text36452;"""My parents and I were returning from a countryside trip.""" text36453;"""We wanted to see the Japanese outdoors, observe the sakura blossoms.""" text36454;"""My father talked non-stop, but I wasn't listening to him — all my thoughts were centered around Catherine.""" text36455;"""We hadn't seen each other much over the break — I wondered if she missed me.""" text36456;"""I sure did!""" text36457;"""Mostly, I think, because I could stay at her place till late, as Mrs Winters would usually come home long after midnight.""" text36458;"""So we could sit, lie, and stand…""" text36459;"""In the bedroom, guest room, bathroom, or even the hallway with walls thin enough to hear the neighbors walk by.""" text36460;"""\""Are you listening to me?!\"" — my father shouted.""" text36461;"""But I had other things on my mind.""" text36462;"""And then…""" text36463;"""Then I woke up in a hospital.""" text36464;"""Bruises, abrasions and a broken arm — things could be way worse.""" text36465;"""Maybe if I had been listening to him…""" text36466;"""…""" text36467;"""People always say \""it's better to sleep on it\""… Bullshit!""" text36468;"""Especially if you couldn't actually sleep the whole night.""" text36469;"""In this case, trying to sleep on it didn't help at all — I could barely think straight.""" text36470;"""In the past eight hours I'd imagined virtually everything: being interrogated in the confines of the KGB, being exposed to ancient Japanese torture by people from the Corporation, just being executed by a single shot to the head.""" text36471;"""It was all wrong…""" text36472;"""A human being can't feel fear constantly — at some point, the mind's defense mechanisms kick in, and you simply stop caring about anything that might happen to you.""" text36473;"""And unexpectedly, I realized that I was worried about Himitsu much more than about my own life.""" text36474;"""She was the closest person I had, meaning that they could get to her as well!""" text36475;"""Catherine? Her mother could protect her, and, somehow, I was confident that she could take care of herself.""" text36476;"""A weak and cowardly person wouldn't have written that note, wouldn't have cared someone other than herself.""" text36477;"""Was she really worried about me?""" text36478;"""A pleasant shiver ran through my entire body, a sensation I had seemingly long forgotten.""" text36479;"""What if she had her own circumstances I simply knew nothing about?""" text36480;"""And then… Could I lose her too?!""" text36481;"""It was incredibly difficult to answer the \""Who do I love?\"" question even to myself. Especially in my current condition.""" text36482;"""There was one thing I knew for sure — both of them were important to me. Now more than ever!""" text36483;"""I rolled to my other side and looked at the clock — it was still pretty early, but I no longer had the energy to stay in bed.""" text36484;"""I could try to fall asleep, but Irina had given me clear instructions — to behave as usual.""" text36485;"""Which meant not skipping classes without a good reason.""" text36486;"""A hangover could be one, but I simply didn't have enough time yesterday to reach that point.""" text36487;"""Wobbling and grasping at the walls, I managed to walk to the kitchen.""" text36488;"""Coffee would be nice… But I'd never liked it, so I never had any at home.""" text36489;"""I only had tea and aspirin.""" text36490;"""Surprisingly, my head didn't ache.""" text36491;"""I sat down on a chair and came to my senses only a minute later — I had been staring thoughtlessly in front of me.""" text36492;"""Complete exhaustion…""" text36493;"""Maybe not coffee, but I definitely had alcohol!""" text36494;"""Just a couple glasses would make me sleep like a log!""" text36495;"""Irina's furious expression surfaced in my mind.""" text36496;"""Good thing she believed me…""" text36497;"""Although she didn't want to! She thought I was hiding something, lying to her…""" text36498;"""God, was this really happening?""" text36499;"""I pinched myself until I bled.""" text36500;"""Nope, not a dream.""" text36501;"""Somehow, hot tea brought me to my senses — was it time to prepare for school?""" text36502;"""Although I didn't really have anything to prepare — my homework wasn't done, and I had no idea what classes I was even supposed to have today.""" text36503;"""…""" text36504;"""Days were becoming shorter — it would've already been light outside at this hour a week ago.""" text36505;"""I was slowly walking the familiar route, occasionally looking over my shoulder.""" text36506;"""But not too obviously – someone could be watching me. Someone probably was — that's what Irina had said.""" text36507;"""So the KGB were around the corner, there were Corporation goons behind the fence, and Japanese counter-intelligence in the bushes?""" text36508;"""I smirked despite myself.""" text36509;"""People say you can find a positive side to any situation.""" text36510;"""I had once started to write a novel, then dropped it…""" text36511;"""It was about love, sure, but what would stop me from adding a detective subplot?""" text36512;"""Well, here is something positive about a poor student becoming prey to the powers that be.""" text36513;"""A Soviet-Japanese student. Like a mini Tom Clancy!""" text36514;"""Except I didn't have a submarine to give to Americans and thus escape…""" text36515;"""…""" text36516;"""I walked into the classroom and sat behind my desk.""" text36517;"""Was I the first in class today? Probably for the first time in my life!""" text36518;"""It wouldn't take long for me to start volunteering