from the doorway.
“Not so fast!”
What does he want now? We don’t have time for messing around…
“Textoris Melodia Funeris! You travel now to the Abyss of Despair, do you not!?”
“Uhh… the abyss of despair…?”
“I sense Demon Spores far greater in power than even those released by the Tree of Blight… I cannot allow you to face the Dark Sorceror Wallenstein alone!”
The Wallenstein guy is the doctor, right?
“Okay, uh…”
“We’re coming for you, Wallenstein!”
Immediately, he bolts for the door again.
“Wait, Anghel, we need to be careful! Wait!”
“He certainly is lively. Let’s go!”
With incongruous cheeriness, Kazuaki follows, Ryouta trying to keep up as they make their way to the prep room.
“Mmm, yes. Not a very friendly room, but not distasteful, either.”
“This place is flooded with Demon Spores. Any good bird would normally avoid it.”
Ryouta peers around the room for any sign of the basement entrance.
“Can you think of anything, sir? Like a hidden door, or…”
“I don’t come here very much, so… hmm… Do you feel a draft?”
“A draft…?”
“There are no windows in here… It must be coming in from the basement.”
”!
Be silent, my Crimson Breast…! We must hold it back, or the Eulogy of Doom will…! Gate of Erebus! Guide me to the Abyss!”
“Wait, calm down, Anghel! You can’t—”
The warning arrives too late, interrupted by the tinkling sounds of crashing glass.
“Oh, there it is. So it was behind the mirror all along?”
“He… he’s a lot more clever than he acts, isn’t he…?”
Even if he does spout nonsense whenever he opens his beak.
“Let us proceed, Textoris Melodia Funeris! The Master of the Abyss awaits us below.”
How far does it go? The basement itself should be pretty big… this is sort of like the entrance into a subway tunnel.
“Let’s go.”
The three descend into the darkness.
“This is… a lot fancier than I expected.”
I never knew this huge place was underneath the school… This facility has been used for reasearch to kill humans since the school was founded…
I—Tera—none of us ever knew. We lived our carefree lives with all this going on beneath our feet…
“Hmm, I don’t see anybirdie. I wonder if it’s closed now…?”
“Yeah. It’s clean and orderly, but… I don’t get the feeling that it’s still in use. There was a fire somewhere down here five years ago, and since then the whole facility’s been shut up—”
“I suppose they froze whatever project they were working on…”
Ryouta looks over at the luzon.
“Hey, Anghel. Which way do you think we should go to find the doctor?”
“That would be… ah! My Crimson Breast murmurs! The Midnight Hunter approaches!”
As prophesied, a figure looms into view.
Clumsily, the scarecrow takes a swing at the trio.
“C-couldn’t you have said so earlier!?”
“Oh, dear. If we don’t get past him, we can’t go on.”
“We cannot reach Wallenstein without first defeating his dark servant… this trial cannot be avoided!”
“But all we’ve ever managed to do is run away from this thing! How can we—”
“Hyu… hyuo… hyu…”
A metallic arm flails through the air again.
“We can’t get anywhere just by running away… do we have any sort of weapon?”
“A weapon…? I do have the stungun mister Leone lent me… Will it even work on a scarecrow…?”
“Maybe not at normal output… But it looks like a living creature, so I doubt it would be completely unaffected.”
“The Midnight Hunter is a hound bred from the Black Void. We must purify it with holy water!”
“Oh, yes! That’s a good idea.”
“Wh-what? What did he even say!?”
“There’s a fire hose on the wall, here. If we time it right…”
Mister Nanaki wobbles towards the wall, and pulls out the hose.
“… of course!”
“Ready…”
He points the hose at the scarecrow, and opens the valve.
“Anghel, sir! Get back!”
I set the stungun to maximum, and hurl it at the scarecrow!
There’s a bright flash as the stungun connects, wracking the scarecrows body with energy.
“……”
It collapses with an unpleasant noise. Its electrified metal arm twitches for a moment, but then it is still.
“We did it!”
“Electricity is a powerful thing indeed.”
“The Thunderous Voice of Doom… Judgment has come!”
“Hyu…o, o… oa…
… o… ………”
“Goodbye, mister scarecrow. … onwards!”
Ryouta and friends press on. Back at the maintenance office, Sakuya is still coming to terms with the day’s revelations.
