Editing City Series:Volume7 Layer 10 (section)

===Record 17: It Slowly Dawns On Me===

'''05/29/1997

'''20:33

We were a month and a half into our Mountain training.

I was surprised by how much the wholesome lifestyle here was rubbing off on me. Just a month and a half ago, I was a horny boy who did nothing but eat junk food and stay up all night, but now I was a horny boy who ate health foods and got to bed early. Was this what it meant to find a new you? Maybe so.

Anyway, after dinner today, I decided to visit the underground library located next to the Mountain instructor building. The plaster-walled underground space was actually air conditioned. The ceiling was small, but the inside was spacious. The light of eternal candles flickered here and there and I couldn’t see how far the rows of bookshelves stretched.

The occasional reading spaces had tables for six, but all the seats were full of human and nonhuman figures at this time of day. They were either studying for their Mountain exams or just killing some time.

I walked further back, making sure I didn’t disturb them.

I noted how many history books there were here.

The scientists said this world was the perfect last chance left behind after the world was repeatedly reborn and destroyed. I didn’t really get it, but apparently everything in this world had been given a much greater power than in the previous, destroyed worlds.

That had apparently been given to our world so we could overcome our destiny of destruction. No one knew if any of it was true, but the destruction and the resistance against it continued to evolve and clash even now.

It was happening somewhere out there even today. Would we play a role in it ourselves one day?

The Japanese people that went out to assist with the world’s conflicts and problems were almost all from some city’s Chancellor’s Officers. But…

“That’s something to think about ''after'' getting into the Chancellor’s Officers.”

I passed by all the history books.

I found you in front of the reference books related to nonhumans.

The white fox child I had given you was seated on your head while you read through a really thick old book. I tiptoed closer.

“Ma’am, please purchase the book before reading it.”

“Sorry! I’ll buy it, I’ll buy it! …Hey, wait.”

You turned back, revealing a surprised look on your and the fox’s faces.

“Don’t interrupt. I’m researching this boy here.”

“Oh, my bad. Have you named him yet?”

“Daitarou.”

“What, why?”

“You know Snowy, my roommate here? She had checked out a book on Fuma Kotarou. He used that book as a bed. Since that makes him superior to Kotarou, he must be Daitarou.”<ref>The Ko of Kotarou means small and the Dai of Daitarou means big.</ref>

“Couldn’t you have left room for growth and called him Mid-Tarou?”

“No, I don’t like half measures like that. Oh, but no calling him Super-Tarou or Ultra-Tarou, okay?”

“Sure, sure. You win. So how is Snowy?”

“She didn’t complain even though she couldn’t read her book. She’s a nicer person than I expected.”

“Complaining about an animal turning public property into a bed seems fair to me. So is there a trick to this, uh, Daitarou?”

“This says he can learn to understand and speak human language. So is he something like a myna bird?”

“Then how about Mynarou?”

“You dummy.” You smiled bitterly and I followed suit. You finally sighed and continued. “I was also doing some research on Senpai. His life sounds rough.”

“Yeah, he belongs to a nonhuman minority. Doesn’t the species have more than 20 varieties in Europe alone?”

“You’ve looked into Senpai’s species before?”

Of course I had. But I didn’t need to say so or explain why. I reached a hand for Daitarou’s head to dodge the issue.

Panic formed on your face.

“Wait, I just fed him and he’s sleeping, so-”

Before you could finish, he bit my finger. Hard.

I swung my hand wildly and he wouldn’t let go. What was I supposed to do now?

'''Author Comment:

A discussion of Daitarou’s name.

As you can see, you could say that Snowy was the one to name him. (That may be why Snowy likes him so much.)

But why was the protagonist researching Senpai’s species?