INTERLUDE 01 THE RETRIEVER For what must have been the hundredth time today, Minoru heard a sigh from the small headset attached to his left ear. “Ugh…why are we stuck coming to a place like this when it’s almost New Year’s Eve?” Before he could respond, the voice spoke up again. “I still have to do my homework from winter break, and I haven’t even bought anything to cook for New Year’s yet.” Another sigh, then another complaint: “I haven’t even done a big end-of-the-year cleaning of my own room yet! So don’t you think it’s ridiculous for me to have to help someone else clean their home?” As this last complaint came in the form of a question, Minoru Utsugi was finally able to reply. “Erm… I don’t know if cleaning is the best word for the job we’re doing here…” The girl who was standing by his side, Yumiko Azu, aimed a kick at a piece of the rubble that was scattered at their feet. “We’re taking something dirty and making it clean again, right? What else would you call it?” “Technically, I guess you’re not wrong, but still…” Both of them looked up at once, gazing at the enormous structure that loomed some distance away. Rectangular in shape, it stood about fifty meters tall and thirty-five meters wide. There was not a single window anywhere on the ashen gray surface. At first glance, it seemed to be nothing more than smooth masses of concrete, but just looking at it with the naked eye brought on a feeling of suffocation. Why? Because it housed the nuclear reactor at the Tokyo Bay Nuclear Power Plant. And why was Minoru using a headset to communicate with Yumiko when she was right next to him? That would be because they were both wearing protective anti-radiation suits that were enclosed in sheets of tungsten. The Tokyo Bay Nuclear Power Plant was built on the reclaimed land of the coastal area Uchibo. Utilizing a third-generation boiling-water reactor, the latest model at the time, and located right next to the coastline, it was hoped that the plant could be used as an alternative to thermal power stations. However, eight years ago in the summer of 2011, the magnitude 7.8 “Uraga water supply earthquake” caused a serious incident to occur there. Flooding due to the land subsidence and tsunamis caused the nuclear reactor to lose power, and with the emergency reactor core cooling system not functioning, a meltdown occurred. Fortunately, the concrete structure did not sustain major damage, but the interior and the surrounding grounds were polluted by the radioactive material, and now in 2019 the nuclear decommissioning process was still barely making progress. Atomic fuel debris had most likely melted through the bottom of the containment vessel and fallen below, but more details about the situation would be needed before the deadlock could be broken. Therefore, the previous week, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and the Eastern Electric Power Company had deployed a new weapon: a completely autonomous probe robot able to operate without any human control through the use of both wired and wireless communication. Manufactured on an astronomical budget, the robot was able to arrive at the underside of the damaged containment vessel. However, the signal was somehow lost at that point, so the robot was unable to return. The only way to recover it would be to build a second robot; however, fearful that a similar incident would occur, the committee refused to approve the budget. And so the organization Minoru belonged to received an unusual, desperate, and highly confidential proposal from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. Of course, Minoru didn’t know the exact wording that had been used, but he could guess at the contents. Most likely, some bureaucrat or politician was trying to use the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare Industrial Safety and Health Department Specialized Forces Division as a pawn in a power struggle and had promised in some fancy restaurant near Akasaka that “my department’s SFD can definitely get the robot back for just one little favor!” Then, someone way up at the top of the ministry gave orders to Chief Himi, the head of the department; their commander, Professor Riri, reluctantly agreed; and now, on Saturday, December 28, 2019, here were Minoru and Yumiko paying a visit to the Tokyo Bay Nuclear Power Plant. “…Really, though, I thought I had prepared myself for wearing this thing, but it’s even worse than I thought!” Yumiko tugged at the gray material of the protective suit as she resumed her grumbling. “It’s so stiff and crinkly, it’s