City Series:Volume7

Table of Contents

Characters

[Right to Left]

Snowy

Boss

Lady

Professor

Senpai

You

Sensei

Explanation 1: Overview of Tokyo

U-um, it’s time for teacher’s lesson on Zenon City Tokyo. I’m not really sure what a paradox is, but the power of paradoxes makes pretty much anything possible here. The seasons, winds, sounds, lights, and planets are all residents here.

Some of the residents can use that power of paradoxes with a power known as Mobilized Writing.

And to introduce Tokyo, the eastern end of Tokyo collapsed due to the Great Tokyo Blank Attack during World War Two.

The area from about Kunitachi to Mitaka was affected and became the bottomless Great Tokyo Fault. The collapsed portion became Underground Tokyo and Surface Tokyo was built on top.

Explanation 2: Our Chancellor’s Officers

Simply put, the Chancellor’s Officers are a student vigilante group.

The Chancellor and Vice Chancellor are at the top, the various Special Duty Officers work under them, and they’re tasked with preserving order among the students in a set region.

This system was created in response to a student movement and it was decided the students would be allowed to govern themselves.

But in the ’80s, the Chancellor’s Officers of Kansai and Kantou clashed and Japan was split between the east and west. The east and west were only just joined back together in ’96.

Explanation 3: Some Troublesome Problems

Japan is still reeling from the side effects of the east and west rejoining.

That’s because it isn’t known if Kantou will take the leading role again or if Kansai will make a comeback.

And starting in ’98, there’s been a huge commotion over the construction of Babel, a gigantic broadcast tower that can send your voice to the entire world. Since satellite communications have been impossible since World War Two, wherever Babel is built will become the center of the world. That’s why the adults of Kansai and Kantou have been secretly fighting over it.

Characters 2

[Right to Left]

West Wind

Night Wind

Guardian

Layer 1: Thoughts

11/15/1998

17:58

You and I walked back from school together on a major road’s sidewalk as the winter gas lights began to turn on.

“Do you think thoughts are real?”

“If I thought they were…would that thought be real?”

When I answered you, you groaned a little, wrinkled your well-formed brow, and tilted your head.

“Y’know, thoughts can be tricky, so let’s set them aside for now. …Now, memories: those were real at one point.”

“Well, yeah. Memories are when your thoughts get outside. You could call it a real thoughtful ejection.”

“Then where do those memories ‘get out’ from to become memories?”

Hmm. Where do they get out from? Your ears or your butt sound like some unpleasantly realistic options…

But before I could decide, you circled in front of me and asked another question.

“You were thinking about them getting out from some place really dirty, weren’t you?”

“Sorry, I hadn’t gotten that far yet.”

Before I could actually say that, you used your skill as a Tokyo Special Duty Officer to elbow me in the gut. Oww, what the hell do you think you’re doing to the Vice Chancellor’s precious belly? As I grew angry, the gas lights lining the sidewalk starting sending out their night-colored lights.

Our surroundings were illuminated by the winter-exclusive darkness and the smell of winter filled the area.

I rubbed my stomach and looked forward where the North Wind was walking from the other side of the road with his black hair fluttering behind him.

As he passed us, he saw where I was rubbing my stomach and spoke.

“That’s not where.”

Author Comment:

Commenting on this stuff is pretty difficult, but try to follow along.

Anyway, all of Layer 1 is what I wrote well before the serialization began. I think it might have been a year before. I wrote fifteen passages and the ones that didn’t fit here were put in other parts of the story. That’s why these ones feel a little different from the rest of the story. The title story was the only one I wrote after we decided to serialize this.

The title story had the Tokyo-ish layout of the gas lights, the North Wind, and the night. At the start, I wanted to make the night and the wind be artificial things. In the illustration’s background, you should be able to see a number of things attached to the gas light.

Record 118: Someday

02/19/1999

5:05

It was still too early in the morning to be called morning, but the science room (where I was to have my memories erased) was full of life.

“Okay, let’s go. Let’s erase my memories with your machine.”

I stroked the brand new scar on my cheek and ignored the several black shadows moving around me. I was speaking to the Professor whose bespectacled eyes were looking out the large window where the morning sun was rising in the dark night sky.

“I hate to have someone my own age surpassing me. When it comes to bodily modifications, that is.”

I nodded and glanced toward the child-sized black shadows rushing around me.

“Look at them and you’ll die. The odds are 100%.”

The Professor did not even look back as he said that, grabbed one of the shadows behind him, and tossed it to a corner of the science room.

I suddenly realized there was bread in my hand and a glass of mineral water in the Professor’s.

He looked back and took a sip of the cold-looking water.

“I will accept with no doubt whatsoever that there’s something wrong with your head. There always is, after all. And I understand you wish to implant yourself with one of my Science Club’s special Psyche Outer devices because your circumstances require you to erase your memories and emotions.”

“Yeah, I’ve got some dangerous memories and thoughts. …Oh, but can you leave the happily embarrassing sort of perverted memories?”

“I’ll focus on erasing those first. The odds are 90% they’re harmful.”

“…You don’t hold back, do you?”

“Then I should probably go to sleep so I won’t talk anymore. Goodnight… Ahh, I’m so full.”

Don’t react so quickly, you idiot. I ate the bread, punched the Professor with plenty of energy, and then asked a question.

“Is there some kind of problem with implanting the Psyche Outer device?”

“Yes: where to implant it. The human body is pretty tricky. It ain’t easy.”

The Professor tossed aside another of the shadows. The night sky outside switched to morning and the sun rose straight up.

He set the glass down on the table next to him, so I grabbed a shadow behind me and threw it.

Suddenly, the science room filled with water up to ankle height.

“Huh? That was supposed to put away the glass.”

“You fool. This is why we refuse uninvited guests. It’s going to be like this for forty days and forty nights now.”

“Unlike the middle school science room, this place really does like to act all important, doesn’t it?”

“Let’s get back on topic.”

“Sure.”

“Now, the reason I started laughing evilly in the middle of the alchemy lesson during Third Period two weeks ago was…”

“That topic’s too far back, idiot. Just go back to the implant location.”

“Oh, right. I’m guessing you don’t want it in your butt, your crotch, or the tip of your nose or finger or whatever, right?”

“Of course not. Besides, I’m not letting my butt or crotch influence my emotions and memories.”

“I see.”

He nodded and tossed aside another black shadow. A refreshing smile immediately came over his face.

“I just thought of a great spot! The odds are 80% you’ll be surprised, so don’t you worry!”

Without bothering to hear him out, I threw all of the shadows within reach to redo that.

Author Comment:

While this is supposed to help explain things, I think I’ll try not to give any of the answers directly. I’d like to make an excuse by saying part of Tokyo’s charm is how I decide what I’m doing with it in real-time. Really, I guess you could say I was trying to make something where everyone who read it would have their own unique feelings about it.

I think that might act as a hint if you’re ever a little confused.

The reason the protagonist is having the Professor erase his memories will be provided later. And the black shadows each handle their own form of creation.

Record 119: Someday Surely

02/19/1999

5:59

Now, it was time to erase my memories.

After all, I just had too much stuff that would be a bad idea to remember. People often say it’s better to remember things, but the mind of a second year in high school was as sensitive as the final hair on a bald old man’s head. Even as a member of the Chancellor’s Officers, killing someone was just too much.

Beyond my closed eyes, I heard the Professor as he got to work.

“Your memories won’t be completely lost. All I can do is seal them. Is that okay?”

“It doesn’t really matter.”

“You just answered, didn’t you? Looks like don’t have enough anesthetic. It’s injection time~”

He stuck me with the needle. …And wasn’t that an awfully leading question?

Well, whatever. …Um, what had I been thinking about?

Had I forgotten? But it had only been a second ago. Wow, did I really have amnesia?

“I’m going to randomly draw out the fragments of the past inside you and then seal them. Your life will be zapped before your eyes. Enjoy that until the surgery is over.”

I could hear someone’s voice. But what were they talking about? I wasn’t sure.

Still, I was worried about you. To you, I was…yeah, I was pretty sure I had destroyed someone important to you recently. I didn’t know what that meant though. Not anymore, anyway.

The next time we met, would you be able to understand me when I didn’t understand myself?

Author Comment:

Once, my friend actually had the anesthetic not kick in before surgery. The doctor made a bad pun, so my friend made a tsukkomi. Without another word, the doctor gave him some additional anesthetic.

Record 1: Like Always

02/08/1997

6:15

It was a chilly morning and the sound of cold water swam through the air. The morning did not even have a scent.

I arrived at the school first thing in the morning with my exam ticket in hand. It was the large high school behind my middle school. I passed through the relatively deserted front gate and walked along the front road that spiraled up to the school. It was a normal school, so walking straight in would likely take me to the office where I could present my exam ticket.

The leaf-color of the roadside trees had been peeled off by the morning frost and the bricks below my feet were dyed brown. A few of the colors were plastered to the bricks. They were childishly plastered on like cheap stickers and they would likely have to use solvent to get them off come spring. …It looked like winter was going to drag on this year.

When I looked up, I saw a white line of frost cut by at a little above eye level as if to block off the road. Needless to say, frost wouldn’t pass through the air for no reason.

The line of frost was supported by a colorless and invisible destiny line extending right to left between communication poles.

It was a pretty low-quality destiny line, so whose was it?

“Seiyah!!”

With a sudden shout, some wind passed by me and instantly cut the destiny line overhead.

I saw a girl in a ponytail standing tall below the faint frost about to vanish from the morning air. She had rolled her exam ticket into a tube and held it like a sword. She looked back toward me.

“You there. Please do not tell anyone about this. …Everyone has their issues before an exam.”

“And are you planning to cut through every last one of your issues this morning…?”

Author Comment:

I guess you could say this is where the main story begins.

Snowy shows up right away and you can read the school’s name on the left side of the illustration.

Record 86: Zoning Out Amid the Excitement

10/11/1998

9:50

It was the second day of the athletics festival and that meant a boy-only swim competition. The large outdoor pool was packed full of boys.

I was using my authority as Vice Chancellor to monitor the scene and the Boss was using his authority as 2nd Special Duty Officer to capture any escapees as we both sat on the poolside. He wore his usual work outfit and gazed at the pool with his pompadour and sunglasses.

“It’s a nice pool, but there’s nothing too exciting here. …Are the girls using the indoor greenhouse pool?”

“Snowy is guarding the place with her sword, so things might be more brutal there than here.”

“What about Senpai? Is he with the 1st Special Duty Officer?”

“Yeah. She just sinks in the water, so the two of them are folding printouts together in the student living room.”

As soon as I said that, an impressive splash flew erupted upwards with a deafening noise. I used my wonderful fist to punch back the boy who came flying toward me with the splash and then I sighed.

“Looks like the male Heavy Knight diving competition has started.”

A black transport plane passed by in the sky above and an eight meter Heavy Knight jumped down from the back end.

The Heavy Knight made one, two, three, four spins before its waist armor panels detached and it entered a tailspin.

“Oh, the accident makes that one Difficulty C. This one’s gonna be big.”

“Will the pool be okay?”

“It’ll be fine.”

“What about the students?”

“They’ll live.”

A splash rose into the air. The boys at the landing point were blown away like leaves.

“Oh, look at them all flying. Told you it’d be big.”

“Oh, this ain’t good. The idiots that were blasted away are trying to crawl off and escape. I’ll go hit ‘em with my car.”

He was back soon.

“Sigh, running them over wasn’t as exciting as I thought. Wanna play some kinda game?”

“Your games always get way out of hand. I prefer the peace we already have here.”

I looked up into the sky to see another transport plane. This one dropped two Heavy Knights at once.

“Synchronized diving, huh?”

The Heavy Knights in the sky played classical music that was influenced by the Doppler Effect. The song was the ever popular Fourth Movement of Beethoven’s Fifth. The two of them danced and spun around hand-in-hand to match the music.

“And then they collide and enter a tailspin~”

“What’s their score?”

The electronic display on the opposite side of the pool said Normal, Normal, Good, 10, Extra Good, Normal, and High. That averaged out to a 5.

It was a pretty strict judgement. I looked up into the sky again and saw another transport plane flying in.

The blue sky beyond the plane fluttered up a little to reveal its pure blue lining.

“The real autumn sky will be here before long, won’t it?”

Another splash erupted into the sky.

Author Comment:

Just like the athletics festival in the Osaka game, the athletics festivals in Tokyo – or rather, in the City World as a whole – seem quite exciting. You need to be eighteen to get a Heavy Knight license.

Now, in the original publication, the Boss spoke in the Kansai dialect, but I changed that to standard Japanese after the serialization began. It felt like an unnatural way to establish his character.

Record 95: Meeting You

12/19/1998

13:25

It was your birthday, so I decided the two of us could celebrate it together.

School was off thanks to the tests, so I jumped down from my home (the fourth story apartment) and went to your house. I ran west on the road alongside the railroad to reach the pharmacy near the station.

The field next to the railroad had been recolored for winter and someone called out to me as I ran alongside it.

“Hey. You understand, don’t you?”

The voice behind me belonged to a somewhat more mature version of myself.

“Save it until we eventually meet. I don’t want to see myself yet.”

With that response, I tripped the other me without even looking back. I heard a light scream and detected a metallic scent as if something had scraped against steel behind me. I looked back and didn’t see anyone there, so I shrugged.

After running to the pharmacy, I for some reason found a ponytailed girl with a wooden sword standing behind the counter.

It was Snowy. She was playing with Daitarou, her pet white fox, but she looked annoyed as soon as she saw me.

“You are far too late. …Everyone else is already here.”

“What, was everyone thinking the same thing? Don’t copy me like that. …And what are you doing?”

“I don’t much like hanging out with people, so I’m looking after the pharmacy for her.”

“Then can you give me a drug to make me smarter? Things never seem to work out for me.”

Snowy held Daitarou in her arms as it begged for food and she gave me a rare smile.

“Sorry. I had the same thought and bought them all up a moment ago.”

Author Comment:

A conversation with the other “me”. A few more of them will show up, but I think this kind of existence is something that (both fortunately and unfortunately) everyone has. And no, I’m not talking about multiple personalities.

Record 42: It Begins with Battle

12/03/1997

15:10

The punches I threw alongside the Tama River almost seemed filled with parental love.

No matter how dimwitted the person, I felt like a punch from the heart could set them straight.

I was surrounded by Kansai students in the setting sun. Relations between the east and west had only just restarted after the Reconciliation Riot a few years before, so what were they thinking picking a fight with Tokyo’s Chancellor’s Officers?

Well, the people who worked on the intelligence front would think about all that difficult stuff. The scene of the fight wasn’t the place to worry about it.

I activated my Mobilized Writing.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

I punched the air. The force of the punch compressed the air and the student in front of me was blown away by the blast of pressure.

In the distance, Senpai was using his sword to fight while protecting you.

Just because he’s the Chancellor, he has no trouble cutting people down with that composed look on his face…

That didn’t sit well with me. Punching them was fine, but cutting them was wrong. I didn’t completely understand, but it really didn’t seem right. If I had to find a reason why…I guess because it looked really painful.

I decided to be a little nice. I could see an embankment and the Tama River behind them.

If I knocked them over there, those dimwitted and pathetic Hanshin fans could cool their heads. It was possible they’d fall right through the river and into Underground Tokyo, but if that happened, it happened. They’d figure something out.

I punched the air again and again. I could feel the blows landing through the compressed air and more and more students flew through the air.

Ahh. This is going well and it feels great to do a good deed…

Author Comment:

This time we get to see the protagonist activate his Mobilized Writing for the first time.

Kansai students are picking a fight here, but students are heading out from Kantou too. They’re mostly just testing each other’s strength, so I don’t think they were acting as an organization.

Record 38: At Night

11/01/1997

3:00

It was the early morning – or rather, night – of the school festival’s first day.

For once I didn’t return to the apartment where I lived alone and instead stayed over in the student dorms where everyone was throwing a party. But everyone was exhausted after preparing for days on end, so by this time, the hallways and dorm rooms were littered with corpses.

I felt something like an outsider as I walked through the hallway where everyone was sleeping on the floor. I wanted to grab a can of coffee from the cafeteria. I descended the dorm’s zigzagging stairs and walked out into the courtyard where a light autumn night breeze blew through.

A large ginkgo tree grew in the center of the courtyard, so it absolutely reeked of ginkgo.

The courtyard was also littered with corpses. A surprising number were sleeping on top of flattened cardboard boxes. I could see a few telescopes, so they had likely camped out hoping to see Kelly’s Comet that was supposed to fly by the year after next.

The wind blew through. It sounded like a whistle and I realized what had been done to the ginkgo tree.

Looking something like supports, several dozen metal pipes circled around, extended from, and wrapped around the tree trunk before finally stabbing into the ground. Numbered panels were attached with wire to the pipes that rose from the bushes surrounding the tree.

“101, 102…is 127 the last one?”

“Oh, you wondered that too?”

I heard your voice. I looked up and saw you holding Daitarou beyond a nearby bush.

“They’re making an organ that amplifies the ley line music passing through the big ginkgo tree. That’s apparently been the main event for the opening ceremony and post-festival dance since forever.”

“That’s an appropriate attraction for a ginkgo tree, since they’re said to be living fossils. But…”

“I know what you’re trying to say. It’s missing the 128th pipe for the highest sound.”

Was everyone too worn out to finish preparing?

If the pipe’s lying around nearby, maybe we should attach it ourselves.

Then I heard a voice in a nearby bush.

“You should leave it alone.”

It was Snowy. She sat behind the bush while holding the pipe in question like a sword in its scabbard.

“If you two leave and I fall asleep, this will be attached. So hurry up and leave.”

“What do you mean?”

“The past, remnants of memories, and other such things are involved in a festival.”

“And is attaching the final pipe to the ginkgo organ how they start to take part?”

“Based on what I heard from Sensei, they also help any post with insufficient personnel or anyone without a partner at the dance. That way no one will have a bad time during the festival.”

“And you were given the role of passing the pipe to them?”

“Because I remain entirely pure. So you two leave. Then I will fall asleep. That is my role.”

You and I left as we were told and made a few comments about our unsociable friend as we walked to the cafeteria.

On the way, we passed by the past festivals who were entering the courtyard, but I couldn’t see them.

Author Comment:

When preparing for the school festival at my alma mater, we once hid until only the guard was left so we could continue preparing, but the atmosphere then was really strange. It felt like there were people in the school even when it was empty.

Record 72: What Can You See?

07/20/1998

18:20

After making my way down to Underground Tokyo and punching some bad guys, my job was complete.

I left all the cleanup work to you and sipped at a can of coffee all alone on a bench with peeling paint at Underground Tokyo’s Kichioji Station. It was still evening, but Underground Tokyo was already dark.

“…”

While lazing around with the bench, the train station TV showed a giant tower in Osaka.

“You don’t have us beat when it comes to height.”

When I looked up into Underground Tokyo’s sky, I could see the bottom of Surface Tokyo’s floor.

That ceiling was about three kilometers up and rivers flowed there.

The ceiling was made up of elevated districts that matched the terrain on the maps. It looked like Underground Tokyo’s map had been plastered there.

The winding ceiling rivers that flowed between the elevated districts were like windows and I could see the sky through them. Unlike here, it was twilight and the sky was bright red. I was jealous.

The red-dyed water of the rivers did not fall.

The power that kept them flowing was stronger than the one that would pull them down.

The clear streams on the ceiling would flow into either Underground or Surface Tokyo Bay.

I lived in Nishitama, so that view of the ceiling felt somewhat uncomfortable. Besides, it was too dark without any light from the sky. But the ceiling’s rivers acted as windows that somewhat relieved that discomfort.

“Hey.”

I heard a voice.

I was conceited enough to assume it was calling me. I looked left and right and saw people in student uniforms, people in suits, and one young woman in a miniskirt with oddly alluring legs, but no one seemed to be paying any attention to me. Dammit. Start looking at me, people. I prepared to strip off my clothes to make my presence known, but…

“Hey.”

I heard the voice again. I realized where it was coming from as I reached for the buttons on my collar.

It had come from above.

A small boat was floating on the other side of the one of the ceiling rivers. The voice coming from it was…a net? What were they trying to catch? Regardless, they weren’t calling to me. They were trying to catch something.

“They’re catching the twilight.”

You sat next to me and tossed me a drink that was getting a trial run in Underground Tokyo.

“The river has such a quick current that the color of twilight floats, so they catch it before it can sink. That’s the last light of the sun, so it apparently has a fair bit of energy. And I hear it tastes good.”

You mimicked scooping something up in your hand as you explained.

“I see,” I said as I touched your butt and received a backhand blow as thanks. “So that’s why I didn’t see the color of twilight here in Underground Tokyo.”

I opened the drink can and the lights that meant it was night came on within the station.

The lights were the color of twilight.

Author Comment:

Anyone who has driven from east to west on Tokyo’s roads probably knows where the idea for Underground Tokyo came from.

When you move east from around Kunitachi, everything suddenly gets a lot lower and there are a lot more places with underground structures.

The trains also get a lot lower around there.

Underground Tokyo is both about falling underground and about looking down and wondering what it would look like to look up from below.

Record 92: But I More or Less Understand

11/05/1998

6:07

I was really tired on the morning of the school festival’s fifth day. I was glad to see the sun rising in the clear morning sky when I looked out the lobby window. After preparing the night before, we had played some late-night gamble bungee. It had been cloudy then, so it had been a mystery whether or not the sun would actually rise in the morning sky.

I sipped sleepily at my can of coffee as I looked around the large lobby.

The tile-floored lobby was fifteen meters in each direction and it was filled with attractions for the school festival. I occasionally saw some music or video on the way to their attraction. Their melody, light, or tail would be wagging as they crawled along the floor and went outside. They had it tough so early in the morning.

I noticed a metallic sound sitting next to me on the sofa.

It looked up at me greedily, so I smacked its nose, which opened its mouth with a single sound. I poured the rest of my coffee into its mouth. Once it finished drinking, it crawled out while making a high-pitched metallic sound.

I didn’t know which class it belonged to, but it seemed to have a somewhat Western flavor.

Then I heard a loud sound outside.

I looked up to the top of Building 2 and saw the Professor and the science club desperately pulling on a rope dangling from the sky.

But the rope seemed really tough, so a few of the students in lab coats were dangling down from it.

As the rope gradually lowered, the sky turned to night starting from the east. The sun descended as well.

Oh, c’mon. I just drank my morning coffee.

As soon as I left the lobby to get after them, the sky pulled back with a great force.

By the time I nodded to myself, I was sitting cross-legged on Building 2’s roof. Bicycles, trees, cases of beer, small stones, and other objects were scattered around me. The Professor was right in front of me and he pushed up his glasses.

“Yeah, sorry about that. There seem to have been some side effects.”

“You were trying to turn back time because the Science Research Club wasn’t ready yet, weren’t you?”

“That’s because your gamble bungee took up too much time. I’ll pay back the kindness eventually.”

I sighed and looked up at the lab coat students dangling from the sky.

“So why are you reenacting The Spider’s Thread to buy time?”

“An important material fled from us in fear, even though we’re so harmless. We searched and searched but couldn’t find it.”

“…Was it a metallic noise?”

“This sounds promising. Where did you see it? If you don’t spill the beans, something incredible might happen to you.”

“It left the lobby. It wasn’t very sharp, so it might be near Building 3.”

When the Professor heard me, he instructed some nearby lab coat students to head out. Then I spoke to him.

“You should probably prepare some green tea…no, some bonito soba broth or some soy sauce would be better.”

“Why?”

“I gave it coffee.”

“What have you done!? …Hey, add three more people to the rope! We need to pull even harder!”

Author Comment:

The atmosphere of the early morning cafeteria or lobby comes from my life at college. There was a tacit understanding you would spend the night when preparing for the school festival, so the mornings tended to be like this.

I was the head of the art club and I often spent the night during that time of year.

Record 99: About You

12/20/1998

6:25

It was early morning and I faced Senpai on the road alongside the national railroad.

Senpai was dressed the same as always and still had his Chancellor armband on as he nodded.

The sun was out, so his closed eyes made it look somewhat like he was smiling.

“Let us walk a little. I hear it is good for your health.”

“You’re worried about my health?”

“Everyone is worried about you, myself included.”

“Then what about the Boss instead of me? Are you worried about him?”

“He has no connection to the Kansai students and corporations that have been causing trouble lately, but I am worried about how reckless and careless he is. His recklessness and carelessness could lead to me cutting him down.”

“What about Snowy?”

“She relies on her power too much. Even if she uses paper, sound, celluloid, or the sense of taste, she must find a more pure way to cut people down. I am worried about how inexperienced she is. That inexperience could lead to me cutting her down.”

“What about the Professor?”

“He has a lot of knowledge and he – more than anyone else – has the intelligence to use it. He likely finds himself at odds with those around him a lot. I am worried about how he stands out. If he stands out too much, it could lead to me cutting him down.”

“What about Little Boy?”

“He is too much of a child. I am worried about that youthfulness. That youthfulness could lead to me cutting him down.”

“What about Lady?”

“She is good natured, but she cannot act when the time comes. I am worried about her inability to act. That inability to act could lead to me cutting her down.”

“What about the Colonel?”

“He has a decent understanding of those below him, but he has little understanding of anyone else. I am worried about that lack of understanding. That lack of understanding could lead to me cutting him down.”

“Then…”

“You want to know about her? I do not know. But I do know I do not want to worry about her.”

Senpai said that about you, so I fell silent.

He then said more.

“I am also worried about myself. I am worried I will suck too much blood and cut everyone down.”

I thought I heard a quiet laugh and felt somehow satisfied.

I felt like Senpai must care a lot about you, so I couldn’t say anything more. I bowed and ran off…ran away.

A few handcars passed by on the railroad on their way to Tachikawa for school.

“Ah.”

I realized I’d forgotten to ask Senpai why he was worried about me.

Author Comment:

Senpai appears. There are a few names of people who haven’t shown up yet, but forgive me because the timeline is all over the place.

Layer 2: Power

11/15/1998

12:27

While I was eating in the crowded cafeteria, you sat next to me with a docile look on your face.

“Hey. How important is power to you?”

“Where did this come from all of a sudden?”

“Well… I was thinking about doing more and putting in some hard work.”

“I’m not sure what you mean, but I see. …Hard work sounds like a difficult thing for a girl. You just don’t seem like the type.”

“I’m not saying I’ll create a field of power with my words or anything. …But is it really that difficult?”

“Yeah, it is. Just think about it. How do you write the kanji for ‘hard work’? You take a woman’s crotch and-…”

“And add ‘heart’ to get ‘anger’!”

You hit me with an angry punch with the force of your hips behind it.

“Wh-what was that for!? I hadn’t even gotten to the punchline yet!”

The next blow hit me, no questions asked.

Ah, wait, stop. Don’t go for a full barrage. Don’t clench your fist tight and thrust it straight forward either. But the low sound of the blows is pretty cool.

No, it wasn’t. Anyway, I dodged as much as I could and ended up out of breath. You and I faced each other with a chair between us.

“Wait, wait, wait just a damn second. This is the cafeteria. Listen. If you have a problem with me, then let’s take this outside.”

As soon as I said that, every last student in the cafeteria made a mad dash outside.

A closer look showed that I was one of them.

Author Comment:

This isn’t really about the story, but the guy to the right drawn in horizontal lines is kind of creepy. More importantly, he looks just like a friend of mine I’ll call N, so what’s up with that? There were a bunch of other people there too, but they were covered up by “You”.

Record 101: I Can’t Find You

12/25/1998

2:19

It was late at night on Christmas and I was sitting below the chilly sky in Boss’s convertible.

We were on the bridge connecting the city we lived in with Akishima. Roasted by the frozen Tama River below, everything was absolutely frigid. Blue flames of snow-summoning gas lit the gas lights lining either side of the large four-lane bridge.

Boss was down below the red car repairing it and I sat in the passenger’s seat. On top of the sounds of Boss’s chiropractic car treatment, I heard the lively sound of an electrain running through the city.

Given how late it was, that was probably the last one for the night. The electric guitar tones running along the continuous track railway sounded a little lonely.

“Boss. I joined you because you said you were headed to the site of a carjacking in Akishima, right?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly right.”

“But now that I think about it, why are you going to the site of a carjacking in a car?”

“If you’re going where a car was attacked, of course you’re gonna take a car.”

“When you put it like that, I guess it makes sense. …But you aren’t 18 yet.”

“I’m old enough if you use my mental age. I’m 27 then. By the way, my mental birthday is May 5.”

Boss continued his repairs as he spoke.

“More importantly, why’d you need to go to Akishima? You’re off duty today, aren’t you? Are you supporting the whole Babel thing?”

“No, I’m entirely single, so I have way too much time on my hands. I need to go to that Akishima department store’s atrium and spit on the couples flirting down below or get a feel of some girl’s ass.”

“That’s quite a specific master plan you have there, so it’s too bad I’m holding you up here. This is what you deserve.”

“It’s not like either of us has anyone to give a present to. I mean, you’re checking out the site of a carjacking on Christmas.”

After a dry snapping sound, the car sank down a fair bit.

“I got out the little bone that was caught in there. Now we can push it by hand…”

Then he cleared his throat a little.

“The thing about me is…I need to learn how to drive things like cars and motorcycles as soon as possible.”

I responded while putting up my feet in the comfortable and spacious seat.

“Do you have a reason for that?”

“A few. The time is coming when I’ll need to move faster than time.”

“I see,” I said without questioning him further.

As I looked up into the sky, I heard a voice from behind.

“What are you two doing? The last thing I heard you were headed to Akishima in the evening…”

I looked back and saw Snowy wearing an overcoat and riding a ladies bike.

“I was curious and decided to stop by, but what is this? …Did the car break down?”

She grabbed the car’s trunk and activated her Mobilized Writing.

Anything a woman’s hand touches becomes a weapon.

She grabbed Boss’s car as a weapon and stored it in her breast pocket.

She bent her eyes a little and spoke with the distant electric guitar tone in the background.

“I will be taking this red car as a Christmas present from the two of you.

Author Comment:

The Akishima department store mentioned here actually exists north of Akishima Station. In fact, it’s right next to the station.

The bridge also exists, but that’s getting pretty local.

Record 80: Everything About the Past

09/06/1998

8:22

It was kind of dark inside a bomb shelter. Which wasn’t too surprising.

At any rate, our odd job for the day was to investigate the one that was discovered over summer break. If it looked usable, we could probably turn it into a living room for the Chancellor’s Officers since it was next to the Student Council Room.

I walked through the narrow passageway with a maglite in hand.

Lady was with me to record everything. She must have been worried because she asked a question.

“Um, is it just me or have a lot of things been passing by us?”

“Well, this bomb shelter has been forgotten about since the end of World War Two, so it’s desperately trying to fill in the holes in the memories. That way it won’t be lost to the people of the present.”

Lady quickly hid behind me to clear the way for something to pass us by. I looked back and saw her pushing her largish glasses up her nose.

“Did you see who just passed by? It was the sun. And it held a large paper bag.”

“Really? To be honest, I couldn’t see at all who it was that passed by.”

“Then only I can see it? I wonder why.”

“Maybe this bomb shelter likes you. In Tokyo, it can’t exist unless it remains in someone’s memory, so it really wants someone to remember it.”

“But I’m not very smart. What if I make a weird assumption, create a memory that shouldn’t exist, and create a fake version of this place in my memories?”

“If it happens, it happens. Memory is power, so you just have to believe that it’s true.”

I turned around again and found a wall there.

Lady was gone.

Oops. Apparently there had been a real-time discrepancy between the internal layout I had seen and the one Lady had imagined and written to her memories. I quickly shined my light on the wall and saw an old metal door.

The door opened from the other side and Lady stepped in with her face pale.

“That was scary. I was searching and searching for you. For quite a while.”

“Sorry, sorry. I should have shined the light around more to give us a better shared understanding. Okay, let’s get going.”

Lady tilted her head when I said that.

“What are you talking about? …We’re outside.”

I looked around and found that we were indeed behind the school building. It had been morning before, but now it was evening. And Lady held out a piece of record paper that was filled with blue glow-in-the-dark ink providing the bomb shelter’s internal layout.

She looked between my face and the record paper.

“I omitted a fair bit on the way. Can you go get the missing parts filled in at the Time-Seer’s shop later?”

“If you want. More importantly, did you go all the way in? Did you find anything there?”

“There was nothing at all. Just a big room with something spray painted on the wall.

She smiled a little.

“It said, ‘Welcome back’.”

Author Comment:

Lady appears. The map she’s holding is the first basement of a certain game, but it’s made so it works with the hidden doors, one-way pathways, and the rooms mentioned later on.

This is a little off topic, but I think there were a fair number of abandoned bomb shelters when we were kids during the early 80’s.

Record 93: What Really Matters

11/19/1998

16:23

I punched some kids my age as part of my Chancellor’s Officers work and an adult emerged from behind them.

It happened on the platform at Kodaira Station. Right next to the stopped electrain. Senpai and Snowy were taking care of the other various enemies behind me. My opponent aimed a handgun at me from a distance of about 10 meters.

That was a problem, so I kind of had to fight him. I was pretty sure that was against the school rules, but that shouldn’t matter when he picked the fight with me. Probably anyway.

“Why is an adult playing along with this nonsense while the east and west are fighting over Babel?”

What did this mean? I didn’t have a clue, but I was gonna kick his ass regardless. It had been a while, so I was really into it.

He gave me a threatening look and fired. He fired three freeze bullets.

I smiled back at him and activated my Mobilized Writing.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

When you compared it to the kinetic energy of the bullet’s weight and speed, my fist clearly came out on top. I punched away each bullet flying my way and moved in.

What was an adult doing behind the students? The school rules were still in place even after relations between the east and west were restored after the Reconciliation Riot, so our world should still have been separate from the adult world. My best bet was to punch him until he explained it for me. My fists can turn common sense, ethics, reason, emotions, light, dark, gravity, and probably even time into a striking force. So while I prepared a corrective punch for the disobedient part of his head, I gave him some polite reassurance.

“Don’t worry. I’m a gentle guy…maybe?”

Author Comment:

I think the protagonists are probably being monitored by the adult.

Record 107: Oh, That’s Right

02/14/1999

20:18

On my one night off during the week, I spent all night alone in the underground Officers’ clubroom.

They were playing some boring old film on TV. It was so boring I lightly revved the TV’s accelerator and shifted up a gear. Then a tower appeared on the screen.

It was a news program talking about Babel, the giant Word broadcast tower under construction in Osaka.

That 3km tower uses Word Resonance to send a voice across this entire planet covered by the Great Canopy. Students across Japan are competing for the right to use it first.

It was built by a company, but they’re temporarily lending it to a student.

The so-called Battle of Babel is being fought using a PR sales battle governed by a set of rules. I recalled that everyone was really excited about the result coming out soon, but if that thing was activated in Osaka so soon after the east and west were reunited, it would shift Japan’s power balance toward Kansai.

That’s why a lot of people were working in secret to keep the current power balance intact. Heh, I was being awfully intellectual, wasn’t I? Hard to believe.

Maybe I’m just more serious when I’m on my own.

Anyway, the black phone next to me rang and I picked up the receiver like a serious person should.

It was Senpai.

“I am currently at Tachikawa Airfield. A strange group was lying in wait for me here. I will cut them down and head back.”

He hung up there, but he never did return.

Author Comment:

After the discussion with Senpai in the previous chapter, the final night begins.

The protagonist is watching movies on TV because that’s his hobby. It will later be revealed he watches a lot of different things.

Record 26: And the Power to Fight

08/03/1997

20:05

My daily life had gotten to be pretty extreme ever since I left my training at the Mountain.

I stopped running in front of the railway crossing not far from Tachikawa Station. Hearing festival music in the distance, I look over to see a street lined with festival stands. You ran past me in a yukata, so you stopped and tried to catch your breath.

“Our Mountain training has really made us quick to fight, hasn’t it?”

“You mean it’s made you that way. I quite like the peace and quiet. The trick is to keep an open mind. And a shallow one too.”

“You do not want a shallow mind. And you were the one who blew him away first. I’m sure that’s just how your Mobilized Writing works, but do be careful. Don’t forget that accident from way back when, okay?”

“Fair enough. I am Mountain-trained, so I shouldn’t use this power carelessly. I need to be more peaceful.”

I sighed. I was basking in the summer heat when the heat said he didn’t want any guys basking in him, so I threw him to the ground.

After a careless and unpeaceful fistfight with the heat, you ran up and stopped me.

“Stop that, you idiot! A commoner like you can’t hope to defeat a part of nature.”

“Damn, I’m gonna be so unecological when I grow up!”

I clicked my tongue a few times like a thug and walked down the festival street. The entire street smelled of ginger pork and it was covered in festival stands lit up by brown lamps and people dressed in summer clothing or yukatas.

I heard some cheers coming from near the station way down the street.

You stretched up to peek past the crowd.

“Come to think of it, the Pleiades are descending tonight, aren’t they?”

“Those six gaudy sisters? I don’t get why everyone likes them so much. So what are they here for?”

“You know that Tower of Babel under constructed in Osaka? They’re spreading word about it.”

I looked over to see them holding a brown tower-like work of art on top of the festival stage.

You crossed your arms.

“Once that is activated next year, it will reconnect the global radio network that has been cut off ever since the war. It will act as a massive broadcast tower.”

“That will make it easier to get information out from remote areas and easier to pick up rescue signals. Also…”

“It will make Japan the center of the world.”

“Osaka, not Japan. This will overturn Tokyo’s position. Haven’t you seen the debates on the news and talk shows? They’re all discussing where the real center of Japan is.”

It looked to the festival stand to the side and my eyes met with the guy running it.

“Want to try it? No charge,” he said to me. “You beat up the heat earlier, didn’t you? The heat tends to damage my products, so I’m thankful.”

“What are your products?”

“Legitimate fortunes.”

“And what does the heat do to them?”

“Makes them too lazy to get off their rears.”

“Then I will take one before the heat returns,” you said, drawing one.

The man unfolded it and read what it said.

“You hit the jackpot! This is the best fortune we’ve got! You’ll find money, your financial luck is excellent, you’ll get a pay raise, and you’ll even have some nice temporary income! But these fortunes all belong to me, so that ‘you’ is actually me.”

You and I both carelessly and unpeacefully beat him up.

Author Comment:

This is one of the aforementioned chapters I initially wrote. A lot of information and “the way things are” created contradictions upon contradictions, so I had to rewrite it. The Pleiades sisters are actually mixture of gawdy and plain girls.

Tachikawa’s festivals are really lively, but I haven’t been in a while…

Record 65: It Can Be So Hard to Notice

05/27/1998

21:30

We have a problem. Some weird thing has taken over a dorm room.

Me, the Professor, and Snowy are in the B3 hallway lined with doors to the accelerated rooms for exchange students. The Professor holds a stethoscope against one door.

“Yes, it certainly has been taken over by some weird thing. I suspect it may also be suffering from liver disease.”

“Would cutting it with a sword help?” asked Snowy.

“The problem is this isn’t a physical thing.” The Professor pulled out a record-keeping camera. “So I’m not sure it actually can be cut.”

“Probably not. I questioned the students and they said it first sounded like something was crawling around the room. They tried to ignore it at first, but then the room’s colors started to change and then they there was the whole window incident.”

“What window incident?”

“The three residents woke up this morning to find themselves hanging from the art room’s 3rd floor windows. They had been stripped of all their clothing, they were all sprawled out on their backs, and they all had ‘loser’ written on their stomachs in ink. Pretty incredible, right?”

“Are we sure it wasn’t some kind of punishment game?”

“It wasn’t that. After trying to peep on the girl’s dorm last night, we were sent on a no-rope bungee dive from those same windows, so their alibi is airtight. The crime must have happened in the really pleasant part of the early morning.”

