Volume 3.5
Shadows of the Elite
Chapter 2: Subject Negative's Final Testimony
Kei's Perspective
Hospitals always felt strange to me.
People entered them hoping to preserve life.
Others entered knowing life was slipping away.
Aoi and I walked through the quiet hallways without speaking.
Neither of us had come here out of sympathy.
We were here for answers.
Eventually we arrived at a room.
Inside sat an old man connected to several machines.
His body looked frail.
His breathing was uneven.
Yet despite that, his eyes were sharp.
Far sharper than most people I'd met.
The moment he saw us, he laughed weakly.
"So you're his sons, huh?"
His voice was rough.
"I always figured someone would discover my existence eventually."
Aoi stepped forward.
As expected, he had no interest in wasting time.
"Tell us."
His tone was flat.
"What is our father doing?"
The old man coughed.
"Unfortunately, I never met him personally."
His eyes drifted toward the ceiling.
"But I've heard plenty."
Aoi frowned.
"You were Eiji Fushimiya's first successful experiment."
His voice hardened.
"You were his masterpiece."
"Father modeled himself after Eiji."
"That means you should have the answers."
For the first time, anger appeared on the old man's face.
A genuine anger.
"Don't compare that man to Eiji."
The room became silent.
Even Aoi seemed slightly surprised.
The old man looked toward the window.
Snow was falling outside.
"Eiji. Chimpei. Shinobu."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"In their own ways, they were extraordinary."
His eyes narrowed.
"Even if they made terrible mistakes."
I stayed silent and listened.
Something told me this mattered.
"Yes," he continued.
"Eiji stole my childhood."
"He turned me into an experiment."
"But unlike most people, I understood why."
His voice weakened.
"He genuinely believed he could improve humanity."
"He wasn't chasing power."
"He wasn't chasing wealth."
"He wanted competent leaders."
Leaders.
That word again.
It seemed to follow every member of my family.
The old man laughed quietly.
"Eiji saw humanity's flaws everywhere."
"He pitied those without power."
"And despised those who misused power."
Aoi crossed his arms.
"Why are you defending him?"
The old man looked directly at him.
"Because I knew him."
His answer came immediately.
"Most people judge history through stories."
"I lived it."
Aoi wasn't convinced.
"He manipulated you."
"No."
The answer was immediate.
"Eiji wasn't a manipulator."
"If Chimpei were alive, he'd tell you the same."
"So would Shinobu."
Aoi scoffed.
"Twenty-three years later and you're still under his influence."
The old man simply smiled.
"Aren't we all influenced by someone?"
His eyes drifted toward the falling snow again.
"Without a little madness, visionaries wouldn't exist."
Aoi turned away.
Clearly frustrated.
"I'm done listening."
He started walking toward the door.
I followed.
Then the old man spoke again.
"Aoi."
We stopped.
The old man's gaze sharpened.
"Do you believe in the devil?"
Neither of us answered.
"The devil isn't some creature with horns."
His voice became quieter.
"It's an idea."
"It wears human faces."
"It speaks through people."
"In my eyes, Taro Fushimiya is merely wearing Eiji's face."
That got Aoi's attention.
The old man continued.
"Eiji was creative."
"Taro is cunning."
"Eiji built."
"Taro manipulates."
"Eiji created the Fushimiya business from nothing."
"He expanded technology."
"He generated wealth."
"He funded his experiments."
Then his expression softened.
"When his son was born, he stopped."
Aoi blinked.
"Stopped?"
The old man nodded.
"He wanted a family."
"He wanted Shinobu to be happy."
"He wanted peace."
I noticed Aoi's expression change.
Only slightly.
But enough.
The old man continued.
"Then came Taro."
His eyes darkened.
"Taro inherited everything."
"Status."
"Wealth."
"Influence."
"He had the perfect hand."
"And unlike Eiji, he wasn't interested in stopping."
The room felt colder.
"He expanded the project internationally."
"He built connections."
