The dawn sky was beautiful.
Beyond the wide-open horizon, the sun slowly rose. It looked almost as if dusk was arriving. Kenji leaned against the rooftop railing and blankly stared at the scene. His hair shook roughly in the blowing wind. It was around that time that the call ringtone, which had been continuing for several seconds, cut off.
-I've received it.
A gentlemanly voice flowed from the smartphone held to his ear. Kenji didn't answer immediately, first organizing what to say in his head. Then the gentleman who answered the call let out a small laugh and murmured. A sound like a chair turning, squeak, could be heard.
-It's been a while, Nameless One. Isn't this a call after a year? At this rate, I might even forget your face.
"......Golconda."
Kenji let out a deep sigh and called his name. Golconda answered in a solemn and charming tone.
-Are you doing well?
"......Aren't you surprised that I'm alive?"
-Haha, I just had a rough guess. I don't know how the others are thinking, though.
"Beatrice?"
-She doesn't blindly believe in your death either. But she believed you were at least crippled. So, was her prediction correct?
Kenji chuckled and switched the hand holding the smartphone to the other side.
"Let's see if you can still say that after I tear your head off."
-So you're in one piece. That's fortunate, my friend.
Following Golconda's voice, Decalcomania's booming shout could also be heard. After exchanging appropriate small talk with Decalcomania as well, Kenji brought up the purpose of his call.
"Urban legends. Do you remember what you brought up at the meeting roughly 2 years ago?"
-Yes, I remember.
Although the topic change was sudden, Golconda spoke without any sign of displeasure, still in a gentlemanly tone.
"That doll—or toy—that sank in the sea? Anyway, you said it was absorbing urban legends."
-That's correct. It will soon fully bloom and reveal itself to the world. I've waited a long time. But it hasn't been boring.
A few years ago, there was an incident where a ship transporting toys sank into the sea. To make matters worse, the subcontracting company also went bankrupt, so the toys that ship was transporting sank into the sea forever. What Golconda has been observing for 2 years is one of the toys that sank then, a merch item with the ridiculous name 'Perorozilla'. That small doll is becoming a monster by absorbing various urban legends and conspiracy theories.
-I personally have high expectations. I'm also curious what kind of stimulation the signs and texts it shows can give me.
"That story isn't really related to me. Did you, by any chance, know about the ghost story residing in Millennium's old school building?"
-Ah, that one. Of course I knew.
Golconda answered refreshingly. Kenji clicked his tongue and bought a can of coffee from the rooftop vending machine to drink.
"Was that also born in a similar way to the doll you're observing?"
-Exactly the same way. I speculate that perhaps a student who never even visited the old school building started the ghost story by telling someone a lie that ghosts live in the old school building.
"......"
-Urban legends are all like that. Whether it actually happened or not, stories passed from mouth to mouth all gradually gain flesh and become detailed. The student who first brought up the story of the old school building might have just uttered the keyword 'ghost', but as flesh was added to that story, it became the ghost story that 'Various ghosts in the old school building run amok to kill visitors.'
Kenji listened to Golconda's story with a deep sigh. Golconda gladly told Kenji all the knowledge he knew without beating around the bush.
-Kivotos is interesting, isn't it? A world where urban legends materialize if spoken by many people. It wasn't common in my hometown either. How was it in your hometown?
"Don't know. Never seen it myself."
-Oh my. That's a pity.
Golconda said that in a truly regretful tone. Kenji downed the remaining coffee in one shot and flung the can into the trash.
"Are there any other places in Kivotos where urban legends you know of have materialized?"
-No, there aren't. Millennium's old school building, and the sunken unfortunate toy. To my knowledge, these two are the only ones.
"No signs of new ones appearing either?"
-It's not a phenomenon that appears so easily. I haven't discovered any particular signs.
"Yeah, thanks for telling me. I'm hanging up."
-Are you going to leave after asking only what you wanted? That's disappointing. I also have one thing I'd like to ask.
"What is it. Say it quickly."
-Nameless One, what is your name?
An unexpected question came. Kenji made a blank expression for a moment, then answered with a bitter laugh.
"Kenji."
-I see. Thank you for telling me, Kenji. Let's meet if fate allows next time. Stay healthy.
"Yeah, go away."
-Then.
Click.
The call ended. Kenji put the smartphone in his pocket and looked at the half-risen sun.
Dawn was ending. Morning would break soon. Himari and Eimi, who had just fallen asleep not long ago, would probably wake up around afternoon. Since they worked hard, he planned to let them rest. The celebration party Himari mentioned wouldn't be too late even after they woke up.
Thinking that, Kenji stuck his hand inside his coat. It was to take out a cigarette, but thinking about it, he had no cigarettes left. He also used up his lighter burning the old school building. It was a pretty expensive lighter, but drunk on the atmosphere and romance, he threw it away without much thought. Had he known this would happen, he should have just brought a flame close to the oil.