“You two are always up to something, aren’t you? Anyway, there must be something here that did all that.”

Snowy took a look around the area. The “keep out” tape drew out barrier emblems and talismans on the walls, ceiling, and floor. With a pentagram, hexagram, magic circle, Arabian number circle, Mexican angry face, and Tsuru-san wa Maru-Maru Mushi, we had to be protected from pretty much anything. It was honestly pretty cool.

After viewing all that, Snowy suddenly opened the door.

There was an endless expanse of stars on the other side.

The wind blew, so we were nearly sucked inside. No, we nearly fell inside. The wind roared.

“Whoa!”

Snowy and I grabbed at the doorframe to avoid falling in and also grabbed the door that had opened the other way. The “keep out” tape whipped in the wind and I shouted behind me, telling the Professor to help shut the door.

But he was too busy snapping photos with that camera.

“Yes, I do like the look on your face. This will make an excellent record of what happened, so say cheese. Now, how about another one?”

Bastard. After we got the door shut, I punched him once. That seemed to knock some sense back into him.

“This truly is a weird thing. I estimate about 80% of what has happened was meant as a feint against us.”

Just then, the door opened from the other side.

You emerged with Daitarou in your arms.

“What are you three doing?” you asked while letting Daitarou hold your finger in his mouth. “I entered through the window everyone was talking about, but there was nothing inside.”

“Huh?”

We quickly checked inside the room and there really wasn’t anything there. It was just a normal dorm room.

But we never did find the window you said you had entered through.

Author Comment:

The poster on the right side of the illustration lists 5 rules for enjoyable battling: “Do not use modern weapons. Go all out when you fight. Never show an opening. If they show their back, make your move. Sniping is a valid tactic.”

Record 60: We Need to Hurry

04/21/1998

2:32

I was racing east along National Route 20 on the Boss’s motorcycle late at night.

The bike had been so thoroughly customized I’m not even sure what it originally was, but it could carry three. Lady sat on the Phlogiston Tank, the Boss sat at the front, and I sat in the tandem seat.

The package we were delivering was Lady herself. Kanda’s House of Time needed her Mobilized Writing.

I pulled out my pocket watch in the wind to find it was just past 2:30 AM.

“Boss! Can’t you speed it up!? At this rate, the rooster’s gonna crow before we get there!”

“Let the birds cock-a-doodle-doo all they want! There’s not much I can do with this package weighing us down!”

“How could you! I am not that heavy! I have a low Rohrer’s index too, so I protest!”

The upset Lady’s Mobilized Writing let her make sounds that resonated with specific objects.

And it turned out Kanda’s House of Time had run into a problem tonight.

“The House of Time’s time-telling Sein Frau’s song is out of tune, right? I hope I can play the correct tune for her.”

“This is because she’s aging, so she’ll just slip out of tune again even if you fix her today. But the House of Time’s clocktower resonates with the world’s time, so a mistake there would have disastrous consequences.”

“So will the grownups call me in again each time it happens? That sounds awful.”

“You can worry about that later,” said the Boss. “Senpai was right: the enemy’s here.”

I looked back, but I didn’t see anything on the road behind us.

I wondered if the Boss had just gotten scared, but then a great emptiness filled my vision.

That was the Great Tokyo Fault.

The massive fault split Tokyo west to east from near Kunitachi to Mitaka. National Route 20 had been made into an elevated highway, you could see a cloudy night sky below the road, and the lights of Surface Tokyo and Underground Tokyo formed a double horizon far to the east.

The enemy the Boss had mentioned had arrived within the wind.

They were in the sky.

Four shooting stars curved toward us with white trails slicing across the night sky.

“Wh-what are those!? Are they after us!?” shouted Lady.

So that’s our enemy, huh? I sighed and the Boss explained in a bitter voice.

“There are people who want time to be out of whack. They want Tokyo to take the fall for failing to manage it properly! And they must have hired this meteor shower force.”

I wasn’t going to say it in front of the Boss since he’s from Kansai, but they were likely hired by a Kansai corporation.

I silently stood up on the tandem seat and readied my fists with the wind roaring around me. The Boss activated his Mobilized Writing at the same time.

Acceleration stacks infinitely.

He began kicking his motorcycle up to higher gears. After speeding up all the way to 6th gear, he suddenly dropped down to 1st gear. Our current speed became our 1st gear speed, so he could then reaccelerate on up from there. He called it his 6-Stage Infinite Acceleration.

“Don’t underestimate Tokyo’s student defenders.”

When the motorcycle’s speed produced tire smoke on the road, the meteor shower force hesitated. The four shooting stars had slowed down enough that our speeds were about equal as we raced down the elevated Route 20 side by side. The battle had begun.

Author Comment:

It turns out no one uses the Rohrer’s index anymore. You will be hearing more about the House of Time’s Sein Frau later.

Record 19: Remember Your Power

06/10/1997

16:03

I spread my arms and thought in the setting sun.

I was facing a wet rock wall and a large waterfall.

I clenched my right fist with my arms raised as if to embrace the scarlet-tinged waterfall. I was pretty sure the clenched fist was closely related to my power. My true power.

This wasn’t the fake power I had believed in due to a weird false assumption and misunderstanding.

This was the real power that was mine alone and that I could place absolute trust in.

I was sure it had to do with my fist – with punching. But…what was it beyond that?

Was it destruction? Violence? Sexiness? All wonderful options. Yes, I would be satisfied with one of those.

But that wasn’t it. So what was it? Everyone has their own power. And it’s always found nearby.

Most everyone who had traveled deep into these Ibaraki mountains to join the Chancellor’s Officers already knew what their power was. I’d heard Snowy had gotten pretty far in training hers.

If I found my power while training here, it would become a real power by the time I returned to Tokyo and all of this would be no more than a memory to look fondly back on. I would have those memories to tell me my power is very real and I never have to doubt it.

I knew it had to do with my fist. But what kind of power would come from that fist? And what would I think when I learned the answer to that question?

I hoped it wasn’t a power I disliked. I mean, if it’s my real power, I have to place my trust in it. I might hate it and want nothing to do with it, but I would still have to place my trust in it. So a fun power would be best.

Everyone obtains their own power. That sometimes happens when they’re faced with a situation requiring it and sometimes it happens when it’s taught to them and they make it their own.

I had figured out on my own it had to do with my fist, but I had been taught at the Mountain how to clench and throw that fist.

When I eventually find my true power, will I be able to look back on this time and make that power real?

If so, maybe I can discover something in an even older version of me.

Hmm.

For example, it was in my second year of middle school that I developed my Punching is #1 philosophy. One sunny Tuesday morning on the way to school, I saw you waving to me and running toward me.

“Then you punched away the three wheeler that nearly ran me over.”

I heard your voice and turned around, but there was no one there. Only the riverbank in the sunset.

Did I imagine that? No, maybe I was becoming the past self that my future self was looking back on. And my future self decided to use your voice to give me a hint since I kept rambling on about nonsense.

“You blew away the waterfall before too, right? What were you trying to punch then?”

I smiled bitterly when I heard your voice again. I decided to raise my fist toward the waterfall.

“Could you keep it down? These moments are only cool if you think through them on your own.”

Author Comment:

A look at the protagonist’s Mountain training. I expect you need to ask permission to train at night. I have been to the mountains and a waterfall at night, but it really does feel like something is following you around.

Record 64: The Repairable and the Unrepairable

05/24/1998

2:11

The Itsukaichi Line derailed, so we were sent out on a job this spring night.

We needed Lady’s Mobilized Writing to repair the continuous railroad track, but fixing a derailed track was a real pain in the ass. The track bent up and down and twisted left and right, so I just used a general Mobilized Writing to punch it back into place. The others were also working hard.

“Or so I thought! Why are you just sitting there on the curb!? No fair!”

“Cutting the track would only make it worse.”

“I’m no good at anything other than driving.”

“I am not interested in turning the track into a weapon.”

“We’re giving you moral support, so you should thank us really.”

Of course they all had an excuse. But now that I had gotten the track somewhat straightened out, Lady attached her keyboard to it with a few cords.

“Good work. I’m all set. Now try making a noise over there.”

Kh, at least she was a good girl. I needed to touch her butt later on as thanks. For now, I punched my gauntleted fist against the fixed track.

That produced a loud, metallic note. Lady used that as a starting point for her Mobilized Writing.

All that resonates is the same.

She played her keyboard, sending perfectly straight and uncurving music into the tracks.

I sighed while watching the tracks resonate and stretch themselves out straight once more.

Author Comment:

Lady uses her Mobilized Writing. She only has to play some music, so she is probably close to all-powerful.

It really doesn’t matter, but I find it incredible that the JR Oume Line part of the Itsukaichi Line is still a single track.

Record 31: Am I Really Enough?

09/21/1997

16:33

It was time for my final exam at the Mountain. I had to win battle after battle using only my Mobilized Writing and my weapon. I had arrived at the championship match with just my gauntlet. My opponent was Snowy. She held a bamboo sword at the center of the 10m-radius sparring ground.

I took off running as soon as the starting pistol sounded. I could see the scenery around me: the sunset, the forest, the temple we had been staying at for a few months, the sparring ground itself, our friends encircling it, and you holding Daitarou.

I looked away from you to focus on Snowy in front of me. She was swinging her bamboo sword.

I planted my foot out in front of me and punched the base of the sword. With a light thud, the sword was launched into the air. That gave me an opening. I briefly considered copping a feel of her boobs while I was at it, but she kept her distance and activated her Mobilized Writing.

Anything a woman’s hand touches can be used as a weapon.

The air Snowy touched became a blade, so I quickly dodged. The windy attack roared past me on the left.

I continued forward and threw my fist toward Snowy as she tried to grab the wind again.

At the same moment, she gave up on grabbing the air and grabbed my fist instead.

Anything a woman’s hand touches can be used as a weapon.

My first tried to harm me, but I wouldn’t allow it.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

“I won’t let anyone else wield my power.”

I punched Snowy’s Mobilized Writing and everything else.

The solid impact echoed through the twilight sky.

Author Comment:

More about this battle with Snowy will be discussed later. I think it was a pretty heavy thing for the protagonist.

Layer 3: Metal

11/15/1998

16:21

I was reading a book out of boredom in the Officers’ living room when I suddenly felt really thirsty and wandered out to the vending machine just outside the entrance.

Sensei was there glaring at the vending machine.

“What are you doing, Sensei? I’m not going to stand here and let you steal a drink.”

“I-I’m not stealing anything. There’s a drink I want, but the machine won’t let me press the button.”

I noticed the vending machine had taken a stiff wrestling stance.

“Nice form. Sensei, what was it you wanted to drink?”

“Hm? The peach nectar.”

“Why would you want that when it’s so cold out? Oh, and that button’s on the machine’s side. Is that its weak point?”

Sensei is slow, so it was probably blocking her attempts before she could press the button.

“Fine,” I sighed, putting a coin in the machine and hitting the nectar button with lightning speed.

“Okay, Sensei. Grab the drink yourself.”

“Thank you. …Oh.”

After grabbing the can, she held it out toward me.

“It’s nice and warm, isn’t it? Maybe the machine didn’t want you to press the button because the drinks were only just replenished.”

“But I wanted something ‘colllld’.”

“That can be arranged.”

I grabbed her by the collar, had her embrace the vending machine, and pressed the “colllld” button.

She shrieked.

Author Comment:

This chapter was for a special issue.

For the cover story, I think Japanese culture is incredible for inventing and keeping around the “colllld” labels on vending machines.

Record 88: What is That?

10/16/1998

16:01

The athletic festival decided to annoy us all by not being over yet.

And as always, when things went wrong, we were sent out to deal with it. So the next thing I knew, Sensei was pulling me along toward the archery dojo.

“So what is it, Sensei? Is something weird happening at this dojo?”

“Yes, they say some of their arrows have gone missing.”

“Um, I don’t see why they need my help with that. Can’t the club members search for them or you buy some more with your pocket money?”

“I don’t have that kind of money.”

“That doesn’t really address my main point.”

Anyway, I entered the dojo training ground to find Snowy was already there. She briefly rejoiced upon seeing Sensei, but she looked really grumpy when she saw me coming in behind Sensei.

“Oh, she brought you. What are you doing here? Tell me.”

“Um, give me a second to think up something.”

She drew her sword.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Put that sword away! This is an archery dojo, not your mental killing zone.”

“A true Japanese heart does not distinguish between the bow and the blade. And I am at my wits’ end here anyway, so you can help me blow off some steam. Do not attempt to resist.”

Sensei moved in front of me, spread her arms, and spoke to Snowy.

“Stop that. As a teacher, I can’t just stand idly by and let you do that.”

A rare instance of her saying something worthwhile.

Then Sensei looked back to smile at me.

“Okay, I told her to stop and no one can say I just stood idly by. So I’ll be stepping aside now, okay?”

The questioning tone at the end there infuriated me for some reason, so I slapped her on the back and used a special attack. Sensei shrieked and crouched down and Snowy took a step back.

“So what happened here?” I asked the latter.

“W-well, while the archery club was practicing the human hunt for their festival performance, none of their arrows would hit anyone. Even when they took careful aim with their scope-equipped bows, the arrows would disappear just before hitting.”

“When was this training?”

“Last night.”

I looked up into the sky from below the eaves, but I didn’t see any arrows stuck into the moon or stars which were visible during the day. None in the sky itself either.

“It was cloudy last night,” said Snowy, crossing her arms.

“Oh, then I get what happened.”

I stepped out of the dojo. Snowy frowned, but I kept going.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

My fist punched down an arrow that suddenly appeared in the air in front of me.

Snowy frowned further, so I explained with a bitter smile.

“You remember the Professor’s crazy theory about using light to accelerate and see images from the past? This is the opposite. The arrows lost their light in the darkness last night, which made them reverse-accelerate and fall into the future.”

More and more of the arrows launched last night appeared while I spoke.

“Hey, Snowy. Quit standing there and get out here. This is a great way to blow off some steam.”

I couldn’t believe how many flying arrows appeared. They had a lot of speed and a disturbing number were aimed at head height.

I punched them all down while humming and thinking about how the athletic festival would be over soon.

I had to tell the archery club to do their human hunt during the day.

Author Comment:

I had a friend who did archery and it apparently takes a lot of concentration.

I think the tranquil atmosphere at those places is extremely valuable.

Record 11: All of a Sudden

04/18/1997

11:12

The 1st terms’ academic tests had begun.

During the break between 3rd and 4th period, I sat on the windowsill of the 2nd story classroom with my legs hanging outside. Everyone else was busy reviewing, but this wasn’t the kind of test that took problems out of the textbooks and knowing when to just give up was an important life lesson.

Then Sensei spoke from the front of the class.

“The next test takes problems straight from the textbook I’ve been using with you. Aren’t you lucky?”

Yeah, it was definitely time to just give up. For me and only me this time.

Whatever, I decided, looking up into the sky.

Then I heard a voice from below. It was your voice.

“That’s dangerous, you know?”

You must have been walking between classes. You held a music textbook and came to a stop among the walking students to look up at me.

“What? Were you thinking of jumping from there?”

“Kyah! You’ll see my underwear!”

Oh, she just threw a pebble at me. Ow. Ow ow ow. Stop that. Ow ow. That is not a pebble. It’s a dang rock. Practically a boulder.

Anyway, I sighed and placed my hands on the windowsill.

“Is your music test up next?”

“It is. We have to perform our Words. Hey, are you listening?”

“Yeah, I am. I’m listening like you wouldn’t believe. See, you don’t believe me. …Hey, stop trying to run away while I amuse myself.”

You looked back and breathed an exaggerated sigh.

“Here’s the thing.”

“Yeah?”

“No, never mind. I’m too ticked off right now.”

“What, you won’t even answer me now? I’ll shout to the whole school you don’t play fair!! Wait, I just did.”

You clicked your tongue, spread your feet a bit, and raised you right index finger.

“Listen. I don’t want to hear another word out of you.”

“You got it.”

“That was three words already.”

I really wished someone would make you play fair and restore my social standing, but you remained as unfair as ever.

“I’m sure you’ve heard, but the top scorers on these academic tests will be given preferential treatment on the Mountain entrance exam.”

I had indeed heard that, but even so…

“Huh, that’s news to me. What’s your point?”

You frowned, looked up at me, and started to speak.

“––––”

But you turned your back to me and continued walking toward the music room.

You knew all too well that inviting me to the Mountain would have led to me saying “this sure is sudden” and then following you like we were going right away.

You still looked somewhat conflicted, but I knew you would get over it eventually. And sooner rather than later.

“I should probably study.”

Waiting until you invited me wasn’t really fair, so I decided to stop being so unfair and start doing things that would surprise you.

What should I do? I wondered while looking up into the sky.

The sky was blue and cloudless.

I felt like it would absorb me and, when I looked around, I realized I had fallen onto the roof.

The bell indicating the beginning of the next test rang.

Author Comment:

For some reason, Sensei spends her break time in the classroom.

She’s probably talking with the students, but wouldn’t that make her late for her next class?

Also, I think you can see the special sort of connections found in a school in the way you can look out the window and immediately spot someone you know.

Record 50: Movement

02/04/1998

18:32

The evenings were indistinguishable from night in the winter. And there I was on top of a train crossing the Great Tokyo Fault. I looked to the side and saw Lady with me in the cold wind. She was making some adjustments with her keyboard hooked up to the electrain’s transformer.

“The Chancellor’s Officers have such a variety of jobs to do, don’t we? It seems weird for a student to be compressing the inside of a train because it’s too crowded.”

“To be fair, this is pretty unique to Tokyo. So how far can you compress it?”

“Up to eight times by speeding up the internal space’s music.”

When Lady began playing her keyboard, I heard what sounded like wind or something moving below the roof. That had to be the sound of the inside being compressed.

Lady continued playing in order to stabilize the music.

“But what are you doing here?” she asked. “I could have handled this on my own.”

“That is a very good question.”

“Wait…don’t tell me you’re here to look up my skirt in this wind.”

“Hold on. I’m not so bored I would come all the way out here to see something I can see anytime I want.”

“I’m not going to even think about what that last part means, but did you see it or not?”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions. In the interest of eliminating all misunderstandings, they were white.”

Her keyboard case proved its effectiveness as a blunt weapon by hitting me in the side of the head. Hey, hey, hey, hey! I only saw them once, so I don’t deserve to be hit this many times!

After raising the case overhead once more, Lady stumbled forward and fell.

“Eh?” She fixed her skirt and slammed the case into me again.

“The train’s speeding up.”

“Because I sent high-speed music into it. Eight times speed.”

That meant it was my turn. I could punch the speed, after all. So I stood up.

“You finish your adjustments. I’ll keep on punching until then.”

Author Comment:

She’s casually doing some crazy things.

And can she even decompress them when she leaves?

Record 57: But I Won’t Forget

03/28/1998

21:16

The Officers’ living room air conditioner hadn’t been working well recently. Senpai dusted it to try and put it in a better mood.

“Oops. I cut it.”

I looked over to see the air conditioner leaning backwards with one of its corners cut clean off. He really can cut anything, can’t he?

“Hm, now I am worried about it. I should go buy some medicine.”

Senpai started to leave, so I quickly pointed at the safe in the corner of the room.

“You can get the money from there and charge it as an Officers expense. I just did the same after buying a manga magazine with a misleading cover.”

“I will not be misled and I have a personal purchase to make as well, so do not worry.”

“I see. But what’s this personal purchase?”

Senpai laughed quietly with his back turned.

“My half-life is coming up soon. And I am exhausted from all the deskwork gathering materials related to next term. I am worried I need more iron.”

Instead of responding, I took a look around. We were the only two here.

No one else had heard him.

Then he left the room. He opened the door and said one last thing.

“Do not worry. Because I will worry enough for the both of us.”

Author Comment:

This is close to the beginning of the air conditioning story.

It probably has to do with Senpai’s nature, but it feels like the protagonist and Senpai can be really unreserved in how they speak with each other. I bet they actually don’t discuss these kinds of things with You.

Record 52: And to Play

02/20/1998

20:18

The end of the school year was approaching and the Tokyo Chancellor’s Officers was receiving a 2nd Special Duty Officer. Not only that…

“It’s a transfer student from Kansai, which is in such a tense state of late.”

Our living room felt so cramped when decorated with chains of colored paper and a confetti ball. I stayed by the wall, watching the girls make a big fuss.

“I wonder what kind of person they are. I hope it’s a cute girl,” I said.

“Your overly honest instincts are going to get you into trouble one of these days. Get even further out of our way.”

“Yes, you should really learn your place. And look in a mirror.”

“I might think better of you if you weren’t like this, you know? You’re such an idiot.”

Wow. They were insulting me in stereo with a center speaker.

“I wonder what kind of Kansai person is coming.”

“I bet they’re a really good straight man.”

Maybe so, I thought while looking out the window. I noticed something running away in a hurry, making me wonder if something had happened.

The others noticed too and stopped working. In order to calm everyone’s nerves, I demonstrated my highly refined wit.

“ ‘They say they’re redoing their fencing next door.’ ‘Really? En garde!’ ”

No sooner were the words out of my mouth than the wall behind me was blasted away for the punchline.

I looked back while being crushed like paper and saw a big red American car driven by a tall blond guy with a pompadour.

“Huh? This is the Tokyo Chancellor’s Officers’ living room, right? Anyway, they called me the Boss at my old school. Nice to meet you all.”

Everyone pointed down toward me. And…

“That’s a wall, not a fence.”

Author Comment:

The Boss’s introduction chapter.

With Senpai being the way he is, I think the Officers were mostly girls until now.

It was probably a relief for the protagonist to have another boy with them.

Even if that boy arrived with a really powerful tsukkomi.

Record 74: An Ocean of Metal

07/30/1998

3:43

Maybe it’s because we traveled all over for both work and fun during the first half of summer break, but the Boss’s car has a cold. So after work today, we brought some canned peaches to the car clubroom where the Boss hangs out.

“This is not my kind of ocean.”

The clubroom was a lot like a workshop, but the floor had been dug out and filled with an ocean of tools and screws.

The tool ocean’s waves washed in and out while the Boss wore an aqualung and performed nursing maintenance on a red Caddy with a wet towel on its head.

“Hi. Decided to visit, did you?”

That greeting came from the science club’s monkey who was swimming around with a snorkel on.

“What are you doing here, Professor?”

“This place has always been a Mecca for scrounging up parts. Today, I found-”

He was swept away by a large wave before he could say any more.

“What a messy place,” said Snowy, picking up a screw and opening a can of peaches with it. “Very rude if you ask me.”

“I could describe your behavior the same way.”

“What behavior?” she asked, glaring at me until she had her feet swept out from under her by a wave. “Ah,” was all she got out before she collapsed toward the ocean at the exact moment the wave crest burst open and the Professor leaped from the ocean.

The traditional wild girl and the futuristic fool crashed into each other.

Author Comment:

The car club and a sea of tools.

The Boss has already become the face of the club, but he just loves cars, not organizations.

The Professor is there too, but I feel like he exists everywhere at the same time.

Also, I think Snowy used her Mobilized Writing to open the can with a screw.

Record 46: Cheerfully, Cheerfully

01/01/1998

9:29

It was New Year’s. January 1. The start of the year. Call it what you like, but I got up early, killed some time, and then left home.

I walked to the neighborhood shrine.

After climbing the long stone staircase, I entered the small shrine grounds without many other people around. Barely anyone was here for their New Year’s shrine visit yet.

But I knew one of the people here.

“What are you doing here, Professor? Hoping to purify yourself?”

“What’s this? This is the last place I expected to run into an impure idiot like you. Were you looking for the purification popcorn they sell over there?”

“That’s clearly pigeon food, moron. Also, I dread to think what kind of year I have coming when you’re the first person I meet on New Year’s. Fix this.”

“You can rid yourself of that stress by throwing some change toward the god in the little hut over there. The more you hit him with, the more he loves it. Very unscientific, if you ask me.”

“I don’t see what’s so unscientific about someone being into SM, but I also don’t care, so I’ll let it slide this time. Anyway, what are you doing here?”

“Just taking a look at the Sein Frau. I assume you know that the old Sein Frau that sleeps underground here only emerges on holidays.”

“I didn’t know that, actually. And I live here.”

The monkey gave me a curious look.

“How do you not know when she’s a national treasure that was even used as the model for Kanda’s Sein Frau? You are clearly lacking in the brains department.”

“No brains is better than whatever kind of brains you’ve got. Besides, I’ve been burned by national treasures before. We went to view a living national treasure for a field trip last year, but it turns out he only comes out of his burrow at night. What was even the point?”

“Can we get back on topic?”

I nodded and the Professor stuck a hand in his pocket.

He pulled out a 3cm piece of wood.

“This is a part of that Sein Frau’s frame.”

A pair of guard priests immediately grabbed him by the arms and dragged him out behind the shrine. A while after I watched him go, I heard strange screams from behind the shrine. He eventually reemerged, fixed his collar, and pulled a diagram from his pocket.

“And this is a top-secret copy of that Sein Frau’s design.”

A pair of guard priests immediately grabbed him by the arms and dragged him out behind the shrine. A while after I watched him go, I heard strange screams from behind the shrine. He eventually reemerged, fixed his collar, and pulled a screw from his pocket.

“And this is a piece of that Sein Frau’s heart.”

A pair of guard priests immediately grabbed him by the arms and dragged him out behind the shrine. A while after I watched him go, I heard strange screams from behind the shrine. He eventually reemerged and fixed his collar.

I spoke up before the thief could say anything more.

“Don’t you really need to return that heart screw?”

“Not necessarily, actually.” He pulled an envelope from his pocket. “Read this.”

“Sorry, but can I burn it in the fire over there just in case it has a bomb or some other booby trap inside? Also, this isn’t a love letter from you to me, is it?”

“I am unfortunately a lifeform that crosses the boundary of sex in order to reproduce.”

“Wow, really? I thought for sure you were the result of lightning striking some weird mud.”

Meanwhile, I pulled a letter from the envelope.

“Is this from that Sein Frau?”

It was a simple letter. It said she wanted to leave.

“So did you swap out the part of her closed heart that kept her from moving?”

“I imagine she is enjoying the New Year’s film festival in Shinjuku right about now.”

“But why did she send you the letter?”

“It was actually just lying on the ground and it somehow ended up in my hands.”

A pair of guard priests immediately grabbed him by the arms and dragged him out behind the shrine.

Author Comment:

An automaton story.

This is linked to the story of Kanda’s automaton.

Japan’s automatons are briefly touched on in the Osaka game.

They’re mostly viewed as machines or tools and no one wants them to have a personality.

Record 24: Treat Old Things with Care

07/22/1997

10:27

The first thing I did after getting back from the Mountain was clean and tidy up my room. After a full day of that, I came to a realization.

“Wouldn’t it be faster to just give up?”

Well, that and that my parents hadn’t been back the entire time. The bicycle in the bike parking was all rusted and everything.

That was worrying, but I still took the bike out to go buy some dinner and rent a video to kill some time. A cheap germanium radio hung from the handlebars and I pedaled alongside the railroad not far from home.

The night sky was full of stars. This was around when Saturn or Jupiter would descend to the city, get drunk off cheap shochu, and make a scene.

I heard a voice from below one of the blue summer gas lights.

“Hey, wait up!”

I had a feeling looking back would get me dragged into something unpleasant, so I ignited my own accelerator. But just as I stepped down hard on the pedals, a powerful grip grabbed the luggage rack.

“W-wait! Why are you running away?”

“Oh, it’s just you, Sensei. What are you doing out at this hour? And in a track suit?”

“Um, no reason. I wasn’t jogging to try and lose weight if that’s what you’re implying.”

“What’s your goal?”

“Lose 2kg by August.”

“I meant how far you’re planning to run.”

She gave me quite the lecture. And as punishment, I had to carry the exhausted woman back to her house.

“By the way, Sensei, did you know it’s illegal to have two people riding a bike?”

“I did, but just focus on pedaling. I am only sitting here and the bike happens to be moving at the same time. I am not riding it.”

It’s best not to argue with crazy people, so I shut up and pedaled.

“Ooh, the wind feels so nice. Jogging was worth it after all.”

“This has nothing to do with jogging.”

“Let me have this. Anyway, how were things at the Mountain?”

“They forced us to study and train while living a ridiculously ascetic lifestyle. I barely escaped without being brainwashed into a responsible, hardworking person.”

Then I spotted an enemy up ahead: Snowy.

Her black track suit was the opposite of what you’re supposed to wear when jogging at night and she was swinging her wooden sword around while she jogged.

If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was a threat to the community.

I caught up to her from behind.

“What is wrong with you? Why are you training first thing after getting back?”

“Because I am not like you. Oh, hello, Sensei.”

“Hello. Care for a lift?”

Why was she suggesting something so dangerous?

Fortunately, Snowy must have been thinking the same thing because she shook her head.

“I have a crucial objective to complete. I cannot afford to take things easy.”

“Aiming to be Tokyo Chancellor?”

Snowy answered that with a chuckle and a sidelong glance my way.

“Heh heh heh. He would never guess I am trying to lose 2kg by August, would he? Because I must fit into my yukata. But I also can’t push myself too hard after what happened.”

“What, you’re on a diet too?”

“How did know!? You used some kind of mind reading spell on me, didn’t you!?”

I wish I could read your mind to know what the hell is going on in there, I thought with a sigh. That was when my bike suddenly slowed down.

I also heard a metallic sound, so I looked down and saw all the spokes had burst. I groaned, tilted my head, and saw a sticker on the frame saying “holds up to 3kg past weight limit”.

“Sensei, I thought you said you only needed to lose 2kg.”

Sensei frantically shook her hands side to side.

“I-it’s probably just old?”

Author Comment:

I often rode my bike around like this.

Sensei tends to be careless, so she’s being pretty careless with her diet too. Snowy is doing it too, but with her, it appears to be more about keeping her ability points from dropping than it is about her appearance.

By the way, a friend of mine had all the spokes on his bike’s rear wheel break off while he was riding it.

He suddenly dropped straight down just like something from a manga.

Record 27: Meeting People

08/15/1997

20:40

I had some free time one summer night, so I patted the free time’s head and decided to take it for a walk.

I knew I still had the bike that was broken by a certain woman the other day.

I searched around and found it wasn’t in the apartment’s bike parking.

Where did it get off to?

I had no choice but to visit Sensei’s house. Well, apartment really. She emerged in an apron, so she was probably preparing dinner.

“Sensei, I’m looking for the bike you broke with your fat ass the other day.”

She slammed the door in my face. The free time tilted its head in confusion and wagged its tail.

“Sensei, give this free time some food so it won’t run away.”

The door cracked open and a bowl of cat food emerged.

When I gave that to the free time, some of my memory returned. I remembered taking the broken bike to school because that was closer.

“But what happened after that?”

At any rate, I went to school. I entered the girls’ dorm and openly snuck into one of the rooms.

“Hey, Snowy.”

“What now? Let's Go Sanbiki’s Cutting Edge is reaching its climax. If you need something, be quick about it.”

“Remember when you were 2kg overweight the other day and my bike broke? I was wondering-”

She slammed the door in my face. What was her problem? I had heard that kids these days have trouble communicating, but was it really this bad?

“I guess it is.”

Every single door in the dorm building was shut and locked.

That got even me feeling down, so I took the free time for a walk through the school. Were there any more clues I could find?

Some of the planets had been in the city that night, but they probably wouldn’t have seen my bike.

“But what about the winds?”

“What about us?”

I heard a voice from overhead and looked up to see a night breeze.

She hovered overhead and tilted her head.

“Are you having some kind of problem while taking that free time around?”

“Yeah, I’m trying to find something.”

“I see. Is there any way I can help?”

“I’m actually looking for my bicycle.”

“A bicycle, you say? It must be a nice one then. Unlike the piece of junk without any spokes I saw in the bike parking the other day.”

This time, I slammed the door in the wind’s face.

Anyway, I went to the bike parking and there it was. But what to do about the broken wheels? Using Saturn’s rings would probably be cheaper, but those are mostly meant for off-roading.

“Oh? What are you doing? Could you help me with my job?”

I looked over to see you walking over carrying a bag.

When I looked around again, I found the free time had disappeared at some point.

Author Comment:

The direct connection to Record 24 is a rare thing for Tokyo.

In my initial plot outline, I had planned to connect 8/15 to the final battle, but I remember eventually settling for this instead.

Record 108: I Will Search For That

02/14/1999

23:01

It was getting to be pretty late at night.

I hadn’t heard anything from Senpai who was apparently fighting at Tachikawa Airfield, but what did that mean?

Just when I was getting bored of sitting around, you and Snowy arrived.

“Should you really be back?” I asked. “Senpai apparently got into a fight at Tachikawa Airfield, so I’m just waiting to hear how it went.”

“Eh?”

Your face clouded over, so I asked why.

“We received word from Kansai that a god of war or other large weapon was transported to Tokyo.”

“Are you saying Senpai is fighting that?”

That would be crazy even for him. I got up, but you held out a hand to stop me.

“I will go. You wait here.”

“You’re not much of a fighter, so what can you accomplish?”

“But what if something else happens? We need to leave a fighter here.”

“Snowy’s here.”

“Has Senpai ever said he’s worried about her?”

After some thought, I turned to look at Snowy.

She looked me in the eye with her sword held to her side.

“Tell me,” she said.

I sighed.

“He has said that.” I turned to you. “And he said he doesn’t want to worry you.”

“What about you?”

“Nothing, I think he just didn’t get the chance to say it.”

“I see.” You smiled a little with your eyebrows somewhat drooping. “Then he isn’t worried about either of us and I am the better fit for this job. Don’t worry. Knowing him, he’s worrying for the enemy as he cuts them down.”

You hurriedly opened a cabinet and pulled out a first-aid kit.

“I’ll be borrowing the spare one. I expect I’ll need the iron pills.”

“Why even bother worrying about him?” I asked you.

“Are you not worried?”

Was I not?

I wasn’t sure, so I didn’t answer.

Then you said more on your way out the door.

“You aren’t worried about him either, are you?” I could hear a smile in her voice, but not an accusing one. “But I am. Even if he isn’t worried about me. That’s why I don’t think I’ve caught up to him yet.”

Author Comment:

The way they all try to be so considerate of each other may be their weakness.

Layer 4: Tears

11/15/1998

11:18

I love the lazy pre-lunch atmosphere of modern Japanese class. I could hear Sensei’s clear voice.

“From the Meiji era to the early Showa era, several bunraku performers drowned in Tokyo’s water supply, so it is said all the people of Tokyo have drunk bunraku Lives, giving them an advantage in the field.”

Makes sense to me. It’s just like drinking milk makes a girl’s boobs grow.

In the seat next to me, Lady passed me a piece of paper folded into a letter.

It was from you. I didn’t expect a letter from you during class when you’re in another building altogether.

I started with the first page.

“How are you doing? I want to ask you something during lunch, so meet me in the cafeteria.”

What could that be about? Onto the second page.

“Sometimes I suddenly feel like crying, but I don’t know why. Does that ever happen to you?”

My answer there would be no. But more importantly, there was a third page.

“I want to talk to you about Senpai.”

I see, I thought while folding the letter back up. I sighed and looked to the side to see Lady pointing forward.

I looked that way to find Sensei glaring coldly back at me.

“What do you think I was just explaining for the class? Can you tell me that, Mr. Mountain Graduate?”

“Well,” I said, standing up and slapping my cheek with the letter. “I now know what it’s like to suddenly feel like crying.”

I just about had to skip lunch that day.

Author Comment:

The title story shows us that the protagonist and Lady are classmates.

They are exempt from classes since they are in the Chancellor’s Officers, but Lady goes out of habit and the protagonist goes when he feels like it.

Record 54: What I Remember When I’m With You

03/01/1998

22:01

It might be March now, but it’s stall damn cold on the dorm building rooftop. I have the beginning of the final exams to thank for this. The Chancellor’s Officers have a lot less work to do at this time of year, but…

“Why do I have to watch out for students sneaking out at night when it’s still winter?”

My voice faded into the distance. I was looking at over a hundred monitors, each of which gave a different view of the area around the boys’ dorm. If I saw anyone suspicious on there…

“I hit the button for some light punishment.”

I saw something weird on monitor 8-1 on the upper right, so I pressed the button. A white beam of light shot into the sky from the admin building to the north. The beam curved back toward the ground and swallowed up the ground to the west.

After a moment, light exploded to the west. One down. There punishment was so light it was kind of boring.

I was tilting my head in front of the monitors when I heard your voice.

“Stop that. The neutron word cannon scatters the target’s elements around, making cleanup a real pain, so don’t fire it any more than necessary.”

I looked back to see you had arrived with some food for me. You raised the fast food bag in your hand.

“Feeling cold?”

“Yeah. But I can’t relax because there’s so many people I have to take out. That one suddenly started ninja-running through the hall without any clothes on. I bet he assumed no one would notice and was enjoying the thrill.”

“It is exam time. You never know what people will do when they’re stressed. But that’s unfortunate for him. If that had blown him away, he could have discovered something no one else saw.”

Maybe so. I checked the monitor to see the naked student now had an afro from the explosion. A gym teacher ran over and performed a giant swing on him.

I could hear their voices from the monitor.

“Well? How do you like this?”

“Ahh, more! Swing me more!”

Those two sure were enjoying themselves.

“Well, I doubt he’ll get into trouble again.”

I reached that conclusion and sighed. I pulled a burger from the bag you handed me. I looked through the monitors and switched on one that was still off. I aimed the camera toward the sky and zoomed in.

That displayed the starry sky, making for a simple telescope.

“My life would be so much nicer if I got to spy on the girls’ dorm instead. Look, you can see Kerry’s Comet that will be arriving next year.”

“Baron Kerry Bantham, right? They say he’s the instigator of the Grand Cross and a regular customer at the bank.”

Girls love that kind of story, don’t they? I thought while watching you stare at the monitor.

Now that is a nice ass, I thought just before you looked back.

“Did you just think something inappropriate?”

“Of course not. Oh, and hit the button for the second monitor from the right. There’s an idiot there.”

You switched from the neutron word cannon to physical artillery and fired. It wasn’t a tracer round, so I could only hear it flying north.

“I was just thinking.” You stared at the monitor showing the comet and began humming. “The night I first met Senpai was a lot like this one.”

Author Comment:

The protagonists are exempt from exams since they’re in the Chancellor’s Officers, but that means they have work to do instead. It’s probably not a good idea to be so cavalier about shooting people. I bet Snowy is out patrolling on her own.

Record 102: You Won’t Teach Me

01/02/1999

8:21

One busy morning at the shrine, you gave me an exasperated look.

“Wait, are you saying you’ve had a cold ever since Christmas?”

“It’s not my fault. Anyway, what are you plotting by calling me here today?”

“I don’t like that phrasing.”

You were wearing a coat and had your right hand against your hip while also holding White Fox Daitarou with it. Your left middle finger was pointed at my face.

“What’s the date? January 2, right? Have you visited the shrine yet? You haven’t, have you? Well?”

Well, what? I thought while taking a look around.

Lots of women and children all dressed up in a way that practically screamed “kidnap me” were lined up in front of the main shrine building.

“So you wanted me to flush my money down the toilet?”

“It’s called making an offering. And there are benefits to it.”

“Are there, though?” I checked the menu hanging on a nearby plum tree. “The special prize costs 50 thousand? What a rip-off. Hm, this Super Effective Shrine Maiden Set and Kung Fu Punch Priest Pack are certainly attention grabbing, but what even are they?”

“Just ignore the weird rituals, okay? …You don’t want to do this, do you?”

“Of course I don’t,” I said, taking another look around. All the people looked nice so dressed up.

But when I looked at you, I found you wearing a coat and holding Daitarou. You had a lot of his fur on you.

