• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Chapter One: Cenacolo Let’s see... Olives, capers, penne… I still need to grab some anchovies. Ageha strolled through the narrow aisles of the local supermarket. He was tasked to buy the ingredients for dinner and a week’s worth of food supplies. This had been his weekly ritual for the past month or so. This is starting to become a pain. It’s gotten too cold for night visits like this. He remembered the comfort he had felt after he had entered the relatively deserted supermarket earlier. Ageha liked cool temperatures, but the frigid December winds robbed too much of his body heat. His body was mostly metal, so he needed to take extra measures for insulation. He grabbed two small cans of anchovies and tossed them in the shopping basket. His head was preoccupied by other thoughts as he mechanically procured the items in his mental list one by one. His destination after this shopping detour was an upscale apartment in Ebisu. It was located in a populated area, and young people roamed the nearby commercial district until late. He recalled Kaika’s answer when he had questioned her choice for a hideout. "To hide the tree, use a forest," huh? Kaika had even laughed at Kousuke's safe house location. She had ridiculed how he seemed to have taken the idiom too literally. Ageha checked his basket and confirmed that all the items on the list were there. He then walked towards the cashier to purchase the ingredients. A teenage girl was standing in front of the cashier. “The total is 3425 yen, miss,” said the old lady at the register. The girl wordlessly handed over a five­thousand yen bill to the cashier. The girl’s profile caught Ageha’s attention. It reminded him of someone he knew quite well. It was not her facial features but her lack of any expression that matched with the stoic butler's. The teenage girl’s unkempt short hair and her half­closed eyelids made it seem as if she had just gotten out of bed. “Do you have a membership card?” asked the cashier. The girl shook her head, her bangs swaying softly because of her languid motion. “We are currently doing a membership promo. You can get a membership card for half the price!” The girl listened to the old lady. The cashier, drilling down to the finer details of the membership promotion offer, continued her explanation. Ageha did not stand in line yet and quietly observed the odd girl from the side. He noticed that she slightly opened her lips but closed them again without saying anything. That action reminded him of Kureha, who he had been able read quite well after some practice. He deduced that the girl was not interested in the offer but could not speak up. He would usually let this sort of situation play out without interfering, but he was also being delayed by her inability to stop the cashier’s prattling. He did not find the girl’s silence irritating, but he did not want to anger a certain little monster by being late. “Excuse me,” said Ageha. Both the cashier and the girl turned to him. “I think she is not interested.” The old lady raised an eyebrow and then looked at the girl. She made a small nod. “Oh, I am sorry for taking up so much of your time! Here is your receipt. Thank you for the purchase!” The old lady handed a slip of paper to the girl. The girl lazily received it and exited the supermarket with her purchases. Ageha unloaded the contents of his basket onto the counter. The old lady greeted him and proceeded to scan the items one by one. “She was quite a beauty, no?” asked the old lady. “Hm? Yes,” he said. “Are you sure it’s okay not asking for her number? That’s why you helped her isn’t it?” “Of course not. That would be a crime.” “Oniisan, are you thinking of something lewd? I only said to ask for her number.” The old lady smiled mischievously. He emulated the girl's poker face. "No. The only reasons to get the number of a cute girl would be either to scout them for showbiz or to eventually do lewd things to them. I just answered with that in mind.” “...You certainly aren’t fun to tease.” She smiled wryly. “I get that a lot.” Ageha had meant his last line in two ways. He certainly did hear comments about his resistance against such prodding quite often, but he had also meant he frequently encountered women, especially older ones, that tried to flirt with him. He was used to deflecting such approaches. The old lady finished bagging the items and handling the payment. “Thank you for the purchase!” she said with a wink as he turned to the exit and walked away from the register. After passing the automatic doors, he found the teenage girl he had helped earlier standing outside. She approached him the moment their eyes met. Ageha realized that she had been waiting for him. Her lips parted, but she said nothing before closing them. She repeated this several times. Ageha deduced what she was trying to say. He had significant experience with poker­faced and reserved girls, after all. Seeing a girl that was like a combination of Saya and Kureha naturally made him smile. “You’re welcome,” he said. The girl’s sleepy­looking eyes widened ever so slightly. Ageha felt a little proud of making the robotic girl react. “Be careful on your way home.” Ageha turned away from the girl and walked to his next destination. About half an hour later, he arrived at the apartment. “You’re late.” The unpleasant greeting came from Kaika. She was sitting cross­legged on the apartment floor, both hands pressing on the navy blue skirt between her legs. It was a pose completely unbefitting a rich young lady. Saya, who had opened the door for him, was in her usual outfit. “I missed the bus.” He went into the kitchen and placed the shopping bags on the counter. “The supermarket isn’t that far.” “The one I went to is. I change the place where I shop at each time as a precaution.” “I see. That’s pretty obsessive­compulsive even for you,” she said with a raised eyebrow. “Thanks for the compliment.” “I’m glad you’ve already grasped my way of thinking.” “Being subjected to your weekly ranting has that side effect.” “How rude. I don’t rant… that often.” “At least you’re aware of it.” Saya entered the kitchen and started taking out the items from the bags. Dividing the ingredients by order of usage, she organized them neatly on the counter. It was her turn to prepare the food tonight. “Can you really blame me? This place is too cramped,” said Kaika, the corners of her lips pointing down. “You should see my apartment. This room is about double its size,” said Ageha as he took a seat at the ​kotatsu​. Kaika shifted to face him. “I don’t mind the room space, but the bathtub's way too small.” “You're just spoiled because you are used to the quasi­pool in the mansion.” “Oh, you’ve seen it? I had it built myself.” “I only used the shower room when I was staying over, but Kureha showed the main bath to me once.” Kaika showed a look of surprise. “...You’ve recovered that much?” “You can say that.” Kaika nodded with a relieved expression. Ageha had not gotten over Kureha’s death yet, but he had wanted Kaika to know that the loss no longer affected his judgment negatively. “What's our menu for tonight again?” asked Kaika, changing the topic. “​Penne Alla Puttanesca,​” he said. “The normal kind.” “Please do not expect too much," said Saya, her voice coming from the kitchen. "Ojousama’s more avant­garde requests are in Ageha­sama’s territory. I can only prepare simple meals.” “No, you’re pretty good. Not quite at my level, but your dishes can be sold in a restaurant,” said Ageha. “It would’ve been a typical Ageha compliment if you didn’t brag," said Kaika with a wry grin. “You’re pretty petty when it comes to your forte." Saya’s laugh reached the living room. Frowning slightly after being laughed at, Ageha asked, “Anyway, how long are we supposed to keep this up?” “Until we get rid of Kazuki. We can't ignore the chance that there might be more of those cyborg soldiers. The mansion is too dangerous now.” “Still no leads on where he is?” “Not yet, but it’s only a matter of time. The same can be said for us, though.” “Do you plan on moving again?” “Maybe next week.” “Don’t choose a place too far from my apartment. Being your errand boy is annoying enough as it is.” “I told you that we have no choice, right? Outside of the people in this room, no one else can be trusted, at least not with my location.” “That’s why I’m doing this despite the inconvenience.” “You’re not the only one inconvenienced by the current state of things.” “Yeah, I’m sure Saya has her hands full taking care of you.” “I beg to differ, Ageha­sama. Except for the addition of cooking, my duties have hardly changed.” Saya temporarily stopped her hands and turned to Ageha.

Load more

  196

Copy Link