“Normally, biometric information scanned by devices is converted into the registered AS using a special process. This light blocks the conversion. As a result, the AS’s origin is projected here in U. That’s how unveiling works. I essentially possess the same power held exclusively by the Voices, this world’s creators.”
“______”
“Have you ever wondered why there are no police on the internet? It’s odd, isn’t it, that U has no law enforcement? That’s what everyone thinks, and for good reason. But the Voices ignore the issue, insisting that U already has everything necessary for a fair and equal society.”
Justin gazed into the distance with a look of righteous indignation.
“We disagree. Bad actors exist everywhere. There are criminal elements who harass the public and seed chaos, people who do as they please and thumb their noses at the world. The good guys need the power to resist these bad actors. Justice is necessary everywhere. Forces of good are needed to knock down evil. We are that force.”
He punched his palm passionately.
“That Beast—that hideous Dragon is exactly the kind of creature that must be unveiled to maintain U as we know it. So—”
He turned slowly toward me.
“—why are you always with him?” he asked.
“Why…?” I repeated.
Pinned to my chest was the pale pink rose the mermaids had given me on that night with the Dragon. I stared at it. Justin looked down at me expressionlessly.
“Tell me where the Beast is. Make no mistake—you won’t get away with remaining silent. So start talking. This instant. Or—”
His right hand transformed into a lion’s head. He turned it toward me.
“Or shall I unveil you here and now?”
I hesitated but felt none of the panic that had overwhelmed me before.
“…I wouldn’t tell you even if I did know,” I replied.
“What?!”
I looked up at him and said quietly, “You have nothing to do with justice. You just want to force people into submission. That’s why I won’t tell you anything.”
“……!!”
Justin’s outrage abruptly surfaced. His huge hand grabbed my head violently. I gasped. The coatrack crashed to the ground. Like a gun being cocked, the lens emerged from the lion’s head. The wooden chair toppled over. A petal fell from the rose on my chest as it shook.
Justin thrust the lens in front of my head, which was still grasped in his hand, and threatened me in a voice seething with anger. The lens began to shine.
“I refuse to continue letting you make a fool of me. You think I can’t unveil you? Fine. Let’s test that theory.”
I struggled in vain to escape, pressed down by his powerful arms.
“Who is the songstress the world loves so much? What sort of face hides beneath her beautiful skin? I have a few guesses. And besides…”
My heart pounded in my ears.
“…I doubt anyone will take your music seriously once the truth comes out.”
Justin smiled brutally, as if he were reveling in the experience of hurting me.
“If you want to avoid that fate, then tell me: Who is the Beast? Where is he now?”
I couldn’t escape. Maybe he had won.
Just as I was about to lose hope, I heard a familiar voice.
“Looking for something?”
“Hmm?”
Justin glanced in the direction of the voice. What I had thought was a dark room was now a sunny white beach.
“What’s this?!” Justin shouted.
“I’ll tell you, but only you. Don’t tell anyone else.”
It was the mermaids. They were floating alluringly in a circle next to an oasis where blue water bubbled, giggling and laughing.
“Ngh…”
Clearly shaken by this strange development, Justin tried chasing them off by bellowing, “Begone, you pests!!”
The mermaids scattered like minnows. At the same time, an enormous flame roared upward.
“Argh!!”
Justin looked up in a daze. The flame brushed the ceiling, swirling like a whirlpool. Then, in the blink of an eye, the scorching fire turned into a fountain of water. Streams beat down on Justin like waterfalls.
“Goddamn it!!”
He was completely soaked, at the water’s mercy. I looked up. Between the cascades, I saw a mermaid with a kerchief tied under her chin.
“Oh!”
When our eyes met, she flitted off in a fluster.
Justin fixed his gaze on the mermaid, stepped toward her, and punched her with all his might.
“Eek!!”
The little creature went flying helplessly. The fountain vanished without a trace.
Justin glanced around, panting. Belle was gone. All that remained was the circle of marble floor. Justin examined his surroundings as if he had just woken from a dream and was still shaking the haze from his mind.
Next to the toppled chair, a single pale pink rose petal lay on the floor. He pinched it between his fingers. When he tilted it, the digital data became momentarily translucent.
“……”
He grinned deviously.
I ran after Hiro’s AS toward a park on the Main Stream.
“Thank you for saving me!” I said to the mermaids.
They nodded, then returned to looking after their companion who had fainted after being punched by Justin.
“I’m so relieved they found you,” Hiro’s AS said. But I didn’t share her relief. I knew now that the Dragon was in greater danger than ever.
After sunset, I sat in the garden with my arms around my jean-clad knees, watching Fugue eat his dinner. But my mind was on the Dragon.
“He’s in danger. I have to be there for him… I have to protect him…”
“Suzu?”
“…Huh?!” I said, jumping up.
It was Dad. I hadn’t even noticed he was back from work. I hunched over and said warily, “…What?”
“If anything’s bothering you—”
“I’m fine.”
“—please just tell me. Anything at all—”
“Nothing is wrong!!”
I ran into the house, racing through the living room and up the stairs. Safely in my room, I slammed the door.
“……”
I tried imagining how Dad must feel. He must hate his selfish daughter.
Later, when I went downstairs, the paper bag he’d been holding was in the kitchen. Inside were ripe, fragrant peaches. There was a note next to the bag.
The guys at work gave me these. Help yourself. Dad
The green of summer was glistening all around. I could hear the choir ladies from the old elementary school’s gym.
“There aren’t many people left here. This village is going to disappear, that’s for certain. No one will see the beauty of the mountains or the glitter of the streams anymore. It seems every place other than the big cities is experiencing the same trends. Our village may offer a glimpse of Japan’s future.”
A group of visitors had come from a shrinking community outside the prefecture to hear what our villagers had to say. About half were women.
“People often ask me why I live in a place like this,” Ms. Kita said calmly.
“The city is so much more convenient, they say. And they’re right,” added Ms. Hatanaka.
“So why do we stay here all the same?” Ms. Okumoto asked, one hand on her hip.
Propped on the upright piano was a framed photo of the choir taken over a decade ago. Six-year-old me was in it, and so was Mom.
“There’s still one child here,” Ms. Nakai said, as if she’d just remembered. “She’s been with us since she was little. She’s like our own daughter. For her sake, I want to slow the disappearance of our home, even a little. I’ll keep trying until she spreads her wings.”
The audience listened intently. Ms. Yoshitani giggled like she was trying to lighten the mood.
“Sorry for the long prelude. We hope you enjoy this song.”
The other members smiled at the audience and arranged their sheet music. The gym echoed with their voices. Their smiles in that photo from ten years ago were so beautiful. And they were still just as beautiful.