“Why aren’t you dressed up? And then you bring your kid along and make me pay for him. Do you have a grudge against me?”

“Daitarou is not my child, idiot. Besides, what’s the point of dressing up for you?”

“Did you dress up for Senpai?”

“No, he doesn’t like going out during the day. And he says he likes to avoid priests.”

It sounded like a tough life, but I soon walked over to the stand selling fortunes and spoke to the old man there.

“One Ceylon tea with lemon.”

“Ho ho? First time here, sir? These fortunes are made with that sacred tree’s-”

I didn’t bother hearing him out before selecting one of the fortunes. It said…

“Great-”

“Great loss. Prepare for an interesting financial year. By, god.”

You peered over my shoulder and read it for me. Annoyed, I tasted a corner of the paper. Seeing that, Daitarou looked up from your arms, opened his mouth, and spoke quietly.

“Food.”

You looked down at him in surprise. That was the first time he had spoken as a white fox.

I shook my head, grabbed him, and shook him up and down.

“Food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, fooooood!”

The bastard was nothing but endless hunger. Once I was out of breath, you laughed.

“Now you need to feed him. You can get a head start on your interesting financial year.”

Author Comment:

Daitarou’s first word.

You is incredibly lacking in sex appeal, but maybe because she’s always wearing her casual clothes around the protagonist.

This is just how it always is with them, I guess.

The guy running the stand is the same one as in the first layer.

Record 73: The Hole in the Sky

07/21/1998

21:04

“July 20 was ocean day. I hear it was a wonderful day.”

I spoke to myself in the night while looking down at my palms stained with blue paint. The Boss sat next to me looking at his palms stained with sunset-colored paint.

“July 21 is an unhappy day used to resolve the troubles brought by the happy day preceding it.”

“Stop slacking off, you two,” said Snowy, wiping the black paint from her palms behind us.

“Yeah, yeah,” I said and took a look around. We were on an artificial beach not far from Tokyo Bay. And we were sitting on…

“Why does it have to be an industrial tarp instead of real sand taken from a real beach?”

It was dark out and we were facing an ocean of words with some outdated slang wastewords mixed in. By watching the outdated slang wash up on the beach, I could feel my vocabulary growing in a weird way. Groovy.

I looked into the sky. It was already night, but there was a 5m hole in the sky.

That was thanks to the stars making an ultra-high-altitude dive into the ocean when it was opened up yesterday. Those of us who live here on the surface can’t get past the Great Canopy to access the outside world, but the stars can descend into a temporary body down here in Tokyo. Thanks to that, Tokyo had become something of a resort for them.

“Is Senpai doing the painting right now?”

“Yes. It is an hour before Lady’s shift ends, but it is his duty to match the city hall’s schedule.”

“Yeah, because Lady got addicted to Nancy and started laughing out of nowhere,” said the Boss. “It affects her faster because she’s so small.”

Snowy jabbed him from behind with her paintbrush handle for that.

“Do not mock people for their body type.”

“You didn’t have to jab me.”

“Be glad I did not use my Mobilized Writing.”

I moved between them and tried to calm the irritation growing between us.

“Calm down, you two. How about we go do something more radical and far out?”

I ended up using slang from the wrong era. Huh? I didn’t mean to say that, I noticed while the Boss and Snowy slowly exchanged a glance before pointing at me.

“Hey, Snowy. This idiot’s been infected by the old words.”

“Corrupted would be the better word. Idiot, however, was the perfect word choice.”

“What an awful thing to say, my amigos.”

“Oh, shut up. Excuse me, is there a medical team nearby? We have a case of Ocean Lover’s Syndrome over here!”

“As if. I’m doing hella fine over here.”

Uh, oh. It really did feel like the language center of my brain was being violated.

Then you arrived with some food in a paper bag. You took one look at me and…

“You look like you’ve been having fun. So what have you been doing? Something stupid no doubt.”

I recovered instantly. Yes, instantly.

Author Comment:

Wastewords are also touched on in the Osaka game’s Tokyo trip.

If the stars enjoy diving, I bet they go to the Fault for fun as well.

Record 39: To My Image

11/01/1997

7:43

I was eating lunch with the science club in the joint cafeteria when the Professor walked up to me.

“We’re about to go help set up for the school festival. Care to join us?”

I didn’t have anything better to do, so it was off to the general school building in the center of campus.

I could see the science club and the movie club doing something in front of the northern school building. The sunlight put that building’s wall in shadow, so they were hanging up a white screen and setting up a stupid long rail in the middle of the schoolyard.

The rail passed through the schoolyard and across the road outside the back entrance. The rail carried a Caddy they had probably gotten from the car club and a projector was mounted on the center of the chassis.

“Why would you mount a projector on a car?”

“This will display the past. You know how traveling faster than light causes time to flow in reverse, right?”

“No, I don’t know that.”

“Fine, I’ll explain this like I’m talking to an idiot. Which I am. Ready? We place a screen on the wall, we have the audience in the schoolyard, and we shine the projector’s light on the screen. Do you get that much? I’ll be mad with you if you don’t.” He pointed at the projector mounted on the car. “The car club is going to really put their back into it, so that projector will be super-accelerated from about 12km away. There are tons of exciting dramas, right? And just as many painful goodbyes, right? But none of that matters to us. Anything emitted from a speeding car will-”

“Will gain the car’s inertial speed.”

“Exactly! So the light emitted by the projector on the accelerated car will add the car’s acceleration on top of the ordinary speed of light and project the audience’s shadows on the screen. Those shadows will then move back in time to show us some incredible images.”

I pictured it for a moment, but got fed up with it pretty quick.

Then I heard a girl’s voice from behind us.

“I have one comment on this.”

I looked back to see Snowy for the first time in a while. She must have just gotten up because she was dressed casually.

“And what is your comment?” The Professor pushed up his glasses. “Hopefully not some shocking revelation that you have secretly been a girl all this time.”

“I will execute you later. I was wondering how you planned to stop this ‘super-accelerated’ car.”

Everyone in the schoolyard froze and Snowy turned to look at us all.

“This fist-obsessed idiot and I will not be assisting you. The Chancellor’s Officers have a duty to preserve the secrecy of personal information, so we cannot search out information from the past like this.”

Yeah, I guess she’s right. I stepped up next to her and whispered so only she could hear.

“That’s especially true with you, isn’t it?”

“Do not worry about me. What happened at the Mountain was only a reaction to the unexpected hit. I am fine.”

She crossed her arms with her usual unsociable look, so I scratched my head and nodded silently.

We watched as the Professor pulled a small device from his lab coat pocket and performed a conduction test with a tester. He kept fiddling with the device for a while and then turned to us with a cheerful voice.

“Nothing to worry about here. I secretly equipped the car with a self-destruct device last night. Casualties will be kept to a minimum.”

To keep the casualties to an even smaller minimum, I punched him out.

Author Comment:

An experiment in projecting the past. When writing things like this, I sometimes realize I don’t know how any of this works in real life. But I also think shadows really are an image of the past, just the very recent past thanks to the speed of light.

It’s strange to think that something so close to you doesn’t exist in the same time as you.

Record 15: Reminds Me of Something

05/18/1997

9:52

I had expected the studying and training, but once I got to the Mountain, I found there were three other annoyances I had to deal with: cleaning, laundry, and cooking. Under the supervision of the Religious League that ran the Mountain, we were dressed up like Buddhist monks and forced to work like workhorses. No, more like worker ants.

First thing in the morning, we had to clean the floors, sweep the paths, wash the shoes, dry the clothes, draw the water, and cook the rice. I’m something of a genius, so I had it mostly down pat after three days.

Yes, I dried the floor, drew the paths, cooked the shoes, swept the clothes, washed the water, and cleaned the rice. Damn, I’m a genius. The only way to reward myself was to go peep on the women’s open-air bath. My ultimate instincts told me a lot of the girls were morning bathers.

I dashed there. I wasted the covert skills I had learned over the past few days to run through the mountain and approach my destination. Someone was already there. Someone I didn’t recognize was clinging to the rocky mountain surface. He looked to be a little older than us, his right arm was a prosthetic, and he looked pretty friendly. I recalled that a few Kansai VIPs had arrived yesterday.

I began racing him up the mountain. We faced each other in front of the bamboo partition at the top of the mountain. His expression grew deadly serious and he readied his arms with the morning sun in the background.

“Well done surviving the climb, young hero. But only one of us may peep!”

“What are things like in there? No, you don’t have to tell me. They’re still undressing, aren’t they?”

We exchanged a nod and took fighting stances on our narrow footing.

Then the partition exploded and we were both blasted into the morning sky.

The last thing I saw was you and the others plus a girl wearing only a towel and aiming some kind of giant staff our way.

Author Comment:

The Osaka characters make a cameo. I knew at one point which of the airborne figures was the horny one and which one was the protagonist, but I forget now. I wonder which was which…

Record 43: Soothing His Weariness

12/03/1997

18:39

Our job was done. The Kansai students were all rethinking their lives after being punched or slashed into the Tama River. People from Osaka are apparently a lot sturdier than us, so it took some doing.

At any rate, I was sitting on a guardrail up on the riverbank when Senpai walked up to me and spoke.

“Now I have even more to worry about.”

He sat on the road. He held his sword in his arms and hung his head, but instead of weary, he looked more…how should I put it? There was a hint of impatience there and you hurried over to him.

But he held out a hand to stop your approach.

“That would only give me more to worry about. Keep at last 5m away from me.”

“What about me?” I asked.

“Why would I suck a boy’s blood?”

Oh, so that’s what this was about. Your face was pale with worry, so I waved a hand to tell you to calm down.

You gave me a “we’re having pork cutlets for dinner?” gesture back.

We were not communicating very well.

I gave a simple “go away” gesture and you didn’t look happy about it.

Whatever. I sighed and spoke to Senpai.

“You haven’t changed at all since I first met you, huh?”

“I have grown since then,” he said with a sigh. “But yes, I have not changed. Including the fact that only person in the world is capable of stopping me.”

Author Comment:

A look at something like a weakness in Senpai.

The protagonist and Senpai are friendly with each other, but I think it may be Senpai that lets it be that way.

Record 58: Never Forgets

04/05/1998

21:46

It was spring break, but I was in Surface Tokyo with Lady and Snowy on the way back from a job in Kanda.

We had only just submitted our Chancellor’s Officers personnel paperwork. The train was pretty deserted.

We had gotten a lot of detailed information at the Emergency Teachers station. Ordinary students advanced to the next year in April, but we wouldn’t do that until September. If there were no promising students from the Mountain by then, we would be the Chancellor’s Officers for next year too. Of the 128 primary members of the Tokyo Chancellor’s Officers, most would either serve for more than a year or recommend someone in April and let them take over.

I was wondering if I would eventually do that too when I looked back inside the train and noticed Nobody was sitting next to me.

“Hi,” he didn’t greet me. “Nobody never forgets. That’s just how it works. Yes, how it works,” I didn’t hear him say in a deep voice.

“Long time no see,” I didn’t reply before looking back in the train. I found nobody was there except for me and for Lady and Snowy in the seats across from me. And that was fine.

The two of them were looking out the window and entirely ignoring me. Lady was kneeling in the seat and fully turned toward the window while Snowy had her legs and arms crossed with just her head turned. Our girls had such different interests and tastes, but they got along really well and created what you would call a girl’s space where I don’t belong.

“Look, Snowy. The train is crossing the Great Tokyo Fault.”

“Yes. There was once a hole here known as the Northern Tokyo Fault, but it was hit by an aerial strike during the war my grandfather fought in. That expanded the fault into what we see now.”

Huh. I didn’t know much about the prewar period, so that was news to me.

“You know a lot about this, Snowy.”

She ignored me for some reason. Dammit.

But whatever. I couldn’t see well outside their window thanks to the reflection, but the train was now on an elevated track crossing the empty space of the Fault. That thing I saw in the distant sky had to be Koganei’s midair park.

Then out of nowhere, Snowy turned toward me, tapped Lady on the shoulder, and pointed out the window behind me.

“Do you see the lights of the Keio Line in the sky out there? You should see the lights of a large city past that. That is Chofu, known for its large airport.”

Lady turned around and looked behind me. It felt this awkward itchy feeling like they were looking at me.

“The colossal air-defense Heavy Barrel named Beautiful Broadcast was the foundation of the imperial capital’s defenses, but when it realized its power had led to the aerial bombing, it drew the bombers away and self-destructed in that land. It triggered a gravity overload in its engine, which is why Chofu still has uniquely powerful gravity even for the Fault.”

As soon as Snowy finished, I didn’t hear Nobody’s voice in my ear.

“Nobody never forgets. That’s just how it works. And it’s fine that way.”

I turned around out of sheer curiosity and only saw my own reflection in the window.

Author Comment:

I later gave Nobody a personality, so I rewrote this one a bit.

I thought about making it an unidentified voice with the night or something speaking, but the line didn’t really allow for that.

When driving through Chofu at night, the darkness opens up where the airport was and it feels like there’s a big hole there.

Record 109: Mistakes and Laments

02/15/1999

1:21

Senpai never did return and I never got any decent results playing gambling sleeper choke hold with the astronomy club who always work late into the night.

And I was kicked out of the bomb shelter meeting room when Snowy needed to use the bath past midnight, so it hadn’t been a good night for me.

I sighed and groaned on the way home. After walking 20 minutes, I arrived at the apartment where I live alone.

Getting inside required passing through the gate. The entrance door had a voiceprint lock, so you had to say the passphrase you had chosen yourself.

I took a look around to make sure no one was nearby before saying my phrase.

“This week’s Saturday night movie is the latest hit by the German genius Nachiheil Suanfurt: Forbidden Love – Clash of the Zengars 5.”

The door opened.

Unusual for it to work the first time. I usually ended up saying it 5 or 6 times while the women carrying shopping bags home gave me weird looks. If only my parents hadn’t forced me to set it up like this…

But whatever. The point was I was having a bad day.

But now it was time to change that! By getting to sleep.

Just as I was about to step inside, I saw a seated figure in the shadow next to the door.

Oh, no! Did someone hear that!?

No. A closer look showed this person was seated and asleep. No, wait.

“They aren’t breathing.”

I pinched my cheek once and shoved my head into the shadow to get a better look. The shadow filled my vision and tried to hide everything, so I activated my Mobilized Writing.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

I blew away the darkness. I saw white tile and I could now identify the person sitting there.

“You? But why?”

You slowly looked up in response to my voice.

Your face was pale with exhaustion. But more than that…

“There’s blood on your clothes.”

You looked down at the large quantity of blood on your clothing, but you shook your head.

You looked me in the eye.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, of course.”

You smiled a little at my immediate response.

A tear spilled from the corner of your narrowed eyes.

“I never grow cause I’m so dumb. So hurry up and ask. Tell me why you need my power.”

You nodded and loosened your coat’s collar.

You revealed your pale shoulder.

“Can you save anything and everything with your power?”

I saw two holes on your throat. Sharp, deep holes.

I stopped breathing and you started to weep.

I managed a trembling breath and asked a question.

“Did you already save something with your blood and tears?”

Author Comment:

Something bad happened.

Coming up with these movie names each time is a challenge. I feel like I may be misplacing my efforts there.

Record 33: I Don’t Understand

09/29/1997

17:49

Our Mountain training was ending the day after tomorrow. After finishing my work for the day, I went to visit Snowy who had collapsed during the final match of our exam. I walked down the mountain path for a bit and found the autumn leaves were already colored by the sunset. Once I arrived in front of the medical building surrounded by red leaves, I saw Snowy speaking with a woman. Snowy wore a white monk’s robe and stood in front of the vending machine. The brown-haired woman wore a brown coat and sat on top of the vending machine.

Snowy turned around when I raised a hand and greeted her. She didn’t look happy and asked why I was here with her eyebrows. I held my head proudly high as I responded.

“I’m here to see how the loser is doing. So who’s she?”

“Hello. Friend of hers? I am the West Wind. This girl has helped me out a lot over the past few days.”

The woman brushed up her long brown hair and summoned the wind. The red, crimson, and yellow mountain rustled and shook. The fallen leaves looked so beautiful blowing in the wind. …Hey, wait. We’re the ones who have to clean all those up.

“This is pleasant time of year, but it gets tedious with the South Wind, East Wind, and North Wind gone.”

“I see,” I said while walking up next to the vending machine. The West Wind suddenly handed me 150 yen from atop the vending machine. “I’ve never been given money by the wind before. Buying me a drink?”

“Sorry, but no. I feel like some coffee, but I’m so light in early fall, you know?”

“She says she can sit on windowsills and roofs, but she can’t stand on the ground. Buy the drink and hand it to her.”

Would she gain enough weight to stand if she drank enough sugary coffee?

I won a second one, so I gave it to Snowy to help her recover.

Author Comment:

The West Wind is wandering around.

The winds are generally Wind Lives data entities, so they appear in human form to anyone who wants to see them or that can see that kind of thing. Maybe there’s a connection to how people interpret spirits.

Record 94: I’ll Think About It

11/20/1998

11:32

Two weeks had passed since the end of the school festival, so the photos to distribute around the school had arrived. The psychic photograph of the dark side of the moon taken in a corner of a classroom made me really wonder what the students here are even doing.

I checked the clock to find it was nearly fourth period when Lady ran up to me.

“Senpai is out in the hall, but he says he wants to speak with you, not me. What did you do this time?”

“Sorry, but there are way too many possibilities for me to know which one this is about.”

She smiled bitterly at that. I patted her on the shoulder and then moved to the hallway.

Senpai was viewing the photos on the wall. It was an unusual scene.

“I am in this photo, but I do not recall it being taken. This is worrying.”

“It’s a simple trick. The date on there is yesterday, right? The astronomy photo team blew up a photo of the reflection in the icy surface of a frozen planet 7 light-days away. The light’s round trip time lets them take a photo of the earth two weeks ago.”

“I see,” he said before lowering his voice so only I could hear it. “Do not tell anyone – even the other Officers – about yesterday’s battle. We now know our enemy is not just Kansai students, but a corporation. They likely want to start a conflict that would correct the east-west power balance shift caused by Babel.”

I nodded and looked to the side. Lady was viewing the photos a step away from me.

An aerial photo of part of the closing ceremony showed the Chancellor’s Officers and the various club leaders waving into the sky from the roof. The date on the photo was yesterday. Lady viewed it for a while and then turned toward me with a smile.

“I’m surprised. I didn’t know Senpai could smile.”

Author Comment:

Senpai shows up to tell the protagonist to stay silent about the previous chapter’s battle. He appears to have realized some things.

As for the photos, that is another way of displaying the past.

I wonder what would happen if you did view the earth from a distant planet using an optical telescope. If the planet was 100 lightyears away, would you be able to see the earth’s air getting dirty from the industrial revolution?

Layer 5: Wind

11/15/1998

13:20

The end of summer break was approaching fast, so I punched as much as I could behind the school and then took a break. I grabbed a bamboo broom from the janitorial supply closet and swept up the causes of personal dissatisfaction littering the ground at my feet.

The next thing I knew, the West Wind was floating next to me. She must have just flown down here because she flipped around and landed. She gave a puzzled look at the students I was sweeping up.

“Oh? Those aren’t leaves. And I got my hopes up after hearing a broom. Are you going to burn them?”

“They’re not bonfire fuel. Watch what you say.”

“If you say so. I would rather avoid the smell of cooking meat since I’m on a diet right now.”

“Must suck flying through the air in fall then.”

“That’s just what I do. Don’t you have things like that too?”

She smiled, turned around, walked a bit, and sprang up into the sky.

Her skirt fluttered as she slowly ascended and I instinctually crouched down to try and get a better look. Unfortunately, it turned out the wind wouldn’t flip up a wind’s skirt. My only hope was to awaken my own psychic powers!

Out of nowhere, someone hit me from behind. I looked back to find you standing there in exasperation.

“What are you doing? Was that the West Wind? Did she have something to say?”

“She sure did.” I crouched down again, looked up into the distant sky, and tried to sound as refreshing as I could. “This is just what I do.”

Author Comment:

The West Wind appears.

When I try to draw the moon, I picture a manga-style moon, so I wonder if everyone has their own image of the winds as well.

Record 75: Each Season Has a Color

08/03/1998

8:34

Midday was sweltering during the summer, so it was best to only do things at morning and night.

I finally started showing up at school in August. I passed through the gate and walked by the spiraling path lined with trees.

“Yeah, I’m definitely feeling very sleepy.”

My sleep-deprived mind recalled the video I had watched the night before.

“The One-Armed Exterminator of the Toxic Hell visits Beast Prison 1999. Why is it in those movies they always wash their shoulders so thoroughly in the shower scenes? Don’t they have other body parts?”

No, that wasn’t why I was sleepy.

I had stayed up so late watching a show discussing the results to the Battle of Babel preliminaries being held in Osaka. I’d been so busy I had a bunch of recorded episodes piling up, so I was in my room playing the videos since the end of last month.

Thanks to the Great Canopy covering the planet, we couldn’t launch satellites, so Babel had been developed as a broadcast tower to send people’s voices to the entire planet. Under the management of some corporations and the Emergency Teachers, high schoolers across Japan were engaged in a PR battle in Osaka in order to win the right to send out the first broadcast.

“I might’ve taken part if I wasn’t in the Chancellor’s Officers.”

I felt just a bit jealous when I thought about everyone getting in on all that excitement in Osaka.

But it wasn’t that big a deal. I was protecting Tokyo.

I nodded and looked out ahead to see a baboon of a boy lying on the path up ahead.

“Huh, that almost looks like the Professor. But what would he be doing lying on the ground here?”

He didn’t respond. He was looking up into the sky with his eyes rolled back in his head, the corners of his mouth curled upwards, and his teeth showing.

A solid kick got him moving.

“Oh, hey. So someone finally noticed me, did they? I was so bored and tired I ended taking a nap here, but no one noticed.”

“They probably noticed you and decided they were safer pretending they hadn’t. So how long have you been uglying up the scenery here?”

“Three days maybe? I thought I was a goner when it rained and now I’m too hungry to move.”

I had no choice but to reach out a helping hand.

“Here, eat this.”

“So it’s true what they say about idiot’s not realizing how pathetic they are. And since you’re an idiot, I will explain this as plainly as possible: I want you to punch something extremely hard.”

I punched him extremely hard.

“No, not me. Try hearing me out first next time. Are you ready? Ready or not, here it comes: I tried to use the scientific principle of guts to open the back of the third tree over there, but the lever inside was rusted in place.”

Hm. I looked over to see one of the tree trunks had been opened to reveal a metal pull-down lever on the inside. It was currently in the “spring” position.

“The student council asked me to switch these trees to their summer colors. Painting them would cost a lot, so I was wondering if there was a simpler but more exciting solution. So I checked around and – wouldn’t you know it? – there was! This was constructed in the Meiji era, so it’s pretty old.”

“I see. And it hasn’t been used to change the colors before because it’s rusted in place?”

I activated my Mobilized Writing.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

I tried punching it and all the trees lining the path gained their summer colors.

“Good thing the ink hasn’t deteriorated with time. Anyway, Professor, what are you going to do with the money this saved?”

“To fill my very empty stomach, of course. First, I will-”

I didn’t bother hearing him out. I punched the lever back the other way and sent a barrage into his stomach.

Author Comment:

These stories feature a lot of objects with a trick to them, don’t they? Like the gas lights. I think I like things that are slightly out of the ordinary, like light produced by something other than electricity.

You can see it in Holmes-era England or in the Teito Monogatari movie too, but the depictions of festivals in Natsume Souseki’s Sanshirou really set the mood with the light and the darkness.

Record 35: Someone By My Side

10/03/1997

11:00

The first thing I did after returning from the Mountain was sleep like a log.

When I poured all my efforts into sleeping, today became the day after yesterday and I was kicked out of bed. I looked up to find Nobody in my bed. I couldn’t get back into bed like that, so I jumped out the window and wandered around town. I would be going to school and joining the Chancellor’s Officers tomorrow, but I couldn’t get in the mood right now.

I was wandering near the train station, wondering what to do, when I spotted someone I know.

“Oh, it’s Senpai.”

“There you are. I was worried, so I was searching for you.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“I called you at home earlier and was told Nobody was there.”

“Yeah, my parents went overseas and still haven’t gotten back, so Nobody must have answered the phone.”

“Probably so. I live alone, so when I call home, Nobody tends to answer. Have you ever called your home phone when everyone is out?”

“Can’t say that I have.”

“Nobody will answer,” said Senpai. “But now our Vice Chancellor has returned from training to replace that Nobody. We should celebrate tonight. How about ramen like the night we first met?”

Author Comment:

Nobody appears.

I find English to be a strange language. Or rather, the way it perceives things and twists things is strange. The way it uses words like “never” and “few” is extremely strange to me.

Record 22: Swift as the Wind

07/01/1997

7:01

The first half of our Mountain training was nearly complete.

I had all the fundamentals down and had a general idea of my Mobilized Writing – or felt like I did. We would be leaving the Mountain on the 20th so we could each train however we liked, but then we would return to the Mountain in August.

That’s when we would all have our Mobilized Writing and would battle each other to see who comes out on top.

With the morning cleaning done, I was sitting in the bamboo thicket next to the inn when I felt a fluffy sensation on the arm I had resting on the fallen bamboo leaves.

I looked down to see Daitarou. And if he was here…

“You must be here too.”

I turned around to find you in a light green monk’s robe. You greeted me, sat down next to me, and then leaned against me a little.

“You’ve had something weird following you around, haven’t you?”

“Hi,” the thing said as it passed by in front of us. And eventually…

“Do you know what that is?” you asked me.

“It came from behind, right? And it greeted us? And left? Isn’t that enough to figure it out?”

“Of course it isn’t,” you sighed. You looked up into the sky and then tugged on my sleeve.

I looked up to see the summery South Wind flying south above the bamboo thicket.

Author Comment:

Daitarou is You’s pet, but he gets along well with Me as well.

Maybe Me is like his biological parent and You is like his adoptive parent.

Record 47: First Impressions are Important

01/03/1998

10:24

Chofu’s airport was bustling with activity even thought it was the start of the year.

The Kansai ports were all filled up thanks to the Babel festivities, so the burden was shifted to the rest of the country’s ports. I was at the entrance and I could already see several humongous tankers floating in the sky to the side of Chofu.

“An international incident this early in the year is best avoided,” said Snowy in a furisode. “It is fortunate this airport was empty.”

“It’s a big one, so it’s the only place in Japan where ships can be launched into the sky.”

But thanks to that, we had to help with security.

I looked to Snowy, thinking about how she got so unnecessarily fired up when it came to security, prepping, and combat. For example, she currently wore her furisode off of one shoulder and held a katana in that hand.

“You do know dressing like that makes you look like you’re in the yakuza and itching for a fight, right?”

“This is for security purposes. I must show that I am prepared to wield my weapon at any moment. With so many different countries’ ships here, I must stay focused and ready to fight.”

“Can I ask something?”

“Go ahead.”

“I get that you like working security, but is that because you simply like the responsibility of the task or because you’re hoping things go south and you get to beat someone up? Or maybe both?”

“That is a difficult question to answer.”

“…It really shouldn’t be.”

The look on her face told me she didn’t understand what I meant at all.

Then Lady walked by behind us.

She was wandering around in a white dress for some reason.

“Hey, Lady. How are things on your end?”

“Eh? Oh, I’m doing fine. The dogs and cats being too loud is the only real complaint I have.”

Snowy held her sword and looked to Lady.

“Come to think of it, how did you like it?”

“Oh, that. Thanks. I’ve never gotten such an impressive one before.”

I frowned at their conversation.

“What are you thanking her for? Never gotten such an impressive what? Were you two doing indecent things behind my back!? Out with it! You don’t want to anger me, do you!?”

“What is your problem?” said Lady. “I’m just talking about her New Year’s card.”

“How can a New Year’s card be ‘impressive’?”

“You know the ones that have the red Hinomaru shooting out a bunch of beams behind it? She handwrote ‘I offer my thanks to the Emperor’ on top of that. Oh, and the ‘to’ field gave me the title of ‘patriot’. My grandmother said it reminded her of her childhood.”

“I printed off more than I needed, but I couldn’t throw them away when they mentioned the Emperor. I sent them to all of the teachers, committee members, and Officers. I even sent one to you. Did you not receive it?”

“No, I definitely did not not not not not! Did you get my address wrong maybe? There may be a family somewhere in Kantou that’s either really confused or overjoyed right now.”

“Huh?”

Snowy titled her head while you walked toward the entrance in a track suit.

“Is Lady here? We have a lot of work to do now! Get your keyboard ready in a hurry!”

I looked to the port just in time to see a giant whale ascending into the sky.

Author Comment:

The Chofu airport appears.

Snowy’s father is a colonel in the military. She hates giving the impression her accomplishments are due to nepotism, so she seems to keep her distance from him. Still, his influence on her is undeniable.

Record 63: So Very Much Trouble

05/23/1998

13:52

5th period had begun, but we had left school and gone into town.

It was a very windy day. The spiraling wind seemed to rule over the traffic circle in front of the Itsukaichi Line’s Nishi-Akiru Station.

I sat on the traffic circle’s curb and played with Daitarou who you had placed on the ground. The Boss was working on his motorcycle nearby and Lady was tuning the clock in the center of the traffic circle. Other Officers were scattered around in their uniforms.

We had nothing to do while the south wind blew in the pre-rainy season heat.

“God, I’m bored,” said the Boss. “Snowy alone would be enough to deal with an illegal school takeover. So why are there so many of us here?”

“They said I had to go because I’m his superior. What about you?”

“I had to do maintenance on my girl here either way. It’s not like I would learn anything in class anyway.”

“It’s so like you to not just say you think class is boring. I think that’s most everyone else’s reason. Senpai isn’t here since he and the daytime don’t get along.”

“What about the 1st Special Duty Officer?”

“When Snowy stalked off with her sword drawn, she followed after her with a bowling scoresheet. My guess is she’ll be back with the sheet filled in with strikes. I doubt Snowy would settle for just a spare.”

“The only question is how many pins there are, huh?”

I looked up to see what Lady was doing and saw her with her keyboard connected to the tall clock, headphones attached to the keyboard, and her butt swinging to an unheard beat. She was really getting into it, but it looked weird as hell when you couldn’t hear what she heard.

I sighed.

“Why did this illegal school takeover have to be an underground school when it’s so damn hot?”

“They’re calling it the 51st D School now, right? It’s an evil railroad research school working for an evil railroad research committee, so they probably wanted something close to the station so they could fight the good railroad research committee.”

“Yeah, maybe so. But what makes a railroad research committee good or evil?”

“The good one has a commander who gives unreasonable orders and the evil one has four unreasonably idiosyncratic generals.”

“Thanks for the unscientific explanation there.”

I heard an electrain slowly approaching.

The Itsukaichi Line’s downward slope came into this station, but so did the upward portion. There was only one track here, so it switched at the station.

The track made an electric sound as the electrain approached. Lady stopped wiggling her butt like a cute weirdo and looked to the electrain.

“Oh! The South Wind and the Whirlwind are arriving at the upwards platform! I’ve never seen that before! It’s so cool!!”

With her headphones on, she spoke unnecessarily loud while only trying to talk to herself.

The South Wind brushed up her short hair, said something to the Whirlwind, and alighted on the roof of the electrain’s front car.

After watching the wind in a blue coat sit down on the roof, the Whirlwind in a white kariginu passed through the chain link fence and flew into the sky over our heads. After spreading a fan and spinning around, the wind blew out.

I shut my eyes against the wind and she was gone by the time I opened them again.

I figured she had gone to summon the rainy season, but then I saw two people descending the station stairs: you and Snowy. Snowy kept swinging her sword in a testing manner and making confused grunts while you raised a scoresheet covered in butterfly marks.

“Hey, listen up, everyone! I have big news!” You took a breath. “I just heard someone actually shout ‘curses!’ for the very time in my life!”

Okay, yeah. I see how they’re evil now.

Author Comment:

Nishi-Akiru Station is known as Akigawa Station nowadays. Its name was changed when it was given its current form.

I think the old name has more character, though.

You can see Snowy proactively heads out when there’s trouble. The protagonist only does it if he feels like it. With the Boss and Lady there too, you can really tell everyone is trying to kill some time.

Record 51: But I Hesitate

02/14/1998

20:05

I accidentally got in on the latest fad of “catching a cold”, so I visited the science room that doubles as the science clubroom. The science room uses the adjacent chemistry room as a drug room so they can run a black market of student-made drugs late at night.

“I’m less worried about the ‘black market’ part as I am the quality of the doctor,” I said to the Professor when I saw him seated in front of me.

He nodded, pushed his glasses up his nose, and looked me straight in the eye.

“What have we here? So even the apes are visiting doctors in Tokyo these days?”

“Shut up and give me my medicine. You have one that will heal me right up, don’t you?”

“They say a cold is the source of all illnesses, so logically speaking, you should take every medicine we have. How does that sound?”

“No, thanks. Just give me something normal.”

“We have one you snort and one you heat with a lighter and inject into a vein. Which one would you like? I guarantee you they will both make you feel much, much better. And I beg you to take it where I can watch.”

“You should probably rewrite the sign out front to say ‘street price’ instead of ‘standard medical fees’.”

“Oh? Do we have an arguer? We do, don’t we? Then you get the one that goes up the butt. You’ll feel like you lost something afterwards. It’s made from wasabi harvested from an utaki on a full moon. That stuff is great for the butt. Really, really great.”

“What’s so great about it?”

“It stings on the outside and stings on the inside. For a clinical trial, I forcibly tested it on a cat in the courtyard and hoo boy was it effective.”

“You’re the one who messed up the vice principal’s cat!?”

“That is another way of putting it, yes.”

I made sure to punch him. He is not who I needed to be speaking with when I’m sick.

I looked to the partition curtains on the left and right.

“This place looks like a hospital. Do you get girls here too?”

I pulled back one curtain and saw you with half your clothes off.

“Hey! Wh-what do you think you’re doing!?”

“It’s called peeping. And I warn you, I am unmovable when I get stubborn. People do call me crazy strong, after all. With an emphasis on the crazy.”

“Why don’t you ever make any sense? Are you here to fix your broken brain?”

“Wow, that’s not a very nice thing to say. Also, what are you doing here when your parents run a pharmacy?”

“All of our medicine has caught the cold that’s going around. Even Daitarou is collapsed on his back.”

“I see.” The Professor approached. “So you need some medicine, 1st Special Duty Officer?”

“Y-yes. I’ve been chilled since last night.”

But you have so much fat in your boobs and butt, I thought when you glared at me while holding your clothes close.

“Why do I get the feeling you just had a really rude thought.”

“No, no. Of course not. You’re imagining things.”

I was clearly flustered, so you sighed and looked aside just long enough for me to activate my Mobilized Writing.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

I punched out your cold.

Your shoulders shook just once and you looked up at me.

“What did you just do?”

“Nothing at all.”

“Liars never prosper, you know? As thanks, I’ll send you some medicine that doesn’t have a cold.”

“I don’t need any,” I said before saying goodbye to you and doing more stupid stuff with the Professor.

After we made a promise sealed in blood to have an official showdown later on, I went home.

I found a package from you in my apartment’s mailbox.

I opened the package in the elevator while it descended upwards and found a single chocolate bar from the supermarket.

“What kind of medicine is this?”

Author Comment:

The protagonist never did get his medicine, but maybe that’s for the best.

Record 4: A Voice Calls

02/27/1997

6:52

Last night, the partner of the woman who gave birth to me – who I guess you would biologically refer to as my father – made a sudden announcement.

“We’re traveling overseas to live there the day after tomorrow. Bye.”

How was I supposed to take that when I still hadn’t gotten back the results for my high school entrance exam?

Is that what they mean when they talk about the instability of life? I had no choice but to express my teenage instability by wandering the streets early in the morning.

Then I realized the sun hadn’t risen even though it really should have by now. That meant it was still night.

What was going on?

I looked for a switch string hanging from the sky, but there wasn’t one. I wondered what to do about this when I arrived at a ridiculously long road running alongside the railroad and through some vast fields. I sat on the guardrail and heard a train crossing the mountains from the direction of Oume.

It was right on time.

At least they’re doing their job, I thought before hearing a pair of footsteps.

I looked over to see the East Wind in a white coat and the Morning Wind in a kariginu walking this way.

The Morning Wind had a female form and she twirled around with her geta sounding on the asphalt.

The East Wind walked past me and then looked back.

“Hurry it up, would you?”

The sun immediately rose.

Author Comment:

I never put it in the story, but the protagonist’s parents work government jobs.

I don’t know if they get along with their son or not, but they do seem to trust him.

Record 8: I Still Don’t Get It

03/18/1997

12:41

Climbing to the school rooftop after graduating felt weird.

But I had come here a lot in the past.

There was only one thing on my mind: what would things be like in high school?

For example, when Tokyoites like us went to other cities, we would start to use our own name. That was because we needed other people to recognize us in those other cities.

“Will anything like that happen in high school?”

I faced forward and heard some footsteps climbing the emergency stairs to the roof.

The footsteps reaching me through the afternoon wind were very familiar.

They were my footsteps.

The hurried footsteps vanished when they got near the roof and then started rising from the bottom again.

They gradually grew louder and stronger.

Then they became yesterday’s footsteps and stopped.

I didn’t hear them again after that. Because…

“My footsteps won’t be climbing those stairs again tomorrow.”

I nodded, stood up, and walked toward the stairs.

“Oh? I should have known you would be here too.”

I saw you climbing the stairs.

Author Comment:

I think everyone ends up meeting their various past selves at this time in their lives.

Record 110: Shake It All Off

02/15/1999

2:00

I held the apartment building’s automatic door open with my foot and waited for Snowy to arrive.

It was a winter night, so the wind was freezing. I heard that wind speaking from the sky.

“The moon is engaged in self-harm.”

I looked around but there was no on there. But I did hear a quiet whistle and some geta footsteps from the wind.

“I was too late to stop it, but I can keep a watchful eye to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

The voice was gentle and carried the scent of bamboo grass.

Instead of searching for the voice’s owner, I looked to the sky. Sure enough, the moon was missing some of its roundness.

But the heavenly bodies changed their form by waxing and waning like that, so surely it could return to normal at any time. So why didn’t it?

“To avoid the trouble a full moon would bring.”

Hearing a voice, I looked down to find Snowy standing in front of me.

“I saw the note explaining the basics. And the Night Wind told me what you said to yourself. Where is she?”

“I put her in the bath. I left the water on, but don’t shut it off. Even if she reaches her half-life, she shouldn’t be able to move while in running water.”

“Understood. But I will cut her down if necessary. Is that fine?”

“Yeah. If I’m not back after 7 days and 7 nights, then go ahead and do it. If it comes that…”

“Yes?”

“Hesitate at least once. That should be enough.”

“Understood.”

Snowy nodded and some other instruments joined the whistling I heard in the wind.

They were a tenor xylophone, a fire bell, and…

“A violin. What a noisy night. The stars seem to have noticed something is up because they are all hanging around at the Torys Bar instead of heading out.”

“I see. Then the cheap shochu place is probably packed full of stars and winds tonight too. That would be the best place to gather some info.”

“Are you about to head out?”

“Yeah. I know more or less what’s going on already.”

Hearing that, Snowy walked past me and into the apartment building.

She sighed with her shoulders uncharacteristically slumped.

“I wonder what Lady, the Boss, and Little Boy will say when they see the letter I left in the living room.”

“Sorry about all this. I never thought I’d be giving you a middle management job.”

“You had no choice. As your aide, it is my job to clean up your messes. And as the Vice Chancellor it is your job to do the same for Senpai. Neither I nor the others could do that. Little Boy’s Mobilized Writing is similar to yours, but he is still too inexperienced.”