A Le Bel is not allowed hesitation.
“No… I have not even the right to claim that restriction anymore. … Yuuya…”
Foolish. … no, not “ish” at all. I am a fool. I have been pampered my entire life, while in my shadow he crawled along under the weight of a crime of which only he knew. I have been nothing but vain and selfish.
Sakuya’s mournful contemplation is halted by a lively interloper.
“… leave. No one wanted you to come here.”
“Coo! Coo, coo!”
(Everyone is leaving! It is a grand daring escape! Sakuya will find Ryouta with Okosan! Away we go!)
“Shut up… don’t talk to me.”
“Coo?”
(Sakuya weeps?)
“N… no! I do not! It’s raining!”
“Coo, coo! Coo, coo, cooo!”
(Is Sakuya in pain? That is bad! We must do something about it! Okosan used HEALING TOUCH!)
Sakuya recoils from Okosan’s helpful wing, fuming.
“Confound you! Must I repeat—”
“Coo, coo!”
(Okosan knows! Okosan heard that Yuuya has gone somewhere far, far away! We will never see him again!)
“… so, they told you.”
“Coo!”
(Do not worry! If we cannot meet him, we need only chase after him!)
“Do you have any idea what you’re saying? Death is not a good place to chase someone to.”
No doubt the older breeds have no concept of death. Chase Yuuya into the grave? What kind of fool would…
“Cooooo!”
(Okosan knows! The earth is a ball, so if we run far enough, we will find him!)
“What foolishness… speaking with mongrels makes my head hurt.”
… except I’m a mongrel, too.
“Poor mongrels who do not notice even their own error, that is.”
“Coo, coooo! Coooo!”
(Okosan is not a mongrel! Sakuya, and Yuuya, and Okosan all have their own wonderful names! Names more important than any breed!)
“Is that your argument? That isn’t even—”
Yuuya’s parting words echo through Sakuya’s mind.
“I am… myself…?”
“Coo, coo! Coo!”
(It is time to go! Okosan and Friend are late! Kick reason to the curb! Time to blast out of this prison and find Yuuya!)
Oko is always brimming with useless energy, as he was… Am I the same, perhaps?
We will never see him again, no matter how far we run. But— if he were here now, what would he do? What would he want me to do? At any rate, moping around here won’t get us anywhere.
“Two more hours…”
I will chase after him. I will never find him… but I will find myself.
“Let us go, Oko! There is nothing more for us here.”
“Coo, cooo!”
(Sakuya is best when he acts cool! After Ryouta, full speed ahead!)
Meanwhile, Ryouta and the others push further into the medical center.
I feel a little nervous relying on Anghel’s bizarre intuition alone, but it’s worked so far and we’re in a hurry. Is he actually following the doctor by his scent? Or was that just an Anghelism?
“There’s some very advanced equipment in here… and these documents look fairly new. Maybe this place is still in use?”
There’s a register of names left open on one desk. Maybe it’s a student register…?
“Look, your name’s here too, Anghel.”
“The Dark Grimoire…! I feel the Tendrils of Imminent Tragedy!”
“They have notes on some of the students, too. Under Higure…
‘He acts as a neurotransmitter when excited. He seems to produce intoxicating or hallucinogenic pheremones. Physical exertion acts as a stimulant.’
‘The pheremone causes others to temporarily lose control of themselves, but its usefulness is limited. Not currently applicable to combat.’ Hmm…”
“I shall not allow the sorceror to make me his pawn… I am the Crimson Angel of Judecca, destined to wander this earth alone!”
I’m not sure what he’s talking about, but he sounds and looks unexpectedly heroic.
“It looks like all the students who were invited here have some sort of physical idiosyncrasy. … how did you enroll, Kawara?”
“How…? I was… invited, too. I don’t know why.”
“Hmm… yours is just a bunch of numbers. I wonder if it’s the explanation for something like Higure’s…?”
“…! No! The Black Miasma of Inevitable Doom draws near! We are approaching the Gate of the Abyss. I feel its foul wind…”
“Let’s go. The doctor’s waiting for us.”
“… could you wait a minute, Kawara?”
“What is it, sir? We’re almost done. We need to—”
“I want to ask you something first, Kawara.”
Kazuaki looks strangely lucid.
“You lied, did you not?”
“Huh…?”
