Chương 44: Chapter 12 When the World Started Watching(Part 1)

Mochida slammed both hands onto the table and shot to her feet. If all it took to shake the world was stepping out of a car and smiling, every actress on the planet should have been causing international incidents. At least, that was how I saw it. I had expected some attention in Japan. Maybe a decent reaction overseas. Nothing more. No matter how connected the internet was, I wasn't an influencer. I wasn't famous. Going viral wasn't something people like me did.

If anything, I imagined it would take some random celebrity reposting a clip, the way internet miracles sometimes happened.

"That's enough, Mochida." A tired voice interrupted her. Chiyoda stepped back into the room carrying a briefcase. The man looked exhausted. The kind of exhausted that came from spending an entire day putting out fires while someone kept adding gasoline. Mochida immediately stepped aside and surrendered the chair. She remained behind him, however. Apparently she intended to stay.

"What were you discussing?" Chiyoda asked.

"Small talk," I replied.

"Mochida was telling me the stream caused quite a stir."

"A stir..." He laughed. A short, humorless laugh.

"That's one way to describe it." He placed the briefcase on the table. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"The public reaction is only part of the problem."

"Oh?"

"We've received inquiries from governments all over the world." That got my attention.

"Governments?"

"Some were polite." His expression darkened.

"Others were not." He opened the briefcase and removed several documents. One of them was covered in red markings."'The girl is a citizen of our nation. Transfer custody immediately.'" I blinked. Then blinked again.

"They actually said that?"

"More than one country did." Well. That was certainly new. I had expected foreign individuals to take an interest. Governments? Not so much. The escalation curve seemed a little aggressive. Chiyoda folded his hands.

"You should consider yourself fortunate."

"Why?"

"Because your identity was verified before anyone else could make a move." His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Many people in government initially believed you were a fraud." I shrugged. Honestly, I couldn't blame them. A gothic lolita claiming to have entered another dimension wasn't exactly a credible source. Still, being labeled a fraud was preferable to being kidnapped and dissected by a foreign power. The image of spending the apocalypse as a laboratory specimen crossed my mind. I decided I didn't like it.

"Domestic reactions are divided," Chiyoda continued.

"Naturally." Human beings only reacted to the unknown in two ways. Curiosity. Or fear.

"The Gates are drawing crowds."

"Already?"

"Since this morning." I sighed. Of course they were. If someone announced the existence of magic, people would come running. The promise of miracles was irresistible.

"At the moment they're still closed," Chiyoda said.

"For now." I checked the clock. Nearly five in the evening.

"If the schedule is accurate, they should activate within a few hours." The room fell quiet. Everyone knew what that meant. People weren't gathering around the Gates out of civic responsibility. They wanted something. Power. Wealth. Hope. Escape. The same reasons people always chased the impossible. Then something occurred to me.

"What about the overflow prediction?" Chiyoda immediately reached into the briefcase.

"This." He slid a photograph across the table. I picked it up. A Gate. At first glance it looked normal. Then I noticed it.

"The top is glowing red."

"Correct." I frowned. That hadn't been present on the Gate we'd entered.

"None of the others show that phenomenon." His voice grew serious.

"If Akihabara truly is the overflow location, we believe this may be a warning sign." I stared at the photo. Then smiled. For the first time all day, genuinely.

"That's good news." Mochida looked confused.

"Good news?"

"If it really is a warning." I tapped the picture.

"Then we'll know which Gates are about to burst." A simple answer. Not an easy one. But simple. That alone could save thousands of lives. Unfortunately, another problem remained. A much more personal one. Chiyoda looked at me carefully.

"Kuroe-san."

"What?"

"Your family." The smile vanished. Immediately.

"My family?"

"They're becoming a concern." I leaned back slowly. That was not a sentence I wanted to hear. At all.

"What happened?"

"The source was a high school student's social media account." I froze. A high school student. Then memory struck. Outside the hospital. A familiar face. A casual greeting. A raised hand.

"... Yuuki." Chiyoda nodded.

"You know him?"

"I greeted him while smoking." A single moment. A single mistake. And now the internet had done what the internet always did. Connected dots. Built theories. Found patterns. Found people.

"We've placed him under protection." I released a long breath.

"Thank you." That could have become much worse. Far worse. The room grew quiet again. Then Chiyoda spoke.

"Kuroe-san." His expression became serious. No. Not serious. Resolved. The look of a man delivering a decision already made.

"We intend to publicly present you as a member of a government organization." I stared at him. The government had finally shown its hand. And now it was my turn.

"What rank?" I asked.

"And do I get a choice?"