to go to the blackboard, get straight A's, and hang myself in the hall of fame.""" text36519;"""Unless, of course, someone would hang me first in a less crowded place…""" text36520;"""A head of red hair appeared in the doorway.""" text36521;"""Niko-kun… Are you here?""" text36522;"""Imagine that!""" text36523;"""I responded loudly.""" text36524;"""Why are you sneaking around? Nobody's here yet.""" text36525;"""Oh, yeah, sorry.""" text36526;"""Himitsu laughed and walked to my desk.""" text36527;"""You weren't home this morning…""" text36528;"""Yeah, I couldn't sleep and decided to go to school early.""" text36529;"""Good!""" text36530;"""She smiled cutely.""" text36531;"""Good that you decided not to skip classes.""" text36532;"""Me, skipping? I would never do that! I'm determined to become a straight A student and get into the top 10!""" text36533;"""You're, uh, probably exaggerating…""" text36534;"""Fine, the top 20 then!""" text36535;"""Himitsu took a little parcel out of her backpack.""" text36536;"""Here — bento!""" text36537;"""Thank you…""" text36538;"""I was truly moved.""" text36539;"""Whatever happened in my life, only Himitsu's feelings towards me remained the same.""" text36540;"""Feelings I neither appreciated nor deserved…""" text36541;"""I wondered what would've happened if back then I… No, I didn't want to know! Not at all!""" text36542;"""Are you okay? You look a bit weird today.""" text36543;"""I told you, didn't sleep well.""" text36544;"""Himitsu looked at me suspiciously but clearly couldn't find a reason to pry further.""" text36545;"""Well, alright. Are we going home together?""" text36546;"""What about lunch?""" text36547;"""I can't make it this time, sorry. Have something to do with my classmates.""" text36548;"""Well, alright. See you then!""" text36549;"""See you!""" text36550;"""She smiled genuinely again and walked away.""" text36551;"""What did I even need a Catherine for?""" text36552;"""Students gradually started to fill the classroom.""" text36553;"""Many of them gave me surprised looks. Had they not expected to see Anokhin this early, or at all?""" text36554;"""Paying no attention to anyone in his path, Kyosuke breezed into the classroom and started to cheerfully greet all of the guys.""" text36555;"""Michael calmly sat behind his desk and opened one of his books.""" text36556;"""I thought that I should probably ask him at some point what it is he reads all the time.""" text36557;"""I was constantly looking at the clock — there were just a few minutes left before the bell, but…""" text36558;"""And here came Catherine.""" text36559;"""She passed by, saying nothing but a short:""" text36560;"""Hi.""" text36561;"""I couldn't say she looked normal — I didn't even know what normal was for her anymore and what wasn't!""" text36562;"""I didn't know anything about her, didn't know her!""" text36563;"""The conversation with Irina and this whole spy thriller business shifted my mind away from Catherine and my never-ending romantic indecision.""" text36564;"""But I knew perfectly well that the main source of agitation for me was not the note itself but the fact that Katya had been the one to write it.""" text36565;"""Of course, there was a chances she'd written it with good intentions — she might have wanted to warn me about something.""" text36566;"""But really, it was like we were playing a goddamn game of charades!""" text36567;"""The lesson seemed to last forever. I wasn't listening to the teacher at all, focused on my own thoughts.""" text36568;"""I had to decide what to do from now on: keep my head down and act normally as per Irina's advice — or try to find something out as per common sense.""" text36569;"""Maybe I was just a student, but I didn't want to trust other people with the right to determine my destiny like a cow on a farm!""" text36570;"""If I was lucky, the BB gun would break, and I'd be allowed a couple extra days of grazing!""" text36571;"""Or maybe they'd handle me the traditional way — knocked out with a sledgehammer…""" text36572;"""And though I had no one to ask about the KGB, there was someone other than Ellie I could ask about the Corporation.""" text36573;"""During lunch, I approached Michael and offered to eat together with him.""" text36574;"""Great, let's go!""" text36575;"""Kyosuke had been hovering nearby, apparently waiting for the right moment.""" text36576;"""You know, we have something to discuss.""" text36577;"""He looked at me with surprise.""" text36578;"""Adult stuff, not anime — you wouldn't understand.""" text36579;"""Screw you!""" text36580;"""Michael didn't react to my somewhat strange behavior in any way.""" text36581;"""…""" text36582;"""I found a spot behind a vacant table, put Himitsu's bento in front of me, and waited for Michael.""" text36583;"""Soon he returned with a tray in his hands and took the seat opposite from me.""" text36584;"""Pretty quick today…""" text36585;"""Yes, almost no queue.""" text36586;"""Lucky you.""" text36587;"""He said calmly, pointing at my bento.""" text36588;"""Yeah, happens…""" text36589;"""I grinned like an idiot.""" text36590;"""The canteen was too noisy, so I proposed we finished our food quick and went up to the roof.""" text36591;"""How was your weekend?""" text36592;"""Not quite as planned.""" text36593;"""What happened?""" text36594;"""Movies.""" text36595;"""He replied briefly.""" text36596;"""Oh yeah, sorry…""" text36597;"""I get it — you must be having a lot of problems.""" text36598;"""What makes you think that?""" text36599;"""It's pretty obvious.""" text36600;"""Obvious, is it? I'm like an open book to