Kamen Rider Kuuga Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Formidable Foe

 

The wind gently swept over his cheeks.

The faint cries of cicadas could be heard.

Upon slowly opening his eyes, he was greeted with an unfamiliar aged ceiling.

He had no idea of just how long he had been sleeping. The pa.s.sing time felt dreadfully quiet. Absentmindedly watching an unknown light bend across the ceiling, Ichijou was still in a drowsy state. It had been years since he had slept this much.

The sound of a siren began approaching. It was an ambulance. Upon taking a deep breath, Ichijou took in the faint scent of disinfectant. This was....a hospital.

Ichijou’s memories slowly began resurfacing...Mika’s voice coming from the earpiece...the crumbling stand...the two silhouettes that could be seen beyond the rumble...one of them was an Unidentified Lifeform with countless feelers extending out...and the other one...Ichijou only caught a glimpse of it, but he was sure it was the white Kuuga.

Those afterimages continued to repeat themselves beyond Ichijou’s eyelids.

Upon muttering that person’s name, an exceptionally pleasant feeling wind embraced Ichijou. As his eyes drifted towards the direction from where the wind came from, he saw the clear blue sky behind a slightly-opened window. He did not know if it was the 3rd floor, or the 4th floor, or if it was even higher up. Either way, the sight of nothing but the blue sky was very calming.

The sound of someone knocking rang out.

But it was not coming from the hallway.

Rather...it was coming from outside the window.

That can’t be.

As he continued watching, a hand could be seen coming from below the window frame, as it gently opened the window all the way. Ichijou attempted to get up, but his body would not listen.

The owner of the hand then nimbly lifted himself through the window, basked in light. But upon landing, he began to stumble with a “Wh-Whoa!!” and momentarily left Ichijou’s field of vision. Ichijou mustered all the strength he had and lifted his body, catching sight of a familiar silhouette rise up.

His hair was in the same casual style as in the past...and it felt like he had grown slightly taller. His stubble had a very wild look to it, and his smile that seemed to suck anyone in had not changed one bit.

Standing in front of the blue sky, without a doubt, was Yusuke G.o.dai’s smiling face.

The smile Ichijou had been waiting for for 13 years.

“I’m back...Ichijou-san.”

“G.o.dai...is that really you?”

“Yep. It’s really me.”

And that’s the kind of back-and-forth that Ichijou was expecting. But the first thing to come out of Yusuke’s mouth was:

“Oh man...I’m probably going to get scolded for doing my famous tree climbing.”

“Just what are you talking about...!?”

I know he’s always loved talking about trivial matters, but did he really need to start off our reunion with something like that? There are more emotional ways to go about it!

“Haha, just what AM I talking about.”

Yusuke began scratching his head in embarra.s.sment. And then Ichijou realized. This is who G.o.dai is. It felt extremely nostalgic. And that was why Ichijou was okay with it.

Yusuke then plopped down on the edge of Ichijou’s bed and bashfully look towards Ichijou.

“...I’m back, Ichijou-san.”

He finally spoke those words.

At that moment, Ichijou’s heart overflowed with matters he wanted to talk about. But it was an endless rush, and he was unable to come to a decision over what he should talk about first. In the end, Ichijou reached out and slapped Yusuke’s shoulder with his head slightly down.

“...You’re late, G.o.dai!”

Then, as if expecting that response, Yusuke replied with a smile.

“I sure am.”

“Don’t give me that! Just what took you so long…”

“C’mon, calm down. Let’s just relax for a bit.”

“But…”

“Alright, alright. Let’s go then.”

“Eh?”

“Come with me.”

Yusuke got up and began heading for the door.

“But, I’m still…”

Ichijou still did not have the energy to stand up. But Yusuke said the following.

“It’ll be fine, you’re Ichijou-san after all.”

Yusuke left the room with a smile, and when Ichijou tried to get up in order to follow after him, his body mysteriously felt lighter and he was able to stand up without any problem. As if his suffering earlier never existed in the first place, he chased after Yusuke and entered the hallway.

Coming into face with very retro-style lighting hanging from the ceiling, Ichijou felt like had slipped back in time as he continued after Yusuke. As Yusuke head up the stairs, he occasionally looked back at Ichijou saying “Can you keep up? tauntingly. Ichijou felt as if he was Alice chasing after the white rabbit...no, it would be the other way around considering their personalities.

Beyond the door Yusuke leapt through lied a garden that felt like it was floating in the sky on the hospital’s roof. There were not any buildings in sight whatsoever, with the sky being blindingly blue.

Yusuke was sitting in the middle of all that, with his hands behind his back as he gazed up at the sky.

“This is where you wanted to take me…?”

Ichijou spoke to him with a blank look after finally reaching to his side.

“Well, for now, just have a seat.”

Ichijou did as told and sat down next to him. Then, Yusuke once again looked up at the sky. Ichijou did the same. The sky was completely clear.

“j.a.pan’s sky really is nice… It really should be the same nowhere where you are, but something about it just feels so nostalgic.”

Yusuke lied down and with his arms and legs spread out.

“C’mon, you too Ichijou.”

Yusuke pulled on Ichijou’s shoulder, but Ichijou could not follow suit.

“...Sorry. I just can’t get into the mood for that, not until the Unidentified Lifeforms are completely defeated…”

Speaking so, Ichijou suddenly caught himself.

