The director walked up to me, her high heels clicking against the smooth ceramic tiles beneath us; her gaze was sharp and composed yet ever-focused.
As we met eye to eye, she suddenly extended her right arm towards my face, placing her index finger on my pulse and beneath my chin. This is… a bit too close. Sociopath much?
"Uh... nice meeting you too...?"
I tried to break the awkward silence, but I guess I just made it worse somehow.
"This is not the place to talk. You two, follow me. Now." she announced curtly — turning away from us and stride confidently towards the hall entrance.
I looked up at Anh with an annoyed expression.
"What's up with her?"
"No time for questions, just do as she says."
He walked past me and started to follow the director from behind. I tried to call out to him, but what's the point? After all, this place still feels like a Kafkaesque charade. So I decided to follow them closely while my eyes roamed all over the office's tidy yet unfamiliar interior.
A moment later, we finally reached the management area where an armed guard was guarding a room labeled as 'Emergency Internal Committee—Meeting Room.' The guard was holding some sort of rifle with neon motifs that pulsed with energy. It kind of reminds me of a sci-fi gamma-powered railgun.
We stopped in front of the room.
"Director, everything has been prepared according to your needs. We've obtained the data and reports from G.E.N.E.S.I.S. about this person. If you may, the documents are inside."
The guard stepped to the side—giving way for us to walk through.
"Much appreciated; you may leave now, Isaac." She dismissively waved at him, stepping inside the room as the door automatically slid to the side.
The guard gave a quick salute before leaving the area. I followed the director inside, followed by Anh, who stood beside the doorframe as it shut close, separating us from the outside world.
She went to the other side of the table, picked up a file, and opened the contents of the report. Her eyes scanned the letters with critical precision; it's almost machine-like.
Not even I can read like that.
Once she finished, she put down the file on top of the table gently.
"So, do you have any idea how you got here?"
"Uh... I… what...?"
Her question came out of nowhere, giving me no time to process what she was trying to say. The director sighed heavily, shaking her head before looking back at me, her gaze turning softer yet ever-present.
"Apologies for my abruptness; maybe I should have introduced myself first."
She cleared her throat before continuing.
"I'm Anaelle Wright, Director of Operation General Administration Body. And behind you is Anh Lee, Senior Liaison Officer of the Realm-Keeping Bureau, as you might already know."
She pointed at Anh, who was still standing at the doorframe.
"Right..."
So it seems I'm speaking with the top brass of this world… It's nothing new, I guess; confrontation with government officials was part of my job description, after all.
At least back in Tokyo.
"Now let's get down to business. Tell me, Ms. Fumiko. Do you remember what happened before you ended up here?"
"Uh... let me think..."
What happened? I boarded the train, and there were only a few people inside the train. I thought it was pretty strange how the Shinkansen would be empty during peak season.
"Well, from what I remembered, I boarded a train at night after work. And then my body suddenly felt heavy, and I… fell asleep, …I think."
"So you don't know anything about the circumstances you're in. It's hard to explain, but I'll try to keep it simple. What you boarded was not an ordinary train."
My eyes widened at her words. Sure, it was a strange ride, but what does "extraordinary" imply?
"Not ordinary…? I don't think I'm following..."
Anaelle took off her frameless glasses and set them on the table beside the file—pinching her temple.
"From what we know, the train you boarded is called the FerryRail Express. And the passengers you saw weren't people. I'm sure you could already tell by the name, so I won't press into the topic."
"Moving on—"
I leaned closer from across the table, putting both of my hands on top of it, cutting off her words.
"Wait, hold on! I thought we were supposed to find a way to send me back, weren't we?"
For a moment, the room went dead silent; the air became still as not a single muscle moved within the area. A bead of sweat dripped from my forehead despite the presence of an air conditioner inside the meeting room.
"That is simply not possible, Ms. Fumiko."
The silence was suddenly broken by Anaelle's straightforward revelation.
"Not possible…? Why not? I can just board the same train can't—?"
"That's not how this works. What's in here stays here; the cycle of life and death only leads to one path. Like fate, it cannot be defied."
Her words struck a nerve deep inside my system. I... can never return…? Am I stranded here for the rest of eternity without a purpose?
"But... I have a family, you can't just… no..."
This is a dream… This is a dream… This is a dream… I need to wake up.
I gripped my hands tightly into a fist, holding back the emotions that were about to leak from my eyes.
"My condolences, Fumiko. But I have no words of kindness that will comfort your sorrowful heart. What I can say is this: you must accept your reality and take my solution."
Acceptance... solutions... What's the point of it all? How can I accept death and leave behind the world I knew on a whim?
"How could I accept so easily? Does life mean nothing to you? Are humans so expendable that I must give up my own life?"
I looked at her dead in the eye, staring her down for a desperate answer.
Suddenly, I felt a hand touching my left shoulder. I glanced over to see Anh, his face neutral and unchanging, yet his presence was… comforting.
"I know you never wanted this, Fumiko. No one wanted death. But to be truthful to you, death is not the end. It's the concept that gives life meaning."
He squeezed my shoulder reassuringly, putting another hand on my other shoulder.
"And I promised if you give us a chance. I'll show you the wonder in this hereafter."
I turned to face him fully, looking up at him with my watery eyes. And yet, it's just as I thought; his words were sincere even until now.
"If that is true… then… I'll take the offer." I released my fist, letting my fingers dangle in the air at my sides freely as I managed to put on a small smile on my face.
And this time, it wasn't out of envy or jealousy. But for the sake of my own story.
"Ahem, as much as I hate to disturb this heartfelt exchange, I highly advise we return to the original priority of this topic."
I suddenly realized the position we were in and immediately turned away from Anh, facing Anaelle once again. A blush of pink crept up my neck, but it was barely noticeable.
"The reason why I called for this emergency committee meeting is prior to the condition of your existence. There are two factors to discuss."
Anaelle opened another file and presented it on the table; the document inside read, 'G.E.N.E.S.I.S. Master Computer Report on Anomaly Appearance.'
"The first factor involves your well-being in this realm. According to intel, you're currently living in an exceptional state of existence, an impossibility where you're alive as an entity in the realm of the dead."
"This is why we weren't able to trace your origin signature; you have yet to experience the first death. Which now puts your life at risk."
"At risk? How so?"
The director smirks humorlessly, opening the drawer of the cabinet beside her, her hand reaching out for something inside.
"Let me demonstrate then. Officer Anh, please step up."
"Yes, ma'am."
He complied with the command almost immediately, stepping between me and the director.
"Now observed, Fumiko."
Anaelle suddenly pulled out a dark metallic object from the drawer. Is that... a handgun?!She pointed it directly towards Anh Lee's heart; her finger was already pressed against the trigger.
"Wait what are you—"
I was caught up in the moment and was barely able to process what was happening. I tried to stop her from firing, but it was too late when I heard the first bullet leaving the barrel of the handgun. The bullet landed square on his chest, yet he stood still like an iron wall.
"Ahhhha! What did you do?! Why did you shoot him you psycho?!"
I cried out and pulled at Anh's arm, looking up at his indifferent expression. His hand clutched at the spot where the bullet had hit him.
"Anh...? Anh, say something, are you okay?"
Panicked, I tugged at his arm again and again until he answered.
"I'm fine."
As the words came out of his mouth, the flattened bullet dropped from his chest. My jaw dropped to the floor as I stared at him; he was completely unscathed! But how? When? Why? Where? Maybe it was a toy gun?
No, what kind of toy gun sounds like an explosion!?
"What."
"That is the capability of Origin Signature —Threat Mitigation."