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NO. 6 | Atsuko Asano
Volume 9 + Extra
So this was No. 6.
This was Elyurias.
CHAPTER 1
That which I say I saw
Gracious my lord,
I should report that which I say I saw,
But know not how to do it. 1
- Macbeth , Act V Scene V
They were falling. Falling, almost straight down.
It was faster than anything Shion had imagined. He knew it was impossible, but he
heard the sound of the wind. It was the same wind from that stormy night.
It was September 7, 2013―Shion's twelfth birthday. The Holy City of No. 6 had been
directly hit by a hurricane. The rain was pounding on the ground, and the wind was roaring.
The trees in his yard careened wildly, and leafy branches broke off and whipped through the
air. It was an extremely large and severe hurricane, a kind not seen in recent years, but he was
sure that no one living in Chronos felt threatened or anxious. Shion and his mother, Karan, had
been the same.
This was No. 6. A utopian city, the results of human wisdom and cutting-edge
technology. And in that utopia, Chronos was in the highest ranks among the luxury residences,
a town where only the chosen ones were allowed to live. Mere natural disasters could not
disturb it.
Everyone had believed so without a doubt. They had been allowed to believe otherwise.
That stormy night, I opened my window.
Why? he sometimes thought. Why did I open that window? Was it because I was excited at
nature's madness, and I was stimulated, or I was stirred by a violent impulse―was that it? I certainly
did open the window, and I yelled. I screamed as if I were pouring out all of the ferocity inside me. If I
didn't scream, I felt like I would shatter to bits. In my own way, I felt a fear that I would be entrapped
and tamed into domesticity by No. 6.
A vague fear―maybe something that you wouldn't be acquainted with, Nezumi.
I felt like I was suffocating. I was scared. I wanted to scream.
That was why I opened the window―wasn't it?
No.
That's not it.
You called to me.
I heard that voice―your voice―calling me.
It ducked through the wind, tore through the rain, and came to me.
You called me, and I was called by you.
1
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005. 157.
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NO. 6 | Atsuko Asano
Volume 9 + Extra
That's why I opened the window. I flung it open wide to the outdoors.
I extended my arms in search of you.
Would you laugh? Would that breathtaking smile cross your face as you sneer at me? Would you
shake your head with exasperation in that graceful way of yours?
' Meaningless fancies. An intolerable mass of self-consciousness, like a half-baked artist's
work'―would you spit those words at me? You probably would. Go on and laugh. You can dismiss them
as my delusions; I don't care.
But it's the truth.
You called me, and I listened. I reached out, and you caught my arm. I opened the window so I
could meet you.
That's our truth, Nezumi.
A noise was ringing in his ears. It wasn't the whirl of the wind. It was the sound of
sliding through a plastic tube. But what if this tube was not a garbage chute, but a steep slope
that led straight to Hell?
Suddenly his consciousness began to fade. All the wounds he had suffered on his entire
body grew hot and throbbed. The strength left him.
Going to Hell doesn't seem so bad when it's with you. Should I stop resisting, then? Why don't I
just give up on struggling, on fighting, on wanting to live?
If I let myself black out now, I'll be free from this pain, this weariness.
Shion closed his eyes. Darkness fanned out before him.
Just like this... just like this....
"Ugh," Nezumi groaned softly. It stabbed Shion's eardrums. Like lightning flaring up in
a night sky, it tore the darkness away from his consciousness.
Damnit. Shion bit his lip and inflicted pain on himself. He scolded himself severely. You
bastard, what were you thinking? You can't give up now. Live. Survive. We have a place to return to,
and we have to get there in one piece.
He had made that vow. He had vowed to himself that he would protect Nezumi through
to the end, and survive this ordeal together.
His hand slipped. Nezumi's blood was caked on his palms. A black mouse leapt out of
his pocket and ran along the garbage chute wall. It wasn't falling; it was definitely running.
Tsukiyo, I'm counting on you. Tell Inukashi that we're alive.
Shion jammed both feet against the wall and gritted his teeth. He focused all the strength
in his body on his legs. His bones creaked. Their falling speed decreased somewhat. His bones
continued to creak as if they were screaming from the pain.
