text43735;"""We were climbing a low hill with sparse, stumpy trees."""
text43736;"""The sheath of my heavy sword hit against my legs, leaving deep, never-healing wounds on my skin."""
text43737;"""The sun was blazing, and my salty sweat ate at my eyes."""
text43738;"""My head was spinning, and yet again I felt I was about to faint."""
text43739;"""Just like I had a few hours ago, and a few hours before that."""
text43740;"""But each time I found the strength to move on, only hoping I'd be able to make another two or three steps and then come what may."""
text43741;"""The commander said that we'd rest in a couple of miles, but he always said that, while in reality we had to walk from dawn to dusk!"""
text43742;"""How were we supposed to fight barbarians after that?"""
text43743;"""We weren't just waiting for our battle to the death but marching straight toward it, leaving our homes thousands of leagues behind us."""
text43744;"""I'd never been afraid of battles with the enemy, but the endless wait made its image grotesquely foreboding."""
text43745;"""In the end, in the north of Europe people were just the same as us, with their families and customs, even if we saw many of those customs as barbarous."""
text43746;"""I'd left my parents and younger siblings at home."""
text43747;"""We spent half of our lives serving the Emperor…<w> At best!"""
text43748;"""We had a much higher chance of dying in battle or ending up uselessly maimed, making those around us feel nothing but pity and disgust, than returning home safe."""
text43749;"""I guess it wasn't the life I'd wanted as a child, but I wasn't lucky enough to be born a patrician and so I didn't get to choose my own fate."""
text43750;"""…"""
text43751;"""Night, a break, a fire."""
text43752;"""It was nice to finally take my sandals off, but my soles had grown so rough they lost almost all feeling — I rubbed them again and again, but the sensation was barely different from caressing a rock."""
text43753;"""An old soldier began to tell his neverending story about fighting barbarians far in the northern forests."""
text43754;"""About tree fairies and other evil spirits that helped them."""
text43755;"""About mighty druids with their magic that entire legions were helpless against."""
text43756;"""The younger men laughed and made sarcastic remarks, saying it was very strange to see him alive after facing such devilry."""
text43757;"""Those older and more experienced mostly said nothing and calmly cleaned their weapons or fixed their armor."""
text43758;"""I belonged to the former group and I didn't know what I'd feel after a dozen or two of battles."""
text43759;"""The old soldier was probably telling his tales not out of a desire to brag but rather guided by concern for his younger comrades, in his own way."""
text43760;"""On the other hand, you couldn't say for sure he'd made it all up."""
text43761;"""Why did our gods, reigning on mount Olympus, have more right to exist than the gods of the forest people?"""
text43762;"""It often seemed to me that none of my comrades were bothered by such thoughts — and it was good that our commander didn't know about my regrettable affliction."""
text43763;"""A legionnaire must be steadfast and merciless to the enemies of Rome."""
text43764;"""I was instead merciless to myself."""
text43765;"""…"""
text43766;"""The familiar landscape gave way to hills, mountains, and endless forests dominated by conifer trees."""
text43767;"""It seemed to me that every tree hid a barbarian, the string of his bow taught, ready to launch a deadly arrow in my direction."""
text43768;"""Our morale dropped dangerously low during past few weeks."""
text43769;"""Cold, hungry, in a foreign land, we kept moving forward to collect taxes from tribes who didn't even recognize the authority of Rome."""
text43770;"""The senators getting fat in their marble palaces didn't have a clue how difficult the life of a legionnaire was!"""
text43771;"""Even the animals here seemed to be against us."""
text43772;"""Simple hares appeared to be much more cunning, dextrous, and elusive than one could expect."""
text43773;"""They didn't just do everything they could to avoid being eaten, they seemed to be driven by a desire to starve <i>us</i>."""
text43774;"""Packs of wolves howled at night, sometimes somewhere in the distance, sometimes so close you'd think you only had to roll to the other side to come face to face with with a ferocious predator."""
text43775;"""The forest itself felt like it was pressing down on our shoulders — as if we were in a different world with its own set of rules."""
text43776;"""A world that didn't welcome hostile outsiders."""