“...That’s right. What happened with the Unidentified Lifeform…!?”

Ichijou immediately stood up to contact Sugita. But right at that moment, his body began to fail him as he crumpled back onto the floor. Yusuke supported his fall without a moment’s delay.

“It’s okay, Ichijou-san. That’s all been taken care of already.”

“!? What…!?”

“I came back here in order to deal with that, after all.”

“Is that...true?”

“100% true.”

The case was resolved while I was sleeping!?

That can’t be…

Ichijou should have felt glad that it was resolved, but inside he felt panicked.

...I can’t believe I made G.o.dai fight again…

“I’ve made a horrible blunder…”

“It’s not that big of a deal, really.”

Yusuke spoke with his cla.s.sic playful tone. It definitely is a big deal. Ichijou tried to retort with those words, but they would not come out. His body began to feel heavier and heavier.

“G.o.dai...I…”

Ichijou was unable to even bring his thoughts into words.

“It’s fine Ichijou, go ahead and rest on my shoulder, just like that one time…”

What are you talking about...are you really fine with this?
 

“Yes...as long as I can see your soundly sleeping face.”

Don’t screw around like that...that’s pretty much an insult towards me.

But Ichijou’s body no longer would listen to him. His body naturally fell towards Yusuke’s shoulder, and he once again fell back into slumber.

 

When Ichijou opened his eyes again, he felt an intense feeling that something was wrong.

He could see a brand new white ceiling.

And the noises and scents that reached him were completely different from before.

“Are you awake? Do you know what your name is?”

The nurse took his pulse with an experienced motion.

“Does it hurt anywhere?”

“How do you feel?”

Against the nurse’s rapid-fire questions, Ichijou replied in a daze. While doing so, he unconsciously began looking around the room. That smiling face was nowhere to be seen.

Was it...a dream?

If so, perhaps that white Kuuga was a dream as well.

As the doctors continued to examine Ichijou, they told him that it had been 2 days since the accident, and that he had been in a deep sleep ever since. They did not allow Ichijou to read the recent newspapers in fear of causing any unnecessary excitement, but they told him that according to the news channels on television, the circ.u.mstances surrounding the accident had began to calm down, so he was free to rest easy. Judging from their tone, Rin Togibe’s ident.i.ty as an Unidentified Lifeform had not been revealed yet.

There was no television within his hospital room, so he was unable to gain any information. His cell phone, along with his notebook, was stored in a safe next to him, but it was out of battery. Now that Ichijou had calmed down, he realized he had trouble telling the difference between what was reality and what was not. How he wanted things to be like and what he did not want things to be like began mixing together, causing Ichijou to struggle with coming to a conclusion.

 

Then, a knock could be heard. Ichijou turned towards the direction of the sound instinctively.

But, it was Mika who entered the room.

It was then that Ichijou finally got a grasp on what was reality.

“How are you feeling?”

As she softly asked Ichijou, he felt relieved to see her smile.

“I’m fine. I’m glad to see you’re doing just fine as well.”

“Yes…”

She spoke with an apologetic tone with her head down.

“For me to get involved with such a major accident and come out with just a few scratches…”

She appeared to have wanted to say something, but cut herself off. There was a suddenly an awkward silence between them, so Ichijou went ahead and changed the subject.

“Well, for now, how about you tell me about the damages? What happened with Rin Togibe?”

“The collapse of the stands only occurred within a local area, so fortunately, there weren’t many injuries among the staff. It was well worth it to keep the fans out up to the very last second, seeing how there were practically no direct victims among them. There has been a lot of commotion caused by the accident, with many fans expressing their concern over Rin Togibe’s well being, but there are about 32 people injured in total. Several of them are being hospitalized in this hospital as well. However, the manager Ogawa-san’s corpse was discovered beneath the rubble. Cause of death was the same anaphylactic shock seen in the Aichi incidents.”

“She was only using her...and most likely planned to have her killed first thing that day if she ever proved to be a nuisance. That probably goes for the rest of the staff as well. Ogawa-san stood up against her only to end up getting killed…”

“She probably was expecting that in one way or the other. But, it’s likely that she cornered herself into that position because she had no other choice, don’t you think?”

“Eh?”

Ichijou was unable to immediately catch on to what Mika was trying to say as she dropped her gaze.

“Oh, no, nevermind, shall I continue my report?”

“...Go ahead.”

“I’ve doc.u.mented and submitted my report with Rin Togibe being identified as Unidentified Lifeform No. 48.”

“No. 48, huh…”

Rin Togibe finally got a number a.s.signed to her as an Unidentified Lifeform. But Ichijou did not feel any sense of accomplishment by that news. In fact, all Ichijou could feel was defeat.

“In conclusion, we’ve confirmed the death of Unidentified Lifeform No. 48.”

Mika grew silent, and then displayed an expression of hesitance before finally lifting her face and continuing.

“The one who defeated it was...No. 2.”

For an instance, Ichijou felt as if his heart was ripped out of his body. Even though he had mentally prepared himself for this.

“...So, it really wasn’t a dream…”

No. 2...the white Kuuga, was definitely there, within grasp.

“Ichijou-san...just how much did you manage to see?”

