Chapter 4: I Love You/Swan Song

I Love You/Swan Song

"It's time for bath time number 027, follow me."

"Eh...? Is sensei the one in charge today?"

The one who called out to me was the beautiful sensei with glasses. I was a little surprised because she had never been in charge of bathing me before. She had always avoided contact with me.

Yes, it's been a while. It's Nina. By the way, I changed my first-person pronoun. The reason is that ever since I made up with Lena and we became a family, I've felt uncomfortable using the first-person pronoun "I" (俺/ore) in my mind. I think that on the day I became a family with Lena, I went from being "I" (俺/ore) which I felt was connected to my previous life, to being reborn as "I" (わたし/watashi) in the truest sense of the word, and thanks to that, it became easier for me to use the first-person pronoun "I" (わたし/watashi) in public.

That was almost two years ago.

And now I'm on my way to my first bath with the beautiful teacher with glasses.

"..."

"..."

We were silent. I was walking with sensei towards the bathing room. This sensei had been avoiding me up until now, and even when we talked it was mostly just business-like stuff, and I was the one who talked to her unilaterally, so when we were alone like this I didn't know what to talk about.

Without even a conversation, we went to the bathroom, took off our clothes, and had hee wash me. I felt a little embarrassed because I had gotten used to washing myself when taking a bath a long time ago.

"Thank you, sensei."

"No, thank you."

I look at sensei's face as she speaks in the mirror. She has taken off her glasses, probably because they get fogged up, and her long hair is tied up in a ponytail, so I can see her clearly. I think she is very beautiful, and I wonder why someone so beautiful is working in a place like this. Well, I guess it doesn't matter whether she has a pretty face or not, but even putting that aside, I think sensei is a nice person.

Sensei never accepts any words of thanks or gratitude from me. She may feel that she is doing something that cannot be tolerated, but the same is true for the other doctors. I don't think there is anyone among the doctors working at this facility who wants to conduct human experiments on children.

Over the past five years, I've come to understand that the organization or company that runs this facility is extremely powerful; a wide variety of drugs are used in the drug experiments, the laboratory equipment is replaced frequently, and even if there are personnel changes, new people are quickly hired.

And as far as I know, there are 147 children who have been test subjects, which means that in the five years since I woke up in this facility, at least 120 children have been kidnapped or bribed into the facility. There is a power behind it that can do all this without causing any problems and continue to operate the facility.

So there is no way we can escape from this place. I've thought about it many times, but the answer is the same. The moment Lena and I were trapped here, our fates were sealed. We can't escape until we die, until we are killed.

And the same goes for the teachers; whether they've been deceived or threatened, or whatever the reason, once they've set foot in this place they are not allowed to escape.

There's no need to think about what awaits them if they run away; it will only be a tragic end.　

If there was any chance of escaping, it would have to be for everyone in the facility to escape at once, if they could turn this into a public issue before their pursuers arrived, then there would be a chance. Of course, that was impossible...

"Close your eyes, I'll wash your face."

"Hmmm."

The shower rinses off my face. The teacher has finished washing my hair and body, and even though there's nothing else to do, she doesn't try to get up. My eyes meet those of sensei through the mirror, and her eyes are filled with hesitation and fear. She opens her mouth to speak, but closes it again.

"Sensei, there's something you want to tell me."

"Huh...!"

"Tell me? It's something I need to know, something you felt you had to tell me, right?"

Most likely, it's not going to be a good story. I can guess what it is, but hopefully I'm wrong...

"...In two days, an experiment will be conducted on you using a drug called a paranormal enhancing drug."

"So far, the survival rate for these drug trials has been 0%."

As always, reality is cruel, and the answer was to be expected.

─────

To summarize what the professor told me afterwards, the benefits to the higher-ups from continuing their experiments with me alive were outweighed by the resources required to keep me alive. So before disposing of me, they decided to use me as a test subject for chemicals with a high mortality rate that would be difficult to use on normal subjects. If I died, they could just dispose of me, but if by some chance I survived, it would be worth keeping me alive.