text43777;"""Dense foliage was everywhere, ready to whip our faces; sharp branches aimed for our eyes like spears; the ground beneath our feet was riddled with bumps, snags, potholes, and ravines, making every mile harder than the last."""
text43778;"""Even the birds sang differently there — spreading a grim song of war."""
text43779;"""At one point I had the feeling that our whole unit had already died and gone to the afterlife, but Charon was nowhere to be seen."""
text43780;"""However, even if we were still alive, it wouldn't be for long."""
text43781;"""It is foolish to hope for rescue as you go deeper into the monster's cave."""
text43782;"""I wanted to run, but I'd long lost my sense of direction and any idea of where north and south were."""
text43783;"""The crowns of the trees high above glowed with a pale yellow light, like a canvas before the flickering flame of a candle."""
text43784;"""And the nights were so dark that you couldn't see your own outstretched hand."""
text43785;"""…"""
text43786;"""I didn't know how long we wandered these forests, but one day the endless columns of trees gave way to a small glade, behind which lay a lake ending in a sheer wall of stone that went up all the way to the tops of the tallest of pines """
text43787;"""Many soldiers dropped their weapons and ran into the cool water, shouting happily, to drink their fill and wash off the dirt and fatigue."""
text43788;"""Paying no attentions to the commanders exclaims."""
text43789;"""Something stopped me from doing the same."""
text43790;"""The smooth, transparent, lifeless surface resembled the lid of a coffin."""
text43791;"""There wasn't a single fish swimming in the lake, you couldn't see any plants or even stones under the water."""
text43792;"""Although, the bottom itself seemed to be unreachably far below."""
text43793;"""Once most of my comrades were in the water, a shadow suddenly came over the forest, the birds went silent, even the wind died down, as if someone had shut all the windows in a house."""
text43794;"""I realized that it was the end, but the darkness that came didn't bring any fear, terror, or pain — only an endless, emotionless emptiness."""
text43795;"""Not just the feeling of the end, but the denial of even the beginning, of the very fact of your existence."""
text43796;"""One who never lived cannot die."""
text43797;"""That which never existed cannot give rise to an intelligent being able to attempt to describe that non-existence."""
text43798;"""The world seemed to have one of its dimensions cut away, becoming flat, devoid of any volume or perspective."""
text43799;"""And just as in a world without volume there is no concept of height, in emptiness there is no concept of consciousness to be aware of it…"""
text43800;"""…"""
text43801;"""I snapped awake in cold sweat, jumped off the bed, desperately gasping for air."""
text43802;"""It felt like I was choking, that somebody had drained all the oxygen out of the room and only an asphyxiating gas was getting into my lungs."""
text43803;"""I ran to the window and snatched the curtain aside — the sun was rising over Tokyo…"""
text43804;"""Only then did I realize that it was nothing but a nightmare."""
text43805;"""But it felt more real than any dream I'd had in my eighteen years of life!"""
text43806;"""Maybe it was a memory from a previous life?"""
text43807;"""Where I'd been a Roman legionnaire who died somewhere in the forests of Northern Europe?"""
text43808;"""No, that's nonsense…"""
text43809;"""I smirked under my breath, but my heart was still racing, reminding me that that theory was no worse than any other."""
text43810;"""Besides, the bed was empty — apparently, Kagome had already woke up."""
text43811;"""I couldn't come to my senses after that weird dream."""
text43812;"""I've always believed that it was stupid to try and explain the working of a sleeping brain from the logic and viewpoint of the waking mind."""
text43813;"""But you can laugh at the supernatural all you want until you face it yourself…"""
text43814;"""I walked out to the street and bought a bun and a soda from a vending machine."""
text43815;"""Then walked around the hotel, hoping to meet Kagome, but to no avail."""
text43816;"""On Saturday morning there were fewer people on the street than on weekdays, and that scared me a little — every person I met seemed to be watching me suspiciously, as if I looked wrong."""
text43817;"""Time passed, but Kagome still hadn't returned."""
text43818;"""I paced back and forth across the room, worried."""
text43819;"""Only then did I notice…"""
text43820;"""The glass ball standing right in the middle of the table."""
text43821;"""How did she manage to bring it with her…?"""
text43822;"""Kagome only had a small bag."""
