A World Only for You (4)
It had only been two hours since the system forcibly dropped my synchronization rate to zero percent.
Yet somehow, it had already climbed back up to twenty-four.
I'm immersing myself that deeply into Ren? Nothing like this happened when I was living in Kenji's body.
The memories rising on their own was the same. But Kenji's memories had mostly been static. His personality had been gentle and kind, too.
The only times I'd truly immersed into Kenji were when I was working as a doctor.
So what about Kamiya Ren?
Could it be... because of Misaki? Ren loves Misaki. Just being with her is enough to pull me under.
I wasn't sure whether I'd been influenced by Ren's feelings, but there had been a few times I'd nearly been shaken by Misaki myself.
A gyaru who's not only beautiful but kind on top of it...
Hmm. Maybe it wasn't just because of Ren. Either way, I needed to stay careful.
No matter how high the synchronization rate climbed, my own personality sat at a base of one hundred percent. As long as I kept my head straight, I wouldn't get swept away by Ren's nature.
"......Ren."
Misaki's trembling voice came from behind me.
"Is Yui... still alive?"
I looked at her. Her face was on the verge of being swallowed by anxiety.
Better to give her a reason she could accept than just vaguely insist Yui was probably fine.
"There's a high chance she's still alive."
"Really...?"
Misaki looked up at me with trembling eyes. I pointed to the bloodstains left on the wall.
"There's not much blood, and no sign they tried to clean up the traces. They subdued her and took her right away."
Misaki pressed her lips shut and lowered her head.
I continued in a low voice.
"And the reason people kidnap awakened humans is to run experiments."
"E-experiments?"
"No matter how badly society looks at the awakened, the abilities themselves are something the powerful would covet. It's about mass-producing more of them."
"What good is an ability like this for living a normal life......"
Misaki didn't particularly like the fact that she was an awakened human. Her parents had been murdered by one.
"Oh, right. When was the last time you were in contact with Yui?"
"......Last night."
"Then we still have plenty of time. The important thing is how we find out where she is......"
In truth, the satellite map Kujo had shown me was already in my head. My original self would have forgotten it in no time, but Ren's brain had stamped that map into my mind like a photograph.
But this alone isn't enough to pinpoint Yui's exact location. The research facility is massive.
There was no telling how many personnel were stationed at the lab. We didn't have the luxury of leisurely searching the entire building.
The best move was to grab only Yui and get out fast. For that, we needed more precise location data.
And I already knew how to get it.
Tch. How do I bring this up naturally......
The deliberation was short. Time was critical, so even if it raised suspicion, it couldn't be helped.
"Misaki. Just in case, mind checking the apps on your phone?"
"Why?"
Misaki pulled out her phone, looking puzzled. I deliberately dragged things out, giving her time to look through all her apps.
"Last time I saw you two, it seemed like Yui really likes you a lot."
Misaki thought for a moment, then gave a small nod.
"......Yeah. More than a tutor and student... we're basically like sisters."
"You don't have a location-sharing app installed or anything?"
"Location sharing?"
"Families do it a lot these days. You never know. Yui might've installed one on your phone without telling you."
"......Your imagination really runs wild in the weirdest places. There's no way Yui would do that behind my back...... Huh?"
Misaki's finger stopped on the screen. She blinked with a look of pure disbelief.
A single pink heart-shaped icon. From the look of it, even Misaki was seeing the app for the first time.
She instinctively launched it. A map opened, and two dots floated on top of it.
One was Shinohara Misaki. The other was Nagase Yui.
Misaki whipped around to face me.
"Ren. How did you know Yui installed something like this?"
"What, it was actually there? That's amazing."
"......"
"Still, good thing. Now we can figure out where Yui is."
I put on a completely straight face and casually shrugged.
Misaki stared at me as if she couldn't believe it. Then she let out a short laugh.
"Ren, you've gotten a little weird."
"Have I?"
"Yeah. It's hard to put into exact words, but... you seem way more comfortable talking than before."
Well, that was because I wasn't an emotionless psychopath.
I wasn't constantly calculating what words would suit a normal person, or fretting over my expressions.
Right, Ren?
Entered Manga:A World Only for You
Synchronization Rate: 18%
Would you like to exit? Progress will be saved.
The synchronization rate had dropped. I clenched my fist inwardly.
It was a temporary measure, but until I could control it completely, I'd have to consciously try to separate Ren's emotions from my own.
