Estimated reading time: 9–11 minutes
Chapter 22: Reunion
The day after everything ended. I woke up unusually early and nervously unlocked my phone, but surprisingly there were only a few notifications.
『As expected. Let’s gather at Kōmitsu Solutions in HAO at 10 to share information.』
『I wonder if the other one said anything yet!?』
Hmm, it looks like they both watched the stream. Well, they don’t seem angry, but anyway, I turned on the TV to kill time. Even in 2040, TV has surprisingly survived. It’s like radio – people kept saying it would end, but it lived on into the 2030s by changing formats, so this is probably similar.
I don’t think it’ll last until 2050 though. As I flipped through channels, I heard a familiar voice, so I stopped there.
「Today we have Professor Nagashaberi who loves roundabout explanations. Thank you for coming.」
「You’re welcome. So today’s topic is the negative mass matter from Space lgnition Industries, yes?」
「That’s right. I’ll explain again for the viewers – yesterday on March 5th, the streamer known as Orange leaked confidential information about Space lgnition Industries. The market was in turmoil for a time, but now aerospace stocks have actually gone up. Professor, why do you think that is?」
「I’m no economist, but first it ironically proves they have the tech to synthesize negative mass matter.」
「What can that negative mass matter be used for?」
「Mainly weight reduction. Putting it inside vehicles and Apollyons lowers their overall weight. You know model kits you can motorize and run around? The lighter it is, the faster it’ll go, you see…」
「I don’t know those kits but…」
Ah, it’s that professor I saw on TV before. He shouted “Culture Shock!” and there was an awkward silence on screen. Since I had nothing to do until 10, I just stared blankly without even opening the curtains.
As I lazily munched on bread, my phone dinged with a notification. A message popped up in my group chat with Reina and Momiji.
『Login restricted. Should we change the meeting location to in-person?』
Nowadays, school and calls are mainly online. Some university classes restrict materials to in-person due to copyright, but there’s not much difference between face-to-face and online, so it has caught on for that reason.
So I wondered if we really needed to meet in person, but if Reina specified it, I couldn’t refuse and headed there. Of course, my reluctance was due to yesterday’s NPC Momiji. I had no idea how to face her. I know she’s a different person, and I’m not seriously hurt, but something uncomfortable lingers.
As if to reflect my feelings, it was raining outside – a spring rain, oddly unpleasant yet pleasant at the same time. They say plum blossoms used to bloom proudly around here.
As I walked under my umbrella, I spotted the two who had gone in ahead of me. Before Momiji noticed me, Reina in her hat turned with a smile and waved. Don’t be scary, you were just turned around earlier! I felt the claims of the legendary sixth sense grow stronger and broke into a cold sweat as I entered the shop.
The place was a familiar cheap donut chain for students. Reina prefers junk food to elegant fare, so we usually go to places like this, burger joints or gyudon shops when we eat out. I closed my umbrella in the vinyl and went to sit at their table… and froze up. The table was a rectangular four-seater, but with two people on each side, and that was the problem.
Reina was dressed casually as usual in a shirt and pants. She patted the spot beside her as if to say “sit here.” Seeing me frozen in place, she started patting faster and looked a little annoyed.
As for Momiji, how many years had it been since we met in real life? Her height and face looked the same as in HAO. Her hair reached her waist and she had a spaced-out, droopy-eyed look. She wore black gloves and tights on her limbs with a white blouse. Seeing me, she blushed slightly, eyes fixed on the table as she pulled out the seat next to her.
Silence. How should I handle this awkward air? The clerk was grinning as they watched, and I was at a loss how to react. After a while, I concluded I should avoid sitting next to Momiji after yesterday’s incident.
Reina gleefully placed our order, looking smug, while Momiji seemed relieved yet dissatisfied. My stomach starting hurting a bit, so I opened my phone and ordered the same thing Reina got after checking the menu. Shortly after, our donuts arrived by automated rail on plates.
It was obvious I had made things awkward, so I slid a memory card over to Momiji first thing. She looked puzzled.
