Kouhei and Fumiyo seem to have held a second wedding ceremony.
Though this was their second wedding, I was far more nervous than during the first. After being discharged from the hospital, I asked Mr. Mononobe in Kyoto to introduce me to a priest he knew. We then held a simple wedding, or rather, a remarriage ceremony, with Fumiyo at a hotel in Tokyo.
Only Gondo and Amemiya attended. After the ceremony, we moved to a hotel suite for a celebratory banquet.
“Fumiyo’s dress was lovely, wasn’t it?”
“She looked so beautiful, Mother!”
Amemiya and Airi, part of the “Noble Person Group,” praised Fumiyo, while Gondo, from the “Twisted Group,” offered a sarcastic remark to me.
“Amakake in that white suit looked like a member of the mafia.”
“I don’t want to hear that from you, Gondo, who came to my wedding ceremony in your usual worn-out coat. Don’t you own any other clothes?”
I already knew that Gondo wasn’t interested in fashion.
It’s strange to think that I’ve known this man for nearly six months now.
“It appears this will be the last time I drink together with you, Amakake…”
Amemiya raised his glass with a somber tone, so I gently clinked mine against his.
“Yes, all preparations are complete. We will proceed tomorrow.”
The Magatama has been filled with power. The time has come to depart.
“However, Namihei-kun, or rather Kanata-kun now. Kanata-kun seems to have bad luck, but you, Amakake, seem to have good luck. Having a brain-dead Clone in the Laboratory…”
As Amemiya said, I am lucky. No, it’s not luck. Kanata brought it to me, this opportunity.
“It’s not luck. Kanata gave me a chance.”
Gondo agreed with my opinion.
“Perhaps so. I’m not a fatalist, but I feel like I could believe in fate right now. For Kanata-kun to return to the Laboratory and tell us about the existence of clone number 17 in a brain-dead state…”
I understood why I couldn’t communicate with Princess Mikoto. Princess Mikoto had been waiting for communication from Kanata, but Kanata had unintentionally transferred to Planet Terra, resulting in a missed connection.
It seems she waited before the Dragon Stone several times, but without communication from Kanata, Princess Mikoto couldn’t communicate with us either. Because of this, Princess Mikoto judged that Kanata either didn’t believe the content of his father’s letter or chose to stay on Earth.
Even when I tried to communicate, I couldn’t, as the Magatama, depleted by the transfer of Kanata’s soul, had no Nenshin Power left. By the time the Magatama’s Nenshin Power recovered, Princess Mikoto had learned of Kanata’s existence through an article in the Alliance Army’s newsletter and was convinced it was Namihei. Therefore, she was waiting for an opportunity to meet Kanata directly and had abandoned the communication method mentioned in the letter.
I gritted my teeth at how ill-timed that was, but Kanata provided the breakthrough.
Upon gauging the recovery rate of the Magatama, I resumed periodic observation of Kanata’s movements, meticulously monitoring any significant events.
And Kanata told me. About the existence of brain-dead experimental subject number 17 in the Laboratory!
Thanks to this invaluable information, I wouldn’t have to take a shot in the dark. I could pinpoint my target and perform the Mind Transfer Art.
From then on, I set the X-day as tomorrow, completed all preparations, and finally reached the eve of execution.
After putting Airi to sleep, the adults chatted and drank in the hotel suite.
Amemiya and Gondo, considerate as ever, retired to their private rooms before midnight. So now, the only ones in this room are Airi, sleeping in the inner room, and us, gazing at the Tokyo night view side-by-side.
“It’s quite moving to think this might be the last time we look out at the Tokyo night view.”
“Planet Terra’s science is more advanced than Earth’s. You’ll surely see similar nightscapes there.”
“I hope so.”
“Kouhei-san, you really like looking at the night views of big cities, don’t you?”
“Yes, I harbored wicked ambitions like, ‘One day, I’ll grasp this in my hands!'”
The cliche for a villain is to sip wine while looking down upon the city lights.
Like I am now.
“Oh my, how frightening. Were you really thinking that?”
“I’d like to say it was a joke, but it’s the truth. I’m a terrible man, if I do say so myself. For different reasons, I’d do the same on Planet Terra. Although my ambition isn’t the reason I’ll throw myself back into the fight for power… It’s for Kanata and for you all.”
