Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru - Volume 4 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

That's a journey to retrieve a lost item 

Having succeeded somewhat, Natsunagi and I left London for our next destination to look for clues to defeat ?SPES?. 

"Ugh, I don't feel so good…" 

That's what Natsunagi blurted while covering her mouth with her hand. 

She definitely wasn't insulting me though (probably); it's because she was seasick. 

We're on the rocky waves, and Natsunagi desperately held onto the edge of the small boat stern, looking groggy. I rubbed her back. 

"Are you okay? Do you want to throw up? I'll pretend not to look, so don't worry, okay?" 

"I feel like if I throw up here, my affection levels as a heroine will drop. I'll try my best to endure…" 

"Your face is white  (funny) ." 

Natsunagi and I were once on a ship, but that was a large cruise ship, so she was probably fine. 

"I can see the island. Just hang on." 

Yes, Natsunagi and I were headed for the island that ?SPES? once used as a hideout. We're going there for one reason—to thoroughly investigate the identity of the enemy known as SEED. We weren't able to investigate properly as we had encountered SEED a year ago. This time though, we might be able to obtain useful information. 

So that's the thought process, and we decided to head for this island from England by sea. Along with us was a certain person who willingly brought us to this remote place. 

"We'll be arriving in about fifteen minutes, Mistress Detective and Master Assistant, please get ready." 

Saying that and appearing from the cockpit was Olivia, the messenger of the Priestess, who had not only arranged the flight from London but also provided the boat to get us here. 

"I didn't think you could sail a boat." 

"Yes, I can fly a fighter jet if I really wanted to." 

I think she's better off quitting her role as a flight attendant and becoming a pilot instead. 

"By the way, sorry that you went out of your way to help us here." 

Natsunagi, still pale as ever, thanked Olivia. 

"No, listening to my Mistress' selfish requests is part of my job. I am used to it." 

Olivia smiled faintly and returned back to the cockpit. 

But on the way there, she stopped and said with her back still to us. 

"And I believe that you will be able to create the future that Mistress Mia wants." 

We said goodbye to Olivia and landed on the island. 

It had been a year since I saw this scene—a deserted, remote island with no signs of human habitation. 

We walked towards the research facility that was supposedly at the back of the island. 

"Walking...is tiring…" 

I remembered that a year ago, I rode on the back of Charl's motorcycle. 

"What do you think, Natsunagi? Maybe you should get a car license or something?" 

"No, why are you asking me? You should be the one doing this, Kimizuka." 

Natsunagi, who had recovered from her seasickness, gave me a disgusted look. 

"Hmm, a guy who has no interest in cars…really doesn't have a promising future…" 

"Why are you thinking about my future, Natsunagi?" 

In any case, I would rather sit in the co-passenger seat of a capable woman's car. 

Yes, just an assistant. 

"Well, it's a little late for that though..." 

Natsunagi changed the subject while we walked side by side. 

"I wonder if there's any new information about ?SPES? left on this island. I mean, I feel that Charl investigated this already." 

Yeah, that's true… Actually, even without asking Charl herself, we knew that she definitely came here. The fact was that while I spent a year rotting, Charl had been searching for Siesta's legacy and making preparations to defeat ?SPES?. 

"But Charl isn't suited for brainwork." 

"You'd be executed here if she was here now." 

…Well, that's how Charl and I used to split the duties. 

"Besides, maybe there might be some things only we can find out." 

Yeah, this island wasn't just the place where I lost Siesta a year ago; it was also the place where Natsunagi once spent her childhood, at this ?SPES? experimental facility. We lost our memories from the past, so maybe we could find some unknown facts here. 

"I...see." 

Natsunagi put her fingertips on her chin, giving a pondering look. And then, 

"In that case, there's a place I want to stop by before I go to the research facility." 

She mentioned a place she hadn't been to in a long time. 

The beginning trio 

"So this is the place you talked about?" 