text43823;"""I discovered a piece of paper carefully folded under the ball."""
text43824;"""\""Niko-san, I can't take it anymore. You're in danger every second you spend with me. I'll handle everything myself. Please try to forget me, I don't think it will be too difficult.\"""""
text43825;"""I tore my eyes away from the note, turned my head a few times and blinked — no, it wasn't another dream."""
text43826;"""I read the note again but still couldn't quite grasp the meaning of it."""
text43827;"""The words refused to form sentences, carrying only shreds of meaning."""
text43828;"""If it hadn't been Kagome writing this, I would've thought it was a prank."""
text43829;"""I'd get all scared, start running around the hotel panicking…"""
text43830;"""And then a door would open — and Kagome would be standing there with a snide smirk on her face."""
text43831;"""But I knew that wouldn't happen."""
text43832;"""The handwriting was confident and steady — it clearly wasn't a spontaneous decision."""
text43833;"""And that snow globe…<w> Was it an accident that she left it there, or as a sign, a symbol?"""
text43834;"""Had Kagome been planning to do this from the very beginning?"""
text43835;"""I grabbed the snow globe and swung as hard as I could, ready to break it against the wall."""
text43836;"""But then I froze and soon let my hand drop limply by my side."""
text43837;"""It could be the only thing I had left of Kagome."""
text43838;"""But it was too early to despair!"""
text43839;"""I didn't know what she was going to do, but I at least knew where she would go!"""
text43840;"""No matter what happened with our relationship, Kagome would never abandon her grandfather!"""
text43841;"""I ran out of the hotel and sprinted in the direction of my house."""
text43842;"""Running there was quicker than taking a train."""
text43843;"""…"""
text43844;"""My house didn't seem to have changed at all in all that time."""
text43845;"""Well, why would it — only a month had passed."""
text43846;"""I groped for the keys in my pocket with tensed fingers."""
text43847;"""Well, God willing!"""
text43848;"""…"""
text43849;"""Moriyuki-san…?"""
text43850;"""I carefully opened the door and walked inside on tiptoes."""
text43851;"""My shoes were the only ones in the hall, and the phone stand was covered with a thick layer of dust."""
text43852;"""Apparently the old man hadn't been bothering to clean — though I could hardly blame him."""
text43853;"""There was no one in the kitchen either, or in any of the other rooms"""
text43854;"""The fridge was empty, and it generally seemed like no one had lived here the entire month."""
text43855;"""But how could that be?!<w> Kyosuke had told me he was visiting Moriyuki-san regularly…"""
text43856;"""We'd met him yesterday ourselves, and a bit before that Kagome had called from a payphone!"""
text43857;"""I sank powerlessly to the floor next to the kotatsu, and, following an old habit, bypassing my conscious mind completely, switched on the TV."""
text43858;"""Saturday morning shows seemed even more vulgar to me than usual."""
text43859;"""Then I remembered Kyosuke again, ran to the hall, and picked up the receiver with such force that particles of dust flew all over the place."""
text43860;"""Hello."""
text43861;"""Kyosuke replied in a sleepy voice."""
text43862;"""It's me. I need to know where Moriyuki-san is."""
text43863;"""He didn't respond immediately and then said in a very cautious tone:"""
text43864;"""Nick, is that you? Where are you calling from?"""
text43865;"""What does it matter? I'm calling from home! I decided to check whether my old house was still standing or had started to fall apart."""
text43866;"""I thought I'd have a cup of tea with Moriyuki-san, since he's temporarily staying at my place…"""
text43867;"""My sarcasm sounded evil, and I grew angrier with every word."""
text43868;"""But, can you imagine the dilemma I'm facing? It turns out he isn't here!"""
text43869;"""The fridge could starve a cockroach to death, everything is covered in a metre-thick layer of dust… If I didn't know you've been visiting Moriyuki-san regularly, I'd think that…"""
text43870;"""What would I think, Kyosuke?!"""
text43871;"""Nick, calm down…"""
text43872;"""I could clearly tell he was scared, even though we were divided by kilometres of wires."""
text43873;"""Calm down? Is there a reason to worry I don't know about?"""
text43874;"""Nick, you see… They said that it'd be better for you… for both of you. For Iwamura-san, too."""
