[A very long silence covered the years.]
[All my time in the meantime was just a bonus.]
[Within the square room painted white on all sides, there were exactly two visitors.]
[To add to that... one who visited the square within the square, and one who visited the square within the square within the square.]
[If I must say so, there was one more... but after a brief meeting, that one's whereabouts suddenly became unknown.]
The focus of the self-awareness depth settled on a room shaped like a pure white square.
A pure white, maddeningly bland room... so this side wasn't all that different, was it.
"Study as much as you like here. I mean that mirror technology you loved so dearly. And don't forget to eat your meals and supplements every day."
[There were no longer any who delighted in looking into mirrors, and it was no longer a game either...]
[And yet the reason I kept clinging to the mirror was...]
Along with the monologue, the world changed naturally.
At the same time, our gaze followed along with it, and at the end of that gaze was...
A large full-length mirror.
"These days, you don't even speak to Gubo. You cling to that mirror all day. He only looked at your back in silence before leaving. He didn't look well."
"It matters not. I prefer speaking while facing you."
More precisely, another Yi Sang reflected in that mirror. For convenience's sake, let us call him Sanghee.
Outwardly sociable, apparently of high rank, and blessed with radiant Wings as well. A person who seemed to reflect the form of an ideal Yi Sang.
After the collapse of Guhinhoe, Yi Sang seemed to have devoted himself only to speaking with him.
"If I turn my back, would you not turn yours as well?"
"Yi Sang, Gubo truly cares for you. You know that, don't you? The fact that Gubo joined Guhinhoe only at the very end was likely due most of all to your influence."
"That is not so. The one Gubo cherishes most is... himself. While searching for something that could bring him to the surface, he happened to find me."
"Then... all you need to do is bring it to the surface. If you stay by his side, you can shine too, can't you? Right now, an N Corp executive is building a new Guhinhoe with you, Gubo, and Asea."
"A group whose roots have changed so completely cannot be called Guhinhoe. They merely borrowed the name. One day, the time will come to return it."
After Yi Sang calmly denied Sanghee's words, the conversation briefly broke off.
Well, they were already staring each other in the face and talking all day, so there couldn't have been much left to talk about. And he had brought up a topic the other side clearly disliked, so it was only natural.
Sanghee didn't seem to mind the silence much, but Yi Sang seemed to be the opposite.
Then again, perhaps that was only natural, since the only conversation partner he truly wanted seemed to be that one person.
"...How is it outside? You have Wings, so you can go anywhere, can you not?"
"Outside... ha. It's boring, always the same. The world always flows along the same current. Isn't that right? Even Guhinhoe, once so tightly bound together, has scattered to the winds..."
Sanghee's expression darkened slightly as he continued speaking. Outside. Perhaps he had no pleasant memories of the place so called.
"There's no point in being happy or despairing over every single moment. So you alone should stay here with me. And be my conversation partner too."
From that point, the progress of the self-awareness depth briefly stopped.
Was this a short break? The balance was already on shaky ground... good.
Thud.
As I let my body fall sideways as if collapsing, Ms. Ishmael, who had been glancing at me, hurried over and supported me.
...Ahem. I'd noticed it since earlier, but she was more attentive than I'd expected. I really was in pain... but being cared for like a patient made me feel strangely awkward.
"......"
No, Ms. Ishmael. You're the one holding on to me, so stop looking away. I'm getting embarrassed too, like this.
We were pressed close together, both avoiding each other's eyes in this awkward silence.
Just as I was at a loss for what to do and my mouth twitched uselessly, a savior appeared from the other side.
It was the prisoner who, surprisingly enough, had shown quite a bit of interest in Yi Sang: Mr. Hong Lu.
"What was your friend Gubo trying to do with the mirror?"
"Exactly what N Corp intended to do... I do not know in detail either. I did not ask. Only..."
Yi Sang trailed off mid-conversation, as if he had noticed something.
Was there something there?
Curious, I followed Yi Sang's gaze.
And the place we naturally arrived at was the entrance to the white room. There, standing was... Hermann and Gubo from the past.
Hmm. So the two who had access to this place were those two after all.
"......"
After entering the room and looking around for a moment, Hermann noticed Yi Sang staring fixedly at her and slowly walked toward him.
"How is it here? Is it livable? Are you eating well?"
"......"
When Yi Sang remained silent in response to Hermann's words, Gubo—wearing clear-lensed glasses instead of the red sunglasses he had once used at the old G Corp branch—pushed up his frames and said, "Did I not tell you? He is a man of very few words."
Mm. Gubo's words were logical. The unfortunate part was that Hermann was not the sort to hear such words even if they were shouted into her ear.
"Do you also know how to destroy the world within mirrors and glass... the world of all those possibilities?"
"I..."
"You were going to say you don't know, weren't you? That's my cue to ask you to look into it. Even if you don't feel like it, I have plenty of other methods left. But I thought it would be proper courtesy to your friend to ask politely first. Ah, let's keep this just between the three of us."
Hermann made a playful shushing gesture at the corner of her mouth and smiled insincerely.