Lied? Me?
“I don’t know why you would lie about that. Or maybe you forgot? Even though it was just yesterday…”
“Yesterday? After school? Like I said to Sakuya, I don’t know anything about it. We have to ask the doctor—”
Glancing off to the side, Kazuaki starts talking again as if Ryouta had finished, now looking as absentminded as ever.
“Hmm, I see… let’s go on, then.”
I’ve been trying to find the truth about Tera’s death since this morning. Why would I lie? Maybe mister Nanaki misunderstood something…? But that seems too simple.
This must be where the fire was, five years ago. I feel like I can smell the soot just by looking at the walls here… Nageki threw himself into the sea of fire here, to end the experiments.
“I wonder what I would have done in his place… would I have ended it all, like him, or—”
A sinister voice cuts off Ryouta’s monologue.
“You’re late, mister Kawara. I have grown tired of waiting.”
“The Dark Sorceror, Wallenstein!”
“Doctor…”
Ryouta glares intently at the doctor, shaking slightly with pent-up anger.
“It wasn’t just Tera. You killed the headmaster, as well. If it weren’t for you, the boy who went outside wouldn’t have been…! Why are you doing this!?”
“… must I repeat myself? I told you before, I merely disassembled miss Thielle after the fact. I did not kill her.”
“Do you think I care!?”
“Hmm… it would appear that you need some assistance. I told you before, but… you should already have everything you need to answer your question. Who killed Thielle Tera?”
“Do not listen to the dark sorceror’s words, Textoris Melodia Funeris! He will lay a spell on you!”
“… perhaps the peanut gallery could keep its thoughts to itself?”
Almost idly, Shuu flips a nearby switch.
An iron grill drops behind me, like an evil wizard’s portcullis. I’m cut off!
“What are you doing!?”
“I was waiting for you, mister Kawara. … now, let us return to our conversation. Our conversation about the truth you seek.”
“You have done unbelievably cruel things, doctor. You were involved in the medical center here, too! Nothing you can say to me will change my mind.”
“How pugnacious of you. But, you are lacking in logic: what I may or may not have done has little to do with the truth of my words.
I was employed at this facility from the beginning. No doubt you have already deduced that I was working on Operation Hatoful.”
“Operation Hatoful… the plan to wipe out humanity with the Charon Virus.”
“Precisely. Oh, it does make me so happy when students read ahead and come prepared for the lecture. You are exemplary. Hohoho.”
“However, strains of such lethality tend to be fragile themselves. Charon Virus was no exception.”
“In order to deliver it to the enemy, we would have had to send live carriers into their society, and allowed it to spread via airborne infection.
This proved troublesome. Charon Virus, in addition to being harmless to birds, is ill-equipped to establish itself in our bodies.
Fujishiro Nageki, the original host, had a rare genetic condition which resulted in a slightly compromised immune system. In his body alone was Charon able to safely reside. Alas, he refused to cooperate.”
“You forced him to kill human prisoners… if it weren’t for your experiments, he never would have killed himself!”
“Indeed… it had not occured to us that the tests of the strain’s effects would harm his mental health.
We expected that he would be glad of the chance to avenge himself on humanity, but… sadly, it was not so, and we lost our sample.
The project was put on indefinite hold with his death. But thankfully, we did not lose his corpse in its entirety. I preserved his remains, and have kept them to this day… I have been waiting for a new carrier to arrive.”
“… it sounds like this was a very labor-intensive project. Wasn’t there a better way…?”
“Quite right. I digress a little, but there was a reason for our methods. … it did not take me long to come up with a better plan. We need only compromise a subject’s immune system, creating a compatibility like Fujishiro Nageki’s.”
“Compromise the immune system… They’d die!”
“Indeed. Even if the subject were able to become a carrier for the Charon Virus, if they died to some other infection it would all be for nought.
Which is why I was very careful with who I chose. I worked on the subject over time, slowly weakening his immune system. I suppose I should count myself lucky that I achieved my goal in only a year.
You are an exemplary student, mister Kawara. I give you full marks.”
He flashes a malicious smile at Ryouta.
“Full… marks…?”
Ryouta buries his face in his wing, wincing.
“Mister Nanaki said you were coming here, so I wanted to make sure you were all right…”
“Tera… came to the infirmary…”
“You have come this far. I am sure you can answer this. What was it that you forgot?”