“That’s not a very nice thing to say. He’s working really hard, so he’d cry if he heard that.”

I smiled a little and she smiled back before tapping me on the chest.

“Get going. There is no time to spare. Knowing Senpai, the evidence will still be there, but the corporations are good at spreading rumors. Get there before they get their hands on something.”

“Got it. I want to clean this up as much as possible.”

“Using your power?”

“That’s right,” I said as I took the first step outside. I needed to leave.

I heard the nighttime music playing in the distance.

Author Comment:

The protagonist heads out to fight.

This is the first time he and Snowy have worked together like this and they are acting with a mutual understanding of each other.

I think Snowy’s internal chart of the people around her tells her to let him make the decisions about You here.

Record 96: I Had Forgotten

12/19/1998

20:08

After night fell, we left your house and walked through the city.

“How about we grab a drink at the milk hall by the station?” you suggested.

You and Senpai took the lead as we walked down a long road following the railroad.

The Boss was drunk and humming to himself and Snowy was holding her aching temple.

Lady was in high spirits after drinking.

Little Boy had passed out after a single cup.

“Kid’s got some good fuel efficiency,” the Boss laughed.

I agreed and took a look around.

We were surrounded by fields with a scattering of houses. There was a single dent in the guardrail.

Oh, right. This was the place where my past self spoke with my future self last year.

I fell one step, two steps, three steps behind the others and sat on the guardrail.

Once I was alone, I spoke.

“Come to think of it, I met another future me today.”

The wind carried away my voice.

“What a coincidence. So did I.”

I heard a voice from right next to me.

I felt like I could see someone in the very corner of my vision.

I heard a railroad crossing from the mountains toward Oume in the north. A steam whistle’s slow but hysterical sound arrived from the distance.

“I’m stumped,” I said. “I know I can trust my past self, but can I trust my future self too? What do you think?”

“Why would you ask me that? Today, I came to think my power is useless.”

Probably so. I felt the same when I remembered what had happened on your birthday last year.

“But the future self I met today couldn’t dodge my attack. That was honestly a disappointment. I mean, why wouldn’t it be? That means my future self is worse than my present self.”

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

When I spun around and threw my fist, it crashed into another fist.

The colliding energies burst and bent the guardrail we were sitting on.

It was a solid blow and I knew he had to have been blown away, so I spoke to him.

“Remember this. I’ll overwrite the weak me you saw today. I’ll make him a fake. Tell me I’ll polish my skills even further. I’ll make the stronger me the real one.”

“Even if that power means losing things?”

“Yes. Even if I lose everything else and hate it so much, I doubt I’ll ever lose this power. It’s the one real thing I have. It’s permeated me to the point I could never forget it even if I tried.”

“I see. Then you remember this. No matter what might happen, that power will be the final thing you remember.”

With that, my past self left. I could only hear the steam whistle on the wind.

Then I realized there were two of me.

My past self was seated next to me.

Author Comment:

Another appearance of his other self.

The rest of the conversation with this other self will be told in Record 97.

Layer 6: Moon

11/15/1998

23:43

I reflected on how lecturey a day it had been on my way to the convenience store. I selected a drink and a weekly magazine on sale early and stepped outside to see a familiar face.

“Snowy? Why are you carrying a wooden sword and wearing your uniform for once? Out on patrol?”

“Yes, I am patrolling the city. I was guarding the dorms, but I felt I needed a change of pace. A lot of suspicious people have been seen in the city of late. Since you are a triple threat of careless, thoughtless, and brainless, you need to be careful.”

“Yeah, yeah. So who are these suspicious people?”

“The reports I have heard say one is a girl who suddenly stops in the middle of the street to shake her butt, do a little dance, and sing out loud. Another is a girl who carries around a mysterious animal that likes to fish through the trash. Another is a boy who wanders around constantly muttering how much things worry him. Another is a boy who shouts dangerous delinquent slang while roaring along the streets on a motorcycle. Another is-”

“A girl who carries a sword and wanders around looking for someone to cut?”

“Oh, you had heard about that one already? Don’t tell me you are working with her.”

“With her and with all the others, you idiot. Wait, why are you raising your sword!?”

When we faced each other, I heard sudden laughter from the sky.

I looked up to see the moon with its back turned and its shoulders shaking.

Author Comment:

The standard story of him wandering around at night.

Snowy seems to do that a lot too.

Record 36: You Are Nearby

10/03/1997

18:22

I called out to you and then we were off to the ramen shop where Senpai was waiting.

The ramen shop only had counter seats and Senpai was at the seat furthest back with two empty seats next to him.

You sat next to him and I sat next to you. That had sort of become the standard layout for us.

I listened to Senpai’s voice past you and occasionally gave my own input.

After discussing our role in the athletic festival tomorrow, we took a break.

The ramen had arrived. It was just like a nonhuman like Senpai to choose the Moon Viewing Ramen.

Senpai received his first, then you and me, and finally the lab coat guy sitting next to me.

The lab coat guy turned toward me as soon as his ramen arrived.

“Long time no see.”

“Who are you?”

“The trivial details like that can wait. Wouldn’t you find it creepier if a complete stranger came up and introduced himself to you at a ramen shop? That greeting gave you a chance to break the ice by making fun of me.”

“I don’t quite follow, but I do get that you’re kind of weird. So what do you want? If you spoke to me for no reason, then I’m upgrading my assessment of you from ‘kind of weird’ to ‘extremely weird’. And my guess is that upgrade is happening. Congrats in advance.”

“I will be ignoring that, okay? Now. To put it simply, we are complete strangers. We are even in different classes. It seems unlikely we will be able to find a love between us that crosses gender lines. So I’m stumped. What are we supposed to do?”

“My mind is turning toward punching.”

“Excellent choice. Give me a good one here.”

The professor-like boy pointed at the edge of his ramen bowl. I didn’t get it, but I activated my Mobilized Writing.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

I punched the bowl and something weird rolled out onto the counter.

“What is that?”

“The non-delicious part of the ramen. The phase transition tells me this is a semipermanent non-deliciousness. In my experience, the problem must be in the stock and the noodles.”

I groaned and punched my own bowl. The same thing came out.

“Did you see that?” said the Professor. “No difference. The only difference between our orders were the extra ingredients, a sign of just how cheap and plebeian the owner is, but the non-deliciousness remained the same.”

“Which means the problem is with the noodles and soup, not the extras! But now that it’s gone…”

“Yes, this is now the perfect ramen. Let’s eat!”

We began chowing down. And surprisingly…

“This is missing something. Is ramen like life in that it requires some imperfection to really enjoy it?”

“Perhaps so,” said the Professor as he cut off a small piece of the non-deliciousness, added it back into his bowl, and tried the ramen again. “Ohh! This is good! Really good! And did I mention good!? What a pleasant surprise!”

We nodded and gave a thumb’s up to the man with a small mustache standing behind the counter.

“Great work, man!!”

He opted to chuck us both out of his shop.

Author Comment:

His first encounter with the Professor.

The Professor already knows who the protagonist is at this point. Not because he’s famous but because he caught the Professor’s interest.

It feels like ramen shows up a lot in my stories.

Record 41: Making a Friend

11/05/1997

20:10

The first school festival of my high school career was coming to an end.

The lumber used for making decorations, walkways, and curses was sprawled out and stacked up in the middle of the central schoolground. I noted how much heat it made, held my warmed cheek, and sat on the grass.

The speakers on the school building began to play a super fast version of Turkey in the Straw and everyone surrounded the fire and began moving in a circle. With several hundred of them holding hands and spinning real fast, they had to be breaking the sound barrier, right?

The wind roared, the ground was torn up, and a few of them were launched outwards, but they were all really into it. I had been so worn down by all the guard duty and assistance I had given over the past few days that I was starving for all sorts of things. I had just been kicked out of the rundown Officers’ living room after you said something to me.

Another three people were launched from the circle and crashed into the school building.

Ugh, I just wanted to sleep.

The swirling heat lit up the sky with a reddish coloration, but I could still see the moon there.

I looked back down to see the dancing and spinning students didn’t have enough people to complete the circle anymore. They were probably missing one boy, but I had no intention of joining them. To be honest, I was just too tired.

I considered lying down in the grass and took a look around to find a butt conveniently located right next to me.

That sounded like a good reason to forget how sleepy I was.

The butt wore a uniform I didn’t recognize, so I considered what my options were. With one of our students, I might could get away with prostrating myself and apologizing, but with a student from another school or even another city, there was that whole concept of “political pressure” to worry about.

Then the butt girl turned toward me with her glasses reflecting the firelight.

“You aren’t going to dance?” she asked.

“What about you? They’d welcome you even if you are from another school.”

“I’m not a boy, so no thanks. Besides, how would you even join them if you wanted to?”

“Good point. Now, would you mind facing the other way forever?”

“Wh-why would you want me to do that? Sounds suspicious to me.”

“How rude. There’s nothing suspicious about it at all. I just want to look at your butt.”

That earned me a sudden blow from behind. I looked back to see you and Senpai standing there.

“Do you ever stop being stupid? She was raised in a classy family back in Yokohama, so she isn’t like you.”

“Oh, so she’s a real lady, is she? Explains why she has such a nice butt- ow ow ow ow ow ow! My arm’s not supposed to bend that way!”

Lady ignored me while you put me in a joint lock. She looked to you and Senpai instead.

“You’re the Chancellor’s Officers people I’m supposed to meet with, aren’t you? I will be joining you next week. Tokyo’s Chancellor’s Officers really do have a different style. I could tell who you were right away.”

“You couldn’t tell with me- ow ow ow! My neck doesn’t bend any more than that!”

“Shut up. I told you to go meet her and then you forgot just like I knew you would!”

My rotated head could see the schoolyard. The dancing and spinning group now had enough people for some reason.

My head got bent at an unnatural angle while I wondered why that was.

That let me look up into the sky where the moon had mysteriously vanished.

Author Comment:

His first encounter with Lady.

Lady comes from Yokohama, but I generally think of Yokohama, Ginza, and Kobe as being more stylish. Even if it isn’t true. In the Tokyo world, the nights are lit by gas lights and that gives things a retro feel, I guess?

Record 68: Repeating It Forever

06/19/1998

23:01

On a clear-skied evening in the rainy season, you and I took a telescope out to the school roof for a moon viewing. The astronomy club had a base camp set up on the roof, so we bought some of their food plus some basic supplies like a tent and warm clothing. We also got a coupon for next time and a guide to good moon-viewing spots. Finally, we laid out our mat and set up the telescope.

The moon in the sky wasn’t quite perfectly round. You gave Daitarou a dango next to me. And…

“Hi. Do you have a moment?”

I turned around to see Professor there. He shined a flashlight on his face up from below.

“You see, I have invented something extremely pleasurable and I was hoping to show it off to-”

He suddenly disappeared. I gave you a puzzled look, wondering what had happened.

“Just the usual nonsense I’m sure. Okay, Daitarou, say ‘ah’.”

You were entirely focused on feeding dangos to your pet. I had nothing else to do but view the moon. And…

“Hi. Do you have a moment?”

I turned around to see Professor there. He shined a flashlight on his face up from below.

“You see, I have invented something extremely pleasurable and I was hoping to show it off to-”

He disappeared again. I looked to you and you waved your hand to tell me not to worry about it.

I figured you were right and waited. And…

“Hi. Do you have a moment?”

I punched him away without turning around. The idiot bounced along the concrete roof and then rolled a few times before stopping. This time, he didn’t disappear. So I asked my question.

“What is this about? You won’t like what happens if you don’t answer me.”

“That may be the worst late-night greeting I have ever received. As for what this is about, I invented this.”

The Professor pulled something like a flashlight from his pocket and showed it to me.

“The principle behind it is complex, but to dumb it down much too far, it makes light collide with light to locally push back the light. The progression of the world is made from the audiovisual combination of light and sound, so shining this light on a location will reverse the timeline in that location.”

“So what happens if I shine it on something and wave it?”

“The target will be accelerated by the strength of your waving of course. Why even ask something so obvious?”

I shined it on him and waved it. He disappeared and I finally had some peace and quiet.

I sat down next to you and heard some very specific noises from the science room on the first floor: shattering glass, breaking desks, test tubes and electronic devices crashing against the wall, and the science club members’ screams.

“Hey, what is all that about?” you asked.

“I punched an idiot trying to get in the way our moon viewing.”

I noticed the moon had descended a bit below the sky. I shined the flashlight on it, but it didn’t move back.

You checked the flashlight in my hand.

“Its Phlogiston Tank is empty.”

Author Comment:

Replaying time with light.

I feel like I have a lot of stories that link light and shadows to time.

Record: 83: Suddenly

09/15/1998

22:49

The cleanup of the bomb shelter was really starting to come together.

The whole monster thing from before had been solved, we all had our own private rooms, and we were all busy making those rooms a place where we could relax. The fighting over who got what room was intense. I didn’t see why it mattered since they were all underground, but according to the girls…

“If you aren’t on a corner, it feels like people are eavesdropping on you from every direction.”

When I told them they were way overestimating how much anyone cared about what they did in private, they kicked me really hard. No mercy from that bunch.

I walked to the exit, noticing all the luggage and trash still sitting around in the hallway. Senpai had told me to check on the guest room he had prepared before I left, but I couldn’t quite remember where that was located. It wasn’t like we had any real visitors, so I figured that could wait until tomorrow and checked to make sure all the hallway lights were working instead.

The place was surprisingly spacious inside. I had heard the civil engineering club had taken some measurements and taken out a wall. Would we eventually have a whole martial arts training ground in here? Oh, and an open-air bath would be great.

But the problem was we had to consider who would be using the place next.

It was currently September. We had joined the Chancellor’s Officers at about this time last year. This year’s Mountain training apparently hadn’t gone well and some placings were being shuffled around at the lower levels, but the top placements hadn’t changed. Lady and the Boss had said they would be leaving in a few days for some retraining, but that was something they were doing on their own.

In a way, I guess that shows how peaceful Tokyo is. No one had been badly hurt, no major mistakes had been made, and there hadn’t been any real trouble.

Then I saw a group carrying large work bags and wearing construction helmets turning the corner up ahead. They had to be the civil engineering club from the engineering school. The third year leading the group ran up to me with his work bag in hand.

“Excuse me, but we’re lost. We were just considering making a human sacrifice to pray for our escape.”

“Yeah, that’s a common tactic. But I would hate to lose a member of the team, so I’ll show you the way.”

I pointed behind me.

“Go that way and you’ll reach a dead end.”

“I see. So the other way leads to the exit, does it? Thank you. Is there anything we can do for you?”

“Open a hole only I can find in the wall to the room three down from here. That’s the girls’ bath.”

He gave a powerful nod and beckoned his team over. He gave a few instructions with hand gestures and around a dozen civil engineering experts readied their drills and whatnot.

“That’s some heavy-duty stuff.”

“The trick here isn’t making the hole – it’s making sure no one else will notice the hole.”

That opinion told me he was a real, trustworthy professional. We smiled, shook hands, and parted ways.

I kept walking and turned the corner they had appeared around when I heard a voice from behind.

“Please check on that room there. It is for visitors.”

Oh, so that’s the place, I thought, looking to the room on my right. The sign on the entrance labeled it the guest room. But there wasn’t any kind of furniture inside. Only a window on the back wall giving a view of the night sky and clouds.

“What kind of visitors are we getting?”

I looked through the window and saw the moon rising into the night sky.

Author Comment:

The bomb shelter from before is being remodeled.

I think having a secret base is fun, but large buildings will have a big boiler facility in the basement, which can feel like a base if you sneak in.

Record 104: Passing By

01/10/1999

19:39

Today, we rode out to Tachikawa in the Boss’s car. The Boss, you, and I went around the department stores buying various foods for the new year, but…

“Everyone likes different things, so another fridge would be nice.”

It took us until nightfall, so we ended up with more to carry than expected. We had to hurry before the parking lots closed.

We rushed below the streetlights with the winter moon in the sky.

An Osaka tourist map was among the things I was carrying.

“I was thinking of visiting during spring break. I want to see Babel. One of our friends will probably be going too.”

“I’m trilingual since I know the Osaka and Nagoya dialects, so I can show you around,” said the Boss.

You gave an interested nod.

Then I heard three voices from the ground. They were our voices.

“I really hope we have the time. I would love to go to Osaka.”

“What about the others? I’m going if everyone else is.”

“Hold on. My car’s weight limit is lower than you would think.”

I looked down curiously but only saw our shadows there.

“What was that?”

You tilted your hand and looked to the ground and then the sky.

I looked up too and saw the cold moonlight.

Author Comment:

Talking about Babel.

This touches on the Boss’s origins too, but he isn’t entirely from Kansai. I think that is why he had an easier time going to Tokyo.

Record 21: Is It Impossible?

06/17/1997

22:30

I figured out how to leave the Mountain dorms at night. Our room was on the second floor, but I just had to jump out onto a tree branch sticking out from the forest nearby.

I decided to sneak out again tonight. I traveled through the trees for about 5 minutes before I could look down and see the training ground. I sat on the usual cedar tree branch and sighed. The scene below was covered in the shadows the forest cast in the moonlight. The occasional buildings rose up above shadows like islands floating in the ocean and the clearings looks like dark shadows.

Just as I was wondering where to go next, something landed on my head. It felt like a cushion, so I grabbed it and found it was a four-legged animal. It was Daitarou.

Did that mean you were here? That seemed surprising to me. You weren’t that much of an outlaw. I looked up and saw a familiar face seated one branch higher. It was Snowy.

“What, you ran away too? I thought you were more of a rule-follower.”

“My roommate started talking on the phone. I felt awkward staying because it felt like I was eavesdropping.”

That likely meant you were speaking with Senpai.

“That’s awfully considerate for you. Is this part of that new individualism fad?”

“I decided I want to get by on my own. And that means not getting in other people’s way.”

She looked to the moon and gestured for me to take care of Daitarou.

“Long ago, someone told me I would have a lonely deathbed. Just like my mother.”

Author Comment:

It looks like Daitarou gets along well with Snowy too.

I think Snowy likes small animals but isn’t confident she could look after one. The usual recipe for spoiling one.

Record: 78: I Look to the Moon

08/19/1998

20:05

It was summer. And it was cold. The A/C in the Officers’ living room on the 3rd floor of the central school building had completely broken, but the Boss and the Professor had worked to fix it. And now…

“Below freezing is impressive.”

I viewed the nighttime hallway. The Professor, the Boss, Snowy, you holding Daitarou, Lady, and I all sat in the frosty hallway. The Professor looked to the door behind us.

“How much do you think it’s built up inside?” he asked.

“Our bags are definitely buried,” I said. “We might need to consider getting a new room.”

“There’s no point in sitting around here,” said the Boss. “It’ll break soon enough, so let’s go swimming until then.”

“Swimming? Where?” asked Lady.

The Boss pointed to the large pool visible out the window. You and Lady nodded in understanding while Snowy frowned with her bamboo sword in her arms.

“Why can you people never stay focused during an emergency?”

“You don’t want to swim?”

“No, I do not.”

“Oh, yeah. If you got in the water, everyone would find out your chest is-”

Snowy glared at me and I shut up, but Lady turned to me.

“What would we find out about Snowy’s chest?”

“W-well, you would find out how flat it is. Japanese science is impressive, but if water gets inside the external packing type, you lose its blessing. As for what kind blessing that is, now we’re getting into more philosophical questions.”

“Oh? I can’t ignore this slight on science’s honor,” said the Professor. “Snowy, I will solve everything. I will make them bigger such that no one can tell the difference from the outside or the inside. First, I will ask the model club to create the ideal-”

Snowy’s bamboo sword flew with incredible force.

I wasn’t sure what she was so mad about, but she led the way to the pool. It seemed weird that we all had our swimsuits with us already, but I didn’t care once we were all floating in the pool.

We all got in the water that reflected the moon.

Lady removed her glasses and joined you in watching Daitarou swim.

The Professor filled a test tube with the pool water and- Stop, you idiot! Don’t drink it.

I joined the Boss in viewing the back of the central school building. The hallway was dark.

“I really do need to think about getting us a new room.”

“That’s not a job for the Vice Chancellor. I’ll help you search.”

“I can help some too. I have an idea where we might find something.

That last voice was female, so I looked back to see a long-haired girl on the poolside. I viewed the chest and waist of her black swimsuit to try and figure out who this was and she placed a hand on her chest in disinterest.

“They are very real,” she said expressionlessly.

Once I realized this was Snowy, I heard what sounded like a crashing waterfall from the school building. I turned that way to see all the 3rd floor hallway windows had broken and white snow was avalanching down.

Author Comment:

The air conditioner problem is mentioned elsewhere too.

Sneaking into the pool at night is something I feel like we did a lot in my generation, but I bet it’s a lot harder now that they have fences and stuff.

They did something similar in the Osaka game too.

Record 81: I Won’t Look Back For Anything Else

09/10/1998

21:54

The Boss’s car zoomed through Itsukaichi.

“The place is nearly deserted tonight. No one’s jumping out in front of my car.”

“What do you do when they do that?”

“Deflect them with my wipers for 500 points.”

The Boss’s response made Lady lower her eyebrows unhappily. She was practically buried in the daily items we had bought to make the bomb shelter livable.

The Boss checked on her with his celluloid rearview mirror.

“Don’t worry about it. The moon isn’t out tonight, so there won’t be any idiot’s wandering around.”

“Is that how it works?” I asked and he nodded. And then…

“To change the subject, is there something wrong with Snowy?”

“Mentally, yes. But that’s nothing new.”

“I’m being serious here.”

“Oh, I sometimes see her seemingly in pain,” said Lady. “She has a room to herself in the dorm, so no one ever really notices.”

“Leave her be. We can do something about it if anything actually happens,” I said.

The Boss scratched his head and sounded like he was making an excuse.

“That’s true, but it makes me feel like I’m breaking a promise.”

“What promise?”

“You two live in Tokyo too, so you’ve been lectured by your past and future selves, right?”

“Yes, I have,” said Lady. “Like about Yokohama. Another me has even forced me to sit down and listen to a lengthy lecture.”

“Right? My other selves tell me all sorts of stuff I don’t get. Like that the future is ending and we have to go back. I apparently don’t get to see someone die in the future.”

I just about asked if that person suffered from a lung disease, but stopped myself. I might as well have been asking if it was Snowy and as much as I liked gloomy topics, I didn’t want to make someone else the topic of conversation. I decided to stay quiet.

Lady only nodded and turned to view the streetlights passing by.

I looked into the moonless sky and suddenly felt the chill of the wind created by the car’s movement.

Just as that made me realize it really was nighttime, the Boss stopped the car.

“Sorry, but a cat jumped out while I was thinking.”

“Really?” said Lady, turning to check the road. She had some weird tastes.

I had no choice but to get out and look across the road. Sure enough, I saw a cat-shaped…

“Brass plate?”

I picked it up and found it had the proper weight and everything and the shape was a lot like a cut-out for a shadow play. The abstract cat plate was a bit bent at the tail.

The Boss and Lady weren’t sure what to do, but I looked up into the sky instead.

The moon still wasn’t out.

Author Comment:

This talks a bit about Snowy, but it also tells us Lady stays in the girls’ dorms too.

The protagonist puts an end to that topic because of the past, but the Boss was asking because of the future.

Record 111: Time to Decide

02/16/1999

17:14

Things were bad. I ran all around Tokyo chasing after Senpai.

I asked the stars, winds, and seasons if they had seen him and made my way to a park in Kanda.

On the way, I called home with one of the red phones on the side of the road. Lady answered.

“Snowy was tired, so she went to sleep. She sometimes wakes up before going back to sleep again.”

I see. I told Lady to take care of you and then gave her this red phone’s number so she could contact me.

Things really were bad. There was no doubt in my mind that Senpai had sucked your blood and probably “eliminated” some Kansai students. The corporations from both Kansai and Kantou must have set it up that way.

After all, Babel would be complete in Osaka soon. That colossal broadcast tower would be the only thing in the world that could send someone’s voice to the entire planet. The internal generator was a largescale reactor that could even extract ether from the ley lines.

Once that was running, Japan’s power balance would shift to the west.

Some adults – I don’t know who – didn’t want that, so they had sent Kansai students to Tokyo. The attack from Kansai had been meant to start some small trouble here.

It had all been small scale stuff before, but last night must have been different. Something we couldn’t cover up ourselves. So Senpai had cut down even the evidence and now he had to be on the run from the corporations. He was the last remaining evidence, so if they could capture him, they could prove the trouble occurring between the east and west students.

“Dammit.”

The moon had risen into the sky while I thought. It was an unpleasant moon. I really didn’t like it.

Author Comment:

A summary of the Babel situation given everything that has happened so far.

The Boss is supporting the Tokyo Chancellor’s Officers all alone at this point, which I think had to be really hard.

Record 13: I Knew It Was You

04/30/1997

19:23

On the way home one moonless night, you turned toward me in a deserted alley.

“We should go to the Mountain.”

“Huh? Are you saying you want to join the Chancellor’s Officers? You want to be with Senpai that badly?”

“It’s not just about that.”

That’s just a more complicated way of saying yes, dammit. You ignored the exasperation on my face and gave a few satisfied nods. Then you inserted a coin in the vending machine on the side of the road.

“So let’s seal our promise with some drinks.”

Did I not get a say in this? Still, I took the drink and opened the pull tab. You didn’t even say cheers before starting to drink yours and looking me straight in the eye.

“Why not do it? You’ve only beaten Senpai once. You might catch up to him.”

“I couldn’t catch up to him even with Mountain training. I only managed to stop that with a punch because I’d never seen it before.”

But she did have a point.

“How about this? If I get into the Chancellor’s Officers, you have to root for me just once. With all your heart.”

“Okay and if I get in, you have to rescue me just once. Also with all your heart.”

We had a deal. I nodded and drank my drink. But the can was empty.

I quickly checked the can and found it was a moonlight carbonated drink. You laughed.

“You took too long to drink it and it ran away.”

I looked into the sky to find it was full of moonlight now.

Author Comment:

I feel like canned drinks show up in my stories a lot too.

Gogo no Kocha went on sale when I was in middle school and buying one on the way home from school was the popular thing to do for a while.

Maybe you could describe that as nostalgic?

Layer 7: Stars

11/15/1998

7:40

Good grief. Only the teachers are supposed to be arriving at school this early.

Which was why I found my homeroom teacher walking in when I passed through the front gate. She was already wobbly and had a weak shadow first thing in the morning and I was afraid something bad would happen, so I called out to her.

“What’s with you, Sensei? Stayed up all night reading another gay novel you confiscated from a student?”

“N-not this time.”

But yes another time? At any rate, she turned around after noticing me. Her weak shadow grew stronger and gained a solid physical form, so I went ahead and punched it.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

A star fell onto the pavement. Oh, did she get distracted by the stars and stay up all night? But she looked to me, and…

“Ow! What was that for!? You are not going to enjoy class today! I’ve made sure of that!”

“Teachers aren’t supposed to make their classes intentionally unpleasant. And if it’s a punishment for what I did, shouldn’t it be I will make sure of that?”

“Huh?” She tilted her head and considered her mistaken phrasing. “Was that a weird way of putting it? Could you fix the language center of my brain if you punched me hard enough?”

“Probably,” I said, so she shut her eyes and held her face up toward me. Was this supposed to be a kiss scene or something? I don’t think she knew what she was doing.

Instead of punching her, I shoved the fallen star into her half-opened lips.

Author Comment:

It seems wrong for a student to suddenly punch his teacher, but the people who are used to this probably think of it as no more than “oh, they’re at it again”.

Record 2: I Did It Again

02/13/1997

23:32

After completing my daily quota of entrance exam studying, I stepped out onto the apartment balcony.

I could see the house lights spread out across the darkness, or something like that.

I was out here taking a break from my studying, but some of the people in those lights had to be doing other things.

“Like something unthinkably lewd.”

Then the phone rang. I took the receiver back out onto the balcony and heard your voice.

“Hey, did you just have a really weird thought?”

“No, everything I was thinking was extremely, supremely normal for me.”

“That’s a yes, then.”

How can you be so sure? I recalled you were trying to get into the same school as me. Because Senpai goes there.

That put me in a bad mood, so I looked to the nightscape in front of me.

“So which of the lights out here is your house?”

“What are you talking about? We’re having a blackout in more ways than one. There aren’t any lights on in the city and this phone isn’t even connected.”

Huh? I thought and realized I wasn’t even hearing a dial tone from the phone. I looked out from the balcony and found what I had thought was the city was actually the starry sky and I had fallen onto my back on the balcony.

After a while, the blackout must have ended because you called me.

“Hey, did something really weird just happen?”

Author Comment:

This story is actually based on something I wrote a long time ago.

These days, you would be using a cellphone instead of a landline phone with a receiver.

We didn’t even have cordless ones when I was in middle school, so I had to pull the cable along with me onto the balcony.

Record 91: I Can’t See It

11/04/1998

23:04

The final day was tomorrow, so we were having a preliminary post-festival party tonight. Unfortunately, the school had banned any raucous partying, so we had to have it out on the road in front of the school.

Between the pavement and the starry sky, everyone was laughing, most were singing and dancing, half sat around a chair, a minority were running around in the nude, and a smaller majority were rushing into the nearby houses to call the police on us.

During that very loud version of peace, Snowy was seated next to me for some reason. You were sitting across from her and you looked to me and shook your head with a tense expression.

“?”

I looked over to see Snowy was sweating bullets and gripping her sword’s black scabbard tight.

“This is a portion of the standard school events. It may violate the law and it may far surpass the limits of my understanding, but it has been a part of this bizarre festival for many long years. I am the outsider in this abnormal space.”

Wow, she had softened up a lot. Then the Professor stepped out of the bathhouse across the way with an experimental rubber pipe tied to his head with a headband. The idiot was carrying a case full of coffee milk.

“Behold! The science club’s technology allows me to use my very own hands to open the refrigerator and spatially transfer the coffee milk within!”

That’s called opening the fridge and stealing its contents, dumbass.

Anyway, Snowy sprang to her feet and I stayed seated while looking to her back.

“Go on. This festival is a time for cutting loose, so I say you can get away with cutting him tonight.”

Hm. I had planned to do a gamble bungee with him, but now I might not have an opponent.

Author Comment:

Snowy seems to have trouble with celebrations like this.

Whether or not the gamble bungee happened is mentioned in Record 92.

Record 40: How Far Has It Spread?

11/03/1997

15:18

The Professor unexpectedly asked me to go see him during the school festival.

I was to meet him in front of the science clubroom. I was pretty sure the 1st years would be doing something at this time, but once I got there, I found the Professor and Sensei past the crowd. They stood in front of the empty clubroom’s entrance which had “keep out” tape across it. I raised a hand in greeting.

“Hi, Sensei. This looks like trouble, so can I leave?”

“Try making sense next time? I will admit this is a pain, but…you know?”

What am I supposed to know? Anyway, I ignored the helpless teacher and looked to the Professor. I could see his hand on the clubroom’s doorknob. I had a very bad feeling about that, so I punched him.

“Ow, ow, ow. That might be the worst greeting I’ve ever received. And you might be the biggest problem child I’ve ever met.”

“Then allow me to introduce you to yourself. Besides, I was warranted in punching you there. So what did you do this time?”

“Well, I converted the clubroom into a null space as a public experiment. Now, to explain this with the simplest, plainest, and most elegant phrasing possible and with some beautiful prose sprinkled in to ensure even an idiot like you can-”

It was very simple and plain to me that nothing about that was simple and plain, so I punched him.

“Try that again, Professor. If you don’t do better, we might just have to hold a public execution during the school festival.”

“I have to agree with him,” said Sensei.

“Excuse me. Then to make it as unnecessarily complicated as possible, I filled the clubroom with cement for the public experiment. Once the entire space is full of cement and entirely closed off, it becomes a secret world of dreams. Thus, it is no different from a null space. And if we open the door…”

He opened it to reveal a black space with a few star-like points of light.

“Do you see now? A null space has collapsed into our space and made a mess of things.”

The world started to collapse into the room, so he quickly shut the door.

The space around us had been warped to the point that the door and the light were bending toward the inside of the clubroom. My fist had also warped the Professor’s face.

“And what did you think I could do about this?” I asked, still warped.

“Would you punch me if I said I just wanted to see how you would react?”

“Of course I would. So please, for the good of the future, please say that was your reason.”

“Heh heh heh. Unfortunately for the future, I never answer questions when everyone already knows the answer.”

“Which is why you cause so much bizarre trouble, dumbass.”

“Me? A dumbass? Then relatively speaking, you must be a super-duper dumbass. Now, my suggestion for you is to punch this space to de-warp it. You see, things got a little out of hand and the other club members are all inside there.”

“Was it an accident?”

“Yes, I hit the switch for the cement without warning them and they didn’t have time to escape.”

“That’s not an accident! That’s you being a walking disaster!!”

“Ow ow ow ow. Why are you so impatient? Hear me out before you act. If that space continues to spread, the world could be at risk. And what will you do once that happens?”

“Could I start by patiently punching you?”

“How unscientific of you. What would that do for you?”

I went ahead and punched him and it made me feel a lot better.

Still, I had to do something about this, so I looked to Sensei and saw she was the only person not warped.

“Why are you fine?”

“I think my stooped back was already a little warped. A non-warped spine is a lifelong treasure.”

That told me who would be on the one-woman rescue squad. I opened the door and shoved her inside.

Author Comment:

What was Sensei even doing there?

It doesn’t really matter, but when I’m writing null stories like this, it reminds me of the graphic null character you could get when you pressed the GRPH key on a computer I once owned.

It also reminds me how they wrote a title using that. Although you would need to be familiar with Mycom BASIC Magazine to know what I’m talking about there.

Record: 76: The Sounds Have Memories

08/07/1998

20:11

I was doing security for a large fireworks festival along the Tama River. I had Lady with me as a recordkeeper while I went around punching anyone who was up to no good. At one point, Lady came to a stop.

“Oh, look. There are fireworks flying into the sky. Wow, and they’re going boom!”

She had gone a little bit crazy as she looked up into the sky where the fireworks were blossoming.

The noise reached us a moment later and that seemed to remind her of our job out here. She shrugged and caught back up with me.

I nodded, turned my back on the fireworks sounds, and resumed my patrol.

I heard another boom. And another.

After the third one, Lady tugged on my sleeve. I looked back and into the sky to see no fireworks in the sky to match the booms. She tilted her head at this.

“Sometimes it’s just the sound.”

“They eliminate the light and only play the sound for people who aren’t paying attention. It’s an energy-saving measure.”

As soon as I said that, a passerby made a comment.

“The sounds that were seen last year are gathered out back this year. They have no successors, which has left them shorthanded. The night sky normally belongs to us, so I do feel bad.”

“I see,” I said and turned toward the voice to find no one there anymore.

But Lady narrowed her eyes into the sky past the fireworks.

“The evening star is shining.”

Author Comment:

I feel like fireworks festivals are getting less common.

They’re completely gone in my area, or at least really small.

I always loved sitting in a large parking lot and watching the fireworks while I ate some snacks.

Record 25: Cheer Up

07/29/1997

20:38

I was out at night on my way to the train station’s meetup terrace.

I was temporarily down from the Mountain, but my daily habits were still very Mountain-ish. I ended up wanting to train at night, so I went for a run before resting my elbows on the terrace frame and viewing the sky.

Tokyo’s sky was a lot darker than the Mountain’s sky.

Just as I was wondering if it was painted different, the wind blew in and someone was standing next to me. It was the Night Wind. She wore a black dress and viewed me with confusion in her black eyes.

“It isn’t often someone is in this area at this time to let me wash over them.”

“This shouldn’t surprise you. We Tokyoites are capricious and it’s late at night.”

“I suppose so,” she said, sitting lightly on the terrace railing. When the winds wanted people to hear their voice, it was usually when they wanted something from us.

“Do you need any help?”

“Yes. The East Wind has been sluggish of late thanks to the summer heat. She isn’t saying much and loses herself in thought.”

“She does? Then why don’t you grab her hand and bring her out with you? She usually chases after you, doesn’t she? The wind from the east is the morning wind, so bring her up next to you, Night Wind.”

“Maybe I should,” she said, smiling.

The dim part of the following morning lasted longer than usual.

Author Comment:

I think the Night Wind is the immature honor student of the winds. Or maybe like the little sister.

The East Wind is depicted elsewhere.

Record 67: Just Accept It

06/12/1998

20:43

We were out on a job at night. I had been doing some gamble mount punching in the meeting room, but now you and I were in the Boss’s car traveling to Hachioji. We were taking National Route 16 south.

I saw the lights of Hachioji Station to the left while the Caddy shook.

“So what brings us out here so late at night?” asked the Boss while he drove. “It’s gotta be more than some trivial student-level fighting.”

“Divine Punishment City – Yokohama contacted us to say a causality battle might break out on our border,” you explained, flipping through the faxed document in the back seat.

“The entire country is still dealing with the effects of unifying the east and the west,” I said. “And I bet Yokohama is still dealing with the effects of the Bakumatsu period. By the way, where’s Lady?”

Wasn’t she from Yokohama? She must have had a good reason to move to Tokyo. I considered contacting her and you must have noticed.

“I called her already. I think she should be able to make her own decision about this.”

“I see,” I said before punching the car we were riding in.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

I punched away the slow parts of the car and the Boss turned back toward me.

“What the hell, dude!? Don’t punch my car!”

He started operating the gear shift and steering wheel while he said that. The gear display was an analog gauge and it now went all the way up to gear 99. If you did the torque calculations…

“We can easily break the sound barrier,” said the Boss.

The car accelerated, but someone flew south through the sky even faster than us.

It was a comet.

The fox star had a long bluish-white tail and Daitarou got up from your lap when he saw it.

“Food.”

No, that’s not food. That is Kerry Bantham who is scheduled to fly through next year.

He was known as quite the dandy for being so young, he had been given a peerage rank despite being a homeless comet, and he was the instigator of next year’s Grand Cross. I had heard he was flying all over the sky in preparation for that.

You set the faxed pages aside and picked up Daitarou.

“He’s probably here to see the causality battle. Because the Spacetime Lives get distorted during battles of cause and effect.”

“Why would a comet be interested in seeing a spacetime distortion?” asked the Boss, upset that the figure in the sky was outracing him.

You shut your eyes as you responded.

“Long ago, Kerry’s Comet was said to carry a toxic gas and bring misfortune, so no one went out to see him. But there was just one person – or machine that went out to see him.”

You spoke slowly, choosing your words carefully.

“There is a time-telling Sein Frau on the roof of Kanda’s House of Time clocktower that resonates with the world’s time. She sang for the baron, but her service life is coming to an end soon.”

“And the other countries told the Japanese government to scrap her because a Sein Frau that can resonate with time is a risky thing to have around,” I added.

The Boss glanced back to give us an impressed look. Except this knowledge wasn’t really all that special.

“We went to see the House of Time with Lady that one time, remember? That’s the place. She had already lost her singing voice by August of last year. But she’s being given the chance to see the Grand Cross commanded by the baron one last time. Then the government will sever the House of Time’s time resonance and tell the other countries the deed is done.”

“So the baron is investigating spacetime in the hopes of extending that Sein Frau’s lifespan?”

The Boss added “just like me” to the end of that thought, but I didn’t ask about it.

The car accelerated and Lady never did contact us.

Author Comment:

The story of the Grand Cross isn’t told in this Tokyo book.

I don’t know when it will be told.

And Kerry will be touched on more later.

Record 97: Something Still Unseen

12/19/1998

20:16

During the night, I found myself sitting on a guardrail with myself.

We sat side by side but also back to back. So…

“Hey,” I said. So I…

“What do you want?” I said. And…

“Sorry, I did this last year, so I knew what you were going to say,” I added.