"He gathered collaborators."
"And when people resisted..."
The old man paused.
"They were pressured."
"Blackmailed."
"Manipulated."
"Broken."
Aoi adjusted his glasses.
"What is his objective?"
The old man laughed bitterly.
"If I knew that, none of us would be here."
He looked exhausted.
"Your father has involved too many people."
"Too many countries."
"Too many interests."
Then his eyes met ours.
"If this ends badly..."
His voice weakened.
"Just remember something."
"Eiji never wanted war."
"He wanted to prevent it."
"He would've despised this."
Aoi was silent.
For once, neither of us had a response.
Finally, Aoi asked:
"How many leaders are there?"
The old man reached toward a drawer.
"Three."
He handed us a folded piece of paper.
An address.
"A facility."
His breathing became heavier.
"It was used years ago."
"There might still be evidence."
Aoi accepted it.
The old man smiled.
A tired smile.
"I suppose that's all I can give you."
We turned to leave.
Then he spoke one final time.
"It's nice knowing the future isn't completely hopeless."
His eyes settled on both of us.
"So preserve it."
That was the last thing he said.
---
Outside, Aoi examined the paper.
"We'll go on December thirty-first."
"Close to midnight."
I nodded.
There was no reason to argue.
The next two days passed quietly.
Neither of us discussed the facility.
Neither of us discussed our father.
We simply waited.
---
December 30th.
I decided to visit the NIFL.
Winter break meant most students had gone home.
The campus felt unusually empty.
I wanted to talk to Rika.
Nothing more.
As I entered the building, I noticed a strange smell.
Smoke.
A janitor walked past me.
Mask.
Cap.
Sunglasses.
Strange attire.
I ignored him.
A few moments later, someone screamed.
"FIRE!"
Students rushed toward the cafeteria.
I followed.
A small fire had broken out.
Fortunately, someone extinguished it quickly.
Everyone became distracted.
Teachers.
Students.
Staff.
Everyone.
I decided to leave.
As I crossed the parking lot, I noticed someone crouching near Principal Sobu's vehicle.
A young man.
Reddish-orange hair.
He appeared calm.
Focused.
He finished placing something beneath the car.
Then he stood up.
Our eyes met.
He smirked.
A large van suddenly drifted into the parking lot.
The driver was the janitor.
The young man jumped inside.
The van sped away.
I walked toward the car.
Curiosity won.
A small tracking device.
That was all.
I stared at it for several seconds.
Then walked away.
Not my problem.
At least, that's what I told myself.
---
December 31st.
11:57 PM.
The Fushimiya family hosted its annual New Year's celebration.
Father was occupied.
Exactly as expected.
Aoi and I slipped away unnoticed.
The facility sat abandoned.
Forgotten.
Or at least it appeared forgotten.
"There are multiple entrances."
Aoi pointed toward one corridor.
"We'll take this route."
We entered.
Dust.
Broken equipment.
Old documents.
Nothing useful.
At least not yet.
Eventually we reached a large metal door.
Aoi pushed it open.
The clock struck midnight.
January 1st, 2027.
The room beyond wasn't empty.
Four people were already there.
My eyes immediately landed on Principal Sobu.
He stood calmly near one entrance.
Smiling.
Not a warm smile.
Not a friendly one.
The kind of smile that made you wonder how much someone knew.
Then I noticed the others.
Three individuals.
A group.
The first was the orange-haired man from the parking lot.
The second was the janitor.
The third was someone I didn't recognize.
Unlike the others, he looked completely relaxed.
As if this meeting had been planned from the beginning.
Then I noticed something else.
Badges.
The janitor.
The unknown man.
Both carried FBI credentials.
The orange-haired man carried a CIA badge.
For the first time that night, I felt genuinely confused.
I looked around the room.
At Sobu.
At Aoi.
At the agents.
At the abandoned facility.
And only one thought crossed my mind.
What the hell is going on?
END OF CHAPTER