What mattered right now wasn't the synchronization rate — it was saving Yui.
I steadied my breathing and looked at Misaki.
"Let's check Yui's location first. Where is she?"
At my words, Misaki examined the map.
"In the mountains. Pretty deep in, it looks like......"
"Walking or taking a taxi would be a problem when we need to escape, too."
I zoomed in on the map. A paved road ran up to a point a little ways from the research facility.
There was a road that went all the way to the lab itself, but I had no intention of walking in through the front door like an idiot.
"Looks like there's a road on this side. We'll drive as close as we can, then go in on foot."
"W-what? You want to go right now?"
"When else? For all we know, something could be happening to Yui this very second."
Even I couldn't be sure of that. In the original, all that appeared was Yui three days later, unconscious inside a fluid-filled experimental tank.
What had happened in between was never revealed. Well, it was an erotic manga, so that was only natural.
"I mean, yeah, but... can you drive? And where are you going to get a car?"
Misaki asked a practical question.
But this side of things is pretty unrealistic, you know.
Kenji could drive, and a car could be rented. The money he'd accumulated working as a mercenary was pretty substantial.
Ren didn't have a driver's license under his name, but there was a reason mercenaries operated in the underworld.
"I've got a plan. We're getting Yui out today, no matter what."
I gave a short smile.
"But my ability is specialized for fighting. To get Yui out safely, I need your help. You can do that, right?"
"Of course! But......"
Misaki bit down hard on her lip.
"Are you sure you're okay with this? Yui is my precious little sister, but... she's not that to you."
"If she's precious to you, that's reason enough for me to save her."
Misaki couldn't say a word. Her pink eyes trembled slightly.
"......Idiot."
She murmured it so quietly, then smiled with her head bowed.
We went to a broker I knew. The moment I handed over a wad of cash, the guy tossed me a car key without asking a single question.
"You're not planning to use this for anything rough, right? If there's so much as a scratch......"
"Scratch means extra charge. I remember. Or do I look like I don't have that kind of money?"
"Ahem. No need to put it like that. Just return it within a week, max."
The black sedan we'd acquired that way picked up Misaki, who was waiting, and immediately started racing toward the mountain road.
"Re-Ren. Isn't this a little too fast?"
Misaki gripped the handle tightly. Her fingertips had gone white from the tension.
"It's almost five in the afternoon. Best to get out before it gets dark."
Truth was, she wasn't the only one who was nervous.
This is my first real combat, too.
No matter how many of Ren's memories I had, they were just memories. And memories didn't translate into experience or seasoned instinct.
The body's skill level itself seemed to carry over to some degree, though.
If I'd only had memories when I was Kenji, I never would have treated Hikaru properly. The moment I examined the wound, my hands moved first, and I just followed them.
Of course, unlike treatment, which fell under repeated practice, combat was about improvisation — meaning experience mattered far more.
And back then, my synchronization rate was at ninety-eight percent, too.
The key was the synchronization rate. A number that stood in for experience on top of the memories.
I was reluctant because of Ren's personality, but for this fight, I might have to deliberately raise the synchronization rate.
"We're here."
Fortunately, there was a small clearing beside the road. Perfect for hiding a single car.
I pulled over and killed the engine.
Then I opened the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat and pulled out two masks.
"Here, put this on."
"Huh?"
What Misaki received was a white fox mask. A thin plastic one of the kind sold at festivals, with red ears and simple patterns drawn around the eyes.
"......What is this?"
"Bought it at a stationery store on the way. We can't let our identities get out."
I picked up a black crow mask and put it straight on my face. I turned my head left and right to check my field of vision.
This should be fine.
Fortunately, it didn't obstruct my view much. I asked Misaki, too.
"How about you? Can you see okay?"
"Yeah. I can see fine."
Misaki swept her blonde hair back and put on the fox mask. It suited her strangely well — enough to look like someone who'd come to a festival.
"Looks good on you."
"......Is that really what you should be saying right now?"
Her ears had turned slightly red as she answered curtly.
Misaki and I got out of the car.
Click.
The cold mountain air brushed against our faces.
Inside my jacket was a single handgun and two magazines. The two daggers I'd kept hidden at my ankles, I moved entirely to my waist.
I looked at the mountain where darkness had begun to settle.
Hopefully nothing had happened to Yui.
"......Let's go."
"Yeah."
Fox and crow.
The two figures, identities concealed, stepped wordlessly into the mountain forest.