'Guess I have to go to the black market for the first time in a while.'
Convenience stores have cigarettes and lighters, but they don't sell to minors. To get proper stuff, he had to go to the black market.
Honestly... He really didn't want to go. Because he became too famous in the underworld beyond expectation, there were too many people who would recognize him if he went. But what could he do? To get new cigarettes and a lighter, he had no choice but to go. Kenji let out a deep sigh and roughly messed up his tousled hair.
"........Should I just sleep too."
Yeah, it's better to get even a short nap than staying up all night with eyes open. Thinking that, Kenji lay down on a bench placed in the corner of the rooftop. Since Himari and Eimi were using the Special Operations Department room, he couldn't sleep there, and it was too ambiguous a time to book a room at an inn within Millennium either. In the end, there was no answer other than sleeping rough.
Fortunately, Kenji was accustomed to sleeping rough. He blankly watched the brightening sky for a moment, then gently closed his eyes. Soon after, he fell asleep.
*
The time was 11 AM.
As soon as Kenji woke up, he set out to find the Special Phenomenon Special Operations Department's club room. Since the room was located in a place he could never find alone, he was at a loss on how to get there, but fortunately, perhaps because the two had woken up, a drone guided him. Thanks to that, Kenji could enter the Special Operations Department room without difficulty.
In the club room, Himari and Eimi had placed various snacks and drinks on the table. The variety was truly diverse. Naturally, there was no alcohol or accompanying snacks. It would be a lie to say it wasn't a pity, but that's how it should be for minors originally. During his fixer days, it was weird to celebrate solving a request by chugging a bottle of hard liquor.
Kenji smiled faintly and approached the two. The two also noticed him and showed happy expressions.
"You're here! We were waiting!"
"Didn't know what you'd like, so we prepared a variety."
"I also brought out all the top-tier snacks I secretly collected for today! Huhu, think of it as an honor since I'm sharing the nutrients of a flower blooming nobly on a cliff!"
"President, you bit your tongue."
"Eimi. These things you just let slide."
He listened to the two's comedy routine and sat in a suitably empty seat.
"When did you buy all this stuff again?"
"I went out for a bit earlier. Any snacks you like?"
"Yeah, plenty."
It was a lie. How could he have a favorite snack when he had no sense of taste? He didn't have favorite foods to begin with. He did, but not anymore. He couldn't even remember the proper taste. He only vaguely recalled it by scent. It was the same now. To avoid being found out he lost his sense of taste, Kenji first checked the snack's scent before putting it in his mouth.
"It's tasty. Banana flavor."
"Huhut! So you like that too, Kenji! I also like banana-flavored snacks! Yum!"
"I like chocolate flavor the best."
And so, a modest party began. The three ate the snacks placed before them and blossomed conversation. Most were stories about the ghost story from dawn. Himari boasted her heroic tale with all sorts of exaggerated expressions about how amazingly she dealt with the ghost story, and Eimi shared opinions with the three about how to deal with it most efficiently back then.
Kenji told them the experimental result that bullets work on ghost stories. Hearing that, Eimi expressed regret about not being able to deal with the ghost story directly. But in Kenji's opinion, it was a real blessing that she didn't shoot.
That monster's body was very fragile despite its appearance. Unlike the 'Perorozilla' guy Golconda was observing, probably because such strong urban legends couldn't gather, if Eimi had shot it, its torso would have burst entirely. That would have been quite a cruel sight. No matter how blank Eimi seemed, she wouldn't have been able to pass it off nonchalantly.
"It's all in the past anyway. Don't regret it and let's enjoy this situation now."
"Yeah, got it."
Fortunately, Eimi no longer held any regrets. Kenji nodded and took a sip of an energy drink. Then he turned the topic of conversation elsewhere.
"Aren't you curious about the Teacher?"
"Of course. As you know, they're famous these days, right? Various academies, including our Millennium, are trying to recruit them."
"Well, doesn't look like they'll succeed."
Kenji said with a chuckle. Himari tilted her head with an interested expression.
"No chance they'll come to our Millennium?"
"They'll come if asked for help. But if it's about affiliation, then no. It'll probably be the same for other academies too."
"Are they a stubborn person?"
"More than stubborn, they're seriously kind-hearted while also being very sharp."
"You rate them quite highly. That's unexpected."
"If you meet them directly, you'll probably think similarly to me."
"Really? Huhu, I look forward to meeting them someday."
Himari said that and brought the drink can to her lips. This time, instead of Himari, Eimi opened her mouth.
"Where is the Teacher now? I heard they're not at Schale."
"Abydos."
"Abydos? Why there?"
