Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru - Volume 3 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

I shall meet you once again 

"Remember the name of the person who shall wake you from your sleep—Nagisa. Nagisa Natsunagi." 

After Siesta said those words, the lights vanished from the screen. 

The footage ended, and the four of us gathered here—Natsunagi, Saikawa, Charl, and I—couldn’t say anything for the time being. While the silence lingered, I recalled what I had just seen, the memories of the three-year journey Siesta and I had. 

We encountered each other 10,000 meters in the air, through a plane hijacking. And due to a certain incident that happened at the secondary school I attended, I followed Siesta on a journey. 

We had quite the dazzling adventures—and then our battle with the secret organization ?SPES? led us to London. It was there where we met a mysterious girl, Alicia. She had nowhere to go, so we took her in as a comrade, being a substitute detective, and she worked alongside us. 

However, Alicia had an alter ego she did not know of, and that alter ego, Hel, took the lives of many innocents in the streets of London. 

After that, we pursued Hel at the enemy’s base, or in other words, to save Alicia. It was there where we met the enemy boss. We knew of its true identity, and then Siesta had her last battle against Hel. 

Ahh, yeah. Finally, I recalled everything. 

What happened on that island a year ago. 

Why is the detective already dead? 

That day, at that place, the one who took Siesta’s life there was— 

"It was me…" 

Natsunagi muttered amidst the silence. 

"I killed Siesta-san…" 

"No." 

I couldn’t allow her to say any more and instinctively cut her off. 

"You didn’t do anything, Natsunagi. This has nothing to do with the current you…" 

It was something Alicia said back then…no, that was Natsunagi, who took the form of Alicia using Cerberus’ seed. But, yeah. Natsunagi didn’t do anything. Even though those hands were stained with evil, that was someone else…it was the personality of Hel. The heart hunting and Siesta’s murder had nothing to do with Natsunagi. Natsunagi didn’t— 

"I’m sorry." 

The room brightened, and Natsunagi looked towards me and apologized for some reason. Her eyes were filled with tears. 

"I’m sorry for killing the most important person to you, Kimizuka." 

Natsunagi’s fingertips approached my face. I thought she wanted to stab a finger into my mouth, but she merely wiped my eyes with her slender fingertips. 

"……My bad." 

The one crying was me. 

I wanted to clear up the conflicted feeling within me, but it seemed this was the wrong decision. 

I had no choice but to admit that I couldn’t break off my lingering feelings for Siesta. 

"So my memories were all made up." 

Natsunagi looked down and muttered so. 

"The heart transplant I took was actually about how I stole Siesta-san’s heart. The memories I had at the orphanage must have been because I was imprisoned at ?SPES? —I guess a simple human like me had nothing after all." 

That seemed to be the verbal tic Natsunagi always had, that she was just a fake, and she could not be anyone. She could not fly anywhere from the little cage. 

Alicia used to show such self-deprecation before. When she lost her memories, she was always in a dark room, in a world without sound nor light. 

I recalled the memories over the past year, and then looked towards Natsunagi before me; their images overlapped. The girl called Alicia whom I met in London a year ago later became Nagisa Natsunagi. 

"Nagisa-san, please have a seat." 

Natsunagi’s shoulders shivered, and Saikawa called out to her, so they sat on the concrete floor of the room. I was a little apologetic about making the younger Saikawa worry, but I was grateful for her help. 

"So the memories were all modified?" 

The one who said that was Charl. 

"Both Nagisa…and Kimizuka." 

And then, she looked towards me. 

"For Natsunagi’s case, I think it’s a form of therapy, considering the mental issues." 

The one involved in this was most likely that red-haired policewoman, Fuubi Kase. She probably did that on Siesta’s instructions, to save Natsunagi. 

"And then I forgot." 

I forgot about my past encounter with Natsunagi. 

I forgot about how Siesta died. 

And then I forgot about the true meaning of ?SPES?, the true identity of their boss, SEED. 

Thanks to that ?pollen?, I lost my memories of those few minutes on the island. 

"Do you remember, Charl?" 

A year ago, Charl and I faced off against the being called SEED, who called itself the parent of all the ?Androids?, and it was there where we learned of the true objective of ?SPES?. It was a ?seed? that fell from space onto this planet and tried to suppress humanity as per its survival instincts. 

After that, I hurried over to Siesta, while Charl probably continued her fight against the enemy in the lab. She probably wasn’t affected by that ?pollen? and did not lose her memories. 

"Yes, I never thought you wouldn’t remember about them, Kimizuka…we never actually exchanged intel properly though." 

Especially between us,  so Charl said in a self-reproaching manner. 

…Yeah. It was a year later when we had our reunion on the cruise tour. We faced off against our sworn enemy Chameleon on the deck. He said “it was I who killed Siesta”, but that was a misunderstanding. He never would have thought Siesta would stop her heart at that moment. 

"Charl-san, I—" 

At that moment, Natsunagi suddenly stood up. 

But then. 

"Don’t say anything." 

Charl said without looking in Natsunagi’s direction. 

"I understand it’s not your fault. I understand. It’s just…I haven’t accepted it yet, so wait a little bit." 

"…Yeah." 

Of course, Charl too only learned of the truth to Siesta’s death on this day. The death of her beloved master was partially related to this girl next to her. There was no way they could simply say anything. 

What decision would she make in such a situation? The air got heavy again and filled this unfamiliar room. 

"First of all." 

After a short moment, a girl’s clear voice could be heard. 

"It’s fine. Let’s calm down for now—hold your hands together, roll your shoulders, breathe calmly, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and exhale. Feel the blood moving, open your eyes, and your blurry vision will clear up." 

That was what Saikawa used to say. It was a spell to relieve the tension. 

"Once this is over, shall we have some tea together?" 

And then Saikawa looked towards us with a smile, a charismatic expression befitting an idol. 

"Seriously, why are you the most adult-like here?" 

"Fufu, my experiences are different from yours, Kimizuka-san. It is the experience." 

"Don’t emphasize that like it’s on purpose. You need some self-awareness as an idol, Saikawa." 

Seriously, this middle school girl…but well, it’s better than letting the mood remain gloomy for a long time, s o I thought. I got ready to leave this room, only to then realize something. Oh yeah, we were all abducted here. 

"Anyway, where’s the culprit?" 

I had a bad feeling about this and turned behind. 

"A tea party? That is fine. Please allow me to join." 

At that moment, I sensed a presence other than ours. 

"Who’s that!?" 

I instinctively reached towards that shadow…but before I knew it, my body was flying through the air. 

My eyes then saw the ceiling, and after that, 

"Ouch!" 

My back hit the ground hard. I felt like I was jolted as the pain ran through me, and I closed my eyes without thinking. 

"I shall shatter all your bones if you intend to touch this body the next time.” 

That's unreasonable. I wanted to complain to the culprit who slammed my back onto the ground, and slowly opened my eyes …and froze once I saw what was before me. 

"You, are." 

I knew very well who that person before me was. 

Silvery-white hair, a pretty face that was practically carved out, and the thing she was wearing…a maid uniform? The clothes were a little different from what I remembered, but at the very least, it’s the same appearance. The name of the girl whom I was inseparable with over the past three years was— 

"—Siesta" 

There’s no way I could be mistaken. That was the face of my old partner. 

You said you wanted me to wear a maid uniform. 

"Now then everyone, please order what you like," 

The white-haired girl wearing a maid uniform said to us while we were at a table. 

The venue changed, and the five of us were at a cafe, having a tea party. There weren’t any other customers to be seen in the spacious shop, and it seemed they were closed for the day. 

As for the person who invited us, 

"Please do not worry. It is Kimihiko’s treat." 

She was the first to act, and elegantly sipped her tea. 

"Show me some concern already— ?Siesta?." 

She was at the seat of honor, and I retorted back without thinking. 

Dazzling white hair, blue eyes. That was my old partner. 

—But, 

"It really does look like Ma'am…" 

Charl muttered as she saw ?Siesta? drink the tea. 

Yes, this ?Siesta? was not the real deal. 

It was to be expected. The detective died a year ago. 

"Charlotte. I shall repeat myself, I am just a robot." 

That was what she said while we were on our way here. 

The ?Siesta? here was a biological android based on some of Siesta’s body, memories, and abilities when she was alive. 

"…You’re not Siesta?" 

Once again, I asked her, who was different from a human. 

"Yes. I am different from Master Siesta. I do not address you as Kimi ." 

"I see. The real Siesta would have given me a lap pillow instead of throwing me down on my back." 

"…The database showed no existence of this fact." 

"Don’t avert your face so openly. You’re based on the real Siesta, so stop hating me." 

"I do hate you because I am built based on Master Siesta." 

"Can you please return all the tears I shed today?" 

That’s weird. The grim atmosphere that lingered around us until we got here seemed to have vanished completely. 

"For some reason, it does feel like a peaceful conversation between an old couple.” 

"Yui, don’t call them a couple. You should call them veteran manzai masters." 

For some reason, Saikawa and Charl, who were seated opposite me, narrowed their eyes. Give me a break. It’s not my fault. It’s all the detective’s…it’s not the time for these words though. 

"So what’s the purpose of abducting us? Or was it the instruction of Siesta when she was alive?" 

Yes, it was this ?Siesta? who abducted us and aired the past footage. The room where she imprisoned us was her usual hideout. 

"Yes, Master Siesta prepared various matters for the arrival of that day. Part of the mission was to find you, and another part was to prepare me as a support. This also includes my mission of conveying the truth to you." 

"But usually, you don’t have to abduct us, right?" 

"There was a need to convey a truth, even if I had to do so.." 

Siesta? said, and looked towards the person who had been silent the entire time, 

"Nagisa," 

She called that name. 

The name which the detective left behind at the very end. 

And Natsunagi, seated next to me, lifted her eyes and heard the words of the deceased famous detective. 

"Please allow me to say this in Master Siesta’s stead?thanks." 

It felt that the mood that had swirled around us had turned lighter. 

It felt like ?she? showed up just to say these words. 

We, along with Natsunagi, took in these words. 

"Thanks to you, Master Siesta’s will still remains. It was also Master Siesta’s last wish?and job, to keep you alive and allow you to attend school. This is why I shall thank you." 

Thanks, so ?Siesta? said, and silently looked down. 

In turn, Natsunagi, 

"I…" 

Her eyes faltered. It appeared she had something more to say, for her lips quivered, but nothing came out. 

No correct words would be able to improve her mood. She seemed to have felt responsible for the past and looked down. Silence beckoned once again. 

"Let us talk while we have some tea." 

The apple pie here is delicious, so ?Siesta? quietly noted. Before I knew it, we had tea and apple pie served before us. 

"…It’s nostalgic." 

Natsunagi muttered as she put this small piece of cut pie into her mouth. 

She didn't call it delicious. She said it was nostalgic. 

"…Anyway, ?Siesta?." 

With such a mood lingering around, I asked ?Siesta?, representing everyone else. 

"Why did you gather us here and mention the past? What’s the purpose of hiding the truth till this point?" 

It’s been a year. It’s been a year since Siesta died. If it was ?Siesta? ’s mission to inform us, why didn’t she contact us until now? 

"There are a few reasons." 

Siesta? immediately raised a few fingers at us and began her explanation. 

"First of all, Master Siesta had to suppress the savage personality of Hel that was asleep in Nagisa’s body, and it would take a long time to stabilize her." 

That was a year?I remembered Siesta mentioning at the end of our conversation that it would take a long time to seal Hel away. Natsunagi herself only managed to recover recently and attend school, so I guessed she spent an entire year preparing for this. 

"And secondly, it is to ensure that the four of you will work together." 

"Us?" 

"Yes, that is also Master Siesta’s will." 

I see. So that was Siesta’s will which I heard from Natsunagi— Natsunagi, Saikawa, Charl, and me, our inheritance. 

"But." 

But Charl suddenly interrupted. 

"Why the four of us? Especially…Kimizuka too?" 

"Oy Charl, don’t ask that like it’s a matter of fact." 

"Yes, it is true that she brooded until the very end whether to involve Kimihiko Kimizuka in this." 

"Why? I should be the first one counted. I’m the assistant." 

"Kimizuka-san, is it that everything that happened over the past three years is a lie? Like, say, you aren’t an assistant, but a mere stalker to Siesta-san?" 

"Saikawa, you have the best eyes among us, right? What did you see in that footage just now then." 

It’s hopeless. These girls just played the fool the moment the tension slipped…. 

"But." 

As though she had heard my heart cry, Natsunagi gave a serious look, to ?Siesta? in fact. 