Ryouta closes his eyes, waves of memory ebbing back to him.
I think my stomach is acting up again. I drink the medicine doctor Iwamine gives me and lie down, but my body still feels heavy. I’m tired.
“Are you okay, Ryouta?”
“Yeah… I’m fine now.”
“Mister Nanaki said you were coming here, so I wanted to make sure you were all right…”
Tera is reaching towards me. “Want to go home? I’ll walk you.”
Her hand stops. Tera falls to her knees, clutching her chest.
“… Ryouta… I can’t breathe…”
Oh. She can’t breathe. This is bad… My mother said to get home early.
Everything feels strange. Almost like it’s a dream. … I need to go home.
“… hy… hyu…”
“And… then…”
“The experiment was a resounding success. Miss Thielle displayed the archetypal symptoms of a human infected with Charon Virus, and passed away.”
“I…”
“Once the virus is inside a human body, it shuts down the respiratory system in a matter of minutes.
Technically speaking, it causes an overreaction of the immune system which leads to widespread apoptosis in the lungs, but more simply—
Any human who comes into contact with you will die. You see?”
“You’re lying! Tera and I were together since we were children…”
“Of course, I only administered the live virus to you yesterday. All the things I’ve done to you over the past year have been in preparation for it.”
From behind a counter, Shuu produces a familiar object.
“The scarecrow’s head…?”
“Yes. Alas, the body is now useless, but… I shall tell you about Labor 9— the being you call the scarecrow. It is one of the Labor-Model New Humans, developed by Dove Party researchers, but denounced as unethical.
We birds have advanced quickly, but our physical capabilities are still far behind those of the human race. These new creatures were… livestock, if you will, to compensate for that.
The Labor series was a great step towards the beautiful ideal of coexistence with humans. With a human’s head mounted inside an artificial body, they were durable and capable of difficult tasks.
… of course, they never entered development, the project having been shut down early due to ethical complaints. However, I carried on the Dove Party researchers’ will, and created this prototype. To be my sidekick.
We didn’t want too many other people snooping around and disrupting your investigation. So I had it patrol the building.
And now, the next question. What is inside this bag?”
“… a human’s head?”
“No, no, no! Close, but you have to be more specific! I believe we had miss Thielle’s head sent to your classroom, but… did you notice anything missing?”
“Missing…?”
When I found her in the box, I was too shocked to be looking for clues. I may well have missed something…
Wait. He doesn’t mean…!
“Tera’s brain…!?”
“Correct! You do catch on quickly. Miss Thielle did come to meet you quite frequently. … of course, having been placed in Labor 9, she has lost much of her personality.”
“Then she’s…”
Alive…? But her body is gone. All that’s left is her brain… can we still call that alive?
“Alive, or not alive… I don’t know anymore. Can you save her?”
“That is a difficult question. We tend to think of there being a definite border between life and death, but really it’s quite vague. Her personality still remained in this world up until a few minutes ago. But…
You have poor Labor 9 quite a shock, shall we say. Alas, miss Thielle’s brain is no doubt irreversibly damaged. The wonders of modern medicine can do nothing for her now but sigh and shake their heads.”
Shuu, too, sighs and shakes his head.
“Yesterday her body, and today her mind. You are a far more twisted villain than I could ever hope to be, mister Kawara.”
I killed Tera. It was my fault all along. Why did it have to happen this way?
“This was all arranged for you. I had Labor 9, mister Sakazaki, and the headmaster help you along in your investigation.
You are but one step from the end now. You must remember one more thing… what was it that you and miss Thielle told me, long ago? Come, follow me.”
He holds out his wing. What lies beyond here?
Tera is gone. The one who killed her was here from the beginning. I have nothing more to lose.
Expression distant, Ryouta slowly starts to follow.
“You are obedient, mister Kawara.”
“Wait, Textoris Melodia Funeris! The Demon Spores are the thickest that way! You will not be able to return!”
“That’s right, the doctor is probably going to do something unspeakably horrible to you, Kawara. Come back!”
“… thank you for bringing mister Kawara this far, you two. And now, goodbye.”
A red warning light comes on, and the room behind the grate fills with an unidentifiable gas.
“This presence… Mystic Phantom, the Avatar of Miasma!”
“You do take everything in stride, don’t you, Higure?”