sweltering hot, the mask is way too tight, it stinks of rubber, and it’s just not cute at all!” Under his mask, Minoru couldn’t help but smile—in all her complaints, she had somehow left out the immense weight of the suits. Unlike regular anti-radiation clothing, which can block out only a lower level of radioactivity, these suits weighed about 150 pounds. The two were still able to move in them, since the Third Eye parasites raised their strength to several times that of an average human, but they could certainly still feel the extra weight… Compared to that, the suit’s stiffness or smell seemed like trivial concerns. Forgetting to complain about the biggest issue, despite finding fault with almost everything else, seemed to indicate that Yumiko, too, was feeling the gravity of their current mission. Eight years after the earthquake, the nuclear accident had become an ordinary fact of life, but it was still one of the most difficult ordeals this country had ever gone through. It could even rank on the same level as the bizarre calamity that had rained down from outer space, the Third Eye. “Hey, what are you smiling about?” Caught off guard by the question that suddenly rang out in his earpiece, Minoru hastily shook his head. “…I’m not smiling.” “Oh? Well, that’s fine, then… Still, they’re awfully late, aren’t they? We were told to wait here and they’d send a car to pick us up, but it’s been at least five minutes already!” “That’s true…” Once again, Minoru surveyed his surroundings through the lead glass of his goggles. The two of them stood at the front entrance of the anti-seismic building that served as the control room of the repair work. As it stood some distance away from the structure that housed the nuclear reactor, the radioactivity levels in the air were fairly low; the wrist communicator installed on the left side of the suit (which, despite the name, was essentially just a waterproof smartphone affixed to a wristband) displayed the microsievert levels every five minutes and at the moment read “no effect on health at present level.” The protective suit would absorb the majority of the radiation anyway, but still, it was difficult to feel at ease in such a place. “Um…I know I said this earlier, Yumiko, but it’s okay if you just want to wait here,” Minoru said as he lowered his left hand, knowing full well what her response would be. “Yeah, right! What would be the point of my coming in the first place, then?” “But I’m going to have to go into the building by myself in the end…” “Yeah, but we have no idea what it’s like in there! If anything happens to you, who do you think is going to have to save you?” She was right: The weight of both suits plus Minoru’s body weight added up to almost 204 kilograms, which only someone with a Third Eye like Yumiko’s could carry. Still, hearing her words, Minoru couldn’t help but feel like a princess whose knight was coming to her rescue. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Hey… Come on, I was just stating the facts.” Yumiko nudged Minoru as she spoke, the tungsten lining on her elbow digging into his right arm. It had been more than three weeks since Minoru had met Yumiko, but he still had no idea how to respond to her at times like these. Luckily, just as he was searching for the right words to say, the sound of an engine came roaring from the direction of the parking lot. “Oh, good, the car is finally…here…” Minoru trailed off as the car came into view. Instead of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare minivan that had brought them here from Tokyo, an enormous olive-green off-roader pulled up in front of them. “What is this…? The Self-Defense Forces?” Just as Yumiko muttered these words, the driver-side window rolled down to reveal a man whose clothing confirmed her speculation. He was wearing a suit and mask like the two of them, but he also wore a helmet, and most of his equipment was in a camouflage pattern, which in this country could only mean a member of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. The driver gave a crisp salute with his right hand, then used the same hand to motion her toward the back of the truck. Minoru and Yumiko exchanged glances before reluctantly complying, heading around the large HMV and opening the double doors on the back, then hoisting themselves inside. The interior of the HMV had benches lining either side, almost like a train car. As soon as the pair sat down, the diesel engine noisily roared into action, and they were on the move. Perhaps because they had been used by so many working vehicles