“After I heard that you were a state of danger, I rushed into the dome… Once the stand began crumbling, I entered through the staff-use corridor. The electricity had been cut off so it was completely pitch black, and then I suddenly was surrounded by light… That was probably when I got struck on the head by a piece of the ceiling. It was then that I caught a glimpse of the white Kuuga fighting with another silhouette...no, to be more accurate, that was what I thought I caught a glimpse of. But after hearing your report, I’m sure of it now.”

Mika listened quietly. He wore a heavy expression. After hesitating for a while, Ichijou finally spoke the name he had yet to speak for all this time.

“You were...saved by G.o.dai, am I right?”

Mika then immediately lifted her head and looked at Ichijou with wide open eyes, before hanging her head down in shame. Ichijou could tell that she felt guilty for not having any information that he wanted to hear.

 

The hospital’s cafeteria grew quiet as non-hospitalized patient hours ended. Ichijou moved to a different area just for a fresh change of pace. Mika was concerned that Ichijou ended up sleeping for a whole 2 days after the accident, and asked for Ichijou not to do anything reckless. But Ichijou was insistent on not resting until he confirmed that there were no irregularities within the investigation. He also got caught by a nurse, who told him that he needed to go back and rest more, but he resisted her instructions as well. As always, Ichijou displayed an extraordinary rate of recovery.

When Ichijou decided to purchase some coffee from the vending machine, Mika insisted that he at least go with caffeine-free, eventually somehow managing to convince him to do so. Ichijou felt a bit unsatisfied because he was always used to clearing his head with strong coffee, but in either case, he spoke to Mika in a reserved manner.

“So...how was he?”

“Hmm...honestly speaking, I didn’t really get a good look at him…”

That isn’t too surprising, thought Ichijou. She was faced with a crisis involving No. 48, and then that man suddenly appeared and rescued her. It was perfectly understandable that she did not have a clear grasp of the situation.

“At that moment, the grip on my body was undone, and I remember that No. 48 screamed out something… She was looked quite shocked over the appearance of the white Kuuga. But she soon struck out to attack…”

Mika most likely rolled towards a safe place to protect herself from danger.

“Were you watching their fight the whole time?”

“Yes, I was… It’s a miracle that I didn’t get hit by the collapsing surrounding.”

“Just what exactly happened? What caused the collapse?”

“When she wrapped her long feelers around the white Kuuga, a few of them also struck through the ceiling. The very next moment, an incredible burst of light and sound was let out. Next thing I knew, the ceiling had collapsed. This is just my guess, but it’s likely that No. 48 launched out some kind of PAB from her feelers that destroyed the cement and bedrock.”

PAB refers to Plasma Acoustic Blast. It is a technique that involves utilizing the shockwaves let out from plasma to shatter stone or any other similar material. First, a hole is opened up within whatever is needed to be destroyed, which is filled with water and injected with electrodes. Then, the plasma formed from the intense electrical discharge quickly expands into a shockwave. The shockwave then spreads throughout the concrete and crumbles it apart.

“It’s likely that No. 48 was trying to move the battle to outside the building. Or perhaps she was trying to lead it to the water tank… In either case, her actions actually ended up costing her life.”

“What do you mean?”

“The damage she caused to the ceiling was stronger than intended, and she was struck by a large piece of it. If it weren’t for the severe damage caused by that, No. 2 may not have been able to win that battle.”

“Was he...white the whole time?”

“He was white until the very end.”

“He didn’t turn red? Or purple, blue, or green…?”

“...I don’t think he did.”

“...!”

Mika looked down in silence. Ichijou understood what that meant. Talking any further about it was hard on her. Kuuga was unable to turn red… The exact reason why was unclear, but G.o.dai should have been able to freely change forms if he was in a stable state of mind and body. Mika must have realized this as well.

“I finally understand what you meant by what you said before…”

“Eh…?”

“When you said...that you didn’t want G.o.dai-san to fight any longer…”

“...Right…”

“I didn’t expect him to have so much trouble fighting against No. 48…”

At this point, Mika appeared to be murmuring her own feelings rather than detailing Ichijou on what happened.

“I made a mistake… I always judged everything over his human form, so I never really thought it was that big of a deal. But, in reality…”

“...I see.”

“Over and over again he threw out his punches...but they didn’t do a thing...those dull, damp sounds kept ringing out again and again…”

Ichijou unconsciously closed his eyes. Memories of those sounds from years ago resurfaced vividly. Just what kind of feelings did Kuuga...G.o.dai have when he threw out those punches.

“Half of the ceiling came down...No. 48 took heavy damage...which allowed No. 2 to finally utilize his finis.h.i.+ng kick...and then...No. 48 exploded...and at the same time, it returned to the form of Rin Togibe...and…”

For a moment she grew silent, and her face grimaced slightly. But as if squeezing out the rest of her words from within herself, she continued.

“Right in front of me...laid just her head…”

“...!”

Mika was shaking. She was desperately trying not to lose control of herself. And then she continued, murmuring.

“...What is this feeling? It’s not fear...it’s not grief...it feels horrible...like panic in realizing I’ve done something I can never undo… Even though before that, I had hated her with all my guts...but after seeing what was alive just a moment ago lose its life...I couldn’t bear it…”

Once again her words cut off, and tears began overflowing down her face.