text43875;"""Who's <i>they</i>?"""
text43876;"""I asked coldly, not even particularly surprised."""
text43877;"""Some people, I don't know for sure… I told you whatever they asked me to on the phone."""
text43878;"""Nick, I swear, I didn't want to deceive you! But you see, it all worked out fine in the end!"""
text43879;"""<i>Worked out</i>!"""
text43880;"""I scoffed and hung up."""
text43881;"""What a friend!"""
text43882;"""Of course, I had no right to blame Kyosuke."""
text43883;"""The Corporation could be threatening him and his family."""
text43884;"""In the end, everyone places the safety of themselves and their loved ones above everything else."""
text43885;"""So what was going on then?"""
text43886;"""Kobayashi Jun had known where we were hiding all along?"""
text43887;"""Then why the theatrics with the hotel raid?"""
text43888;"""But all of those questions seemed deeply peripheral."""
text43889;"""The most important was that I'd lost the girl I loved."""
text43890;"""And I'd lost her in the worst way possible.<w> She left me."""
text43891;"""Had she stopped believing I'd be able to protect her or convinced herself that we needed to break up for \""the sake of my safety\""?"""
text43892;"""The second option sounded even worse!"""
text43893;"""When you do something for another person without even asking if it they need or want you to, it usually ends in disaster."""
text43894;"""How many times had I made that mistake?"""
text43895;"""And Kagome was much more persistent than me — if she decided something, it was that way for a lifetime…"""
text43896;"""Suddenly, I was overcome by primal fear."""
text43897;"""I felt like hadn't just lost someone I loved but that my very existence was in danger."""
text43898;"""Not because of Kobayashi Jun and his Corporation, no."""
text43899;"""It was something formless, with no shape or mass."""
text43900;"""Something soulless and non-existent, the epitome of nothingness, the primal fear from my nightmare…"""
text43901;"""I started pacing around the kitchen."""
text43902;"""There was much more space here than in the hotel room, but monotonous circular motion would hardly solve my problems."""
text43903;"""Then someone rang the doorbell."""
text43904;"""It sounded somewhat casual and brief, as if I hadn't left the house for a month."""
text43905;"""Was it a mailman, a neighbor, a salesman?"""
text43906;"""While we'd been hiding in that mining village, life continued as usual in Tokyo — and everyday people had any idea that inside that old home a little man with a broken heart was shaking in fear."""
text43907;"""But I hadn't expected it to be her…"""
text43908;"""Irina stood at the entrance with the usual expression of arrogant superiority."""
text43909;"""What is it, Nikolai? Surprised?"""
text43910;"""I am."""
text43911;"""I moved aside, inviting her to come in."""
text43912;"""…"""
text43913;"""Irina sat behind the table and casually crossed her legs."""
text43914;"""Pretty lonely at your place, huh?"""
text43915;"""As usual."""
text43916;"""Is that so? Well, maybe you're right."""
text43917;"""Why are you here?"""
text43918;"""I sat across from her and gave her an intense look."""
text43919;"""Seems like kidnapping Kobayashi's granddaughter didn't quite work out, so you chose the other one instead."""
text43920;"""You know that, too?"""
text43921;"""We only found out recently, while looking into the strange behavior of Kobayashi Corporation regarding you and your girlfriend."""
text43922;"""But you don't know yet that…"""
text43923;"""I caught myself."""
text43924;"""Kagome had left only this morning, so they probably didn't know we were no longer together."""
text43925;"""What?"""
text43926;"""Irina squinted and leaned on the table as if trying to take a closer look at my face."""
text43927;"""That you won't get anything from Kagome."""
text43928;"""Where is she, by the way?"""
text43929;"""…"""
text43930;"""I could feel I'd failed already — I should've picked my words more carefully."""
text43931;"""What does it matter? You need her to make demands of Kobayashi Jun, right?"""
text43932;"""If that's the case, don't bother — he cares about Ellie more than her."""
text43933;"""Kagome had picked the perfect moment to leave, as it turned out — a few hours later and she could've ended up in KGB's hands."""
text43934;"""Why do you immediately think so badly of me?"""
text43935;"""What, do you want to help us?"""
text43936;"""Perhaps."""