They are so refreshingly trashy that it makes me want to laugh, but to them we are no different from expendable guinea pigs.

"..."

What a terrible face. She always has a blank expression on her face, so it looks like she is in even more pain. If you look closely, you can see that she has deep dark circles under her eyes, which she is trying to hide with makeup.

I can't imagine how much conflict and fear she must have felt before telling me this, but I no longer like that face.

"Hey, sensei, can I look your way?"

"Eh?... ah, okay."

I stood up from my chair and turned around, and when she met my eyes, she looked like she was about to burst into tears, but still seemed determined not to cry in front of me.

"May I ask for sensei's name?"

"Momoka ....Suzushiro Momoka."

"Momoka-sensei... I want you to see me off with a smile at the end."

In the past, it would have been the opposite: I would want her to be as sad and in pain as possible. But now it's different.

"So, it's okay to cry now. And promise me that you'll say goodbye with a smile at the end."

"...fuh, huh... huh... huh."

Before the teacher could shed tears, I turned away and sat back in my chair, running hot water from the shower to warm up my cold body.

The sound of the shower drowned out the teacher's crying, so I couldn't hear it.

I was thinking while lying on my bed in my room. Lena was already asleep, her face buried in my chest.

Two more days, and in just that time my life will be over. I have accepted the fact that I will die for a long time, even in my previous life. But I am still afraid of dying, more than anything else, of leaving Lena behind, of not being able to keep my promise to her. I'm sure Lena will follow me when I die.

That's why I have to create a situation where Lena doesn't die, a situation where Lena can't die.

I don't know how effective the paranormal enhancing drug is, but if it's effective enough to make my idea come true... I might be able to save Lena and everyone at this facility.

"Good morning, Lena!"

"Good morning, Nina."

Today is a day off from experiments, which means I get to spend the whole day with Lena! So I spend the day the same way as usual.

"Lena! There's an apple for lunch! It's been a while since we had dessert!"

"Really? You did it."

A trivial conversation.

"So, I played a word chain game with sensei, but I didn't win even once, even though I've spent so much time with Lena."

"It can't be helped, I'm an adult."

"I'll practice so I can win next time! I've always lost to Lena, so I won't lose today!"

"Okay, then I'll go first. Hydrangea."　

So that no one feels uncomfortable...

"Hey, Lena."

"what?"

"If you could get out of here and go outside, where would you like to go? What would you like to do?"

"……Eh?"

I've never talked about this before, I've tried not to talk about things that would give people hope in this place. So this is just me being selfish.

"I want to go to the sea, to the mountains, to school, to see live fish at the aquarium, and to play at the zoo and amusement parks... What about you, Lena?"

"...I, too... I'm the same as Nina. There are so many places I want to go, the aquarium, the zoo, the amusement park, if it's with Nina I'd like to go anywhere, go to the same school..."

"...Lena, if you can go outside, I'm sure you'll make new friends and family, right?"

"...Yeah, but I'm fine with having Nina with me, I'm still happy."

"...Yeah, me too."

But that's no good. I can't be with you forever.

"If Lena is happy, then I'm happy."

Because I can't leave you with anything.

"027, 038, it's time."

The person came to pick me up at the usual time, and I left the room as usual.

"I'm off, Lena!"

"I'm off, Nina."

I parted ways with Lena with the same greeting as always.

It had been a long time since I had last gone to the lab with Mad; he hadn't come to watch my experiments recently, so I was reminded that today really was the day I was going to die.

"027, you know what medication will be administered to you today?"

"I know."

"...I see."

"Sensei, how much do strengthening drugs make Supernatural abilities stronger?"

"...In the previous experiment, the information interference power and interference range increased by at least 700%, and the output of the supernatural power increased by nearly ten times. The drug we will be using this time has an even stronger effect."