Damnit, I won't give in yet. Shion chewed his lip still harder. He did not taste the blood.
His tongue was already numbed to its rusty metallic taste.
Inukashi―Inukashi, help us.
Inukashi!
Rikiga fell into a fit of coughing. He recovered and breathed raggedly.
"Inukashi, I can't do it anymore. I'm at my limit."
"Limit of what?" Inukashi said tersely.
"I can't breathe. Are you planning on suffocating me like this?"
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NO. 6 | Atsuko Asano
Volume 9 + Extra
"What good is it to me if I suffocate you, old man? You gonna leave me a giant
inheritance? The most you'd probably leave behind is a pile of empty booze bottles."
"Hmph. See if I even leave you that."
But even while griping, Rikiga did not try to flee. He was still stacking mattresses under
the opening of the garbage chute. With each mattress he stacked, he had a coughing fit, gasped
and wheezed, and griped some more.
Smoke had saturated the hygiene management room. The collection area was no
exception; it was almost engulfed by thick, grey smoke. The dogs lay low on their bellies, their
breathing hushed. Even the little mice who had been squeaking clamorously at each other were
now huddled motionless.
The limit―Rikiga was right, the limit was near. Inukashi himself was choking on the
smoke, and the air wasn't passing through his throat well. His heart pounded frantically.
It hurts.
The air is stuck in my throat.
But he was not miserable. He was not in despair. On the contrary, a part of his heart was
pounding, soaring in anticipation.
What is this smoke? This hot air that blows at me from time to time? The restless buzz that
comes with its snarl?
A clear precursor to destruction. The Correctional Facility is raising its last dying shriek.
Many times Inukashi felt like barking out of excitement. He wanted to bark and howl
until his throat trembled. Just once, he opened his mouth wide, but he only choked on the
smoke that rushed into his mouth.
He licked his lips while carrying the mattresses. If I can't bark, the least I can do is lick my
chops.
What he thought was absolute was crumbling before his eyes.
Will you look at that. Is that what life is, Nezumi? Shion? If it is, that means you guys taught me
what it is to be alive. You never know what happens. There's nothing absolute about what humans create.
I won't thank you; you guys have caused me too much hassle. You'll never hear a word of thanks
come out of my mouth.
But I owe you praise. I'll give you my best compliments. I'm actually impressed that you guys
turned out as decent as my dogs are. You guys are really something. I have new regard for you. I'm
impressed―just a tiny bit.
The smoke assaulted his eyes, his throat, and his nasal passage. A tear rolled down his
cheek. It was just the smoke stinging his eyes.
You come back, you hear me? If you don't, I can't praise you. Hurry, hurry, while my breath can
still last me. Hurry.
Inukashi! Someone called him. He whirled around. Rikiga was kneeling on the floor. He
was holding a white cloth to his mouth, and coughs were racking his bent back.
"Call me?"
"―What?"
"Did you call me, old man?"
"What would I... do that for?" Rikiga wheezed. "You want me to... give you one last kiss
or something?"
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NO. 6 | Atsuko Asano
Volume 9 + Extra
"Knock it off. That's creepy, even for a joke."
"I'm... past the point of... caring whether it's creepy. Really, I can't... stand this anymore..."
"That's a shame. My heart goes out to you, man. But it's a bit too late to repent. A man as
corrupted as you isn't gonna get any closer to Heaven, no matter how hard you try."
"Damnit... still smart-mouthing me... are you?"
Explosions. Smoke pouring into the air. The dog with patched fur raised its head. Terror
swam in its eyes. But the dogs did not move. They did not try to flee.
They're waiting for my orders. They were waiting for Inukashi's command, fighting their
fear of death. Dogs never abandoned their master. They never betrayed him.
I can't murder them like this.
"Go." Inukashi pointed at the entrance door. "Escape by yourselves."
But the dogs did not get to their feet. They remained lying on their stomachs, watching
Inukashi.
"What? I'm telling you to leave. Get out of here, quickly." He met the eyes of the patched
dog. Its eyes were serene. The shadow of fear that had crossed his eyes moments ago was wiped
cleanly away.