"Yeah, it's the same as it was six years ago… Ah, but the ceiling seems a little low, doesn't it?" 

Natsunagi said as she looked around the room, looking around. 

We're at a small secret base made of cardboard, which Natsunagi was acquainted with six years ago. 

"This is where the three of us were planning to defeat the ?Androids?." 

Natsunagi said as she picked up a stuffed animal placed near the window. 

The trio she referred to were herself, Siesta, and Alicia. That was mentioned through the recent conversation with Hel in the mirror . Yes, the rebellion against ?SPES? was started here… by the trio. 

"Acchan especially was suspicious of this facility in the first place, so she investigated many things on her own." 

Natsunagi said, taking out a thick file that had been placed on the shelf. Filed inside were sheets of papers containing the personal information of children, most probably those who grew up in this facility. Natsunagi flipped through the pages, and there was a photo of a beautiful blonde girl   in there. So even a young girl like her was being experimented on to become a vessel for SEED? 

"But six years ago, Acchan…Alicia died. And one year ago, it was Siesta. Right now, I'm the only one left." 

Natsunagi bit her lip. 

That was a past she had forgotten, a mission she couldn't accomplish. 

The pressure on Nagisa Natsunagi's small shoulders was such that even I, who had a similar resolve, couldn't fathom that easily. 

"Sorry, it took me a while." 

Natsunagi put the file back into the shelf and slapped her cheeks twice to regain her composure. Maybe she wanted to return to this place full of memories of Alicia and the others to renew her resolve. 

"I got no problems with that." 

I replied, opening the cardboard closet. 

I was hoping that there would be some clues left here as well, but all that was left inside…were a few rifles that Alicia had once made. 

"By the way, Siesta's musket gun was originally modeled by Alicia, right?" 

"Yeah, she was the kind of girl who could make anything like magic." 

Natsunagi smiled while reminiscing about the past. 

She was such a brave, proud girl that anyone would have wanted to meet just from hearing those words. 

"Oh, there's a bomb. Let's take it with us." 

"…Did your friends have any clearance for dangerous goods or something?" 

Pinky swear, don't lie. 

We soon arrived at the ?SPES? experimental facility. If this was where they were based, there should be some information about SEED left behind… 

"Let's just walk around for now." 

Natsunagi and I entered the hospital-like building and started looking around. The interior was dimly lit with little sunlight, and there weren't any signs of people around. I felt that it was pointless to wander around aimlessly, so I decided to head over there. 

"Natsunagi?" 

I suddenly realized that she was pinching my cuff with her fingertips. 

"…Sorry." 

Her expression was gloomy, and she seemed to tremble slightly. 

…Yeah, it's no wonder Natsunagi was acting this way, considering what this experimental facility meant to her, and what she experienced here. 

"It's okay." 

I stopped and said to Natsunagi. 

"There aren't any enemies here to hurt you." 

A year ago, most of the ?SPES? members were gone. As Natsunagi herself had said, Charl must have investigated this place. It's not a dangerous place to be so vigilant about. 

"… Yes, I know. My mind knows that." 

But Natsunagi couldn't move her feet. 

She knew that the place was safe for the time being. However, the pain and fear of the past were etched into her body. That's why Natsunagi unwittingly created Hel, the alter ego, and had the latter take on the pain and memories instead. 

—If that's the case. 

"Here." 

I turned my back to Natsunagi and held my hands out behind my back. 

"Eh… you're offering to piggyback me?" 

Natsunagi made a confused sound. 

Ack, it's embarrassing when you say it like that. Don't say that. 

"Well, I can't drive you around on a bike, but I can give you a ride on my back." 

I said and urged Natsunagi to get on the back. 

"…Pfft." 

"Hey, come on, what are you giggling about?" 

Did she notice that I was trying to be cool, but just trailed off at the very end? Don't notice that quickly. Don't laugh at other people's mistakes even if you realize them. 

"Well, I just thought it's something you would say Kimizuka. I don't mean it as a compliment though." 