“G.o.dai-san has been fighting all this time...with that kind of conflict…”

Ichijou stayed silent and watched over her. Mika kept wiping her tears away with “I’m sorry”, but they would not stop.

Mika then grasped her shaking right first with her left hand.

“Thank you…”

That short expression of grat.i.tude Ichijou spoke to Mika surprised even Ichijou himself.

“Huh…?”

Against Mika who lifted her wet face towards him, Ichijou replied while faltering.

“...Sorry...that was a bit out of nowhere.”

“.......”

“I guess it’s kind of strange for me to be thanking you…”

“No, not at all…”

Without the need for any further words to be spoken, Mika fully understood Ichijou’s feelings.

“I apologize for crying like this all of a sudden…”

Wiping her face, Mika freely expressed her concerns towards Ichijou.

“...Ichijou-san, do you think this is the end of the Unidentified Lifeforms?”

“What do you think, Natsume-kun?”

“I want to believe that it’s over, but somehow I feel like this can’t be the end…”

“I feel the same. ...If that truly is the case, then we’ll have to strengthen the organization for the Investigation Headquarters.”

“I agree… If a new Unidentified Lifeform were to appear, the police force will need to be able to counter it to the best of its abilities. Otherwise…”

Looking at Mika who was hanging her head, Ichijou thought of G.o.dai.

13 years ago, G.o.dai cooperated with the police force while constantly paying attention to his surroundings. He would often charge in out of his own accord, but even then, he always performed his actions while keeping the Investigation Headquarters’ opinions in consideration. Despite that, why did G.o.dai continue to hide himself from everyone? Those thoughts continued to repeat themselves within Ichijou’s head.

G.o.dai was fighting as the white Kuuga, just like the time he fell into a state of apparent death after fighting No. 26. For a while, he had been struggling.

The words G.o.dai spoke to Ichijou before his fight with No. 0 suddenly came into memory.

“I don’t have any basis for this, the idea just came up in my head but, I was thinking that once I cleanse my heart with the sacred well, the Amadam might just disappear.”

It was possible that that was exactly what was happening to G.o.dai, and it was why he was only able to become the white Kuuga.

Unease began forming in Ichijou’s chest.

Perhaps even though G.o.dai had been in the process of regaining his original body, he was forced to change form again. Of course, this was only speculation on Ichijou’s part, but regardless…

“I think you’ll understand after looking over the report, but…”

Mika cut off Ichijou’s looping thoughts.

“I’ve asked the jurisdiction to transfer over to us any of Rin Togibe’s belongings from her agency and living quarters. I’ve also requested for Tsubaki-san to be in charge for the official autopsy. It won’t be long until Rin Togibe is officially recognized as an Unidentified Lifeform.”

“I see. Then I’ll look over the report carefully and submit it to headquarters after making sure all the information is in place.”

“Eh!? You’re planning on returning tomorrow?”

“Of course. I’m feeling just fine, there’s nothing wrong with me anymore.”

“Are you being serious? That’s just way too…”
 

Mika was about to tell him it was too reckless, but soon gave up. She intuitively recognized that once he decided on something, there was nothing that could stop him.

 

As Ichijou made his way back to his hospital room, he saw a group of men in suits walk out of another room. As he walked past their backs as they bowed their heads in courtesy to the admitted patient, a voice saying “Ichijou-san?” came out from one of them. Turning around, Ichijou found himself looking at a familiar man.

“I knew it was you, you’re Ichijou-san from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department! It’s been so long, I’m Gouhara.”

Walking up to Ichijou wearing a dazzling smile was the young deputy Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, Tadayuki Gouhara.

“Gouhara-san! It really has been quite a while!”

“I suspected that you might have been admitted here after catching your name on the registry, but...I hope that you’ll feel better soon.”

“Oh, no, please don’t worry about me, I’m doing just fine. May I ask what brings you here today?”

“Well, considering the large number of casualties, being the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transportation, I consigned to the Organization Construction a.s.sociation and established the Accident Investigation Team. I thought to proceed with the investigation as soon as possible, starting with greeting anyone who was involved in the accident. I never would have thought to end up running into you here, though.”

36-years old with the qualities of a leader, coupled with his graceful facial features, he was often referred to as the prince of the political world, attracting crowds of supporters during his public speeches. His popularity had a large effect in increasing his affiliated party’s political power, with it even reclaiming the seat of the ruling party at one point. His speeches, mixed with his humorous touch, was well respected among the ma.s.ses. Praises towards him included comments such as “A politician that thinks of the citizens” and “The number 1 politician to entrust our future to”. His popularity rose at an incredible rate, with him now sitting in the seat of Deputy Minister.

Gouhara was very close with human rights lawyers, and he was also the one that put effort into revising the laws regarding the Unidentified Lifeforms 5 years ago. Even in present time, Gouhara managed to use his sharp tongue in his speeches to avoid controversialists and succeeded in reintroducing the attention needed towards the Unidentified Lifeform incidents. What defines what makes a human a human? What determines whether someone’s human rights should be defended or not? Rather than just focusing on the already accepted findings of what the Unidentified Lifeforms were, he also moved on to discussing on how society itself can avoid becoming the Grongi. Now that similar incidents were occurring once again, he made an effort in addressing any mental stress that could have afflicted the police force, including his numerous visits to Ichijou, in which he would often end up pa.s.sionately talking about j.a.pan’s future.

