Escape

"Now turn right!"

Keshita ran quickly through the streets of the Chome Yoyogi district, holding Miku's hand tightly.

"Okay, stop!"

Tamiya strained his muscles, reading the thoughts of people within a 50-meter radius, and tracked down the Mukibutsu agents who were pursuing them.

"There!"

By running and hiding, the couple managed to reach Yoyogi Station.

"What about the cameras?"

"We’re in their blind spot. But I can't calculate everything, we’ve little time. We can only hope that we slip through unnoticed!"

To passersby, their behavior seemed strange, but Keshita trusted in chance and that the ability he used in the supermarket would “keep” the police’s attention away from them.

Finally, the guys jumped on the departing shinkansen and took passenger seats.

"Phew, looks like they escaped. Are you now tracking people with the power of thought!?"

"Y-yes… my ability is getting stronger, but it's also harder to control. And then there's this pain…"

Keshita kept grabbing his head and scratching his neck.

"Are you choking again? I'll get my inhaler now!"

“N-no need… I’m just disoriented… this sound is getting louder.”

"The sound of another bell? What does that even mean? If your hearing were so acute, you’d go mad from sounds sooner than from thoughts!"

"We'll find out soon. We need to go to…"

***

A couple of hours before their escape, the couple walked up the hill to the temple, Keshita leading the way.

"Where are you?"

Miku couldn't keep up because of her heavy backpack. Keshita's vision became cloudy, and he imagined that she was a black rabbit.

"This shadow… why?"

"Maybe I’d take your backpack after all?"

"For you to lose it in the midst of visions? There is important equipment here that was entrusted to me!"

They passed the entrance torii, and Keshita felt a pleasant breeze, as if spirits were greeting him. Although he thought it was his imagination.

At the entrance they were met by miko (priestesses) sweeping the paving stones. Suddenly the familiar ringing of a bell was heard, but now more distinctly.

One of the priestesses with long snow-white hair had bells tied to her broom. She swept with such an indescribable feeling, as if she were dancing.

"What the…how strange."

"Miyata!" Someone called out to that priestess. "Come here, something important!"

"Are you looking at girls?" Miku caught up with Keshita and looked up at him, leaning over. "Perhaps this is what you lack to "awaken the force"?"

"Do you think this will help?"

"Are you stupid or something?"

The couple walked further towards the main building.

"She just seemed strange to me and…"

The buildings were constructed in the azekura-zukuri style, which has historically used logs in construction.

After completing his ablutions, Keshita and Miku continued to follow the sound of the bell until they reached the altar where it was hung. it’s used to greet the gods before and after prayer.

"Did you follow him by ringing his bell?"

"Maybe."

“And what next… will you pray?”

“Yes, we should at least thank the local kami for helping us find temporary peace.”

Tamiya walked up to the altar and rang the bell. Then he clapped his hands twice, bowed the same number of times, straightened up and put his palms together, closing his eyes.

He stood there for a long time, not knowing what to think about or where to go. He understood the structure of the human body and the work of genes. But he couldn’t imagine how exactly the brain could achieve complete control over itself and how to escape from Mukibutsu.

"…what did he do!? How many… how many did he kill!?" Like a bolt from the blue, it sounded in Keshita's head.

"Where is this from?.."

"?"

"…stole a soul!? Damn it, I need to assemble a team urgently…"

Keshita walked towards the entrance of the adjacent building to catch the "signal" of the source of thoughts. Miku silently followed.

Inside, many monks were reciting Shinto prayers. Keshita tried to quietly move on, but one of the monks blocked his way.

"Can I help you with something?"

"I just wanted to take a look around the shrine, if you don't mind."

"Sorry, but you can't go any further, entry is only for…"

The smiling monk opened his eyes and was very surprised when he took a closer look at Keshita.

"Y-you…"

"I’m from the Sun Guardians. I need your help."

Keshita himself was surprised; the thought itself burst out of his subconscious. And, judging by the monk's expression, it reached its addressee.

"Why did I 'say' that?"

"Okay, you can look around here. But things must be left here so as not to pollute the sanctuary."

Keshita nodded to Miku, who took off her backpack and handed it over for safekeeping. As they moved deeper into the building, Miku asked.

"What was that just now?"

“Just like with the police… I somehow convinced him with the power of thought.”

"You're a Jedi now too!?"

"Q-Quiet, I'm trying to concentrate."

The couple wandered through the confusing corridors for several minutes until they reached a dead end.

"And where next?"

"It looks like there's a hidden room here."

"I feel like a spy. We're definitely doing the wrong thing. What did you hear that was so important?"

Keshita extended his index finger for silence and focused.

"…understood. Connect me. I’ll start searching immediately. Authorization successful. Entering the Internet space…"

"Agh!" Keshita suddenly cried out.

He grabbed his head and fell to his knee.

"What's happened?"

"Internet space? Damn, I just passed terabytes of information through myself in a second. It's a good thing I disconnected almost immediately… or rather, was disconnected?"

"What? Tell me more, the lab is interested in this."

The headphones remained with Miku, as the monk didn’t notice them.

"I don't understand everything, but I think I know where we need to go. Let's go."

At the exit, they were met by the same smiling monk, handing Miku's backpack. Or rather, half of it, since it could be divided if necessary.

"W-what?" Aoki was surprised.

"It's okay, we cleaned it up a bit for you. Have a nice trip!"

Keshita looked at Miku and nodded that everything was okay.

"Thank you very much!"

The couple walked towards the exit of the temple past the altar with the bell.

"Let's say a prayer before we leave."

As they stood before the altar, Keshita rang the bell. He gestured for Miku to leave her headphones there. Reluctantly, she obeyed him.

Tamiya rang the bell again and they quietly walked away in a northerly direction towards the forest that surrounded the temple.

"I hope we're clear now. Ready to run?"

"What? Now?"

"Yes, soon the agents of Mukibutsu will understand everything. The forest will play into our hands."

"And where are we heading?"

***

"…Fukuoka."

Although the couple was safe on the Shinkansen, they continued to glance at every passenger passing by.

"Tamiya…"

"We can have Keshita."

"Keshita, this is starting to sound more like a psychological thriller. Can you tell me what's happened to you lately?"

"I’m too exhausted to see the whole picture myself. However, I hear a sound that I feel I must follow. I need to gather my strength. It’ll be useful soon."

"Enough already, this is really some kind of nonsense!"

"You can still turn back. However, I’ve to trust my own experience. I read minds. From the monks and the agent, himself, as well as… from you, I learned that Mukibutsu is not the company it claims to be."

"From me?"

"Your parents…"

"What?.."

Miku was silent for a moment, trying to process what she’d heard and somehow connect it with her parents. Keshita couldn’t continue speaking. Tamiya leaned back in his chair and leaned against the window, looking at the flickering landscape.

Although Keshita continued to pick up the signal, the old one couldn’t lose, the picture of Tokyo distorted by speed relaxed him. However, in the middle of the way, something flashed through his fortress of calm like lightning. Keshita saw a distortion of the air on the rails in the shape of a person. And at the same high speed it rushed away, leaving him alone with himself in his further search.

An unexpected meeting awaits them.