[1DK] Day 3: The World Behind the Transparent Wall | Parts 1-2

AUGUST 25, 2023 ~ FLAMETJD

“If you wish to dream, you must shut your eyes and close yourself off from reality.

If you wish to face reality, you must lock your dreams within the recesses of your heart.

Therefore,

If you wish to seize your dreams,

Head towards the reality that looks even remotely like your dreams,

And reach out towards it relentlessly.”

Roa Marceau, White Moon Daydream

(1)

When he was a child, he used to dream of becoming a superhero. 

He longed to be one of those selfless heroes who would stand before aliens or monsters from the abyss, threats which normal people stood no chance against.

It wasn’t uncommon for children to admire such characters and aspire to be like them, and eventually most of them grew out of it as they matured. Though Soji was one such child himself, he was also a good deal more stubborn. He never gave up as he progressed from elementary school to high school, not even when he entered the same university as his brother.

Naturally, as one gets old enough to be called an adult, they learn the truths of the world. For example, humans cannot fly in the air unaided, nor shatter concrete with their bare hands, much less conjure up flames with their minds and blast them from their palms. There’s nothing to fight, since there aren’t any “aliens” or “monsters from the abyss” in the first place.

Even as he understood that, his childhood dream was like a fire that smoldered within the young man’s heart. To right the injustices of the world, and extend a helping hand to the weak—his younger self was yet unable to completely let go of those platitudes.

—When are you ever going to grow up? You’re such a kid.

Said his brother, as if he had just heard something unbelievable.

What had he replied to his brother back then? He couldn’t remember.

—At the very least, he’s not going down the wrong path. That’s good enough for me.

Said his father with a hearty laugh.

What had he replied to his father back then? He couldn’t remember.

—I just hope you don’t get into fights. I know the men in our family don’t have the physique for that.

Said his mother with a worried look.

What had he replied to his mother back then? He couldn’t remember.

—I really do like that part about you, but honestly, I’m not sure if I can fully support that.

Said his girlfriend with a conflicted expression.

What had he replied to her back then? He couldn’t remember.

—If you’re so passionate about it, how ‘bout joining the police force?

—Nah, this kind of thing is only fun because you’re doing it as a hobby, right?

—Well, who am I to judge what you can or can’t do? Anyway, just make sure you don’t get burnt, ‘kay?.

Said his friends, each with their own form of concern.

What had he replied to them back then? He couldn’t remember.

It’s common knowledge that waking up from a nightmare leaves one gasping for breath.

“Ugh…”

Letting out a choked groan, Soji slowly opened his eyes, only to see a woman’s face right before him.

Black eyes carrying a hint of blue, and light brown hair glimmering in the sunlight.

Who is this? He wondered.

The aftermath of the nightmare left his head feeling groggy, and he couldn’t think straight. It took him a while to take stock of the situation.

There were at most 50 centimeters between them, give or take. It wasn’t close enough that they could feel each other’s breath, but not far enough that they couldn’t hear each other’s whispers either.

“……”

Even after becoming fully awake, he still didn’t know how to react, and they stayed like that for a few seconds.

“Good morning.” She greeted him in a small voice.

Huh?! He was surprised that Algernon actually greeted him of her own initiative.

“Good… morning.” Amazed, he gave a hesitant reply. “What are you doing, exactly?”

“I was looking, at you.”

“That’s not particularly enjoyable, is it?”

“That’s not true.”

Hehe, she hummed lightly as she got up.

She wasn’t in the sleepwear she’d worn last night. It seemed she had changed into some casual clothes he hadn’t seen before.

“You sure wake up early.”

“This body, feels hunger.” She placed a hand on her stomach. “I would like to prepare food, would that be all right?”

“Hm? …Huh?”

As a result of falling asleep while sitting on the sofa, various parts of his body felt stiff and awkward. He did a few light stretches as he gave a doubtful reply.

“You? You’ll cook? Is it something edible?”

“I would like to try,” Algernon nodded. “I got the procedure, from SAKIMI’s memories. Something simple is, not a problem…”

Her words came to a sudden stop there, only for her to add, “…probably.” as an addendum after the pause.

Soji scratched the side of his head. “Give it a shot,” he urged.

“I will.” She nodded again, with a slightly determined look on her face.

In all honesty, the resultant meal was a truly simple one.

Half-toasted white bread, a hand-torn cabbage salad, and a slightly burnt sunny-side up.

“You’ve become really fluent.”

“That, indeed.” The hand holding up a piece of cabbage stopped, and Algernon nodded. “While sleeping, I recalled, a bunch of, SAKIMI’s memories.”

Her usage of the term “recalled” bothered him slightly.

For the individual in question, there was possibly no better way to describe it. However, considering the memories did not belong to her in the first place, perhaps it wasn’t entirely appropriate.

“Did I lighten, your load, a little, SOJI.”

“Huh?”

“Do you think, I can do it. Everyday life.”

…Ah, so that’s what she’s talking about.

What she was referring to was what he himself had told her yesterday. About doing everything that was part of Sakimi’s routine life within the boundaries of this building.

“Oh, that.” Somehow feeling bad, he spoke. “This breakfast is completely edible. Though it doesn’t taste particularly good or bad.”