How am I supposed to respond to that? I wondered.

“Don’t you have anything to say?”

“I’m just surprised how much of an idiot other people think I am. You’re supposed to say these things to the outside world, not to your inside world.”

My future self laughed at that, his shoulders shaking.

“You drove out your past self earlier, didn’t you?”

“And now I’m thinking of driving out my future self.”

“Why’s that? I’m what you become in the future.”

“But you’re a stranger as long as you’re here by my side. You aren’t me now. You’re just a stranger who lived in the same environment in the same way…but for a year longer than me.”

My future self fell silent there. Until…

“What makes you say we’re strangers?” I asked.

My future self quickly turned around.

“We should have the same foundation,” I said. “But after punching out my past, I chose to change. You knew what I would say. That means you haven’t changed. Even though I’m supposed to change. So you’re a fake, my future self.”

“Ha.” My future self hung his head and laughed bitterly. “So you could tell. I actually came here today to warn you that I’m a fake.”

My future self clenched his right fist and showed it to me.

“I was supposed to be a more normal person. It really shouldn’t affect you any if you don’t change. The attitude is what matters, not actually changing. There’s a part of you that doesn’t want to change and there’s where I came from.”

“You don’t sugarcoat it, do you?”

“Why would I, idiot? But I’m here to tell you that isn’t enough. If you stay the same and become me, then it all becomes fake.”

My future self stood up.

“I don’t know what happened between us. Because I’m your future self. Nothing ever actually happened between us. But the key is found in your future memories that I never experienced – in other words, in something you haven’t predicted.”

“What would that be?”

“Something that will save me from becoming this version of me. I don’t know what that is, but that’s because I’m a fake. So listen,” I said. “Whatever might happen, make sure you go out and face the things I can’t predict.”

“I will,” we both said at once and bumped fists.

The next thing I knew, my future self was gone and I caught up with my friends who had continued on ahead.

Author Comment:

The fake and the real.

It’s a difficult concept, but if the future is made into a fake, then is the past seen from that point in time real or fake? I can’t quite decide.

At the same time, I think this is a very immature topic.

Record 44: Can I Think of It?

12/19/1997

20:00

We were celebrating your birthday in the living room behind the pharmacy at your house.

“Congrats on being another year closer to death.”

You knocked me to the ground for that one. A weird way to thank me for celebrating your birthday.

Anyway, you, Senpai, Snowy, Lady, and I sat around the kotatsu.

“Why am I on the corner and with my back to the chilly entrance?” I asked.

“Because idiots don’t catch colds,” you explained while petting Daitarou on top of the kotatsu.

Lady smiled at your tone.

“You two are such good friends. Have you known each other all your lives?”

Oh, yeah. Lady wouldn’t know about all that since she’s a transfer student. I pointed at you while you grabbed the sugar pills spread out on the kotatsu.

“We’ve known each other since middle school. We were both on the track team and got a lot of records, but we only really started talking after meeting Senpai in our second year. Senpai had gotten into an argument with some idiots, so I intervened.”

“And I ran in at the same moment. I feel like you also saved my life another time too. That’s really about it,” you said with a light clap of your hands.

Senpai didn’t even stir in response and Lady looked around before opting not to say anything. A heavy mood set in and I turned to Snowy, hoping she had a good joke to add some levity.

She was staring at the cake fork in her hand.

I briefly recalled her Mobilized Writing, but I doubted she would cause any trouble here. I decided she was just overly fond of pointy objects in general. I looked to you to find you setting a cake down on top of the kotatsu. You had probably been saving it for later but wanted to provide a distraction.

As soon as you opened the box, Daitarou ate half of it.

I balled up the animal and stuck him under the kotatsu while you sliced the cake with a knife. Lady passed out the slices and then took an excited bite.

“What kind of cake is it? I asked.

“Pharmacy Cake – Attempt 2.”

As soon as the words were out of your mouth, I heard a stone-like crunch from Lady’s mouth and her face grew pale.

Eventually, she left the living room with her expression entirely blank.

Then I heard her hurried footsteps in the hallway.

Things sure are peaceful here, I thought with a glance to the TV. It showed an image of Osaka.

“Babel, huh? I wonder what’s going to come of that.”

I got up and looked over to see Snowy was still staring at the fork.

“Hey, you aren’t really going to use your Mobilized Writing on that, are you?”

“Hm? No, of course not. Why would I need to wield my power on such a joyous occasion?”

Good, she’s sane, I thought.

“However…I am unsure how to use these Western tools.”

I burst out laughing as soon as I heard, so she slashed at me with the fork.

Anything a woman’s hand touches can be used as a weapon.

I quickly grabbed her wrist instead of the fork.

“What happened to this being a joyous occasion, you cavewoman!? And have you never used a fork with your school lunch!?”

“I have brought my own lunch since elementary school!”

Was that really something to shout so forcefully?

Senpai and you were ignoring us and enjoying the cake.

Apparently this wasn’t worthy of Senpai’s worry. It worried me plenty, though.

Author Comment:

You’s birthdays show up a lot.

I think this is less of a birthday party and more of a laid-back gathering using her birthday as an excuse to party.

But will Daitarou be okay after eating that medicine cake?

Record 16: Something Important

05/21/1997

18:56

After dinner at the Mountain, I took a stroll outside the dorm.

The Mountain was a large place. We would be going home during the summer and a select group would go to an even deeper area afterwards. I wasn’t sure if I would be chosen for that.

That was on my mind as I stretched my legs even more than yesterday to head deeper in. I held a small plastic basket in my hand. It contained some Inari sushi leftover from dinner I had swiped from the dining hall. They were made by the girls in the Mountain and contained a variety of ingredients.

I left the thicket and walked along the mountain trail. After crossing a smaller mountain, the mountains toward Tochigi came into view. It was already past evening, so the sky was dark and starry.

I looked around to see some mossy stone steps. The steps led to an old red shrine with fox statues on either side. I felt like the statues were watching me, but I had to be imagining that. I sat on the steps and considered offering the Inari sushi to the foxes. I opened the basket.

“Just one?”

Why was that all that was left? I set the basket down to my side instead of in front of the shrine.

I looked to the sky. I stared at the stars for a few seconds before realizing those were the stars of the northern sky. I must have been pretty homesick to unintentionally look to Tokyo’s stars like that.

Then I heard someone stepping on a branch and speaking loudly.

“Oh? What are you doing here? Running away?”

I looked over to see you. You suddenly sat down next to me.

“What brings you out here, delinquent girl?”

“You have no right to call me that after bringing this out here again.”

You reached toward the Inari sushi and ate it.

I gasped and looked back toward the shrine, but you didn’t care. You pulled out a handkerchief, wiped off your hand, and looked to the same part of the sky as me.

“So what are you doing out here?”

“You first. You know I’m no good at those complicated questions.”

“True.” You nodded. “I’m looking for someone who can take good care of someone.”

“Huh?”

“When most people think of someone else, the person in their mind isn’t the real them, right? It’s a convenient fake that looks similar.”

That was true. The real person was out here in reality, so the one in their mind was only a copy.

“But when you think about someone real, you think of the real one and the one in your mind as the same. So you end up surprised when the reality differs from your imagination. If you were really thinking about the real one, that wouldn’t happen, would it?”

“This is getting philosophical. And preachy.”

“What’s wrong with that? But as the person in your head, I think you’re doing a pretty good job with it. Was the first time it really bothered you that time you got 2nd place in track?”

“Yeah, everyone rushed over to the guy who got 1st place, so only you were left to tell me my time. But why bring that up now?”

“Because I want to. And I’m sure I will continue to be exactly the kind of person you think I am. I won’t betray your expectations. So try to keep getting along with her.”

You placed the basket in my lap, stood up, brushed off your butt, and climbed the steps.

I turned back to tell you that led to a shrine, but you weren’t there anymore.

I reached for the basket you had given me and found it was soft.

Confused, I looked down at my lap and found a single white fox child who still had brown fur was sprawled out in sleep there.

Was this a weird sort of gift?

Author Comment:

How Daitarou ended up with the protagonist.

Daitarou appears to be the child of a fairly high-ranking sacred beast.

I think he was left with the protagonist so he could learn about the human world, but I worry the parent fox made a poor choice of caretaker.

Record 112: That is What I Want to Say

02/17/1999

18:03

What now? I more or less knew where Senpai was: Kanda, at that one used bookstore that was open 24 hours a day.

But what was I supposed to do about that? For once, I was at a loss. I knew all too well what I had come here to do, though.

The Boss was leading the Chancellor’s Officers for now, but no one other than us knew about this yet. I honestly just wanted to hear your voice, but that felt like having you alone determine everything for me, which I didn’t like.

I had no choice but to call someone who didn’t know Senpai all that well: Sensei in the faculty building.

The red phone’s ringing soon ended and she answered.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing skipping school!?”

“That’s the first thing you have to say? And how did you know it was me?”

“Intuition. And if I had been wrong, I would be apologizing right now.”

Did she have guts, or was she just stupid? Anyway, she knew of Senpai as the Chancellor but nothing beyond that. She was my homeroom teacher. Of course, anyone who went to the Mountain like me would have the academic skills of a college graduate, so they wouldn’t need a teacher. But I called her Sensei anyway.

“Sensei, can I ask you something?”

“No.”

“Really, you’re going to refuse? I’ll admit I’ve nonchalantly asked about your measurements and the color of your underwear in the past, but I have a more advanced question for you this time.”

“Eh? P-please don’t. I’m not ready for something more advanced than my measurements or underwear. Especially not in the faculty room.”

Please. I know you’re an idiot, but get a grip. Sometimes I had my doubts if she was really a teacher. Or an adult for that matter.

“Not like that, Sensei. For example, Tokyo – or Japan as a whole really – is in a precarious situation. But there’s just one person left who could send it all up in flames. And I’m the only one who can stop him – no, who can kill him. So what should I do?”

“Why would you kill him? Does he want you to do that?”

“Probably. Because if I don’t…someone he cares for will cease to be human. I think he attacked her knowing I would come after him to kill him.”

“But what if she…yes, what if she wants to cease being human?”

“That isn’t possible.”

“Why not? How can you be so sure?”

“If she wanted it, she wouldn’t have come to me for help. If she wanted it, she wouldn’t come to me to tell me I’m #2 and tell me what I should do about it like she did in the past.”

“I see.” Sensei nodded and I heard her sigh over the phone. “When she told you that you were #2 in the past, did you become #1?”

“No. I had convinced myself that was a lost cause.”

“Do you want to change that now?”

That question reminded me of a few things from the past and the future.

There was only one possible answer. I gave it and Sensei laughed quietly.

“Remember her. If she told you that you were #2, then she must want to hear something from you as well.”

“Is that something I can tell her once I’m #1?”

“Yes, but I do not know what that is.”

“I see,” I said before nonchalantly asking what color her underwear was and hanging up.

I turned around and faced the used bookstore that still had its lights on.

Author Comment:

In this conversation with Sensei, she isn’t aware what is going on in the Chancellor’s Officers.

I think the protagonist only called her because she is a grownup. I have serious doubts whether or not she really is one, though.

Layer 8: Flower

11/15/1998

10:30

I stepped out onto the emergency stairs during the break between 2nd and 3rd period.

People were still cleaning up outside after the school festival. Autumn colors were blowing into the sky while the leaves distributed by the city hall were falling like flower petals.

I saw a familiar face descending from the roof carrying wood. It was Little Boy. The boy with sharp black hair did not look happy to see me.

“Oh, it’s you. Don’t just stand there. You’re in the way.”

“Am I?” I asked before attacking that Vice Chancellor’s aide who didn’t know how to show respect to his upperclassmen.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

He tried to activate his Mobilized Writing in a hurry, but it was too late. First, I punched his rationality. Once the fear hit him, I punched his patience. Once he screamed, I punched his endurance. Once his scream reached its climax, I punched his willpower. Once he passed out, I punched his shame and his reputation, stripped him naked, and strapped him to the wood with a belt. I showed mercy by having him face the wood he was strapped too. The other way around would have affected his future. I couldn’t let such a young blossoming flower wither away so soon.

Once it was all done, I admired my handiwork and felt a blow from behind. I looked back to find Sensei there.

“What are you doing here? Your next class is starting soon. And that’s my class.” Then she saw my naked underclassman propped up on the emergency stairs. “Eh? Wait, what? Um, is this rated 18+? Or maybe 64+!?”

I had no idea what she meant, so I tried to calm her down while we returned to the classroom. This is what I said to put her mind at ease: “Don’t worry. This probably happens to him all the time.”

Author Comment:

Now all the characters have been introduced. Little Boy is little more than a side character, though.

Record 85: Like Always

10/09/1998

22:48

We had been called to the Chancellor’s Officers living room even though the athletic festival started tomorrow.

I was standing in front of the room’s entrance in the modified bomb shelter when I saw an idiot among the white and red colors. I stared at him.

“What are you doing here, Professor?”

He pushed up his glasses to stare back at me.

“Oh, and who might you be? That is a very unfortunate shape for a face, I must say.”

I went ahead and punched him.

“Ow ow ow. You sure are a violent child. Why do you throw hands at the drop of a hat?”

“In order to cure your memory disorder, obviously. You see, there’s this new treatment where I punch you straight in the head at a rate of three times a second. The effectiveness differs between people, but it apparently works for around 70% of people.”

“I am going to ignore that. No objections? Then let’s gather up these ashes on the floor.”

I looked down to see white ashes piled up on the concrete floor. I tilted my head.

“What’s all this?”

“Ashes.”

“I can tell.”

“Interesting. You could tell what it was and asked anyway, yet you show no shame. Is there any way of fixing that brain of yours?”

I strayed from my usual methods and put him in a headlock. He tapped out after 3 seconds.

“Fine. I will explain. You know the tissue paper flowers used for opening ceremonies and the like? I made a large quantity of those, but carrying that back out would have been so inconvenient. So I burned them.”

“And that’s where these ashes came from?”

“Yes. They have been oxidized, but if I scatter them around, the oxygen will dissolve into the air and the original flowers will return. If I scatter them from the rooftop, I can carpet bomb the plebes below with colorful flowers.”

“Huh, so even you can do useful things sometimes.”

“Ho ho? Have you never heard of doing one good deed a day? I follow the church of the one good deed. And after that one good deed, do whatever you want for the rest of the day.”

I quickly checked the clock to make sure it wasn’t tomorrow yet. Having his one good deed done that early in the day would be dangerous in the extreme.

It was still shortly before 11 at night, so I breathed a sigh of relief just as Lady walked out of the living room carrying a carboard box full of paper flowers.

“Okay, I have more for you to burn.”

“I see.” The Professor pulled a lighter from his pocket. “That’s 6 boxes today. A good pace. Who made all of them anyway?”

“Hm? There’s a lot of stuff in here.”

I listened to their conversation and the term “6 boxes” caught my attention. Before I could figure out why, you walked in from the direction of the school building.

“Excuse me. Did you see a pile of programs for the athletic festival around here? They’re for the students in the school buildings.”

“Eh?” said Lady just before Snowy stepped out from the living room.

“Come to think of it, I left the Officers’ photo album and a nap room blanket in here, but they have disappeared.”

“Huh?” you said just before Sensei approached from the direction of the school building.

“Um, uh, did I leave a pile of ungraded tests around here? I was thinking of grading them outside for a change of pace.”

Snowy gave her a “why would you do that?” look just before a red Caddy stopped in front of us and the Boss hopped out.

“Oh, no! I left my secret porn stash hidden in the trash when I was cleaning up the living room!”

Sensei scolded him, but the rest of us were looking at the ashes at our feet.

Then our gazes gathered on the Professor standing in the middle of those ashes and staring up into the sky.

“I said one good deed a day. Not six.”

Author Comment:

I remember Lady’s “okay, I have more for you to burn” originally being “burn everything in here” while towing in a bicycle trailer. I was right to change my mind about that.

Record 5: He Tells Me Something

03/04/1997

18:56

I ran into Senpai on the way back from school and we stopped by our usual ramen place. He was in high school and already the Chancellor. I was still in middle school. We were only one year apart, but we lived in completely different worlds. I tried various tricks to try and get him to pay, but nothing worked.

Anyway, a classmate’s family ran this ramen place. It wasn’t deserted, but it was pretty quiet.

We slurped our ramen at the counter while we chatted.

“The daughter of this ramen shop is the one from that accident, isn’t she?” he asked.

I made sure the mustache man behind the counter was chatting with another customer before answering.

“Yeah. She was caught in the mess with the rest of us when I punched that auto three wheeler. She used to help out here, but now she’s in Kansai. They have better tech for prosthetic eyes there.”

Senpai paused his eating, nodded, and muttered “Kansai”.

More than a year had passed since the east and west were unified. I had even heard our middle school would be going to Nara, Kyoto, and Osaka for their school trips.

But even a middle schooler like me heard the concerning rumors.

Senpai led the Chancellor’s Officers, so he had to hear even more than me. So I asked about it.

“Is something worrying you?”

“Yes,” he honestly replied. “For example…”

He looked to me, smiled bitterly, and said “never mind”.

“The most important worries are best kept a secret.”

Author Comment:

Again with the ramen.

In my day, we would generally stop at ramen shops on the way home from school, but do kids go to convenience stores now?

I feel like there are a lot of those small differences, but I still think a restaurant like this suits the sunset mood better.

Record 59: That’s All

04/12/1998

5:28

With the entrance ceremony on the 10th and the opening ceremony on the 11th, the Chancellor’s Officers had been extremely busy for the past two days. We had basically spent the night in the rundown living room on the main school building’s 2nd floor. When I heard the sounds of the girls on breakfast duty in the spare room next door, I forced my sleepy head awake and began patrolling (and taking a stroll around) the building.

My new class was Class 2-…oh, there it was. The classroom was located at the very end of the building. The emergency exit was nearby, which was great if I needed to make a quick escape. I looked out the window and noticed the cherry trees at the end of the schoolyard were in full bloom and then checked inside the classroom to see Sensei there.

“What are you doing here so early, Sensei?”

She had been sleeping sprawled out on her desk, but she partially got up when she heard my voice.

“Hwee?”

“What does ‘hwee’ mean? And why are you here?”

“Because I’m this class’s homeroom teacher.”

That was just about the scariest thing I had ever heard. And besides…

“Being the homeroom teacher doesn’t mean you can just sleep here.”

I started feeling really sleepy as soon as I said that. The next thing I knew, the spring air blew in through the open window. Was this what they called the deep sleep of spring?

“Well, this ain’t good. I don’t even remember the dawn.”

“Right? This desk is upwind, so the effect is really powerful.”

We both rested our heads on the desk, shut our eyes, and dozed off until Lady opened the door and walked in.

“Oh, I’m in your class,” she said when she saw us. “And what are you doing?”

“Hweh?” I replied.

Before the danger could really sink in, I was already drifting off to sleep.

I had a feeling we would see more and more victims every time someone else walked in. How would we ever fix this?

Author Comment:

I don’t think Sensei is there so early because she’s passionate about her work. I think she gets there early and takes a nap at school so she isn’t late.

Record 10: But Things Change

04/15/1997

22:47

We apparently had a test so soon after the school year began, so I stayed up late studying and now I wanted to grab a drink and watch a movie on TV until I fell asleep.

So I went out to stop by the convenience store.

On the way, I looked up into the sky to see a group of Night Winds in black swinging brooms around. They were sweeping along an indistinct, light pink cloud.

That was the cherry blossom front. What looked like a cloud was actually cherry blossom petals taken from the south.

I admired the unusual sight and then saw a familiar face below the cherry tree in front of the convenience store. What was she called again? Oh, right. Snowy.

She was seated with a wooden sword in her arms and lots of stray cats around her.

I considered calling out to the cat-covered girl, but she spoke first even though she was still staring up at the cherry tree’s blossomless branches.

“What are you doing out so late?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

“I am training to prepare for the Mountain, so-”

She stopped midsentence and I stared at her face.

“You don’t look too good. Are you alright?”

“I am fine,” she insisted with sweat dripping down her brow. She also shut her eyes.

I decided to buy a few snacks and two drinks in the convenience store.

When I emerged, Snowy was gone. So were the cats.

I wondered what that was about with the two drinks in hand and I noticed the cherry tree was now in full bloom.

Author Comment:

A Night Wind group.

There isn’t just one.

The cardinal winds are the representatives that lead all the others and it’s the representatives of each type that go out where people can see them. I think they have lineages too. I think the Night Winds are divided into different groups and the one seen in the illustrations is in charge of the protagonists’ region.

Record 98: What He Doesn’t Know Either

12/20/1998

6:19

Maybe it was the conversation with myself last night and maybe it was thinking too much about you and Senpai, but I had barely gotten any sleep when the dawn arrived.

Maybe there’s nothing I can do about this, I thought without much confidence. I decided to settle things inside me once and for all and stepped outside.

It was past 6 in the morning and I made my way to the road alongside the railroad we had walked down last night.

Senpai would be running there early in the morning.

I wanted to be there.

The needle ice flowers blossoming in the area would make any footprints really stand out.

When Senpai found me, he would slow his pace, approach me, and ask me to walk with him like usual. Then I could ask him what was worrying him. I wanted to know what was most weighing on that worrier’s mind at the moment.

I recalled him once saying that the most important worries are best kept a secret.

So would he tell me his most important worry?

Part of me wanted to know and part of me didn’t.

I picked up my pace on the way toward the railroad.

Only after I got my body moving did I realize how much I cared for you. You had once worried for the boy who came in 2nd place, but would you one day be able to share that worrier’s worries?

Make sure to stand up for yourself more, I silently told myself and you.

It was time for the current me to go to where my future self and past self had been. That was where I would meet Senpai who was such a worrier he never stood up for himself.

I would meet him and receive an answer that I both wanted to hear and didn’t want to hear.

Author Comment:

This story is continued in Record 99.

By gathering and reading these memories, I think you can get a picture of the protagonist, You, and Senpai’s positions from the protagonist’s point of view.

Record 105: Even If It Means Being Alone

01/20/1999

17:46

One evening, Lady and I went to the supermarket to buy some supplies.

She found something promising in the snack section.

It was supposed to snow tonight, but it wasn’t yet. I wanted to get our shopping done quick and return to the Officers’ living room. There was something we were all going to watch on TV together.

“Stars of the New Year Hidden Camera Athletic Festival w/ Wardrobe Malfunctions – Pure Version, huh?”

“Everyone’s waiting for us, so we need to hurry,” said Lady.

She was stuffing the supermarket basket full of nothing but snacks, but I sensed a lack of cooperation in how they were all the kind that came in small boxes. Apparently, I was in charge of the ones in big bags. I grabbed some things from the shelves hanging upside-down from the ceiling and covered them with the basket to make sure they didn’t fall up.

“We should probably buy some alcoholic drinks too. I know everyone will want some.”

I smiled bitterly and she smiled bitterly back.

“We went a little nuts last month, didn’t we? I normally only drink aperitifs and maybe a nightcap on wintery days like this.”

“You heavenly people know how to drink in ways the lowly commoners like me could never even imagine.”

“You’re not making any sense. But were we really that bad last month? I was so drunk I don’t remember any of it.”

“Don’t worry. I remember every second of it. Like that you were blue and white.”

She frowned, wondering what I meant by that, but I opted not to answer. She tilted her head before asking me about Little Boy.

“Why does he butt heads with you like that?”

“Probably because our Mobilized Writings are similar. Its his legs and my arms, but mine is stronger since I realized what it was sooner. Also…” I scratched my head. “He always blushes when he sees Sensei.”

“Well, you did make Sensei cry when you brought him to meet her.”

“All I did was say I was going to show off my special skill and then quick-removed her bra. What kind of adult cries just because something startled her?”

We were interrupted by a sneeze from behind.

We looked back to see Sensei there. She stared at us with a basket in one hand, started to say something, and blushed after seeing what we were carrying.

“Wh-what is this about? Y-you two are out together at this hour, and, um, buying food back in an out-of-the-way aisle? Oh, how indecent! You have my support, but I also can’t let this continue!”

Could someone please do something very direct about this idiot? But I was also curious about what I had just said to Lady, so I asked about it.

“Hey, Sensei? This is a difficult question, so I’ll try to be as indirect as possible: what would you do if I said my underclassman wants to marry you?”

“Wow,” said Lady just before Sensei placed a hand on her cheek.

“Eh? No, no. That would never work. He would be a 1st year, right? And I’m 24, so that’s a…8-year age gap? That’s too much…i-isn’t it?”

“What, you aren’t sure?”

“So, um, he’s just going to have to limit himself to being around me at school and maybe bringing me food and maybe more if he wants, right? So, um, uh.”

She continued stammering, so Lady used her finger to write “stop her” on my back.

“I see. I read you loud and clear, Sensei. As his upperclassman, I will tell him to cheer up because you are green. I already checked during the day.”

“Oh, but that’s no longer accurate. I tripped in the snow earlier and changed, so now they’re white.”

“White!?” I shouted on reflex. “Wait, do you always carry a change of underwear with you!?”

“You’re supposed to make fun of her for the tripping in the snow part!” insisted Lady before gasping and holding her butt. “Is the blue and white you mentioned before, um, the same thing as Sensei’s green and white?”

“Yes. When you took a tumble in the milk bar, they were blue and white.”

That explanation made Lady crouch on the ground, hang her head, and mutter to herself.

“Maybe underage drinking is a bad idea after all.”

Author Comment:

There hasn’t been much snow in Tokyo lately.

I think it’s been 20 years since it got knee high.

The protagonists are heading out to go shopping pretty casually, but it appears to be more of a change of pace than an actual job.

Record 49: How Can I Laugh at That?

01/22/1998

23:59

A week had passed since our coming-of-age ceremony and I was patrolling the city with Snowy. There was a simple reason for that:

“Remnants of dreams have been wandering the city of late,” she said with her katana on her shoulder.

We were near the civic center a short distance from the city hall. It sounded like wandering around this area had a higher chance of encountering the dreams.

I kept my hands in my jacket’s pockets.

“Dreams, huh? Could this be a side effect of the coming-of-age ceremony? I really hope they don’t do any harm to young people like us.”

My breath came out white and Snowy looked in my direction. It was a casual thing, but her eyes were fixated on a spot behind me and she drew her katana.

“Do not move.”

“Wh-why? What are you going to do?”

“I can see a dream behind you. I will cut it down, so do not move.”

“Okay, but what happens to me while I stand in front of this dream?”

“You will be a noble sacrifice. Although how noble you are is up for debate.”

“Generally, people leave that last part unsaid, you idiot. Whose dream is it anyway? You can’t just cut it down without checking, can you?”

She narrowed her eyes toward the dream behind me.

“I see a steaming bowl, a long plate with something on it, and a rice bowl dancing together.”

“Oh, that’s probably a ramen rice gyoza set. I was just thinking I wanted one of those.”

“So this is your dream? Then I will cut you down along with kit.”

“You’re going to cut down my ramen rice and my gyoza!?”

“They are a set, so what choice do I- oh.”

I looked back to see my dream vanishing. She clicked her tongue in disappointment and glanced to the side while I tilted my head.

“I don’t think this is just dreams wandering around. I think our own dreams are being dragged out to the surface too.”

“But why did it disappear?”

“When you notice a dream, you have two options: try to make it real or give up on it. Either way, the dream ceases to be a dream once you’re aware of it.”

“You think that line makes you sound cool, don’t you?”

She sighed and resumed walking. I followed after her and changed the subject.

“To change the subject, is it true the Kansai students are at it again?”

“Yes. I often encounter them and rumors of them. Our new special duty officer coming next month will apparently be a former Kansai student, which I imagine is meant as a response to this.”

“Huh. I’d heard some weird students who were accepted in last summer had gone to the Mountain partway through the training period, but does this mean one of them made it to the end?”

“Personally, I would prefer a successor to the Vice Chancellor’s Aide role instead of a special duty officer.”

The Vice Chancellor generally had two aides. Snowy and the other one were both 3rd years, so they were trying not to get involved in our generation’s issues.

I walked up next to her and asked a question.

“Is it hard being the only aide who can actually fight?”

“Yes, because it means protecting an idiot all on my own.”

She had to say that with a straight face, didn’t she?

Then she looked to me. No, behind me.

“…”

She silently faced forward again and walked on ahead.

“What? Was there a dream back there again?”

“Do not turn around.”

Her words were sharp but not cruel. I obeyed them and let my dream remain a dream.

I did look behind Snowy as she walked ahead and saw someone there.

A grownup version of her was smiling up into the sky while looking the picture of health. I started to raise my fist but stopped myself.

I looked up in the sky and saw some snow falling.

I noted how much it looked like flowers as I caught up with Snowy again.

Author Comment:

I feel like this is getting off topic, but I think it’s worth asking whether a dream is something out in front of you that you pursue or something you create behind you that pushes you onward.

Also, this layer feels like it has more snow than flowers.

Record 20: Would I Be Helpful?

06/15/1997

12:11

The Mountain had us running a morning mountain marathon.

Why did we have to do this? I stayed in the lead most of the way.

Some dropped out almost immediately, others got worn out once their stamina was drained, and others were stopped at the checkpoints because they couldn’t answer the questions asked by the instructors. Very few of us did any real running.

I was currently running up – well, climbing up really – a cliff face with a 70 degree angle. Doing that for 100 meters was a real workout.

I had to wonder what I was doing. I still didn’t know what my Mobilized Writing was and the instructors kept asking me questions along the way.

“Checkpoint 1: How many times has the earth rotated as of today?”

“Checkpoint 2: Go back and retrieve the flower growing at the starting point.”

“Checkpoint 3: There is a dolphin here. Now…what will you do about it?”

I punched them all and kept going. Yes, I punched them hard.

But did I really intend to see this through to the end? Checkpoint 4 was at the top of this slope. My instructor would be there. That young one with spiky hair who mainly uses kicks. He wouldn’t tell me his name. He said my punching-centric fighting style reminded him of someone. He could be a pain, so I knew I would just end up punching him and keep going. Looking back on the day, I couldn’t figure out what any of the instructors had been thinking. They were all a bunch of losers.

I found myself out of breath.

I was currently 90m up when the exhaustion hit me along with a sudden breeze.

Whoops. I came back to my senses just in time to stop myself from falling backwards. If that had happened, I would’ve needed some pretty extreme reconstructive surgery for my face and body.

“Kh.”

I had to stay calm. My instructor knew my fighting method in and out. He had taught it to me, so of course he did. Could I really punch him and keep going?

If I didn’t win this, I would end up stopping.

That might be fine sometimes, but not this time.

No, wait. This mountain marathon up a steep slope was just one event in our Mountain training. Losing this didn’t mean anything in the long run.

But I didn’t want to stop. Because surely…

This was bad. What was bad? That I was starting to realize something weird. If I kept on in this direction, I was certain it would greatly influence the rest of my life.

I didn’t want to stop even though it didn’t really matter?

I suddenly recalled when I had gotten 2nd place on the track team.

Did I want to be #1?

But just when I decided that choice wasn’t for me, I heard my instructor’s voice from the peak above. He was apparently talking to someone.

I climbed the stone and poked my head up to see my monk-robed instructor speaking with a young man in a suit and glasses. My instructor scratched his head.

“I’ve calmed down some. I don’t think I’m the same as that kid who wanted to scatter in the wind like a flower. And didn’t you marry your wife when you were still students?”

The other man nodded and my instructor smiled bitterly.

“Graduating didn’t stop any of us. I’m thinking of joining the GASAS after spending a while longer here. Your old man won’t stop asking me to join.”

And…

“We’re the same as these kids. We doubt ourselves and eventually make up our minds. I still believe that I’ll become king one day.”

I didn’t know what any of that meant, but I could tell he was walking a similar path to my own.

What was that about them all being losers? Did I think I was #1 or something? I wanted to become #1, but that wasn’t the same thing. So…

“You can do it!”

It doesn’t help much when you have to say it yourself, does it? But I still crawled up onto the peak and readied my fist without any self-restraint. While wondering what was with me today.

Yeah, what was I doing today?

I looked past my clenched fist to see a smile on my instructor’s lips.

Author Comment:

This has some interesting information for anyone who read Osaka, but I won’t be revealing anything here.

During a school trip to Nikko, I nearly fell off a cliff. I just barely saved myself by grabbing onto a tree at the last second. I slipped on some mud and slid right under the fence.

Record 66: I Will Wait for Them

06/09/1998

4:46

The morning was fairly chilly for June and I could see my deeper breaths. I breathed those visible breaths in every direction in front of Takao Station on the Chuo Line.

“Why are you spreading your bad breath around?” you asked, hitting me from behind.

I looked back to see everyone lowering a large megaphone-like device from the Boss’s Caddy.

Lady attached her keyboard to the megaphone and started tuning.

“The heck is that?”

I was answered by the Boss who walked up next to me with his part of the job complete.

“That idiot professor said it would push back the rain front. You see, one of the school’s washing machines broke and then they all broke in a resonance phenomenon. The repairs only finished yesterday.”

“They couldn’t get enough driers ready,” you added. “The Professor asked for our help because we can operate on emergency funding, but we didn’t bring him with us due to his extensive list of past offenses.”

That was the smart decision. I saw the South Wind and West Wind had arrived and were drawing various lines on their map of Japan.

“So how does that thing stop the rain front?” I asked.

The Boss unfolded a report everyone had been given a copy of.

“Simply put, enjoyable music draws in the cherry blossom front to push back the rain front.”

“That certainly is simple. But isn’t it a bit late for cherry blossoms?”

“To quote that idiot, ‘how can it be late for something that happens every year?’ So Lady just has to play music with the appropriate DC symbols, I think he called it.”

“I see,” I said before realizing something. “So why am I here?”

“That’s quite the philosophical question.”

“No, it isn’t. My violent aide isn’t here, nor is anyone else who we bring along when we need muscle. Except for me, that is. My rightful place is back in my bed!”

You slapped me on the shoulder.

“Senpai said to bring you just in case.”

Damn, that explained it. It seemed to violate the principle of division of labor, but if the guy in charge demanded it, then we had to do it.

I really, truly had nothing to do, so I started watching Lady.

She was humming the music in front of her and viewing the weather map the winds were drawing out. She looked deadly serious and occasionally shook her head. She was definitely nervous.

“Oh,” she said when she noticed me and raised her head. “H-hey, how long should I delay the rain front?”

“Until the washing machines have been run to death and the dryers have been worked to tears.”

“Um,” she muttered, looking close to tears herself. “I have a rather fundamental question about all this. Do you promise not to laugh?”

“I do.”

“I’ve never done laundry.”

I thought about that for a moment, recalled my promise to her, and suppressed my reflexive response. I put on a serious face and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“That is a serious problem. Oh, you poor soul. You have been deprived of so much. I truly pity you.”

“I get the feeling it would have hurt less if you just laughed.”

“Don’t let it bother you. Push it back for three days and everything will be fine.”

She grabbed the headphones hanging around her neck and put them on her ears. She didn’t look nervous anymore, which told me I really didn’t have anything to do anymore.

“Hey, there’s this weird black bus driving up! It’s an advertisement bus!”

I turned toward your voice to see the black bus entering the traffic circle. It said “Committee for Stopping Kantou Students from Making us Feel Bad by Going on Dates in Public” on the side.

“They sure are up front about what they’re about.”

Students in combat uniforms left the bus and used megaphones to express their firm support of the coming rain. I readied my fist and walked toward them.

I took a breath and looked up into the sky to see the winds carrying in the cherry blossom front.

Author Comment:

This was originally about holding the cherry blossom front in place so it didn’t move on, but that didn’t fit the time of year this was being published and I ended up changing it to rain instead.

There are always groups out there making weird claims. Until a few years ago, there was a propaganda truck that often parked itself near my home. The river bank was opened up at the time, and I remember I would often see the guys who operated the truck driving it in the river and washing it while saying things like “Hey, quit splashing water on me.” and “Yikes, that’s cold. Downright freezing. Ah ha ha!”

Record 113: I Want to Forget Even if That Means Losing It

02/17/1999

18:15

I entered the used bookstore. It was a small space only about 10m across.

Was this where it all ended, or where it would all begin?

No, those were the same thing. I knew this wouldn’t continue.

I searched for Senpai among the bookcases that came up to my shoulders.

There he was. He was on the next row over, putting one bookcase in between. He was reading a book. I couldn’t see his face with the paperback in the way.

I stood directly in front of him with the bookcase between us. And…

“How about we step outside and go for a walk?”

“Could you wait a moment? I am nearly done.”

He immediately responded. I let out a single breath and tried to tell myself that all my fears had been misplaced.

But then I noticed he had already flipped to the last page of the book.

Oh, I realized before asking a question.

“Why? Aren’t some Kantou or Kansai corporations using Kansai students to start a largescale riot?”

“I cannot answer that. Only I need to know the truth. Not even she knows everything that happened on the battlefield since she escaped before it was complete. Do you understand now?”

“But you cut down all of the evidence there, didn’t you?”

“Other than myself.”

“Does it worry you that you’re still here?”

He did not answer and searched for something to say instead.

“The east and west’s actions this time were meant to split Japan into two halves once more.”

“And all you did was try to stop them!”

“All I did? No. I sucked her blood. That is what matters most, is it not? That is something only I could do to her.”

It was true I couldn’t do it. And he kept talking.

“Someone knows the full story of what happened. His presence means there is a way to investigate what happened. Do you see what I mean?”

“No, I don’t see.”

“I must go missing just like the others did. It is a simple matter. Once that happens, this conflict will have no winner and no loser.”

“Then flee the country and go into hiding overseas!”

He lowered the book when I said that.

I saw his usual face there. His mouth looked a little twisted, so his nonhuman fangs were probably fully grown. He opened those lips.

“If you do not kill me, she will become my kind in a few days’ time.”

“If that’s what she wants, it isn’t our place to stop it.”

“But she chose to kill me just as I instructed her to.”

“I don’t believe that. It’s not fair to act like what you wanted was actually what we wanted. How can you be so sure?”

“So that you can claim what you have been avoiding by resigning yourself to 2nd place.” He smiled a little and kept smiling as he continued. “If you do not stop me, it all falls apart. I am worried about myself. Worried that I will suck up all the blood – my own included – and cut everything down.”

“Are you worried about her too? You said before you didn’t want to, but are you now?”

“Yes, I am worried about her too. Worried that I would cut down anyone who looks after her the way you do.”

I gasped and looked up to find him looking me in the eye.

“Once, when I was speaking to the only person who can stop me, I believe I said that the most important worries are best kept a secret.”

“But…”

He opened his mouth with his smile intact.

“I can say now that I am worried about him. Worried that I will cut him down if he chooses to live a life without regret.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Senpai drew his sword.

Author Comment:

The used bookstore area in Kanda is pretty well known, but as someone who went to Akihabara once a week since elementary school, I remember never realizing how famous it is until someone mentioned it in high school.

Although one of my friends said they even had “bookcases lined up in the sewers” there, which didn’t match what I had seen. The fiction sounded a lot more interesting.

Layer 9: Feelings

11/15/1998

15:35

I went to the Officers’ living room after school to find Snowy working hard at sharpening her sword in the unlit back storeroom.

Wondering why she was doing it in the dark, I switched on the lights.

“Hey, Snowy?”

She gasped and stopped sharpening. Then she looked up at me, glared, and opened her mouth.

“What have you done!?”

“This sounds annoying, so just sum up the main point.”

“A blade’s shine is what gives it its edge. I wanted to keep it out of the light to avoid wasting its shine. And now look: it’s gone dull.”

I wasn’t sure that was how it worked, so I touched the blade and earned myself a red line on my finger.

“Yowch!”

“Don’t get it dirty, you fool. Now it has a fingerprint on it.”

“Sorry. Does my hurt finger not get a mention?”