"You're not complimenting me? Why?" 

Just hurry up and get on my back. It's embarrassing for me to even mention this. 

"Die twice over if you dare say that I'm heavy." 

"I know how to be subtle at least." 

" Alright , then…thanks." 

And with that, Natsunagi hopped on my back, mumbling in a low voice. 

"Heh. You've been working out a lot more than I thought, haven't you?" 

A voice whispered from just behind my ear. 

"—Hel, huh?" 

The voice was a little deeper than Natsunagi's usual tone. And from the tone, it seemed the other person inside Natsunagi was on my back. 

"Why are you here? You can just show up like this?" 

"It's an exception. As you know, this place is a bit tough for Master." 

…Hel showed up after she realized Natsunagi's fear, huh? Just like when she took on Natsunagi's pain in the past. 

"I thought I did a good job of calming her down though?" 

"Actually, normally speaking, one wouldn't think of piggybacking. It's lame. Master took up that offer because she was just being nice." 

And then she followed up with a shocking revelation. No way, was I always being cared for by Natsunagi? Was I the only one who thought we were having fun communicating? Maybe a girl's mental age was higher than I thought—except for Charlotte Arisaka Anderson … 

"No, wait, so why are you on my back, Hel?" 

I thought she said piggybacking was lame. 

"No, it's just a pain to get off… But still," 

Hel said with a wry smile. 

"I just thought I'd try being your partner for once." 

That reminds me of the time when Hel tried to make me her partner. I'm sure that the description in the ?Bible? wasn't written with this in mind, though. 

"Oh, by the way, you helped Natsunagi yesterday, didn't you?" 

I heard that Hel contributed in resolving the Medusa case. I thanked her, who was riding on my back. 

"Goodness, I'm surprised you relied on me for when you've got two famous detectives." 

Hel smiled, Good grief , and muttered so by my ears. 

"I do not have the absolute sense of justice or the uncontrollable passion they have, but it seems the devil has her moments." 

This self-deprecation was not truly heartfelt though. After all, Hel, who once despised herself as a monster, was saved by that conversation through the mirror with Natsunagi. Hel's insistence on the emotion of love got her to realize that she was neither a monster nor a devil. Her being sentimental over trivial emotions was proof that she's human. 

"Well, you shouldn't be using this move too often. To be honest, even without me around, Master is already strong enough." 

Hel summarized the prior day's events. 

"Hel, if you can get out of Natsunagi's body, what about Siesta? Can she come out whenever she wants to?" 

I asked while still carrying Hel. 

"It is hard to tell exactly, since I and that famous detective have different egos." 

Hel continued with this premise, 

"Still, I do not think it's unlikely that the famous detective will appear in this body again. She probably decided that it's okay to unbind me to some extent, and just fell into a deep sleep with a peace of mind. And…" 

I could hear Hel's little breath at my ear. 

"Hel?" 

"…No, it's nothing. I just think you're only thinking about that famous detective." 

And Hel whispered to me in a mocking manner. That's really unreasonable. 

"What, you jealous?" 

"Go to hell ." 

"Why are you more vitriolic than both detectives…?" 

The abuse made it seem as if being called a fool or told to die twice over was cute. 

"I only wanted you as a partner so that Master has someone to accompany her. I have no interest in you at all." 

"That's a lie. Didn't you fight Siesta over me or something?" 

"How come you're the princess?" 

Hel sighed in exasperation. She's starting to show many emotions now. 

"In fact, I'm very angry with you right now." 

And Hel, this time, stated coldly. 

"You can love the famous detective all you want." 

"It's not love." 

"—But." 

Hel interrupted me, and stated adamantly, 

"I won't forgive you if you made Master cry." 

That was Hel's unshakable feelings for Natsunagi. She was determined to protect Natsunagi's life, even if it meant getting her own hands dirty—she was never going to change this absolute vow. 

"Yeah, I understand." 

I nodded my head without hesitation. 