As Kazuaki and Anghel muffle their beaks in their wings, the camera fades out.
We are asked, for good measure, if we would like to save our game.
They were trying to say something to the humans barricaded on the other side of the wall. But they received only bullets as a reply.
I can hear gunfire from inside. I can hear humans and birds screaming. We could do nothing but stand outside and watch.
And then the stranger came. And spoke to us.
Is there anything you desire? I will grant any wish for you. So tell me.
I answered. I don’t want these things to happen any more. My wish is for a world where humans and birds no longer fight. Even if I die, I want there to be peace.
And Tera continued. I agree. I would do anything to make Ryouta’s wish come true.
The stranger nodded. It might not be possible right now. But, one day, I will make it happen.
“That was the other thing you had forgotten. You have remembered, I see.”
Eight years ago. A number of humans barricaded themselves in a building not far from where we lived. Tera’s parents were shot bu the other humans, and many birds and humans were killed in the ensuing gunfight.
And I met the doctor.
“I asked… for a world in which humans and birds no longer fight.”
“You and miss Thielle both said you would be glad to die to bring it about. And so I am carrying out your wish, just as you had stated it.
Even symbiotic relationships are not free from strife. In order to end the wars between humans and birds forever—
One race would have to be completely destroyed, you see?”
“Why did you choose me, back then?”
“Choose you? Why did I ask you what your wish was, you mean? I assure you, it was not a coincidence. I am not so bored as to wander around granting wishes willy-nilly.
I, too, had made a promise… to grant your wish.”
It’s Shuu’s turn to look a little distant, threatening to get lost in a memory for a moment. Shaking his head, he snaps back to the present.
“The preliminary test yesterday was a resounding success. We need only transfer the original lysosomes from Fujishiro Nageki to you, and everything will be in place.
I have granted your wish. … though, I did make you jump through a few hoops so you would remember your wish and understand my intentions. It would be the least you could do to at least acknowledge all I have done for you. Hmm?”
“……”
I don’t care about anything now. Tera is gone. My wish has destroyed everything.
Nothing good has ever happened. If this is what my life is to be like, I wish I had never been born.
“… I don’t want to see anything anymore.”
“Do not be anxious. You have no will to resist, so soon you will forget it all. Good night, mister Kawara.”
The camera fades out, returning to Anghel and Kazuaki.
“Talking will just make it worse, Higure… Hmm… it seems to be leaking in quite slowly. I’m glad we have a little more time, but it is getting hard to breathe…”
“Wallenstein… you coward…! Come out and fi—”
In a flurry of feathers, a few more birds swoop into the room outside the grate.
“Hold on just a little longer! We’ll get you out of there! I will try to open the cage, Oko! You see to the gas!”
“Coo, coo!”
(Okosan shall not fail!)
Acting quickly, Sakuya and Okosan set about freeing the other two.
“No one can say you slack off as student president, Shirogane.”
“The crimson breast shall not forget this.”
“Are you two alone? Where did Kawara go?”
“Coo, coo?”
(Were you separated? Did Ryouta wander off and get lost?)
“No, he didn’t, he got carried off by the doctor.”
“Carried off…!?”
“Coo, coooo!”
(Oh nooo! No doubt the doctor is making him drink nasty protein supplements as we speak!)
“If we do not act soon, the Funeral Song shall herald the Coming of the Darkness…!”
“Why can you never speak in plain Japanese, miserable poltroon!?”
“He’s saying that the doctor is planning to turn Kawara into a biological weapon.”
“What…!?”
“We can explain while we walk. Assuming I don’t run out of breath…”
“Very well. Let us proceed!”
The gang hurry down the halls after Shuu and Ryouta. When they arrive, though, something seems… off.
“Kawara! Are you alive!?”
“Coo!”
(Okosan has a bad feeling about this! Ryouta is not normal!)
“Miserable medical man! What have you done to him!?”
“Why, if it isn’t the son of the noble Le Bel family. What is one of your prestige doing here? Hohoho.”
“Your pathetic jabs mean nothing to me. What have you done to Kawara!?”
“I have granted his wish. That is all.”
Shuu glances away.
“… it is almost ten. The human forces are gathered above. Mister Kawara must now return to the surface and begin the end of the human race.”
“Kawara would wish for no such thing! He would never harm a human! Right, Kawara!?”