"This likely isn’t the most important reason, right?" 

Natsunagi was referring to the reason why ?Siesta? gathered us at this time and told us the truth. Once again, she asked the detective. 

"SEED shall be arriving personally to act." 

Siesta? immediately narrowed her eyes and mentioned the existence we had forgotten. 

That was the leader of ?SPES?, and most likely the biggest sworn enemy we had to defeat. 

"While SEED had not acted openly over the past year, it seemed the situation had changed recently." 

…It was true that we had examples in Saikawa’s sapphire and Chameleon’s attack on the cruise. 

What were they planning after a year? 

"It is your job?Nagisa, to prevent these incidents." 

Siesta? put the cup back onto the saucer, saying so. 

"My, job…" 

Once she knew that she was tasked with such a heavy position, Natsunagi lowered her head. 

The usual Natsunagi would have confidently patted her chest and accepted it. After knowing that past though, at this point, she…. 

"I don’t think it’s going to be a problem for Natsunagi to bear alone, right?" 

I immediately drank the tea and asked ?Siesta?. 

"The objective of defeating ?SPES? goes for Saikawa, Charl, and me too. There’s no need for Natsunagi to bear that sense of responsibility, right?" 

It’s true that Natsunagi indeed inherited the will of the detective on her own volition, but Saikawa, Charl, and I too were the legacy Siesta left behind…our common objective was to defeat ?SPES?. 

"Yes, that is true. The position Nagisa bears here is something neither Kimihiko nor Yui nor Charlotte can compare to." 

As to why , ?Siesta? let out a little sigh, 

"It is because Nagisa is the ? famous detective ?." 

She clearly emphasized a certain term as she said so, 

"So what about that? The definition is a little different from a normal detective, but Natsunagi already understood that." 

Siesta too called herself the famous detective, but in fact, there was a slight difference from the image of a normal detective. No mystery novel would ever have a detective fight androids and aliens, and she knew that very well in the first place. 

"…I see. So Master Siesta did not mention this to you too?" 

Siesta? then seemed to ponder something, and nodded, 

"The term ?famous detective? has a different implication from what you assume, Kimihiko." 

She said that as though she had just read my mind. 

"It is true that she was not an existence who would solve incidents normally. When we usually use the term ?famous detective?, we refer to something different?" 

"Wait a moment." 

Thud,  at that moment, the table rattled. The one who toppled her tea and stood up was, 

"You’re breaking—the Federal Charter if you continue." 

Charl said an unfamiliar term in a reproaching manner while glaring at ?Siesta?. 

"It is fine. They are directly involved parties." 

Siesta? looked around at us at the table with the same old stoic look, and said, 

"The ?famous detective? is a position amongst the Twelve Shields protecting the world—the ?Tuner?." 

The World’s Enemy and the Twelve Shields 

"Tuners……so that’s how it is?" 

"Eh, you know about this, Kimizuka-san?" 

Saikawa asked once she saw me give such a grim look. 

"So what are the tuners…" 

"No, I don’t know." 

"Please do not act like you know everything the next time." 

The younger idol suddenly sounded cold. 

"There are occasional threats that arrive upon this world." 

Siesta? ignored my little charade with Saikawa, and continued to explain, 

"Such crises arrive regularly, or sometimes all at the same time; an International organization will thus task a few people to counter them, and they are the ?Tuners?." 

They were existences born to counter the threats against the world—speaking of which, I remembered Siesta saying something to that effect, that she existed to protect the world, and had such a DNA. 

"There are twelve such ?Tuners? scattered all over the world. They are granted various missions concerning the world’s crises, and each ?role? was different." 

She said and bent her fingers to count. 

"For example, we have ?phantom thief?, ?priestess?, ?Assassin?. There are also rumors of existences like ?mage? and ?vampire?." 

"Vampire…" 

What kind of role was that? I couldn’t imagine what kind of job that guy would be doing. 

"And as barriers to the threats against the world, throughout history, they managed to save it from the countless crises that had occurred." 

But ?Siesta? continued to explain as though it was a lecture. 

"Nuclear wars, climate change, pandemics, clash of celestial beings. These not only involve man-made threats, they include external threats like ?SPES? —in other words, the ?Tuners? roam in the shadows to combat such crises." 

"So you’re saying that the world would have been destroyed without us knowing if not for the ?Tuners? ?" 

"Yes. One of the Twelves prevented the King of Terrors from attacking in the year…or so they said." 

Siesta? hadn’t mentioned a hypothesis, but rather a great prophecy Nostradamus left behind that shook this world. 

"So perhaps the ?Tuners? were the ones who continued to rewrite the future, ensuring that our world can continue to survive peacefully." 

"…Wait, you’re saying it’s possible to rewrite history?" 

"It is too presumptuous to conclude that something does not exist just because we cannot predict. You do know of such an example too no, Kimihiko?" 

When ?Siesta? said that, I was reminded of something. 

"—The ?Bible?." 

A year ago, Hel spoke of a book that recorded the future. Was that truly a book written by those who knew the future? 

…No, there’s no time to discuss such a distant topic. More importantly, thanks to what ?Siesta? said, I learned of the existences of ?Tuners?, and there was a fact I could more or less be certain of. 

"So Siesta’s one of the ?Tuners? ?" 

I said, and ?Siesta? silently sipped her tea, showing affirmation. 

That Siesta’s one of the Twelve ?Tuners? who saved the world—and her role was that of a ?famous detective?. The mission given to her was to defeat ?SPES?. 

She never once mentioned this fact, but, 

"…………" 

I realized this was the truth the moment I saw Charl’s sidelong face as she bit her lips. When Siesta said that fighting the enemies of the world was the mission she bore, that was the deeper meaning behind it. 

"But," 

While I pondered over something, ?Siesta? continued. 

"A year ago, Master Siesta died, and the position of the ?famous detective? was emptied. Nobody took that role to defeat ?SPES? during that period, and this stalemate lasted till now." 

"What are the other ?Tuners? doing? Can’t they get anyone to replace Siesta…" 

"The world’s crises aren’t simply limited to ?SPES? alone." 

Charl immediately spoke up. 

"The other eleven ?Tuner? s have their missions." 

"I see, so there are enemies other than ?SPES? …" 

Even while we’re chatting, the world’s faced with certain threats…and some are still fighting. 

"Back on topic." 

Siesta? said, and looked towards Natsunagi. 

"At this rate, it is likely you will be appointed as the next ?famous detective?." 

"…! Me?" 

Natsunagi widened her eyes to the face of these unexpected words. 

"Naturally, the decision has not been made. However, you do have the heart of the former famous detective, inherited her will, and could also freely use a power no ordinary person will be able to use. Many humans assume that you have the attributes to be a ?famous detective?." 

Is that so? Natsunagi didn’t just inherit Siesta’s heart and will; others felt that she could easily use that power??but. 

"Siesta won’t be showing up in Natsunagi’s body again." 

During the battle against Chameleon on that cruise, Siesta appeared before me in Natsunagi’s body?and vanished. It’s not miraculous, nor was it out of convenience. It’s just a fleeting daydream the fellow who loved to tease me showed. 

"Yes, I understand. Thus," 

Siesta? said, and looked towards Natsunagi once again, 

"I shall ask once again in Master Siesta’s stead. Nagisa, do you wish to inherit the will of the ?famous detective? ?" 

She asked for Natsunagi’s resolve. 

"I…" 

"If," 

I cut in while Natsunagi’s voice shook. I didn’t have anything to argue in particular, but I just felt that it’s too cruel for the current Natsunagi to decide at this moment. 

"If one day, Natsunagi truly inherits the title of ?famous detective?, what will you first do?" 

It didn’t have to be today. I just asked because I wanted to assume out of the uncertain future. 

And ?Siesta?, 

"I guess, so." 

She sipped the rest of the tea from the cup, and looked towards the four of us, saying, 

"Please find the mistake that was hidden in the video you just saw." 

Occupation, student. Sometimes, assistant 

The next day?I attended classes at school. 

Yes, I forgot that there’s something known as extracurricular lessons. 

It might be a little sudden, but before I was a detective’s assistant, my social standing was that of a student. Not too long along, I had a casual cruise tour soon after summer vacation started, and then I got abducted…well, it didn’t seem like there’s a moratorium during summer vacation for high school seniors. 

"Another 15 minutes, huh." 

I saw the clock hanging off the wall, and despaired. 

We had supplementary lessons since morning, which they called summer class, and it so happened to continue slowly, forever even. There’s still at least thirty minutes until noon break. 

"Shall I nap?" 

A student’s main duty is to sleep. It’s said that kids who have sufficient sleep develop very quickly. Great, I want to grow another 3cm at least. Speaking of which, Siesta always loved to sleep, so maybe that’s why she’s well developed in various ways. 

"…Huh?" 

It felt like I was thinking of the worst things. 

Guess I’m tired, yeah…so much happened yesterday after all. 

I was at the seat near the corridor, right at the back. I laid down on the table and sorted out my thoughts. 

Siesta? revealed the truth yesterday—that there were twelve ?Tuners? protecting this world. One of the roles was the ?famous detective?, and the tentative plan was to appoint Natsunagi. 

If Natsunagi was going to be the ?Tuner?, she would first have to solve the question ?Siesta? posed, which was, where was the mistake. On further inquiry, we learned that there was a certain mistake in the footage we saw a year ago. If Natsunagi was still troubled about whether she should be a ?famous detective?, it’s not too late to decide after she solved this. That’s what ?Siesta? said, and she let us off. 

So anyway, I…or rather, Natsunagi, had to figure out the mistake hidden in the truth a year ago. 

"But we don’t have a clue at all." 

I muttered with a voice nobody else could hear. 

…And when I regained my senses, I sensed that it was noisy around me. It seemed class had ended without me knowing, and it’s noon break. In the afternoon, we’d have two periods of classes, and the extracurricular classes would end. I was about to head down to the convenience store and buy a bento, and right when I lifted my head. 

"Ah," 

My eyes met the girl in the corridor—Nagisa Natsunagi. It seemed she’s planning to head to the cafeteria with her friends—about three, four girls (quite the hot group too)—and they were walking alongside each other. 

Right on cue. I stood up and wanted to inform her of our plans after school. 

"…………" 

She suddenly averted her eyes. 

And then, she started chatting with her girlfriends, hushing her voice for some reason, kept flailing her head and hands, and went off. 

Is this Hell? For some reason, I felt stares coming at me in the classroom, so I just sat down immediately and went to sleep. 

"How long are you going to sleep till?" 

It was after school. The relaxed voice woke me from my nap. 

My vision was blurry, and I rubbed my eyes…and then I caught sight of a vague silhouette. 

"I’m just enjoying a rare free time after we just went through two incidents." 

I didn’t exactly fall asleep the entire time, but due to my ?nature of getting into trouble?, I managed to resolve a few little troubles from my peers. 

"Anyway, I don’t have anything to say to you—Natsunagi." 

I recalled how I was treated just now and narrowed my eyes at her, who sat down at the chair before me. 

"Sorry about that. Anyway, you've got bed hair." 

Natsunagi then easily intruded into my personal space and combed my hair with her hand. 

"Are you Siesta?" 

"Half." 

She smiled, basked under the dim orange light. 

There’s just the two of us in the classroom after school, while the sun was about to set. 

"And then? What do you want Natsunagi?" 

I waved off her outstretched hand, and asked, 

"What else? Didn’t you want to say something to me during noon break?" 

"And who was the one who ignored me and went off?" 

The sight of high school girls gossiping away was truly the most painful thing. 

"…That’s because they’ll tease me if I respond." 

Natsunagi immediately gave me a displeased look. 

"See, well, they’ll ask if I have a relationship with you, Kimizuka." 

"Don’t get embarrassed just because you’re the target of these rumors." 

"…I don’t mean that though." 

It seemed like Natsunagi wanted to say something, and she tugged at my bangs unhappily. What’s with her? 

"Anyway, you slept too much. How long did you think I waited?" 

" From  you of all people when you showed signs of sleeping too?" 

"You should have said that earlier!" 

"And wipe your mouth while you’re at it." 

"Die twice early!" 

Natsunagi slammed my head onto the table. That's unreasonable……. 

"…And then? What do you want?" 

Natsunagi wiped off her saliva and asked. 

She looked at the sun that was slowly setting outside the window. 

"…Yeah." 

I wanted to mention that…but I didn’t continue for some reason. 

No, it’s not just me. Natsunagi too knew what I wanted to say. The moment we were about to, neither of us could start. 