It was, of course, for the sake of Nagisa Natsunagi. 

Or perhaps...in a potential future route out of countless possibilities, Hel might really become my partner. 

"Well, let's promise." 

Hel said, putting her mouth to my ear, 

"If you lie to me...go die twice over." 

The voice nearly numbed my brain, and two person's worth of promises were imposed on me. 

"…Huh? I'm…" 

And the next moment, the familiar voice returned. 

"You alright, Natsunagi? We're almost there." 

I called out to Natsunagi who was on my back. 

"Eh… Ah, yeah… I see." 

Natsunagi probably realized why there was a lapse in her memory. She exhaled, seemingly with a sense of relief. 

"Ah, sorry that you had to carry me for a long time." 

"Don't worry about it, though your chest is clinging tighter than I thought." 

"I thought you said you'd be subtle!?" 

Let me down, let me down, let me down!  Natsunagi chanted away, but I continued on—and then I boarded an elevator headed for the basement. 

"Is this thing working?" 

"I don't know, it was working a year ago. …" 

Yes, a year ago, Charl and I rode this elevator down to the basement, where we encountered SEED, the parent of ?SPES?. 

"Hmm?" 

But the strangeness began the moment the elevator doors closed. For a moment, an orange light flashed through the mechanical box like the pattern of a maze—and then the buttons with the floor numbers appeared on the wall like a stereoscopic image. 

"…Two options?" 

The two floors displayed were B1 and B2. I didn't know why this was the structure… but it seemed that since a year ago, there was a newly added floor labeled B2. 

I decided to take the safe option first, and pressed the button to B1—the elevator began to descend with a dull thud. 

"Hey, if the power is working, isn't it possible that there's someone there?" 

Natsunagi, riding on my back, murmurs anxiously in my ear. 

Yeah, maybe we should be a little warier. We only had the bare minimum of weapons though. Natsunagi had also left the musket gun on the ship. We're getting a little tense. 

"Natsunagi, can you walk on your feet?" 

"Yes, we should be prepared to run away just in case." 

"Oh, and I'm starting to think you're a little heavy." 

"Maybe I don't like you after all, Kimizuka." 

While we bantered off, the elevator reached B1. 

This was the main core of the experimental facility—which Natsunagi encountered SEED six years ago, and for me, a year ago. ?SPES? shouldn't be here anymore, so what awaited us in this place was— 

"…! Why are you here?" 

In one of the many incubator-like tanks placed throughout the room, a familiar white-haired detective was asleep. 

She's always there 

"Siesta!" 

I rushed over without thinking. 

Most of the cylindrical culture tanks in the room were invisible from the outside. One of them though was filled with white smoke, and there was a familiar face peeked out. Silvery-white hair, long eyelashes that were pronounced on the closed eyes, and a distinguishable beauty; there's no doubt she's— 

"Don't look!" 

"Ow ow ow ow! Your fingers! They're in my eyes!" 

Natsunagi poked my eyeballs from behind, basically blinding me 

"What are you doing!?" 

"Siesta isn't wearing anything! Don't look!" 

… I see. I couldn't tell at a glance because of the white smoke, but she's naked… 

"But why is she here?" 

I decided to retreat away from the tank, and pondered so, 

Siesta had died a year ago, and her body had been cryogenically preserved. An artificial intelligence ?Siesta? was installed in her in the form of a maid, but that ?Siesta? was wounded in her artificial heart during the prior battle and was transported to the hospital. 

"I thought she was undergoing repair…" 

So I wondered, and then, 

"This is the hospital, Kimihiko." 

I heard a third voice. 

I stared at Natsunagi, but she too had widened her eyes, and looked around. 

No, wait. Right when I was about to look back at the girl inside the tank again— 

" Where are you looking? I am here. Here." 

The voice came from the chest pocket of my jacket. It's my phone. I took it out cautiously, and then, 

"Are you a fool, Kimihiko?" 