you!""" text36601;"""So, what do you want to talk about? You didn't invite Kyosuke. Something serious?""" text36602;"""I still hadn't decided whether I could trust Michael, and if I did, then to what extent.""" text36603;"""Of course, telling him the whole truth would be a mistake, but if I wanted his help, I had to at least give him a general idea of the situation.""" text36604;"""Your father's work is related to Kobayashi Corporation, right?""" text36605;"""I'd say his company is just a business partner.""" text36606;"""What do they even do in this Corporation? What kind of business?""" text36607;"""Michael looked surprised.""" text36608;"""What kind? All kinds. It's a transnational company, remember? They work with virtually everything, from stuffed animals to satellites.""" text36609;"""Well, that was already clear.""" text36610;"""Okay, what does your father's company do?""" text36611;"""Construction.""" text36612;"""What kind?""" text36613;"""Civil construction.""" text36614;"""That was close, but not quite it…""" text36615;"""I doubted my parents were killed over a poorly designed bridge.""" text36616;"""Got it, thanks.""" text36617;"""Should I even ask why you're interested?""" text36618;"""Probably not.""" text36619;"""I can ask my father something if you want.""" text36620;"""…""" text36621;"""How was I supposed to I respond to that?""" text36622;"""If what Michael said was true, it was unlikely that his father was connected to the Corporation's shady dealings.""" text36623;"""No need. I don't think it will help me much.""" text36624;"""Nick, if you're involved in something dangerous, it might be better to talk to…""" text36625;"""He went silent for a second, remembering my family situation.""" text36626;"""An adult?""" text36627;"""Yeah, right! Adults haven't helped me much lately.""" text36628;"""In fact, adults had dragged me into this!""" text36629;"""I hope you know what you're doing.""" text36630;"""Me too.""" text36631;"""With the conversation seemingly over, Michael was about to return to our classroom.""" text36632;"""I'll hang around a bit longer, you go ahead.""" text36633;"""Sure.""" text36634;"""He shrugged.""" text36635;"""I wondered where Catherine had her lunch. I never saw her with a bento and didn't recall her ever cooking herself.""" text36636;"""I started to feel sleepy again. Luckily, the canteen had coffee.""" text36637;"""A few gulps of the nasty, sour swill woke me up in an instant.""" text36638;"""Just like Japanese people had a low tolerance for alcohol, I had relatively low tolerance for caffeine.""" text36639;"""My heart was beating so hard it felt like I'd just run a 100 metre dash.""" text36640;"""Walking through the school corridors, I felt almost safe.""" text36641;"""After all, this place had too many people to…""" text36642;"""To what? Irina had told me that a resource that possesses information is a valuable resource.""" text36643;"""Therefore, it would be worthwhile to increase my value — and hence my chance of survival — by obtaining information!""" text36644;"""…""" text36645;"""I returned to the classroom and was interrogated by Kyosuke almost immediately.""" text36646;"""So?""" text36647;"""What?""" text36648;"""How did the lunch go?""" text36649;"""Fine.""" text36650;"""Good for you!""" text36651;"""He made an annoyed face, clearly expecting me to apologize or, at least, feel guilty.""" text36652;"""Let's talk about this another time, okay?""" text36653;"""…""" text36654;"""For the rest of the day, I could only think about one thing.""" text36655;"""To be more precise, about a number of things that had recently brought variety into my life.""" text36656;"""\""May you live in interesting times!\"", was it?""" text36657;"""I felt uncomfortable knowing that Catherine was sitting behind me.""" text36658;"""What if she was staring at my back all the time?""" text36659;"""What was she thinking about, what was she doing?""" text36660;"""Maybe she was writing another note?""" text36661;"""Drinking that coffee was a mistake — I could've slept during class.""" text36662;"""I doubted anyone would try to wake me up: such behavior was the norm for Nikolai Anokhin and fighting it was as effective as jousting windmills.""" text36663;"""Irina told me to behave normally.""" text36664;"""If only I knew where the border of normalcy was drawn…""" text36665;"""Class was finally over.""" text36666;"""The crowd at the shoe lockers was full of happy chatter: some were about to go to the movies, some to karaoke, and some on dates.""" text36667;"""I changed my shoes and walked into the schoolyard, stopped for a minute, and felt infinitely alone as I watched students quickly walk past, paying zero attention to me.""" text36668;"""Like a yellow leaf in a river, caught on a piece of wood.""" text36669;"""But I wasn't the only one in this position — Catherine was standing at the gates… Clearly waiting for someone with a bored expression on her face.""" text36670;"""She wasn't looking in my direction, but I wasn't moving either.""" text36671;"""Simply because I didn't know what to say, not to mention I outright hadn't slept in two nights and didn't have the mental energy to come up with something sensible to start a conversation with.""" text36672;"""It seemed like something like this had already happened before — when I ran after her, caught her by the hand, and she threatened to scream…""" text36673;"""It felt like that moment had happened way over a week ago.""" text36674;"""Though I wasn't just afraid to approach her, I feared even to appear in her line of sight.""" text36675;"""Was I afraid she'd notice me? Was I