Chương 47: Chapter 12 When the World Started Watching(Part 4)

I landed directly between the police line and the crowd. The moment my feet touched the ground, the noise vanished. Not completely. Just enough. Enough for silence to spread outward like ripples across water. Thousands of eyes turned toward me. The evening wind tugged at my hair. The Gate loomed behind me. For a moment, nobody spoke. Then—"First..." A voice from somewhere in the crowd.

"Is that really her?"

"She came from the sky!"

"Magic is real?"

"Was the stream real?"

"Are there really gold coins inside?" Questions erupted from every direction. Dozens. Hundreds. Everyone wanted answers. Everyone wanted certainty. Unfortunately, certainty was expensive. And I wasn't interested in holding a press conference. People weren't here for facts. They were here for hope. For dreams. For the possibility that tomorrow might be different from yesterday. So I gave them direction instead. I rested the sasumata against the pavement with a sharp click. The sound echoed surprisingly far.

Then I smiled. A warm smile. A gentle smile. The kind people wanted to believe.

"This Gate is not for you." Silence returned immediately. I continued. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"This is a Gate of death." Several faces paled. Good. Fear was useful when applied correctly.

"If you offer your life here, I won't stop you." I tilted my head slightly.

"But you won't become anything." Murmurs spread through the crowd. Confusion. Concern. Doubt. Exactly as intended.

"If you seek power..." I raised one hand.

"If you seek opportunity..." Another step forward.

"If you seek a future..." I pointed away from Akihabara.

"Go elsewhere." The crowd shifted. Thousands of people listening. Thousands of people waiting. I could almost feel it. The moment when a crowd stopped being a crowd and started becoming a flock. Someone finally spoke.

"Where should we go?" Another voice followed.

"What should we do?" Then another.

"How do we become stronger?" Simple questions. Questions everyone wanted answered. I laughed softly.

"Find another Gate." The crowd stirred.

"There are many." I spread my arms.

"The world is larger than this place." The red Gate glowed ominously behind me. A silent warning. A silent threat. I smiled again.

"A dog that can't wait is troublesome." A few people laughed.

"I'm more of a cat person myself." More laughter. The tension broke. Perfect.

"Now go." I pointed toward the streets beyond.

"Walk."

"Search."

"Challenge."

"Become something." For a moment nobody moved. Then one person turned away. Then another. Then ten. Then a hundred. The movement spread outward like a tide. People began leaving. Not running. Not panicking. Simply moving. Following the path that had been placed before them. Within minutes, the enormous crowd started dissolving. The impossible knot around the Gate unraveled. Police officers stared in disbelief. Reporters looked furious they weren't getting a bigger spectacle.

I, meanwhile, desperately wanted a cigarette.

"Remarkable." Chiyoda approached as the last major groups departed.

"That's some impressive crowd manipulation." I pulled out a cigarette.

"I prefer persuasion."

"The higher-ups still call you a fraud."

"That's practically a compliment now." He chuckled. A rare sight. The poor man looked as though he hadn't slept in a week.

"Anyway." I lit the cigarette.

"Your problem is solved."

"For today."

"For today." The distinction mattered. Tomorrow would bring new disasters. And the day after that. And the day after that. The Gates weren't going anywhere. Neither were the monsters. Nor the people chasing dreams inside them. I exhaled smoke toward the darkening sky. The future looked exhausting.

"One more thing." Chiyoda stopped me before I left.

"What?"

"Your codename." I blinked.

"My what?"

"The public designation." Oh. That. Apparently governments couldn't function without labels.

"First works fine."

"It doesn't."

"Why?"

"Because everyone already knows your real name." Fair point. I sighed. Then thought for a moment. A borrowed body. A borrowed face. A borrowed identity. None of it really belonged to me. The answer came surprisingly easily.

"Then call me Chloe." Chiyoda raised an eyebrow.

"Chloe?" I nodded.

"If you're going to insist on giving me a name, use that one." He considered it. Then gave a small nod.

"Understood." For the first time that day, his expression softened.

"Good night, Chloe."

"Good night, Four-Eyes." His eye twitched. Worth it.

The drive back to the hotel was peaceful. For approximately three minutes. Then Mochida started hyperventilating again.

"You flew."

"Yes."

"You actually flew."

"Still yes."

"You were sitting on a sasumata!"

"Details." Mochida made a noise somewhere between a groan and a scream. I decided not to investigate. Some mysteries were best left unsolved.

Back at the hotel, I immediately began removing pieces of the outfit. Ribbon. Gloves. Shoes. Dress. One by one. Freedom. At last. Mochida watched in growing horror.

"What are you doing?"

"Undressing."

"I can see that!" I was down to my underwear before she finally lost the battle.

"Please stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Being so casual!" I blinked. She pointed at me dramatically.

"Do you have any idea what you look like?"

"Reasonably attractive?" Mochida nearly collapsed.

"That's not the issue!" I considered this. Then shrugged. Maybe she had a point. Maybe. Still—"The body is borrowed."

"Nobody cares!"

"The appearance is temporary."

"Nobody cares!"

"The personality is middle-aged."

"Nobody cares!" Apparently that wasn't helping. Mochida buried her face in her hands.

"You're going to get yourself kidnapped one day."

"Noted."

"You're not taking this seriously."

"I am." Mostly. Probably. She stared at me for several seconds. Then gave up. Completely. A wise decision.

After a shower, I stood in front of the mirror. The reflection staring back was beautiful. Objectively speaking. Long hair. Pale skin. Crimson eyes. A face that looked almost unreal. And yet— It still didn't feel like mine. Maybe it never would. Maybe that was fine. Either way, life wasn't slowing down. Not anymore. Then a horrifying realization struck me. I opened the bathroom door.

"Mochida."

"Yes?"

"Can you get me some underwear?" Silence. Several seconds of silence. Then—"YOU CAN'T KEEP FORGETTING THINGS LIKE THAT!" Her scream echoed through the entire hotel floor. Honestly? Fair criticism.