text43937;"""She smiled slyly."""
text43938;"""And what will we need to do for it?"""
text43939;"""How unusual, I see you're all business today."""
text43940;"""She slowly turned her head from side to side, as if just looking around and not searching for anything in particular."""
text43941;"""So where is Iwamura-san, if I may ask?"""
text43942;"""She went shopping."""
text43943;"""I responded, trying to keep my cool."""
text43944;"""Then I'll wait for her here."""
text43945;"""Kagome knows nothing. She never even met Kobayashi Jun."""
text43946;"""Oh, is that so?"""
text43947;"""Yes, it is!"""
text43948;"""I snapped back quite rudely, but Irina didn't react to it."""
text43949;"""If I want to…"""
text43950;"""I suddenly felt it uncomfortable to sit in the same spot, so I stood up and walked around the kitchen."""
text43951;"""If I just want to live with her in Tokyo without constant surveillance from the Corporation and whatever other well-meaning parties…"""
text43952;"""I looked at her meaningfully."""
text43953;"""How can you help me with that?"""
text43954;"""Nikolai, not all our desires are destined to come true. It's time for you to worry about yourself, don't you think?"""
text43955;"""What do you mean?"""
text43956;"""You must have realized already that it isn't safe for you to stay in this country…"""
text43957;"""I virtually boiled up with anger inside but managed to remain calm on the surface, with a titanic effort."""
text43958;"""I wasn't ready to let Kagome go yet — and she definitely wasn't ready to leave Japan."""
text43959;"""I presume that to find myself somewhere <i>safe</i> I'd have to work for you?"""
text43960;"""I realize that it's useless to appeal to your sense of patriotism, so let's say you'll work for me personally."""
text43961;"""So, what's your <i>personal</i> offer?"""
text43962;"""Oh, for now, just to wait for your girlfriend to finish her shopping."""
text43963;"""I hemmed and returned to the table, slowly lowered myself onto the chair and took a challenging pose."""
text43964;"""That will take a while."""
text43965;"""What are you talking about?"""
text43966;"""Finally, a moment of discontent crossed Irina's face."""
text43967;"""I don't know where Kagome is now. And I don't think she'll be back. Even if she did return, as I said, she's of no use to you."""
text43968;"""Let me decide that myself, please."""
text43969;"""She said slowly with a threat in her voice."""
text43970;"""Be my guest! I'm in no hurry— you've got a whole day ahead, and then another one, and another one after that…"""
text43971;"""How untimely."""
text43972;"""She grit her teeth."""
text43973;"""What is?"""
text43974;"""That the urges from under your belt threaten my plans."""
text43975;"""Well excuse me."""
text43976;"""I smirked."""
text43977;"""Where is she, then?"""
text43978;"""It was clear that Irina was aggravated, but the Soviet intelligence agent clearly wasn't going to give up so easily."""
text43979;"""I'd like to know as well. I'm telling you, let's wait for Kagome together!"""
text43980;"""You're behaving boldly for someone in your position."""
text43981;"""For someone who's got nothing to lose?"""
text43982;"""Oh, Nikolai, you can't even imagine how many reasons you can find to cling to life when death appears near."""
text43983;"""Is that a threat?"""
text43984;"""Pfff."""
text43985;"""She scoffed, stood up, and looked around again as if she'd forgotten something."""
text43986;"""This conversation isn't over."""
text43987;"""You know where to find me."""
text43988;"""…"""
text43989;"""Now, in addition to all my other problems, I had the KGB spying on me again!"""
text43990;"""I'd already managed to forget about the ever-vigilant chekists, and, to be honest, had been more than happy to."""
text43991;"""So then, even if a miracle happened and Kagome changed her mind and decide to return to, now she couldn't!"""
text43992;"""To be honest, I didn't really understand what Irina wanted from her."""
text43993;"""Was she planning to hold her hostage?<w> To blackmail Kobayashi Jun?"""
text43994;"""He hadn't been open to negotiations even for the sake of his <i>legitimate</i> granddaughter — and to reveal his secrets to spies from a hostile country…"""
text43995;"""However, KGB Major Irina Mostovaya could have a much more complicated plan that I just couldn't yet understand."""