afraid to simply walk out of the school gates, leave that safe territory?""" text36676;"""Finally, a car stopped near Catherine, and she got in.""" text36677;"""Since when was Catherine picked up from school like that, I wondered.""" text36678;"""Not everyone here had a personal driver.""" text36679;"""I couldn't remember Mrs Winters doing anything like that before.""" text36680;"""Could she be in danger too?""" text36681;"""Niko-kun!""" text36682;"""Himitsu's cheerful voice came from behind me.""" text36683;"""I flinched in surprise and turned around.""" text36684;"""How was the bento?""" text36685;"""She asked, running up to me.""" text36686;"""Very good, thanks!""" text36687;"""I wouldn't be able to say what had been in it even if my life depended on it.""" text36688;"""It definitely had some rice though…""" text36689;"""How was your day?""" text36690;"""Very tiring…""" text36691;"""I wondered if she saw me stand there, staring at Catherine.""" text36692;"""What about you?""" text36693;"""Wonderful! We were getting ready for the school festival! Our class wants to make a café.""" text36694;"""For a second she fell silent, embarrassed.""" text36695;"""Do you think I'd look good in a maid outfit?""" text36696;"""I'm sure you would…""" text36697;"""Will you come by? We'll have cupcakes, and shortcakes, and layered cakes, and…""" text36698;"""I'm already practising cooking them at home. But I'm not letting you try any yet, just in case!""" text36699;"""Himitsu laughed and now looked absolutely innocent.""" text36700;"""So much so that I found it hard to look at her.""" text36701;"""What's your class gonna do?""" text36702;"""For the school festival, you mean?""" text36703;"""As if I knew!""" text36704;"""We're putting on \""The Prince and the Pauper\""!""" text36705;"""Really?""" text36706;"""No.""" text36707;"""Hey!""" text36708;"""We haven't decided yet. Graduation class, you know — exams and all that.""" text36709;"""I lied.""" text36710;"""Let's go?""" text36711;"""I took Himitsu by the hand and left the schoolyard, looking straight ahead.""" text36712;"""Niko-kun…""" text36713;"""She weakly tried to protest, but her hand did not let go of mine.""" text36714;"""…""" text36715;"""Himitsu kept telling me about her class' plans for the school festival, but I wasn't really listening.""" text36716;"""Why was Catherine picked up by a car? Was that a one-time thing, or would this happen always from now on?""" text36717;"""She couldn't not have noticed that yesterday I was basically in panic when I fled her apartment!""" text36718;"""Katya was a smart girl and would probably draw the right conclusions.""" text36719;"""To add to that, whatever reason she had to leave the note, Catherine clearly knew more than I.""" text36720;"""Hello! Earth to Niko-kun!""" text36721;"""Huh? What?""" text36722;"""You're sleeping on your feet.""" text36723;"""Himitsu said kindly.""" text36724;"""That's exactly it.""" text36725;"""Maybe you should've stayed home today after all?""" text36726;"""Yeah, tell that to Irina…""" text36727;"""Nope, definitely shouldn't have! Definitely not today!""" text36728;"""Why not?""" text36729;"""I looked at Himitsu's beautiful, surprised face and knew what I had to do.""" text36730;"""I had to tell her what had happened yesterday.""" text36731;"""Because she too could be in danger.""" text36732;"""Because she was the only person in the whole wide world whom I could trust!""" text36733;"""I love you!""" text36734;"""I said seriously.""" text36735;"""She stopped and froze with an expression of utter shock on her face.""" text36736;"""Niko… kun…""" text36737;"""We need to talk. I need to tell you something important!""" text36738;"""Himitsu's expression saddened.""" text36739;"""Strange, I was sure she'd be glad about the confession.""" text36740;"""Why do you say this now? It's not true…""" text36741;"""Let's go! We'll talk at home.""" text36742;"""She followed me limply, automatically, her head cast down.""" text36743;"""We were silently sitting in the kitchen, avoiding each other's eyes.""" text36744;"""What I had said about love… Was it really necessary?""" text36745;"""Some words can't be taken back!""" text36746;"""And I was sure Himitsu knew full well that I wasn't telling the truth.""" text36747;"""At least that my words meant something different from what she wanted.""" text36748;"""But let that be a noble lie!""" text36749;"""And I was about to tell her the truth here and now! The truth that she had to know, the truth that was currently more important.""" text36750;"""Alright, so…""" text36751;"""I took a deep breath, stood up from the chair, and walked from one end of the kitchen to another.""" text36752;"""Promise you won't interrupt!""" text36753;"""Himitsu showed no reaction to my words.""" text36754;"""So, it all started about a week ago. With Catherine's return, yes… But it's not only and not mainly about her.""" text36755;"""The same day, in the evening, I found a note at my door. It asked me to be careful, said I was in danger because of my parents' work.""" text36756;"""After these words, she livened up and gave me an uncomprehending look.""" text36757;"""Wait a second…""" text36758;"""I rushed to my room, took the note from a cabinet, returned to the kitchen and gave it to Himitsu.""" text36759;"""See, it's not a joke!""" text36760;"""Niko-kun…""" text36761;"""Wait, don't interrupt!""" text36762;"""I was very agitated and wasn't looking at her, instead walking to the doors to the garden.""" text36763;"""But there's more. The next day, I got a phone call in Russian and was told to be careful.""" text36764;"""Then