“……”
“It seems he is hesitant to agree with you. Hohoho.”
“Bah…!”
“He has been swallowed by the Demon Spores… our voices will not reach him…!”
“It is time for us to go. He has but little time left in this world, and cannot afford to waste any of it.”
“He has but little time…? What does this mean!?”
“His duty now is to fly about the world spreading the seeds of death throughout all of humanity. It will be a feat impossible for any normal rock dove.
Of course, he will be shot at, as well. If he were to fall from his wounds, he would die before completing his task.”
“Cooooo!”
(Do not fear! Okosan will stop Ryouta here and now!)
“……”
Okosan fearlessly charges at Ryouta, but is knocked across the room almost effortlessly.
“Coooooooooo…!”
“There he goes…”
“… mister Kawara has traded his free will for normally impossible physical tenacity.”
“He’s been… brainwashed…? We have to stop him and bring him back to his senses before he reaches the surface! … but Oko is stronger than any of us, and he was sent flying just like that… How can we keep him here…!?”
“Hmm… … Kawara is very strong but lacks control right now, right? Maybe we should ask Higure.”
“Wha… him!? He’s nuts!”
“Ha ha ha… Black Beandonna…!”
“There he goes again, spouting nonsense!”
In the midst of this deliberation, Ryouta gradually starts to move for the exit.
“…! Wait, Kawara! Stop!”
Sakuya tries to restrain Ryouta, to no avail. Ryouta tosses him aside with ease.
“Aagh!”
“Oh, dear, there goes Shirogane…”
“The Demon Red Eye speaks…! Seal the disaster with the power of the Chosen One!”
“……!”
“He’s reacting… how is that frail Luzon able to affect him!?”
As Anghel and Ryouta stare each other down, locked in silent conflict, Anghel moves over to Okosan and attempts to rouse him.
“What is he doing!?”
“Hypnotizing him. According to the documents back there, Higure has the ability to pull others into his own fantasies and break down their mental restraints…
I was talking to the doctor about it earlier, too. I think it’s real.”
“Mental restraints? … like how a desperate man can be stronger than usual.”
“The Demon Red Eye heralds the Awakening! By the power of the Blood-Stained Hand, I seal the Funeral Song…!”
“Cooooo!”
(Okosan attack! Okosan cannot possibly lose ina fight with Ryouta!)
“There we go, perfect!”
“We’re supposed to convince Ryouta to stop while ourselves being drawn into some bizarre fantasy? This is madness!”
“Don’t think about the consequences, Shirogane! Just go along with it!”
“Prepare yourselves! We fight, brethren bound with the Red Lotus Fetters!”
With this battle cry, the crew are drawn into RPG-style battle with Ryouta.
“Textoris Melodia Funus! Now is the time to break Wallenstein’s spell! Hear the call of the Red Lotus!”
“Coo!”
(A violent Ryouta is not a good Ryouta! Come to your senses!)
“We’re all trying our best for you, Kawara! Come back to us!”
“Do you not care!? Do you plan to destroy all we’ve gained!? Stop, Kawara! This is not the path you must travel!”
The interface falls away, and the background fades.
???’s turn!
“Geez, Ryouta, you’re causing everybirdie trouble! I don’t want to see you like this, either! I’m the only berserker-class character this story needs! Wake up already, Ryouta!”
Ryouta, too, fades into the background.
“Kawara! Pull yourself together! Do you want this!?”
“… n… no… I don’t…!”
“Coo, coo!”
(Ryouta is a vegetarian, and shouldn’t exert himself!)
“… I don’t want… to make anyone sad…”
Shuu looks on with a mixture of frustration and mild interest.
“The remitter reactivated…? Fascinating… it should not have been possible for some hours yet.”
“Disease is half in the mind, after all. Outlook is surprisingly important.”
“… I suppose this means my data was insufficient.”
“This is the end, Dark Sorceror Wallenstein! Be judged by the Crimson Breast!”
“Wait… Anghel… it’s not just… his fault…”
“Why do you protect him? He is the one who did this to you.”
“Tell me… doctor… why did… you go so far… to grant my wish…?”
“Why did I grant your wish? My reason is nothing of note. It is not worth telling. This was merely an experiment that has now come to an end.”
