Chapter Six: Sora Mizuhara

Lieutenant Colonel Sogabe and Saro Mizuhara exchanged a glance, both finding it difficult to accept Tetsuya’s composure. They had anticipated any number of reactions from him upon learning this news—madness, pain, fear… but never this calm, as if it were a trivial matter, as though he were nothing more than a detached observer.

But Saro Mizuhara could not bear Tetsuya’s indifference and lack of cooperation any longer. She recalled the initial agony and collapse of Takafumi Udou—her lover. Now, looking at Tetsuya, she could no longer restrain her anger. Slamming her hand on the table, she nearly screamed, her voice raw, “Aren’t you afraid at all? Suddenly, you’re no longer human—doesn’t that terrify you? Isn’t that a fear only death can free you from?”

Yet Tetsuya merely shrugged in the face of her outburst, remaining silent. Of course, he could hardly say he had always been waiting for this opportunity—so he could only let his silence speak for him.

“You’ll turn into a monster just like Takafumi Udou! I’ll kill you right now!” Saro Mizuhara raised her pistol again, finger tense on the trigger.

“Saro Mizuhara! What are you doing!” Sogabe slammed the table and barked at the guards behind him, “Disarm her!”

Tetsuya’s expression did not change in the slightest. Gone was the usual mockery in his smile. When Saro Mizuhara pointed the gun at him, he made no attempt to explain himself as he had before, but simply gazed steadily into her eyes.

As the gun was taken from her, Tetsuya suddenly spoke. “I saw it all…”

Sogabe’s brows furrowed.

“Takafumi Udou was your lover, wasn’t he? To watch your lover transform into a monster before your eyes—that must have been a cruel ordeal. I can hardly imagine how you managed to endure it.”

Sogabe turned to look at Saro Mizuhara, his face clouded, lips pressed tightly together in silence.

“Enough! Don’t say another word!” Saro Mizuhara glared at Tetsuya, her voice trembling with fury. “Aren’t you incapable of fear? You’ve never been afraid of turning into a monster, have you? Then let me tell you—we’re using you as bait to lure The One here!”

Sogabe’s expression grew even darker. He waved his hand. “Take Saro Mizuhara out to calm down. She’s in no state to participate in this discussion.”

Watching Saro Mizuhara being escorted out by the guards, Tetsuya shifted his gaze to Sogabe, his tone even and unflustered. “Let’s hear your plan.”

Remarkably, Sogabe found himself unable to meet this man’s eyes. It seemed as though Tetsuya saw through everything, as if all their plans were transparent before him. Yet since Saro Mizuhara had already revealed the gist, Sogabe no longer hesitated.

“Yes, it’s just as Saro said—we do have such a plan. At the Iwo Jima Research Center, Takafumi Udou once predicted that there would be others like himself.”

He played a video. Takafumi Udou’s distorted face appeared on the screen.

“One day, another light will descend from the sky… That thing is chasing me…”

At that, Takafumi Udou broke into a near-maniacal grin.

“He’s the thorn in my side… so I’ll kill him!”

Tetsuya paused, then asked, “So what measures do you intend to take with me? Will you kill me?”

Sogabe replied, “We’ll continue to observe you for a while. From Takafumi Udou’s words, we gathered that you, The Next, and The One might be enemies.”

He leaned forward and regarded Tetsuya. “Perhaps NEXT isn’t the target we need to eliminate…”

He paused. “At least, not yet…”

Tetsuya showed no surprise—or rather, no expression at all—which left Sogabe somewhat disappointed.

“So, in the end, you’re just treating me as a monster you can use, aren’t you?”

“That’s right. When the time comes, we hope you’ll use your power to destroy The One.”

Tetsuya studied him for a moment, then said quietly, “That’s quite a plan…”

“And what if I refuse?”

Sogabe found himself unable to read this man’s thoughts at all. He acted as if he followed no rules or patterns, always impossible to predict. Dealing with such a person was utterly exhausting.

After a moment’s hesitation, Sogabe decided to appeal to reason. “You know what’s at stake—countless innocent lives will be lost if you refuse.”

Tetsuya merely spread his hands and offered a cold smile. “You know I have no family. There’s no one worth protecting. Trying to sway me with that kind of argument is a mistake.”

Sogabe, growing agitated, had met all kinds of people in his career, but never someone as difficult as Tetsuya. He rose abruptly, about to leave, when the door opened to admit Saro Mizuhara. Her eyes were slightly red, as though she had just been crying.

A thought struck Sogabe. He returned to his seat, his gaze fixed on Tetsuya. “You know about Saro’s lover, don’t you?”

Tetsuya glanced at Saro Mizuhara and spread his palms. “The one who became The One—Takafumi Udou.”

Sogabe caught the look of astonishment on Saro’s face, but pressed on regardless. “You know her character, then?”

Tetsuya glanced at the tear tracks on Saro’s face and nodded. “A strong, but unfortunate woman.”

He paused. “I rather like her…”

Saro Mizuhara glared fiercely at him.

“Then you know what outcome she’s most likely to face?” Sogabe stared intently at Tetsuya, inwardly elated—he had finally found the one argument that might work.

Seeing Tetsuya fall silent, he turned to Saro Mizuhara. “Tell me, what will you do about Takafumi Udou?”

Saro Mizuhara bit her lip, replying through clenched teeth, “I’ll kill him. I will never allow him to destroy humanity!”

“And if you can’t?”

“Then I’ll die with him!”

“And if you still can’t?”

She paused, a resolute look in her eyes. “Then… let him kill me. If I can’t stop him from bringing disaster, then at least I won’t have to witness it.”

Sogabe had gotten the answer he wanted. He turned back to Tetsuya.

“Don’t worry—you won’t get that chance. He’ll die by my hand.”

Seeing the resolve in Saro Mizuhara’s eyes, Tetsuya smiled softly and gave his answer.