“It’s a nice place. Though guests are rare.”

The place we arrived at was a café near the factory.  
It’s an unmanned café.  
There are no staff, but everything was neatly organized.

Small tables are set up between long sofas.  
There’s enough space for several people to sit, but only two are using it.

“Well, there’s a lot to talk about…”

The doctor pours himself a cup of coffee.  
And an orange juice cup for me.

“If we’re going to have a conversation…”

He brings the cups filled with drinks to the table.  
The coffee goes to him, and the orange juice comes my way.

Plop.

A pill drops into the juice.

“It’s easier to communicate in human language.”

The pill dissolves.  
It disappears without a trace.

I drink it.

It has a strange taste for orange juice.  
It tastes good, though.  
I keep sipping, feeling a warmth in my throat.

**[393 hours 53 minutes]**

“This is a drug that helps control abilities. They often give it to young awakeners who struggle with control.”

“…Ability control?”

**[393 hours 52 minutes]**

I check the time.  
Not much has passed.

“How does it taste?”

“It’s good.”

**[393 hours 52 minutes]**

Time isn’t decreasing.  
I can speak freely now.  
Amazing.  
The doctor is amazing.

I fall silent.  
I just drink my beverage without saying anything.  
What should I say?

I’m happy right now.  
But thinking about what the doctor did, I can’t help but feel he’s the source of all my problems.  
In other words, I should kill the doctor.

The doctor…

I tried to conjure a knife but couldn’t.  
Is it because of this ability control?  
It’s a scary drug.  
If they secretly gave it to anyone, would they lose their abilities and suffer?  
Is there really such a universal drug?

Well, to be honest, I don’t feel like killing him that much.  
It feels like I just have to do it out of obligation.

“Why…”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you come now?”

I wonder why the doctor appeared.

“Why do you dislike me?”

There are many questions to ask.  
I take another sip of my drink.

“Hmm?”

He does dislike me.  
There’s no way he could have made me like this otherwise.  
There must be a reason.

“I like you, doctor.”

The drug seems to work well.  
It allows me to say things I could never say normally.  
I feel pretty good.  
The doctor doesn’t respond.

“…Ah.”

It seems the doctor realizes something.  
He takes the cup filled with orange juice.

“Haha, oh my.”

He smells it and laughs.  
Is something wrong?

“I gave you the wrong drink. This is… alcohol.”

“Alcohol?”  
I’ve already drunk more than half of it.  
No wonder it tasted a bit different.

“I didn’t intend for a minor to drink it.”

“Eh.”  
The drug is okay, but alcohol is not?  
What kind of nonsense is that?

“Hahaha.”  
That’s funny.  
What a funny joke.

**[393 hours 51 minutes]**

It’s alcohol.  
It doesn’t seem to affect time too much.

“So, what’s the reason? Why do you dislike me, doctor?”

I can’t quite see the doctor’s expression.  
It’s as if there’s a filter over it, like mist or shadow.  
It’s always been like this.  
Is this also a form of brainwashing or suggestion?

“It hurts a bit when using drugs there.”

Should I go closer and observe his expression?  
I’m not drunk.  
There’s no way I am.

I stand up and move.  
I walk over to the sofa where the doctor is sitting, across the table.  
I wobble slightly.

“You purposely ordered a weak drug, didn’t you?”  
The drugs used in the lab are all strange.  
Some work too well, while others are too weak.  
There have been times when they just left me alone after the effect had worn off.

“Or maybe not.”  
I sit down beside the doctor.  
The sofa is soft.

“I thought you were a good person, doctor. Why do you…”

I’m just talking nonsense.

“I don’t dislike you. I like you.”

He pets my head.

“…Huh?”  
Oh, he likes me?  
I can’t follow the flow of the conversation.  
I don’t even know what I’m saying.

It feels like it’s been ages since I heard someone say they liked me.  
When was the last time?  
I really don’t know.  
No one has told me they liked me.

“Um…”  
Even if it’s just a compliment, it feels nice.  
My mood has improved.

It seems like that’s a thing.  
A lack of affection, maybe. I easily fall for kind words.  
It’s probably because I don’t have parents or friends.

“It’s better to talk when sober. I didn’t expect there to be alcohol in the orange juice bottle.”

What a big deal.  
I feel really good.  
I think I can forget all the bad things that happened with the doctor.  
Did my brain break? 

“Aha.”  
It broke long ago.

I’m satisfied with just being like this.  
There doesn’t seem to be a big problem, right?  
Or is there?

**[393 hours 46 minutes]**

Time seems abundant.  
In fact, I can’t feel bad at all.  
I’m happy.

“My hair has grown longer.”

“Indeed.”

“Oh, right. And my eyes seem a bit strange.”

I push my hair aside to show my eyes.  
The pupil in my right eye looked odd.  
It was vertical.

“And my body doesn’t move well, and when I speak, something feels off…”

There are too many strange things.

“I see strange things and hear odd sounds, and my thoughts are jumbled, and my memories feel odd…”

Something is very wrong.  
What should I do?  
Could I survive if I went to the hospital for treatment?

I think Researcher A had similar thoughts.

There’s a doctor in the hospital.  
The doctor is right next to me.

“I don’t know anything except how to use drugs anymore…”

What should I do?

