Chapter 66
Chapter 66
5. The God Who Is There
The moment we left the shop, a black car was waiting.
It felt like a grim reaper had come to fetch us.
Ryoko stuck her face out from the backseat window.
"Did you get some rest?"
"You were tailing me, huh?"
"You didn't trust us, did you? Neither did we. So we took precautions."
Ryoko wore the same smile she always showed her failing students.
Kirima spoke in a dark voice.
"I want to make a quick call to my daughter."
"Of course. Let's stop by the countermeasure headquarters room first. It'll be a long haul, so feel free to use the nap room and shower. We've prepared a change of shirt, too."
We got into the car that looked like a hearse.
The shower room in the countermeasure headquarters was so damp it felt like a gas chamber. Hair and mold clogged the drain, and gray water stagnated.
I imagined poison mist pouring from the faucet, but only warm water rained down.
I wouldn't be killed. I still had value. But I learned there were many things worse than death.
The soap bubbles and hot water only dripped from my hair—they didn't wash away the murk in my mind.
A white shirt had been placed in front of the shower room.
It was different from my cheap, flashy clothes.
When I put it on, it felt like I'd been swallowed as a member of the countermeasure headquarters—or like I was wearing burial clothes.
I shoved Reizei's cigarette and Kirima's matches, which I'd kept dry, into my jeans.
When I came up from the basement, I saw Kirima's back heading toward the built-in phone. I couldn't hear what he was saying to his daughter.
Whether it was hell or something else, we had no choice but to go.
The car with the covered windows carried us forward.
Ryoko flipped through the documents spread across her lap.
"There are almost no usage records of The God Who Is There. Even if there were, there's no way for anyone but the user to verify how the world changed. That's why we have to keep testing."
"So it's already started?"
"No, we'll begin after we arrive. It can only be used once a day, so it'll take months. Two-thirds of the countermeasure headquarters are involved—it's a massive operation."
I didn't know the people driving or in the passenger seat. I didn't even know how many members were in the countermeasure headquarters.
"So the other gods are being left alone in the meantime?"
Kirima glared at Ryoko. His eyes were terribly worn out, in stark contrast to his brand-new shirt.
"It can't be helped. It's the most dangerous god."
Ryoko's smile contradicted her words—it looked cheerful.
The car stopped on a mountain road. The building ahead looked like it was being dissolved into the darkness.
The sound of brakes mixed with the rustling of the forest.
After we got out, we realized three more cars had followed us. From each, men and women of all ages in suits and casual clothes stepped out.
We passed through an iron fence and walked down a muddy path. A roughly carved divine statue loomed vaguely in the night. Was that The Unseen God? Would it grant my wish if I asked it to erase everyone except Kirima and me?
Urged by Ryoko, I passed through the chapel doors.
Inside, nearly twenty people were packed together.
The stifling heat of human presence was thicker than the smell of dust and mold.
Ryoko spoke cheerfully.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. These two have been advancing the investigation of The God Who Is There."
Everyone looked at Kirima and me. I even heard gasps and applause. The space felt cult-like.
"Has the information already been distributed?"
Ueda, who had been standing by the door, checked her watch.
"Yes. The date is about to change. Who's going?"
"Can I go?"
The one who raised his hand was Umemura.
"I can't trust their information, so I'll confirm it myself. Whether reality can be altered, or if death truly can't be undone—or both."
He looked up at me defiantly. I shrugged as if to say, suit yourself.
Ueda checked her watch again.
"Midnight. Let's begin."
With everyone watching, Umemura faced the door.
"I'm nervous."
Kirima, arms crossed beside me, said to Umemura,
"Be careful. The same thing doesn't necessarily happen every time."
"I know. I'm part of the countermeasure headquarters too."
Why had someone young and far wealthier than me taken this job? If we'd met under different circumstances, maybe we could've talked about that.
No good—Kirima's softness is rubbing off on me.
"Here I go."
Umemura wiped his sweaty palms on his suit belly, placed his hand on the door, stepped over the threshold with his thin legs, passed through the wooden frame, and disappeared to the other side.
When he closed the door, Umemura's face was slightly flushed.
"It was amazing. Like a black shadow—it was really there."
Ryoko gave a wry smile at Umemura's excited tone.
"Glad you're okay. So, what did you wish for?"
"Yes, I wished to eliminate Polonia-Piper Syndrome."
Everyone, myself included, furrowed their brows.
Umemura raised his voice even more.
"No one knows about it? Really? Then what about my father?"
"He died of cancer..."
At Kirima's answer, Umemura suddenly lost all energy.
"So you really can't change the dead."
Umemura said that, then suddenly crouched and gagged. Ryoko rubbed his back.
"Are you okay?"
"Sorry, I'm still a bit shaken..."
"It's fine. Go get some fresh air and rest in the car."
After Umemura staggered out, Ryoko turned back to the group.
"Now we understand the effectiveness of The God Who Is There."
Ueda shook her head.
"There's no proof he wasn't acting."
"We'll confirm that going forward."
"And then what?"
Kirima took a step forward.
"If it really has the power to alter reality without anyone knowing, it's too dangerous."
Ryoko narrowed her eyes behind her glasses.
"Then what do you propose?"
"We should immediately stop using it and seal it away. If we use it carelessly, it's not just the country that'll fall."
"Then it should be held by an institution that won't use it carelessly."
Ueda interjected.
"What?"
"If its utility is proven, it should fall under national jurisdiction, not ours. Your stepfather has the connections, doesn't he?"
"And what would the country do with it?"
"We have to look at the bigger picture."
An old woman clasped her fingers. Behind her, a stern, burly man glared at Kirima.
"The God Who Is There doesn't just alter reality—it can also send those with memories of the previous world into the new one. In an age of information warfare, there's no greater advantage."
"Are you insane?"
"World War III."
Ryoko's quiet voice echoed.
"If the prophecy of the concerned god isn't a delusion, it might really happen. Think of the damage Japan could suffer. Don't you want to leave Rei a peaceful future?"
Kirima's Adam's apple bobbed.
Ryoko paced in front of the door.
"If we use The God Who Is There, Japan can gain the upper hand in the war. Gods are meant to protect humans. This doesn't deviate from their nature."
"......But we have no idea what kind of distortions that might cause. Are you willing to hand the nation's leadership over to Territorial Divine Offenses?"
"Maybe it's already happened. The Miyaki family has used this god multiple times. This is an act of reclaiming leadership through divine power."
Kirima spoke in a suppressed voice.
"I can't accept that."
After Ueda's deep sigh, there was a cold clicking sound.
"Kirima-san!"
I rushed forward. Ueda had a handgun in her right hand.
Kirima quickly drew a gun from inside his coat and aimed it.
"Someone's going to get hurt. I doubt you've had firearms training."
A stir ran through the chapel.
Only Ryoko still wore a smile.
"Both of you, stop. This is no time for infighting."
Ueda and Kirima glared at each other in a standoff. A few more people drew guns. This was bad.
The man behind Ueda also drew his gun.
"Kirima, enough already! You've been meddling since your days on the force!"
As several people squirmed to escape, a small woman pointed her gun at the man.
"I'm sorry...... I'm against this too......"
The man's attention shifted to her for an instant.
I dashed forward and drove my knee into the big man's side. He flew back, and the gun spun through the air.
Kirima swiftly kicked the fallen gun away.
We did it. Just as I thought that, sparks exploded.
The muzzle of Ueda's gun flashed, and a thunderous sound rang out.
Bright red blood burst from the stomach of Kirima's white shirt.