“Is there anything you'd like me to bring, Kotoe?”
“Mom...”
“Yes?”
“What's going to happen to me?” she whispered.
“Don't worry! You have nothing to worry about. Your father said so! He didn't even need to put any pressure on anyone. The police just took care of everything on their own. There's even talk of them actually giving you some sort of award!”
“.........” That wasn't what she'd meant, but Kotoe didn't try to explain herself.
“Oh, that reminds me. About Jin-kun...” her mother suddenly said.
Kotoe turned to look. “Jin-niisan? What about him?”
“It sounds like he's suddenly decided to study abroad!”
“Eh... ?”
“He came by this morning. He said they can only take so many people, and that he has to leave immediately. He told me to say, 'Hi' to you. That boy is doing so well!”
“He's... gone?”
“Yes... he said someone would be round to pick up his things at the apartment later.”
“……..”
“You were friends with him, right? You'll miss him?”
“Yeah...” Kotoe nodded, expressionless.
There was a knock at the door.
“Yes?” her mother said, opening it.
There was a policeman in the hall. “Excuse me, but there's someone asking to see her. Is that okay?”
“Someone?”
“Says she's friends with your daughter,” the policeman said, turning sideways so they could see the girl standing behind him.
“I'm Suema Kazuko. I spoke with you on the phone, once...”
“Oh, yes, I remember you! I recognize your voice.”
“I wanted to speak with Kinukawa-san, if I could. ..”
“Just a moment,” and her mother went back into the room. “Your friend Suema-san is here,” she said.
“Suema-san... ?”
“If you're too tired, we can ask her to come back.”
“Uh, n-- no... I want to see her. Please, let her in. And Mom... ?”
“Yes?”
“C-could we have some privacy?”
Her mother was slightly surprised, but agreed pleasantly.
Suema Kazuko came in as her mother left, and closed the door.
“How are you feeling?” she said gently, following the standard progression ofthe sickbed visit.
“Fine.”
“That's good,” Suema smiled.
There didn't seem to be anything lurking behind that smile, so Kotoe relaxed a little.
“S-surprised? Didn't think I'd end up like this...” she asked, hesitantly.
“Yes, well. I guess it was a bit unexpected,” Suema said, very sweetly. “But not as surprising as it was earlier.”
“Earlier?”
“When I heard how everyone's opinion of you had changed.”
Kotoe looked down. “I can imagine...”
“They were pretty harsh.”
“Yeah...”
“'Course, soon as your warrior legend spreads, that ought to change pretty quickly. People's reputations can change just like that,” Suema grinned, snapping her fingers.
Kotoe felt like something warm was rising out of her chest. She had been right, she thought. This girl would accept anything.
“Thank you. So, uh, did you come to cheer me up?”
“Nope,” Suema shook her head. “I needed to ask you pointblank.”
“What?”
“Who or what was controlling you?”
***
I asked Kotoe, as directly as I could.
I knew it was a leap, but I was sure of myself.
Kotoe's eyes widened.
But I didn't flinch. I'm used to people thinking I'm weird.
I stood there, staring at her silently.
After a long pause of nothingness, she asked, “How did you know?”
This was hard to explain, but I had to say something before she would answer.
“Um, how can I put this... humans tend to follow certain patterns. I don't mean stuff like, 'that girl's pretty, so she's stuck-- up,' or anything like that. No, I mean everyone has a good and a bad side, get me? They're sensitive to some things and totally clueless about others. We all have a certain balance.”
I found this out when I was almost killed. The person that was going to kill me was just an ordinary guy, with an ordinary job -- maybe too ordinary. I'd thought a lot about why he had tried to kill me, but I could only come up with one explanation.
He was too ordinary.
That was it. There was no other reason.
I believe that was his balance.
“So your balance, or whatever you want to call it, didn't match up with the way you changed. If you changed, you would change in a different way. Sure, I might be wrong, but...”
But every time I started talking like this, I would start to wonder if it wasn't me that was the strange one.
Despite what I was saying, I didn't believe for a second that because Kotoe was a nice girl she wouldn't do anything strange.
But if she ever did do something strange, it would have been something else. That's all.
“……..”
Kotoe's eyes were still wide open. Guess she hadn't followed my drift. I'm not entirely sure I had myself, so that was probably only natural.
“Putting it a little more bluntly, you're a bit dense and haven't really realized what it means to be pretty and rich, like you are. I'd be surprised if you actually could take that in so quickly.”
Even I thought this was a little harsh.
“... !” Kotoe gasped.
“Sorry, it's just.. .that's what I thought,” I said, apologetically.
Kotoe hung her head, but said nothing.
I couldn't think of anything else.
After a long pause, Kotoe at last said, “But...”
“Mm?”
“But I... I don't... remember very well.”
“Starting when?”