"How long will I last?"

"Two hours is the maximum."

"Thanks. But was it okay for you to tell me?"

"I don't care, what's the point in knowing?"

"……I agree."

We arrived in front of the laboratory. Now, the crucial moment begins.

─────

I was restrained even more rigorously than usual, from my head to my fingers, so tightly that I couldn't even move. It was clear that they were conducting a different experiment than usual.

And they all look horrible.

If it were me before, I would have been happy that they cared about me so much. Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy now though...

"027, we will begin administering the medication now."

This is the first time Mad has given me the medicine directly, and I feel a little guilty. Giving me this medicine would be the same as killing me.

"I'm sorry, sensei..."

"... Number 27, this potion will cause excruciating pain. Do you need to be gagged?"

"No need, it's okay."

"I see."

The needle of the syringe is inserted into a vein in my arm. One syringe contains a small amount of liquid compared to the amount usually administered in experiments.

"Start medication."

It was the feeling I'd experienced so many times before of cold liquid slowly entering my veins, and then the entire liquid entering my body...

A pain I had never experienced before hit me.

"Ahh! ... Ugh...?!"

The pain was so severe I couldn't even make a sound, my throat felt closed and I couldn't breathe properly, and it felt like my body was being torn apart from the inside.

"Ugh... Ugh..."

Ah, thank you, Momoka-sensei. If I hadn't known anything about this, I would have been unable to bear the pain. I would have suffered through it without knowing anything, and I would have simply died.

I direct my consciousness to using my supernatural power, and sure enough, I feel a sense of omnipotence like I've never felt before. The pain fades slightly and I feel elated. Good, it looks like I can make my wish come true.

"...Ugh, fuu."

I turned my attention to the restraints around my body and the collar that was binding me.

I "Transported" to a corner of the laboratory.

"Guh!"

My body falls to the floor. Perhaps it's because I've used my supernatural power, or the effects of chemicals in my brain, or perhaps the drugs have messed with my nerves, but the pain that had been assaulting my entire body just a moment ago has subsided considerably.

I got up from the floor and unsteadily made my way over to the nearest sensei.

And then my palm touched sensei who looked at me with a face that seemed to accept everything. He must have thought that I was going to kill him, even though I wouldn't do anything like that...

"Sensei, please protect everyone."

Saying that, I transferred sensei to the road outside the facility.

My ability, "Teleportation," was originally not capable of accurately moving coordinates over such distances; it only had the ability to "transport anything I touch with the palm of my hand into an observational area with a radius of about 10 meters centered on myself."

But that's no longer the case. There's no need to touch it with your hands anymore; it can be transferred simply by touching your body, and the observation range has been expanded to several hundred meters, allowing you to grasp the area more accurately than ever before.

"So I was in a place like this."

This facility was unexpectedly located in the basement of an ordinary building area, and there were quite a few people passing by. I was a little surprised because I imagined it to be somewhere more hidden in the forest. However, it was convenient for me, because I knew people would gather here and it would become a big fuss in no time.

The second person, the third person, the fourth person...

I touched many sensei and they were transferred, and the only ones left in the lab were me, Momoka-sensei, and Mad.

"Momoka-sensei"

"……what?"

"thank you"

"...Yeah."

Thank you for letting me know about today and for keeping your promise.

Thanks to this, I think I can die without any regrets.

"...Nina, goodbye."

"...Yeah, goodbye."

Well, the last one is Mad.

"Hey, sensei."

"What?"

"I always thought you were a mad scientist."

"...I see, where did you learn those words?"

"Fufu, thank you for everything up until now, then..."

"Laboratory 038 are the fourth room on the left after you leave the door."

"……thank you."

"Don't thank me, just transfer me."

"...Yeah, you're not mad after all. Goodbye."

After transferring Mad, I take a breather. The medicine is gradually starting to take effect, and the physical abnormalities caused by the strengthening drugs are getting worse. I don't think I'll last much longer.