There was a girl in a maid's uniform insulting me right from the get-go. 

"…What are you doing, ?Siesta? ?" 

The girl with silvery-white hair was elegantly drinking tea on the screen. She acted as if she was living inside the device. 

"Is there a need to be surprised? I am merely an artificial intelligence, so I can be implanted into a digital device like this." 

"When did my phone get hacked…?" 

"I did not do that. I merely transferred data here through Bluetooth." 

"That's quite the convenient movement here!" 

So she could connect from the moment I entered the room her main body is in …? 

"Oh, so if I send an email to the computer in this facility, will you be able to see it too, ?Siesta? ?" 

"Yes, it is possible. Please continue to chat about ‘the 53rd annoying part about Kimihiko’, or something of the like." 

"Don't hold a celebration using this terrible theme. And I don't have 50 annoying parts!" 

…Ack, I never thought I'd have to retort at such a place. 

"By the way, where'd you get that tea you've been drinking?" 

"It is a billing feature, deducted from your phone bill at the end of the month. Please do not worry about it." 

"How does it work anyway? …Well, I'm glad to see you're doing well anyway." 

"Yes, thanks to you." 

Siesta? smiled in my hand. It seemed the actual body was still undergoing treatment, but at least ?Siesta? the artificial intelligence appeared to be safe. 

"But ?Siesta?, did you say this is a hospital?" 

Then Natsunagi put her hand on my shoulder and peeked at my phone. 

"Yes, it is. The doctor treating me is living here now." 

This former hideout of ?SPES? is a home? Seems like it'll take a long time to explain. 

"This facility, or hospital, is suitable for treating irregular beings such as me. After all, it's where ?Androids? were developed." 

…Of course, there's a need for an appropriate place to treat her. It seemed that the doctor was out at the moment. 

"Speaking of which, did the key help?" 

Suddenly, Siesta asked me about the master key. Our journey over the past few days started with that key I received. 

"Yeah, thanks for the hint. We still have some work to do, though." 

I say, waving the key in the air. 

"That is good to know. Please put the key on the tray there." 

"You're ordering me around… Well, I don't think I'll be using it anymore." 

I didn't mind returning it, since, at this point, Siesta wasn't going to break into my house. 

"It is late for me to ask so, but what are you two doing here?" 

Siesta tilted her head on the screen. I guess I haven't explained that yet. 

"Kimizuka and I are traveling the world in search of information to defeat SEED…sorta." 

Good grief,  Natsunagi replied, holding up her hands in an exaggerated manner. Was it just me, or did she look that happy to be here? 

"Just you and Kimihiko?" 

Then ?Siesta? smiled slightly, and looked towards Natsunagi through the screen. 

"… Anyway, it doesn't look like there's anything else in this room. Let's go elsewhere to look." 

Natsunagi turned her head unhappily and scanned the room. 

It would be wise to ignore the teasing of the white-haired maid after all. I didn't know whose influence it was, but once she started talking, she'd continue to pester. 

"Oh, let's go down to the next floor. Please come along too, ?Siesta?." 

That change wasn't there when we boarded the elevator back then. Maybe the answer we wanted to know was lying beyond. I clenched my fists quietly, holding that intuition. 

"Yes, I do not mind that, but more importantly, the physical distance between Kimihiko and Nagisa is closer than before. Did something happen during this trip?" 

"You don't need to be so dramatic right now! Look, pay attention to Kimizuka! He's looking at the elevator with a determined look! Like he's ready for a fight!" 

"Natsunagi, you're the only one who shouldn't use my determined face as a punchline." 

And so, the enemy of the world was born. 

"So this is the core…" 

I muttered as I looked at the huge mechanical system a few meters away. 

Several large monitors were lined up against the wall, and in front of them were computer keyboards or a control panel that looks like the cockpit of a jet plane. We had taken the elevator down to this B2, which seemed to be the core of this facility. 

"I did not expect to find something like this. Perhaps this is the database of ?SPES?." 