“You called me once, right? I know I was normal then. A little after that... I don't really know what I was doing anymore,” she said slowly, but surely.
I was again impressed by her strength.
I'd been so critical of her, and she had just sat there and took it. It's amazing.
“Right after I called?”
“No... awhile later. You told me not to see Jin-niisan, and I remember being shocked by that...”
“S-sorry. That was...”
“No, forget it. I...... right, I went where I always go when I'm depressed, and I remember staring at the sky... wondering silly things like, is it going to snow? That's the last thing I remember. After that, everything's just a strange blur.” She looked very sad.
“Where is that?”
“Paisley Park. The amusement park they never finished. There's a tower there, called The Ladder. You know it?”
“Yeah, I do. Your father was part of that?”
“Right. I had a key... I didn't go there because I was rich or anything.” There was a note of sadness in her voice.
“S-sorry. Please forget I said that.”
“No, I don't mean that... I just thought, I'm so stupid. So childish...” she said. Her head was down. She was trembling. “I can barely remember... but Jin-niisan said goodbye to me.”
“……..”
“We won't meet again. I knew that, but... I'm so childish, so stupid-- “
Her shoulders quivered with a tiny, shriveled, lonely shiver.
“Kinukawa-san... are you still in love with Asukai Jin?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I don't know. I really don't know... not anymore... but... but...” Her grip tightened on her sheet. Tears began dropping on her fists. “But I want to see him again. I want him to laugh at me, and make fun of me with his, 'Kotoe-chan, you're so shallow.' And then, I want to fight about it... I want him to laugh at me for getting angry...”
After that, she couldn't manage any wor
ds.
I came over to her, and gave her a hug.
I brushed her hair quietly.
“Don't worry. I'll do something. I promised, didn't I? I'll do something.”
I felt like her loneliness was being transmitted directly to me with each tremble.
***
When I reached the first floor lobby, my friend Miyashita Touka, who'd come with me, came running over.
“So? How was she?”
“Touka... sorry, but can you go home ahead of me?” I said so harshly it must have sounded rude.
“Why?” she asked, surprised, peering at my face. I didn't have the leeway to worry about her feelings.
“There's somewhere I have to go,” I snapped.
“Wh-where?”
“To look for The Ladder.”
I couldn't wait here. I had to go there now. I knew that much.
I was furious.
I'd only met the man once, but I could have killed him.
I wanted to tie a rope around Asukai Jin's neck and drag him back down here to apologize to Kinukawa Kotoe... !
“Suema, w-wait--!” Touka's flustered voice called after me as I burst out of the hospital and into the sunset outside.
VII
In the End, there is nothing waiting for you.
-- Kirima Seiichi (VS Imaginator)
“-------- Just a little longer,” the girl standing behind Asukai Jin said.
Her body was transparent, and few people could actually see her. Even Asukai, who had originally been able to see her quite well, could almost never make her out these days.
“-------- Just a little longer.”
The girl's feet were floating just above the ground.
No matter where she was, wherever people could stand, her feet would be a few centimeters up in the air.
But she had almost reached touchdown.
“I can almost get through.”
No one could hear her voice.
Or perhaps she never intended it to be heard.
“----Mm?”
As Asukai Jin took Orihata Aya up the stairs of The Ladder, he thought he could almost hear a voice he had not heard for a while.
He stopped and turned his head, but there was nothing there.
“……..?”
Her hands still handcuffed, Orihata Aya looked up at him, confused. “Are you going to kill me here... ?” As always, her manner of speaking was extremely distant.
'N-no... not yet,” Asukai shook his head, and began pushing her ahead of him again.
He was already beginning to think that the spectral girl had been nothing but an illusion. His own unconscious had produced a delusional 'counselor' to help him make full use of his ability.
The moment he had begun moving of his own accord, he had almost entirely ceased to see her.
In retrospect, the key phrase, “Snow Falls in April,” was one he'd heard from students before. Some common fragment of the female students' unconsciousness had been giving him remarkably similar dreams, and he had allowed them to influence him.
So he had no one to help him with what he was about to do.
He had to find his own resolve, and become the Imaginator. He nodded to himself. He already had.
“Technically, I'm not going to kill you,” he said, in a low voice. “I'm just going to tear away your heart. You will no longer be yourself, but rather something not even worth calling human.”
“............ “ This sinister declaration failed to have any effect on Aya's expression. “Human...” she said under her breath.
“Mm?” Asukai didn't hear her. “What did you say?”
“……..” She didn't answer.
Asukai grunted in irritation, but didn't ask again.
What Aya had almost said was, 'Human? I was never... '
“We have a little more time. It's still early in the evening. People are out and about. This may cause quite a panic, so we'll wait until most people have settled down. Till the middle of the night,” Asukai explained. “I should have some time before the Towa Organization notices that Spooky E has failed to report in, and sends someone to take care of the other systems they have placed throughout the area.”
