Chapter 6: Planned Regret【Part 1】
【言語に関するご注意 / Language Notice】本作はすべて、英語と英語の表現で書かれています。翻訳作品ではなく、オリジナルの英語ライトノベルです。あらかじめご了承の上、作品をお楽しみください。
See chapter one for the main author's note.
Sayoko
Fukimi holds her hands together to highlight her innocent look.
“Sorry, sorry,” she whispers.
The returning grin on her face says otherwise. You can’t be sorry if your crimes are premeditated.
Click.
And so, the quiet night’s victory over the day is challenged once again by another energetic foe.
“How did you find me?”
“Um. Well—“ she hesitates, eyes start slowly glancing over me, though I am not— “Let’s just say we have a strong connection!”
“Right. If the connection is so strong, maybe turn on the transponder next time, I couldn’t find any of you today.”
“Were you even looking then?”
I turn to resume my pace. She falls into step beside me, uninvited.
“What are you doing here anyway?”
“Me? Oh just running a quick late-night errand. But I could ask you the same! Are you out on a late-night stroll?” She reaches up, lightly patting the umbrella dome. “I didn’t know you were such a nature lover, Sayo.”
I jerk it upward, out of her reach.
“I was on business, if you really must know. “
“Oh mysterious, are we? Have you even explored the city yet? It’s huge! I already went for a dip at the lake with some friends— it’s easily ten times larger than the biggest one in our hometown. Have you seen it?”
“Hm no. I’ve only tracked its outline from a distance.” I reply, keeping my eyes fixed ahead. “But… I did see a monkey on a leash today.”
“A… monkey?”
“Of the sorts, yes.”
“Why… do I get the feeling you are just going to leave it at that and—”
“Jerome?” I prompt, holding my student ID card in the air without a glance to it.
She snatches it, a short chime follows not long after. “Yeah, I met up with him earlier. I can give you his student ID number if you—”
“Thank you.” I hold my hand back up.
She returns the plastic into my palm and starts to walk slightly ahead of me, pivoting back to continue rambling.
The radio chatters through in the background.
“...and have you been to the dorms yet? They are so small! I’ve already had an entire feud with my roommate about the space. He is a third-year so he thinks he knows it all, but I—”
“Walls… Yes! Great things, walls,” I blurt out, tuning back in a moment too late for the question.
“Say,” I lift the umbrella slightly to look at her. “I am actually heading to my dormitory, and I certainly do not want to derail you from your... crucial errand.”
“Alright, alright, I get it.” She slowly deviates from my path, swirling her hand through the darkness above her. “I will call you tomorrow about where we will gather, okay?”
“Right,” I murmur, the sound so low I doubt it ever reaches her before she vanishes into the dark.
Jiro
A sharp chime echoes through the room.
The lobby’s relative calm dissolves as a group of students storms out. Oversized backpacks and reflective uniforms blur past the muted clinic walls. The glass doors swing shut behind them, leaving the room to settle into a quiet murmur again.
I roll my thumbs over each other in a continuous circle. The firm bandages wrapped around my wrists restrict the movement, making the habit clumsy, but it is impossible to stop. The moment my attention wavers, my hands drift right back together.
Renji…
Should I just go to my dormitory and rest? I could try to reach the hospital to see how he is doing. But it is already late, and I do not even know if he wants to see me now.
I mean, I hardly know the guy…
Sitting here doing nothing is not doing me any good. I need an action. Anything.
The sudden urge snaps me out of my thoughts. Pushing away from the chair, my feet carry me over to the reception desk before my brain can second-guess the decision.
The girl behind the counter leans back, blinking sleepily at her phone.
“Excuse me,” I say, keeping my voice low.
“Oh.” She blinks, sliding her phone face-down onto the counter as she sits up. Her eyes linger on my treated wounds. “Sure. You’re that first-year from earlier, right? Is there something I can help you with?”
I shift my weight, trying to sound casual despite the deep throbbing under my sleeves. “I’m still new to the city layout. I would like to find a police station. I need to file a report about an incident. Do you know where one is?”
“A report?” She hums, turning around to scan a cluttered desk organizer behind her. “Let’s see... I think I have a spare map here.”
She rifles through a stack of pamphlets and pulls out a glossy, folded sheet, spreading it across the counter.
“We are right here at the medical outpost,” she says, clicking a red pen. “There are only a few police stations on the island. This nearby one is just a small station. They will probably just refer you to the main station here. I’d go straight there if I were you.”
She draws a fluid line across the grid of streets, finishing with a bold circle.
“You can’t miss it. The top of the building has a white band that illuminates after dark to indicate it belongs to Core One.” She folds the map back up and hands it over to me with both hands.
“Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
She sinks back into her chair, her hand already drifting toward her phone as she gives me a parting smile. “Glad I could help. Take care of yourself out there, okay?”
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Discover what happens next in: Chapter 6: Planned Regret【Part 2】
Written by Limited_Infinity. Extras, official publishing platforms and updates are publicly available only on the Patreon page “_Limited_Infinity_”
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