At this time, Ichijou emphasized the unique traits of the Unidentified Lifeforms, suggesting that they were a national threat and that the police force alone did not hold the ability to deal with them. In other words, he was claiming that there was a need to consider the deployment of the JSDF for the sake of maintaining peace. Regardless of the Unidentified Lifeforms now being treated as fellow human beings, if they were recognized as a foreign terrorist threat, then countermeasures such as the use of heavy weapons would become much more flexible. Despite Ichijou speaking as someone who experienced the Unidentified Lifeforms firsthand, his reasonings for deploying the JSDF were very conservative, and it was his honest opinion that his conclusions were within line. As a result, he felt a bit vexed by the recent pressure and resistance put on his investigations as of late.

“Well, take care of yourself. Regardless of the circ.u.mstances, I’m glad we got a chance to meet again. Hopefully next time it’ll be at a more pleasant location.”

Right after he was about to head off after bowing to Ichijou, he stopped with a “Oh, almost forgot,” as he turned around and spoke pointing to the vending machine next to him.

“This one’s pretty good. Have you tried it already?”

Plastered on the vending machine was an advertis.e.m.e.nt depicting a popular soccer player holding a bottle of Lionel with a refres.h.i.+ng smile on his face.

“Lionel…”

“‘It’ll put a smile on anybody! Sheeeeen! Lionel!’, you know? Haha.”

Gouhara playfully imitated the commercial that aired on television everyday. The “Sheeeeen!” was an attempt at the sound effect that played when the soccer player flashed his white teeth. For him to pull such silly antics despite his image as the respectable handsome politician, it was no wonder that he was popular among the ma.s.ses.

“So these vending machines are even in hospitals. I actually drink this everyday.”

“I see… I suppose I might give it a try some time too, then.”

Ichijou spoke those words as an intended social etiquette. He did not say “I will try it” because that would not be the truth. Gouhara picked up on this, and bowed once again before heading off, never failing to keep that smile on his face to the very end.

“Even a politician like him drinks this stuff, huh?”

Mika mumbled as after they watched Gouhara and his a.s.sociates walk away. Lionel was an “organic supplement that anybody from a baby to the elderly could enjoy!”. Having an addicting flavor, the drink was known to have its active ingredients kick in right after drinking it, raising your spirits immediately. It was a popular product that had consumers keep coming back for more. Besides the “Lionel E” that populated convenience stores and vending machines, there was also the “Lionel Z”, which had an increased amount of active ingredients. It was not available in the hospital, seeing as that it focused on selling medicinal goods, but supposedly it was available on the net.

“For some reason I’m always late on things like this. It might be something I got off of my father.”

“Your father?”

“Yes. He surprisingly had a really ‘grandma’s pearls of wisdom’ kind of viewpoint things, leading him to be stubborn on things like putting dried plums on your cheeks when your teeth hurt, or refusing to drink any medicine when you catch a cold and instead sweat it out. Stuff like that.”

“I see. In my case, my mother was a nurse, so she would tell me things like “You shouldn’t drink so much of those carbonated drinks because off all the food coloring in them”, and I suppose that eventually led me to being late with the times too.”

After having a small laugh together, Ichijou returned to a serious expression as he murmured.

“Although, it bothers me a bit that the MLTP has been moving forward so quickly....”

“You have a point. If he looked at our report, he would be able to see that the Accident Investigation Team prospect wouldn’t even be necessary.”

In order to blow away any doubts that began to float up, Ichijou immediately contacted Sugita to inform him of his return, and proceeded to complete the discharge procedures. He wanted to get back to their investigation headquarters and evaluate the situation as soon as possible. The CT scans he received back when the ambulance picked him up failed to reveal any major issues, so the doctors had little reason to hold him back from leaving. Mika, on the other hand, was much more worried, telling him things like: “I’ll go ask about the investigation, you really should rest for at least another night…”. But Ichijou refused to lend her his ears and set out into the city of dusk, setting straight towards the former Investigation Headquarters.

By the time Ichijou and Mika arrived at the Tokyo Police Department, the sun had already set. The 4th Office of the former Investigation Headquarters was completely silent without a person in sight. Perhaps they were all called to a.s.sist the other departments. Sugita was nowhere to be seen, and seeing as he had not contacted Mika at all either, Ichijou felt a bit concerned. However, he was more focused on sorting out his information and planning on what to do next.

However, Mika, who was one step ahead of Ichijou, opened the door and was for an instance paralyzed by a sense of unease. As she turned on the lights, she unconsciously let out a “No way…!?”.

The piles of cardboard boxes filled with doc.u.ments, the countless investigation reports on the desk, not a trace of any of those remained. The room had returned to its initial state, with no equipment installed whatsoever, into just another tiny meeting room.

“...!? Just what is going on here!?”

As she dumbfoundedly approached the table, suddenly a voice came out from below.

“You got some pretty boring underwear on today, huh?”

“What…!? Oh...Sugita-san!?”

Sugita was sprawled out under the table with his arms and legs spread out.

“Just what are you doing there!? Also that was pretty much s.e.xual hara.s.sment!”

“Sorry...I was originally sleeping on top of the table, though.”

Sugita sluggishly crept out from under the table and picked himself up with apparent exhaustion, proceeding to sit right back on top of the table.