“.........” Aya wondered if she even factored into those plans.
“The seed I'll make from your heart will only be strong enough to influence the people in this town. But that's enough. As long we can tell them from whatever the Towa Organization sends. As for the next seed, well, I'm sure a suitable candidate will emerge from the people I've planted yours on.”
“How strong... an influence?” Aya asked quietly.
“Not that much. None of them would even notice. Their pain will just abruptly vanish.”
“Oh...”
That was fine.
Then Masaki would be able to forget her.
They reached the roof of The Ladder.
The place Spooky E had chosen as the perfect spot to disperse his 'disinfectant' commanded a panoramic view of the city and of the people's lives within it.
The sky was darkening rapidly.
When that light had completely vanished, Aya thought, looking up at the sky, she would no longer have a meaningful existence.
“Man, it's a beautiful night!”
She thought she heard Masaki's voice echoing in her ear. He had said that shortly after they met, back when they were out walking together.
She smiled faintly at the memory. That was enough, she thought.
“……..”
Asukai Jin looked down at her wordlessly.
This stability, even when facing her own end, was exactly what he needed.
The phone in his breast pocket rang.
“What?” he answered. Only his followers knew this number.
“Someone's approaching.”
“Who?”
“Him again -- the boy playing 'Boogiepop."'
“Okay...” Asukai frowned. 'So he did come,' he thought. But his voice never lost its quiet. “Deal with him as planned.”
The person replied, “Roger,” and hung up.
Aya had not heard their conversation. She had not even appeared interested, as if nothing was worth paying attention to ever again.
'If I told her... ' Asukai thought, staring at her fragile profile. 'If I told her, what would she do?'
For a moment, he was tempted to find out.
But of course, he said nothing. He just toyed with the notion in the back of his mind.
***
The motorcycle ran out of gas partway up the mountain.
“Shit-- !” I swore, and dumped the bike. I climbed the rest of the way on foot.
There was no green anywhere on the mountain. It had been completely cleared, and parts of it were already paved with asphalt.
A big sign that read, “Paisley Park Construction Site” came into view, and behind it, I could see several towers and other constructions, glowing eerily in the light of the setting sun.
It was surrounded by heavy- duty fences.
They looked hard to climb. Too tall, and made of smooth vertical poles, leaving no footholds.
“Shit, shit, shit!” I fretted, walking along the fence, looking for an opening.
I had hoped that shaking the fence would dislodge it or knock it over, but it wouldn't budge, even though it must have been here for years.
I lost my temper again. “Damn it!” I yelled, kicking the fence.
And about ten meters away, I heard a creak.
I snapped my head towards the sound, and found a section of the fence slowly opening -- an emergency exit of some kind.
(Did the latch break when I kicked it?)
I darted towards it...
But I heard a faint rustle, and skidded to a stop.
What was it?
“……..”
I moved forward again, slowly... carefully.
The sound kept going, like whatever it was was increasing.
I gritted my teeth.
The door
had been opened deliberately. They were waving me in.
Common sense told me to retreat.
But if I had had any of that, I never would have come here in the first place. The fact that someone was waiting for me was, really, proof that I had guessed correctly. Orihata was here.
So I had to go in.
“--------”
I felt briefly like I was missing something. Which embarrassed me.
Because I was missing my outfit.
When I was wearing it, it was much easier to take on something unnatural, like I was now. It was easier to concentrate, kind of like I was hypnotizing myself into bravery.
But it was gone now.
I had to do this by my own force of will.
“Let's do this,” I said softly, and slipped through the fence into Paisley Park.
The half-finished, skeletal buildings cast complicated and sinister line patterns across the ground in the near horizontal rays of the setting sun.
Just walking on those patterns made me feel drunk.
I hadn't noticed on the motorcycle or while I was rushing forward, but the wind had gotten really strong.
“-- Orihata!” I shouted, but the wind stole my voice, and it went nowhere.
I was gonna have to check every one of these buildings.
I started walking.
Behind me, a footstep crunched the sand that lay piled on the asphalt.
Scrunch, scrunch-- more than one. Several.
“............” Ready for anything, I turned around.
And was completely surprised.
“Wh-what?!!” I blurted. The five figures behind me were...
---- A bear.
---- A panda.
---- A penguin.
---- A cat.
---- A dinosaur.
Obviously, all costumes.
And they were coming towards me.
“Wh-what the hell?!” I shouted, confused. A second later, they all lunged at me, so I had to hurriedly dodge.
“------ !” They may have been dressed like a joke, but their movements were completely serious.
Their kicks and punches were extremely accurate.
“Unh... rah!” Moving backwards, I kicked the penguin in the stomach.
Boogiepop Returns VS Imaginator Part 2 Page 10