in the past, the roads were full of cracks and holes, each one sending a jolt through the seats in the HMV as its tires rolled over the gaps. There was not a single bush or tree to be seen among the dreary mortar grounds of the power plant, and since it was nearly New Year’s, there were no workers around, either. Minoru had seen images of the contaminated water tanks lined up along the right side of the road, on TV and online, but in person their size was truly overwhelming. In this surreal landscape under the ashen winter sky, the HMV traveled slowly onward. Suddenly, a quiet electronic buzz sounded in Minoru’s headset. Looking at his wrist communicator, he saw a message requesting a new connection, so both he and Yumiko pressed the Yes button. Immediately, a voice just as noisy as the engine came blasting through the earpiece. “Sorry to keep you kids waiting! It took ages to get this thing on!” The speaker seemed to be the person in the passenger seat, not the driver. Since they were wearing camouflage from head to toe, it was impossible to see anyone’s face, but judging by the speaker’s physique and (more importantly) that voice, they were probably—no, definitely—a woman. Of course, there were plenty of female members of the Self-Defense Forces, but this one’s manner of speech seemed rather unbefitting of a soldier. As Minoru sat dumbfounded, Yumiko responded in a rather sharp voice, “We arrived right on schedule, so you should have had plenty of time to prepare… But more importantly, who are you people?” “Ah-ha-ha, yikes! You’re scarin’ me!” Pop. That was the sound of Yumiko’s anger meter going up a level. Minoru hurriedly cut into the pair’s conversation. “Erm… We’re from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare Industrial Safety and Health Department, Specialized Forces Division, code names Isolator and Accelerator. Would you mind telling us your affiliation?” “Ooh, you’re just as stuffy as the rumors said!” Minoru was beginning to get the sense that she was deliberately trying to annoy them, but he couldn’t think of any reason why a Self-Defense Forces member would want to do that. As he tilted his head in puzzlement underneath his protective suit, Yumiko half rose from the seat next to him. A short, sharp gasp came in through the headset, followed by an increasingly hard voice. “Don’t tell me… Are you people…red…?” “Huh…?” Stunned, Minoru stared back and forth between Yumiko and the Self-Defense Forces member in the passenger’s seat. The slang term red could refer to only one thing. When the spheres had come down from outer space and affixed themselves to people as “Third Eyes,” some of those life-forms were red, and they instilled in their human hosts an overwhelming urge to attack other humans. These violent individuals were known as “Ruby Eyes.” Minoru and Yumiko, on the other hand, were known as “Jet Eyes,” who were infected by black spheres and destined to do battle with the Ruby Eyes. Normally, the easiest way for them to detect a Ruby Eye was with their sense of smell. The violent, carnivorous Ruby Eyes had a distinctively strong and savage scent; it was strongest when they used their powers but would certainly be detectable if they were in the very same vehicle. Quickly, Minoru inhaled deeply through his nose, but all he could smell was the acrid stench of fresh rubber from his protective mask. Was the mask’s charcoal filter absorbing even the Ruby Eye scent, or was Yumiko just jumping to false conclusions? All at once, a childish giggle broke through the tension in the air. “You’re a sharp one, aren’t you, little Miss Accelerator?” Immediately, Yumiko started to unzip the front of her protective suit with her left hand and reached inside with her right. But before she could take anything out—Minoru was expecting a high-power Taser or an automatic pistol—another voice broke in. “We are members of the Japan Self-Defense Force Ground Staff Office Operational Support Intelligence Department Special Task Squad.” This speaker must be the driver who was grasping the large steering wheel. Without turning his head, he continued in a low, husky voice, “My name is Nishikida, and this is Kakinari. We may not have code names, but we are allies of the SFD.” Yumiko’s right hand stopped moving immediately, but she didn’t let go of whatever it was holding inside her suit as she responded tersely, “Allies…? What do you mean exactly?” “Heh, isn’t it obvious? This, of course!” Replying in an easy drawl, the passenger whose name was apparently Kakinari bent around her seat to face them and unzipped