"Phew. Okay, I'll do my best."

I already know the number of all children in the facility and their placement, and of course I know the number of staff and their placement too, but I don't have much time, so I have to work hard.

I teleported back to the laboratory door and ran outside.

Achieving my goal was easier than I thought. Perhaps because the paranormal enhancing drug had fully taken hold in my body, my supernatural powers had strengthened over time, and now I was able to teleport targets into my observation range just by bringing them into view.

There are no children left in the facility, and although there seem to still be a few staff members, the number is not enough to be a problem.

But I don't think I have much time left. I've been losing sensation in my body for a while now. I think it's because I lost too much blood. Through my eyes, nose, and mouth, I have excreted so much blood many times. My blood vessels have burst and blood is oozing from my skin. Thanks to that, my clothes and skin are covered in blood and I'm in a terrible state.

I could hear the sound of water with every step I took, and nearly slipped on the blood and fell, but I finally reached my final destination.

"Haa... haa... I'm glad, I think I can at least say goodbye."

I teleported through the door in front of me and entered the room. Inside the room, Lena was being held captive. As soon as I saw her, I teleported her to my chest and hugged her.

"Ni ... na?"

I'm sorry, I look terrible right now, and I don't want to show her my ugly face, pale and drained of blood, which I've had to wipe away countless times; I wanted to remain as beautiful as possible in Lena's mind.

This will be the last time, so there are things I must say, words I want to say...

"...Lena, thank you for meeting me."

Lena would have been much happier if she had never met me; if she had continued to live happily with her father and mother, she would have been much happier than she is now.

"Thank you for being my friend. I'm so happy."　

I was really happy because it was my first time having a friend and I didn't think it was something I could ever do.

Lena changed that...

"Thank you for being my best friend and family."

At that time, I was so happy that I couldn't stop crying, I was so happy, I felt like my life was meant to meet Lena.

"...I was really happy when you promised to stay with me forever."

But sorry, I can't keep that promise.

"I'm sorry for breaking my promise..."

And now... there's just one thing I have to tell you.

"Thank you for telling me that you love me"

I never knew that loving someone and being loved could be such a happy, beautiful, and irreplaceable emotion and feeling.

Lena taught me love.

--That's why.

"Lena, I love you with all my heart."

Sayonara.

I transferred Lena.

The body that Lena had been supporting fell and hit the pure white floor. My eyesight had long since gone, and my barely remaining hearing could only pick up the sound of my heartbeat.

It slowly moved away as well, and it felt as if I was sinking to the bottom of pitch-black water...

It was a feeling of death that I couldn't forget even if I wanted to.

Ah, if there was someone who knew about Nina's life, what would they think of me now? Would they think she had a terrible life, would they pity her, or would they be so jealous?

I fantasized hundreds, maybe thousands of times about what I would do if I were reborn, while lying in my hospital bed.

I want to go to the beach, climb a mountain, go to school and make lots of friends, run around and play. I fantasize about being a good child to my mom and dad, and having siblings, and how much more fun it would be.

In the end, that didn't come true. But those five years that I'd spent living to the fullest as Nina had been far happier than the fifteen years of my previous life, when I'd lived and died without meaning or purpose.

This end, being able to use my life for someone I truly love, is a satisfying end.

But, if it's okay to be a little selfish at the end.

"Le…na…be… as ...happy… as ...I…want…you…to…"

... Yeah, that's all.

[Subject 027/Nina]

-- Finally understand the meaning of "I love you."

She had no intention of clouding the other person with her actions this time, and sincerely wished Lena happiness. Died at the age of ten.

[Sannomiya Reina/Lena]
-- Lost everything.

Never again will she be truly happy from the bottom of her heart.

"I died happily and everyone involved is clouded" - I personally think this is a perfect example of clouding (my theory).

With that, the main story is complete, so I would appreciate your thoughts and ratings.