Siesta?, who remained inside my phone, looked at this mysterious machine with great interest. It's only a possibility, but it might contain information about SEED that we should know. 

"But, how do we start this thing? I don't even know where the power source is." 

Natsunagi tilted her head next to me. It's true that we had to start the system before anything else. 

"—Biometrics." 

I say, and Natsunagi's eyes widened slightly. 

"It's just like how we used the elevator. Maybe there's some similar authentication system." 

The only difference from the elevator ride a year ago was that… At this point, I had Chameleon's seed inside it. I couldn't help but wonder if the system misidentified me as Chameleon, an executive of ?SPES?. 

"So there is a high possibility that this can also be accessed by biometrics." 

With that, I stepped in front of the machine. 

Right now—I'm going to fool the system. 

"…" 

But there's no response from the machine before me. Of course. Let's just quickly type at the keyboard and then slam it hard. In the silence, only the dry tapping sound echoed. 

"…Nothing's happening." 

I waited for about ten seconds, but the machine didn't respond. 

"Well, whenever Kimihiko tries to act cool, it always ends in failure. It does not surprise me now." 

"Why am I the only one who never gets a chance to do well?" 

"Right now—I'm going to fool the system." 

"Don't imitate and read my mind! And don't mention the most embarrassing moments!" 

I quickly reprimanded the annoying white-haired maid on the screen. 

"Kimizuka, can you move over a little?" 

Natsunagi waved her right hand and stood before the machine in my place. 

At that moment— 

"…! It worked…?" 

The large keyboard-like control panel was covered with that orange light from before, and above it, countless strings of text began to appear on the display. It seemed the biometric authentication worked… But why Natsunagi? Natsunagi too had a ?seed? just like me… Ah, right. She's different from me, and the other members of ?SPES?. 

"I'm the one and only executive that SEED trusted—Hel." 

Trust—SEED planned to make Hel its vessel. It didn't seem appropriate the relationship between SEED and Hel as such. But that's why Natsunagi said so. She knew that Hel once hoped to gain love from SEED. 

"It looks like we've activated it now. ?Siesta?, do you think you can handle the rest?" 

"Yes, I think I can break into the database if I can get past the first barrier." 

Having received the baton from Natsunagi, ?Siesta? disappeared from my phone, and the next moment, it had moved into the display in front of me. 

"I can access the list of ?seeds? that SEED has, the experimental data of the children who were listed as potential vessels, and other information about ?SPES? … Is there anything of interest?" 

Many screens slid by, and it appeared she was extracting some files. She was basically being a physical hacker. 

"Right now, our main goal is to find out SEED's weakness." 

I remembered Siesta's letter that I read in London before I came to this island. 

Siesta was looking for a specific reason as to why SEED couldn't adapt to Earth's environment. That, in turn, would be the key to defeating SEED, and that's what we need to know. 

"I shall try to access the SEED's individual data." 

With that, ?Siesta? disappeared from the display, and a geometric pattern appeared as a 3D model on the black screen. 

"A primordial seed ." 

That ?seed? was the main body of SEED, the creator of all ?Android clones?. 

But as seen from this rotating 3D model, the ?primordial seed? was a little different from Chameleon's seed I consumed. I could see there was something resembling an outer shell around the main body of the seed. What was this shell protecting itself from? 

"SEED probably intends to take this form to enter the human body and use it as a vessel." 

Natsunagi looked up at the screen, squinting and muttering. 

"It failed so many times… and created this experimental facility, to create a sturdy vessel that could withstand its seed." 

Natsunagi bit her lip hard, remembering her past and the friends that were sacrificed. 

As she said, the ?primordial seed? couldn't adapt easily to a human body. Even Bat was unable to fully adapt to an ordinary ?seed? and lost his eyesight as a side effect, so the ?primordial seed ? probably required a much heavier price—lots more nutrients. That was why SEED kept seeking a human body no inferior to itself and wouldn't wither. 