She nodded and viewed my bloody finger. And…

“That is a very clean cut. This really is a fine weapon.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re impressed. Now go to hell.”

I held my finger in my mouth and tasted iron.

“But who are you planning to cut with that?”

“My father is returning home soon, so-”

“I’d rather not know anything incriminating, so don’t tell me a word more.”

“Very well.”

She stood up and swung the sword in one hand. She watched the blade’s path while it swished through the air.

“You could say all of this comes from how I feel about my father.”

Author Comment:

There are different living room for the different divisions in the Chancellor’s Officers, but they mostly just come and go as they please.

Maybe it’s like a library or a training gym. Or maybe not.

Record 9: More of the Usual

04/10/1997

9:51

After the entrance ceremony, I walked from the gym to the faculty room.

That meant walking through a few unfamiliar school buildings and outdoor walkways to reach the faculty building. My homeroom teacher was waiting in the general faculty room.

She had told me earlier to come see her after the ceremony was complete. She’s pretty young and I recalled her seeming unusually scatterbrained.

I bowed, opened the faculty room door, and took a look around.

But why was I being called here on my very first day at school?

“Probably not for something sexy.”

My comment caused the grownups around me to freeze.

I answered the unexpected attention with a wave and then walked toward the person I was here to see. Sensei was organizing a variety of documents under her desk and she didn’t notice me approach.

The documents were piled up on her chair and on the floor.

She had crawled under the desk with her suit butt sticking out toward me. I scratched my head, wondering what to do, and then checked the documents on the desk.

Were these handwritten notes?

“Lifepath test for incoming freshmen.”

That was too dangerous to let her keep, so I stuck it in my pocket. But what else was there? There was one paper that looked like a poem or song lyrics or something. Reading through it, I had a feeling it was a fairy tale. A European one I had heard at some point. Was she researching it? Maybe she was a better teacher than I had thought.

“Sensei,” I called, causing the butt sticking out from the desk to jump.

“Um, yes!? What do you-”

Before she was done speaking, a dull thud came from the bottom of the desk. The desk briefly tilted and I had to quickly hold down the documents to keep them from sliding off. Sensei emerged holding her head and sat on the floor.

“Ahh, wh-what do you want?” she said, half in tears.

When she saw me, she started to say something, resisted, and actually started crying after finding a lump on her head.

Hey, hold on.

I looked around to see the other teachers staring at me and whispering to each other.

“Wasn’t he just talking about doing ‘something sexy’?”

“And now he attacked the angel of our faculty room.”

“Boss, I say we teach him a lesson.”

At this rate, they would tear me apart without giving it a second thought.

I crouched down to avoid their gazes and tried to figure out what I could do. I could see Sensei had switched from crying to sobbing.

When I noticed her heaving shoulders, I concluded she wasn’t going to make even more of a scene and breathed a sigh of relief just in time for a document to fall from the desk.

It was a copy of my student info. The administrative office must have made it for her because it was handwritten but had digital characters all over it. It included my academic history, but my eyes moved to the family section below.

Something written in red pen really stood out since the rest was a grayscale copy.

A special note in the family section said my parents were away for an extended period of time and that was circled in red with a note to discuss it with me.

That explained it.

She was an idiot, but she had a good heart.

I looked up to see she still had her right hand on the corner of her eyes, but she was holding out her other hand. I handed her the paper and she cleared her throat.

I was afraid she would start crying again if she tried to speak, so I spoke first.

“It’s alright. They’ve been like that forever.”

“They have?” she asked with just her eyes and I nodded. She thought for a bit and nodded.

“Then I suppose I don’t need to go fix meals for you.”

I pondered what she had just said for a moment.

“Sensei, can I take back what I said?”

Author Comment:

This is when he met Sensei. Well, it’s the first memory about her that stuck with him.

She makes it pretty clear she’s a new teacher, but she seems to have left a good impression on her colleagues. She still has a lot to learn, but they can tell she’s trying her best.

Most of the teachers were in the Chancellor’s Officers in their day, but Sensei wasn’t and they tend to see her like a little sister or a daughter.

Record 71: He Told Me to Do It

07/10/1998

11:42

It was hot. The cicada cries and the heat were both unbearable and we were up on the school’s roof.

Everyone was taking their exams below. There was no point in us taking the exams since we were in the Chancellor’s Officers. Our job was to watch over the people below right now.

I turned back from the edge of the hot, hot roof to see Snowy wearing a T-shirt and crunching up ice in a penguin-shaped shaved ice machine.

Did that count as eating an early lunch?

Senpai stood below a parasol next to her and stared into the distance. Despite the extreme heat, he was wearing his full uniform. There was something wrong with him.

Just as I wondered where you were, I felt something hot and sticky on the back of my neck.

“Whoa.”

I grabbed it and found it was Daitarou. Small animals were supposed to have high body temperatures and he sure did look overheated with the way he was sticking out his tongue.

And I knew who had to have held him against me.

“You.”

I looked back to see you eating shaved ice in a tank top with your shirt tied around your hips.

“Sure is hot, isn’t it?” you said with the spoon in your mouth.

That was an accurate statement, but I wanted to get my mind off of that. I changed the subject while walking over with Daitarou in my hand.

“Where’s the Boss?”

“He’s trying to fix the living room A/C, but he says it isn’t looking good.”

“I see.”

I placed Daitarou on Snowy’s nape while she acted as our human shaved ice maker. She immediately leaped to her feet.

“Hototot!”

Quite the scream.

I caught Daitarou after he fell from her and hid him behind my back. Snowy reached her hands behind her back and swung them around in something of a dance.

“Hm? Strange. I could have sworn I felt something.”

“Probably the ghost of the air conditioner you broke. The poor thing got PTSD after you slapped it on the side. Now our summers will be hot, our winters cold, our rainy seasons humid, and our autumns dry.”

“You should thank me for giving you a more vivid seasonal experience.”

“Hey, did you all hear the excuse this criminal is trying to peddle?”

“Stop that. I will apologize to the others. Just not to you.”

“Thanks for teaching me that discrimination can be found in even the smallest organization.”

“We should search for a new room,” said Senpai from below the parasol. “The corporations are acting suspiciously. I would like a serious base.”

“Isn’t that an overreaction to a simple air conditioner?” I asked.

An explosion and the shatter of glass erupted from below.

Senpai waited until the noise had entirely faded before looking to me.

“What was that about a simple air conditioner?”

“Well, um, it only exploded a little! I’m sure it’s fixable!”

“But fixing it now will probably take the Professor’s help too,” you said from behind me. “Are you sure this will be okay?”

Which part did she think might not be okay?

Then Lady walked up from the emergency stairs. She set down her keyboard, amp, and speakers and hooked them up.

“Whew, I’m exhausted. Okay, everyone, I’ll play you a refreshing song.”

Now, we’re talking. My boiled brain made a mental note to grab her butt later on and she soon had her headphones on and was playing the keyboard. All of our hopes for some refreshing music were dashed in an instant.

“How can we hear the music if she uses her headphones?” you asked.

The cicadas were the only thing to be heard in the sweltering heat while Lady played her keyboard with her back to us and shook her butt to a refreshing beat.

I sighed, approached her, and pressed Daitarou against her dancing neck.

“Ahyah!”

Author Comment:

On hot days, holding an animal feels unbearably hot.

This is also a continuation of the air conditioning story from before.

Record 82: What About Me?

09/14/1998

3:36

We received permission to use the bomb shelter, so we decided to stay there for two nights to clean and organize the place. The civil engineering club would be coming tomorrow for some serious remodeling.

After finishing most everything, we spread out some snacks and a map of the place on the table in the central room and discussed who would get which room.

I watched you giving Daitarou some amanatto and asked a question.

“Why are you girls aiming for the corner rooms?”

“Because then two sides are on outside walls. That makes it harder for anyone to eavesdrop.”

“You’re being paranoid. I do admire your active imagination, though.”

“I predict you will regret saying that,” said Snowy and the other girls agreed.

But I ignored that and tilted my head.

“But some bad Lives gather in the corners of places like this. Haven’t you noticed a strange presence here for the past few days? Like a monster or something?”

“Now I think you’re being paranoid, but that is a disturbing thought.”

“Also, a lot of girls work under us, so what about their rooms? Not to mention a locker room.”

You stared at the map for a while.

“What about this? I don’t know if these monsters of yours exist, but if they do come from the corners, there can only be four of them.”

You folded the map in two with the map side showing and placed it on the table.

“This adds two extra corner rooms along the fold of the front and back sides, right? If we keep doing that, the strange presence will be distributed too much to cause any trouble and we can all have corner rooms.”

Makes sense, I thought and then realized we hadn’t decided on a room for me.

Author Comment:

They discuss their plans for the bomb shelter.

He later has the civil engineering club build a peeping hole.

Record 53: Thinking Again

02/20/1998

21:45

After the Boss’s welcoming party, I was walking home with you and Lady. We would accompany Lady as far as the train station. I would then accompany you to the pharmacy located between the station and my home. Finally, I would accompany myself to my home.

The wind was weak, but the night was cold. We gave some help to a Seasonal Wind drunk and puking on the side of the road before continuing on our way.

“So that Boss guy is a transfer student from Kansai, huh? The times really are changing. That would’ve been unthinkable before. I always assumed Japan would be split my whole life.”

“It was in our second year of middle school that the country was reunited seemingly out of nowhere, wasn’t it?”

Lady turned toward you.

“You don’t have any kind of information on what happened as the 1st Special Duty Officer in charge of intelligence?”

You shook your head with Daitarou in your pocket.

“Unfortunately, no. All I know is that the Tokyo Chancellor’s Officers of the time did something that led up to it. But most of the data on those Officers has been sealed. None of it has been mentioned at international conferences and all of the current 3rd years who were freshmen at the time aren’t talking. I only know the names they used when they left Tokyo.”

“I know that the top level of the Chancellor’s Officers stopped all activities from the start of ’96 until Senpai was given the position of Chancellor based on only the first half of his Mountain training. Even though the reunification was such an important period of time. It’s called the Silent Half Year.”

“Does Senpai know anything about it?”

That was hard to say. He did have a lot of worries. If he did know something, I doubted he would tell us. Because he didn’t want to get us involved.

That did make me kind of sad, though.

Author Comment:

The story of the Boss’s arrival is told elsewhere, but this is the night after.

Not even the current Chancellor’s Officers know much about the incident in Osaka.

Assume that a lot of special circumstances apply there.

Record 100: Even If You Tell Me That

12/23/1998

10:37

I realized something while watching the second term’s closing ceremony.

“Oh, god. I’m still single. As single as can be.”

I walked to the train station, thinking of visiting the next town over. The streetside TV installed at the traffic circle there was playing data about Babel.

Babel was the global broadcast tower being built in Osaka. The corporations were letting the students in Kansai use it first.

To earn that right, the students had formed news teams and were competing in sales in what was known as the Battle of Babel.

The best team that survived to the end would get to use Babel.

The tower stood more than 3km tall and whoever stood at its peak would be the first person to speak to the entire planet.

The final battle had been fought at the start of this month, so the winning team was already known. The scary part was that the winning team was led by a transfer student from Tokyo.

But then the adults intervened.

The details weren’t well known, but the corporate dealings involved in Babel had led a team of corporate adults to compete against the winning student team.

That battle began on the 20th of the month. The last day of their activities would be February 20 and the results would be announced on March 6.

The TV was exploding with speculation and rumor.

No one thought the students had a chance of winning. The way the newscaster talked made it sound like they didn’t want to let the student team win. I was probably imagining that part, though.

“This isn’t about me, so I need to stop assuming 2nd place.”

“2nd place?” someone asked from behind me.

I turned around to find Little Boy. He was wearing a black coat of all things. And since he wore his uniform below that…

“On your way to school? Sensei should be there. She’s dumb enough to only start tidying up the library the day of the closing ceremony, so I doubt she’s done yet.”

“I know. You don’t need to tell me that.”

Oh, so he’d already been there? Since he was emptyhanded, Sensei must have brought her own lunch. I didn’t know how she felt about him, but the end result was the same: this bastard was my enemy.

I considered what to say, but he looked to the TV and asked me something.

“Hey, you know that transfer student from Tokyo that’s making a name for himself in Osaka? Is it true he used to be your classmate? I heard he got some good records on the track team but suddenly quit before the tournament.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I looked away from Little Boy to view the TV. It was showing profiles of the student team members. I looked to the name and photo at the top of the list.

“I don’t know a guy with that name. Or with that expression.”

“I see,” said Little Boy. “Then he must have learned how to take things seriously after moving there.”

He walked past me but looked back for a brief moment.

“Just so you know, we Tokyoites only come in contact with the concept of names when we leave the city or find the person we truly need. Because in this city, strangers have no real connection to us. …That means the #1boy who always made you #2 wasn’t necessary for you.”

“Know-it-all. So are you telling me to be #1?”

“Yes. Because if you become #1, then I get bumped up from #3 to #2. I won’t say that again, so don’t forget it.”

Author Comment:d

Establishing a small connection to the Osaka game.

This takes place at the same time. If you played the game, you should understand what those dates mean.

Record 45: Even So

12/19/1997

21:54

It was nighttime, but I was tying up several trash bags at the entrance to the pharmacy. I questioned why I was doing this when you appeared at the door behind me.

“That’s the last of them. 7 in all. Let’s go throw them out.”

I nodded and listened to your sandaled footsteps on the way to the trash collection area.

“You’re not actually supposed to take it out the night before, you know?” I said.

“But I couldn’t carry all of these out myself tomorrow morning. And my parents are saying tomorrow’s lucky direction is bad or something like that.”

“I see. But couldn’t you have asked Senpai?”

“No, no. I can’t ask him for things like that.”

That was awfully sweet of her. Even if it meant more work for me.

“So what do you like so much about him anyway?”

“Well, if I had to narrow it down, I guess the fact that he shows up when you need him? I know it can be hard to believe, but he’s always talking about how much things worry him. I think he wants someone to get rid of all his worries.”

“And you’ll do that for him?”

“I don’t know if I can, but my Mobilized Writing exists to support someone. So…I hope I can help him.”

“Hm. But what happens once his worries are gone?”

“They never will be. He’s a nonhuman, so I’m sure he’ll always have something to worry about.”

“How long are you planning to be with him?” I replied in exasperation and you smiled bitterly.

“You needed my support when you used to run track, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but now I’m sticking to the comfort zone I’ve found in being Vice Chancellor.”

I came to a stop and found we had returned to the pharmacy.

We hadn’t thrown out any of the trash.

Author Comment:

Cleanup after Record 44.

The protagonist just does what she says, but is that only because he trusts her?

This also touches on his past.

Record 48: Without Getting Rid of Any

01/15/1998

11:46

Today was Coming of Age Day, which was great because it meant we had the day off.

Or we should have, but the school was still open and the dorm students had to do their health examination. That meant I was trudging to school while seeing all the new grownups in their finest clothing.

“Not often you wear a track suit, Senpai.”

I saw Senpai standing at the back of the line with a health examination form in hand.

He would let anyone who showed up cut in front of him, so he was always at the very end of the line. But he seemed to be enjoying it. And you could say that was a leader’s job.

“Stay at the very end long enough and you will automatically be #1 in the very end. Move to the very front, and you lose that position right away. Stay in the back and everyone in front of you clears the way for you on their own. Isn’t that right?”

He could only wait long enough for everyone to clear the way because he was a nonhuman with an undead lifespan. He just had more time to work with.

“So are you worried about your health?” I asked him.

“I am, of course. I must be healthy if I am to worry about others.”

I checked the line he was in and realized it was for donating blood, not the health exam.

I wondered if any nonhuman would want his blood, but then he turned to face me.

“I am not giving my blood to anyone. I am having my blood removed.”

“Eh?”

“When a nonhuman’s blood grows too thick, it slows our reactions. I regularly get rid of some blood so I need not worry about that.”

“Couldn’t you remove it yourself instead of donating it?”

He shook his head and replied looking even more serious than usual.

“We are talking about bloodshed. I can only rest easy if a professional is in charge.”

Aren’t you a pro at cutting people?

Author Comment:

Senpai is a vampire.

Their memories of him oftentimes are related to blood.

Record 103: We’ll Have to Search

01/05/1999

9:17

I had needed to take our New Year’s break by force, but that was over now and I had been going to the Officers’ living room since yesterday. The only people at school right now were the students with club activities, the ones who couldn’t go home for a variety of reasons, and a certain idiot.

“Hey, Professor.”

He turned toward me with a rolled-up diagram under his arm.

“Oh, what brings you here at this time of year? Today is the makeup astronomy exam, so are you here to join them for some kind of masochistic thrill?”

“Nope, I’m just here to punch you. I hear you’re already causing trouble this year. I’m about to raise my fist, so give me a good first scream of the year.”

“I’m sorry to say I have no interest in the imagined Japanese customs your mind has conjured into being. I am about to pour my efforts into researching Psyche Outer devices. Entrance exams begin in the third year, right? So if I can figure out how to activate the mind or increase people’s memories, I’m bound to make a killing.”

“Some of that concerns me, but man, we live in a convenient age.”

“We do, don’t we? The only slight problem is how everything I try just erases the test subject’s memories like I’ve bleached their brain.”

“How is that a slight problem!? And you’ve been experimenting on people!?”

“Not to worry. They lose their memories of the experiment along with the rest, so they are always willing to volunteer again. I am so thankful to have them.”

“Out of curiosity, how do you run these experiments?”

“Strap them to a chair, place a helmet on their head, and bathe them in a visible electrical current for three minutes.”

I punched him out. And…

“Excuse me.”

I turned toward the male voice behind me and saw an elderly man wearing a military coat. His gray hair was slicked back, he had a medium build, and he wore a katana. He was Snowy’s father, the Colonel. I had spoken with him a few times during negotiations between the Chancellor’s Officers and the military. He was pretty famous.

He nodded when he saw me.

“I am here for a parent-teacher conference, so do you know where my daughter is?”

I thought about that, tilting my head. I honestly wasn’t sure since we entered the 2nd year. I knew she lived in the girls’ dorms, but this school’s campus alone had hundreds of girls’ dorm buildings. The student affairs office was on vacation and the dorm mangers would only know about their own building. How could I figure this one out?

Then the Professor took a step forward and faced the Colonel.

“You need someone to summon Snowy?”

The Colonel simply nodded once. The Professor nodded back, pulled a magic marker from his pocket, and approached the nearby student dorm.

“He wrote “Girls’ Dorm” in messy writing on the entrance.

Then he wrote “Snowy” on the entrance door.

“Yes, that all looks right. Time to open it.”

He opened the door to reveal Snowy’s dorm room on the other side. The small room had a bunkbed and two desks by the window. Snowy stood in the center.

She was frozen in place with her eyes on us. For some reason, she was in her underwear. For perhaps the same reason, she held the rest of her clothing in her hands.

“What are you doing, Snowy? If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were changing.”

She didn’t respond at first, until suddenly…

“You pervert among perverts!”

Anything a woman’s hand touches becomes a weapon.

We quickly slammed the door shut and corrected the label with the magic marker.

“ ‘Snowy Mountain’. There, now this door should lead to a frigid mountain peak.”

The killer intent on the other side of the door vanished and I breathed a sigh of relief, but the Colonel tilted his head.

“My daughter has opened up so much. She used to be so shy.”

“She really has,” I said just before the door opened and a fully-dressed Snowy rushed out with a roar of anger. She failed to even notice her father’s presence and left him behind, so the Professor and I fled from the sword-wielding disrespectful daughter.

I looked back to see “idiots” written on the inside of the door in ink calligraphy.

Author Comment:

It doesn’t sound like he got to have much fun during his break.

The fact that he goes to the Officers’ living room first shows you what he considers to be important.

The Colonel shows up too, but it doesn’t seem like he and his daughter interact much at this point.

Record 30: The Time Will Eventually Come

09/02/1997

20:11

I was back at the Mountain.

You and I were the only ones that got off at the mountain station where people pretty much never got off. The others had apparently arrived during the day, so we could see lights on at the dorm higher up the mountain.

You turned toward me with Daitarou on your head in the lights of the unmanned station.

“Looks like Snowy is already here.”

“It does,” I agreed before thinking a bit.

Only those with the best results in the first half of the training had returned for this second half. The next three weeks would be nothing but fixing up our technique and being tested.

The problem was the tournament on the final day.

That was an exam to test the combat skills needed for the top positions.

You were allowed to use weapons, so injuries were always a possibility.

“You aren’t participating, right?” I asked.

“I plan to aim for the 1st Special Duty Officer spot with my writing and some light practical skills. But you want to be Vice Chancellor, so you have your work cut out for you. I heard Snowy wants the same position.”

“That’s gonna be a pain,” I muttered while walking through the station building and stepping outside.

I noticed a few people were walking our way from the Mountain dorm.

I wondered who that was, but then you pulled on my hand.

“Don’t look. I think those are regrets.”

“Regrets from when? Last year?”

“I don’t know,” you replied while we tried out best not to view our surroundings. We talked about all sorts of things while we walked, but something was nagging at me the entire time.

I still didn’t know my Mobilized Writing. Yeah, it still eluded me.

But I knew more or less what it had to be: my fists.

“If you throw a punch, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.”

That was the general idea of the power. That punching power had saved me and other things I cared about when it really mattered. I could wield that power without fear.

But knowing the general idea didn’t mean I could use it freely.

When it worked, it was perfect. When it didn’t, it didn’t work at all. It was either 0 or 100 with nothing in between. How did I have to punch something to make sure I could use it?

“Hey.”

I looked up, thinking that was you, but it was a regret.

By the time I realized I’d been caught, my fist was already moving.

I placed my incomplete Mobilized Writing on my fist to avoid the regret.

If you throw a punch, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

“Nothing?”

It failed. My fist passed through the silhouette and its shadow tangled around my arm.

That’s not good, I thought in a strange calmness, but then you grabbed my arm.

“Stay strong!”

Your urgent voice was followed by your Mobilized Writing.

The motivation behind words is transformed into heat.

Power passed from your words to my fist. That helped me stay strong. I clenched my fist tighter and felt like I was gripping a great power in my hand. In other words…

“I believe I have real power here now.”

Those words told me the simple condition behind my Mobilized Writing.

What did I need to do when I threw a punch if I wanted to use my power?

“Now I have my answer: I must have belief in my heart.”

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

The punch landed.

Author Comment:

This is when the protagonist first used his Mobilized Writing.

My idea is that the Mountain training is a bit different on each mountain.

The Kantou Mountain is generally for the Tokyo region, so the Kansai Mountain will do things differently.

And I think the more you drag around your regrets, the more insistent they become.

Record 114: That is Your Name

02/17/1999

20:21

I ran through the Kanda city at night.

I was pretty obviously running away, but Senpai was pursuing me and any attack from him was terrifying. His Mobilized Writing was a simple thing.

If you cut with belief in your heart, all things will be sliced through by having their molecular word bonds shattered.

Every one of my attacks was sliced through and his words reached me.

“Is running away all you can do?”

Of course it was. Just look at my right arm. The fist was cut and covered in blood.

Yes, it was a simple matter. Senpai and I had similar Mobilized Writings, but his had the additional element of using a weapon. All I could use was a gauntlet.

In a direct clash, he was going to win due to his greater attack power.

What could I even do? I punched the air behind me to launch myself forwards and put some distance between us. Then I heard a phone ringing.

From the left? I looked that way to see a red phone standing on the side of the road and looking at me. I hesitated before running over to it, but it was cut through when I was just a step away.

Damn, I thought when I heard another phone ringing. This phone was further away at about 30m. I felt certain someone was calling me, so I took off running. The wind blew behind me, telling me Senpai was pursuing me, but I somehow knew the phone was more important.

“––––!”

I ran. The phone rang. I reached out my hand, but it was cut through. I heard another phone ringing. It rang two, three, four times, and even more than that. Senpai pursued me from behind while I continued to pursue the ringing phones that were cut down before my eyes.

I had to hurry. I had to be gradually catching up to the voice calling to me. I was almost there. Surely the next one would work. No, it wouldn’t, but the one after that would. I would make sure it did.

I was out of breath and my legs were worn out, but I felt sure I would reach the phone.

I held that belief in my heart, so I had to run, reach out my hand, and remember why I was running.

“I know why! To never be #2 again!”

Yes, I was just a step away. My foot reached the ground and it was still ringing. Did I reach out with my unharmed left hand? No, I used my dominant right hand that I knew I could believe in.

I couldn’t give up, I had to open my fist, reach out that hand, and-

“!!”

For just a moment, I had a flashback to so long ago when I used to run track.

I smiled bitterly. The next thing I knew, the phone receiver was in my hand. I pressed it against my ear and took a breath with Senpai running toward me, seemingly within arm’s reach.

But the voice that reached my ear was far more important. It was yours.

“How are you? Yes, I’m in the bath right now. I borrowed Snowy’s phone.”

“That’s an awfully indecent thing to tell me. But you need to hurry. This is important. I am going to give Senpai, you, and myself what we all want.”

“I see,” you said. And, “Hey, do you remember that promise we made a long time ago? When we first decided to go to the Mountain, I asked you to rescue me just once if I got into the Chancellor’s Officers. And with all your heart.”

I remembered that, but I said something else with my back toward Senpai as he raised his sword.

“Did you say that?”

“I did. But before I did, you asked me to root for you just once if you got into the Chancellor’s Officers. And with all my heart. So since you’re keeping your promise, I’m going to keep mine.”

I heard your Mobilized Writing – the Words of that power you rarely used.

The motivation behind words is transformed into heat.

“We’ve both done everything we can here. So win this! Please!”

I nodded, threw away the receiver, and spun around. I held power in my fist. Both my own power and the power you had given me. Was that more powerful than a sword? No, I didn’t need to think about all that. I just had to throw our power into his.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

Yeah, that’s right. It was time to blow away all of his worries so I could finally be #1!

Author Comment:

I feel like I shouldn’t say anything here.

Because if I say anything, I feel like I would have to say all of it.

Layer 10: People

11/15/1998

20:27

After eating dinner alone and taking a break alone, I realized how bored I was and looked down at the video I had rented.

“ ‘Subway Hijacking from Hell: Round and Round the Loop Line’, huh? ‘There is no escape for them!’ Yeah, there wouldn’t be.”

I checked the clock and found it was still 8.

It was too soon to start the movie. I considered stopping by the convenience store and buying some snacks when someone rapped on the balcony window. I looked over, wondering who that could be at this hour. It was a Night Wind. She was dressed in black and grabbing at the window frame, but her butt was still floating up above the rest of her.

“Um, do you remember me? We met a while back. Can I ask a favor?”

She was blushing and looked troubled, so it didn’t take me long to figure out what this was about.

“Are you hungry?”

“Y-yes. I ended up floating too high up, but I need to start cooling the city soon. I even got separated from the North Wind.”

“Sure, sure. So what do you want to eat? Something cold?”

I sighed and rummaged around the kitchen before making some lettuce salad and a ham sandwich. While I worked, she spoke to me and floated restlessly near the living room ceiling.

“The West Wind told me the person who lived here would help me out if I was in a bind. This place is fairly famous as a distribution center.”

What a thing to be famous for. I covered the sandwich bread with margarine to make sure she wouldn’t be floating again any time soon.

But she called out to me from the living room when she noticed.

“Wait, what are you doing!? I’m already really close to my goal weight! You inhuman monster!”

Not that it matters, but aren’t you the inhuman one here?

Author Comment:

The night wind comes in when you open the window at night.

If you close the window, the night wind disappears and reappears outside.

It doesn’t really matter, but what is up with the self-destructive urge to open the window and let in the chilly winter air even though the heater doesn’t make it all that hot?

Record 14: When I’m With You

05/14/1997

7:30

For some reason, I was riding a train through the mountains first thing in the morning.

A look around showed the seats were mostly empty and you were sleeping next to me.

When I looked up, I saw the bright and sunny sky out the window and the mountains of Tochigi and Ibaraki in the distance.

We were on our way to the Mountain.

That was a training ground for hopeful members of the Chancellor’s Officers governed by the Emergency Teachers and the Religious League. Basically, it was where people were tested to see if they were a top-class student.

I couldn’t believe this. I was actually going there with you.

“Why does she always drag people into her business?”

The first part of the training would have us here until August. And if we did well, we would return in September for a month-long final exam.

In middle school, I heard rumors of people sometimes dying there and no one was serious about going.

The only people from our school going were you, Snowy, and me. You and I had no martial arts experience at all. I had seen in a newspaper before that Snowy’s dad was a colonel in the military that protected Tokyo. Everyone else going here would be more along those lines, I bet.

While I was wondering what to do about this, you collapsed onto your side along the seats without waking up. You had guts for someone heading into such danger.

But I had to wonder if you would have made it this far if I had refused your invitation to go. Could you only sleep like this because I was with you? No, I was being conceited.

“Maybe I should get some sleep too.”

Author Comment:

This would normally be where all the characters are brought together for the reader’s benefit.

But on a train where the stations are few and far between (e.g. I’ve ridden the Inbi Line from Tottori to Okayama (Tsuyama) a few times), the ride can be torture without sufficient skill at blankly watching the scenery go by.

Record 55: I Don’t Know What That Is

03/15/1998

14:25

Lady and I were sent out to prepare for the graduation ceremony. Her job was to play the piano and I was tasked all the odd jobs. This came from the kindness in Sensei’s heart, so I was certain she had chosen me because I looked like I didn’t have anything to do. It was true I could ignore classes and exams since I was in the Chancellor’s Officers, but we were past the exams now.

Anyway, after helping line up the chairs, I approached Lady who was supposed to be playing a piano version of the Tokyo Ondo. Instead, I found the piano had grown a pair of butts. This is the discovery of the century, I thought before realizing the butts belonged to Lady and Sensei. They had opened the piano’s lid and were tuning it. I peeked at their work from above.

“Won’t you just make it worse if you don’t know what you’re doing?”

“We’re not tuning it. The notes weren’t playing right, so we took a look inside.” Lady turned around with dust on her face. “The notes are wandering around inside the piano and never coming out.”

Sensei’s head shot up while she peered inside with a tuning fork in one hand.

“Ah! Th-they’re escaping over- kyah!”

The lid crashed down on her head. She held her head and I stopped the lid so it wouldn’t fall further with its head-shaped support removed. I saw Lady pursuing something, but I held out a hand to stop her.

“You’ll never catch them. They’ll be back by the ceremony anyway.”

“How can you know that? What are they anyway?”

I explained it to quizzical Lady and tearful Sensei.

“Just like us humans, the piano music wants a break after the exams. The piano was used for the music exams, right? It’s taking a break until we actually need it again.”

Author Comment:

They don’t really need to do what Sensei says, so maybe they just wanted to take part in the event.

Sensei can only tell Lady and Me what to do since they’re in her class.

Record 6: Is That Your Voice?

03/11/1997

8:40

Our final exams ended today.

With that over, we only had to wait for the exams to be returned and then graduate. Since these were the last final exams of middle school for us, everyone in the back of the class was exciting themselves with some gamble confinement and other cheating methods that were too difficult to actually pull off.

You had your textbook open for once in the seat next to mine.

You had a really serious look on your face, so I asked about it.

“You already got into the high school you wanted, so what does the exam matter?”

“I don’t like the thought of using that as an excuse to goof off just like the adults assume I will.”

Yeah, that sounded like something you would say.

I sighed and opened my modern Japanese book.

“Our next exam is drawing a flipbook in the corner of our modern Japanese textbook, right?”

“Yes. I’m doing mine on World War Two, but what about you?”

“Like I said before, I’m going to draw someone eating an extra-large serving of tempura but in reverse. They’ll be pulling more and more food out of their mouth with the chopsticks and lining it up on the plate. How does that sound?”

“What is it with you and those gross things?”

“Jealous, aren’t you?”

Not even I was sure why she would be, but then I took a look around. The class was getting pretty unruly, but today was a special case. This might be how we always wanted to act, but we couldn’t contain ourselves today. And there was no going back either.

That was the thought on my mind when the door opened and our homeroom teacher entered.

“It’s time for your exam, but flipbook topics in this category are banned for being vulgar.”

He wrote “anything in reverse” on the chalkboard.

Who’s the spy? I wondered as you started laughing.

Author Comment:

School textbooks are mostly just for doodling in, if you ask me.

I can’t remember a Japanese or music textbook where the faces of the authors and musicians remained unmolested.

Bach’s was detailed and large, so it was a common target.

A friend of mine in film studies did the reverse eating thing. The guy pulled the food from his mouth, lined it up in his lunchbox, wrapped that up, carried it to the convenience store, and received money for it.

Record 28: Accept It All

08/30/1997

15:00

In the lobby of the city’s central library, you and I showed each other the letters saying we had passed our Mountain entrance exams. Mine was colored red since I had taken the fieldwork exam and yours was colored blue because you had taken the intelligence exam. We had both scored an “excellent” with a decorative flower drawn around it.

“So I got in with my brains and you with your brawn.”

“That makes it sound like I’m going to be your gofer.”

“Of course it does,” you said with a shameless smile. You had books piled up on the table in front of us and you would have a ton more paper tests to take once we were at the Mountain. I could tell you were going to be working just as hard as me.

Then the lobby TV displayed an image of the sky.

The footage was from Chofu’s airport. A ton of transfer students were arriving from Kansai today, so Senpai would be there leading the Chancellor’s Officers.

You and I watched the footage on TV. The newscaster discussed how Japan had been split between east and west by the students, how it had been reunified, and how a minority of students were being exchanged between the east and west.

A line of boys and girls left the plane and boarded a bus. None of them smiled toward the camera. They all looked nervous.

You tilted your head while watching it. Your eyes were on the last person to leave the plane. He was driving a large white Caddy – a classic car.

“Driving without a license? There are some weird people in Kansai.”

A voice from behind replied to your comment.

“What does it matter if they don’t cause any trouble? I just hope that car’s word exhaust doesn’t pollute our literature.”

We looked back to see Snowy. She stretched and walked toward the back of the library, holding a letter the same color as mine.

Author Comment:

A number of things here connect to later events.

The official interactions between Kansai and Kantou end up on the news like this. They will be freer to move back and forth afterwards.

Record 77: I Will Tell You Everything

08/17/1998

21:30

It was awful. Nights weren’t meant to be so hot. Stupid summer season.

The Boss and I were soaking our feet in a washbasin in the sweltering Officers’ living room and Lady had stopped moving over on the windowsill.

Why was this happening? The A/C was broken.

It had suddenly stopped working during the morning and hadn’t started back up since.

There was nothing to be done about it, so the Boss and I were watching TV. The current program was talking about the Battle of Babel being held in Osaka. The student news competition over who got to use Babel first was reaching its second half and the representatives were competing in a number of media. I even saw a familiar face among those students.

“I thought I hadn’t seen him in a while.”

“What, is a friend of yours competing?”

“I doubt he remembers me since I was always running behind him. But you never know what people are going to do, do you? He was always #1, but he must have seen things differently.”

“Could you say the same thing about Senpai?” asked the Boss.

I raised my head. He looked the same as always thanks to his sunglasses, so I relaxed my shoulders.

“He’ll be fine. He has someone by his side.”

The Boss simply nodded and looked back to the TV. The reporter said the students would start providing support for Babel while it was under construction, but didn’t that mean they were providing free construction labor?

“Eh, that’s more useful than boiling alive in here.”

My comment earned a response from Lady who was still sitting on the windowsill.

“But this is our job, so- oh.”

“What happened? Something joyfully thrilling?”

“No. A mosquito bit me.”

She brushed back her hair and got down from the windowsill. She showed me the inside of her right arm and there was indeed a small red mark on her skin.

“I’m not supposed to scratch it, am I? Do you have any itch cream?”

“Only an awful kind the Professor made. It directly transfers the scratching sensation to your brain, so it feels like having a monkey clawing inside your head. Letting it heal naturally is the only path to survival.”

“Let me guess, he called it something like the Itchy Ape.”

“Close but no cigar. It’s called Dangerous Itchcraft.”

“I don’t want it no matter what it’s called. Do you have any normal medicine?”

“What counts as normal? Besides, why would we have mosquito medicine in a room that normally has the window closed to keep the cool air-conditioned air inside?”

She groaned in thought, her hand reaching toward the mosquito bite before she quickly pulled it back.

“O-oh, no. It’s starting to feel funny.”

“And you’re starting to act funny.”

That earned me several punches from behind. In front of me, the Boss nodded in an exasperated way.

“Fine. Then I’ll scratch it for you.”

“Stay back! Don’t you dare touch me!”

“Oh, c’mon. This is a form of sketchy spiritual treatment where you cast out the itchiness through another person’s intervention.”

“Don’t call it sketchy yourself. Really, me punching the itchiness out would be better than- oh, yeah.”

I turned toward Lady and held up my clenched fist for her to see. She realized what I meant.

“Y-you mean, you’re going to punch me?”

“It’ll only last a moment, so bear with it please.”

She held out her right arm and squeezed her eyes shut.

This felt weird, but I readied my fist all the same.

“I’m here to take over for the night shif- what the hell are you doing!?”

I turned around to see Snowy standing in the newly opened door with her sword drawn. Great, another excessive heat source.

Author Comment:

More air conditioner stuff.

I quite like washbasins. They cool you off different from an air conditioner.

The problem is how I always end up splashing the water around for fun.

This is also an unusual one where the protagonist reveals something about his past. Is this something he can only do under the very restrictive circumstances of being with a boy his own age who’s having some trouble?

Record 37: Trust in That and Run

10/10/1997

10:38

The athletic festival had begun. Once this was over, we wouldn’t have any more major events until the school festival in November. This was also my first job on the Chancellor’s Officers. I needed to find all the flaws I would need to correct before the school festival.

The “All Boys Group Gymnastics w/ Lots of Wardrobe Malfunctions” event had just ended, so the audience had thinned out considerably.

I heard the departing ambulance’s siren in the distance while I spoke to Snowy wearing a track suit next to me.

“The main event is the 42.195km high jump, right?”

“The what?” She glanced over at me with a frown.

“You haven’t heard of it? It’s a pretty famous event. They take a 42.195km approach run to accelerate and then do a high jump. The longer approach run means more acceleration, which helps them relax their form and get better records.”

“That must require patience. I can see why it has to be the main event, though.”

Some people in a rather crazy outfit of a lab coat over a track suit were crouched here and there.

“What are they doing?”

It wasn’t Snowy who answered me.

“They are digging up the landmines used for the obstacle course this morning.”

I turned around to see the Professor.

Snowy took a step toward him and then turned toward me.

“Who is he? He looks extremely suspicious.”

“You always speak your mind, don’t you?”

“My mother taught me to be honest. So who is this?”

The question was directed at me, but the Professor answered with a smile.

“Interesting. Summing up my entire being with the simple concept of ‘this’? Not bad at all. You should know that ‘this’ is the school’s freshman general science representative.”

“I had no idea ‘this’ was so important,” I said.

“Is ‘this’ a friend of yours?” asked Snowy.

“Yeah. I met ‘this’ at a ramen place. He’s been very ‘this’ ever since.”

“I see. I would say your ‘this’ is more ‘this’, but I suppose this is fine,” said the Professor.

“It is, is it?”

“It is. I can’t afford to spend any more time on your idiocy. I have a job to do.”

“A job? Oh, removing the landmines?”

He shrugged.

“To be honest, there is a lot more than just that. For example, the dwelling of an ancient god was dug up last year, which caused quite a commotion.”

“No one’s going to believe that discovery for a second. Congrats.”

“I have heard there was a metal door installed on the ground in the back of that dwelling with the word ‘top secret’ written in cutesy writing. Everyone who opened it laughed so hard they nearly shit out their guts. I was so hoping we could find a discovery of that caliber in my generation.”

“They did rebury that place, I hope?”