“… you must have had… a reason. You aren’t the sort… to go around talking to children… without some purpose. I want to know… the answer to everything…”
“…… The answer is nowhere near as glamorous as you are expecting, I assure you.”
Shuu allows himself to sink into reminiscence.
Sorry to spring this on you, but could you take a look at these?”
“What is it, sir? You seem excited.”
“It’s amazing! The Healers we got earlier—”
“Healers…? …… Ah, the HeLa cells from last month.”
“Yeah, them. From the unusually old human.”
“Aiding science even after death. Can’t we at least call the samples by their proper name?”
“You’ve always been serious like that, Isa. These samples are like sweet lovebirds! Touch them with kindness, and they respond beautifully.”
“Just how many lovebirds do you have, again? Perhaps you should call them pet birds, instead?”
“Uuuh… maybe you’re right. Anyway, look at this! We’ve been looking into cancer cell immortality.”
“This… …… indeed, these results are amazing. You’re quite lucky with these things.”
“It’s all about love.”
“Or intuition?”
“That too.”
He is quite possibly the most gifted researcher alive. He has abilities and intuition that not even he can explain.
Nice weather, huh? Makes me want to do something outside.”
“… it’s already evening. I believe one normally switches to good evening around now.”
“It’s good morning whenever I get up, Isa! Get distracted by things like common sense and you’ll miss the greatest discoveries of your life.”
“Sophistry?”
Woopsie, we’re low on cash. … here, was this the one?”
“I didn’t ask you to pick it up for me.”
“Here, take it. It’s not like we’re running out.”
“… you sound like a pushy salesman.”
“Your right wing is injured, right? If there’s anything I can help you with, just ask.”
“I’ve been doing fine so far.”
Hey, can I say something?”
“What is it, sir? I am somewhat busy.”
“You’re always busy… if I waited for you to take a break, I’d die of old age before I got to say.”
“Talking like this gets us nowhere.”
“Guess what! I had a kid!”
“Hmm… I see. Congratulations.”
“Wh-what, don’t you have anything else to say?”
“Not particularly. Reproduction is natural for all living creatures. Of course, were I to become a father, I would feel bad for the child, given my habit of locking myself away in the laboratory.”
The only one I ever recognized as worthy of my respect.
I brought you something cool.”
“Hmm… what is it?”
“A fossil! Look at it! It’s huge!”
“You act like an excited child.”
“Hey, I like geology, too! Aah, it tempts me with spousebreach.”
“I will carry on your research while you are out, then. Go on.”
“Dang, you’re cold! Hey, listen, wanna come with me on a business trip sometime? Field observation is fun! My next one’s at the start of the mon—”
“While I am interested in your work, sir, I am partway through a fascinating process at the moment. Perhaps another time.”
“Yeah? I’ll invite you next time, then. I bet traveling with you would be a blast!”
“Field observation is not exactly sightseeing. … I will make sure to open time in my schedule, though.”
He fell ill with a disease endemic to the island. By the time we returned home, he was so emaciated one could barely recognize him.
He had watched as many other birds succumbed to disease. So I was sure. Sure that he would die in this examination room, surrounded by his family.
“Yes, sir.”
“I don’t regret the way I did things…”
“No, sir.”
“But I just remembered. I do have one regret.”
“… yes, sir?”
“I’ve never done anything a father’s supposed to do. I’d promised… to take time off, for the first time in years…”
“……”
“I want you to do me a favor, Isa. If you ever run into my son… can you do something for him, in my stead?”
“… a rather vague request.”
“He’s too nice. He’d never ask for something, even if he wanted it.”
“I suspect he inherited that trait from his father.”
“Haha… anyway, if you ever happen to meet him. You don’t have to go out of your way to find him, or anything.”
“Hmm… very well. I shall remember. What is his name?”
“Ryouta. It’s Kawara… Ryouta.”
And I’ve chased your shadow since then. Is this what they mean by quitting while you’re ahead? Or was it just cowardice?
No matter how I study life, its past, its future, I will never be able to surpass you. And that was my only goal.
Kawara Ryouta… the son of doctor Kawara. Carrying half his genetic material, and otherwise unrelated. But, this boy—
The doctor’s motive is laid bare, and his plot foiled. Very few mysteries remain, and time is almost up. Soon, so soon, this rollercoaster will reach its end. Until next time, everybirdie.