text43996;"""…"""
text43997;"""The evening was drawing near."""
text43998;"""The air outside seemed to have frozen solid, like in the paintings nineteenth century Russian artists I'd seen in <note=note149>the Tretyakov gallery</note> when I was a child."""
text43999;"""About now, it would be snowing in my hometown, but in Tokyo snow was a rare occasion even in winter."""
text44000;"""Irina had talked about returning to the Motherland as something obvious, but I only had vague childhood memories from my time in the USSR."""
text44001;"""Yes, they were warm and seeped in with maternal love, but they still were just bits of a past life that itself seemed to me nothing more than a bedtime story my parents would read for me when I was little."""
text44002;"""Today my life was here."""
text44003;"""Even if I might have seriously considered Irina's offer a week ago, everything was different now!"""
text44004;"""Although, truth be told, the one person keeping me in Japan was no longer around."""
text44005;"""But I wasn't ready to give up — not yet!"""
text44006;"""The telephone was still collecting dust on its stand in the hallway, obediently waiting for the moment I'd need it."""
text44007;"""I remember when I was a child it often seemed to me that inanimate objects had feelings, too: they were happy to be of use and help their humans and disappointed if they were forgotten or, worse, became obsolete or broken."""
text44008;"""How did the telephone feel, having spent a whole month in an empty house…?"""
text44009;"""Well, now was its time to shine!"""
text44010;"""Clearly, calling the Kobayashi estate to try and talk to Ellie wasn't the best idea."""
text44011;"""But it had been long enough by now, they had to be letting her answer the phone…"""
text44012;"""I didn't get a response immediately."""
text44013;"""Hello, could I please talk to Ellie-san?"""
text44014;"""A long pause."""
text44015;"""I will check to see if Ellie-sama is home."""
text44016;"""I didn't know what I'd say even if she took the call."""
text44017;"""Most likely, Kagome had gone to Kobayashi Jun in the morning."""
text44018;"""I had no idea where their conversation would lead, but he was the only one who could know where Kagome was."""
text44019;"""But, considering the obvious impossibility to contact him directly…"""
text44020;"""Hello."""
text44021;"""Ellie's voice sounded tired."""
text44022;"""Hi. It's Nick. Please don't hang up! I really need your help and I have no one else to turn to!"""
text44023;"""I expected some sort of reaction from her, but none followed."""
text44024;"""Hello?"""
text44025;"""You're calling me… after everything you've done?"""
text44026;"""Finally came Ellie's cold reply."""
text44027;"""I know I have no right to do this. I understand that I don't even have a right to ask you for forgiveness. But you're the only person who can help me now!"""
text44028;"""So, what happened?"""
text44029;"""Kagome… Iwamura. Some dangerous people are after her. And I have reasons to think that she was at your grandfather's this morning. If you could just…"""
text44030;"""Handle your psycho yourself!"""
text44031;"""Ellie shouted and hung up."""
text44032;"""Had I really expected a different result?"""
text44033;"""I guess a drowning man doesn't really think about his chances of survival as he grasps at the last straw."""
text44034;"""It's easier to estimate negative outcomes in percentages: for example, you have a one percent risk of dying of cancer."""
text44035;"""But nobody thinks about how you have an infinitely small a chance of winning the lottery — we just go out and buy a ticket."""
text44036;"""However, to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result — that is the definition of insanity."""
text44037;"""I grabbed the receiver and dialed Kyosuke."""
text44038;"""I need you here now."""
text44039;"""Where is this <i>here</i>?"""
text44040;"""He asked in a sleepy voice."""
text44041;"""Are you sleeping already? What about your night anime?"""
text44042;"""<i>Here</i> is my place."""
text44043;"""Nick, it's late already!"""
text44044;"""He pleaded."""
text44045;"""Don't you think you owe me after everything you've done?"""
text44046;"""I heard a deep, long sigh on the other end."""
text44047;"""Fine."""
text44048;"""…"""
text44049;"""I wasn't too anxious as I waited for him — why would I be? After all, it was only my old fat friend…"""
text44050;"""And I couldn't force myself to be angry at Kyosuke."""
text44051;"""He did what he did."""