“Yes, but when digging up the dirt to bury it, they found another door. This one said ‘Winner! Have another for free!’ on it.”

“Is everything buried around here awful?”

“With all the feet packing the ground down here, thousands or tens of thousands of years’ worth of history are compressed into a flat area.”

We were interrupted by a whistle.

We looked over to see a runner falling to the mat with the high jump bar in his arms.

“A foul, huh?” I muttered and Snowy nodded.

“But he still has a chance. That was only his first jump.”

Author Comment:

The athletic festival. They’re doing some similar things to Osaka.

Snowy is the type who questions her orders but still obeys them, which seems like a stressful way to live if you ask me.

Record 106: I am Sure You Will Understand

01/27/1999

11:21

It was Wednesday, middle of the week. I had gone to the Officers’ living room instead of going to class. Senpai, Snowy, Lady, and I were gathered in the central conference room.

Senpai sat at the head of the table, his arms crossed below the fluorescent lights.

“Why are one of the aides and two of the Special Duty Officers missing?”

“They said they had to either be a lecturer or a lab rat for their classes. Should I call them here?”

“No. This topic is mainly for the fieldwork and PR teams that often head out on jobs with me. I will inform the others when the need arises.”

Snowy frowned at that.

“Will the others join us if we mobilize our full force?”

Senpai nodded.

“So what is this about?” I asked.

He opened his mouth to answer me.

“Things are getting strange in Kansai. Regarding Babel, of course.”

After a pause, Snowy crossed her arms and Lady adjusted her position in her seat. I turned on the TV.

The screen showed the same thing it always did nowadays: that tower sticking up into the sky. The Battle of Babel news competition was still ongoing. But now it was being fought between the corporate side and the student side.

After she pondered that in silence, Snowy opened her mouth.

“This is a spark of conflict, isn’t it? If Babel is completed and falls into an Osaka corporations’ hands, the power balance will shift to the west despite the reunification, won’t it?”

“Yes, it all comes down to the corporations. The smaller corporations that built our foundation during the east-west split are having their market stolen by larger corporations after the reunification. If Babel is completed during that chaos, the power will shift westward. And the corporation that owns Babel will be able to take the lead by advertising on a global scale.”

“B-but isn’t that inevitable at this point? Babel has been built, so the power balance is going to the west no matter what.”

“There are two ways of preventing it. The first is to destroy Babel. The other is to force Osaka to start a conflict similar to the Kinki Riot, restrict Osaka’s influence, and divide the east and west again. If we tried to eliminate the corporation that owns Babel, I expect Kansai would choose the former since they are closer to Babel and Kantou would choose the latter for the opposite reason. Then the chaos in the unified market would return to normal.”

“But why would they try to do that to Tokyo?”

“The student representative fighting in the Battle of Babel is a transfer student from Tokyo. I can easily imagine there are Kansai students who are less than fond of him. What if they are coming to Tokyo to vent their frustrations? And what if the Chancellor’s Officers keep stopping them, so they get mad and things escalate?”

I smiled bitterly as I spoke. I thought back to when I had run track. That boy had once shown me his back, but what was on his mind while he fought in Osaka now? I still had my hands full as #2 here.

And Senpai, my current #1, asked a question while viewing the tower on the TV.

“Doesn’t this situation worry you?”

Lady let out a resigned sigh.

“It is true Japan is focused on Osaka because of Babel. Which means there is less focus on Tokyo.”

Senpai uncrossed his arms.

I switched off the TV without a word and Senpai stood up.

“I hear three UN Knight Strikers have gone missing in Osaka. And I also hear some large weapons have been ‘stolen’. Be ready to take action at any moment.”

He left the room, leaving us with just one more thing.

“I will contact you when the time comes.”

Author Comment:

They discuss information related to Babel and some other things that were off limits before.

Based on Snowy and Lady’s reactions, I think they had either suspected the truth or had detected it in their own way. (Lady also seems to have told Sensei about the issues related to Kansai and Kantou.)

Record 84: A Meeting

10/02/1998

11:30

The athletic festival was coming up soon. We had learned our lesson last year, so we were planning much more aggressive tactics this year. Instead of going to class, we were gathered around a map of the general sports ground in the conference room.

Snowy and you placed red chips on the map to indicate the arrangement of personnel and I determined where to place the security cameras.

“My patrol route needs space to swing a long weapon.”

“But our additional personnel should be arriving soon. Y’know, that second Vice Chancellor’s aide arriving from the Mountain. Will he make it in time for the athletic festival?”

“Don’t ask me,” said Lady and the Boss. Those two hadn’t taken part last year, so they were the ones asking most of the questions. They sat side by side across the table from me where they viewed the schedule.

“Hey, what’s this Steel Ball Rolling event on the 3rd day?”

“The classes compete by rolling a 3m steel ball along the 10km perimeter of the general sports ground. Things tend to get dicey around the corners.”

“I-is that safe? Won’t they be going really fast to get 1st place?”

“The real threat is the class in last place. They get desperate and start sending their ball in some crazy directions. It is amusing seeing the spectators running for their lives, though.”

“Let me guess, you made that happen with your Mobilized Writing last year?”

“I call it unplanned audience participation.”

“So do we need to reinforce the corners? I have noticed the walls getting so tall it looks like a colosseum,” said the Boss.

You nodded and checked the schedule.

“Is anyone here participating in the 24 Hour Endurance Secret Talent Tournament starting midday on the 4th day?”

“I was thinking of it,” I said.

Everyone gave me looks that said “what are you plotting this time??” before the door opened and Sensei entered.

“Um, is this where I find the Chancellor’s Officers?”

“Perfect timing, Sensei. Stand right there so I can demonstrate my secret talent. I’ve been training this one since elementary school, so it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of thing.”

I gently patted Sensei on the back. Everyone watched with bated breath, a few seconds passed, and then Sensei held her arms around her chest and crouched down.

“Eh? Huh? W-wait!”

A moment later, Snowy realize what had happened.

“You removed it!? That quickly!? That is indeed a fearsome talent!”

“Eh? Eh? What happened? C’mon, tell me.”

No one could blame Lady for not understanding, but I could see Sensei looking tearfully up at me while crouched on the ground.

“Umm, are you mad?” I asked.

She sobbed with tears on her cheeks. Uh, oh.

I felt all the girls’ gazes stabbing into my back while I tried to pick Sensei up. My plan was to carry her to the locker room and try to calm her there, but just as I crouched down, the toe of a sneaker entered the corner of my vision.

If you throw a kick with belief in your heart-

I noticed this Mobilized Writing was similar to mine, but it was already too late. There was no blocking this, so I focused on dodging. After seeing the kicking leg fly past me, I saw the short black-haired boy it belonged to. He wore a black school uniform and he pulled back his kicking leg.

“Looks like my new superior has some behavioral issues to work out. Listen up: I will now be looking after you as a Vice Chancellor’s aide. I am in Class 1-B and my name is-”

“I dub thee Little Boy.”

The backhand blow I threw in reply sent the overly talkative idiot flying. A solid punch was the best medicine for an ill-behaved underclassman. After punching him, I stripped him naked, dragged him around the halls, and then left in the schoolyard before returning.

“What was that? Who was that?” asked the others.

Sensei responded to that while still crouched on the ground waiting for me.

“I’m not telling you until you apologize.”

I already gave him a name, so what more is there to know?

Author Comment:

Preparing for the athletic festival.

They’re again discussing events like those in Osaka, so I don’t think Tokyo is much different during a festival.

By the way, removing a bra is all about instantaneous grip strength.

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.”

“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?

Record 115: I Doubt You Remember

02/18/1999

3:04

The next thing I knew, I was seated on a riverbank. The river had to be Underground Tokyo’s Tama River. The terrain I could see on the ceiling was probably Fuchu.

I shut my eyes, feeling chilled.

It was awful. I regretted it, just like Senpai said I would.

And I had no idea why Senpai had needed to ensure this happened, just like Senpai had wanted.

I had fought in ignorance and was left only with regret afterwards.

All evidence and testimony had vanished along with Senpai. He had protected Babel, the east and the west, and us. But we had lost something so important.

“Is this what it means to be #1? No, I bet it’s always been like this.”

Yes, it always had been. Because I had been defeating all of the people at #3 and below to reach this point. I just hadn’t felt this regret because I had been focused on my goal of becoming #1.

Now that I was #1, I finally didn’t have anything to look ahead to and could look back. That was where I found the regret. So if Senpai had wanted me to feel regret, he must have…

“Wanted me to be #1.”

I thought back. No, the memory came unbidden.

After my fist had blown away Senpai’s worries, he had collapsed. When I ran over to him and propped him up, he smiled at me.

It was the same smile I had once seen in a photograph.

He spoke before I could say anything.

“This is just like that one time. You were about to apologize for stopping me, weren’t you? But I wanted to be stopped and you wanted to stop me, so why apologize?”

He let go of his sword and touched the wound on my cheek.

“It doesn’t have to be now. You have plenty of time. So don’t apologize. And…wield your power.”

His smiling lips spoke my name. Or I thought they did.

Back in the present, where I sat on the riverbank, my lap was covered in white ashes spread from left to right. Those Live cinders were the evidence that something had been here. They were shockingly light when I scooped them up in my hands. This must have been where the worries I got rid of were located.

“I’m sorry.”

Why was he gone all of a sudden?

Why did he have to force this position onto me?

He had always been thinking about us because he cared for us.

I grabbed up the ashes and ate them. I swallowed the ones caked onto the inside of my cheeks and then realized I was breathing heavily. Something warm was dripping from the cheek wound Senpai had given me. A sobbing breath escaped me.

“I’m sorry.”

We were so selfish. Why had we both wanted this for each other?

I ate the white mountain quivering in the air above my hands.

It felt like chewing on paper, but it was flavorless and it melted away in my mouth. So I swallowed it. It passed down my throat like I was gulping down air.

I did it again. I grabbed Senpai with the hand that usually formed a fist.

I bit into him and ate him. My dry mouth couldn’t swallow the ashes without chewing them.

“I’ve been so awful to you.”

I had been jealous, researched his nonhuman species, sympathized with his power, decided we were rivals, and fought him like I was somehow the victim.

“I never gave a thought to how you must feel.”

As #1, had he felt regret for pushing aside #2 and all the rest? There was no way of knowing anymore.

“Could I have found the answer if I had ever caught up to you?”

I couldn’t forget him. I wouldn’t let myself. I couldn’t replace this memory of regret with some whitewashed fake. But I decided to spend some time away. I decided to erase my memories to completely erase all evidence, just like he had wanted.

But I couldn’t let myself forget everything. I needed to find a way of erasing my memories that let me remember it all when the time came that I needed the power of #1 – when this city he had tried to protect was at risk.

Until the time came that I could feel this regret but not feel the need to apologize to him. Because that was what we wanted.

Author Comment:

Reaching an understanding is about “digesting” the thoughts you find inside yourself.

Layer 11: Night

11/15/1998

8:45

Lady returned when Sensei left after morning homeroom. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and sat next to me.

“So how was work?” I asked her.

“Complicated. We ended up heading out to the city. I even looked at Kanda’s Sein Frau after the incident.”

She loosened her scarf and sighed before collapsing onto the desk and looking to me with her face resting on the wooden surface.

“You remember the time-telling Sein Frau from that job during that one summer night?”

Her glasses slipped off her ear and I heard the glass fall onto the desk.

“The old man who manages her said she’s going to be disposed of next August. He said she loves looking at the stars, but nothing can be done about it.”

I waited for her to say more and she finally did.

“I made an arrangement of her music from the day she broke. I created a 30-second taste of the song she sang when the stars were overhead at 8 PM. Any more than that and the song breaks.”

She shut her eyes and asked me if she was deceiving the Sein Frau. I thought about it before answering.

“The way I see it is…you gave her 30 seconds more time to see the stars. If you did that just to get her thanks, then maybe you were deceiving her. But if not…I guess it depends on the result.”

“I see.” She nodded. “But if she’s lost, we can never know the result.”

I said “sorry”, even though it was meaningless and she shut her eyes again.

“I’m going to sleep until Sensei’s class. Can you take notes for me?”

“I’ll try, but that too depends on the result. I might lose them.”

Author Comment:

I think Lady ends up with the most odd jobs.

This inconvenience hits her at day and night because her jobs are the hardest to pass onto someone else.

Also, this automaton is mentioned from time to time.

Record 12: It Appeared Before Me

04/29/1997

20:22

The trick to shopping at the supermarket was to stubbornly wait around until the day’s dinner ingredients were marked half off. I was on my way home with plastic bags packed full of stuff. I was about to turn the last corner before my apartment when I heard a female voice from the side.

“Excuse me.”

Afraid it was a solicitor or a monster, I kept my eyes dead ahead while asking what they wanted.

“Well, I am from the city hall and I was wondering if you had a screwdriver. I’m out of flatheads due to a mix up.”

“Yeah, I have one. And it’s just about at its expiration date, so hurry up and use it.”

I turned around to find a girl in a black work jumpsuit. She accepted the screwdriver with a half-off sticker I pulled from one of my bags and she started working on the gas lamp standing between two trees on the side of the road. After a while, she breathed a sigh of relief, I heard the sound of flowing gas, and a blue flame lit in the lamp.

“Good. That had been clogged up since last year. Oh, but I used up your screwdriver. Is there any other way I can thank you?”

“No need. I wouldn’t have even bought it if it wasn’t half off.”

“It must be difficult living on such a small budget you need to eat nearly-expired food.”

“Knowing someone from city hall cares is enough for me.”

“Of course we care. When you return to your apartment, step out onto the balcony. You will find my thanks there.”

I wondered how she knew I lived in an apartment and I stepped out onto the balcony when I got home. I found a bunch of out-of-season snow falling from the sky.

I looked around in awe and found a small glass bowl and a can of adzuki beans on the railing. Was this what city hall did?

Author Comment:

Does the cherry blossom front move because the cherry blossoms are blooming?

Or do the cherry blossoms bloom because the cherry blossom front is moving?

I think the snowfall front has a similar issue.

Record 29: Sometimes Scared

08:31/1997

22:51

I was going to the Mountain tomorrow. I considered leaving a note for my parents who were overseas neglecting their kid, but what was the point? I had to be on the 4:30 train tomorrow morning. Was that the first one of the day?

I decided to get to bed early and switched on the TV to check the forecast.

“A typhoon is landing?”

When I focused my ears, I could indeed hear booming footsteps and a thundering humming voice mixed in with the pouring rain and blowing wind.

I wanted to take a look outside, but you weren’t supposed to. Those were the rules.

A little peek wouldn’t hurt, right? No, I really shouldn’t. While I debated with myself, the footsteps outside stopped and I heard a loud “oops”.

Oops what?

“Eh, it’ll be fine.”

What’ll be fine? Don’t tempt me like this.

Before I could figure out whether to look or not, you called me.

“H-hey, a-aren’t you curious?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe, but if you look, it decides it has an audience and won’t move on until it does its full show. I guess that’s why they call it an enthusiastic high-pressure system.”

The footsteps and humming resumed outside, but it was gradually growing more distant.

“Didn’t someone fall for this feigned departure last year?”

“They did.” There was a smile in your voice. “But this means the weather will be good tomorrow, right?”

Author Comment:

Last year (’04) was a bad year for typhoon damage.

I tend to think of typhoons in an anthropomorphic way and most mythologies treat them similarly.

It really doesn’t matter, but the title of the song Giant Step came to mind while I was writing this. I’ve completely forgotten who sings it, though.

Record 87: Realizing the Answer

10/15/1998

21:28

The athletic festival was progressing smoothly, despite the injuries, destruction, and structural collapses. The ball-rolling event was looking like it would be a lot less devastating than last year since it was using soft balls now, but then a bunch of students decided to start throwing them as hard as they could, causing far more damage than before. Getting these things just right was difficult.

After completing my preparations for the final day tomorrow, I didn’t feel like getting changed or heading home, so I cut across the athletic ground to get some shuteye in the Officers’ living room.

On my way toward the school building, I noticed a light on in our classroom.

Wondering what that was about, I climbed the emergency stairs and entered the building. I peeked into the classroom to see Sensei and Lady inside.

They had a thick stack of documents on the teacher’s desk and they were discussing something while drawing diagrams and writing on the chalkboard.

My intuition told me they were trying to summon a spirit, so I threw open the door.

“Wait! Haven’t you ever heard of a Faustian bargain!?”

They only gave me a quick glance before turning back toward the chalkboard and resuming their writing.

“U-u-um, why are you ignoring me?”

“Because we always do? And why are you still in your track suit?”

“Change out of that dirty thing already.”

“You’re the boss,” I said, starting to change then and there, but a piece of chalk flew through the air and stabbed into the side of my head. I turned to see them both staring at the chalkboard.

“What are you two doing?”

Sensei turned toward me and held up one of the documents on her desk. It was a map.

“I’m having her tell me about the changes that have come about due to the reunification. There’s a lot most people don’t know about this.”

“Yeah, and that goes double for idiots like you- ow! Was that an eraser!?”

“There aren’t any obstacles like there are during class, so I don’t have to hold back.”

“Are the other students nothing but obstacles to you? Anyway, why are you asking Lady about this?”

“I can get the Emergency Teachers’ help with this too, but with the Chancellor’s Officers, I can get a picture from a student perspective.”

“Yeah, an adult perspective wouldn’t be a good fit for you- ow!”

“The red chalk is a curveball. The blue is a forkball, the black a knuckleball, and the clear one disappears.”

Sensei looked delighted and Lady looked impressed.

“You’re good at this, Sensei.”

“I am.” Sensei held chalk in both hands. “Because I practiced good and hard. I’ve been staying late every day recently honing my skills.”

“Is that why we keep finding pieces of chalk when we clean the classroom?”

“Y-you must be lying. I always cleaned up after myself.”

“You expect me to believe you know how to clean up properly?” I asked.

Lady lowered her head before Sensei could say anything to her.

Sensei looked her way for a moment.

“…”

Then she turned back toward me, thought for a bit, and finally pointed a piece of chalk at me.

“I-it’s the kids’ fault for not catching the chalk properly during training.”

“That’s the best excuse you could come up with after all that thinking!? And no one ever told me you practice throwing chalk with your students.”

“I-I didn’t want to ruin the surprise.”

“I didn’t want this surprise. And isn’t there anything more useful you could be practicing?”

“Eh? Ummm, like what?”

“Lady, you tell her what she needs.”

Lady quickly looked up and alternately between Sensei and me.

“Eh? N-no fair! Why do I have to say something so mean!?”

That’s pretty mean already.

Author Comment:

At my school, a group threw fastballs into the faculty tent during the ball-toss game and that game was canceled the following year. We did the game where you knock over poles every year, though.

This one also shows how great Sensei is at not thinking things through.

Record 62: But It’s So Simple

15/14/1998

20:05

I had a headache and I knew exactly why.

“That was too many movies. You definitely shouldn’t watch them at 16x speed even if your backlog is piling up. Those kiss scenes looked more like headbutting competitions.”

I concluded this was eyestrain and checked inside the first-aid kit.

“Hades A headache eliminator. The tagline for these are ‘half of Hades is hesitation’, right? Is the other half hard work or something?”

Who would take this stuff?

I walked through the chilly spring night to reach your pharmacy. Each step felt like it was shaking my head vigorously side to side, making me feel funny.

When I arrived at the pharmacy, I found it was already closed for the night.

I had no choice but to try ringing the residential doorbell.

“Excuse me, but I’m out of medicine.”

“Oh, you. You just bought some weird headache pills for a cold, didn’t you? Let me guess, you didn’t take them. You chicken.”

I smiled bitterly at your assessment.

“Be that as it may, I could really use something. I can’t go on like this.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“My head.”

“And water is wet.”

“Yeah, but it’s gotten way worse tonight.”

“I-it has? Now I’m a little afraid to be near you.”

“I think there’s been a miscommunication.”

“There probably has. Anyway, wait just a bit and I’ll grab something for you.”

“Sure, sure.”

I was left to wait all alone in the night.

I stared into the sky where the East Wind was floating by. That signaled the changing of the season. All of a sudden, someone was standing in front of me: the Professor. When he saw me, he pushed up his glasses.

“What brings you here? Sick? In pain? Then I have a piece of advice: serves you right. Or are you not here for that? This is an incredible discovery: an idiot who goes to pharmacies when he doesn’t need medicine.”

“What a coincidence. I’ve made a discover of my own: a previously reclusive baboon walking around the city on its hind legs.”

“Oh? Oh? Now you’ve said it. I’m not giving you any of this headache medicine anymore.”

“I didn’t want your defective drugs anyway. Wait, how did you know that’s what I’m here for?”

“You really are stupid. Think back on everything you walked by on the way here and the answer will reveal itself to you.”

“Huh, so did the Night Wind or something tell you?”

“No, I just have your room bugged.”

I jabbed him in the throat and then grabbed him by the collar.

“Tell me where this bug is located.”

“Oh? And what will you do once you find it?”

“Attach it to the end of a septic truck pump. I hope the extremely aggressive noises that provides traumatize you for life.”

“No, thanks. Now, try to calm down and drink the contents of this bottle. This is the latest headache medicine. I promise you your current headache will soon be a thing of the past.”

“Really?”

“Yes. As a headache medicine, it gives you such a powerful headache no ordinary one can ever compare.”

I punched the idiot until I was satisfied, but then the door opened behind me and you stepped out. You didn’t even glance over at the Professor.

“Here’s your medicine. It’s very effective.”

“What does it do? It doesn’t give me a headache, does it?”

“Why would it do that? But…it might make you a little more normal.”

The Professor looked up from where he lay flat on the ground.

“That would be a real shame.”

Author Comment:

A movie joke and some other stuff. A slice of life story.

My friend once played a septic truck pump sound over the school announcements. It didn’t end well for him, so I wouldn’t recommend trying it.

Record 34: I Don’t Really Know

10/01/1997

17:30

It was the day after the Mountain closing ceremony. We had stayed an extra day for the process of joining the Chancellor’s Officers. My instructor left the Mountain and went off somewhere the day I defeated Snowy, so I was stuck doing that process and all the other work on my own.

Once I was finally freed from it all that evening, the dorm manager gave me a handmade carving of a bear and I started home.

I walked between wooden buildings with the forest and mountains in the background. After passing through the dirt clearing, I found the mountain road. Two people were standing there already: you and Snowy.

Were you two waiting for me?

I adjusted the luggage on my back and picked up my pace to catch up.

Snowy turned around and walked on ahead without a word.

I exchanged a glance with you and then looked to Daitarou on your head.

He looked me in the eye and tilted his head while you smiled below him.

“This has gotten weird, hasn’t it?”

“Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Maybe so. We still don’t have some officers, like the head of PR, so they say we’ll have some additions later on. Until then, all that extra work will be forced onto us.”

“We’ll manage.”

I started to walk and Snowy looked back when she heard my footsteps.

“Hard to believe.”

“That I became Vice Chancellor?”

“No.” She faced forward again. “That I became the Vice Chancellor’s aide.”

“You didn’t want to be?”

“It wasn’t my goal.”

She sure sets her sights high, I thought, but was that only because I had won? No, it wasn’t.

“If it were me, I’d be glad I got to be the aide at least. It’s better than nothing, right?”

“Do you feel the same way about your position as Vice Chancellor?”

I thought about that. And…

“Yeah, I do”

Snowy turned toward me again and smiled bitterly.

“You set your sights high, don’t you? People like that scare me most of all.”

“Wh-what are you talking about?”

“My goal here was to be Vice Chancellor, but what about you? Were you okay with any role you got? Training with that mindset is the same as having no limit to your goals. And…” She took a breath. “It means you want to be anything and everything.”

She faced forward and resumed walking. I honestly didn’t think what she was saying fit me as I walked after her.

We reached the end of the forest and the city lights came into view in the distance. The sun had already set, so the western sky was simply colored red. You walked up next to me.

“The mountains are dangerous at night. Daitarou is nervous, so we need to hurry home.”

You passed me, tapped Snowy on the back and pushed her. She gave you a look of surprise, gave me the same, and smiled bitterly.

The wind blew as her bitter smile took off running.

It was the West Wind.

“So it is already autumn in the mountain,” noted Snowy while she ran.

Yes, we had been in the mountains for a long while. We had experienced a spring and summer so unlike what we knew from Tokyo.

We ran toward the lights visible in the distance. There was a train station there and a train there would take us to Tokyo.

If we hurried, we might make it in time to see the end of the Tokyo summer.

Author Comment:

Snowy doesn’t change her behavior much depending on whether she accepts you or not.

Maybe because her actions and her surroundings so rarely change.

Record 79: When the Dance Begins

08/23/1998

19:15

The city and the school worked together to hold an escape-the-heat bon festival. The cornerstone of the competition was the 130R corner on the west end of the schoolyard, but the ground collapsed there and the leading group crashed. An unpredictable chain reaction was beginning.

The signal atop the starting line festival tower was still red. The ref gave his ruling by forming an X with the drumsticks held over his head. Seeing that, all of the contestants came to a stop in their yukatas and geta.

A discussion was underway over whether the bon dance would resume, but the atmosphere was heavy.

We were on security duty and we had encountered another issue. Maybe it was due to the crash, but we received word of a hole in the small mountain behind the general school building.

The Boss called me there.

“They say it’s a bomb shelter. I hope it doesn’t collapse.”

We slipped between the yukata-wearing people to go check.

The representatives of the different groups were butting heads and arguing in front of the pit and a few groups were already starting to withdraw.

The broadcast committee had split into a few different teams with TV cameras to report on what was going on at each location.

“Yes.” The boss took a look around. “The night dew changes the road surface. If they start up again, they’ll need to swap out their normal geta for rain geta.”

“Yeah, our schoolyard is so old it has drainage issues.”

When we walked by the school building, we passed a pit crew carrying new geta just like the Boss had said. I felt a little bad after seeing how much of a rush they were in.

Back behind the school building was a small mountain covered in trees. I had thought it was only any useful when using the incinerator or cleaning, but…

“What took you?” asked Snowy and Lady who were in yukata and must have been waiting for us.

Lady must have been in a hurry because she had brought a melodica from the music room instead of her usual keyboard. We stopped in front of those two.

“Where are the others?”

“Taking over the security work. Senpai told us to handle this on our own.”

“I see,” I said while turning my attention to the square hole in the slope. The Boss viewed the edge of the hole.

“This is artificial. There’s cement or something down there.”

“It’s a secret base,” I said.

“If we can get in it,” added Snowy.

I asked her what she meant.

“The shadows are too dense for us to enter. I tried to use my Mobilized Writing and pull it out as a weapon, but it didn’t work.”

“I’ve managed to confirm it’s spreading into the space around here, but I don’t know how far it will spread,” said Lady.

I heard cheers from the school building, so the bon dance must have been back on.

“We need to deal with this quick if we don’t want to miss the festival.” I thought about the issue. “So Snowy couldn’t grab it and pull it out with her Mobilized Writing because the postwar shadows are packed in there too tight.”

“Could the air hole meant to let it out also be blocked up?”

Lady showed off the air hole on the bottom of the melodica and I nodded.

“So we just take the reverse route and break an air hole into the entrance.”

I readied my fist, took a breath, and swung it toward the shadows.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

I felt the blow land and the shadows were blown away like a gasping breath.

Then I heard an explosion and a wave of screams from near the school building.

“Huh?”

I pulled my fist back and looked over to see Lady’s exasperated face.

“The shadows must have erupted from the 130R corner.”

Author Comment:

The bon dance.

They search the bomb shelter later and then remodel it.

Lady is playing a melodica here, but her power actually works even without any music.

She just seems to like using a keyboard, so she doesn’t like using a flute or a guitar.

Record 32: Are There Other Great Powers?

09/21/1997

18:30

When my attack hit Snowy during our Mountain final exam, she collapsed and had to be carried to the medical building. I was celebrated as the winner and left all alone after the formalities were complete.

I had no idea what to do, so I tried and failed to find you or Snowy.

It was already dark by the time I washed my face and left the clearing. I found my instructor waiting for me. Holding a small backpack.

“Are you going somewhere?”

“I am,” he said, brushing a hand through his hair. I had heard he was already around 20 and he gave me the same bitter smile he always did. “I did some thinking and I’m going to take the exam for a special unit.”

Then I felt wind blowing on the side of my head.

I dodged the instant I realized that was a kick, but I also sensed him using his Mobilized Writing. I couldn’t make out what his Words were, but I sensed the power at work. The next thing I knew, the kick I could have sworn I dodged was about to reach my face.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

I punched my instructor’s Mobilized Writing.

I used the impact on my fist to move back and saw he was already walking toward the mountain road with the backpack on his back. He raised a hand my way.

“The girl you fought probably has a debilitating illness. I recommended her as your aide, so look after her to make up for defeating her like that. Also…”

He didn’t even look back.

“I hope you can become king too.”

Author Comment:

The result at the Mountain.

If you’ve read a lot of City, you might be able to guess what the special unit the instructor mentions is.

Note that the instructor says “too”.

Record 56: Countless Missteps

03/25/1998

19:23

Now I’ve done it.

I got carried away fighting a dumb student on top of a train and I fell off. Yes, I fell right into the Great Tokyo Fault.

I’m on the Tama slope of the great fault splitting Tokyo with only my fist jabbed into the slope to support me. What am I supposed to do now?

And let’s not forget that the Kantou loam layer that makes up Tokyo’s bedrock is made of volcanic ash and likes to collapse at the drop of a hat.

“Wait, I was just kidding! Don’t actually collapse!”

I watched the rock falling next to me and saw stars twinkling beyond the sea of clouds below. Leave it to Zenon City – Tokyo to not make any sense at all.

Then a larger shape fell from above. Thinking it was a boulder, I pressed against the slope to remain as small a target as possible, but then the shape stopped next to me.

I looked over to see a red Caddy. The giant American car clung to the edge of the fault with the Boss and Snowy inside.

“What are you doing? Get in already.”

“Y’know, I just have to ask: how is that thing driving on the wall?”

“Cars drive on roads and this one’s driving here, so it’s clearly a road, not a wall.”

Snowy looked exasperated with the Boss’s answer while she leaned out of the car and extended her hand. But after a moment of thought, she pulled her hand back.

“I might consider saving you if you promise to reform your indecent ways.”

“And I might consider telling you to go to hell because that’s not happening.”

The car started backing up, so I hurriedly leaped for the bumper.

Author Comment:

You’re doomed if you fall into the fault.

There’s probably some insurance for that. Hm.

Record 90: What are You So Afraid Of?

11/03/1998

14:42

The school festival was reaching its peak. Its peak what, you ask?

“Its peak noise, definitely.”

For whatever reason, I was wandering the general school building partway through the afternoon.

“Eek!”

I heard Sensei screaming, so I sighed and ran over. The scream had come from the supply room on the 2nd floor. I arrived to find her seated in front of the dark supply room with a blank look on her face. Was that a ghost house? She did have a knack for getting involved in the very things she would be best off avoiding.

“Hey, Sensei, you’ll get your butt dirty if you sit there.”

I successfully snapped her out of it with a slap on the cheek.

“Eh? Ah, wait, why are you hitting me?”

“Now that you mention it, I’m not sure. Just because, I guess.”

“D-don’t, um, hit people ‘just because’. A-and stop already.”

Oops. I’d forgotten to stop.

I quickly removed my hand from her cheek and she started crying, presumably out of relief. Everyone gave me icy stares, but in my defense, it was the supply room that made her cry, not me.

Then the supply room door opened behind me and the Professor emerged.

Before I could say anything to defend myself, he looked at me crouched in front of Sensei while she sobbed and held her red cheek.

“I see.” He took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs. “Rapist!!!”

I sent him flying with an uppercut. He bounced off the hallway ceiling and bounced off the floor, but he still sprang to his feet and looked to me.

“So what are you doing here? Doing to Sensei, I mean.”

“That’s my line. What were you doing in the dark there?”

“You will get no spoilers out of me. Step in and find out for yourself.”

I grabbed his head, spun him around 180 degrees, and shoved him into the dark supply room.

He screamed in a way I had never heard from him until the screaming abruptly stopped.

“I see. Whatever it is must be terrifying.”

I shut the door and locked it from the outside. I figured things would have settled down in there by tonight.

The people gathered outside left and I decided to continue my patrol. But just as I started to leave, I felt a tug at the hem of my shirt.

I looked back to see Sensei had stopped crying.

“What do you want now?”

“I dropped my wallet i-inside there. S-so…”

I unlocked the supply room door, picked her up by the collar like a kitten, and dropped her inside.

“Eek!”

I pulled my hand back to find her clinging to and dangling down from it. There was no way she could retrieve her wallet.

“Hey, what the hell do you think you’re doing!?”

I looked back to see Little Boy who had been on patrol just like me. I could think of only one reason he would take issue with my actions here.

“You want to help out Sensei, don’t you? Good luck.”

I kicked him into the supply room. I heard some noises inside for about 3 seconds before they abruptly stopped.

Not even Little Boy could handle it? This had to be scary indeed. I flicked Sensei on the forehead while she dangled from my hand.

“Ow! Wh-what was that for!?”

“It’s no use. We just have to abandon the room.”

“B-but there are still a few people in there.”

“And we will never forget their sacrifice. Now, I did make you cry, so I’ll treat you to something nice. Let’s visit the rumored butoh café called Thrill.”

Still dangling from my arm, she pointed toward the supply room.

“We can eat here. They say it’s the best anmitsu place in the country.”

I silently nodded and shoved her into the darkness.

Author Comment:

Sensei cries a lot, but I don’t think it only happens when the protagonist is around.

She just interacts with him more, so when she cries around someone, it ends up being him more often than anyone else. That was a bit of a complicated way of saying that.

I feel like the Professor is enjoying his school life more than anyone else. He only enjoys a narrow sliver of that life, but he seems the most stress free.

Record 116: Something of Great Importance

02/18/1999

22:52

On my way home, the Boss picked me up in his car to drive me the rest of the way.

I left his car without a word and arrived at the apartment entrance to find Lady standing there. She looked up at me and smiled with her eyebrows still drooping.

“She’s fine,” was all she said.

I nodded, rubbed her head, and entered the apartment. I used the elevator instead of the stairs. Once out in the hallway, I saw Snowy standing in front of my room. She looked up when she saw. She initially looked surprised, but then she smiled a little.

“You look like a real man now.”

Did she mean the cut on my cheek? I nodded, smiled a little, walked past her, and started to enter my room. She turned to face me again.

“It must have taken a lot out of her. She’s sleeping in your bed, but she hasn’t come to since saying something to you by phone.”

I didn’t nod as I opened the door and walked in.

It was dark inside. Of course it was. It was nighttime.

But I didn’t turn on the lights.

I shut the door as quietly as I could manage.

I removed my shoes and only then realized I wasn’t in the habit of saying “I’m home” when I got home.

I didn’t want to make this into anything special, so I started by going to the kitchen. I opened the fridge, pulled out some mineral water, and took a drink. Then I took a breath.

Now it really felt like I was back home.

Before that feeling similar to relief could fade, I made my way to my bedroom.

You were sleeping there.

You lay on my bed in a somewhat twisted position, breathing deeply in sleep. I noticed the two holes on your neck were no longer visible through your messy hair.

Was that a good thing or not? I wasn’t sure, but then I saw some movement next to you.

It was Daitarou.

The animal still didn’t understand human speech very well, so he looked up at me and tilted his head.

I smiled bitterly and noted his presence meant I had to be on my best behavior.

I wanted to say something.

There had to be something I could say while you were asleep.

Something I couldn’t say if you were awake.

“–––––”

Wouldn’t you know it? I tried to find the words, but I only found tears.

I sat next to the bed and leaned back against its side. Then I cried all on my own again. I had to get through this while you were still asleep. Because that way I could keep from crying when you cried.

But then I started wondering if you ever would wake up again.

I had already made up my mind. Come morning, I would call the Professor and have him ready some way of erasing my memories.

Would you wake up before I left tomorrow?

Something warm touched my tear-wet cheek

Daitarou was licking up the tears. He may have been hungry.

I smiled bitterly, held him in my arms, and rested my head on the bed. I realized the bed was rising and falling in time with your breaths.

I matched my own breathing to that rhythm and smiled even more bitterly at how easy it was to match. I started to call your name.

“…”

And then it hit me.

I knew your name.

My head sprang up, but you were still asleep. You were sleeping and breathing with the same rhythm as me.

Would you wake up or not?

Author Comment:

This was the final story when Tokyo was serialized in Dengeki hp.

The Boss, Lady, Snowy, you, and Daitarou are in it.

This leads to either an ending or a new beginning.

Layer 12: Words

11/15/1998

23:59

The day would be ending soon.

I was walking back from the convenience store along the usual road following the railroad.

I could see my breath and the air was cold despite the lack of wind.

It was very much a night on the border between fall and winter. The winds weren’t in a rush and just floated high in the sky, chatting.

Just as I started to walk on, I heard your voice.

“Oh, were you visiting the convenience store too?”

I turned around to see you with Daitarou on your head approaching from the way I needed to go. You noted the shopping bag in my hand.

“What, did you choose the one further from your home? Did you want to take a walk?”

“Yeah. Aren’t you doing the same? I ran into Snowy earlier.”

“I ran into Lady buying supplies. She says she’s going patrolling in the Kanagawa area in the Boss’s car.”

“Then Senpai must one back at our base. As usual.”

“Yes, as usual.” You smiled bitterly, stopped walking, and looked into the sky. “We have an awfully busy normal, don’t we? I never thought I would live a life like this back when we went to the Mountain.”

I hadn’t thought it even before the Mountain, but that was life, I suppose.

It would be tomorrow soon. An idea occurred to me, so I tried it.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

I tried punching the date, but did that make it tomorrow?

I noticed you and Daitarou tilting your heads and looking at your watch.

“It was right at midnight, so it’s hard to say.”

Author Comment:

This is the final moment of the day.

The title page stories cover a single day, but that didn’t include the Professor or Senpai, did it?

Record 3: Waiting for an Answer

02/18/1997

11:50

There I was taking my entrance exam.

Ugh, exams are such a pain. Entrance exams or final exams, they were all awful.

After all, you had to go through them and write that you knew the answer after each question.

Q. When was Japan formed?

“I know that one.”

Q. Satoshi-kun is X. Is Hitoshi-kun Y?

“That goes without saying.”

Q. This is Question 7. Are you ready for it?

“I was born ready.”

Q. I-i-i-it’s me me me me.

“Yeah, I know.”

As you can see, they were all such boring questions. Did that mean I was smarter than I thought?

Before I could answer my own question, I arrived at the exam’s final question.

Q. Anzwer me.

What the hell is “anzwer”? The name of some obscure tribe? Or just a typo?

Either way, I had to anzwer it, so I got to writing.

“Consider yourself anzwered.”

There, that should do it.

Author Comment:

When you look at entrance exams closely, there are a lot of questions you can answer any way you want or where all the options are correct. Especially with history questions.

Record 61: If That’s All

04/28/1998

9:41

Second period was a study hall with Sensei.

She walked into the classroom, told us to start studying, and took a nap. I went to the cafeteria and studied up on taking breaks and eating.

A lot of us had the same idea, so there were a fair number of people around.

The cafeteria TV was showing footage of Kansai, something we never could have seen just a few years ago.

They were starting to construct a humongous tower there. It was called Babel, it was supposed to be more than 3km tall once complete, and it would be able to send Words to the entire world. In other words, it was a communication tower.

The Great Canopy covering the planet prevented the launch of communication satellites, so the entire world was focused on the tower. Oftentimes as a possible threat.

Everyone thought the city with a facility capable of communicating with the entire world would become the new center of the world.