“The sun set, so I thought that maybe I should turn the lights on, but after I got off the table, I wondered if there was really a need for that, so I just went ahead and slept on the floor.”

“...!?”

In place of the bewildered Mika, Ichijou posed a question.

“What happened? When I was talking to you on the phone earlier, I didn’t notice anything wrong going on…”

“It was right after that. These guys claiming to be from the CIRO came in and demanded me to hand over all our doc.u.ments.”

“The CIRO…!? But why would the CIRO do that…?”

CIRO referred to the Cabinet of Intelligence and Research Office. An international organization with ties to the USA’s CIA, they shouldered the core of the country’s information.

“There’s no ‘why’ about it. Using their words,‘With the death of No. 0, it was officially announced to the public that the Unidentified Lifeforms have been exterminated. Even if news that No. 48 showed up were to be distributed as some kind of prank, it would only cause a ma.s.s panic, so you are to disband and halt any further investigation on this matter.’”

“No…!”

It was Mika who let out a cry of unacceptance.

“Did they ignore my report as well? The possible need to compare the fragments of No. 48’s soul stone with what we have so far, or the possibility of other players in their game, I had all of that written down!”

“Natsume-kun gave specific directions to the jurisdiction, requesting that the corpse be sent to Tsubaki, have you heard anything about that yet?”

“The corpse wasn’t handed over...they didn’t even bother contacting Dr. Tsubaki. In fact, they made it so our instructions were to burn the body.”

“What!?”

It was no surprise that Mika was in shock, given that she was the one to make adjustments to the jurisdiction. Apparently, during the middle of the corpse’s transport to the Kanto Medical University, they were contacted by a crime lab vehicle and was ordered to burn the corpse immediately, and the corpse was then sent to a cremation facility. Someone had claimed themselves to be a representative of the investigation team and requested that the corpse be burned due to a fear of a highly contagious poison being released.

“...And that was the CIRO’s doing as well…?”

Sugita did not deny Ichijou’s suspicion.

“It’s possible that it was CIRO who carried out all of this, but the question is, who ordered them to do so? Generally speaking, they wouldn’t go to such lengths without first being requested by the Cabinet itself, but the higher-ups won’t tell me a thing.”

“...Just what should we do now? If another Unidentified Lifeform was to show up…”

“That’s not like you, Natsume. I didn’t take you to be so faint-hearted.”

“But...even you were sleeping under the table earlier!”

“You idiot. It’s not like I took a nap out of faint-heartedness. I was thinking about what to do next, as the director of investigation team.”

“Then, you’re not going to disband…?”

“Of course not.”

“Thank goodness…”

Seeing that Mika was relieved, Sugita continued.

“We still haven’t even met up with No. 2....G.o.dai-kun.”

“Ah…”

“I don’t have any proof, but I have a feeling that the reason why he hasn’t contacted anyone yet, not even Ichijou, is because that everything isn’t over yet.”

Ichijou, who had been thinking to himself the whole time, opened his mouth.

“That is a possibility...but…”

“Hmm?”

“It’s also possible that G.o.dai has already planned to never see us ever again.”

“Huh!? Why’s that!?”

“You could say that...he’s doing all he can to fight with the appearance of Kuuga.”

“I can’t say I agree with that opinion...you know why?”

“...No.”

“Idiot, it’s because I want to see him again! That’s why you gotta believe too. Believe that you’ll meet not Kuuga, but G.o.dai-kun again.”

“...You’re right.”

Mika was silent throughout this, her eyes cast down. It was likely because she realized that she could not comprehend the deep bond Ichijou had with Yusuke. Ichijou then cut her thinking short with a “Let’s return to the main discussion.”

“If we consider how fast the incidents with Nakata and Rin Togibe were wrapped up, along with the orders to disband our investigation team...we can a.s.sume that they’re pretty deeply involved.”

“Well, as long as the gag order is in effect, there’s no use talking about it right now. It might be a ha.s.sle for us, but we’ll just have to do our best to continue without catching the eyes of the higher-ups.”

“Right...either way, the main problem to focus on right now is whether or not the games ended with Unidentified Lifeform No. 48’s antics. Until we can confirm that, we cannot afford to disband. Let’s just keep moving forward.”

Sugita let out an audible agreement as he deeply nodded his head and slapped his skinhead.

“...So, how exactly are we going to do this?”

“I’ve been thinking about it while I was returning from the hospital, but generally speaking, we’ve seen signs that the Unidentified Lifeforms usually gather up in one place to determine the conditions for the next game.”

“Right. Like splattering blood on mannequins or creating extremely disturbing nests.”

“However, this time, both Nakata and Rin Togibe acclimated to human society over the span of several years and slowly carried out their games. In that case, I doubt they organized any kind of hideout.”

“It would be pretty suspicious if some old man from a bulb company was meeting up with a teen idol.”

“Even so, as long as ma.s.s slaughter was the objective of their game, we should a.s.sume that as fellow players, they would at least attempt to understand each other’s situation…or perhaps you could say they would be showing off their accomplishments to each other.”

“In order to do something like that without raising suspicion...they would use e-mail, maybe?”

“LINE could be a possibility too.”

Mika, who had been silent for a while, suddenly joined in.

“The heck’s that?”

