Ground Zero of Disappointment and Aftershock

I’m Yuno Tomoe, a student of Altair Academy’s Junior High School Department, General Studies Class 1-B. As someone who had no recollection of my past, I have a natural tendency to be attached to mysteries. Even as a reader of some mystery novels, I pause to ask questions and analyze the information before reading the revelation part of the story.

The world is indeed mysterious. Well, it’s safe to say that I’m not the only one who’s thinking of such things.

Himalia is a huge city but there are a lot more cities and civilizations beyond its borders. I’ve read that Himalia is regarded as the safest city to live in as its technology aids the government in securing the safety of its citizens. While that sounds reassuring, it still sounds too good to be true.

Encrypt Lab explosion incident.

It’s the largest terrorist attack in Himalia since the Great War. It endangers Himalia’s position as a sanctuary of peace and what’s more frightening, it might not stop there. I don’t know why but I feel like everything has just begun.

And wherever that feeling comes from intrigues me.

☆ ☆ ☆

Mikaru and I took the train heading to District 11, most commonly known as the Ersa suburb, to conduct a “private investigation” of the infamous incident in the city. I might not be affiliated with the school publication in any way. I was just a tag-along or more accurately, “dragged-along” but an unusually familiar feeling of thirst for answers came to me at some point during our earlier conversation. So there I was.

While sitting, Mikaru suddenly asked, “Say, why did you decide to accompany me now?”

“Huh?! Why are you asking?”

“Nothing. It’s just whenever I ask you to go with me, I always get a resounding no. So today, you’ve got a change of heart, eh?”

“Not really, I just turned you down a lot of times before because most investigations you told me included stalking random girls.”

“GAH!”

Mikaru looked around the carriage flustered.

He said in a low but agitated tone, “I-I-It’s not like that! It’s just, you know, part of the job.”

I stared at him blankly. I couldn’t believe this guy!

“Believe me, damn it!”

“Okay. Okay. I believe you now. But I won’t ever join your ranks of being a closet creep.”

He was pouting again. “Who are you calling a closet creep?! Sigh, so…why did you agree this time?”

“Umm…it’s a secret.”

“Ehhh, come on! You made a fool of me again!”

Actually, I couldn’t come up with a plausible answer to his question. Is it out of curiosity? Probably. Is it because it sounds fun? It might be insensitive in a sense. Is it because I’ve got nothing to do at my dorm? Maybe.

At that moment, I was just fascinated to see the remnants of the explosion with my own eyes. And there, I would figure out the answer to his question… and probably, a lot more.

☆ ☆ ☆

About half an hour later, we finally arrived in the Ersa suburb. It was my first time visiting it. Although I have seen it online, the mountainous landscape still captivated my eyes. It’s part of the city that’s far from being city-ish but I bet that the people living there felt relaxed and content. However, as things stood, the atmosphere was teeming with tension, like a region sandwiched between warring states.

“Yunnie, let’s go to the destination over there.”

We walked uphill and after a few minutes, we saw the Encrypt Lab area, barricaded and heavily guarded. Even a dozen drones were roaming around the city.

“Hey Mikaru, I know it’s too late to ask but are we even allowed in here?”

Mikaru opened his bag and looked for something. He held his press ID and said, “Don’t worry, Yunnie. Leave it to me!”

To be honest, I couldn’t help but worry, like, he already jinxed it.

When we were just a few meters away from the entrance gate, an armored guard blocked us.

“I’m sorry, young ones, but you aren’t allowed to play here. This is a restricted zone!”

“Hehe, we aren’t here to play. Here!” Mikaru dumped his ID onto the guard’s arms.

“Hmm, uh-huh, I see.”

“Then—”

“No! You’re still not allowed!”

“But…”

“No means no. You’ve got no authorization so leave!”

“But, I’ve got to talk to—”

“Either you leave or I’ll report you to Altair Academy.” He held what seemingly resembled a phone.

“Please, just this t—”

That time, I stepped in and tapped Mikaru’s shoulder, then looked at the guard.

“Officer, we apologize for our inappropriate behavior. We’ll leave right away. Moreover, I beg you to spare us and don’t let the school know about this.”

After a moment, he let out a breath and held down the phone.

“Fine. Just leave the vicinity and we’re good.”

I breathed out of relief. I couldn't imagine if the officer insisted on calling the school authorities.

“Thank you, Officer.”

“Hmph, how cocky these high schoolers are nowadays!” The guard replied while walking away.

We went in the opposite direction. Mikaru was unusually quiet but that’s understandable. He was desperately determined for a great story, or so he says. He saw this golden opportunity and tried to grab it. Whatever his intentions were, it drove him to go as far as arguing with the guard and risked the both of us being reported. However, there were limits to what people could do. I know he’s disappointed. It might be a huge letdown but he needs to accept it and move on. Thankfully, he yielded. If ever he resisted further, I had no choice but to drag him out.

There was an air of silence and it became increasingly uncomfortable every second that passed. It pained me not to check on his state of mind.

“Are you okay, Mikaru?”

It was late when I realized that it was a rather insensitive question. I just hoped Mikaru wouldn’t get upset.

He answered with a smile, “Ah, I’m okay.”

And that's it. He never spoke a single word again until we got to the train station.

“You’re going to District 13?!”

Mikaru told me that he was going to meet his father there for “an important matter”. I didn’t inquire any further since it was getting late. Besides, there’s something I wanted to check alone.

I went back to the Ersa suburb to confirm what sort of thing my peripheral vision had caught just as we walked downhill earlier.

I wasn’t suspicious of something. It’s just a matter of satiating my curiosity.

It’s already 5:35 PM—past sunset. Just when I arrived at the point where I felt a strange presence, an explosion echoed through the air.

Smoke rose, flares of red light radiated through the sky and flocks of wild birds fled. I’ve gotten a bad feeling so I went to check.

“What…in the world?!”

It was a terrible sight. My intuition was right on the mark. The Encrypt lab was the ground zero of the explosion…once again. And this time, it's a lot worse.

☆ ☆ ☆