Dump

The late August Sun finally began to approach the horizon.

The drop in temperature should have had a beneficial effect on Keshita's condition, if only he hadn't fallen asleep and plunged into nightmares.

Miku hesitated to wake him up when she saw Tamiya's face contorted in pain and his body constantly shifting in his seat.

Keshita ran in the darkness from the rakshasas, who were still trying to grab him and take his soul. Suddenly, the images of Buddhist hell changed to Dante's Christian hell. From his day of the ninth circle, a giant hand was reaching out, but it wasn’t like the one he’d seen in Shibuya. However, it was as if its owner wanted the same.

"Come to me, and we’ll become one! All this will become yours too!"

Behind the hand appeared the already familiar silhouette of an unfamiliar foreigner with the shadow of a rabbit. His mouth suddenly opened and became like an abyss. With his hand he pushed Keshita, who was shaking with fear.

*Ring*

And again, the saving sound of bells dispelled the darkness and…

"Ah-ah!"

Keshita suddenly woke up, startling Miku.

"It's good that you woke up. I thought I’d have to use my signature move."

Tamiya ran his hand over his cheek, remembering the feeling of the hot blow very well. Then suddenly he leaned against the window, spying on something.

"What's wrong? Fukuoka is still…"

"Where are we? We need to get off here!"

“But you told us we needed to go to Fukuoka?”

*Izumojinzai Station.*

"Let's go! The sound is coming from here."

The couple got off at a small station, more like a village station. Although the city infrastructure was everywhere, it was in harmony with nature. The vast green fields brought special beauty and freedom to the landscape.

Keshita took a deep breath.

"The air here is so incredibly clean!"

Miku sniffed with her nose and sighed blissfully.

"You're right. And the backpack is so light now. About that… That monk took the other half of the backpack and a lot of equipment from Mukibutsu. I don't quite understand what happened, but now they won't find us?"

"It seems he’s one of the Sun Guardians, the enemies of Mukibutsu. I don't fully understand it myself, it all happened more on an intuitive level. It was as if we trusted each other with just one look."

“This is increasingly becoming like science fiction, although it’s not for me to say this in the context of the experiment…”

"Let's go, the sound is coming from there. We'll discuss it on the way."

The guys walked through the countryside in Izumo from Jinzaishimmachi towards Jinzayokichō.

"After Tokyo, it looks so deserted. But you're feeling much better, aren't you?"

"Yes, as if I can think for myself now. Although disturbing thoughts do not leave me."

The couple walked across a bridge over the Jikken River, which flows into Lake Jinzai. Keshita noticed a man in the boat.

"Hmm? A couple of lovers here on Obon instead of celebrating in the city? Right, we need to hurry…"

"Today is Obon… why did that seem important to me?"

"Um… something wrong with that boatman?"

Miku looked at him suspiciously, and then at Keshita.

"No. I was checking to see if my ability had accidentally disappeared."

The girl was a little surprised and pointed her finger at herself.

"It's harder to read your thoughts… It looks like self-control. I don't want to offend you in any way. After last time…"

"You said something about my parents. Does this have anything to do with them?"

Keshita suddenly grabbed his head.

"S-sorry, it's really hard for me to remember this. Let's talk about it later. I think we've arrived."

Miku walked forward up the stone steps up the slope. There was a sign nearby that said "Nagahama Shrine".

"Are you coming?"

"It's strange, the sound is coming from another place, this temple was just on the way."

Miku came back down, sighing.

"I hope he's close. It's sunset soon. We'll need somewhere to stop."

"Are you coming?"

"I just said we were going somewhere else."

"?"

"Didn't you say that?"

Keshita looked around, but there was no one nearby. Suddenly more voices were heard.

"To the city?"

"Yes, it was decorated with lanterns on Obon and lots of food stalls opened again!"

"Come on, we'll be late!"

"There will be fireworks today, let's go see them?"

“There’s no help for him anymore… We’ve done everything we could…”

"No, I'm too lazy. We'll see from home."

