Editing City Series:Volume8a Chapter4 (section)

===Aoe’s Sight Mode: In DT Central Redford District===

'''<Aoe’s Over Reload>

Aoe switched all his senses over to Sight Mode.

His sense of touch hit him first. Then he noticed the darkness around him.

The night was chilly even with the summer setting turned on and the wind carried an earthy scent. The world around him had the perfection only found in an idealized falsehood.

There were no streetlights. The stars in the sky were the only source of light. Without even moonlight, the city stretching out on either side of the road was a mass of dark shapes.

But there was one other source of light to Aoe’s left.

The many windows Yuo had open around her were shining. They were opened overhead and on either side of her, so they cast multiple shadows of the two walking on the sidewalk.

He watched her as he walked. She had a see-through keyboard drawn with lines of light floating in front of her and she typed with just one hand while bringing her other hand’s fingers to a few of the windows.

The ferret on her shoulder waved her front paws to open and close the windows indicated by Yuo’s fingers.

Windows disappeared, more appeared, text scrolled along them, text spread out, and text came to a stop. It felt like watching the beginnings of a rain shower.

After a few steps walked in silence, Yuo turned toward him.

After observing him, she noticed his expression and smiled.

“Hey, what are you staring at? You switched to Sight, didn’t you?”

<nowiki><I</nowiki> was only noticing all the things you were doing without me noticing.>

The words written in his window were the truth.

She read them and her smile grew. She pointed at the few windows around her.

“Yes, you can’t see these in Board Mode.”

She focused on one window in particular. The file listed DT residents whose names had a similar sound or meaning to Kobayashi. Their wild names weren’t given, but the list did include the PC Body photo taken at the Yard’s visitor lobby when they first entered the city.

“But none of them look very likely. I did send Word Mails to their providers asking for their data.”

“And we have to wait 100x as long for a response, don’t we?”

“Even if they respond right away, 3 minutes out there is 5 hours for us. Let’s try to have our answer by 10 tomorrow morning. It’s getting late.”

Yuo showed him a Divine Mail with a bashful smile.

“I have to head home soon. My mom in the castle sent me this message saying she isn’t staying up for me.”

“Do you two get along?”

“Eh? Yes, I suppose. But…she, Fooblicky, and the others sometimes give me weird looks. Oh, but I don’t mean like leering looks. It’s like they feel sorry for me.”

“Probably because they see how you lack an ordinary level of tension. Anyone would feel sorry for you.”

“It’s not that. In fact, it’s mostly when I’m in a really good mood.” She tilted her head. “A long time ago, Alternative got after me for looking so sorry for her just because she has Words Warn. I get that same feeling.”

“Sis was really fond of you. It’s probably the same here.”

“Hmm,” Yuo groaned in thought.

“Anyway, shouldn’t you respond to your mother? What did she say?”

“Oh, just that she wasn’t staying up for me and that I needed to get up early for the audience at 10 tomorrow morning. She says she and Suedomsa have something to tell me after Suedomsa gives his approval.”

“I see.”

Aoe nodded.

<A royal audience. Not a life I’m familiar with.>

“I know you said this Suedomsa guy’s Words Warn day of destruction is tomorrow, but what kind of person is he?”

Aoe looked to Yuo.

'''<Aoe’s Over Zoom>

Yuo was looking back at him.

Her eyebrows were somewhat lowered in the bluish shadows of the night.

Below them, her largish eyes were directed his way with the windows’ light faintly reflected in them.

He stepped back from the detailed expression. And…

“Mh. What? Did I say something wrong?”

“Eh? Oh, um, well.”

She turned away, looking back to the window displaying the message from her adoptive mother, and nodded in renewed resolve.

She looked back his way with strength in her gaze.

She stopped walking, so he did as well.

She placed a hand on her chest and breathed in.

He took a breath of his own and waited for her to speak.

She nodded again and started speaking with determination written plain on her face.

“Archon Suedomsa is the only other Asian among the 13 Demigods.”

“Mh.”

“And during the explosion triggered by the 2nd Godtact Experiment, I was killed and he was badly injured. The rest were unharmed. That means he must have been near me. Why, I couldn’t tell you.”

He thought on her words a moment and nodded with a frown.

“Mh,” he grunted before she continued like she had been waiting for that.

“And you know what? I was made immortal by the godtact at the age of 17 or 18. I wasn’t old enough to be a researcher, but I was present for both godtact experiments.”

“Were you someone’s family?”

“I think so,” she replied after a pause. “My mom’s message wants me to be there for Suedomsa’s audience with her. So I can’t help but wonder if, well, um…”

She mumbled, looked away, and reached a hand toward the hair draped over her shoulder.

Aoe sucked in a breath and spoke before her hand could reach it.

“Tell me.”

“O-okay.”

She blanked her expression and brought her drifting hand back to her chest.

She moved her lips like she was rehearsing her statement and then got it out.

She stated her guess that she felt surer of all the time.

“Suedomsa might be my father.”

'''<Aoe’s Sight Mode has ended>