“It’s probably too late for treatment.”  
I feel like I’m still asking about treatment.

“It’s not too late.”

“Really?”

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

How does he plan to treat me?  
Is there a way?

“Is that really so?”

I don’t know if I can believe it.  
Last time, he said it was a treatment drug, but nothing got better.  
I just wanted to use more of it.

Is it an unknown thing?  
If I keep using it, maybe it really will heal.  
Did I not use enough?

“…What would be good?”

The doctor checks something on his phone.

“Which one?”

“Could you call out a number? Something random.”

“A number?”  
**[393 hours 45 minutes]**

“45?”

“Oh, yes. Then…”

“Hmm?”  
What about it?

“I’m thinking of sending a message.”

To whom?

“I’m going to contact someone who can treat Seo Ah, so I need to tell them about your condition.”

“What do you mean?”

“The beneficiary who owes Seo Ah. They said they would treat you.”

“A debt…”  
What kind of debt?  
I mostly remember being trapped in the lab, so I can’t recall much.

“At the very least, they should be able to remove those scars completely.”

“Ah.”  
That’s a relief.  
I didn’t want to show the scars when I met my friend.  
A friend, huh?

My memories are vague.  
What happened back then?  
I know Han Shihu really hated me.  
I felt like I was going to die.  
Maybe it was a dream.

**[393 hours 31 minutes]**

Time has passed a bit more.  
It feels good to be able to stay leisurely in the café.  
And it feels even better knowing I can be treated for my pain.

“Are you looking forward to it?”

“Yes.”  
I feel like we’ve gotten a bit closer.

“Can I have some more juice?”

“Oh, that’s it for now.”

“Ah…”  
The doctor pushes the cup aside.  
I thought I could drink just a little more.

“Can I lie down?”  
“Yes.”

Wow.  
“A pillow for my knees… hee.”  
The sofa is long enough for me to lie down.  
My head feels dizzy, so I just lie back.  
Is it because of the alcohol?  
My head feels oddly hot too.

“You can sleep if you want.”  
“…I don’t want to.”

I can’t just close my eyes anywhere.  
If I wake up and find myself back in the lab, it wouldn’t be surprising.  
I don’t know where they would send me, soaking in drugs.

My vision starts to distort.  
I’m confused about where I’m lying.  
Am I really lying on the sofa, or was I placed on the experimental table?  
I’m confused about who’s with me.  
It must be a friend.

Is it Shihu?  
Was the doctor Shihu?  
No.  
Yeah.  
Is he a researcher?  
Maybe I’m still trapped in the lab and just lost in a delusion.  
My vision isn’t functioning properly.

“Aha.”  
I feel good, but it’s strange.  
My mind feels hazy.  
I smile brightly.

**[393 hours 20 minutes]**

***

An outing with a friend.  
It’s my first outing with

 a friend.  
A friend who gave me a name instead of just calling me the saint.

Han Shihu.  
It’s an outing just for the two of us.  
Of course, it’s not just to hang out.

Thanks to the previous escape from the research facility, we discovered the corruption of the military factory.  
If the saint is connected to both the lab and the factory, she could be a great help to Shihu.

“This should be fine; they won’t see it as strange.”

I fix my clothes while looking in the mirror.  
I have several outfits I didn’t even buy.

White clothes that go well with my long white hair.  
They’re as white as the saint’s feeling.  
Am I too conspicuous?

Yeah, maybe something else would be better.  
As I try on various outfits, I realize the meeting time is approaching.

“Okay. Let’s just… go with this.”  
A gray hoodie.  
I decided on a casual outfit.  
It’s not good to be too conspicuous.

I step out onto the street.  
No one seems to be looking at me.  
It must be a suitable outfit choice.

After leaving my house, I arrive at the café.  
Shihu will be here soon.

“Can I have a café latte, please?”

I order something first.

-Ding.

A message arrives.  
I go to the seat I reserved and sit down.  
I prepare to read, hoping it’s from Shihu.

What arrives is a strange link.  
I don’t know who sent it, so I feel uneasy.

“Is it a spam message?”

I’ve heard not to open things like this carelessly.

-Ding.

Another message arrives.  
This time it’s a photo.  
A girl with a bright smile.  
I recognize the white lab coat.

What was her name again?  
Seo Ah?  
I remember the promise we made in the past.

-So, if you stay in the lab for just a month… they’ll heal everything?

-Yes. I already saved you from dying, right? Even severe drug addiction can be cured.

-I’ll do it.

-Good choice. It’ll hurt a bit, but I’ve heard you’re immune to the drug? You just have to hold on for a month.

-Okay.

I remember the state back then.  
There’s no way I could last more than a month.  
I thought I would have died long ago.

I think about who sent the message.  
Are they planning to threaten me?  
Who would do something like this…

Hesitating, I click the link.

A video starts to play.  
A surveillance video that’s 45 minutes long.  
Looking at the date on the screen, it’s from six months ago.  
A girl sitting in a chair is captured.

“-Ah, you were already here.”

Just then, Shihu enters the café.  
I quickly turn off my phone.  
I’ll watch the video later.  
A video sent by someone I don’t even know what they want.

“Ah, hello, Shihu.”

On a day like today, it’s nothing but a distraction.