"I see..." You won't move if your master doesn't.
"Aren't you gonna... tell me?" Rikiga coughed and wheezed. "Aren't you gonna... tell me
to run?"
"You? You can get the hell out of here if you want to. You wouldn't be any use if you
stayed."
"Inukashi."
"What?"
"Do you... plan to die here?"
"Die? Why would I?"
"There's barely any... chance that those two... Shion and Eve... are going to come back. If
you're gonna gamble on that slim chance... if you're gonna gamble and choose to stay... that's
like killing yourself."
No way. Heaven and earth can turn upside-down, but I'm never gonna kill myself. I'd be
missing the spectacle of a lifetime. The destruction of the Correctional Facility was only the
beginning. It was only the preamble. The devastation of No. 6 itself was what came next.
No. 6 was falling apart.
I'll get to see the very moment with my own eyes. And you're telling me I intend to die? You
must be kidding me. You bet I'll live to see No. 6's last. I'll thoroughly enjoy its final act.
Heh heh heh.
Lighthearted laughter rang at his ear. No, it was in his ear―inside his head. Someone
was laughing. It was carefree and joyful, yet an icy laughter.
"Who is it?"
His gaze darted about instinctively and caught a small black shadow passing by.
A bug?
The shadow was soon swallowed up by the smoke as it disappeared. The laughter
ceased. Were they both hallucinations? There's no way a bug could be flying around in this smoke.
Shiver. A chill ran down his spine.
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NO. 6 | Atsuko Asano
Volume 9 + Extra
Screech, screech, chit-chit!
Cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep. Squeak!
Suddenly, the mice began to cause a commotion. They raised their voices again, but
much higher this time, and dashed around on top of the mattresses.
Inukashi held his breath.
A small object came tumbling out of the chute. It was not trash. It was a small black
mouse.
"Tsukiyo." Inukashi tried calling it. The black mouse flew through the air; it leapt
straight for Inukashi. It latched onto Inukashi's hastily extended arm, and squeaked insistently.
Cheep cheep cheep cheep! Cheep cheep cheep cheep!
It was Tsukiyo; there was no doubt about it. It was the same little mouse that Inukashi
himself had commanded to go to Nezumi. His blood stirred. His body grew hot.
"Wake up, old man."
"Eh?"
Rikiga blinked feebly, still squatted on the ground. His eyes were bleary and red. His
face was sooty, his hair was mussed, and he looked like he had aged a good decade.
"They're coming back."
"Eh?"
"Coming back. Hold onto the mattresses."
"R-Right." Rikiga got to his feet in a surprisingly swift move.
The wind was howling.
As Inukashi and Rikiga held the mattresses down, they felt a heavy impact almost
simultaneously. The mattress sank, almost sending Inukashi's slender frame flying. He
summoned all the strength in his body to cling onto the mattress.
He had instinctively closed his eyes, but now he opened them carefully. He saw two
bodies lying in a heap.
"Shion, Eve!" Rikiga yelled before Inukashi could speak. "You alright? Hey! You alright?"
"Gh..." Shion's arm jerked. A part of his white hair was dyed with his blood. Blood was
streaming from his shoulder and his leg. His clothes were torn, ripped, and hanging in places.
Inukashi couldn't tell if the dark flecks all over his clothes were from blood or the trash in the
chute.
Horrible. Inukashi kept his eyes wide open as he swallowed his spit, which smelled like
smoke. You guys are a mess. I think even the undead would look a bit better crawling out of their graves.
"...Inukashi." Shion lifted himself up and turned his face to Inukashi. His cheeks were
streaked―whether it was with sweat or tears, he didn't know, but they engraved prominent
marks on his skin.
"Shion, you're alive." You made it back alive.
"Inukashi, save Nezumi..."
"Nezumi? What about him? What―" Inukashi was barely able to hold in the scream that
threatened to burst from his throat.
Nezumi was lying on the mattress, totally still and unmoving. His clothes were soiled
reddish-black from his shoulder to his chest, and he gave off the smell of blood.
"Nezumi, hey, what's wrong?" Inukashi asked tentatively, but there was no answer. On
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