"So you have friends?" 

Without thinking, I started with idle chat. 

"What’s with such sad words…" 

Natsunagi gave me a pitiful look. 

"How do you usually spend your noon break?" 

"I got a hideout, so that’s fine." 

Though I overslept because of a certain person. 

"So the place you usually eat at, Kimizuka? The toilet?" 

"Are you aware that you've just said some amazingly bad things?" 

If you’re inheriting the title of detective, don’t take on the role of taking me for a fool as well… 

I stood up, looking dumbfounded. 

"Let’s go to the secret place and show you that thing then." 

I said to Natsunagi, who looked on, wide-mouthed. 

"…Eh? If you want to bring me to the toilet, that is, erm, well…" 

"I didn’t say that, and no need for that embarrassed look." 

The thousand nights for two 

"This is the place." 

I led Natsunagi past the no-entry fence and went up the short stairs. There was a metal door sealed with a padlock. 

"Kimizuka, you have a key?" 

"Nope. But there’s no lock I can’t solve." 

"That sounds cool." 

"I got abducted and imprisoned too many times to count that I naturally picked up this skill." 

"Correction, that sounds awful." 

"See, it’s unlocked." 

I took several seconds to turn with my special pin, and with a crisp sound, the lock was undone. 

I pushed the door, went out—and the wind blew upon me. 

"Woah." 

Right behind me was Natsunagi, who marveled. 

The place we arrived at—was the rooftop. 

The sun had already set, and the stars twinkled in the cloudless skies. 

"How about that? It’s a fine place, even for a loner, right? Lunch tastes good when eaten here too." 

I leaned on the high fence and sat down. 

"No, you don’t have to be alone to do that." 

Natsunagi looked a little dumbfounded as she sat next to me. 

"How about having some friends?" 

"It’s not like I don’t want friends. I can’t have them." 

"Congrats on saying the one Japanese line nobody ever wanted to say." 

I received the worst honors possible. 

"Well, you can count me in amongst your friends, Kimizuka." 

Natsunagi then straightened her legs, patting down the skirt that covered half of her thighs. 

"…Actually, it doesn’t have to be about friendship. There are other relationship choices after all." 

"Like a subordinate?" 

"Say Kimizuka, what exactly is your relationship with Siesta-san…?" 

The topic took a completely unexpected turn…and for some reason, Natsunagi’s shoulders dropped. 

"But well, it’s nice to have a friend you can chat with, completely unfiltered, right?" 

And she’s cute too,  Natsunagi  said that and pointed her index fingers onto her cheeks. 

"I don’t know, since I never had friends." 

"You’re stubborn." 

Natsunagi pouted her lips dumbfoundedly. 

"Didn’t think you could hang out with Siesta-san like that." 

"…I don’t remember us getting along well together." 

I recalled the rather frantic three years we spent together. 

"And we argued like, once every three days." 

"So it’s always you who apologizes first, Kimizuka?" 

"Basically, yeah. Sometimes I get too stubborn and ignore her for a week or so." 

"And then?" 

"She becomes somewhat restless." 

"Siesta-san’s rather cute." 

"And then after some time, when I talk to her again, her face suddenly relaxes. And then," 

"She’d show an annoyed look and say, ‘Are you a fool?’" 

"Oh, correct. Gratz, you obtained level 1 certification of the Siesta Test." 

So we bantered off and chuckled. 

"But since we argued too much, one day, rules were set." 

"Rules were set so that you two won’t argue?" 

"Yeah. The rule is that the day after we argue, both of us are to go to an amusement park together." 

"Wh-what’s the meaning of that…?" 

"Like, we need to go to the amusement park together when it’s awkward. Isn’t that hell?" 

"Ah—since you hated that, the number of arguments naturally decreased, right? Was it effective?" 

"Yeah, thanks to that, we got a habit of riding a coffee cup together once every three days." 

"That’s really a funny American joke." 

Natsunagi looked completely unamused and threw her hands into the air. American jokes really are fun. 

"Speaking of which." 

And this time, she shot me a cautious look, 

"You look like you enjoy talking about Siesta-san, Kimizuka?" 

And asked me a question that seemed to imply something, 

"…Not at all. To be honest, I don’t really want to talk about Siesta, and right now, I don’t have interest in her." 

"Nope, nobody’s going to believe that." 

Natsunagi waved her hand with a serious look. You’re kidding, right? That’s impossible. 

"But," 

Natsunagi then looked aside, and said, 

"I guess you only have Siesta-san in your heart after all, Kimizuka." 

Natsunagi finally mentioned the crux both of us unwittingly avoided the entire time. 

Her sidelong face looked crestfallen. 

"You don’t have to worry about that." 

I tried to pass it off and ward off what Natsunagi might say next, 

"After all, before I met Siesta, I was alone." 

That’s why Natsunagi wasn’t in the wrong. Nobody would think that. Natsunagi took anything. Most importantly, I wouldn’t allow anyone to say that. 

"You’re kind, Kimizuka." 

I heard Natsunagi mumble. 

And before I knew it, she buried her face into her knees. 

"But this won’t do after all. No matter how much I chat with my friends, how much you encourage me, Kimizuka, that sight just wouldn’t fade away. I was the one who took Siesta-san’s heart—" 

At this point, she stopped. 

Nobody else was on this roof, and the night breeze rustled by. 

Natsunagi’s hands took Siesta’s life. 

She couldn’t avoid or hide this fact. In fact, it was her alter-ego…and this was the outcome of what Siesta wanted, but it just couldn’t clear up the guilt Natsunagi felt, or that’s what Natsunagi herself felt. 

"And it wasn’t just Siesta-san. Back in London, I took the lives of other innocents—" 

That was the curse that would forever bind Natsunagi to her guilt. Even if others were to console her, Natsunagi would never forgive herself for this. 

And in this situation, the only thing I could do was, 

"It’s dark." 

I stroked my index finger down Natsunagi’s back, while she was dressed in the sailor uniform. 

"Hya!" 

Some squeal was blurted from Natsunagi’s mouth, and she frantically covered it with her right hand. 

"Wh-wh-whawhawhawhawhawhawhawhawhawha!" 

And then, I could clearly sense Natsunagi’s face turn completely red, even in the darkness. Her lips shivered, open and close, and she glared at me. 

"Haa, listen up Natsunagi." 

"Shouldn’t it be my turn to get angry!?" 

"Eh, don’t you have such a fetish?" 

"D-di-di-di-di-di-di-di-di-di-di-di-di-die twice early!" 

"Alright, back to normal." 

"Don’t use a verbal tic to determine someone’s mood!" 

Natsunagi started hitting me from the side. Yep, she’s good. 

"Back then," 

I recalled my memories a year ago that was revealed yesterday, and said, 

"I used to be as gloomy as you, all dejected…and that’s when Siesta would smack my back." 

"…That’s." 

Natsunagi stopped hitting me. 

Yeah, you knew that. That was a year ago when Alicia…or Natsunagi got abducted by Chameleon back to ?SPES? hideout. I was in despair, and she hit my back hard. She got me to realize once again what I should do. 

"That’s why I’ll keep hitting your back, and hold your hand." 

"…But you just tickled my back with your finger, didn’t you?" 

…Well, that’s more or less the same, sorta. 

"Just be gloomy all you want now." 

I slowly leaned backward and laid down. 

I could only see the starry skies. 

"We can order delivery and eat all we want, or we can watch some touching and cry it out loud. Sometimes you can insult and curse at those unreasonable things that don’t go as planned, or if you like to vent your pressure with karaoke, I’ll accompany you for a night. If after that, you still can’t get rid of your guilt, I’ll bear half of it. You aren’t the only one at fault. I couldn’t save Siesta too back then. So at least…at least, I’ll share some of your pain, Natsunagi." 

"Kimizuka……" 

Natsunagi looked up at me dumbfoundedly. 

…Wait, was I being too cool here? Then, 

"Well, you see, whatever, if I do say so, I don’t think I’ll have anywhere to escape to…" 

I hesitated over whether I should say these words, but I quickly made up my mind, 

"…I’m used to being mistreated by girls." 

So well, it didn’t matter to me even if I had to bear Natsunagi’s pain. 

"…Pfft." 

At that moment, I heard air blown out. 

"Haha, ahahahaha!" 

"! Was it that funny!?!" 

"Eh, well, since when did this become some fetish revelation party?" 

"…! I say! I was! Trying to! Console! You!" 

Grrr, how did it end up like this? That's unreasonable…. 

"Your way of encouraging me is to confess that you’re a masochist…it’s awful, you’re worse than I thought, Kimizuka." 

"Say you…! Stop laughing! Anyway, you’re the same too, aren’t you!?" 

"No, my definition of that word should be different from yours, Kimizuka." 

"! Haa, I shouldn’t have said it…no, that’s not it. I just wanted to encourage you just now, Natsunagi, so I wanted to make a joke. I really don’t have such a fetish…" 

I immediately sat upright, and fumbled my words as I denied her, 

"Really like an idiot.” 

Thud, Natsunagi ’s face sank into my chest. 

"Just like an idiot." 

I said that, and smiled…and before I knew it, Natsunagi cried. 

She bit her lips and whimpered; her tears soaked my shirt. 

"Which one?" 

I said, but I knew very well. 

She’s always angry, delighted, smiling, crying. 

That’s the true nature of Nagisa Natsunagi?one of intense emotions. 

"Good work for holding it in." 

I looked at the distant stars and patted that head. 

I patted Natsunagi’s head, which had the red ribbon Siesta entrusted. 

"……uu, …………uu!" 

The rampant rain of emotions descended upon the rooftop at night. 

Speaking of which, there was an unbelievably beautiful and cloudless starry sky on this night. 

I swear to god, we didn’t ? 

After that, we returned to the school and walked through the campus using the phone lighting. 

It was dark. Given that it was this time, it felt like a test of courage. 

"Alright, now that you’ve cried enough, Kimizuka, it’s time to think about what we’re going to do next.” 

Natsunagi, walking next to me, slapped her face. 

"That was a damn lie. My shirt’s full of your tears and snot." 

Back at the rooftop, Natsunagi cried into my chest for at least ten minutes. The price of calming her was the great martyrdom of my uniform. 

"Uu…you said you’ll bear half the responsibility!" 

"I find it too embarrassing after I calmed down, so please let me refuse." 

"—Will you entrust half of your life to me?" 

"I swear to the heavens and the earth that I didn’t say that!" 

And it didn’t resemble me at all. Seriously, she’s acting like this the moment her mood recovered. 

"…But I took the ring." 

"…Whatever happened a year ago doesn’t count." 

Speaking of which, when she was Alicia, Natsunagi did hold my hand like this. 

"…Why are we holding hands so naturally now?" 

Quite the reversal of fortunes. Natsunagi asked somewhat frantically. She’s usually rather sadistic towards me, but her defenses were so fragile in the face of such unexpected attacks. 

"Let me say this first, Natsunagi. I’m most terrified of ghosts." 

"No, even if you say that so proudly." 

"I did say that on the rooftop, didn’t I. I’ll always hold your hand." 

"What’s with the awful closure?" 

Deja vu, I've just been in this place before…Natsunagi muttered. Speaking of which, I think I had a similar conversation at the haunted house during the culture festival four years ago, when I first met Siesta. 

"Anyway Kimizuka, your hand’s sweaty." 

"? I’m the type to sweat a lot at once when I think of something terrifying." 

"……" 

"And so, why is your hand sweaty, Natsunagi?" 

"…I hate you, Kimizuka." 

A high school girl who’d easily dig her own grave truly was funny and adorable. 

"But… ?Siesta? -san said that we’re to look for a mistake." 

Natsunagi seemed to sort out her feelings a little, and raised the topic we just mentioned. If she was to inherit the title of the ?famous detective?, she needed to find the mistake hidden in the past video. 

"Do you have any idea, Kimizuka?" 

"No, not at all…But." 

"But?" 

I mentioned the one part I was curious about to Natsunagi. 

"Was there really a need for a mistake to mislead us when she actually waited a year to convey the truth to us?" 

"…So you mean Siesta-san didn’t exactly intend to mislead us?" 

Yeah, that made sense. Siesta believed this was the truth when she was alive and decided to tell us that, and if there was a mistake— 

"Siesta made the mistake when she was alive." 

That was the only situation I could think of. There’s another side to that incident a year ago. ?Siesta? wanted us to figure it out. 

"But why was it that Siesta-san of all people made that mistake." 

Natsunagi frowned in surprise. 