her suit as Yumiko had; however, instead of drawing something out, she pulled the front wide open with both hands. Underneath her suit she wore only a close-fitting olive-green tank top, revealing her considerable bust. Yumiko was speechless, and Minoru hastily moved to avert his eyes; however, when he noticed something shining out from her cleavage, his eyes widened. Right beneath the silver dog tag that hung from her neck, embedded in her slightly tanned skin, was a jet-black sphere. Bearing a strong resemblance to a living eye, it was unmistakably a black Third Eye, just like Yumiko and Minoru each had. “…Are you both…Jet Eyes…?” “Yup, you betcha!” With that casual confirmation, Kakinari languidly withdrew back to her seat. Slowly, Yumiko brought her empty right hand out of her suit and zipped it back up. As if he had been waiting for her to do so, Nishikida spoke up again. “You can call us the STS, since you two are from the SFD. We’ll be your escorts today, so I hope our short time together will be a pleasant one.” “Th…thank you, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” As he gave this reflexive response, Minoru was mentally repeating the organization name the man had given a short time ago. Japan Self-Defense Force, Ground Staff Office, Operational Support, Intelligence Department, Special Task Squad. An even longer name than the organization Minoru was affiliated with, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare Industrial Safety and Health Department, Specialized Forces Division. Did a longer name mean a more prestigious organization? Not necessarily, but the news that a group of Jet Eyes like the SFD existed within the Self-Defense Forces was still a significant shock to Minoru. Quietly, he leaned over toward his partner. “Um, Yu— I mean, Accelerator. Did you know about this? A group of Jet Eyes in the Self-Defense Forces…” After a moment’s pause, a bemused voice responded through the headset. “You know, Isolator, there’s not much point in whispering when we’re communicating via radio.” She was absolutely right, of course. Kakinari let out a little snort through the headset, and Yumiko huffed irritably, pressing a few buttons on her wrist communicator. There was another little buzz in Minoru’s ear, this one indicating that the previous communication channel had been temporarily disconnected. After a moment, Yumiko’s voice came through, more serious than before. “I’ve heard rumors about it, yes. People said that there was another team in the government like ours, anyway… But I didn’t know it was in the Self-Defense Forces.” “…Then…do you think the Special Task Squad is made up of only Self-Defense Forces personnel who were infected by black Third Eyes…?” “I wonder about that. There may be over 250,000 people in the Self-Defense Forces, but that’s still much less than even the population of Shinjuku alone. Considering that we scraped up only eight SFD members from the Tokyo metropolitan area, I doubt there would be enough Third Eye hosts in the Self-Defense Forces to put together a functional team. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of their members were recruited from outside the organization, just like us.” “I see…” If most of the STS’s members had been recruited like Minoru, it would certainly explain Kakinari’s laid-back personality. Nonetheless, he found it reassuring to think they’d have battle-trained professionals from the Self-Defense Forces fighting alongside. As he reached this conclusion, Minoru abruptly realized the meaning of a phrase Nishikida had used some time before. Hurriedly restoring the communication channel, he impulsively posed a question. “Um, excuse me, Mr. Nishikida… You said you would be our ‘escorts’ today, right? Does that mean Ruby Eyes might try to interfere with our mission?” “We haven’t received any concrete information to indicate that. This is simply part of our duties here,” Nishikida responded, his tone much stiffer than Kakinari’s. “The Tokyo Bay Nuclear Power Plant is an obvious target for the Ruby Eyes who want to wage war on humanity, so it is closely guarded by the STS. If they were to destroy the containment building before the nuclear-decommissioning process is complete, all of Tokyo could be contaminated with radioactive materials, and we would effectively lose our capital city… We cannot allow any such attempts.” Nishikida’s words held such firm resolve that Minoru felt himself automatically thinking, No, never! in response. The two Ruby Eyes he had fought, Biter and Igniter, had both been driven by personal