Chapter 60: The Bouncing Rubber Band
"Still… what’s gotten into you all of a sudden?"
After the three-legged race, we’d sent Yumetsuki-san back to her faction, and Reicia-chan and I took advantage of the break before the next event to corner Kuriba-san for a private talk.
The main street was lined with festival stalls, bustling far more than usual. Thanks to all the noise, no one was paying any mind to a couple of middle school girls standing around. That actually made it a surprisingly good spot for a more… complicated conversation.
"You’re not exactly the type to take part in something like the Daihasai. And to think you’d even go so far as to compete with me using tools…"
"Well, when you say ‘what’s gotten into me’… I did have that meeting planned with you, remember? Our schedules never matched, so it got pushed back until today. In the end, I just wanted to settle my obligations in my own way."
"Oh, is that so."
Reicia-chan tilted her head in puzzlement as she said it.
Of course, she wasn’t really puzzled—I’d know, since we’re practically of one mind. From what I could feel, she didn’t believe Kuriba-san’s explanation one bit.
《Shiren. You might not know this, but Kuriba isn’t the type to show up at the Daihasai—especially since it’s far outside her field—just out of a sense of duty. And between her and me, there’s no such sentiment that would warrant it. I’d say there’s a ninety percent chance she has an ulterior motive.》
《Isn’t that a bit too suspicious of you…?》
《If anything, you’re far too trusting.》
…Am I, though…?
While I was lost in thought, Reicia-chan continued her conversation with Kuriba-san.
"In any case, I suppose I should thank you. Honestly, it was quite fortunate that I could get in touch with you here today. Now then—about arranging a proper meeting with my fiancé, Nurikae…"
"Ah, that won’t be a problem. I can probably get in contact right away, and the director will listen if it’s me asking… That said, I suspect Nurikae is already in Academy City. He’ll probably reach out soon on his own, so honestly, I’m not sure me arranging it now would even matter."
"I see…"
Ah, so he’s already in Academy City.
Which means… things might get a little messy. He’s here under the pretense of visiting his fiancée—calling off the engagement on the spot would be a total loss of face. We should probably rethink the plan entirely.
《…Looks like we’ll have to hold off on the breakup for now. Maybe we should slip it in during the commotion of the Level 5 certification.》
《But if we let him gain that achievement, it’ll be troublesome. He could easily play the ‘I even came to the Daihasai as her fiancé, and now she’s unilaterally breaking it off’ card.》
《Ah… yeah, he might use that as leverage to push some deal that favors him. Still, if that ends things smoothly, maybe that’s fine…》
It all felt a bit overblown for a romance matter, but in Reicia-chan’s (still very much alive) social world, obligations and appearances carry serious weight. Having lived in Tokiwadai, where rumors matter a lot, I get it.
《The bigger problem is the heroine race. The next full body scan is in October… I plan to have all my preparations done by then and secure my Level 5 certification, but having Nurikae interfering until then is risky.》
《‘Interfering,’ huh…》
I could see her point. If some “fiancée-related duty” popped up, it could cause all sorts of trouble. Once people saw Reicia-chan shine at the Daihasai, I bet he’d be thinking, Wow, this fiancée is amazing! I can use this!
If Nurikae were some bigshot from a company unrelated to Academy City, maybe we could be more optimistic—but no, he’s tied deep into the City’s corporate circles. Which means he’ll understand exactly how valuable someone like Reicia-chan is.
"More to the point—why do you even want to meet with Nurikae? When we talked about your engagement before, you didn’t seem the least bit interested."
"Ah. The truth is… I intend to break it off."
"…Huh!?"
Oh, that’s actually a normal reaction from Kuriba-san.
"Break it off!? Why!? Did something happen?"
"I have my reasons."
Reicia-chan answered easily, even under Kuriba-san’s sharp questioning.
Her reaction was understandable—after all, one of the main reasons Reicia-chan had been involved in Kuriba-san’s research was because she was the fiancée. A breakup would naturally imply bad blood, which could also jeopardize their professional ties.
