Manori tucked her arm around him. A soft hum filled the air as both boys stared at her in silence."Oh... never mind," she said.
Adam waved his arms with a deadpan expression. "Don't you dare do this to me."
Still, something tugged at strings deep inside his heart — a thought that overlapped and seeped through: Yuruki and Manori layered on top of one another in his mind.
What is this? Time felt suspended. It annoyed him to be thinking of two girls at once. He knew what it was, and he was irritated. So annoyed — why am I like this?
(Am I really like a beast?) The thought made him tired and proud and guilty. It sat in his heart.
Manori suddenly waved a hand and looked at Adam blankly. "Hey, stop pacing around. Come on."
Right. What was he supposed to do again? Ah — walk.
They walked through the cemetery. Waves of sound echoed against concrete tombstones and into ornate niches, each compartment like a small room dedicated to some forgotten sickness. It felt mournful, but at least it wasn't plain.
The blocks of tombs looked like stacked buildings as Adam and Yoku drove through the place. Unremarkable and forgotten — no one came to honor them. Forgotten, like people themselves sometimes were.
But for now, at least, there was dignity.
The golden‑haired boy realized this, flipped his ID once more, and held it up. "Now properly see it again?"
[Kibo Soshitsu]
Kibo: "Just... call me Kiso for short."
What even is that name? It sounded like something you'd use to insult someone's birth certificate. He hated this guy. He wanted him gone and didn't know why. Get him out of me...
They arrived at a large, plain house with crumbling concrete and grass overgrowing its metal-plated siding. He opened the door. "Wait a moment..."