text44052;"""Things probably wouldn't have turned out differently if he'd done something else — that's not the reason Kagome left me."""
text44053;"""Kyosuke was taking his time."""
text44054;"""When he finally rang the doorbell, the clock read a bit past ten."""
text44055;"""Nick… Sorry that happened, again."""
text44056;"""Alright, forget it. That's not what I want to talk about."""
text44057;"""What, then?"""
text44058;"""He looked up at me with an expression of fear and anxiety on his face."""
text44059;"""I need you to call Ellie. She won't listen to me, but she might talk to you."""
text44060;"""Ellie-sama?"""
text44061;"""He exhaled, batting his eyes."""
text44062;"""Stop making stupid faces! This is a matter of life and death!"""
text44063;"""What happened?"""
text44064;"""I didn't want to share any unnecessary details with him, but I had neither the energy nor the desire to come up with excuses."""
text44065;"""Kagome left… And I think only Ellie's grandfather might know where she is now."""
text44066;"""And you think she'd talk to me?"""
text44067;"""I don't have a better option at the moment."""
text44068;"""He pursed his lips, but still slowly put his hand on the receiver."""
text44069;"""What's her number? And what do I have to say?"""
text44070;"""Their butler — or whoever — called Ellie to the phone at such a late hour with clear reluctance."""
text44071;"""Ellie-sama… san… Kobayashi-san…"""
text44072;"""Kyosuke was panicking terribly and speaking gibberish."""
text44073;"""But that was probably for the better — people usually have more patience for children and those with special needs."""
text44074;"""Judging by Kyosuke's focused expression, I could see that Ellie was telling him something."""
text44075;"""At first, I'd wanted to put my ear against the receiver, but then realized he wouldn't be able to say a word like that."""
text44076;"""Yes, I'm Nick's friend… Yes, he asked me to call you… Where is he? He's here, standing right next to me…"""
text44077;"""He cast a fearful glance at me, and I nodded approvingly."""
text44078;"""Ellie started speaking loudly, but I couldn't hear the words."""
text44079;"""Okay, give it to me!"""
text44080;"""I snatched the receiver out of his hands."""
text44081;"""Ellie, just listen to me for a moment! You don't have to help me, but help Iwamura! She's your cousin!"""
text44082;"""The angry babbling on the other end stopped abruptly."""
text44083;"""I don't have time to explain all the details, but it's true! Your grandfather had an affair with a maid when he was young, so…"""
text44084;"""Nick, if you think such a blatant lie would make me want to help you…"""
text44085;"""She said slowly but then went quiet, as if waiting for me to continue."""
text44086;"""If you don't believe me, ask your grandfather! I don't think he'll lie about it, not after everything that's happened!"""
text44087;"""I definitely will."""
text44088;"""She replied abruptly and hung up."""
text44089;"""I didn't know if one could call it progress, but at least we'd moved somewhere."""
text44090;"""Is that true…?"""
text44091;"""The entire time Kyosuke stood next to me without saying a word, apparently in shock."""
text44092;"""Well yes, it is."""
text44093;"""But… how?"""
text44094;"""It's a long and complicated story. I only found out recently."""
text44095;"""I could see that Kyosuke was barely holding himself back from bombarding me with questions."""
text44096;"""But I don't think that after everything that's happened I should give you the details."""
text44097;"""Yeah, right, sorry."""
text44098;"""He lowered his head in acceptance."""
text44099;"""Thank you for help and… I think you better go — it's already late."""
text44100;"""Alright. Call me if you need anything!"""
text44101;"""Right."""
text44102;"""I closed the door after he'd left and stared at the silent telephone for a while."""
text44103;"""Of course, it was stupid to count on Ellie's help."""
text44104;"""But if she would talk to her grandfather about Kagome, it could make him think."""
text44105;"""On the other hand, what was <i>I</i> trying to achieve?"""
text44106;"""Kobayashi Jun would hardly do any harm to Kagome — I had more than enough evidence to believe that."""
text44107;"""So, now everything depended on her choice alone."""
text44108;"""But I couldn't influence it if I never saw her again!"""
text44109;"""…"""
text44110;"""I kept pacing around the house almost until morning, thinking through a plan of action, but eventually fatigue got the best of me."""