October 3, 2053 – 12:22 a.m.

Junna exits the Council Chamber door and Jin follows her. The two begin to wander the corridors of the building until they reach the second floor. Here, Junna enters a room and finds a man in a police uniform inside, who immediately stands at attention.

“Good morning, Member of Logic Miura.”

"Good morning, have you prepared what I requested?"

"Yes, I have prepared the chip with the data you provided and have already inserted it into the Stop-gun. Would you like me to proceed with the insertion? This is the boy, right?" asks the man, referring to Jin.

“Yes, it's him... but if you don't mind, I'd like to do it myself.”

"Of course."

Bowing his head in respect, the guard hands the Stop-gun to Junna.

"Jin, come closer" the woman orders.

"Wait! What are you going to do with that gun? I've been hit by one before and it wasn't a pleasant experience. It has some kind of paralyzing effect, right?"

Junna smiles and, approaching him, grabs his right arm vehemently, managing to immobilize him and pointing the Stop-gun at his right shoulder.

"Hey, what are you doing?! You said you wanted to help me, so why are you trying to shoot me with that damn gun now?!"

After a couple of seconds, Junna herself moves away, freeing Jin from the grip he had fallen into.

"Done." She says with satisfaction as she hands the stun gun back to the man in uniform.

"Done what? Nothing seems to have happened to me."

"I just inserted your subcutaneous microchip. The Stop-gun is used by changing its settings. Normally, it is a tool that is used as a weapon. Its peculiarity is that it acts on the nervous system, blocking the individual's body for several minutes through electrical impulses. This prevents ordinary police officers from taking it upon themselves to judge someone's life, which is why they can only use Stop-guns, except in exceptional cases where we, the Members of the Gotha, directly authorize them to use firearms.”

“I see... However, I don't seem to have any injuries and I didn't feel anything at all. Are you sure you really inserted this chip?”

“Of course! I'll show you now.”

The man in uniform hands Junna a scanner. The woman grabs Jin's arm again, but this time very gently, then passes the object close to his shoulder. The machine lights up immediately and Jin's personal information appears on its screen.

“The chip is tiny, on the order of microns, but it can hold a lot of information so that the identity of the individual who has it can be easily traced. Anyway, don't worry, it's usually inserted into newborn babies and has never caused so much as a cold.”

“So it's a kind of substitute for personal documents?”

“It's much more than that... it allows us to monitor anyone at any time by exchanging information with our satellites. To give you an example, if a man committed a violent crime in the city and fled into the woods, it might be difficult to find him under normal circumstances, but with this system, he would be caught in a matter of minutes. That's why anyone who refuses the chip should be considered a criminal, just like someone who steals or kills... such an ingenious invention that doesn't harm anyone can only be rejected by those with bad intentions.”

“Actually, it seems like an unassailable argument to me, if, as you say, no one has ever had any problems... but comparing those who refuse the chip to murderers seems absurd to me. I can't forget that you also sentenced Ren to death for simply writing on a wall and...”

Junna interrupts Jin. “As for the chips, they have been used on the entire population since 2043 and no one has ever been harmed by them. The invention is the result of collaboration between Member of Medicine Tsuji, Member of Information Technology Sakamoto, and Member of Engineering Satō. As for your friend... forget about him, the Resistance just tried to deceive you, they probably wanted to use you for some purpose. I'll show you that honest people like you have nothing to fear under the Gotha government and can actually live happily.”

Jin cannot find the strength to argue back. He is undoubtedly still suffering greatly after seeing Ren and some members of the Resistance who tried to help him escape while he was on his way to Gotha's palace die. Despite this, he is aware that Junna also played an important role in saving his life and, above all, his freedom. For the moment, he decides to study the situation more carefully, aware that he is trapped between two factions that seem to be at war.

Having now inserted the chip into Jin's body, Junna leaves the room and the boy also sets about doing the same.

"Where shall we go now?" he asks.

"You haven't been able to see our city since you arrived here, have you?"

"Actually, I only went out for short periods and only at times when no one was around when I was with the Resistance."

Junna and Jin leave the Gotha building. Outside, a driver asks the woman if she wants him to take them somewhere, but she refuses, saying she prefers to walk. "The Gotha building is right in the center of town, we'll have no trouble getting around without a car."

"That's better... I also prefer to walk or, at most, ride a bike," Jin emphasizes, making Junna laugh. As they move through the city, the two continue to chat.

"You know, Jin, the room you were in before is the Gotha Council room, and it takes up almost the entire first floor. That's where the 11 Council Members meet to make the most important decisions. On the upper floor are our laboratories and offices, where we can carry out our respective studies and make discoveries that can advance humanity. Finally, on the third and top floor are our rooms. In fact, all of us Gotha members live in the building together with the guards who protect it."

“I see.”

Jin and Junna are now immersed in the crowd in the city center and are walking through the different streets. Little or nothing seems to have changed since 2025. People seem happy and carefree, the shops are open, and there don't seem to be any obvious innovations.

Junna stops to smell an apple in a greengrocer's shop. “It has a really delicious aroma.”

"Of course, they are organic apples from my garden... but you are Miura, the Member of Logic!" The greengrocer takes a bag and, after putting some apples in it, hands it to Junna. "Please accept this humble gift from a devoted citizen."

“Don't worry... I intend to pay you the full amount I owe you. Please weigh the bag.”

"I can't allow someone of your stature to pay at my store."

"Please, if I accepted these apples for free just because of my position, it would be like stealing them... I think I would be forced to execute myself."

“S-such wisdom, if that is what you wish, then I will weigh them for you.”

The greengrocer weighs the apples and puts them in a bag.

“That'll be 900 yen then... hey, but this guy... he looks like Jin Kuraishi.”

“Thanks for the apples, we really have to go now.” Junna hands the money to the man, who stands watching the two walk away, then says something to himself. “He's back... I'm sure of it... I have to let everyone know...”