“Well...it’s kind of like e-mail in a sense. Google it if you want more details.”

“Fine, well in any case, start investigating in that area tomorrow. It doesn’t look like our communication disclosure warrant will be letting up anytime soon, so it’ll be a bit of a ha.s.sle. I’ll be setting things up under the radar. Specifically...contacting Sakurai and the rest of them team from 13 years ago and seeing  if I can get them to help us at all. At this point, we’re pretty much like those spies from ‘Oedo Sosamo’. Although, in reality, I can’t honestly expect anyone to willingly comply with the whole ‘There’ll be no one to pick up your corpse’ thing.”

The next day, Ichijou and Mika headed for Rin Togibe’s personal apartment. Naturally, all doc.u.ments, photos, and artifacts regarding her person had been removed under the CIRO’s jurisdiction. Because of this, there were no clues left for them to investigate. However, Mika had managed to make a deal with a certain detective, obtaining information off the record stating that the only thing peculiarly missing was Rin Togibe’s smartphone from her bag in her dressing room. There was also a claim by a certain member of her agency stating that he had witnessed Rin’s mother leaving the apartment with an absent-minded demeanor. The CIRO has yet to hear about this claim as well. These events garnered a considerable amount of interest from the Tokorozawa Police Department, causing Sugita and the rest to gain newfound support.

Rin Togibe’s apartment stood in the city’s prime residential district. People have said that the top floor was like a present to her hard-working mother, with it appearing to hide the sky as it stretched up so high. The two apparently got along exceptionally well, resembling a pair of sisters.

The two of them were frequently witnessed together within the nearby restaurants and shopping malls. They apparently often hid their faces with hats and sungla.s.ses and such, but even when people realized who they were, they were always treated respectfully.

“Even when she tries to hide it, you can tell she’s Rin-chan right away. It’s kind of like there’s a different aura about her. She always responded with a smile to any fans who requested autographs from her. Our staff’s interactions with her have always been pretty relaxed as well.”

The staff of the nearby stores and restaurants that had her autographs and pictures decorating their walls all had the same thing to say about her. No. 48 had perfectly fit into the role of Rin Togibe. And now that this Rin has disappeared, her mother has been left alone in that grandiose apartment.

As they entered the gla.s.s covered entrance, they were greeted with a brilliant display of flower arrangements that stretched from the center of the hall to the second floor, exuding both a high cla.s.s scent and presence. They then headed towards the auto-lock gates that lead to the twin tower’s entrance and called Rin Togibe’s room number over the interphone, only to receive no response. They next questioned the clerk at the concierge counter and showed her their police badges, but she replied with prevarication, saying: “I’m afraid I’m not privy to that information.” With no other options, they set foot outside and caught sight of a man handling the gardening, and finally got some clues on the mother’s whereabouts.

“She left the premise with flowers in hand, so I’d probably guess she headed to the grave.”

“The grave? One’s been made already…?”

“I don’t know all the details but, she said that she might not come back to the apartment for a while…”

While he was talking, the man brought out a photo of him and Rin together. She had a kind expression on her face, and her signature was on it as well.

“She really was a great girl. Everyday she would leave with a ‘I’m off!’ and come back with a “I’m back, everyone!’ with that energetic voice of hers. I often considered her to be like a grandchild of mine, but...it really is such a shame… Her mother is just wasting away, but I don’t blame her… She was only 16 years old, you know!? I would be completely willing to bear her mother’s pain if I could.”

The man in charge of the gardening lightly dabbed his eyes with the towel hanging around his neck. Seeing someone shed tears for Rin was enough to give doubts to Ichijou and Mika over whether or not they should reveal the truth about her ident.i.ty in the future. Rin smiled indiscriminately to the people of her city, despite having interacted with only a miniscule percent of the population. But the real Rin had betrayed those good-willed people, and there was no doubt that she was antic.i.p.ating their shock from the bottom the bottom of her heart. After all, she was about to murder tens of thousands of those fans who adored her so much.

The words “she really was a great girl” that everyone was singing out felt as if they were stabbing the hearts of Ichijou and Mika. After hearing that Rin was buried on top of a hill in the middle of the city, the two went on their way. On the way, Ichijou called out “Natsume-kun” to Mika who was walking in front of him.

“Yes?”

“...Are you alright?”

“Eh? Alright about what?”

“...It’s just that, you seem to be a bit down.”

“That’s not true at all.”

“I see…”

“...Although that might as well be a lie.”

“Hmm....?”

“These last couple days have really hit me…”

“It’s only natural.”

“But…getting depressed over it won’t do any good, so I’ve been doing my best to be cheerful.”

“...I see...but don’t overdo it.”

“Coming from you, that isn’t very convincing.”

Mika’s lips faintly sharpened as she made a sad smile.

“You have a point, but as your superior, let me put myself aside and tell you this. Don’t overdo it, if things get tough for you, don’t be afraid to let me know. I’ll do my best to accommodate for you.”

“Thank you. Then, when I just can’t handle it anymore, I’m going to depend on you for everything, so be prepared for that.”

“Got it.”

Ichijou recognized Mika as an exceptional irreplaceable subordinate. That was exactly why he spoke those words to her. However, it did not result in him taking on all the feelings that laid deep within her eyes. Ichijou was no G.o.dly being, so he had no way of knowing this would later cause him suffering.