That should have been an issue for the grownups to worry about, but Babel’s inventor apparently wanted a student to be the first one to use it. That was what the TV program was talking about. A student news competition called the Battle of Babel would be held in Osaka and the winner would get to use it first. It would take a full year starting from next April. Some current seniors said they were intentionally failing their classes so they could repeat the year and compete.

How would this turn out? Not that it was any of my business.

Author Comment:

Sensei is sleeping because springtime is for napping.

The protagonist says the Babel stuff is none of his business, but this is also when he’s deciding whether or not he will go to the Mountain.

Record 89: That is a Memory

11/01/1998

1:03

The school festival starts today. Technically speaking, it starts this morning.

I was in the science specimen room to help the Professor prepare. He apparently had something for me to carry, but…

“What is this big light? There’s a string instrument in an unlabeled bottle over here and a celluloid desk pad that broke after being provoked too much 3000 years ago.”

To sum up the room…

“What a weird place.”

“That just shows you how important its contents are,” said the Professor while instructing some freshmen to carry things out. Then he pushed his glasses up his nose and looked to me like he had only just noticed me. “How fascinating. There is a specimen of a once-a-millennium idiot in here.”

“Do you want me to punch you?”

“What a strange thing to ask out of the blue. You have no intention of holding a coherent conversation, do you?”

“Unfortunately, the courts don’t open until the morning. The hospital, however, is open now, so I can punch you, right?”

“Before you do, can you say one thing to me: ‘curse your unparalleled genius’.”

This sounded like a pain, so I punched him before he was done talking. The monkey flew over to and crashed into the wall, bounced off, and immediately hopped back to his feet.

“Ouch. You certainly are the perfect example of a violent student. Now, can you get to work?”

“Yeah, yeah. So what exactly do I need to carry?”

“Bring that there out.”

He pointed at something on the wall.

I noted it looked like a fossil as I approached.

“How old is this?”

“Not even I know if it is younger than the school or if it was brought forward from prehistory by its Concept Existence Lives.”

“Huh, so not even a weirdo like you knows.”

“Oh? I appreciate the honorable title. Now, how about an injection for free? Just one and your brain will be a much more peaceful place.”

“Has it been clinically tested? On your brain?”

“Indeed it has. It peacefully activated all the right parts, making me very happy. Humans really need to be honest with themselves.”

I wanted to punch him, so I was honest with myself and did so.

I reached for the fossil on the wall and found it was extremely solid. Or rather…

“This sure is heavy. Can I really carry this?”

“That is a conversation to have between your fist and your inadequate brain.”

“ ‘Excuse me, fist? Can I punch this monkey?’ ‘Sure you can. But don’t overdo it because I don’t want to get too filthy.’ ”

“Why are you muttering under your breath? If you want to talk to yourself, do it to my face. Like you always have.”

He wasn’t making any sense, so I punched him.

The time he spent airborne and bouncing was a lovely respite from his voice. After some quick thought, I raised my fist in front of the fossil.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

I punched its weight.

The lightened fossil came away from the wall easily and I looked at the wall where it had been.

The next fossil was already budding there.

Author Comment:

Every school has a supply room, but they tend to be strange places.

Back at my school, it contained a globe larger than the room’s entrance. How did they get it in there?

Just like with the school library, it feels like a place full of valuable things no one knows to look for there.

Record 7: Or Were They Just Words?

03/16/1997

16:18

It was almost graduation, so today had been our last ordinary classes. That also meant this was our last middle school afternoon.

My classroom was on the third floor. If I sat by the window and looked down, I could see the courtyard You could tell it was the courtyard because they were holding a trial there.

Further out, the sports teams were practicing, slacking off, or entering sketchy trances, but there wasn’t a 3rd year among them.

They were all 2nd and 1st years.

The school newspaper I held was also entirely made by 2nd and 1st years starting this edition.

Maybe they still weren’t used to doing it on their own and maybe it was the lack of the 3rd year’s connections, but the horoscope section was pretty weak today. For example, this is what it had for the Scorpio section:

“Lucky Color: Brain. Lucky Word: Poison. If you don’t save your special someone today, the world will be destroyed.”

Pretty sure of itself for a horoscope.

It was dated today, so the all the Scorpios around the world were probably saving their special someone.

That was when an aerial warship flew by overhead.

I also saw a car on the road out front being chased by a police train.

Was that a gunfight I heard coming from the courtyard manhole?

“Maybe it’s actually accurate.”

I tilted my head and you walked up.

You were wearing casual clothing, so…

“Hey, hey, hey. We’re not graduated yet, so you can’t wear casual clothes in here. Take them off right this instant.”

“Sorry, but my lucky word in the school newspaper horoscope was ‘casual clothing’. What was yours? Idiot?”

“You’re not very nice. So why are you here?”

“Running an errand for our pharmacy. We provide some medicine for the school, remember?”

“Oh, yeah. Here to take away the evidence before the cops can track the drugs back to your family? How about I save you the trouble by buying it off you? Is the street price 30 peyca?”

You threw a punch my way. You really needed to learn not to punch with your thumb in your fist. You also needed to stop twisting your heel outwards when you stepped forward to punch. For that matter, just not punching people by the window would be great.

I quickly dodged.

“So what are you here for?”

“Like I said, on an errand.”

“Was that errand to cut my promising future short?”

“That’s just a hobby. What you’re holding there is the errand.”

You took the school newspaper from my hand and skillfully got the newspaper to take a tranquilizer.

“That’s a weirdly blue drug. You sure it’s safe?”

“The newspaper needs to be calmed all the way down to the blueprint level. There, all done.”

You handed the newspaper back and turned around.

“Make sure to read through it again.”

“Sure, sure. Today’s Scorpio lucky color is curry and lucky word is curry. Your special someone for today is curry.”

I saw the aerial warship land, the car and police train stop, the manhole cover open, and the criminals, heroes, cops, and ordinary people rush toward the neighborhood curry place.

You turned back from the classroom entrance.

“What are you about to rewrite with that pen?”

“I was just wondering if I could change my financial fortunes with this.”

Author Comment:

I think this is a phase everyone goes through, but it’s also a difficult feeling to describe.

It’s like you’re zoning out or something.

It’s like you’re experiencing nostalgia in real time or feeling future nostalgia in advance.

Record 23: On the Move

07/20/1997

13:31

The first half of our Mountain training was over.

We had taken the last exams of the first half yesterday.

Our results there would determine if we moved on to the second half and whether we would be in the fieldwork section or the intelligence section.

We had held a yakiniku party last night to celebrate and cooking all that meat had helped reduce our stress, but…

“This stress isn’t going anywhere until we get our results.”

My voice echoed into the blue summer sky. I was geographically at the midway station at the base of the Mountain, so the sky wasn’t all that summery.

I was waiting the 40 minutes for the next train to arrive and you were playing with Daitarou nearby. We both sat on an old wooden bench with a drink ad painted on it. I sat at one end and you and your pet sat in the center.

Daitarou had grown past needing a bottle, so he was eating cat food from your palm.

“Where did you get that cat food?”

“Eh? I got this Träumerei wind music cat food at the Mountain’s office. They apparently give it to the local strays. They also had some moon-dried cat food.”

“Yeah, some of the guys in the dorm were starving, so they snuck in at night and ate that. They were stuck to the ceiling the next morning.”

“That sounds like trouble. Only about 20 of you will make the cut, right?”

“Combined with the girls, we’ll be lucky If even 50 people are still around for the second half. How do you think you did?”

“I managed to answer all the questions at least. What about you?”

“I managed to move around the way I wanted.”

“I see.” You nodded and tilted your head. “But what are you going to do? Rumor has it they’re taking volunteers for Kansai’s Battle of Babel. It might be fun to spend next year there.”

That came out of nowhere.

But some of the guys in the dorm had been thinking of going there. You needed to pass the Mountain’s exam to get into the Chancellor’s Officers, but there were no such restrictions on joining the Battle of Babel.

I considered what I would do.

“I’ll decide after I see my results.”

“So you’re going if you didn’t make the cut?”

“No, I’m not going if that happened. And if I did make the cut, then I’m going, but I can’t go.”

“How convoluted,” you said.

“Yes,” said a voice from the side. “Those who seek a challenge can remain and those who take the path of least resistance can leave.”

I looked over to see Snowy. I was sure she had easily passed the fieldwork exam.

She glanced over at me, you, and Daitarou.

“He really seems to like you, but will Tokyo’s water agree with him?”

“Not to worry. My family runs a pharmacy.”

“I see. So you have safe water.”

“Yes. And we have medicine in case something does happen.”

Snowy glared at me and I averted my gaze. You could say some really dangerous things from time to time.

Snowy reached over and grabbed some of the cat food.

“Whatever the case, make sure you take good care of him. A responsible owner makes for a happy pet.”

I thought she was going to feed it to Daitarou, but she ate it herself instead.

“Not a very strong flavor. Were these snacks really cheap?”

You glared at me and I averted my gaze again.

The train pulled into the station then.

Author Comment:

Cat food doesn’t have much flavor, but my friend adamantly insisted it would be edible if you seasoned it.

Not sure why you would care when you should just eat human food.

Based on this conversation, You really seems to live in the moment. I bet she gets dragged around a lot.

Record 70: You Can See So Much

06/30/1998

4:29

Last night, I reformed some dumb students with my fists at Underground Tokyo’s Tokyo Bay and then realized we had missed the last train.

We could probably get back by taxi, but since we weren’t in a hurry, Lady and I decided to do some night fishing in Tokyo Bay.

We rented the rods and other gear. The bait we had to buy.

There were a surprising number of people with the same idea. The harbor pier was full of men in fishing gear or hunting gear either fishing or singing waka.

I let the fishing line down while sensing some of those people passing by behind me.

Lady had said the concrete would chill her butt, but once the dawn arrived and we started fishing, she was really getting into it.

She had just reeled in a catch from the Meiji era.

“Why am I catching so much today?”

“Because Surface Tokyo’s Tokyo Bay is so full of wastewords all the catchable things end up flowing downstream.”

“Hm. But it’s always night fishing down here, isn’t it?”

“Time is still passing, though. The catchable ones will start biting since it’s morning.”

I took a tanzaku I had bought at the fishing shop run by a star and attached it to my hook. Then I wrote “What I Want” on it in magic marker.

“Go!”

I cast my line and it soon came back.

I checked what I had caught.

“That looks like it says ‘common sense’ to me,” said Lady.

“That’s a miss then.”

I frowned and released the common sense and Lady watched it swim away with a tilt of her head.

“What’s that look for, Lady? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you wanted to eat what I caught.”

“Not really. But are you allowed to take your catches with you?”

“This isn’t a fishing hole, so that’s fine. There’s a place to prepare them a little further toward the harbor, so we can eat them there.”

She nodded and prepared another tanzaku.

“What are you trying to catch?”

“All sorts of things. I want ideas for new songs, I want to be taller, I want safety for my family, and some other things too.”

She sure had a lot of wishes, but that subtle greediness was part of what made her who she was.

She cast her tanzaku into the ocean.

Ripples spread out and I heard the whistle of the day’s first electrain in the distance.

I figured this would be our last cast, so I collapsed my own rod.

Then Lady shook.

“Whoa.”

I saw a strong pull on her line.

The line ran wildly through the sea, the rod bent into a curve, and she lost her balance toward the water.

If you throw a punch with belief in your heart, all things will receive the blow in accordance with the conservation of energy.

I punched away the force pulling her down and the line snapped.

The sudden loss of that tugging force caused her to tumble back onto her butt and I ran over to her.

“Are you alright? I see it’s blue today.”

“I’m going to tell everyone about this, so I’ll be fine. Anyway, I wonder what I caught.”

“Well,” I replied, pointing at the ground. “I think you caught your greed.”

Author Comment:

Fishing in the bay is a lot of fun in the morning.

The small fish are all biting then and you have to start fishing with one hand if you want to pull them in quick.

You can catch a lot in Underground Tokyo, but it seems to all be “old fashioned”.

Record 69: I Just Had a Feeling

06/24/1998

15:14

Sensei abruptly ended homeroom with just a greeting and then dragged me to the faculty room.

“Hurry, hurry. Something awful happened before homeroom!”

Wasn’t something awful always happening around here?

“Sensei, should I just go ahead and tell you to be more careful in the future?”

“Eh? Do you have something to say before this? Fine, then.”

She turned toward me in the hallway and shut her eyes, so I flicked her on the forehead.

Now that she was crouching and groaning, I picked her up by the collar and carried her to the faculty room. The other teachers whispered to each other when they saw us, but this was part of my work as Vice Chancellor. They had no right to complain.

I sat her in her chair and she looked tearfully up at me with her hands on her forehead.

“I-I’m not telling you anything if you treat me like that.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Have some leftover bread from lunch.”

That fixed that.

She told me her computer had stopped working.

“It was working just fine yesterday. It’s strange.”

“This is strange. That you know how to use a computer, I mean.”

“O-of course I can use one. I even know how to turn it on.”

Did that really count as using it?

She apparently couldn’t relax without her computer working and I wanted to avoid being dragged here in lieu of homeroom again.

I checked the power cable, but it was plugged in and glued in place. The monitor plug was padlocked in place. Whoever had set it up must have realized Sensei was a walking disaster and made sure nothing could be unplugged very easily.

“Then why isn’t it working?”

“You can’t tell? Should I call an expert?”

For some reason, the Professor was standing nearby and pointing at himself, so I punched and defenestrated him.

“I can’t approve of violence at school,” said Sensei.

“That wasn’t violence. It was efficient problem solving.”

This still didn’t tell me why her computer wasn’t working, though.

Then I noticed it.

“Let’s see. Is this the angle?”

I punched it at a diagonal angle of 45 degrees and the screen lit up.

“Oh,” exclaimed Sensei and reached for the mouse. I checked the window that was open.

“Sensei, were you grading our midterms? We should have gotten those back a while ago, so why are you only grading them now?”

“B-but I have to have a serious discussion with each answer. A lot of them are pretty merciless.”

“That sounds like the student’s responsibility to me.”

I was about to tell her to just throw them out, but she smiled bitterly at me.

Oh, I realized. She knew what I was about to say because the other teachers had probably already told her the same thing.

I sighed and placed my hand over hers on the mouse.

“Here, I’ll show you why it wasn’t working.”

“Okay.”

I brought up the calendar and clock window and it showed today as Sunday due to a manufacturing error.

“It put up with it until now, but it couldn’t keep it up forever. I recommend giving it a long weekend and then fixing the calendar,” I said. “This is a good computer.”

Author Comment:

This is leading up to the previous story, but there’s no real connection.

Sensei can be absentminded, but she does give things thought. I think that leads her to carry around some extra weight, but she’s the type who gets stressed about eliminating the things weighing her down. But it’s that refusal to eliminate those things that keeps her interacting with the protagonists, so perhaps this is the position her way of life found for her.

Record 18: Then There’s Me

06/03/1997

15:43

We only had about a month and a half left in the first half of our Mountain training.

I was sitting under a waterfall for some extra training. Okay, I’ll admit it. It was just blazing hot out and I wanted to cool off.

“Mountain water is so damn cold.”

A 5m-wide stream of water fell from a height of about 20m and it felt more like it was tearing into me than simply cold.

I had been standing at first, but I had since given in and sat down.

I could only hear the water pressure while I lost myself in my thoughts.

Like what was for dinner. Or how I had figured out who the killer was in the mystery novel I was reading before bed, but I still hadn’t figured out who the detective was. Or how I had left a moderate amount of porn magazines on the floor back home, so I was worried anyone who saw that might mistakenly think I was only moderately horny.

I also thought about my future. We would need to choose our future paths soon. When we joined the Chancellor’s Officers, would we do fieldwork or intelligence work? Or would we give up on joining altogether?

The rest came down to our personality.

Not to mention our Mobilized Writing.

That was a necessary power for the Tokyo Chancellor’s Officers. It was like our individual quirks or personal issues manifested physically in some way.

None of us had that power yet.

Everyone was saying you would get into the Chancellor’s Officers if you gained yours faster or yours was the strongest, but I didn’t know what to believe.

Did I need to awaken my individuality as soon as possible, or should I try to make it as strong as I could?

It was a difficult question.

Of course, I didn’t even know what my individuality was here. Had I ever used a great power in the past? I had run track until recently, but I hadn’t set any decent records. My instructor had tested several track-related powers, but nothing like a Mobilized Writing had manifested.

I doubted that was it. Track was fun and it had made for some good times, but it was only a sport to me. That wasn’t where I would find my own personal Mobilized Writing.

Was there anything else?

I felt like there was.

“–––––”

I tried to recall the memory, but focusing my mind brought me out of my reverie instead. Focusing my mind to bring back the past instead pushed the past away. I was stuck with a paradox.

But then I remembered out of nowhere.

It was my hands. My fists weren’t all that useful for someone running track, but I had used them an awful lot.

Sometimes I used them to punch someone and sometimes I used them to stop something.

But there was a problem. I used my fists a lot, but I had never thought of that as being my own personal thing.

“What do I do?”

Could I bet everything on this idea that suddenly came to me? Some people could probably manage that and those who couldn’t would just tell themselves they were mistaken.

And if you did it but were wrong, the result would be tragic.

But I had another thought too.

“If this looks like it could be my Mobilized Writing, I’ll trust in it.”

A good individuality wasn’t something you gained quickly or something powerful. It was something you could trust in and rely on.

I decided to test this.

I looked up and saw the waterfall had stopped.

I could hear the other sounds again.

Author Comment:

I think everyone thinks about what their power is.

Personally, I think something you can only draw on consciously doesn’t count. Maybe you can consciously strengthen it, but I think your power is an aspect of yourself that you always have whether you’re conscious of it or not. You could say it’s something you have even when you try to make yourself as nondescript as possible or you lose sight of who you even are.

I still don’t know how you gain something like that, though.

Record 117: I Will Tell You

02/19/1999

4:59

You didn’t wake up.

I hoped that was because you were relieved that the wounds on your neck were gone and you weren’t just oversleeping.

I spent my time calling the Professor and setting things up.

There was far too much I had to do related to my memories.

So very much.

I discussed it with the Professor and then hung up.

Yes, I had to do something.

But I could only keep doing something for so long.

Someone had tried to erase all of his worries. I had agreed to help him with that like he wanted, but I would only help him so far.

I didn’t know how far that was, but I felt like I would worry someone else if I helped out too much.

There was one person who had definitely trusted me, but I had already fulfilled his worries.

I had accepted so much from him, including a lot I had to hide and a lot I would have to do something about.

That would only end once someone else trusted me and needed my power.

Even if I lost my memories and even if my past self and future self lost sight of my current self, my power would never leave me.

Just like you while you slept there.

“Okay.”

I stood up from the floor next to the bed.

I made sure not to wake you while I patted Daitarou’s head and told him I would be back soon.

Then again, the Professor had said whatever he was going to do would take some time. Would you be awake by the time I got back? Having you wake to Daitarou’s kiss sounded more like something from a fairy tale and it was a very Tokyo thing to happen.

Just before I left the room, I looked back.

Daitarou nodded from where he sat next to you.

“Your name?”

I nodded back, but didn’t answer the question.

The day would come when we could call each other by our names.

Author Comment:

This is effectively his final memory.

Record 001: I Will Do It

02/20/1999

7:11

I awoke to find myself lying in a bed.

I looked around to find a dark and filthy room full of electronics. There were a lot of desks there too.

“Is this the science room?”

The term I used sounded off to me. I knew what a science room looked like, but I couldn’t remember where I had learned that.

I apparently had some kind of amnesia.

“Your memories were sealed, not lost,” said a voice at the sink by the window. A boy in a lab coat was washing his hands. “You will remember everything eventually. It will happen once your power is needed. Then you will understand how rich those memories were.”

I didn’t quite understand, but I gathered that monkey-like boy had done something for me.

I gave him my thanks and walked out.

I wandered the dark hallways, opened a large door, and stepped outside like I was guided by the light. That was when I realized this was a large school.

It was a chilly morning.

I chose the asphalt road. I walked alongside the trees lining the road, figuring that would take me off of the school campus.

I wondered where I would go, but a route immediately came to mind. That had to be the way to my home. I home I didn’t remember anymore.

I passed by a woman on my way out through the front gate.

She wore her hair up and she looked like she wanted to say something to me, but then she tilted her head and kept walking.

Did she mistake me for someone else?

I walked on out.

The route in my head brought me south.

I could see the city starting up for the morning as I walked.

A blue propaganda truck passed me while I walked alongside a large road. The loudspeaker on top was talking about some kind of giant broadcast tower in Osaka.

It sounded like there was a lot going on with that, but it wasn’t my problem.

The wind blew.

I felt chilly and swung my right arm without even thinking.

“–––––––”

But punching the wind obviously wasn’t going to make it go away.

I had no idea why I thought that would help and laughed at the absurdity of it.

The wind had seemed to waver a bit when I punched it, but I concluded I must have imagined it.

I needed to get home.

I asked myself why I thought that and I found a clear answer.

Someone was waiting for me there. That was a dangerous thought when I didn’t have any memories.

Even if this person was there, they would be a stranger to me.

But strangely, I felt like I knew this person’s name.

Not that I could remember what that name was.

Who was this supposed person, anyway?

Only one way to find out.

I would return home and meet them there.

If what that boy had told me was true, some power of mine would be necessary eventually. I had no idea what that power might be, but I wanted to use it to its fullest when the time came.

So I wanted to get home and get a proper start on this new life.

A stranger was waiting for me at home.

I felt like if I got a running start on this new life, that person would also be waiting for me at my destination.

“You,” I called to this stranger. “You are only a stranger to me, but will you still call my name and root for me?”

Author Comment:

The future and the past are both yet to come.

Thank you so much for reading to the end.

The Origins of Zenon City – Tokyo

An Origin That Feels Like an Excuse

I know this is sudden for a project page, but Tokyo wasn’t originally Tokyo.

Near the end of my 2nd year in middle school, my friend asked me to write something in the notebook he was making. This all goes back to the few very short stories I wrote in there.

At the time, I had ended up with a word processor as a standalone machine (something I doubt kids these days are familiar with) because my parents didn’t know how to use it themselves. It had the skinny-sounding name of α10 and I used it to write all sorts of things while struggling to buy the 1000yen-a-pop ink ribbons.

At the time, Ahead and Edge had the opposite names and I was writing an Edge scenario that would become the foundation for the current Ahead story. I was also making TRPG rules for Genesis all while helping out around the house and doing dumb stuff at school.

Just for fun, I wrote some short stories based on the Forth setting, but I just wrote those however I liked, without thinking of the line count. But things were different when I was writing in someone else’s notebook.

I decided to limit myself to 6 lines per story, but I had never written anything that short before, the ink ribbons were expensive, and I wanted to write even more.

I ended up settling on having each page be a different story.

I drew a picture at the top and wrote a story of about 30 lines on the bottom of the page. (The ones printed here have the illustration removed for design purposes, but I still feel the pain of showing off my old work like this.)

I think the idea was based on picture books and Kenya Boy.

I wasn’t sure if it was possible to tell a story in only about 30 lines, but I realized that song lyrics and old ghost stories were basically that. For the former, I referenced 80s pop music. For the latter, I went to the library.

I still listen to a lot of those songs. At the time, I listened to Watanabe Misato, Psy-S, Zabadak, Yusa Mimori, TMN, the Blue Hearts, the Barbee Boys, Unicorn, Personz, and Anzen Chitai. I could go on, but I listened to them all on a daily basis when I lived in the limited world of a middle schooler. I couldn’t rank any of them above any of the others.

When my cram school got out at 8 in the evening, I would always spend about two hours riding my bike around the city along the riverbank, and visiting bookstores before heading home.

I would see unlit roads, the starlight casting shadows on the road on the moonless nights, clouds illuminated from below by the city’s lights, trains vanishing into the darkness after passing through the train crossing, strangers passing by in the shadows, and pieces of mystery objects littering the road. It was also uncanny how I would always find someone I knew near the train station or at a bookstore, which probably helped my late night wanderings last longer.

I would listen to music with headphones connected to the old cassette player in my bag. Oh, and they didn’t have auto-reverse in those days. This was the 80s when there weren’t even very many convenience stores around.

When I would get carried away and make my way up onto a tall hill, I would see houses with their lights still on late at night. When I would listen to music in the cold winter weather, I would get the feeling there was something inhuman in those lights.

I feel like those circumstances would make anyone think something was up.

While humming the lyrics to take in so many “short stories”, I finally arrived at the idea of ghost stories. The ghost stories of the time weren’t as over the top as the ones nowadays. They were mostly just a story about something strange happening and I think they generally included ghosts (obviously), monsters, mysterious phenomena, or urban legends. Anyway, the people who liked that kind of thing generally knew all the good ones.

The interesting thing about those stories is how they end:

“Some people say she was in fact an Iso Onna.”

“But the strange sounds did not end.”

“It turned out no one knew who the man they had passed on the road was.”

They tend to have an open-ended ending without a clear resolution. The idea is for them to relay the story of something that “actually happened” and leave the truth of the matter up to the reader’s imagination (and thus make the reader feel more closely connected to it), but I wasn’t able to analyze the structure to that extent as a kid. I just thought the abrupt ending was one way of writing a short story and I liked how it sounded.

“You aren’t saying any more than necessary. Makes you sound cool.” (We didn’t say “cool” back then, though.)

So instead of carefully writing out everything, I just wrote the parts I liked and skipped the rest. So you could say I created a really irresponsible writing method.

I ended up writing six stories, including the ones printed here. I managed to dig up copies of these five back home.

I know I’ve made a lot of excuses for these now, but I do hope you will read them.

Story 1: Spring

The cherry blossom front is on the rise.

You hear that phrase on the news all the time recently.

But the cherry trees near my house are still withered.

Maybe the cherry blossom front hasn’t arrived yet.

They said on the news Tokyo’s cherry blossoms would bloom by tomorrow.

If so, the front would be moving past us tonight.

On that night, I opened my window.

–The cherry blossoms must be falling in Kyushu right about now.

I sat on the windowsill and thought about that.

The moonlight as dull.

–Is it cloudy?

I looked up into the sky and saw a pink cloud moving by several meters overhead.

On closer inspection, I decided it had to be a clump of cherry blossoms.

They passed by.

The cloud of cherry blossoms fluttered in the wind and passed by.

After seeing that, I gasped and shut my window.

I ran out of my room, raced down the stairs, kicked open the door, and left the house.

I saw the cloud slowly descending.

I ran there and saw the cloud of cherry blossoms vanishing.

And in its place, the withered cherry trees were in full bloom.

“So that’s how it works.”

Story 2: Summer

I went to the beach for a training camp during the summer.

And when I say the beach, I mean a small island where the beach really is all there is.

But that’s better than nothing, I suppose.

The beach was white and the ocean was a breathtaking blue.

“Man, the lack of pollution sure is nice,” one of the others said while taking a look around. “Is there anything we could take back as a souvenir?”

“How about taking back the seawater?” I suggested.

Everyone else exchanged a glance.

“I don’t think that would work.”

“We’re going back by boat and train, after all.”

I scratched my head and pondered the issue.

“What if we solidified a portion of the ocean in gelatin?” I suggested.

Everyone else exchanged a glance.

“That could be interesting.”

We ended up pooling our money, heading back to the port town, and buying some there.

“Now we just have to wait a few minutes.”

We waited for the next day to arrive with the 40cm cube sitting on the table.

“Oh, no! It’s a typhoon! The waves have broken through the embankment!”

“Yikes! The seawater is already getting in here!”

We gathered up our luggage and withdrew to the attic.

The wind blew outside and the inn shook.

The next morning, we woke up to find all the water gone.

And our portion of the ocean had vanished from the table.

Story 3: Autumn

We have our cultural festival during autumn.

I know it sounds like an excuse, but we were heading home late after preparing for the festival.

But it wasn’t a big deal.

Heading home late didn’t matter at all.

Well, except when it did.

A chilly wind was blowing.

We were riding our bikes down the straight road alongside a field.

“It’s freezing,” one of them said. “Come to think of it, when’s the full moon again?”

“Wasn’t it a week ago?” I replied. “I ate dango that night.”

“It’s called tsukimi dango in that case.”

If memory served, it had been rainy that day.

I looked up into the night sky.

“The moon isn’t out today,” said my friend, also looking into the sky next to me.

“But the sky is clear, so we can see all the stars,” said another.

–Why was that?

I thought about it and lowered my head.

I saw something falling to the road.

We passed by it since we were riding our bikes so fast.

The object glowing with a dull brass-colored light vanished behind us.

“What are you looking back at?” someone asked me.

“Well, the moon fell back there.”

“The what?”

I ignored that voice and faced forward again.

After careful thought, I asked my friend a question.

“Hey, do you think the moon is made of tin?”

Story 4: Winter

Once night fell, I opened the window.

It wasn’t that I wanted to see the stars in the sky or the stars falling from the sky.

It definitely wasn’t a reason that’s so cool I’d be embarrassed to admit it.

No, it was because I heard a sound in my room.

Only my best friend in winter – the space heater – understood me.

I rested my elbows on the windowsill and stared outside.

The white lights of the streetlights illuminated the road.

I heard a car in the distance.

Then it passed by.

After a while, my shoulders got cold, so I reached for the window.

That was when I noticed someone standing below.

I looked down to see a man decked out in a black tuxedo and silk hat.

“I do hate to disturb you at this late hour, but could you lend me a flathead screwdriver?”

He removed his silk hat, looked up at me, and made that request.

“Eh? Um, sure,” I replied and soon went to him with the requested item.

He was standing in front of my house.

He accepted the screwdriver, bowed, and walked down the road.

I followed him mostly out of curiosity and he stopped in front of a black gas lamp on the side of the road.

“When did they build this?”

He reached for the gas lamp’s support pillar and began unscrewing one of its screws.

“It has remained unlit in recent years, so snowfall in this region has been delayed. I am terribly sorry about the inconvenience.”

After a while, I heard a gas flowing through the gas lamp.

“That completes maintenance on this region. Your cooperation is much appreciated.”

The man handed me the screwdriver.

The gas lamp lit up and I watched him leave.

After a while, it started snowing in this region.

Story 5: Graduation

I ran up the stairs.

I didn’t need to get a solid foothold on each and every step.

I just had to run on up.

The less cold air of spring’s arrival blew my hair back.

I checked my watch while I ran: 4:18 AM.

In another 4 hours, I would be standing in another school’s schoolyard.

I peeked into the hallway using the emergency exit’s window and saw myself wearing a brand new uniform.

That me appeared to be talking with someone, but did he notice me watching him through the emergency exit’s window?

He looked toward me, so I quickly resumed running up the stairs.

I peeked in through the next emergency exit’s window too.

I saw a somewhat bigger me there.

His breaths were visible while he climbed toward the roof.

I could already see some light in the eastern sky.

He placed his hands on the fence and stared in that direction.

Then he turned toward me, but turned back toward the eastern sky after a bit.

He apparently couldn’t see me.

He must have only been able to see the versions of me from even further in the past.

Just like when I was him 3 years ago.

He quickly started down the emergency stairs again.

He had left behind the friend who was accompanying him.

I remembered exactly this happening, so I tried to suppress my laughter.

Then he turned my way even though he supposedly couldn’t see me.

He opened his mouth and said the exact same thing as me.

“Don’t laugh!”

Additional Information

So that’s what I typed up on an old-fashioned word processor 16 or 17 years ago.

It didn’t have the title of Tokyo back then. In fact, I didn’t know what title to give it.

But I do remember thinking good and hard about how to make it weird when I was writing it. These also had the advantage of being so short I could write them whenever I wanted.

In my first year of high school, I wrote a total of 35 more as a high school version.

I increased the number of characters in those, so that is the origin of You as the childhood friend pharmacy clerk, of the four winds, and of the moon. (The moon talked a lot and was something of a policeman character.) Snowy was the East Wind character, the Boss was the South Wind and a biker, Sensei was stricter, and Daitarou was a cat transformed by the moon

But even then it didn’t have a title. They were just practice stories after all. I typed them all up on the word processor and only printed out the basis for Record 45 as a test. The other 34 stories were never printed and I can’t even read the disk they’re on anymore.

In my freshman year of college, when I could still just barely read the disk, I was considering whether I wanted to write or limit myself to drawing when I decided to try writing a full novel.

What I ended up with there was a Tokyo novel. It connected together the world seen in the previous stories I had written and refined the characters. The story was about them going to the Kanda House of Time to prevent time from stopping.

In other words, it was a story that takes place after this version of Tokyo and I think I will end up telling that story eventually.

When I wrote the Tokyo novel, I linked together the different worlds – or locations really – seen in the other stories and created the city of Tokyo. That was when I learned to look at a tourist map and transit map of Tokyo and come up with a setting with its own history and whatnot.

At the time, I was listening to a wider variety of music, fighting games and dancing were big, and I was going to a college deep in the mountains. I would spend the night at the college during the school festival or the smaller spring festival and the 70km journey to and from the school meant I would often get home late at night. All in all, I think I had given my enjoyable life a power up. I really did have to cross two mountains and valleys on the way to school, but the stars are so beautiful up on the mountaintop. When we would spend the night, I would chat with the heads of the other clubs and groups (I was the head of the art club) and head to the foot of the mountain late at night for supply runs. One time we dropped a car into the paddy fields and one time we really were snowed in at school.

By mixing all that together, I created an indescribable version of Tokyo where anything goes. Since the protagonists could only do the things they did because of the city they lived in, I decided on Zenon City – Tokyo for the title.

The manuscript was 350 pages when it was complete. I submitted it to an award for a publisher other than Dengeki and it of course didn’t win, but writing that helped me come up with a methodology for writing, I was picked up by Dengeki Bunko after writing a few more things, and I ultimately got to make this very short story version of Tokyo based on the original Tokyo stories.

Wow, that was a long story.

To sum it up, the very short story Tokyo came from me wanting to write something I didn’t see anywhere else and the novel Tokyo came from me wanting to try writing something more traditional. (This eventually led to me spending the summer of my 19th year writing a novel manuscript 1000 pages long and I later learned I had made the right decision when I won an award with something I wrote.)

But to be honest, I still lack the skill needed to write the Tokyo novel. Even the very short stories were around 120 stories and had the help of my younger self, but I feel like we still haven’t seen very much of Tokyo as a city. There must be more depth there.

But making something different from other people is the way to go and it was that starting point that led to the creation of Tokyo.

If I wrote this again, I feel like I would end up with a different Tokyo.

16 years have passed since I started all this. Seeing how it’s turned out, maybe it was worth writing something so cringey back then. Then again, I’m probably imagining that!!

Yeah, this really is cringey. It’s like being shown I was always this way. Why haven’t I changed how I say things in all this time?

What am I supposed to do about this?

Afterword

The long wait is over and the Tokyo compilation is here.

I have all of you to thank for letting me put this out in this form. Thank you so much.

I wrote most of the background information in the Origins of Tokyo section, but you can probably see this was a story I just had to do eventually.

I really am grateful that you all kept reading it the entire time.

The project idea for Tokyo began with wanting to do a somewhat different approach to an illustration novel.

I was already doing Image City – SF in Dengeki hp when it began, so it was started with the intent of being different visually from that.

In other words, SF is an illustration novel where the illustrations are front and center and Tokyo is an illustration novel with a focus on the page layout and other design elements.

It’s up to you readers to decide if that worked, but this is what we came up with.

I hope you will all remember this story that took the bizarre form of 120 memories.

Now, I have a lot of page space this time, so time for a longer chat.

“Did you read it? Or rather, have you been reading it?”

“Yeah, I read it. What magazine was it in again?”

“Are you familiar with Dengeki hp?”

“Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Are you sure you read it?”

“I read it, idiot. This is the one where, um…wait, I didn’t read it!!”

“You gave up fast.”

“Honesty is the best policy. Did you know that? Bet you didn’t.”

“Then call up your parents and tell them you lied about working for a securities company and that you’re actually a writer.”

“I can’t tell them that. They’d worry. Filial piety takes precedence over honesty. Do you know how to write the kanji for filial piety?”

“Take a child, slash them diagonally, and bury them under the dirt.”

“That’s the same joke you made last time! Shameful! At least say the parent is stomping on the dirt from above or something.”

“You’re the one that asked the same question twice. Now, do you know how to write the kanji for parent?”

“Standing on a tree to do some peeping.”

“That’s quite the parent. Anyway, let’s actually talk about Tokyo.”

“La la la! I can’t hear you!”

“You’re even less cooperative than I’d heard. Can I ask about a cringe story from your schooldays that N told me about?”

“Idiot. I was a studious kid who spent his schooldays doing ordinary, average stuff, so I don’t have any cringe stories.”

“When the Buddhism Research Club was trying to recruit new members, is it true you wrote ‘Rise up, ignorant masses!’ on a signboard and set up on the fence around the school and that got the club shut down?”

“Ow, ow, ow, ow! N-no fair using a college story!”

“Then how about a high school one? When your English proficiency test proctor asked a highly personal question like ‘What is your hobby?’, is it true you wrote down ‘I am hobby’ and then walked out of the room yourself?”

“Ow, ow, ow, ow! My past is ambushing me? I was so young. So very young.”

“Oh? Didn’t you say just the other day you tried to eat an entire mandarin orange in a single bite on a dare from your wife and you ended up spitting it out like an artillery shell? You’re such a young father.”

“M-my wife betrayed me! I see now why the kanji for wife is written as ‘there’s a kunoichi in your house’!!”

“I’m going to ignore your lame excuses. Oh, but your wife did say your complete inability to think anything through is cute.”

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! That one hurt way more than the others!”

“She’s behind you right now, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, and she has no idea this is what I’m writing. But she did peek over my shoulder when I was writing an article the other day and asked who thought up the term ‘mufufu’. Answer me that, trivia king.”

“I think Yasuda Hitoshi used it at around ’84 in Login. Can’t tell you if it was ever used before that.”

“How the hell do you have an answer for that!? And even I’m starting to feel a bit rude, so I guess I’ll ask: what’s Tokyo about?”

“It’s about us in the past.”

“Wow, that is awful. Actually, I don’t know that much about your past.”

“You don’t? Whew, dodged a bullet there.”

“Weren’t you and your friends the kind of people to sneak into the school at night for airsoft battles or to swim in the pool, to race a motorcycle gang in your bicycles, and to readily jump down from the 2nd floor of the school? And didn’t a friend of yours get overcharged at a yakuza yakiniku place, couldn’t pay, got caught, went to pay off his debt, and got complimented by the yakuza while they gave him a receipt? I want nothing to do with any of you.”

“Y-you say some hurtful things, you know? I barely did any of that stuff. I saw most of it happen though.”

“Oh, really? Weren’t you the one who stuffed the top and bottom of his track suit full of newspaper and dropped it from the roof, causing a panic at your school?”

“I was so young. So very young.”

“Oh? And who was it that nearly froze to death recently by lying on the roof in a sleeping bag to watch the meteor shower?”

“I did not ‘nearly freeze to death’. I only lost feeling in my hands and feet.”

“That’s the same thing, idiot. I hope they don’t find you until spring.”

“Honestly, it was a valuable experience. The scariest part was climbing down the ladder from the roof. And when I got back to my room, my mouth was trembling so much my voice sounded really funny.”

“Is that what Tokyo is about?”

“Kind of, actually.”

Okay, let’s call it there.

Anyway, my background music while writing up the commentary was Naive by the Barbee Boys. I listened to that back when I wrote the initial stories and it was on Listen, the very first CD I ever bought. (But if you see the afterword as the ending, I guess a better ending theme would be Boku no Mori by Yusa Mimori. That song was on Harumoni Odeon, an all-time great album if you ask me.)

When I read through this again, the question on my mind was, “Who was the #1 me?”

Anyway, look forward to my future books.

February 2004. A morning with a beautiful moon.

-Kawakami Minoru