Whispers of the Deep

Blue sky. Blue sea. Blue flowers. They were beautiful. Maybe I didn’t hate the color blue as much as I thought. It was just that the military base used blue for everything, and I had grown sick of it.

I stretched my arms as I walked out of the base’s front gate and inhaled deeply. The salty scent of the ocean ahead brought a smile to my face. It felt amazingly good to be outside, free from the weight of military duty.

Since this was an impulsive day off, I hadn’t made any plans. I wandered aimlessly along the shore, admiring the light of the morning sun reflected on the water’s surface. Surfers rode the waves, swimmers paddled against the current, and others lounged on the sand, basking in the sun.

Must be nice to have that much freedom in life.

Abandoned sandcastles dotted the shore, remnants of children’s fleeting creativity. I could almost see my younger self building those tiny fortresses with Yuna, searching for beautiful shells and doodling in the sand. It had been years since I last visited the beach. And every visit had been with her.

Yuna. I should go see her.

A year without contact, and then suddenly showing up at her front door, might be awkward. But a promise was a promise. Before enlisting, I had given her my word that I would see her the moment I earned my leave. Although, I doubted she was still waiting.

I got my phone back since I was off duty. When I turned it on, there were no messages or missed calls from Yuna or her parents. That was no surprise. Anyone wanting to contact soldiers had to go through the base, which would then connect the call. But I had never received anything from them. I figured they just wanted to let me be. Even so, hearing from them would have made life at the base a lot easier.

Before ordering an online cab, I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the screen. Doubt crept in. I wasn’t sure they would welcome me after all this time. But this day off was rare, and I owed it to them.

Use it wisely, Enma had said.

The second I reached their apartment’s front door, something felt undeniably off. Dead plants hung limply in their pots, the windows were coated in dust, and the welcome mat was grimy. A stack of unopened packages sat untouched nearby. The shoe rack was unusually bare. No signs of life. The apartment had clearly been abandoned for some time.

I rang the bell. Once. Twice. No answer. I knocked on the door, but it was futile. As I debated whether to call Yuna, the door to the neighboring unit creaked open, and a plump, middle-aged woman stepped out, her curious gaze falling on me.

“Do you need something, boy?” the woman asked, cautiously approaching me. Her eyes darted to the umbrella stand beside her door.

I swallowed nervously. The situation looked bad for me. That umbrella might end up hitting my back if I didn’t tread carefully. “I used to live here,” I explained, trying to keep my tone steady. “But I had to enlist. No one seems to be home.”

Her face fell, and my heart sank in dread, bracing for whatever news she was about to deliver. A look of pity replaced her wary expression. “Oh dear. Did you enlist last year?”

“Yes, why?” I demanded, a mix of curiosity and worry creeping into my voice.

The woman hesitated, her expression conflicted before she finally spoke. “Would you like to have some coffee inside? I’ll tell you everything I know.”

I knew better than to follow a stranger into their home, but this woman clearly knew Yuna’s family. If she could tell me where they were and what had happened while I was away at the base, it was worth the risk.

The inside of the neighbor’s apartment was very different from Yuna’s, despite being in the same type of unit. Soft pastel colors dominated the interior, while Yuna’s apartment was mostly monochrome with a touch of red—I had told her that red was too much, but she had insisted, since it was her favorite color. The fragrant scent of freshly baked cookies wafted through the room. I kicked off my sneakers by the entryway, nearly stepping on a sleeping black cat.

“I’m Juri,” she said from the kitchen, pouring coffee into cups. “You must be Akai Sou, Yuna’s friend. I moved here a year ago. Yuna told me about you.”

I took a seat at her dining table, my stomach growling at the sight of the cookies. “Oh, you must have moved here after I enlisted. I used to live with Yuna’s family.” After my parents passed away. I left the rest unsaid. That was too much to share with a stranger.

“Have you kept in contact with Yuna since enlisting?” Juri set the two cups of coffee on the table and sat opposite me, finally offering the cookies. I didn’t hesitate to dig in.

I shook my head grimly. “We lost contact. I haven’t heard from her or her family. Today’s my first day off, so I came straight here to check on them. But it doesn’t look like anyone’s been living in their apartment.”

Juri sighed, setting her coffee cup down. “I’m sorry I have to be the one to break this to you. There was a riot here last year, probably because of the high number of casualties from the latest bombing. A group of young people attacked the robot patrol officers, and a big fight broke out. Unfortunately, Yuna’s parents were caught in the crossfire and lost their lives. It’s a tragedy.”

My mind went blank. I couldn’t process what I was hearing. This couldn’t be real. Why hadn’t anyone told me about this? They were like my own family. I deserved to know.

Why hadn’t Yuna reached out to me herself? Why did I have to know this news from a stranger?

“W-What about Yuna?” I asked, my hands trembling as I clasped them together.

“Yuna has never been the same after the incident. She used to be such a bright girl. She would visit often to play with Kage—the cute black cat over there. But after the funeral, she never came back. The only time she visited after that was to tell me she was moving out. She never mentioned where she was going.”

I didn’t know what to say. If I was this shocked, it must have been ten times worse for Yuna. I wanted to see her more than ever now. I should have been there for her during the tough times, helping her get through this. Friends were supposed to be there for each other. The stupid enlistment had ruined everything.

Juri pushed the plate of cookies toward me, urging me to eat. But my appetite had vanished completely. I felt like I might throw up.

“Yuna seemed consumed by anger then. Given how she was, I'm afraid she might go down the wrong path. She even mentioned wanting to seek justice for her parents, and I’m worried that she might be talking about revenge.”

That revelation pulled my attention away from my own thoughts. “What do you mean by revenge?”

Juri hesitated, as if unsure whether to share this with me. “It might just be her sadness talking. Don’t take her words too seriously. She said it’s the government’s fault that her parents are dead. She claimed she saw it herself—that the robot patrol officers were the ones who killed her parents.”