motives, using the powers given to them by their Third Eyes to kill for pleasure. If they had turned their abilities on the nuclear power plant, they could have thrown Tokyo—no, all of Japan—into chaos, but their own everyday lives would be ruined as well. Surely they wouldn’t go that far… But before he could voice his thoughts, Yumiko cut in with another huff. “Those are fine words, Mr. Nishikida, but I can see right through them to your real objective.” “And what would that be, Miss Accelerator?” “I’m sure that part of your duties today includes spying on us, right?” “…!” This thought hadn’t occurred to Minoru, and he listened for Nishikida’s response with bated breath. Instead, though, Kakinari chose this moment to break her silence. “Ah-ha-ha, you’re something else, Accelerator! Must be tough on your boyfriend, huh? You better not cheat on her, Isolator!” “Wh…” Yumiko’s voice cracked with rage, and Minoru attempted to stammer out an answer instead. “I…I wouldn’t! I mean, wait—I’m not her boyfriend!” At that moment, Nishikida slowed the vehicle to a halt. “Here we are, you two.” Yumiko looked for a moment as if she was struggling to decide whether to say anything more, but in the end she stood up in silence, opened the back doors, and hopped out of the truck, Minoru following shortly behind her. When he closed the doors and looked up, a smooth gray tower loomed before his eyes. Tokyo Bay Nuclear Power Plant, No. 1. Built in 2001 with the latest technology of the time, it had now been sitting in disuse for several decades, simply waiting to be decommissioned. At the base of the enormous gravestone-like structure was an air lock with double doors, though of course they were no longer in use. Two large radiation shields loomed on either side of the door, giving the impression that the place was the ancient ruins of some bygone era. Getting out of the car and walking up to stand next to Minoru, Nishikida pointed at the air lock. “Go in through those doors and you’ll find the entrance to the containment vessel about eighteen meters down the hall. This is as far as Kakinari and I can accompany you…” “Ah, that’s all right, thank you. We received a map of the building and such.” Minoru pulled up the map on the fifteen-centimeter LCD screen of his wrist communicator. Bending down to look at it, Nishikida tapped near the entrance. “Once you get inside, the radioactivity levels in this immediate area will be around three millisieverts per hour. In front of the doors to the containment vessel, it’ll rise to ten, and inside the vessel, it could be anywhere from several thousand to ten thousand millisieverts. At those levels, even Third Eye hosts like us wouldn’t be able to survive if exposed unprotected… Are you sure this is all right with you?” Whatever orders he might have been under, the concern in Nishikida’s voice was undoubtedly genuine. Minoru looked up at him through his mask and nodded. “Yes. I’ll be fine.” “This kid’s not talkin’ about his suit, is he? Do you have some kinda Jet Eye power that’ll protect you from all that radioactive junk, Isolator?” Kakinari once again muscled into the conversation, but her question was intercepted by Yumiko. “That is highly confidential SFD information!” “Aww, gimme a break!” “Kakinari, please refrain from engaging in idle chatter before an important mission,” Nishikida reprimanded his colleague, then turned back to Minoru’s wrist communicator, scrolling across the map with a rough gloved finger. Zooming in on the round containment vessel, he tapped part of the interior. “This is where we lost contact with the probe robot, Muser. Your job is to open the double doors, enter the room, and locate and retrieve Muser. Of course, there are no lights inside the containment vessel, the heat and humidity levels are considerably high, and the room will be completely clouded with steam. It won’t be an easy mission…” “Yes, I know… I’ve already been lectured extensively about it. But it’s all right… I think I can do it.” Giving another nod to the tall Self-Defense Forces personnel, Minoru looked at the clock in the top right of the LCD screen. Ten fifty-five a.m. The mission was set to start at eleven, so there were only five minutes… No, there were still five minutes left. Though the response he’d given Nishikida had been brimming with confidence, it wasn’t as if Minoru wasn’t nervous. He was eager to get in and out as quickly as possible and get the mission over with. As he stared intently at the painfully slow progression of the clock, Yumiko, standing next to him, clapped him on the back. Once