...I want to hit her. It would be meaningless, since this is just a vision, but still.
Ugh... Soon after, Hermann stopped her uncharacteristic frivolity, looked back and forth between Yi Sang and Gubo's faces, and continued.
"...Are the two of you still holding off on rejoining Guhinhoe? Asea seems like he wouldn't care either way. You two are a bit more troublesome."
"Do not worry. He will make up his mind soon."
"Hmm..."
Don't smile like that with hidden meaning. It's infuriating. Makes me want to hit you.
Haa... After that, Hermann left on her own after leaving Yi Sang a few more words.
And the one who had quietly watched the whole process, Gubo, confirmed that Hermann had fully left the room, then looked straight at Yi Sang.
"The newly founded Guhinhoe here will become far stronger than before. Because it is supported by none other than Hermann-sama."
"......"
"What, are you unable to join because of Dongrang and Dongbaek? You don't seem to care what happens to Asea."
"......"
"...Do you really not understand that I can only enter in peace if you make your intentions clear?"
"My will has not changed from before."
After finally drawing that answer out of Yi Sang, Gubo quietly headed out of the room.
So attentive... If he was going this far to court him, then he must have been quite close to Yi Sang.
I was curious why they split apart, but well...
Let's think about that after seeing all of the past first.
Just in time, the self-awareness depth was once again showing Sanghee.
"...The destruction of the mirror world. The one called Gubo and Hermann seemed quite serious about it."
"That is so. If he has set his mind to walk that path, he will see it through. And I too... will end up fulfilling what he desires..."
Yi Sang lowered his head deeply.
Yet... in his eyes there was a tiny sliver of hope that had not been there before.
"But... I hope that you at least do not disappear. Fly away from here before Gubo destroys you too."
At Yi Sang's words, Sanghee's usually composed expression was stained with shock.
"...And you?"
"Do you not know? There is nothing I can do. I cannot fly away like you, with Wings of my own."
Even after Yi Sang said that, Sanghee showed no sign of relaxing, so Yi Sang hurriedly added more.
Though I wasn't sure whether it meant anything.
"I have no complaints. If I keep my head down and live as they tell me, they will not touch me. Did I not say so? What remains to me is... only you, outside the mirror."
"...If you lose it, won't you try to fill it again?"
"What a strange thing to say. My world is all here. How could I fill it anew?"
Right after those words, Sanghee's expression, rarely, crumbled.
I wondered what he had been thinking. I was quite curious about that, too, but...
Unfortunately, that was where the scene shown by the self-awareness depth ended.
[And after that, you did not appear before me for a long while.]
[I often find myself wondering.]
[I was the one who did everything, so why was it you who looked as though you had lost everything?]
After Yi Sang's monologue, Ms. Ishmael, who had been supporting my body, made a strange expression.
Had she noticed something odd?
"The Yi Sang inside the mirror seemed to want to keep Yi Sang here forever. The outside world is dangerous, so stay inside..."
"But there would be no reason to..."
Clunk. Clunk.
Cutting off Sinclair's words, strange things appeared within the self-awareness depth.
And their identity was...
People I was now starting to recognize a little. They were T Corp's rank-three employees in stiff-looking suits.
"We have come to reclaim the technology created by the unauthorized subversive organization, Guhinhoe. Everyone, take out your clocks and state your exact identities."
""
Dante's startled clock noises rang out, and Mr. Meursault answered calmly.
"It is impossible for T Corp Technology Bureau staff to come all the way to N Corp. Therefore, they must be one of the foreign substances attempting to invade the self-awareness depth."
Right... of course.
After finishing my assessment of the situation, I tapped Ms. Ishmael's side, signaling her to let go of my arm.
"......"
"Hey, Ms. Ishmael? If we stay like this, nothing..."
"Just rest. It's obvious you're overdoing it."
"Then could you let go of this too..."
"Then you'd overdo it again."
"......"
I have nothing to say to that. It was true that I had been squeezing out nonexistent spare strength just to keep using my eyes.
"We're not going to fall behind just because one or two people are missing. So take a break from light fights like this."
But if I'm the only one resting, it still feels awkward, so in times like this I should deny it...
Just then, perhaps noticing the nonsense rolling around in my head, Ms. Ishmael's gaze sharpened for an instant.
"Answer."
"Yes..."
...I answered, overpowered by her momentum.
Mm... since I've answered, maybe I should rest a little.
"......"
Still, staying like this is embarrassing...
"Ms. Ishmael. I answered, so could you let go of this now?"
"...Do you dislike it?"
Ah.
"...No, I do not."
Damn it.
"Mm? Mmm?"
"Oh..."
...Those uselessly well-matched old man and old woman are grinning again.
I shot Gregor and Ms. Rodion a warning glare, but what came back was a sly look that seemed to ignore my warning completely.
You two just wait until I catch you at something. I'll tease you all day long.
"......"
"...Ms. Ishmael, if you keep looking at me like that, I'm getting self-conscious..."
"Then shall I stop looking?"
"......"
Of course, I can't make a peep right now...
That's cheating! That's cheating, I say!
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