 

As they pa.s.sed through an arched entrance and proceeded along a small stone paved road, they came across a western-style graveyard surrounded by seasonal flowers. Countless stylish gravestones scattered out as far as they could see, with numerous crosses and angel statues among them. The scenery was contrary to the typical graveyard aesthetic, holding a beauty that felt befitting for the idol Rin Togibe.

Embedded in the center of her gravestone was a stained gla.s.s design of a lily-of-the-valley, and engraved below it was her real name, Yamano. Manami Yamano, pa.s.sed away at age 17. If she was an actual girl, her death would have been considered to be tragically premature. One would expect there to be stone statues designed after her songs decorated around her grave. Self-portraits and signatures such as “Thank you, Master!” were etched in the gravestone like graffiti. Many fans had also come to offer flowers in tribute. If Rin Togibe continued to be treated like a human girl like this, her existence as one would be solidified in history. Engraved on the epitaph was the following:

RIN TOGIBE  1997 - 2013

Rintogibe… “Linto Gibe”... Fans would continue to flock to this gravestone and offer flowers in mourning without ever knowing that her name held the meaning “Die, humans”. Ichijou and Mika could not help but feel dreary over that revelation. In order to prevent that, they needed to expose the return of the Unidentified Lifeforms to the public as soon as possible.

A large flower bouquet laid in front of the gravestone, but the mother was nowhere to be seen.

“We were just a second too late…”

After Ichijou murmured those words, he and Mika immediately took leave of the area. They needed to get hold of Rin’s mother’s next destination.

But right at that moment, a sudden gust of wind surrounded them with the stifling scent of roses. For a moment, a s.h.i.+ver ran across Ichijou’s entire body. Turning around, he came face to face with the woman that he could not forget no matter how hard he would try.

Wrapped in a white suit with her long hair even longer than ever, her appearance was almost unbelievably unchanged from all those years ago. Her n.o.ble yet entrancing facial features grew even more defined as time had pa.s.sed, and the white rose tattoo on her forehead shone with a chilling gleam.

“...So you really were still alive…!”

Mika then murmured instinctively to Ichijou’s words.

“...No. B-1…!?”

13 years ago, Ichijou had fired several nerve-breaking bullets into her chest. It was right before G.o.dai was about to head for the final battle with No. 0. However, she had a faint smile on her face and murmured in her language before falling beneath the water’s surface. They were words that Ichijou had never heard of, and he had questioned the meaning behind them within his heart countless times, despite him knowing that he would never find the answer. But there was one concern that always stirred in the back of his head. Concern over whether that fearless smile she left him held the meaning of something like “I will never die”, or “The game is not over yet”. And that concern turned out to have merit.

No. B-1 just watched Ichijou in silence, as if she was fondly reminiscing on the past. Ichijou then interrupted by holding his gun out towards her. Mika followed with the same motion. No. B-1 then let out a hearty laugh in response.

Ichijou resisted the urge to pull the trigger and questioned her.

“...Why have you come here!?”

No. B-1 did not respond, and proceeded to turn her palm to the Yamano gravestone. Her arm then instantly morphed into tentacles of vegetation that violently wrapped around the gravestone and crushed it into pieces.

Before Ichijou and Mika even had the time to consider firing their guns, No. B-1’s hand had already returned to its usual state.

The bouquet the mother had offered was blown away, its petals slowly making their way all over the premise as No. B-1 turned around without saying a word. A gunshot then immediately rang out. The one who shot in retaliation at her feet was Mika. As No. B-1 stopped in her tracks, Mika questioned her in a low, threatening voice.

“Answer the question… If you don’t answer, then…”

As Mika was about to reload her gun, Ichijou stopped her and once again questioned No. B-1.

“...Why have you come here?”
 

No. B-1 then slowly turned to face them once more, with a condescending look that appeared to be ridiculing them for not knowing the answer to that question.

“For the Grongi, being buried by the Linto is the greatest insult… Protecting the pride of my people is part of my duty.”

“...But, aren’t you the one who murdered Nakata!?”

No. B-1’s expression remained as cold as ever as she replied.

“Zarubo broke the rules of the Gegeru by seeking a.s.sistance from another player. It’s but to be expected to take the stone back from those who have forgotten their pride, along with nullifying their position.”

“More importantly…”

Mika spoke while reloading her Python.

“There really is a second set of ruins, isn’t there? And you’re the one who opened it!”

“Second…? That’s where that disgrace came from.”

With just that remark, Ichijou and Mika were able to approximately grasp the situation. Within the newly discovered ruins laid Unidentified Lifeforms that were sealed even before the ones that appeared 13 years ago. No. B-1 undid that seal, reviving numerous Grongi and allowing them to a.s.similate into human society. Among them was the Nakaken Valve President Nakata and Rin Togibe.

“Those ruins would have been opened by the hands of the Linto sooner or later. I just did it a bit early.”

“...And how many more are there!? Who are the other players!?”

“Relying on your enemy for that information? Your incompetence is clear as day.”

Suddenly, Mika let out another shot from her Python. Ichijou almost doubted his eyes. The ever composed Mika had given into her rage and pulled the trigger for the second time. The nerve-breaking bullet flew straight towards No. B-1’s chest. At this rate, their desperately needed answers would have possibly remained a mystery and fall