I was followed in the city.""" text36765;"""Then I was followed in the city, I think.""" text36766;"""And finally, yesterday I was interrogated by a Soviet agent. A KGB agent. KGB, understand?""" text36767;"""I paused.""" text36768;"""Himitsu didn't react, just kept looking at me, but in addition to surprise, her eyes now also expressed worry and pity.""" text36769;"""She said my parents didn't die by chance, that it wasn't an accident!""" text36770;"""They were killed…""" text36771;"""But why…?""" text36772;"""She uttered in a strained voice.""" text36773;"""Because of their work for Kobayashi Corporation! For that damned company!""" text36774;"""And she also warned that I'd be watched by… Well, everyone who possibly can!""" text36775;"""I giggled nervously.""" text36776;"""Russians, Japanese, probably even Americans!""" text36777;"""Americans?""" text36778;"""Why not? They've got like a constant beef with the USSR!""" text36779;"""Although that was just my own speculation.""" text36780;"""Himitsu once again turned the note in her hands, studying it carefully.""" text36781;"""Did they write it?""" text36782;"""N-no… I don't know.""" text36783;"""That was probably enough truth for today.""" text36784;"""Considering her and Catherine's relationship, it wasn't hard to imagine that if I said the note was from the latter, she'd go for a knife…""" text36785;"""But the call was definitely made by someone from the KGB. That's what the agent said.""" text36786;"""And what do they want from you?""" text36787;"""Nothing, as she said. They want to protect me from the Japanese, from Kobayashi Corporation. They said they think I have some kind of information, data passed on by my father.""" text36788;"""Do you?""" text36789;"""Himitsu said seriously.""" text36790;"""No! If I did, I would've given it all to them right away and kept on living peacefully!""" text36791;"""A long silence followed.""" text36792;"""I was desperately waiting for Himitsu's reaction, but she wouldn't say anything, just sat there, her feet on the chair, her arms around her knees, her face hidden behind them.""" text36793;"""Say something, please!""" text36794;"""Suddenly, she jumped off of the chair, ran up to me, and embraced me firmly, pushing her whole body up against mine.""" text36795;"""Niko-kun, forgive me, please!""" text36796;"""Himitsu was bawling.""" text36797;"""Sunshine, what for? You didn't do anything wrong!""" text36798;"""No! I… I didn't know that something like this happened to you…""" text36799;"""I… I was acting so terribly! I was only thinking about myself!""" text36800;"""No! Not at all!""" text36801;"""Niko-kun, I'm sorry!""" text36802;"""For a good while, we just stood there, wordless, drowning in each other's embrace.""" text36803;"""Finally, I took Himitsu by the shoulders and gently pushed her away.""" text36804;"""The most important thing you should know is that I don't want to involve you!""" text36805;"""It's just… The KGB, the Corporation… Anything could happen.""" text36806;"""I'll help you!""" text36807;"""She said resolutely.""" text36808;"""No! Absolutely not!""" text36809;"""I raised my voice.""" text36810;"""That KGB woman told me not to show any sign that I might know something. Told me to act normally. And that's what we're going to do. Got it?""" text36811;"""Himitsu pursed her lips unhappily but conceded:""" text36812;"""Fine.""" text36813;"""But I won't be able to sleep well at night anymore…""" text36814;"""Yeah, well… I'm not saying that we… that I'm in no danger, but she is right about one thing — the Japanese need something from me. And they'll leave me alone when they realize I don't have it.""" text36815;"""If you think so…""" text36816;"""Himitsu smiled with some effort.""" text36817;"""She might've read more romance novels than mysteries, but I wasn't as naïve — unwanted witnesses get disposed of.""" text36818;"""And when they realize I didn't have the information they needed, they would quickly figure out that I knew a lot of unwanted things about the Corporation.""" text36819;"""And now I really need to get some sleep…""" text36820;"""I'm not leaving!""" text36821;"""She protested.""" text36822;"""Remember what I told you? Act normally! Don't arouse suspicion!""" text36823;"""But Niko-kun…""" text36824;"""No buts!""" text36825;"""For a little while, Himitsu fidgeted in place.""" text36826;"""Fine… But be careful!""" text36827;"""Careful where, at home? What am I at risk of here? Burning myself with hot water or slipping in the bathroom?""" text36828;"""I grinned.""" text36829;"""Himitsu didn't react. She stepped close to me and said:""" text36830;"""And also…""" text36831;"""She rose on her tiptoes, pulled me close, and gave me a firm kiss.""" text36832;"""I responded to it but meekly, feigning surprise.""" text36833;"""For luck!""" text36834;"""We all could use some…""" text36835;"""Himitsu left, while I remained in the kitchen, deliriously staring at the note on the table.""" text36836;"""I could use some sleep, but my exhaustion seemed to have passed that threshold where it unlocked a second wind.""" text36837;"""Where you're outwardly buoyant and full of vigor, but your mind can barely function.""" text36838;"""So I was simply staring into space, my mouth open, having forgotten where I was and what was happening.""" text36839;"""But the talk with Himitsu left behind a pressing feeling of understatement and uncertainty.""" text36840;"""Was I really, like a cow in a butchery, going to wait and see what fate awaited me?!""" text36841;"""And if only it was me alone…""" text36842;"""But who could help me