“…You…”
Power and financial resources are necessary to research a treatment for Chimera Syndrome and to manufacture clones of Fumiyo and the others.
Moreover, there isn’t much time. That being the case, resorting to rough and unscrupulous methods is unavoidable.
Unlike Kanata, who is rapidly gaining recognition as a warrior known as Kenrou, I doubt I can achieve such success as a soldier.
I’ve observed my son, who lives as a soldier, and I understand. Kanata is a hero of a chaotic era… no, a hero in the making.
Far from being a disobedient son, he possesses a rare talent that I lack.
However, I have the know-how of surviving as a bureaucrat in Kasumigaseki.
Even if I can’t wield my sword like a fang as Kanata does, I will rise by wielding strategy as my fang!
…Kenrou Kanata… A wolf who survives with his sword as fangs, huh? Even as my own child, he’s quite cool. As a fellow man, I admire him.
Though I am the one who gave up on you, Kanata, know this… you are a great man. Please allow me this much, to be proud of you.
The next morning, Amemiya and Gondo arrived at our room. It was time for the breakfast meeting.
The three men discussed strategies for Planet Terra. We sent Fumiyo and the others away because some of the talk would be unpleasant.
First, let’s confirm the situation.
“I will transfer into the body of experimental subject 17, who is in a brain-dead state, and from there attempt to escape the Laboratory.”
“Coincidentally, you’ll be doing the same thing as Kanata-kun.”
Gondo picked up on Amemiya’s words.
“But Amakake has an advantage that Kanata-kun doesn’t. We have the complete blueprints of the base here.”
On the desk lay the blueprints of the Laboratory, which I had memorized by lurking behind Kanata like a ghost and peeking.
Even on Earth, which is technologically inferior to Planet Terra, creating such blueprints is not difficult with free drawing software.
“We’ll consider Kanata’s escape method as Plan A. Given Kanata’s remarkable combat achievements, the possibility isn’t zero.”
“I think that would be difficult. Kanata-kun is already conducting clinical trials. The researchers will want to keep 17, that is, Amakake, in their possession no matter what.”
Amemiya’s assessment is accurate.
“If a legal escape isn’t possible, then it will have to be an illegal method. The body of 17 is in the Second Laboratory, located in this special sector. It’s close to the heliport.”
Gondo chewed on a chocolate stick, scratching his dandruff-ridden head. For a room like this suite we were given, you could at least take a bath.
“Kanata had terrible experiences when his helicopter crashed. As I predicted, Kanata, who has a strong learning ability, has been reading the helicopter operation manual since returning to the base. He intends to learn to pilot a helicopter eventually.”
“Amakake, can you actually pilot a helicopter just from glancing at the manual?”
“Amemiya, helicopters on Planet Terra are more advanced than those on Earth. If you input the destination, the auto-pilot function handles everything from takeoff to landing. As expected, Kanata started by learning how to use the auto-pilot function.”
“But wouldn’t a long flight risk being shot down? The Laboratory is in a pretty remote location, isn’t it?”
Gondo’s concern is valid. But there’s a way.
“Once we’re a little distance from the Laboratory, we can use the emergency landing function.”
“Then the problem becomes whether we can evade pursuit helicopters from the base using auto-pilot.”
“That’s not a problem either. We’ll destroy the base to smithereens.”
“Destroy it? How!”
Amemiya cried out, almost a scream, but I calmly replied.
“Kanata investigated the self-destruct device hidden in the base and found out about it. We just don’t know the activation passcode, but Dr. Shijima and two chief researchers know it.”
“Escape amidst the chaos of the base exploding, huh? That would be Plan B.”
“To make Plan B succeed, we’ll need to secure either Dr. Shijima or one of the chief researchers.”
“Presumably, once I awaken, Shijima will come rushing over. Therefore, Plan B will be the primary course of action. Plan C would be, if Plan B is impossible, to pretend to be compliant like Kanata, spend time at the Laboratory, and then steal the passcode and a helicopter at an opportune moment.”
“The drawback of Plan B is that it’s rather spontaneous.”
“But with Plan C, they’ll send us to the special residential sector. Looking at the blueprints, it seems quite heavily guarded.”
“I’ll have to decide which plan to go with based on the situation on the ground. But I will definitely succeed.”
Failure is not an option for this mission. I must succeed, and then I will begin my fight.
To find a way to save my daughter, Airi, and to subtly support my son, the Kenrou.
