Chapter 15 - soul-body entanglement
Kuro looked at her, dumbfounded. She did not seem like the type to prank him, and her expression made it clear that she was being serious. It then hit him.
'What if my condition had not fully disappeared, but had merely changed in nature?'
Sure, it seemed far-fetched, or perhaps he was just overthinking a minor mistake. However, Kuro could not help but furrow his brow
'This… There is more to this than meets the eye. I need to look into it today and hold off on my cultivation.' Kuro planned to use this opportunity to gather information on what could potentially be a dangerous inconvenience. Tami had arrived at just the right time.
The library they visited last time held far more information than what was available to the general public, and he did not want to risk running into trouble by trying to enter the facility on his own.
"Earth to Kuro, Earth to Kuro? Are you zoning out again?" Tami called out calmly, waving a hand in front of his face.
Kuro snapped out of his dazed state and turned his gaze toward her. "Huh? Oh, uh, it's nothing. I just made a mistake, that's all. It's no big deal." Kuro smiled, casually scratching the back of his head.
"Uhh, Mi—ah, Tami, are you free today?" Kuro asked, hoping for a positive answer, this will be mostly convenient for him.
"Yeah, I am. Luckily, my schedule is wide open for the rest of the day... What's up?" Tami asked in her usual casual tone.
"Well, I would be happy if we could head back to the library. I want to look up a few things," Kuro said, letting out a sheepish laugh.
"Sure, I don't mind. Plus, your registration is still incomplete, so the guards would give you a hard time if I weren't there with you." Tami sighed.
Apparently, the staff could be remarkably strict about regulations while simultaneously remaining lax about everything else.
"Oh yeah. Before we go, I should really get a change of clothes. My apartment is much closer than the library, so I'll head home first. You can come along too, if you don't mind," Kuro said casually.
He preferred not to enter such a high-level institution wearing a measly school uniform, as he did not want to invite unnecessary scrutiny. Not that he really cared.
"My, Kuro, are you casually inviting a lady you just met into your apartment?" Tami giggled, openly teasing him.
"Yeah. I don't mind letting the heroine who saved my life into my home. It's only normal to have you as my guest. Why, what's the matter?" Kuro replied indifferently.
"Oh, it's nothing, hehehe. Anyway, lead the way." Seeing that Kuro's sheer indifference prevented him from catching the underlying meaning of her joke, Tami chose not to tease him any further.
They both left the park and began walking toward Kuro's apartment. Kuro led the way using the route he had taken to school earlier that morning, but as they walked, his thoughts continued to weigh heavily on his mind.
He had initially tried to brush the situation off as nothing more than the lingering effects of his condition. Whether it was an actual curse or an anomaly he had naturally developed, one thing Kuro knew for certain was that it was incredibly inconvenient.
To him, inconveniences were no different from curses, and curses were meant to be purged. Because it stood as a hurdle in his path, he had to find a way to fix it as soon as possible.
***
High above at the edge of the city, a man clad in abysmal clothing materialized out of nothingness, like a photograph slowly resolving from translucent to opaque. His eyes were deep, dark brown, and his bronze skin glistened in the morning sunlight.
His hair was slightly messy, and he wore a black kimono beneath a silk robe adorned with the Auramancer sigil stamped in golden ink across the back.
The heavy fabric of his robe billowed softly in the air as the front right side, directly over his heart, sat his personal crest.
If anyone were to view him from below, they would think he resembled a floating bronze statue wrapped in midnight garbs that billowed like spilled ink against the sky.
Suddenly, his eyes glazed over as he bobbed slightly in the air before regaining his balance. For a brief second, he did not recognize where he was. Then, as his vision snapped back into sharp focus, a broad grin spread across his bronze face.
'Hahaha. Mnemoscopus, huh? Things have suddenly become riveting.' The man sneered inwardly.
The man immediately recognized his surroundings, but judging by his current attire, he knew he had 'arrived' far too early in the time.
It was likely due to the alliance type of his soul body or his status, which had recently undergone a massive quantitative change. Normally, a temporal phenomenon like this should have been impossible, but his presence here confirmed it.
'Soul-body entanglement...' the mysterious man thought, furrowing his brow. He did not know the true motive behind this anomaly.
Currently, his consciousness existed as a mere spectator within this past version of his body. He could perceive the surrounding world, but he held no control over any of the physical senses.
In nature, physics forbids the instantaneous transmission of information. While certain processes appear to happen instantly, they cannot be used to transmit actual data or signals.