It’s no wonder that Natsunagi was so incredulous. I had always been with that detective over the past three years and never saw her make any decisive mistake. Whenever the situation, she was always correct, depressingly so. How was it possible for her to make a mistake? 

"Kimizuka, I guess you too have some things you don’t understand about Siesta-san." 

Natsunagi tilted her head incredulously. 

"I thought you would know her three sizes too." 

"Hm, of course, I know that." 

We lived together for three years. It’d be strange if I didn’t. 

"…Th-that’s impossible. People usually don’t get the chance to know that." 

"Is that so? But since I touched, I can more or less…….…………forget about that." 

Natsunagi silently shook my hand off, and so I hastily corrected myself. Just to add on, I did touch…coincidentally. It couldn’t be handed. Yep, I couldn’t win against that irresistible softness. 

That aside. 

"If there was some mistake in the past memory, isn’t the best option to ask the involved person?" 

I suggested this since we had to find the mistake. 

"That can work. According to ?Siesta? -san, we should limit that to the incident a year ago, right?" 

"Yeah. The black history during that culture festival doesn’t count." 

Or rather, I didn’t want to remember that at all. Let’s investigate the involved parties in London and at ?SPES? hideout. 

"So first, Kimizuka and Siesta-san are the central characters…and then me, right?" 

"I guess. In other words, it’ll be great if we got more than three people to ask…" 

Once I thought of this, my first thought was Charl. She was an involved party as she entered the ?SPES? hideout along with us. When it was mentioned that we had to find the mistake, she did not say anything special, so it seemed she too had no idea. 

"Erm, then, the enemy leader?" 

"SEED? …Well, that guy indeed seems to know everything about us, but in any case, we don’t know anything about him." 

…But, yeah. We didn’t have to limit this to the people close to us. 

"Hmm, but if we’re talking about other members…" 

Yeah, the two enemies involved a year ago, Cerberus and Chameleon, were already dead. 

But there’s still one, one very important person who’s still alive. 

"Hel," 

I said, and Natsunagi widened her eyes. 

"But, wasn’t Hel sealed within me by Siesta-san?" 

"Yes, sealed. That doesn’t mean that she’s gone." 

"You want to call her out? Then Siesta-san’s purpose of shutting her down was…" 

"One year." 

I said to Natsunagi once again. 

"Siesta spent one year to convince her. It’ll definitely be fine." 

And if that was really the worst decision possible, Siesta would have stopped Natsunagi, even if it meant kicking up an uproar. If that’s not the case, it might not be an awful choice. The problem was, 

"How do we summon Hel?" 

The last time Siesta appeared in Natsunagi’s body was when I was in a pinch. 

"Maybe you should go back up the roof and jump down. Should be able to…" 

"Like that’s possible. I’ll die." 

Don’t give that serious can this work…  look with your fingertips at your chin. Treasure your assistant’s life already. 

"Speaking of which, Hel won’t save me even if I’m in trouble, right?" 

In that case, what should we do? While Natsunagi and I pondered over this without any lead. 

"I heard your conversation." 

"……!" 

Someone’s voice suddenly butted in. 

That person appeared before us, the torchlight shining upon her face as she said, 

"—Please leave the summoning of Hel to me." 

Appearing in the darkness with a blueish white face was ?Siesta?. She stood there like a ghost. 

"Nagisa, will you lend me a hand? Kimihiko seems to be in an emergency." 

"This is the first time in my life seeing someone actually collapse backward so nicely." 

And the Evil returns 

At least ten minutes later. 

A change of venue, and the three of us were gathered at an apartment. 

There’s nothing much to hide though; it’s the house I stayed alone at. At this point, I was running out of money earned from my work as Siesta’s assistant, so I could only live meagerly. 

"A boy’s room…" 

Natsunagi looked around the room restlessly for some reason. 

"Since I was brought here, should I have the male take responsibility?" 

"Natsunagi, there’s some broken Japanese leaking out from your heart." 

Well, since she managed to buck up a little, I should be happy for her then. 

"So, why at my house." 

I asked ?Siesta?, who nonchalantly strolled through my apartment in a rude manner. 

"This would be the closest equivalent of a place where any ruckus will be fine." 

"This house owner hasn’t heard of anything about any ruckus being fine." 

I guessed she properly inherited Siesta’s attribute of proceeding with the matter without listening to anyone. 

…No, but, more importantly. 

"Is it really alright for a detective to be assisted by the requestor instead?" 

She said she could summon Hel, so we went along with the suggestion, but on second thought, it was ?Siesta? herself who requested this. Was it really fine to borrow her power like this? 

"You really are a fool, Kimihiko." 

And then ?Siesta? glanced aside at me, 

"As Master Siesta said, anything can be done if it is for the sake of protecting the interests of the requestor." 

…I see. So it’s fine to borrow the power of the requestor if it’s for the sake of the requestor’s wish. 

"And so? Are you really capable of summoning Hel?" 

"Yes, of course." 

Siesta? immediately answered. 

"But I will need some preparations…certainly, first, is there a mirror in this house?" 

"Mirror? I've got a dressing mirror." 

I didn’t know what she wanted to use it for, but I pulled out the large mirror from the closet in my room. 

"This is quite the large dressing mirror." 

"Ahh, I bought it to see how much my muscle training paid off." 

"Heh, so why stuff it inside the closet?" 

"So what do you want to use this for?" 

"You changed the conversation immediately." 

I don’t know what you’re saying. I got to start training my muscles again, starting today. I’m serious, serious. 

"I shall summon Hel in this mirror." 

And then ?Siesta? said something that ridiculous. 

"Why do you look so skeptical?" 

"Your fault for saying that so naturally." 

"I do think it is something trivial compared to large robots and aliens." 

"I find fantasy themes more surreal than Sci-Fi." 

Though I didn’t know if the occult should be considered under fantasy. 

"So in other words, you only believe in what you can see, no?" 

Siesta? said, took something hanging from her waist, and showed it to us with an outstretched arm. 

"A hand mirror?" 

Natsunagi tilted her head once she saw that. 

That looked like a very ordinary round mirror…but it probably was. 

"Siesta’s ?Seven Tools? ?" 

Those were the Seven Tools she used to solve cases. The first one was the musket gun she always carried on her back, and another was the shoes that could ignore gravity. So speaking of which, I guessed this ?Siesta? inherited some of the Seven Tools too. 

"Actually, this hand mirror has a function akin to a camera film on the surface that can imprint anything…I shall extract some photo data." 

While she said that, the footage in the mirror kept changing. ?Siesta? said that it was a camera, but at this point, it resembled more of a video recorder that recorded everything about my journey with Siesta. The part where we were locked up was shown to us, and partly edited too, it seemed. 

And then, the footage continued to change like it was in fast forward, and soon stopped at a certain one. 

"This was…back in London…" 

Appearing in the mirror was Hel, looking surprised, her red eyes widened. 

It was our first battle with Hel in London, when we used the brainwashing effect of Hel's red eyes back at her to win. 

“I guess this is me as well." 

Natsunagi stared at the mirror and noted so. 

This was another side to Natsunagi, Hel. Of course, I met her a year ago. Hel had a different hairstyle from the current Natsunagi, and also had a military cap and uniform. Her manner of speech too was completely different. There was no similarity to be seen between those two even if they were compared at this point, other than the eye colors. 

"—But I have no choice but to admit it." 

Even then, Natsunagi seemed to have mustered the courage to face reality, and looked into the mirror…at the other her. 

"And then, ?Siesta? -san, how am I supposed to meet my other self?" 

“No, that is still…" 

I unwittingly interrupted. Just as a tiger could not come out from a screen, so would a doppelganger be unable to come out from the mirror. But ?Siesta?, 

"Infinity Mirror." 

She said that without hesitation for some reason. 

"Have you not heard of the urban legend that is the Infinity Mirror?" 

"Well, I only hear the ominous ones at that." 

I said, and Natsunagi nodded slightly. 

"According to the rumors, it is said this Infinity Mirror—can summon the devil. Rumors have it that—it can show the past and the future." 

"……!" 

Natsunagi and I widened our eyes and exchanged looks. The rumors by themselves reminded us of a certain existence…but even that seemed so unrealistic. 

"Nagisa, please stand in front of the mirror." 

But ?Siesta? ’s expression did not change at all, and she had Nagisa stand several meters before the mirror, and had her hold the hand mirror. The Infinity Mirror was then formed—and Natsunagi’s face was shown in the little hand mirror. 

"Just a little more preparation." 

Siesta? then took a lantern with a lit candle and switched off the lights in the room. It’s the middle of the night, and the orange light flickered alluringly in the room. Was that a step for the ritual of the Infinity Mirror? 

"We shall leave for a moment. Nagisa, please stare at yourself in the mirror like that," 

She said, we left Natsunagi at the mirror before the wall, and pulled a little distance away. 

We then waited for a few minutes. 

"Nothing seems to be happening." 

The only thing present was the logical physical phenomenon of Natsunagi appearing in the large mirror, and nothing incredulous. Of course, Hel was nowhere to be seen. 

"Say ?Siesta?, what’s the meaning of this…" 

I said somewhat impatiently, and then, 

"It seems there is another trigger that is required." 

Siesta? approached Natsunagi, and removed the red ribbon of the latter’s hair. 

"……!" 

At that moment, the red eyes in the mirror widened. 

The profile that lost Siesta’s ribbon reminded me of another person. In the darkness, with the orange light shining, Natsunagi’s fingertips reached for the mirror. 

"The other, me…?" 

Natsunagi muttered like she was sleep-talking. The palm of her right hand touched the mirror surface. She then closed her eyes hard, and several seconds later, she opened those red eyes again. 

"Natsunagi?" 

I called for Natsunagi, but she didn’t look back. 

Instead—the Natsunagi in the mirror said to the Natsunagi before her. 

"It has been a while, Master." 

The events on that day nobody knew of 

"Is that Hel?" 

A red eyed girl was standing in the mirror, and naturally, she had the appearance of Nagisa Natsunagi. 

But she, in the mirror, 

"It has been a while, Master." 

She said to Natsunagi, who stood before her. 

Master. That was the term Hel addressed Alicia a year ago…or in other words, Natsunagi. In other words, the one saying that at this point was, 

"Is this the other me?" 

Natsunagi took a few steps back, and said to the mirror. 

"Yes, I am the other you. Codenamed Hel." 

So the person in the mirror answered, 

"Those are quite the nostalgic faces." 

Through the mirror, she spotted ?Siesta? and I standing in the back. 

"See, it’s as I said, no? You’d be my partner one day." 

That was what she said a year ago, when I was abducted by her. 

In the ?Bible? that recorded the future, Hel and I were destined to be partners. 

But— 

"Sorry. I’m not your partner. My partner now is your Master." 

I said that so many times a year ago that I would never obey the instructions of this ?Bible?. 

"Still as aloof as ever." 

The person in the mirror smiled. 

Was that really, Hel…? I looked to ?Siesta? next to me, but she continued to look forward with the usual stoic look. 

"And so? Why do you summon me after a year of waiting?" 

Maybe,  so the girl in the mirror said, and narrowed her eyes, 

"Are you still intending to let me suffer?" 

She jabbed sarcastically at Natsunagi. 

Hel confessed a year ago, during the final battle, that she was born as an alter-ego while Natsunagi tried to escape the suffering caused by ?SPES? experiments. That was why she became such a twisted, savage existence. 

"Nope." 

I interrupted the conversation between those two without thinking. 

"I got some things to ask you about what happened a year ago…about Siesta." 

Jack the Devil? was involved in that chain of events. Since Hel was the critical character here, she might have noticed the mistake Siesta made…or so I hoped, but, 

"I know nothing." 

Hel shook her head affirmatively, 

"I wasn’t about to appear in the outside world over this past year thanks to that famous detective, and it vexes me. Please do not mention that name again in front of me." 

Hel looked somewhat scornful as she stared at Natsunagi’s left chest while the latter stood before the mirror.. 

"…In that case." 

This time, Natsunagi looked towards herself in the mirror. 

"Please tell me about yourself instead." 

Was she planning to attack from another angle? Was she planning to start a conversation with Hel, and then led back to the incident a year ago…back to the topic of Siesta? 

"You want to know about me? Haha, what else can I say?" 

Hel however seemed to sneer at this, and smirked in the mirror. 

"I’ve nothing to tell you. Even if I did, it’s all over during the battle a year ago. The result was that I lost, and was tragically sealed in Master. Are you going to mock me for such a sorry state?" 