now? Who knew about my parents' work?""" text36843;"""Ichinose-san — the answer presented itself.""" text36844;"""The time for niceties had passed. If need be, I was ready to beat the information out of him!""" text36845;"""…""" text36846;"""Except nobody picked up the phone.""" text36847;"""I waited for at least a minute and received nothing but dial tones in response.""" text36848;"""Perhaps he wasn't home…?""" text36849;"""I called again and again.""" text36850;"""Finally, an agitated female voice came from the receiver:""" text36851;"""Ichinose household.""" text36852;"""Hello… I need to talk to your husband.""" text36853;"""My husband…""" text36854;"""The woman was clearly nervous.""" text36855;"""Who are you?""" text36856;"""I'm an… acquaintance.""" text36857;"""He… he's not here.""" text36858;"""When will he be back?""" text36859;"""He hasn't been home for several days! Do you know where my husband is?!""" text36860;"""She shouted.""" text36861;"""I quickly hung up the phone.""" text36862;"""So they got to him too!""" text36863;"""Well, that was to be expected.""" text36864;"""My parents were killed, that Akira Shinji supposedly died from a heart attack, Ichinose hadn't come back home in several days.""" text36865;"""Was the Corporation really getting rid of witnesses?""" text36866;"""In that case, maybe it was a good thing I didn't know anything. Anyone who actually did didn't seem to live long…""" text36867;"""And what was the difference between a human and a resource for them?""" text36868;"""I wanted to sleep so badly that no strength remained to worry about anything else.""" text36869;"""With effort, I reached my room and fell onto the bed.""" text36870;"""…""" text36871;"""I dreamed of having broken an arm. That instead of a plaster, I was just given a splint that constantly threatened to slip off.""" text36872;"""It also turned out that the arm was fine — I had been brazenly tricked by the hospital.""" text36873;"""Then Kyosuke came and started to loudly laugh at me.""" text36874;"""And finally, the phone rang.""" text36875;"""I walked to it and answered, and heard Ichinose-san's voice in the receiver: \""Hello! Nikolai, is that you? What are you doing there?\""""" text36876;"""…""" text36877;"""But it wasn't the phone — it was the doorbell.""" text36878;"""Barely able to find my way around, I dragged myself out of bed and, still half asleep, went on to open the door.""" text36879;"""I found a young man wearing a uniform at my doorstep.""" text36880;"""Are you Anokhin Nikolai?""" text36881;"""Well, yeah…""" text36882;"""He rummaged through his satchel and pulled out a small envelope.""" text36883;"""A tiny one, actually. I didn't know they made them that small.""" text36884;"""Sign here!""" text36885;"""He extended a clipboard to me with a piece of paper attached to it.""" text36886;"""Right here.""" text36887;"""I casually whipped out my scribble and smirked:""" text36888;"""Should I bring you the inkan too?""" text36889;"""The courier gave me a weird look, bowed deeply, and bid farewell:""" text36890;"""Have a good evening!""" text36891;"""In reality, I always used simple katakana for my signature, which did, of course, create some problems in the legal sense, but was generally acceptable for a foreigner.""" text36892;"""The realization of what had happened didn't come right away.""" text36893;"""I returned to my room and only then realized that I didn't usually receive letters, especially ones delivered by a courier!""" text36894;"""I hastily ripped the envelope open and took out a small folded piece of paper, a few sentences written on it:""" text36895;"""\""Nikolai, we need to talk, urgently. Come to the waterfront after midnight and make sure you're not followed. We'll meet on the bridge. Ichinose.\""""" text36896;"""I don't believe it…""" text36897;"""I re-read the note several times.""" text36898;"""What if it was a trap?""" text36899;"""No, it seemed too complicated for people with that kind of power.""" text36900;"""For instance, I was home alone right now (and always, really). What stopped them from kidnapping or killing me?""" text36901;"""And the note was delivered right after my call to Ichinose! At midnight…""" text36902;"""What was even the time? I looked at the clock — it showed a few minutes past eleven.""" text36903;"""It wouldn't take me more than an hour to reach the waterfront…""" text36904;"""I almost immediately decided that I would go to the meeting, simply trusting my instincts and logic.""" text36905;"""Now I just had to decide what to do about the surveillance.""" text36906;"""Ichinose didn't even have to warn me.""" text36907;"""Going out somewhere at almost midnight was definitely not normal for me!""" text36908;"""But if I were to do it carefully…""" text36909;"""For some reason, I was confident that even if I was being watched, it wasn't the same way they'd watch James Bond or something.""" text36910;"""From the street, everything would look as if I had already gone to sleep!""" text36911;"""I turned off the light, sat down on the bed, and waited, holding my breath and listening in to the sounds coming from the street.""" text36912;"""Nothing…""" text36913;"""Or, well, nothing unusual.""" text36914;"""The first step is the hardest in situations like this.""" text36915;"""Then instincts take over.""" text36916;"""I took a few deep breaths, closed my eyes, and focused on my breathing.""" text36917;"""Time to go.""" text36918;"""The door silently opened and immediately closed, while I ducked into the garden.""" text36919;"""I crept to the fence.""" text36920;"""A few of the planks weren't