"Great, my parents have left, I'll play until late!"

"Enough!"

"Keshita, what's wrong with you? Is there someone nearby?"

"You oversalted the ramen again! What's wrong with you?"

"What a cute kitty, oh!"

"Aoki, I told you. Cut!"

"Wow, this yakitori is delicious!"

"Tamiya, I'll turn you inside out!"

"Everyone is having fun, but I’ve to study. Why is the world so unfair!?"

“I’m so sick of this heat… when are we going to save up for an air conditioner?”

"Festival? What the hell of a festival! Have you seen the news? Production is stopping in the US. Do you know what's about to start in Japan!?"

"Darling?"

"Please… stop!"

Keshita held his head with both hands, torn apart by a thousand thoughts, staring madly at the ground. He only shouted out pleas for silence.

"What should I do!? He'll go crazy like that. I can't see anyone. Has his ability really gotten stronger? I need to take him away from the houses, where? If only I’d my phone with me…"

"Did you buy milk? I asked for it on the way back…"

"Failure again. Throw his body with the others. Yamanaka's orders."

"Haha, this guy is so funny! He's the spitting image of my classmate!"

" "

"Tomorrow, I’ve to go back to work, how could I not want to? When will the world end?"

"Damn, that feels so good, oh yeah!"

"Your mother! What did he do? I'll call the police right now!"

"Keshita, I'm coming for you."

"No, Furito, not here! Damn it. Stupid dog!"

"…yeah, that's it… load faster! This render seems endless. Maybe it's time to upgrade your graphics card?"

"…Mi-mirita, w-wouldn't you like to go to the seashore with me and watch the sunset?.."

*Shhhh-shhh*

Keshita was breathing heavily, his knees falling on the sand.

"Silence… finally!"

"I heard the sound of the waves and decided you’d be calmer here."

"Thank you. You're right, the ability is probably continuing to develop, and its radius has increased significantly."

Keshita leaned on Miku's shoulder, their eyes meeting.

"You read my mind? W-wait, w-what is this?.."

"N-no, Miku… STOP!"

It was too late, and Keshita had no control over the process. The couple's consciousnesses met again, but this time they ended up in Miku's memories.

She was riding her bicycle on the asphalt on a rainy day.

"Please, invisible barrier!"

Where Keshita's vision had ended earlier, nothing happened, and Miku easily drove on to the research center where her parents' GPS signal had ended.

When little Miku noticed a checkpoint with a fence, she turned off the road, left her bike and headed into the forest.

She walked along the fence, looking for an entrance. But the research center was well protected: the fence was high, and the wire at the top was obviously electrified.

Miku had already despaired of finding a loophole, when suddenly she saw a deep tunnel.

"Please come home before it's too late."

"Wow, did a boar dig this up? Your parents will be surprised, hee-hee. Eh?"

Aoki couldn't see what it was in the evening darkness, when suddenly thunder rumbled.

"Ee-eep!"

Aoki looked back as lightning flashed and saw a wandering figure in the forest far away. Frightened, she dove into the tunnel and moved quickly to the other side.

"Ugh! It stinks even more in here."

"Let's get out of here."

"Yeah, like that. Be careful!"

It was heard from behind the nearest building.

“These’re… the voices of mom and dad!”

Miku ran in that direction and then quietly peeked out from around the corner.

"What are they doing outside? Are they coming back already? Is it because of the experiments that there is such a terrible stench here?"

Thunder rumbled again, lighting up the eerie scene with lightning.

"Close your eyes."

A dump of hundreds of human bodies. And Aoki's parents added another failed specimen to it. Even though they were wearing protective gear, Miku could clearly see their indifferent expressions.

"N-no way…why…what are you doing…"

Miku immediately threw up on the wall she was leaning against to keep from falling. The pouring rain and thunderstorm hid her.

"Forget."

"Not this time."

"A-a-a-a!"

A cry of insight tore through Miku's throat, and his eyes were bloodshot with anger and were only cooled by the tears that burst out.

The sound of the surf drowned out the pain from the open wound.