"Received a complaint asking to protect the school. They said as a Teacher, they should naturally resolve the students' danger, so they went on a business trip to Abydos the next day. That's why I came here on vacation too."
"......Isn't there too much happening for a vacation?"
"Just a good experience, I guess."
Even calling it a good experience, there certainly was a lot happening. Beating up materialized urban legends until they achieved salvation, and even burning down the building that caused the ghost story. It was somewhat spectacular to have happened from evening until dawn. But still, no one got hurt and the ghost story was handled well, so it's all good, right? Kenji thought that and smiled brightly. Looking at that, Himari spat out a thought that suddenly came to mind.
"By the way, Kenji, aren't you going to wear the mask anymore?"
"Ah, the mask......"
Kenji trailed off while feeling his own face. Thinking about it, he hadn't been wearing the mask since reuniting with the two inside the old school building.
But it wasn't particularly important. If this were Trinity, he would have stubbornly worn the mask, but this was Millennium, wasn't it? A place where very few people knew his name, let alone his appearance. In such a place, revealing his identity wasn't a big deal. To begin with, wearing a mask when going out had just become a habit.
"It's fine as long as I don't go around bragging about it elsewhere. Especially in Trinity."
"Seems there's a story there."
"Not planning to tell it."
"Not planning to pry either."
"That's a relief then."
Kenji said with a stifled laugh. Himari watched that, then put her hand to her lips and muttered.
"More than that, Abydos... That's where Decalcomania's Binah stays. I should visit someday......"
"How about going now under the pretext of supporting the Teacher?"
"That seems difficult. I'm busy with Millennium matters too. I'll probably have to set aside separate time to act later. Ah, why can't people leave this super-genius sickly beautiful girl hacker alone? This must also be because I'm just too outstanding, right? Then there's no helping it!"
She's full of crap.
Kenji really struggled to hold back the words surging up to his throat. Eimi seemed the same, as she let out a deep sigh and brought the drink can to her lips as if drinking beer. She also seemed to have her fair share of hardship.
But since they seemed close, it should be fine. Kenji watched Eimi roughly wipe the snack crumbs from Himari's lips and laughed softly.
The modestly held party ended around 4 PM. After exchanging contact information so they could contact each other anytime, Kenji headed to the most famous hospital in Millennium.
As expected of its renowned reputation, the waiting time was long, but the examination level was equally high, so he had no complaints. Kenji explained everything as detailed as possible to the doctor's questions and had his tongue and brain function examined through complex machines.
The doctor showed Kenji the examination results and explained his condition.
"There's no problem with your tongue or brain."
"......Is that so."
"It seems to be a psychological problem, but do you have any trauma you're experiencing? Or perhaps a history of major external injury."
"Not sure about trauma... but I do have external injuries."
"Were they injuries related to your tongue or brain?"
Kenji didn't answer immediately and pondered briefly. Injuries related to tongue or brain. He certainly lost his sense of taste through experiments, but that was a bit ambiguous to call an injury. When you think about it, it was similar to side effects from clinical trials. He didn't suffer any injury or side effects to his brain either.
"......Not to the tongue or brain."
"Hmm... Then it seems to be on the trauma side. In that case, internal medicine and surgery can't do anything. I'll connect you directly to psychiatry, how about receiving treatment there?"
"......No. I'll come next time. Thank you for the examination."
Kenji thanked the doctor and left the hospital.
From waiting for treatment at the hospital to waiting for examination results, time had turned to night. Kenji sat on a park bench and blankly stared at the night sky.
'No problem with the tongue.'
He let out a deep sigh and dropped his head down. Although he wished it weren't so, it turned out to be a mental illness after all. It was correct that he overcame all side effects while mastering fear. It was just his damn mind and heart that were the problem.
But he couldn't figure out where or what problem had occurred. He didn't particularly have any mental illness, and nothing came to mind regarding his heart either.
A complete mystery.
Kenji made an annoyed expression and roughly messed up his hair. He sat on the bench like that for quite a while longer, then let out a deep sigh and stood up.
Anyway, thinking about this now was meaningless. He had already lived for 2 years without a sense of taste, and even if it continued the same from now on, nothing would change from the present. Pointlessly holding onto this problem and worrying about it would only make him feel weird. It was better to set this thought aside for now.
"......Let's go back for now."
Muttering that, he left the park and walked toward Millennium Station. A few minutes later, arriving there, he bought a ticket to the Union District and, after waiting about an hour, boarded the arriving train.
Fortunately, nothing special happened on the way back to Schale. Kenji first stopped by the Schale office briefly to write a report about what happened in Millennium, then entered his own room and lay down. His tired body soon fell asleep, exhaling even breaths.
And a few days later.
Kenji received a call from Hayool.
-Kenji! I think something's come up where we need help!
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