So how was this mysterious man experiencing such a phenomenon? The answer was simple: Ryoku made it all possible.
Ryoku was an exotic, formless energy capable of invoking supernatural phenomena. What was currently occurring was a prime example of its terrifying influence.
'This precinct seems to be Hamatsu. That makes things much easier. My current investigation had already reached a dead end...
This happening might be heaven sent to look at this from a different perspective... hahaha', the mysterious man thought as his mood steered. He was a busy man, after all, and this observer state could be a massive blessing in disguise.
'Very well, Mnemoscopus. I will allow this show to play out a little longer,' the man thought silently as his physical body executed movements exactly as he remembered them from his past. This time, he was merely along for the ride.
The man's body flew smoothly toward the city proper. A subtle hum, barely louder than the rustle of plastic bags, was the only trace he left in the open sky.
With a slight shift in his weight, he descended toward a quiet convenience store, hovering just an inch above the asphalt as he drifted through the automatic glass doors.
The clerk did not even bother looking up; this was simply a familiar routine.
After he was done, at the register, he unloaded his cargo: a heavy cardboard crate of cold draft beer cans and two green glass bottles of imported red wine.
While the register scanner beeped, he fished a crisp stack of yen notes from his pocket and slid it across the counter. He waved his hand, signaling the cashier to keep the change, before floating back out into the morning air.
He glided effortlessly past the third-story balconies of a residential district, balancing two overflowing supermarket sacks in one arm filled with standard weekday groceries.
Two blocks of firm tofu, a bag of bean sprouts, white radish, instant ramen, and a fresh pack of eggs nestled carefully near the top.
Resting heavy on his opposite side was a flat, paper-wrapped bundle containing a six-pack of B5 lined notebooks.
Dropping altitude by a few meters, he glided straight toward the first-floor window of a 24-hour utility office.
Without his feet ever touching the ground, he hovered outside the open upper transom, tapped his smartphone against the contactless reader of the self-service terminal, and paid off the monthly water and electricity statements for Apartment 302.
The terminal chimed with a cheery Pippu!
"Bills cleared," he muttered to himself, reviewing the digital receipt on his screen.
With a gentle tap against the air, his body banked sharply to the left.
The wind whistled softly past his ears as he accelerated above the alleyways, tracing the familiar route toward a two-story apartment building.
He descended in a smooth arc, landing soundlessly on the walkway. The plastic bags barely made a rustle as he set them down outside the sliding door.
The man watching from inside his own mind recognized the building immediately. He was the one paying the rent, after all. 'This... Indeed, this is the lucky break I needed with the case,' he silently rejoiced.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a spare key, unlocked the door, and slid it open. The moment the front door clicked shut behind him, the cool morning air was replaced by a dry, distinctive warmth that smelled of cellulose, aged ink, and bound paper. It was the heavy, comforting scent of an old library, though organized far less neatly.
With one step into the entryway, the apartment revealed its true nature.Every single vertical surface was entirely swallowed by paper.
Square adhesive notes, torn memo sheets, and standard notebook pages were tiled across the wallpaper in an overlapping mosaic of blue, yellow, and pastel pink ink.
They crept up from the baseboards all the way to the ceiling, mapping out sudden thoughts, structural diagrams, and half-finished lists.
In some spots, three or four layers of notes were stuck directly on top of older ones, fluttering gently in the breeze caused by the closing door.
Yet, amid the chaotic paper storm, a strange discipline prevailed. Or perhaps it was a desperate attempt to maintain a semblance of a normal life.
The physical furniture remained pristine.
The dark wood dining table, the floor sofa, and the low coffee table were completely bare and unplastered, standing like clear islands surrounded by an endless ocean of written thoughts.
He kicked off his shoes, carefully balancing the crate of beer and groceries, and navigated through the hallway.
As he skirted the wall, his eyes briefly snagged on a small break in the paper coverage. Right at eye level, surrounded by a tight frame of neon sticky notes, hung a solitary wooden picture frame.
Inside was a photograph.
The portrait showed him standing side-by-side with a younger boy whose likeness was striking enough that they could only be brothers, separated by a little more than half a decade of growth.
The younger boy in the photo was grinning brightly, a stark contrast to the quiet stillness hanging over the current apartment.
He did not stop, but his gaze lingered on the glass for a fraction of a second before he adjusted the weight of the wine bottles in his arm and walked on.
He left the groceries in the kitchen, proceeded down the hall into the guestroom, and slid the door shut behind him.
He lay flat on the bed for a moment, letting the stillness sink in, before deciding to take a long, hot shower.