"No!" 

At that moment, Natsunagi shouted into the mirror. 

"I wasn’t talking about this. I can’t understand you…if we’re discussing the meaning of mission and battle." 

"…Then what do you want to know about me, Master?" 

Hel frowned, looking somewhat troubled. 

"Erm, well………y-your interests?" 

What is this? Courtship? 

Look, even that Hel looks dumbfounded and speechless. 

"—But I’m serious." 

However, Natsunagi insisted on this, and stared at the mirror with a serious look. 

"I want to know things like, the favorite tea of yours, do you like to listen to trendy songs, or do you want to take bubbles. These are the things I want to know about you." 

That’s why, Natsunagi  said, and took a step towards the mirror. 

"Please tell me about yourself." 

She said to her other self. 

…Yeah, that’s right. That’s the kind of person Natsunagi was. 

That was her passion. She never had any strategy to begin with. 

She just wanted to talk to her other self. 

"…That’s stupid." 

But that murmur immediately denied Natsunagi’s passion. 

"And anyway, you should be the most familiar with me, Master." 

"What, do you mean?" 

Natsunagi tilted her head in confusion. 

"You’re the one who caused me, Master. How about you search through your memories instead of asking me?" 

Recollect her memories—yes. Even though we watched that footage a year ago, Natsunagi couldn’t regain all the memories she had over the past eighteen years. She entrusted most of her memories and emotions to her alter ego Hel. 

"But this is a problem Natsunagi can’t solve now…" 

"In that case." 

Hel interrupted my words. 

"Since we’ve said so, I shall lend some assistance. I shall recollect my memories…along with Master’s." 

Once done, Hel’s red eyes glowed. 

"I shall then talk about—Master’s own story." 

The other past that should have been said. 

Whenever I woke up in the morning, I always had a thought “Isn’t this bed too hard?” 

"My waist hurts…" 

I stretched my body, and limbered my stiff bones. 

Isn’t that weird for a kid who’s still in puberty?  I couldn’t help but think so, but I couldn’t grumble about this. I had to be grateful for all the care I received. 

"Got to test my temperature." 

I did my daily temperature check right after waking up. I put the thermometer under my pajamas…and the drip inserted into my right arm appeared in my sights. It’s a usual scene for me, but I felt very uncomfortable having a needle inserted into me. 

"37.2?, huh?" 

My body temperature was about the same as usual. I recorded it on a piece of paper, and laid down on the sturdy bed once again to wait for breakfast. This lifestyle continued for twelve years, ever since I was born. 

I was afflicted with a heart disease ever since I was born, and I could only stay in the wardroom and wait obediently. I couldn’t go out to have fun with friends, and the only one who visited me was the doctor on a routine check. 

The reason for that was because I didn’t have any parents. It seemed I was abandoned the moment I was born. In other words, I was set as a tragic heroine, orphaned and afflicted with an incurable disease. The place I was at was the wardroom of a facility where orphaned children were gathered at. 

"…Haa, how pitiful." 

I pitied myself, lamenting as to why I had to suffer this fate. 

"Sigh, maybe a certain prince charming will welcome me.” 

And then he’ll take me from this hard bed and bring me to a distant land…is that too much of a pitiful delusion, I wonder? 

"I don’t know if you can accept me appearing in front of you even though I’m not a prince—Nagisa." 

I then heard a voice call for me. I turned around…and there was a silhouette. On a side note, this room is on the third floor. Always as rowdy as usual, and I showed a wry smile. 

"Why am I being ignored?" 

That silhouette then inserted some strange device from beyond the window, unlocked the window, and slipped it. Seemed like I couldn’t act like nothing happened after all. 

"What do you want—Siesta?" 

I rolled my eyes at that invader. 

"You’re still as cold as always, even when it’s a rare moment of a friend looking for you." 

And she—Siesta, deftly pulled over a round stool from a corner of the room and sat by the bed. I said that the people who usually visited me were doctors, but it seemed I forgot. I got some bad friends recently. 

First of all, this was one of them, Siesta. 

Silvery white hair, blue eyes. For a pure Japanese like me, that was really an appearance worth envying. 

"Huh, why is your face a little dirty?" 

For some reason, Siesta’s face was a little blackened, like she was covered in smoke. She usually had white skin not inferior to her hair. 

"Ahh, it’s a stain caused by a failure when I tried to make a bomb." 

"Don’t make it sound like you only made a mud bomb." 

What’s this girl doing so early in the morning…? 

"Stop making bombs." 

I warned Siesta, hoping that I would never have to say these words a second time. 

"But in the future, I might think of blowing up something. Like a company." 

"Whatever the reason, don’t blow up a company." 

I don’t want a friend who’ll be arrested for bombing a company just because she hates her job. 

"Ah, but it was her who suggested making a bomb in the first place." 

"……Ah?" 

And while I accepted this fact, rather rudely. 

"What do you mean, 'that girl'? Call me by my name." 

Saying that and appearing behind Siesta at the window was a girl with peach-colored hair. She looked as cute as a doll…but she’s not as ladylike as she looked. That’s the bad friend number two. 

"…Haa, you came too?" 

I lowered my shoulders dejectedly after looking at them. Whenever they gathered, they would be as rowdy as an American family party watching an American Football game. 

"What’s with that reaction! Nachan, you’re too much!" 

She looked somewhat displeased, and hopped into the room, and weakly punched me about. 

"We’re three best friends, right!?" 

"That used to be the case." 

"It’s happening now! I’ve been keeping diary records of the three of us together!" 

"Okay okay, I get it. Acchan." 

These were the two bad friends I've made recently. 

And they were two really strange kids. 

All the children in this facility were obedient to adults, which I felt came from the deep-rooted fear of being abandoned by adults. Not these two though. They would make bombs, climb walls, and barge into my wardroom, which was supposed to be off-limits to them. These two girls were so weird, it amazed me. 

"Why are you looking at us with that ‘oh dear’ look, Nagisa?" 

Siesta looked displeased as she stared at me. 

"No, I just think noisy kids are cute." 

"…I think that I’m the most adult-like among the three of us." 

"Too bad, the real adult won’t call herself an adult." 

"Nachan, did you just call me cute? Ehehe, lookie look~ this one-piece dress is handmade!" 

"I don’t mean that at all and don’t turn there. I can see your panties." 

"Woah, you’re right. You too then, Siichan. Turn around too so that we can beat Nachan with numbers." 

"I don’t want to participate in this majority vote, and don’t call me Siichan…" 

That’s how our conversation always went. One with the nonsense, another with the retort, and we would all laugh together. 

Such was our daily life, and I— 

"Excuse me." 

At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and a male dressed in white robes, about sixty years or so, entered the room. 

"How do you feel…so you two are in too?" 

The doctor, who was also the headmaster of this orphanage, showed a wry smile once he spotted the other two with me. He knew very well that it was pointless to be angry at them. 

"They delivered this." 

"……? Woah!" 

He said that, and passed to me a new teddy bear. It’s a little childish, but it was really cute. 

"I heard they had a daughter who was said to be about three years younger than you. Maybe they chose this present as a result.” 

The present given was from a certain Japanese couple involved with investments. It seemed they donated lots to this orphanage, and even gave presents to us regularly. I never met them, but I was really happy to think they cared about us. 

"So what do you want?" 

Siesta immediately asked a doctor. It was as though she knew he did not appear just to deliver a present. 

"…I really can’t beat you." 

And then, the doctor showed a bitter smile once again, 

"Actually, I wanted everyone to cooperate before breakfast. This is to be done on an empty stomach." 

That was what was suggested to us. 

"I see, understood." 

Siesta then nodded her head without any resistance, like a prank or something. “Guess we got no choice then,” Acchan said in agreement with her hands on her hips…but I, 

"You don’t seem very happy." 

The doctor looked at my face and muttered with a perturbed look. This conversation was already a daily routine, but no matter what he said, that’s just— 

"It’s for your own good. You understand?" 

"…Yes." 

But I knew. At the very end, I would have to obey what the adults said. 

"Thank you for your cooperation—number 602." 

The man gave a satisfied smile, seemed to be done with what he wanted to say, and turned around, preparing to leave. 

I looked at him, and, 

"No." 

I said to his back, for I felt I had to refute something. 

“My name isn't number 602—it’s Nagisa." 

Nagisa—that was the name given to me by Siesta. 

That was the name she gave me, in this place where everyone was called by number. 

"…I guess." 

The doctor turned behind once again, gave a gentle smile, and left the wardroom. 

"Nagisa……" 

Siesta looked at me as though she had something to say. 

"Yes, I understand." 

I thought that I might need to endure a few more hours of pain, and nodded. 

The cooperation that the doctor spoke of was for me to test a few drugs in this facility. 

The money used to run this orphanage was through clinical trials on children. 

Just like a detective 

The drug testing was held fortnightly. 

Dozens of children gathered in this facility were the test subjects, and I, who had heart disease, was part of them, so I had to participate every time. I wasn't healthy, so there was additional research value, but at the same time, the burden my body suffered was far beyond an ordinary person. 

There were lots of side effects in the experiments, like fever and nausea, and sometimes I could feel a burning sensation running to my body. Our perseverance however could keep this facility running…and at the same time, it could create drugs to fight any unknown diseases. That was the sense of mission that drove us children on. 

There was also another reason that allowed me to persist. 

The existence of my bad friends. 

First of all, Siesta—she’s a friend I made months ago after I had been alone the entire time. I didn’t know which facility she transferred in from, and I didn’t know which country she was from. But she practically came to look for me to play and chat every day, while I was suffering. 

And thanks to that, we had another friend. Acchan was a girl Siesta dragged along one day, saying “I found something interesting.” and took her as a toy. It’s as what she said, that it’s never boring whenever she was around…in any case, I looked forward to chatting with them. 

—But. 

"Why aren’t they here?" 

After the experiment ended, a day passed, three days passed, a week passed—but the two of them never came to this ward room again. Did I say anything to make them unhappy? Or did something happen to them…? 

"…Where did they go?" 

But all I could do was wait for them in the wardroom. I was a little lonely, but I had no other choice. I was always alone, to begin with. Whenever I was with Siesta, we always had some arguments, so this might be for the best. I was a little lonely, but it was to be expected. 

…Lonely, me? 

I started to hate myself for being stubborn and wanted to discard this vexing part of myself somewhere else. 

Ahh, if only someone else could carry this side of me. 

"Haa." 

I let out a deep sigh, showing a side I had never shown to anyone else. 

"If you sigh, you’ll delay your wedding date by a year." 

At that moment, Siesta popped her head from under the bed. 

"Gyaaaahhh!" 

I instinctively threw the doll at her. 

"Hey, I’ll get caught if you’re so loud." 

"Then someone please hurry and catch this bad person!" 

Th-that shocked me. I thought my heart would stop… 

Did she forget that I had a bad heart? Spare me already… 

"Feeling lonely?" 

"…It’s nothing. Just enjoying some alone time." 

I avoided Siesta’s question, and laid back onto the bed. At such moments, I could only look at the ceiling and ignore her. 

"If you lie, you’ll delay your wedding date by a year, you know?" 

And this time, the ceiling was opened, and Acchan’s face popped out. 

"Gyaaaahhhhh! Are you seriously trying to stop my heart?" 

And I hoped they would stop with the mysterious warning I never heard of…how much did they wish for me to delay my wedding? 

"Actually, it’s about something more serious." 

Alrighty,  Siesta got out from under the bed and sat on the round stool next to me. 

"Eh, where’s my seat?" 

Acchan at the ceiling asked Siesta. 

"Just stay prone there and wait." 

"Siichan, aren’t you being too cold towards me?" 

Siesta completely ignored Acchan at the ceiling and said to me. 

"I’ve been here at this facility for three months, but there’s something I’m a little curious about." 

Siesta looked around the room for some reason…and quickly picked up the teddy bear I just threw out. 

"I was wondering, since we got so many donations from external parties, why is there a need for clinical trials?" 

The operational expenses of this facility were said to be earned through the clinical experiments, but Siesta was still skeptical about that. It’s through that the management kept the children as test subjects, there’ll be a problem. Everyone could endure the drugs only because they wanted to keep the status quo in here. 

"And, this." 

Siesta pulled the zipper behind the teddy bear. Something dropped out…and I widened my eyes. 

The small round device resembling a button battery fell onto the floor, and it was— 

"A listening device." 

Acchan, who was at the ceiling, had her hands on her cheeks, supported by her elbows, and she said, 

"It seems this facility has been hiding some things from us children." 