“Can I be, glad, about it.”

“If I had to say, that would be a compliment.”

“I see…”

Haah, her expression turned serious, and she said: “I didn’t, season it.”

“Seems like it.” He lightly nodded, chewing on the fried egg. Pure, unseasoned egg white and yolk, with not a single speck of salt. “Well, it doesn’t really matter. Even without seasoning, its nutritional value doesn’t change and it fills the stomach too.”

“No, but then… it lacks, the human touch.”

“Perhaps,” he replied indifferently without giving it much thought. “Even then, I don’t think it really matters.”

“But…”

Still looking like she wasn’t satisfied with that answer, Algernon sat silently for a while without touching her food. From the looks of it, she was probably searching through Sakimi’s memories again.

Having made up her mind at last, she got up from her chair, headed to the refrigerator and took something out. Then she returned to her seat, and squeezed a good dollop of ketchup onto her sunny-side up.

The after-breakfast coffee was brewed by Soji.

Saying it was how Sakimi would’ve drank it, Algernon added a copious amount of sugar into her mug.

“…I’ve been meaning to ask.” Soji spoke while pouring milk into his own. “Why are you so fixated on me?”

“…?” She gave a questioning look.

“It was like that yesterday too. You’ll obey whatever instruction anyone gives you, yet you followed me despite no one telling you to. There’s the granny or Kotaro, but you chose me over them, isn’t that right?”

“…Yes.”

“Why?” he asked again.

“Because you’ll definitely help me,” she answered without a moment’s delay.

“Me? When?”

“On the first night. You said it, SOJI.” She said those words dearly, clasping her hands over her chest as though she was holding something precious.

I did? He had no recollection.

“You said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll definitely help you.’”

He immediately recalled what happened then. It was only the other night.

—Please…

—He-…lp…

Sakimi’s look of anguish as she pleaded.

Without hesitation, he had grasped her hand, reassuring her.

—Yeah, you bet I will.

—Don’t worry, I’ll definitely help you.

I see. She’s referring to that. Did she hear it because she was already conscious inside of Sakimi then?

“I was saying that to Sakimi, not you.”

“Is, that so?”

He nodded to say that was the case.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. Algernon, you are different from Sakimi. The two of you are completely separate.”

“…I see. You’re right.” Her lips curved into what appeared to be a bitter smile, and she lowered her head. “Then, SOJI. If I say, ‘help me’… would you.”

“That goes without saying.” He gulped down the rest of his coffee. “That body is precious. After all, it’s Sakimi’s.”

Ah, shit, he cursed inwardly. 

He realized he just said something he shouldn’t have. It sounded like only Sakimi was important, and he couldn’t care less about Algernon. In other words, he was pretty much saying that she was nothing but an obstacle to getting the old Sakimi back.

“I see…”

Is she recalling another memory, or is she just thinking?

After several seconds, Algernon lifted her face, nodding as if she had an epiphany. “Yup… you’re right. It’s fine. That’s the way it should be.”

She’s strangely obedient, he thought.

Is it just because she doesn’t understand what I’m saying? Or perhaps… She gets what I’m saying, and accepts it as fact?

…God damn it!

He cursed at the skies.

The others had called her a good girl who listened to instructions. Why wouldn’t they? This child had carried out their words to the letter. Even a nonhuman being could seem human if it perfectly mimicked human emotions.

So why is it? Why is it that I alone can’t see her that way?

Algernon picked up a nut from the snack bowl, and held it between her fingers.

She brought it to her mouth and started to chew.

Her actions were so uncannily human-like yet so utterly alien that it was hard to pin it one way or the other. Feeling slightly repulsed, Soji averted his eyes.

(2)

“Well, I’m not sure what to make of this.” The elderly female doctor crossed her arms, her brows furrowed.

As usual, the Kadosaki Surgical Hospital barely had any patients. As someone with a special request, he couldn’t be more glad.

He had been called to the director’s office, not the consultation room​ or the waiting room. He had wanted to ask if such a small, neighborhood hospital needed such a grand room. Then again, when dealing with the underworld clientele, it’s probably necessary to have a room with hardly anybody going in or out. In support of this hypothesis, the room had a thick door and no windows… likely making it soundproof so as to prevent eavesdropping.

“Sorry for yesterday and today, Doctor.” Soji lowered his head in apology.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind. Strictly speaking, you could even call this a case of a sudden change in the patient’s condition. There’s no predicting these things, so I can only deal with it as a doctor. Still…” She rubbed her temple with the back of a pen as she read through the patient chart in her hand.

“That child sure changed a whole lot in just one day, hasn’t she? She was as quiet as a statue yesterday, yet today she can already answer my questions properly.”

“According to her, it’s apparently because she learned from reading Sakimi’s memories.”

“Yes, I’ve heard. She told me as much, no less.” She directed her gaze upwards. “Thanks to that, the consultation itself didn’t take too long.”

“Is there a problem?”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a problem… Well, just have a look at it yourself.”

He took the tablet she held out.