nailed well and were easy to move aside.""" text36921;"""A moment later, I was in the alley behind the house.""" text36922;"""It didn't even have any lamp posts, being just a narrow passage between two plots of land.""" text36923;"""A couple minutes later I was on my way to the station, trying to avoid my usual route.""" text36924;"""…""" text36925;"""Only as I approached the station did I look back for the first time.""" text36926;"""If my surveillants had noticed me, they'd follow me to the end. Giving them a reason to believe they'd been found wouldn't do me any good.""" text36927;"""If not, then all the better.""" text36928;"""But I had reason to believe that my plan had worked. At least at this stage.""" text36929;"""I boarded the train and looked out onto the platform. All I could see were tired Japanese on their way back home after a hard day of work.""" text36930;"""…""" text36931;"""The Tokyo suburb welcomed me coldly with a chilly ocean breeze.""" text36932;"""I was in a shopping district near a port.""" text36933;"""It was already late, so most of the stores were closed.""" text36934;"""Why did Ichinose choose this place, I wondered.""" text36935;"""The bridge in question was visible in the darkness a couple hundred meters away from the station.""" text36936;"""I reached the place in a few minutes, but at first glance, it appeared to be empty.""" text36937;"""Nikolai…""" text36938;"""I heard the familiar voice, and Ichinose-san appeared out of the shadows.""" text36939;"""Were you followed?""" text36940;"""No.""" text36941;"""Are you sure?""" text36942;"""He looked pretty calm, which seemed strange to me.""" text36943;"""Yes, absolutely.""" text36944;"""Good… Good… I'm sorry, Nikolai. I'm sorry…""" text36945;"""What for?""" text36946;"""I asked with surprise.""" text36947;"""For my cowardice, for getting cold feet. See what's come out of it?""" text36948;"""He smiled sadly and immediately continued:""" text36949;"""As they say, \""First they came for the Communists…\""""" text36950;"""What are you talking about?""" text36951;"""I thought that if I kept silent, they would leave me alone, but things turned out very differently.""" text36952;"""Ichinose let out a heavy sigh and lit up a cigarette.""" text36953;"""Thank God I was long prepared for it!""" text36954;"""I called your house, and your wife said you've been missing for several days.""" text36955;"""Yes, that's true. Our phone is wiretapped, and I'm in hiding. My wife informed me that someone had called and I sent a courier with the note.""" text36956;"""But… How did you know it was me?""" text36957;"""Сaller display — heard of it?""" text36958;"""No, to be honest…""" text36959;"""I didn't even know where to start asking questions.""" text36960;"""It had to happen, sooner or later. After we had been kicked out of the Project, it was inevitable.""" text36961;"""The Project?""" text36962;"""The Project is what your father and I worked on at Kobayashi Corporation.""" text36963;"""What is this then?""" text36964;"""He raised his tired eyes to me.""" text36965;"""I can't explain it in brief, and you wouldn't understand.""" text36966;"""I'll do my best! After all, my parents died because of this project…""" text36967;"""I responded confidently.""" text36968;"""I'd be glad to tell you, but it's not that simple. Each one of us was responsible for our own part of the research and development.""" text36969;"""I was a physicist and mostly worked on theoretical calculations. They can have a lot of applications.""" text36970;"""And what about my father?""" text36971;"""He was a rocket engineer.""" text36972;"""Is that so…""" text36973;"""I drawled.""" text36974;"""And here I had always thought he built bridges…""" text36975;"""And the main problem is that we knew as little about the work of other departments as was possible. It was their way of preserving secrecy.""" text36976;"""I only talked to your father about work-related matters and only when it was absolutely necessary.""" text36977;"""What kind of work-related matters?""" text36978;"""You wouldn't understand.""" text36979;"""He sighed.""" text36980;"""Ichinose-san, I'm neck deep in this shit, and I want to get out. I'm not about to back down now!""" text36981;"""You don't know what you're talking about, Nikolai! Even if I could tell you more, it would greatly endanger you and everyone you hold dear!""" text36982;"""Everyone you hold dear…""" text36983;"""Himitsu's tearful face immediately came to mind.""" text36984;"""Look at me!""" text36985;"""Ichinose grinned.""" text36986;"""I've been long ready that someone would come for me, so I ran at the first sign of danger.""" text36987;"""Are you… are you ready to do the same?""" text36988;"""I… no… I don't know.""" text36989;"""He was definitely right about something.""" text36990;"""And until I figured out what the difference was between a resource and a human…""" text36991;"""But my father's work wasn't the only question on my agenda tonight.""" text36992;"""Do you know someone with the surname Winters? An American.""" text36993;"""Hm…""" text36994;"""Ichinose thought a moment.""" text36995;"""Who is that? How are you connected?""" text36996;"""Do you know her or not?""" text36997;"""I've heard the name Winters. But I think it belonged to an adult woman.""" text36998;"""And how is she connected to your Project?""" text36999;"""I don't think she has any direct connection to the scientific part of the project, but she could be representing the American side…""" text37000;"""American? What American side, Ichinose-san?!""" text37001;"""A terrible guess struck