"……! You mean we’re being watched? Did they just hear the conversation we had…?" 

While I expressed my worry, 

"It’s fine." 

Siesta said without hesitation. 

"The conversation in this room has been swapped with a dummy recording." 

"Wait a sec, am I part of a spy movie or something!?" 

"We couldn’t come over in the past week because of the preparations, sorry." 

"What preparations? How did you do that?" 

Haa, I couldn’t keep up with the retorts. I really hoped they would worry about my body condition. 

…Hm? Body condition? 

"Was it for my sake?" 

Why is Siesta so distrustful of the facility at this time, and why is she taking action? 

Isn't it because I didn't want to do the clinical trial in front of her? 

"What do you mean?" 

But Siesta pretended not to notice anything, and quickly left her seat, 

"I just want to unravel the secrets hidden in this facility." 

She said as if she was staring into the distance. 

"…Fufu." 

I looked at her back, and couldn’t help but laugh. 

"Did I do something to make you laugh?" 

Siesta might have thought I was making fun of her; she gave me a pouty look she usually wouldn’t show. 

"That’s not it," 

I denied it with a smile. 

I merely looked at Siesta and said, 

"Somehow, you look like a detective." 

That's what I thought. 

"Well, Siichan, please." 

"Understood. Here we go." 

Siesta then followed Acchan's instructions, and somehow put me on her back. 

"Eh, what? What what what…" 

"We’re telling you to participate in this operation with us, Nagisa." 

And like before, Siesta opened the window, and put her foot on the sill. 

"Wait wait wait wait wait!? Wait a sec!? What are you doing!?" 

I had a really bad feeling about this…but at this point, I had no right to choose. 

For Siesta carried me on her back— and jumped off . 

"It’s fine, my shoes can fly." 

"How’s that possible!?" 

I closed my eyes, thinking that this was where I would die. 

Even Girls Love Secret Bases 

"Hm, looks like she woke up." 

It was Siesta’s voice. I opened my eyes, and saw her beautiful face. 

Was I unconscious since then? I woke up on the sofa where I had been lying and found myself in an unfamiliar room. 

"Welcome to our secret base!" 

This time, it was Acchan. I turned to the voice and saw her standing there proudly with her hands on her hips. 

"Secret base?" 

I said that, looked around…and noticed something a little strange about this room. 

"Is this, all cardboard…?" 

Yes. It’s a cardboard house, where the walls, table, and even the sofa I'm sleeping on were all made of cardboard. 

It certainly felt like a secret base, but…the questions I had were, what were we doing here, and why was I brought here? 

"This is our base of operations." 

Siesta said while she sat on a chair made of cardboard. 

And naturally, when she said we, it included the other bad friend. 

"Siichan asked me to chip in. Once she makes up her mind, there’s no way she’ll stop." 

Acchan overreacted by turning her palms to the ceiling in exasperation. 

"…I’d prefer if you don't call me that stupid nickname." 

Siesta turned away, looking unusually embarrassed. 

While she seemed mature, I was relieved to see her being childlike. 

"So, you said this is the base of operations?" 

"Yes. We've been using it as a base for the resistance…and strategize our counterattack against the adults." 

Having said that, Siesta opened a cardboard closet in her room. 

And over there was, 

"What, are these…?" 

These were weapons I usually would see in the fictional world. I didn’t know the exact names of these things, but there were many various guns and blades inside. Wait, was the one who made these… 

"Ehehe! I made them!" 

Acchan showed me a peace sign. 

I guess that’s to be expected of a girl who could make bombs for fun. Ever since Acchan started making toys that she called ?inventions?, the other kids showed respect to her. I never thought she would make such incredulous things… 

"But do we really need these?" 

I asked them while looking at the weapons from afar, being too scared to touch them directly. 

"Since you prepared something so dangerous, are you really going to fight against the adults?" 

No, was there really a need for such defiance? Are the adults…really hiding something from us in this facility? 

"Who knows? We can’t be certain of that for now." 

Siesta quietly shook her head. 

"But it never hurts to be prepared for anything unexpected. We should resolve the trouble before it happens." 

"…Th-that’s difficult to say." 

I wondered if she’s really the same age as me. No, wait, she never told me her age either. 

"So, how about it?" 

Siesta then asked me. 

"Do you want to fight alongside us, Nagisa?" 

To be honest, I was scared. 

It wasn’t because I was scared of disobeying the adults, nor was it because I feared to know the hidden truth. I was terrified that something would change drastically. 

Of course, I didn’t mean that I was satisfied with the environment around me. I didn’t know how much my life would be improved if I could free myself from the drug experiments. 

But I spent twelve years of my life tied to the bed of the wardroom, and that ensnared me firmly. 

"I…" 

For a moment, I couldn’t answer the question, and looked down. 

And when Siesta saw me like that, 

"One day, let’s go see the sea at noon openly." 

She said the words that reminded me of our first encounter. And then, 

"We’ll get your heart treated, and then run around in the waves as much as we want. But to create that future—something has to change." 

Siesta said, and reached her left hand out to me while I sat down. 

"…Guess I got no choice." 

"Let me help out!" 

Good grief, I let out a sigh. I held her hand and stood up. 

"…Mm, why do you two always end up in a world of your own?" 

There was a kid who seemed bemused by this. Acchan had her arms folded as she looked at us…but she didn’t look intimidating at all. 

"Don’t complain. Nagisa will hug you later." 

"Siichan you idiot! Na~ch~a~n!" 

"Woah, you reek of oil…" 

"Because I made an invention!" 

Acchan stomped onto the floor, and we laughed. 

I was sure the three of us could overcome changes and  difficulties. 

And before I knew it, all my worries and doubts were gone. 

"Now then, back to this topic." 

I stood at a position where the three of us formed a circle. 

"The three of us are going to solve the mystery of this facility!" 

I reached the back of my right hands towards the two of them. 

"Eh, yes, that’s the spirit." 

"Ahaha, you’re unexpectedly childish, Nachan." 

"Don’t knock me down a peg at the last moment!" 

And so we laughed, got angry, "Oh!" and swore together. 

"…Goodness" 

I never thought I'd end up embarrassing myself in this way…I returned to the sofa, and put my cheek on my hand, propped by my elbow. 

"Hm?" 

I looked at the room again, and noticed many toys and stuffed animals by the window. I wondered if they were given by the usual aunts and uncles, but there seemed to be too many for Acchan to have received them alone. 

…But well, what I most wanted to say was. 

"Acchan, you’re a hundred times more childish, aren’t you?" 

The True Enemy 

A few weeks later. 

"Ow! Siesta, you just stepped on my foot, didn’t you?" 

We’re walking in the dark building, and I complained to Siesta next to me. 

"Eh, I didn’t." 

"…You’re lying, aren’t you? Now then…" 

We were in the darkness. A chill suddenly ran down my spine, and I instinctively grabbed Siesta’s arm. 

"I lied." 

"Why did you lie with complete malice!?" 

Seriously, this girl…it seemed like she’s born for the sake of making fun of others. I really couldn’t deal with her, so I could only hope that someday, she’d find a partner who could take my place instead. 

"…And then? Is there really an enemy in front?" 

I hushed my voice and asked Siesta. 

"Yes, no doubts about it. We've got footage of the whole building now." 

She tapped into the surveillance cameras remotely. We knew exactly where everyone else was, and Acchan was the one monitoring while instructing us. She’s at the base of operations, keeping an eye out for any problems. 

"We’re almost there." 

I said to buck myself up. 

"This is our answer. We won't listen to what they have to say anymore." 

"…Yes." 

Over the past few weeks, with Siesta as our leader, we investigated this facility. 

We used Acchan's inventions for spying, wiretaps, reconnaissance, all to gather intel—and eventually we figured out the truth. On this day, Siesta and I were going to face off against the enemy. 

Of course, this would change my life completely. 

For twelve years I've spent almost no time playing with my friends because of my weak constitution. Recently however, I made two friends who I would call bad friends. If we oppose this facility openly, we might be separated from each other. I couldn’t shake my head and deny if one were to ask if I would miss him. 

"Shall we stop?" 

It seemed my thoughts were read, for there was a sweet voice tempting me. 

"You’re evil, Siesta." 

I said unhappily, wanting to purge the notion away. 

I did have my doubts. I thought about leaving it to the two of them. But I knew if I ran now, I would regret it in the future. 

This was my chance. I thought this was my last chance to get off the bed…to fly out of the birdcage. 

That’s why I— 

"Let’s do it. I won’t allow myself to be excluded by my friends." 

I put my hand in my pocket and felt something hard. 

I just hope I didn’t have to use it. 

"…Goodness, you all are children, the lot of you." 

Siesta smiled softly as she said this. 

We walked a little while, and finally arrived at our destination. It was an elevator to the basement. We nodded to each other, hopped in, and went down to the basement. 

The doors opened, and the first thing we saw was a series of large water tanks. The tanks were filled with green liquid and contained some things connected to them by tubes. 

"Oh, we have guests." 

We then heard a third voice in the room. 

"It seems the time for experiment is a little earlier than expected." 

Saying this was the man in white robes?my supervising doctor, the headmaster of this orphanage. 

"Are those, Androids?" 

Siesta asked the man, pointing to the contents of a huge tank. 

"……Hohoh, looks like you’ve done quite a fair bit of research." 

The corners of his lips curled, and he indirectly admitted that Siesta’s hypothesis was correct. 

This was the secret of this facility, which we knew of. 

They weren’t simply doing normal clinical trials—there was actual human experimentation. 

It was an experiment to inject certain unknown energy into the body to give it physical abilities far beyond those of normal humans. Their goal was to repeat the trial experiments on orphans without relatives, and eventually create "Androids". 

"Are you another of the ?Androids? ?" 

Siesta grimly asked the headmaster, and then, 

"The ?Primordial SEED? am I." 

The man's tone suddenly changed. At the same time, his appearance kept changing into various forms. There was a man with an all back blond hair at one moment, and the next moment, his body twisted and contorted before he transformed into a bewitching woman with long hair. And finally— 

"This is the form I’m most comfortable with." 

A thin youth with white hair appeared. 

…Well, he might look like a youth, but I didn’t really know if he’s a man. The nice face looked feminine enough…but there’s a sacred feel to how asexual he looked, or bisexual. 

"But ultimately, this too is a false image. The beings in there are not true either." 

The boy who called himself SEED said as he looked at those tanks with clear eyes. 

"These are all clones cultivated from parts cut off from me." 

"So are you intending to use the children and create real ?Androids? ?" 

"Well, that understanding of yours is somewhat correct." 

Though I dislike the term ?Androids?,  SEED chimed in . 

"For what?" 

I couldn't help but interrupt their conversation. 

"War? Money? ...... Why did we have to sacrifice ourselves for you?" 

That's what I wanted to know for the last twelve years in this facility. 

—A few children disappeared from this facility. 

The children who were next to me, undergoing clinical trials yesterday, were gone the next day. 

They must have died in the middle of the experiment ...... and we had our memories erased by drugs or something. 

“There are those who would use my power to gain money, military power, and so on. But I myself am not interested in any of that, not at all. What drives me—is this insatiable survival instinct." 

SEED said with a blank look and stood before us. 

"So, what will you do? What's the point of finding out the truth about this facility, my objectives, and then confronting me with it?" 

"Of course, we’ll stop you no matter what." 

The next moment, Siesta raised the musket on her back. Of course, it was another Acchan invention. 

"You’re threatening me?" 

"This is real." 

I said, and took the bomb switch from within my clothes. 

This facility was located on an isolated island surrounded by the sea. Since we knew we couldn’t escape, we had no choice but to fight. 

"If I press this switch, this laboratory will be blown to pieces." 

I put my thumb on the red switch. Of course, if I pressed it, we wouldn’t be able to escape unscathed. This however would help us negotiate. 

"—I guess it’s not ready yet." 

But then, I thought I saw a hint of disappointment in SEED’s otherwise expressionless face. 

"The plan starts now, however." 

"…Wh-what are you talking about!?" 

It felt as though he never thought of us as an opponent, so I raised the button, wanting to attract his attention. 

"Self-sacrifice? How foolish. I can tell by your trembling fingertips that you don't have the courage to press it." 

"I-I do!" 

I was about to argue back. 

"So why don’t you press it?" 

At that moment a red light appeared from SEED’s eyes. 

"…?" 

For some reason, my thumb was lured to the button against my will. 

"Wait, wait, wait! No! No! ......!" 

If this kept up, my thumb would push the button. And I knew the bomb was real…! 