again disconnecting their communication channel from the STS members, she brought her mask in close to his. “…Utsugi. We’ve already seen in countless SFD experiments that your protective shell can completely block out radiation like alpha, beta, gamma, and X-rays. But on the other hand, that also means that if you drop that shell for even a second, you’ll be exposed to lethal levels of radiation. You know that, right? If anything goes wrong… No, if anything even seems like it might go wrong, turn back immediately. That’s an order.” “Right…understood.” As he responded, Minoru glanced at Yumiko’s face, which he could just barely make out through the thick lead glass of his mask. Her beautiful features, normally set into a cold and distant expression, were currently so full of concern that Minoru unwittingly held his breath. It had been only three weeks since he’d first met Yumiko Azu, a Jet Eye and member of the Special Defense Forces with the code name Accelerator. But in that short time, they had paired up to defeat two terrifying enemies, the Ruby Eyes Biter and Igniter. And Yumiko had been the one to come up with Minoru’s code name, Isolator. Minoru could still barely wrap his mind around the idea that he was a member of a secret organization that protected humanity, but he knew one thing: The reason he had been able to carry out his duties so far was because his partner, Yumiko, had been there, urging him on. But this time, he would have to take on this difficult mission without Yumiko there to back him up. Even with the 150-pound protective suit, she wouldn’t be able to withstand the radiation inside the containment vessel, which far exceeded the sievert levels that a normal human being could survive for even a short period of time. Professor Riri had mentioned the possibility that a Third Eye might be able to restore DNA damaged by radiation, but that hypothesis was still being investigated and could hardly justify jumping into a nuclear reactor containment vessel. But it’s all right—I can do it by myself. Professor Riri and Chief Himi both told me I could decline if I wanted to, but I said I would do it. As Minoru took deep breaths and said this to himself repeatedly, Yumiko lightly slapped him on the back again, then sighed loudly and made a remark that caught him by surprise. “Honestly, Utsugi. If you had been able to pull it off in that last experiment, I would’ve been able to come, too.” “Wh…what?! It wasn’t my fault that experiment failed…” “Hmph! Are you saying it was mine?!” As she responded in a disgruntled voice, Yumiko nevertheless pressed her goggles up against Minoru’s mask. “I-I think it was half your fault, at least!” As he pushed back against her, he recalled the events that she was referring to: Christmas Eve, just four days earlier. 2 “Hey, don’t touch me in weird places!” Minoru was perplexed by Yumiko’s sharp words, unsure of how he was supposed to judge which places were weird and how to avoid touching them. After all, the entire front of his body, from head to toe and even to his fingertips, was currently pressed up against Yumiko. More specifically, she was standing upright with her arms spread wide, and he stood directly behind her in the same position, with virtually no space in between them. It was therefore completely unreasonable to ask him to somehow not touch her, but nonetheless, Minoru automatically leaned his hips away from her. Immediately, another voice chimed in from nearby. “Don’t move apart, Mikkun! Your desire to put distance between yourself and Yukko is going to cause this experiment to fail!” “A-all right…” Minoru nodded, and the tip of his nose brushed against Yumiko’s hair, so that he caught a slight whiff of the sweet smell of her shampoo. Instinctively, he bent his head away this time. “You’re doing it again!” The Professor—Riri Isa, an elementary school girl who also happened to be the commander of the SFD—shook her head with a sigh, her pigtails swaying back and forth. “Hrmph…the ability to do the same thing over and over with very little show of improvement is one of our species’ special gifts. According to my research, a young man your age should be thrilled to press his body up against a girl of the same generation as his…” “Don’t say creepy things like that, Professor!” Yumiko exclaimed before Minoru could get a word in. The Professor’s retort was immediate. “It’s not creepy! That’s how normal high school girls and boys are. And you’re to blame, too, Yukko! Mikkun wouldn’t want to get away from you if you weren’t being so crabby! You’re his senior in