An X-ray image taken roughly ten minutes ago was shown on the 11-inch display. At first glance, it appeared no different from the one he saw yesterday. However, on closer inspection there was a definite change from before.

“The shadow became smaller?”

“Seems like it. How much of the research report have you read?”

His cheeks tightened reflexively at the sudden question. “I tried my best to comprehend it.”

“I like your honesty. Then, what do you know about the latter half of the experiment on the rat?”

“I don’t even know which part of the report that is.” He slumped his shoulders.

Hmm, the doctor huffed. “I briefly scanned through the report you passed me. It took about two hundred and forty-four hours after the transplant surgery, apparently.”

“What did?”

“For complete restoration. Just ten days and four hours. That was the amount of time it took before the rat’s body expelled the foreign material.”

Soji’s eyes went wide.

“It does indeed have an incredible cytology, being able to perfectly mimic the cells of its host’s body. However, when it comes to control of the body, it seems the host still has the initiative. They’ve even got a hypothesis here. After repeated cycles of regeneration and renewal, the body’s own cells eventually crowd out the imitation cells, or so they’ve conjectured.”

“Is that even possible…”

“Sure is, it’s already been documented. Also, the same thing is happening right inside the young lady now as we speak.” The doctor took back the tablet, and her finger flashed across the screen, showing him another image.. 

“The driven-out imitation cells enter the bloodstream, where they are eventually expelled from the body.”

The picture showed a white laboratory rat with a red, pea-sized jelly-like thing next to it.

“From the observations, this ‘Cor Ouadae’ seems unable to undergo cell division when it is mimicking another cell. The end result is what you have just seen.” Incidentally, the intelligence of the rat returned to its original value after it recovered—she added almost offhandedly.

“Ha, ha ha…” His cheek muscles tightened and pulled his lips into a smile.

“It took ten days in the rat’s case, but we don’t know how long it would take in the case of a human being. Just basing it on metabolism rate alone would set the process on a timescale of months.”

“The time doesn’t matter.”

That’s right. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, so long as the possibility is there.

All this time, he had been searching in the dark for a way to bring Sakimi back to normal. But now, he had a ray of hope, and the future suddenly seemed brighter.

“Conversely, the process may be much shorter if it depends on some other factor altogether. Anyway, just be mentally prepared for anything to happen.”

Yeah, he nodded.

“Have you told Algernon?”

“No, for obvious reasons. Whether to tell her or not is your decision to make.”

“Right—You can count on me for that.” He nodded repeatedly in gratitude. “Thank you very much, Doctor!”

“It’s still too early to thank me.”

“I still want to thank you, even if it’s just for what you’ve done so far.” He bowed his head deeply.

The old doctor only faced away, looking slightly displeased for some reason.

“Ketchup, eh? I see you’re rather daring.”

“Is it weird?”

“Nah, it’s not that. People have all sorts of likes and dislikes, and it just goes to show their individuality. There are some people who don’t approve of anything but mayonnaise, while others preach the gospel of soy sauce. My granny belongs to the pepper faction, my dad the miso faction, and me and my mum the ponzu faction. I even have a friend who swears by whipped cream, can you believe it?”

“Whipped cream.”

“You can lay it on after frying or you can season the eggs before you cook them. Of course, there’s also those who are perfectly fine without any seasoning. In my book, anything goes as long as you’re not bothering anyone!”

“Anything… goes…”

“So you like ketchup?”

“I don’t know. I knew the flavor, but, this morning was, the first time I tried it.”

“Was it good?”

“That, I don’t really, know.”

“In that case, why not just go out and try all of them? Likes and dislikes are things you won’t really know until you’ try them for yourself. And when you find what you truly enjoy after lots of trial and error, it feels reeeally good, I’m telling you! Like, your horizon’s just expanded or something!”

“…Horizon. Is that related, to being human?”

“Probably, I think. Hahaha, maybe it’s not that convincing, coming from me.”

“My thanks. That was, a good reference.”

“No sweat… Ah, Mr. Ema.” It was at that point when Io, the middle schooler in a nurse uniform, raised her head and glanced over. “You finished talking with Granny?”

“Yeah.” Standing at the corner of the consultation room, Soji nodded.

“Sounds like a pretty heated discussion, what were you guys talking about?”

“Erm.” Io cast a sideways glance at Algernon. “Oh you know, typical girls’ talk. It’s a secret from you males.”

But Algernon, the other party, seemed to be surprised. “Is that, so?” 

“Yes, it is!” Io nodded firmly. “That’s why you can’t tell him, ‘kay? Secrets are what make a lady mysterious.”

“I see.”

Io’s enthusiasm seemed to have dragged her all over the place, making Algernon visibly bewildered, but she also seemed to be enjoying herself somehow.

“…Are you sure you aren’t just feeding her nonsense?”

“Nuh uh! I was just teaching her the dos and don’ts to being a proper lady,” she pouted.

It’s like she’s just chatting with one of her friends. Things like ‘You do realize you’re talking to an unidentified organism,’ or ‘You shouldn’t get too close to her,’ floated to the surface of his mind, but he swallowed them down before they could be put to words. Instead, he said,

“Let’s go, Kotaro’s waiting.”

At that, Algernon slowly stood up.