"Uu!" 

Siesta noticed something amiss, and aimed her gun at SEED, squeezing it without hesitation. 

"……? It didn’t shoot, out?" 

But no bullet was released from the muzzle. In the meantime, my thumb pressed the red button, and then— 

"Nothing happened?" 

In a sense, it was a relief to me, but it meant we got another big problem. 

Both of Acchan's inventions failed to work. 

Was this a coincidence? Bad luck? —Or. 

"I knew of this little future for a long while. 

SEED muttered, and then, 

"This won’t do?, both of you?" 

We heard another voice from behind. 

I turn around fearfully, and the peach-haired girl said, 

"You can’t point such dangerous things at my boss." 

The name I called for at the very end 

"Acchan……?" 

I couldn't accept the reality that happened in front of my eyes, and dropped the bomb switch onto the floor. Acchan walked by me with a faint smile, and eventually stood beside the SEED. 

"Why, you?" 

Next to me, Siesta squinted with a grim look. I prayed that the hypothesis in my mind wasn’t true. 

"Ahaha, sorry, but I’ve been on this side the entire time." 

Acchan however threw the cruel truth at us. 

"Actually, I knew for a long time that children disappeared from this facility." 

We only came to conclude that it was a fact recently. The children who failed the human experiments were dead, and our memories of them were erased by the drug. 

But Acchan— 

"I’ve been keeping a diary every day for a long time, and I've been using it to bridge the gaps in my memory, so I realized that children disappeared without our knowledge." 

…Speaking of which, Acchan's secret base was decorated with many stuffed animals and dolls that didn’t seem to be hers. Maybe they belonged to the children who had died so far. After all, Acchan had been the first to notice that the children had disappeared. 

"…You know that, so why are you taking their side?" 

It should be easy to tell which was the evil side. 

"Well, isn't it natural to follow the stronger one?" 

But even with the same logic, she came to a different conclusion. 

"You have to be smart to live, right?" 

Acchan said, and smiled as if she was taunting. 

"That’s why these children won’t do." 

She turned around, pointed at Siesta and me, and suggested to SEED. 

"Kids who got bluffed so easily can’t be of fighting strength. There’s no reason to give them the ?seed?." 

Seed—that’s the first time I heard of it. 

According to the intel we gathered and how the conversation was going, we could deduce somewhat. 

The seed was probably an unknown form of energy that will groom the children into ?Androids?. Acchan insisted that Siesta and I shouldn't have it. 

"Instead, give me the ?seed?." 

And so she told SEED that she’s the one who deserved it. 

"I’m interested in these ?Androids? as an inventor. Besides, I helped you lots. Say? Can I?" 

Same old, childish Acchan. She acted like a selfish spoiled brat, and begged SEED for the ?seed?. 

—But. 

"I think it’s still too early for you." 

SEED refused her with a blank look. 

"I’m fine." 

But she continued to pester SEED, as though she was obsessed with something? 

"It’s okay, I can take this. I can definitely use the ?seed? well." 

"What about these two?" 

SEED asked, as though probing her. 

Of course, the two mentioned here referred to Siesta and me. We knew of the secret to this facility and SEED’s real identity, so how would we be punished? 

And then, Acchan said, 

"Can’t you just erase their memories like usual? Then release them. They’re useless anyway." 

She didn’t look at us as she just prattled on. 

"Ah, yes. Have them forget about me too. After all, it’ll be uncomfortable if they keep remembering me, right?" 

…Ahh, so that’s how it was. 

Acchan’s still that Acchan. 

"And do discard the other kids. This place is just an experimental place to create ?Androids?, right? If I’m the first to succeed, you don’t need this facility—" 

And while Acchan continued to prattle on, 

"Hey, are you really fine with this?" 

Siesta said, her voice ripping through the air. 

"What you just said is basically to sacrifice yourself and save us." 

"……!" 

And for the first time, Acchan’s face winced. 

Yes, I was mistaken. 

The problem was whether I could believe someone who had betrayed my trust once?and this time, I had to believe in my feelings, not Acchan’s actions. I had to believe in her true nature till this point. 

"…This is fine." 

Acchan muttered to herself. 

"If someone’s sacrificed,  this experiment will be over. If I can use the ?seed? properly, everyone will be saved! Isn't that right!?” 

—Yes, Acchan was only pretending to be on SEED's side to protect us. She was the first to notice the secret of the facility, and I believed she was planning to deal with it alone at first…Siesta started to act as well. 

Acchan knew that Siesta’s personality was such that she would never stop once she decided to do something, so she acted as a double agent to protect us. 

"So please." 

Acchan put her hand on her chest, and yelled at SEED. 

"Give me to me! I’ll inherit this ?seed? ! So the two of them…!" 

"Certainly." 

SEED showed a stoic look, and accepted her cry. 

At that moment, a long feeler-like thing extended from SEED’s back. 

"……!……W-we’re not letting you!" 

Some extraordinary suddenly unfolded before our eyes, and my body flinched involuntarily. 

But when I saw the sharp tip of the feeler, I could easily imagine what would happen next. 

"…!" 

And at that moment, I felt a strong pain running through my left chest. 

Of all times, my heart just had to…! 

"Nagisa!" 

"L-leave…" 

I shot a look at Siesta, prompting her to hurry on and get over to Acchan. 

—But at that moment. 

"It will be troubling to have someone interfere with an experiment at this time." 

I heard someone else’s voice that wasn’t here. 

"…!" 

And the next moment, Siesta tripped onto the floor. It felt as if she was pinned down by something. 

"Now then, stop struggling." 

"! I…don’t …want!" 

Siesta struggled and yelled. 

"Haha, are you so joyous to run off your tongue at me?" 

A nauseating laugh came from the space that should be empty. 

It was as though the enemy could turn himself transparent. There was an existence the surveillance cameras couldn’t detect, and even Siesta couldn’t expect that. 

We’re powerless to move before a powerful enemy manipulating a feeler like it’s a living thing, and a girl standing there, facing him. 

"Now, time for the last experiment. 

SEED said with an aloof voice. 

"Take it, this is my ?seed?" 

The sharp tip of the feeler, closed in on Acchan’s left chest. 

With this worst outcome looming before us—she turned her upper body towards us, and showed her usual innocent smile. 

"I hope you'll forget about me soon.” 

I didn’t remember much about what happened next. 

Maybe I lost my memory due to shock. 

Or maybe I shoved the pain and suffering to someone else. 

I lost my consciousness, as if I was locked away in the darkness. 

But the name I called at the very end. 

That name was my friend’s, who wasn’t compatible with the ?seed?, and she coughed out blood as she died before me. That remained in me forever. 

"—Alicia!" 

The search for the mistake, and the answer. 

"Yes, six years ago. I was with Siesta-san…no, with Siesta. And then, with Alicia. We fought ?SPES? in that facility on the island." 

Natsunagi seemed to have remembered everything, and she revealed everything. 

One year ago, Charl and I ran into SEED, the leader of ?SPES?, at that facility?that place was where ?SPES? experimented on children and tried to create ?Androids?. 

And there were two new facts I learned of. 

The first is that Siesta and Natsunagi had met when they were children. 

In other words, the first time Siesta gave Natsunagi the name "Nagisa" wasn’t at the end of the flashback a year ago, but six years ago. Did Siesta give her that name again after five years because she realized that Hel's true identity was really Nagisa, her former comrade? 

And the other fact was— 

"Alicia was a different entity from Natsunagi, and she really existed before, huh?" 

I had thought that Alicia, whom I met in London one year ago, was just a false image created by Natsunagi using Cerberus' seed. However, the peach-haired Alicia was real, and she had met Natsunagi six years ago at the facility. That was when Natsunagi had witnessed her death, and years later, when she used Cerberus' seed, she subconsciously used the image engraved in her mind. When she had her amnesia, she acted as Alicia, who remained deep in her memories. 

"I’m certain that I’ve never called Master by the name." 

Hel narrowed her eyes through the mirror. 

Yes, Hel, who retained all of Natsunagi’s memories in the latter’s stead, must have known about Alicia as a separate existence. 

"But speaking of which, you might find it difficult to imagine that that famous detective had such an innocent, immature phase." 

Hel chimed. 

When she was a kid, Siesta recklessly faced off against SEED…and didn’t have any means of dealing with Chameleon. Maybe it was through these experiences that she gradually became the perfect detective I knew of. 

…But if that’s the case. 

"Siesta a year ago wasn't the kind of person who made such simple mistakes, so why didn’t she recognize Natsunagi who took the form of Alicia back in London?" 

Siesta, Alicia, and Natsunagi had already met six years ago. And yet, it’s hard to believe that even though it had been five years, Siesta would forget her friend's appearance…and not notice her peach-colored hair tied up in twintails. 

"It’s simple." 

Hel in the mirror spoke up. 

"The famous detective too lost her memory." 

"……! Siesta’s memory…" 

Well, that made sense. Natsunagi just mentioned this. 

Children's memories were erased periodically in that experimental facility. 

It’s likely that after Alicia died, Siesta was forced to forget some of her time at the facility…about ?SPES?, or of Natsunagi and Alicia. 

"And then what happened to Siesta?" 

"She escaped from the island." 

In the mirror, Hel smiled scornfully. 

"?SPES? took some of her memories of her friends, but that famous detective managed to escape from the facility…not that she wanted to run, but that she wanted to fight. She took SEED’s ?seed?, and one day, she disappeared from the island." 

"Siesta took the ?seed? …?" 

No, maybe that wasn’t so surprising after all. 

After all, there’s Siesta's inhuman fighting ability. And most importantly, that heart. 

Bat had his ?ear?, Chameleon had his ?tongue?, Cerberus had his ?nose?, and they all had special abilities. Siesta’s ?heart? too had a special ability. 

After the ?heart? was transferred to Natsunagi, there was a phenomenon similar to memory transfer. Maybe that too was due to the power of the ?seed? ? 

"…Why?" 

I anxiously prodded Hel for an explanation. 

"Siesta lost her memories, so why did she steal the ?seed? and leave the orphanage?" 

"You want me to explain?" 

When I’m the enemy?  The girl in the mirror smirked. 

"It’s simple. That famous detective forgot what she was fighting for, and who was the enemy, but she never forgot the mission she bore." 

That’s all , so she said, and gave a displeased, bitter smile. 

"Now then, I guess we're almost done with the past. Speaking of which, you lot really have it tough digging out the past a year ago, four, six, stuff that should be history." 

…That was the case. Natsunagi, Siesta and me, we all forgot many things, things that shouldn’t be forgotten. Recently, we had been piecing together our past memories. 

And surely, that day was when we started recollecting our past. 

In the classroom after school, the day Natsunagi woke me up from my slumber. 

Yes, on that day—Nagisa Natsunagi restarted this story that should have ended. 

The detective is already dead, the story. 

"Nagisa." 

Siesta?, who had been silent up till this point, took a step forward, looked at Natsunagi’s back, and said, 

"Nagisa, are you fine with ending the conversation here?" 

The blue eyes stared forward intently, and did not change even in a robot. Just as when I noticed that Hel and Alicia were the same person a year ago and wanted to ignore this fact—that famous detective shot me such a look, not allowing me to lie nor run away. 

"Hel," 

Natsunagi, who received these thoughts on her back, asked herself in the mirror. 

"What happened to me after that—after Alicia died before us?" 

Natsunagi’s story hasn't ended yet. 

Alicia died, Siesta escaped the facility…so what was the fate of Nagisa Natsunagi? 

"After that, I was born." 

Hel said the truth. 

This story of the past started when Natsunagi wanted to know about Hel. It was thus inevitable that this story will eventually end up with Hel. 

"Well, my consciousness was already sleeping in Master before that. So, to be precise, that was the first time I came out of Master's body." 

And since then, Natsunagi’s body was under Hel’s control? 

Alicia’s death shocked Natsunagi’s memories and personality, and Hel came in through this opportunity. 

"I officially became a member of ?SPES?. I willingly gave up my body to the experiments, and the other children who were a potential hindrance were removed from the facility…all so that I will become a special existence to Father." 

So that's what happened. And so, a year ago in London, Siesta and I met Hel, who had risen to the top ranks of ?SPES?. 

…But then even with this explanation, there were still some things that didn’t make sense. 

"Why are you so dedicated to ?SPES? …to SEED?" 

It's a question I asked many times a year ago. 

SEED said it was attacking humanity out of survival instinct. All the ?SPES? members were its clones, and they would follow his instincts and cooperate. 