Even though it was still early in the morning, he had just returned from one of the most exhausting missions of his life. Quite frankly, his body was completely spent, and he felt he had earned the leisure.
Inwardly, the mysterious observer could not have agreed more.
Because they were currently sharing the exact same physical senses, both of them would experience the relief together. He too desperately needed to relax, as the lingering stress of his current life was already getting to him.
His body shed the heavy abysmal garbs, revealing his toned, flawless build, and he quickly stepped into the bathroom with genuine glee.
***
Ordinary residential buildings lay quietly in the cool breeze, their concrete edges softened by the overcast morning light.
Their architecture was eerily identical, as if copy-paste versions of one another. If someone were not paying close attention, they could easily enter the wrong residence mistaking it for their own.
This might have happened already, but Kuro did not know. He spent the majority of his days at school, and once he returned home, he kept himself busy writing crucial instructions for his future next-day self.
At least that part of his routine was over. Or maybe it had simply evolved into something worse. Who really knew? Kuro certainly did not. It wasn't as if he was an Oracle.
'Seriously though, these apartments look far too similar to one another. Thankfully, my past self had the foresight to place a couple of outdoor bonsai on the porch.'
Even though Kuro's memories were jumbled, he still distinctly remembered times he had gotten lost. In the past, he had to approach each building individually to identify the right one.
Luckily, it never took him too long, though he still received suspicious looks from neighbors for his 'snooping'. At least he always managed to leave without incident.
Kuro and Tami approached one of the residential buildings, with Kuro taking the lead as Tami followed closely behind.
Once they stepped onto the patio, he reached into his pocket only to find it completely empty.
Ah, yes, it seems the amnesiac had misplaced his keys. Again.
Kuro froze for a moment, narrowing his eyes with a quiet sigh.
He walked over to the bonsai plant, gripping the porch railing for balance as he crouched down.
He picked up a small watering can and carefully watered the bonsai, which sat neatly potted in white, calcium-rich soil.
Once finished, he reached under the pot for the hidden spare, unlocked the sliding door, and invited Tami inside.
The moment the front door clicked shut behind them, the cool morning air was replaced by the dry warmth of his apartment.
"Welcome to my humble abode. Please make yourself comfortable." With a polite bow, Kuro gestured toward the living area.
Tami nodded slightly, taking in her surroundings as Kuro led her inside.
Once they entered, Kuro pointed toward a black, single-floor sofa set behind an ordinary low coffee table. Tami settled onto the sofa, sitting in a formal seiza position. She maintained her astute posture, her calm expression completely unchanged.
"Would you like some coffee, tea, or plain water?" Kuro asked. He did not know her exact preferences, so he figured it was best to offer options.
He did not want to be rude, even though he secretly deduced she would ask for coffee. After all, his very first impression of Tami was seeing her sip from a steaming mug.
"Coffee, thanks." Tami answered.
Kuro turned and left the room, leaving her to sit in serene silence. A couple of minutes later, Tami heard the sliding door open. Steam billowed from a cup resting on a tray, flanked by a small pitcher of milk and a dish of brown sugar.
Kuro walked back in, sliding the door closed behind him with his heel. He carefully placed the tray onto the low coffee table.
"I wasn't sure if you preferred your drink with milk or sugar, so I brought both," Kuro said with a light sigh.
Truthfully, Kuro was not much of a fan of plain coffee, as its sheer bitterness always made him gag. Just in case Tami preferred hers sweet or light, he brought both additions to cover his bases.
Tami looked down at the tray, noticing there was only a single cup. She raised her gaze to Kuro. "Are you having some as well?"
Kuro shook his head. "I need to freshen up first. You can wait here or feel free to head to the guestroom on this floor."
Kuro stood up with a low groan and bowed politely. "I'll take my leave. If you need anything, you'll find me upstairs. Just knock."
Tami nodded slightly and reached for the cup, drinking it directly without adding any sugar or milk. Kuro's mouth twitched at the sight out of the corner of his eye as he turned away. He slid the door shut behind him as he exited.
Left alone in the quiet apartment, Tami looked around the room once more. 'Judging from the furniture, or rather the sheer lack of it, it appears he lives entirely on his own.'
It was a reasonable conclusion. Most citizens began living independently around the age of fifteen, balancing part-time jobs with their academics. Life was rarely fair to begin with.
However, Kuro was an anomaly. 'How does he manage it? No, how did he do it before now?'
It was at that exact moment that Tami felt an overwhelming premonition of overwhelming danger.
'Not good.'