"Perhaps, in the process, SEED has grown into an even more powerful being." 

Suddenly, ?Siesta? 's voice could be heard from inside the machine. 

"Perhaps SEED entered the bodies of living creatures in the form of a seed, and understood their structures on a cellular level… Eventually, it was able to transform into a human form like that. That's probably the reason why it could create clones with special organs." 

…Of course, SEED had been evolving ever since it arrived on this planet. This might be its survival instincts at work. 

"But even so, SEED must have a weakness." 

Otherwise, it wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to acquire a human vessel. It's unable to adapt to the global environment to some extent, and this reason had to be its weakness. 

"Yes, but I cannot find any such data so far." 

Before I knew it, ?Siesta? returned to my phone, shaking her head. 

Well, it's not going to be that easy, huh? In that case, 

"?Siesta?, is there any way you can look up the behavioral history of SEED or its clones?" 

We might not be able to find any direct intel, but there should be some indirect facts if we searched through the massive database. SEED used the ?Bible? to command its underlings and might have left some crucial data. 

"It does seem possible… but it is a bit scary to hear these words from you, Kimihiko. There is the vibe of a stalker here." 

"Who's stalking their enemy?  Rummaging through the trash of a female classmate is another matter altogether." 

"What do you mean by that? I'm afraid that you might actually do it, Kimizuka…" 

Natsunagi hugged her own shoulders and quickly retreated. That's weird, am I that scary? 

"…Oh, but wait. If that person's being stalked, and even had the trash searched through, does that mean you like her to that extent? To the point where you can't help it because of how deeply in love you are? …If that's the case, then, maybe?" 

"Not at all. Stop fooling around." 

While this ridiculous exchange was going on, ?Siesta? appeared to be analyzing the data. The monitor showed a detailed history of the actions of the ?SPES? members, including SEED. 

"—It's Hel." 

And amongst them, Natsunagi found the name of her alter ego. 

"She's been working harder than anyone else." 

I couldn't help but matter so while looking at Hel's activity history over the years that filled the screen. 

As the executive of ?SPES? and SEED's right-hand woman, she fulfilled her tasks obediently compared to everyone else. She probably didn't even know that she was destined to be consumed as SEED's vessel one day. 

"But other than Hel, the other officers don't do anything too spectacular, do they?" 

Natsunagi, looking at the data, noticed something and said curiously. 

"Cerberus and Chameleon? Well, it's true that those guys were more likely to hide in the shadows than to be cautious… No, wait." 

Then, like an electric current, a flash of intuition flashed through my mind. 

"Is that what this is about?" 

I look at the monitor, checking the behavioral patterns of the ?Android clones?. 

"?Siesta?, I want you to go through the entire behavioral history of SEED and its clones again…including the time, place, and weather conditions." 

"Understood. I shall work for my fee." 

With that, ?Siesta? hacked into the database again and tried to access the information. 

"Kimizuka, wait…" 

Natsunagi's red eyes widened. Apparently, she had arrived at the same conclusion. 

"Yeah, I think I may have found a possible weakness in SEED." 

Of course, a hypothesis is just a hypothesis. Without sufficient examples and solid evidence, it would end up being nothing more than a fantasy. Nevertheless, I had hope. If we could organize the data, make inferences, and prove them, surely we would— 

"Kimihiko, I'm sorry. The data extraction is proceeding smoothly, but we may not have the time to do so." 

Siesta? 's voice came from my phone. The next moment, I received a call from an unknown number. 

"…I guess I'll have to answer it, given the timing." 

Prompted by the serious expression on Natsunagi's face, I pressed the call button. 

"Hello?" 

And what came out of the phone was, 

" Kimihiko ? Listen carefully." 

There was a girl's voice which I had only recently heard, filled with suppressed anxiety. 

"You must return to Japan now—SEED will attack Japan within the next twenty-four hours." 

It was a prophecy of a world crisis by Mia Whitlock, the ?Priestess?.