But Hel’s different. She’s not a clone of SEED, but a human being, and as far as she was concerned, she was an alter-ego born later from Natsunagi’s mind. She actually didn’t have a logical reason to defect to SEED. 

"Fuu, do you have a masochistic streak?" 

The red eyes in the mirror squinted. 

"Don’t make me repeat this embarrassing thing again—it’s love, love." 

The girl said, and showed a self-deprecating smile. 

"That core’s necessary." 

"Core…?" 

"Yes, you could say it's a wedge to stay in this world. Otherwise, I felt like I would disappear—I’m just a fake after all." 

Strangely enough, this was the exact same problem her master Natsunagi had. Natsunagi lost her memories and identity, and had been suffering for a long time. But so too did Hel, who didn’t have a physical body, and existed only as an alter-ego, an ambiguous concept. 

“Are you going to laugh at me for seeking love because of such a reason? I didn't want to disappear from this world, so I tried to gain favor with Father and receive his love. I blindly believed in his love, deceived my friends, and tormented innocent people. I did so much, but I was defeated and lost my power." 

Are you going to laugh at me? 

She laughed, asking us. 

"I won’t." 

I can’t.  Natsunagi  repeated once again. 

"More importantly, sorry. And, thank you." 

"…What are, you, saying?" 

The face in the mirror winced greatly when faced with Natsunagi’s unexpected words. 

"First, I never was able to say this to you personally—but you shouldered all the pain and suffering I had, didn’t you? I’m sorry…I’m sorry." 

Hel was a personality Natsunagi subconsciously created to escape the pain of her daily life. In that sense, Hel was created only to bear the pain. It definitely was the first time Natsunagi could convey her thoughts to her other self. 

"…But then, thanks? Su-such words of thanks is…!" 

"That’s because." 

While Hel the alter-ego got agitated, Natsunagi, 

"You protected me." 

She said so earnestly. 

"…You mean I protected you from your pain? I shouldn’t be thanked by the person who imposed this on me." 

"No." 

Natsunagi denied Hel's words once again, and stared straight into the mirror. 

"You became a member of ?SPES? to protect me, didn’t you?" 

The monster is no more. 

"I don’t know what you're saying." 

Hel's lips twisted once she heard Natsunagi's words. 

"I worked for ?SPES? for your sake, Master? That’s…" 

"I might be killed if you didn’t." 

"…!" 

At that moment, the expression in the mirror crumbled greatly. 

"Six years ago, Alicia was killed when she learned the secret of ?SPES?, and couldn’t accept the ?seed?. I was too physically weak to be of use to ?SPES?, so I too should be killed—supposedly." 

If you hadn't shown up. 

Natsunagi said, and gazed at her other self in the mirror. 

"Hel, you saved my life by declaring that you would join ?SPES? and offer yourself. You swore loyalty to SEED and saved me. It’s all for my sake…you willingly became the devil to protect me." 

"…What proof do you have? Is there anything to prove that I’m a goody-goody…?" 

While Hel panted exasperatedly, Natsunagi, 

"Because, didn’t you say it yourself—you let the children at the facility escape." 

She didn’t let Hel’s words slip by, and continued with her hypothesis. 

"There’s no way it would be for the sake of being special to SEED. You have a human heart to be considerate to others." 

"A human heart?…Impossible. You know how many innocents I killed back in London." 

"That’s true. That’s definitely unforgivable. But you caused those incidents to save me." 

"……!" 

Natsunagi’s words caused Hel’s red eyes to widen. 

"A year ago, you lost your heart in the battle against Siesta. That would also mean that my physical body would die." 

That was back in London, after the humanoid weapon and the biological weapon fought each other. Siesta’s mirror reflected the ?red eyes? right back at Hel, who then stabbed her heart with her own blade. She was in danger then, and it also threatened the life of the master personality Natsunagi. 

"So after Cerberus died, you took over, and the incidents of ?Jack the Devil? occurred…but you were looking for a heart that suited me." 

"…But a year ago, that famous detective never said anything about it. She thought I was using the hearts to survive, like batteries. Are you going to argue against that, Master?" 

Hel narrowed her eyes this time, trying to figure out Natsunagi's true intentions. 

"That’s not it. Siesta herself said that conclusion was wrong." 

"…I see, that’s it." 

I blurted out without thinking. This was the mistake Siesta made a year ago, which ?Siesta? tasked us to do. 

Siesta misread Hel’s motives—no, Hel’s feelings. 

"That's what the famous detective said? Don't make me laugh, when did that happen…" 

Hel tried to dismiss it, but her expression froze. 

"You’re me too. You knew, right?" 

Natsunagi said, as though trying to convince Hel. 

"Siesta’s living inside me. Over the past year, she’s been talking to you as a personality within me, and got the conclusion I just had. Actually, you treasure me more than anything else." 

"……!" 

The eyes of the girl in the mirror. 

"Hel, many may deem you a demon who took the lives of many innocents, and condemn you. But I know you. I'm the only one who knows this well. You're a devil…but you're definitely not an emotionless monster." 

Natsunagi said, and denied Hel who called herself her monster. 

"Maybe the fact is that you really wanted to be loved…but you aren’t just being loved. You loved yourself. You loved me." 

"Stop…!" 

The lantern flame alone flickered silently in the tranquil space while Hel let out this anguished yell. 

And then, Natsunagi. 

"Your sin is my sin. I know very well that I’ll have to be punished in the future." 

"Stop…I didn’t…wish for this…" 

The girl in the mirror continued to tear up. 

One had to wonder if those were Natsunagi’s tears. 

As an outsider, I couldn’t be sure, and I couldn’t guess for myself. 

—But. 

"Yes, I’ll bear your sin too. I’ll repay you with my entire life. After all—" 

Natsunagi put her palm on the mirror, and said, 

"There’s no relationship that exists with one side always on the receiving side—don’t you think so?" 

This was a mirror, an Infinity Mirror of the two girls. 

Sin and love, tears and smiles, facing each other. 

Since Natsunagi was thinking for Hel’s sake, then— 

"Goodness—my Master's quite an idiot." 

The girl in the mirror muttered. 

And at that moment, I clearly saw and heard it. 

The large mirror let out a loud crack, and Hel flew out from it. 

And that was the instance when Natsunagi hugged her. 

"Thank you." 

And at this moment, this instant, 

Nagisa Natsunagi graduated from her past. 

And so a new case file begins 

"So what’s the deal about this?" 

Once the conversation in front of the mirror ended, I had a conversation with ?Siesta? in the living room. 

On a side note, Natsunagi lost consciousness immediately thereafter. ?Siesta? analyzed that it was a side effect of the sudden reawakening of her memories, and she was resting in the bedroom. 

"What do you mean?" 

Siesta? asked, sipping her tea elegantly. Apparently, even androids need to replenish hydration. 

"Play dumb all you want. You lied when you said the Infinity Mirror could summon Hel, didn’t you?" 

The urban legend of the Infinity Mirror. 

Rumors had it that a demon could be summoned. 

Rumors had it that the past and future would be known. 

In this case, Natsunagi summoned Hel, her alter-ego, to the mirror and asked about her past…but I couldn’t get over how surreal it seemed to me. 

"You are quite the hardhead as always, Kimihiko." 

Siesta? put the cup on the saucer, with an expression and mannerism exactly the same as the original. 

"Well, that is true, but," 

“So I was right?” 

So why did you scold me? 

"But the conversation between Nagisa and Hel did exist." 

"So…she played both roles by herself?" 

No, the word role might be inappropriate here. It seemed more like a dialogue with herself instead. 

"I merely set up a conducive place for this to happen. All that was left was for Nagisa to summon up Hel, who had been sleeping in her subconscious, and to talk to herself." 

"I see. ...... So, in that sense, Hel was indeed there." 

Two people, across the mirror. 

Natsunagi and Hel had a proper conversation face to face, over there. 

So Natsunagi definitely regained all her memories in the true sense of the word. And now she would be able to accept that reality and move on. 

"By the way." 

I decided to ask one question that had been bothering me. 

“If Siesta realized her mistake a year ago, how did she tell you about it?" 

Since ?Siesta? asked us to look for a mistake this time, it would mean that the actual Siesta herself told ?Siesta? about this. However, Siesta only figured out her mistake a year ago when she talked to Hel while inside Natsunagi’s body. 

In that case, since Siesta lost her body, how did she convey it to ?Siesta? and prompt us to look for the mistake? 

Faced with this question, ?Siesta?, 

"That was when Master Siesta used Nagisa’s body that one time." 

She was referring to that incident a week ago or so. 

"After we fought ?Chameleon? on that cruise ship and defeated it, Master Siesta gave me the instruction to interact with you." 

"…I see. So that happened while I was unconscious." 

So that was when she notified ?Siesta? of that mistake a year ago. Once she did that, Siesta fell asleep inside Natsunagi once again. 

"But I can't believe that Siesta got her deduction wrong." 

I wasn’t trying to blame Siesta, but I was just genuinely surprised, so I said so. 

"That may have been due to the fact that she lost her memory." 

Siesta? looked at the cup, and spoke quietly. 

"Master Siesta had forgotten about Alicia and Nagisa. She didn’t remember how the personality of Hel came to be. If she had been able to feel that something was amiss about how a friend who was supposed to have died six years ago appeared again in London,…or realized Hel's true feelings for Nagisa Natsunagi…she might have been able to come to the right conclusion a year ago." 

…I see. So Siesta was just like Natsunagi and me. 

She lost an important memory and made a mistake because of it, but she slowly pieced them together, one by one. 

"Even Siesta made a mistake." 

I said, stating the obvious, 

"Yes, she too is human after all." 

Siesta? answered as a matter of fact. 

"…I am different." 

But when she said that later, ?Siesta? ’s face looked somewhat forlorn. 

"Say, ?Siesta?, you." 

Right when I was about to talk to her. 

"Your phone is ringing.” 

Siesta? told me, and I noticed that the smartphone on my desk was vibrating. The name on the screen was—Fuubi Kase. As far as I could remember, I rarely got any good news from her calls. I had a bad feeling, and picked up the call. 

“I got bad news and bad news, which one do you want to hear?” 

“I don’t have a choice…" 

I felt pessimistic about the predictably awful turn of events, and could hear a long huff of smoke from the phone. 

"Fuubi-san, when are you going to quit smoking?" 

She already declared that she would quit smoking, twice. 

“Actually, I always wanted to quit. This thing here wouldn’t leave my lips though.” 

"How about you replace that with a guy?" 

“I’ll hang up, you know?” 

…No wait, you’re the one who called. 

"So? What’s the bad news?" 

If I could, I didn’t want to hear. Since she called, it probably got something to do with me. Better know of it as soon as possible then. 

“Yeah, first of all.” 

Fuubi-san paused for a moment. 

“—SEED and Bat teamed up.” 

That was quite the shocking news . 

"…Fuubi-san, you know about SEED too?" 

In the past which I forgot about, after Siesta died, it was Fuubi-san who took me off that island. It seemed she had a deeper history with ?SPES? than I thought. 

“Yeah, I think it’s about time for you to know.” 

Fuubi-san exhaled a puff of smoke, as though she had expected this. 

“Anyway, I don’t know the situation, but it seemed Bat escaped from jail with SEED’s guidance. Don’t let your guard down . ” 

"Bat escaped jail, and SEED…" 

But Bat should have rebelled against ?SPES? four years ago. The punishment, the order he took, was the hijacking 10,000 meters in the air. Why did he team up again with SEED, the leader of ?SPES? ? 

“And the other bad news is … ” 

Fuubi-san continued, and then, 

Ding dong, there was a doorbell chime. 

“A visitor?” 

Fuubi-san’s voice got heinous. 

I didn’t need to confirm what she was wary about…but. 

"I’ll go have a look." 

“Oy, I want to say … ” 

"I know. I have safety precautions just in case." 

If that visitor was him, just in case, there’s still ?Siesta? around. I exchanged looks with her, and went to the corridor. 

"There’s no reason for him to target me now though." 

I grumbled away…and I turned the doorknob, assuming that it was Bat standing outside the door. 

"He rang the bell as a reminder? That’s rather courteous of him…huh?" 

So when I opened the door, I was troubled to see the person standing before me. 

"Sa-Saikawa?" 

Peach colored mesh, left eyepatch. There’s no doubt about it. Right before me was the sassy, cute idol Yui Saikawa. 

And with a twinkle in her eyes, 

"—Kimizuka-san, please be my producer!" 

Once again, without reading the mood, she raised her head and requested this of me.