me.""" text37002;"""Did you think it was only the Japanese working on the Project?""" text37003;"""I didn't think anything!""" text37004;"""I responded rudely.""" text37005;"""And this Mrs… Does this Mrs Winters have any connection to the death of my parents?""" text37006;"""He frowned and looked at me carefully over his glasses.""" text37007;"""You're talking as if they were killed.""" text37008;"""Weren't they?""" text37009;"""Nikolai, I…""" text37010;"""He cut himself off mid-sentence, let out a heavy sigh, and lowered his eyes.""" text37011;"""I have no proof, but I suspected that the accident wasn't a coincidence!""" text37012;"""I couldn't tell you since, it was just a guess of mine…""" text37013;"""That doesn't matter anymore, Ichinose-san! What about Mrs Winters?""" text37014;"""I don't think so… No.""" text37015;"""But you aren't sure?""" text37016;"""Nikolai, why are you so interested in this woman? I'm telling you, I've never even seen her, just heard the name.""" text37017;"""It's… a very personal matter.""" text37018;"""Well, I hope you know what you're doing…""" text37019;"""So Catherine's mother was somehow involved in all of this!""" text37020;"""But she wasn't to blame for my parents' death.""" text37021;"""That is, if I were to believe Ichinose, who didn't really know much himself.""" text37022;"""But how was all this connected to Catherine's note? Did that mean she knew something too?""" text37023;"""My entire life was a lie and a theatre of the absurd!""" text37024;"""My family matters were known best to everyone but myself!""" text37025;"""Ichinose-san, everything is not that… I need time to digest it all.""" text37026;"""I understand. By the way…""" text37027;"""He sighed and turned away, clearly bracing himself.""" text37028;"""I haven't told you everything about Akira Shinji. He's not dead.""" text37029;"""I looked at him with a silent question on my face.""" text37030;"""At the time it seemed to me like I was doing the right thing by not telling you the entire truth. Not to mention your phone is wiretapped the same as mine.""" text37031;"""He was taken by people from the Corporation.""" text37032;"""So in a sense, he may as well be dead.""" text37033;"""And this… Akira Shinji? Who was he?""" text37034;"""Oooh, now he was a big deal in the Project and most likely knew much more than I!""" text37035;"""Then we need to find him!""" text37036;"""That won't work. It's Kobayashi Corporation, remember? He could be anywhere.""" text37037;"""Ichinose paused, then continued in a lower voice:""" text37038;"""He may very well not be alive anymore…""" text37039;"""But then what should we do next?""" text37040;"""We?""" text37041;"""He gave me a somehow fatherly look and said:""" text37042;"""I plan to keep hiding from the Corporation, and you… better keep far away from it all!""" text37043;"""Better yet, return to the Union if you can!""" text37044;"""I… I can't…""" text37045;"""I can't abandon Himitsu!""" text37046;"""Not until I was sure that she wasn't involved in any of this. That she wasn't in danger…""" text37047;"""In that case, I can only remind you to be as careful as possible!""" text37048;"""I've heard that a little too often lately.""" text37049;"""Perhaps the Corporation will leave you alone when they realize you have nothing to offer. After all, you have no direct connection to the Project.""" text37050;"""Ichinose-san, thank you very much!""" text37051;"""No need to thank me. I did what was right.""" text37052;"""Will we meet again?""" text37053;"""He looked annoyed, but only for a moment.""" text37054;"""Here.""" text37055;"""He handed me a small piece of paper with a telephone number written on it.""" text37056;"""Memorize, then throw away or burn the paper — anything so long as you don't keep it. This is the phone number of my nephew. You will need to ask if Agawa-san is at home. You'll be told that you've got the wrong number, and I'll find a way to get in contact with you.""" text37057;"""Ichinose-san, whatever happens, thank you very much!""" text37058;"""I bowed deeply.""" text37059;"""Alright, enough now!""" text37060;"""He grinned.""" text37061;"""Be careful on your way home.""" text37062;"""And then he disappeared into the gloom of the Tokyo waterfront.""" text37063;"""…""" text37064;"""Geez!""" text37065;"""The next train home would only come early in the morning, so I found a phone booth and called a taxi.""" text37066;"""…""" text37067;"""The car was making its way through the streets of the sleeping metropolis at a steady pace, and I was trying to digest everything Ichinose had told me.""" text37068;"""But the volume of information, the agitation, the lack of sleep made my brain incapable of anything but recalling separate phrases from our conversation over and over again.""" text37069;"""Each one was important in and of itself but made no sense when put together with the others.""" text37070;"""I got out of the taxi several blocks away from my house and returned the same way — through the alleyway and the hole in the fence.""" text37071;"""…""" text37072;"""I desperately needed to sleep!""" text37073;"""Those few hours in the afternoon hadn't helped at all, and I felt totally beat.""" text37074;"""The house was dark and quiet, and so was the street.""" text37075;"""This time of night is the most serene and most mysterious at the same time.""" text37076;"""My inflamed imagination started to project jumping shadows into the corners and rustling noises into the kitchen.""" text37077;"""Tomorrow will be better, tomorrow will be better…""" text37078;"""I muttered, my head hidden under the blanket."""