"…I’ve found someone I’d rather be with."
That’s probably why Reicia-chan didn’t try to dodge the issue with vague words, but instead made sure to convey her true intentions clearly to Kuriba-san.
The fact that she no longer lets things get unnecessarily tangled in situations like this—that’s definite proof of Reicia-chan’s growth.
“I am fully aware that I’m being selfish. And that this will likely cause trouble for many people… However, I can no longer simply accept and obey what my family decides for me without question. Therefore…”
“…I–I see. But still, th–this is… troubling…! If your engagement with Nurikae were to be broken off at this time of year, who knows how it would affect the research… Ah—s–sorry.”
Kuriba-san must have realized then that this was all her personal concern.
Looking a little awkward, she lowered her gaze.
“It’s quite all right. After all, this is selfishness on my part to begin with. So please, rest assured. No matter what happens, I will take responsibility. If necessary, I am prepared to purchase the entire business. I will not allow my selfishness to leave you people holding the short end of the stick.”
…This, too, is one of the ways Reicia-chan has grown.
She still pushes her own desires through—that hasn’t changed. But now, she thinks about the possibility that her actions might cause harm to others. And she makes sure to anticipate that and cover for it.
Well… if we’re talking about the ideal, perhaps the truly “adult” thing would be to suppress one’s selfishness the moment it looks like harm might be done. But honestly—if the choice is between killing your own desires and giving up something precious to you, I think it’s perfectly fine to stick to your selfishness.
“Besides, given how far things have progressed by this point, an immediate annulment of the engagement is out of the question. At the earliest, it would be after the next physical examination system scan—in October, perhaps. I’ll obtain a Level 5 esper rating there, and in the confusion that follows, I’ll announce the annulment.”
“I–I see. In that case… I suppose there’s nothing I need to do this time… Hm.”
Even though one trouble had just been removed, Kuriba-san still seemed to be wearing a troubled expression.
《Hmm… could it be she was planning to ask us for something in exchange for this favor?》
《Most likely. If she is going out of her way to actively cooperate with me, then at the very least there must be something behind it.》
《Something behind it, huh…》
It sounds shady… but if she’s troubled about something, we should at least hear her out.
“Kuriba-san. Is there something bothering you? If it’s something I can help with, I’d be glad to cooperate.”
《Ah—Shiren, you’re just blurting it out…》
Well, if I leave it to Reicia-chan, she’ll just dress it up with unnecessary formalities and make things more complicated.
And besides, she’ll reach the same conclusion and offer the same help in the end, so we might as well cut out the useless steps.
“I–Is that really alright? Th–the truth is…”
Putting together what Kuriba-san told us, it went something like this:
Due to certain circumstances, Kuriba-san had once divided her body (yes, really!) into two and lived separately in both halves as part of an experiment. The missing parts were supplemented with cybernetic components, and she spent a year living like that while monitoring her own behavior. The experiment concluded successfully, and now her body has been fully restored to flesh.
The problem began after that—apparently, the researchers had gathered the leftover cybernetic components and created another Kuriba Ryoko.
The researchers were overjoyed, calling it “the creation of a soul” and “an unprecedented breakthrough.” But Kuriba-san felt there was risk in the situation. She suggested taking measures, but was ignored… and here they were now.
“…If a ‘soul’ truly has come into being, then if—under some circumstances—the ‘vessel’ were destroyed… what would happen to that soul?”
“W–What do you mean…? What exactly are you saying?”
“Normally, a soul and body are bound together, and when the body dies, the phenomenon we call a soul also ceases to exist. However… if a doppelgänger truly possesses a soul, that soul is likely not bound to its mechanical body—because a machine was never alive to begin with. If, for any reason, the body were destroyed… that ‘free soul’ might spread throughout the entire city.”
“…”
For us—people who have actually felt the presence of “souls” firsthand—that was not a possibility we could laugh off.