「What’s this?」
「The NPC yesterday who looked like you gave me some data.」
「On stream?」
「No, it passed this to me when I was muted on stream, said it was for her ‘other self’.」
「I see… The contents are, let me check… anti-aging and rejuvenation using negative mass matter… No way.」
「……you gotta be kidding me, what a bomb she left behind.」
「?」
They opened the file on their devices and their eyes went wide. What surprised them so much? Did some company’s confidential info get leaked publicly again? Reina and Momiji whispered to each other and put their devices away.
Reina then reached for the donuts on her plate with a slight tremble before quickly withdrawing her hand. Momiji had gone completely expressionless. I wondered if it was that kind of situation, so I asked:
「Was it the kind that could get upgraded?」
「…I don’t know if it can be upgraded, but the data looks really dangerous. Did she say anything else to you?」
「Nothing about what to use it for. Oh, when it was just the two of us she confes-」
Momiji’s face instantly turned bright red before reverting to a blank expression right away. Then in a shaky voice she said:
「…That was a lie.」
「?」
「I’m not her, so it’s unrelated to me!!!」
「Pfft, puhahaha! Got her weak spot, puhaha!」
「There goes her weird laugh switch again…」
As Momiji raised her voice, Reina burst out laughing, unable to hold it in. I mean, the drastic mood swings and myriad expressions were a bit funny, but was it that amusing?
If things had progressed here, the agony when it inevitably fell apart would have been… That’s probably what the old Momiji would have thought, but sadly this is reality. There was a victim here who had his feelings fabricated for the amusement of the tasteless devs. Oh well, might as well take advantage of the situation to move things along. I could probably gloss over how I broke my promise and went to the underground station.
「Pfftt…」
「So what’s this about not being able to log in? You get spawn-killed or something?」
「No, I didn’t get spawn-killed… I think I can guess what happened from ‘Momiji’s otherself’ message.」
「How about you, Kanji? I was able to log in though.」
「I haven’t tried yet. I’ll test it when I get home.」
「Okay, so, on to the point, Momiji, it was in Kōmitsu Solutions, isn’t it?」
When I asked that, Momiji operated her device again to show a screenshot. It looked a lot like the “Apollyon Fusion Incendiary Weapon Model UK-02” I’d seen before. It was disassembled and lying in that familiar garage. The look in my eyes must have conveyed “what does this mean?”, because she quickly responded:
「I bet she lived until 2055 to properly pass on the message there. Crazy me.」
「If this method spreads, it could cause problems. Information relay is starting.」
「? I don’t really get it but did some kind of trump card suddenly appear?」
「Yeah. And she modified it to work with mass-produced Apollyon. Of course it’ll be unwieldy, and you’d have to drag it if you move it. So, our strategy – we trigger the final battle.」
When she said “final battle” I didn’t really grasp it, but immediately understood she meant the fight against the Strain. Oh right, we talked about how with overwhelming firepower to smash through its armor, then attacking with Beastkin, cyborgs and others, we might be able to beat it. In other words, we currently had exclusive possession of the key to this emergency quest.
And since it was modified for mass production model, that effectively made it mine alone. Wasn’t Orange getting a bit too conspicuous? Maybe I needed something besides the mask to better conceal my identity?
As I thought that, Momiji softened her blank expression and said 「Right, so let’s test fire it today. We have to flaunt that we have a way to beat it while it’s a hot topic, or no one will gather.」 I nodded at her words, and the conversation shifted to coordinating detailed battle plans and sharing information on forums. I was uneasy that Reina couldn’t log in, but it should work out somehow.
◇
That’s what I thought.
「Oh, you’re awake… I finally got to see you again.」
It was an unfamiliar place. I was lying in a hammock suspended from metal-skinned trees. Someone was hugging me. A gentle warmth and softness enveloped me.
Peering at me was a woman taller than myself. She wore black denim short-pants and a red jacket over a camisole. Her left arm was missing from the shoulder down, replaced with a mechanical limb. Her right eye was covered with an eyepatch.
I knew her. Those beast ears, silver short hair, aquamarine eyes, and sculpted looks that seemed artificial. Even with the major changes, there was no mistaking her.
「…Reina?」
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