this organization, so you should be leading by example!” “……I don’t think I like your tone…,” Yumiko grumbled, but she leaned into Minoru anyway as if out of spite. “See, Utsugi? I’m not rejecting you one bit. So make sure this next attempt works, got it?” Sure you’re not, Minoru thought to himself, nodding nonetheless. “All right…here goes.” “Okay! This is attempt number twenty. Recording now… Whenever you’re ready!” The Professor pressed a button on the video camera and stepped aside. Minoru took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and focused. Accept her. This person is not an intruder who needs to be rejected. This is a friend who has fought alongside me, who I can trust with my life. And I’ve done this once before. It was only a week ago that I managed to bring her into my protective shell to keep her safe from the shock wave of a hydrogen explosion. I just have to remember what I did that time… Minoru pressed himself tighter against Yumiko’s body, and with his eyes still closed, he brought out his protective shell. His sense of sound, temperature, and finally touch all vanished. Cautiously, he cracked open one eye. The sight before him was bathed in pale-blue light: Yumiko in front of him, moving farther away in a straight line. Flailing her arms wildly, the Accelerator crashed into the polyurethane-padded wall of the small room and stuck there. Two minutes later… In the center of the large room on the fifth floor of a musty old apartment building in Toyama Park, Shinjuku, Tokyo, which served as the secret base of the SFD, Yumiko sat on the couch and glared at Minoru out of the corner of her eye. “So, basically, the fact that you were able to accept me in the battle against Igniter was a total fluke, right? If you hadn’t happened to get lucky, then I’d either be dead or at least covered in burns and compound fractures. Delightful.” “Erm… Well…I wonder…” Minoru placed a cup of black tea down on the glass table in front of Yumiko and gave a small shrug. Glancing at the experiment space in the room’s west corner, he noted sheepishly that the faint outline of a sprawled-out human body could still be seen in the padding on the wall. Privately, he felt it was a little unfair to think it was entirely his fault, but considering that Yumiko had now been launched into the wall and stuck there twenty times in a row, he couldn’t exactly say so. Instead he silently handed the Professor her drink of choice, a café au lait that was mostly just milk, which she blew on a few times as she spoke. “No, no, it’s not necessarily all Mikkun’s fault, Yukko. If you are mentally rejecting him, it’s entirely possible that…” “No, it’s not!” In a flash, Yumiko took a big gulp of her milk- and sugar-filled tea, then shook her head furiously. “When it happened that time, I didn’t even know Utsugi was nearby until I was pulled into his shell! Doesn’t that mean my will has nothing to do with whether it works or not? If anyone’s rejecting somebody, it must be Utsugi!” “No, that’s… I’m not rejecting you or anything…” Minoru made a reserved attempt to object as he sat down across from Yumiko, dropping a lemon slice into his own cup of black tea. “I’m very well aware that I’ll be much more useful in the next fight against a Ruby Eye if I learn to control my ability at will. And I know I have to put my duties above my emotions. So I think in the end, the fact that Yumiko didn’t notice me might have been a big reason it worked that time…” Through the steam rising from his tea, Minoru saw Yumiko throw another glare in his direction. “Now wait just a minute. Is it just me, or did that phrasing sound a lot like ‘I personally don’t want to, but if it’s for the sake of the mission, I’ll just have to bear it’?” “I-I didn’t say that at all! Aren’t you just looking for reasons to reject me now?!” “And while we’re at it, don’t you think you should stop acting so stiff and formal around me? It’s so obvious that you want there to be distance between us!” “I can’t help it if you’re going to be so scary all the time!” The pair’s back-and-forth argument was interrupted by a loud sigh from the Professor. “Ugh…listen, you two. From where I’m standing… Ugh, how do I say this…? Could you just start dating already, please?” Like clockwork, they both sprang back, widening their eyes and protesting in unison: “N-no thank you!” “No thanks! Who would want to…… Wait.” Midsentence, Yumiko stopped and turned slowly and deliberately toward Minoru, a dangerous glint in her eyes. “Just a moment. Hold it right there, Utsugi.” “…Y-yes?”
Chapter 24
28 min read