I just happened to end up bonded to Reicia-chan’s body. That’s why I can exist like this, a squared-face double personality… But what if I hadn’t been able to possess Reicia-chan’s body? I have no idea what would have happened to my soul if it had been left floating, bodiless.
“Are you certain it truly has a soul? Could it not simply be an AI that has learned your thought patterns?”
“I can’t deny that possibility! But still…”
Reicia-chan tilted her head slightly, her expression tinged with suspicion, yet Kuriba-san’s unease clearly remained.
…Or rather, wow, Reicia-chan—you’re surprisingly skeptical here, despite having me as a living example right in front of you.
《Shiren, you are a one-of-a-kind irregularity in this world, you know? I’d rather not have similar cases start popping up all over. Most likely, this is just Kuriba’s misunderstanding.》
《No dreams… and no sympathy…》
《…………However.》
Reicia-chan’s voice echoed in my mind, and she turned a sharp gaze toward Kuriba-san.
“…Kuriba. You said you wanted to ‘deal with’ this doppelgänger. Did you mean… to eliminate her?”
“….”
“If that is truly what you intend, then abandon such arrogance at once. Even if she was artificially created, even if she possesses no soul, the very fact that she can think as you do means she should be respected as a living being.”
For example—like the Sisters.
Even if they could not voice a will to live for themselves, that was no reason to deny them the respect due to a life. For Reicia-chan, who had lived through that incident, this conclusion was already beyond question.
Hearing this, Kuriba-san slowly lifted her face and replied with only this:
“…I understand. Whatever happens, I… will take responsibility.”
Chapter 1 – No Wind Blows for the Cooper’s Shop Psicopics.
Episode 50 – The Bouncing Elastic Cord Unconfirmed_Soul.
After readily agreeing to Kuriba-san’s “request,” we spent the rest of our free time however we pleased.
Technically, we’re supposed to stick with our faction members, but that would be inconvenient for various reasons. For example… we wouldn’t be able to poke our noses into any incidents on the Magic Side.
This time, I plan to get involved with the Magic Side’s case and wrap it up quickly.
After all, if we don’t, people like Fukiyose-san and Himegami-san could end up getting hurt for no reason. Before that happens, I want to nab Oriana-san as fast as possible, hand her over to Necessarius, and put an end to the situation.
Well, first I’ll need to get in touch with someone like Stiyl-san, Kamijou-san, or Tsuchimikado-san to figure out what’s going on… but that shouldn’t be too much trouble. If I just follow Kamijou-san, I’ll eventually get there. That’s nothing to worry about.
First things first, I need to find Kamijou-san—
“…Hm.”
And then, from behind me, I heard a voice that somehow carried a tinge of nostalgia.
I turned around, and there—
“Oh, Stiyl. It’s been a while.”
“That attitude… so it’s you, Reicia. Hmph. Not exactly a happy coincidence.”
It really had been a while since we’d seen Stiyl-san.
“What’s this? If you’re looking for a fight, I’ll happily buy you out at a premium—”
“You didn’t come here to watch the Daihaseisai, did you?”
“…Tch. Shiren, huh? Let’s just say—don’t worry about it. Nothing troublesome is going on.”
“But Stiyl-san, when I sent you that invitation letter, you swore you’d never come.”
“That’s why I didn’t want to run into you…”
With a sigh, Stiyl-san said—
“…Well, whatever. It’s not like I’ve got anything else going on right now anyway…”
Almost as if making excuses to himself, he looked me square in the eye.
“Stab Sword.”
!
Stiyl-san’s expression was serious when he said it. Looks like we were finally getting to the main topic…
It was a bit strange for Stiyl-san to so casually bring up a magic-related matter with us, but maybe our bond had quietly grown stronger without me realizing. After all, he had gone out of his way to come help us before.
“I was fed a false lead about a transaction involving that particular grimoire-class spiritual item. I figured it’d be a waste to come all the way out to the Far East and go home empty-handed, so I’m passing the time doing some shopping on the company tab.”
“…Ah, I seeee—wait, what???”
…A false lead?
…A false lead????
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