What Kind of Name Is Netorare?
What kind of name is Netorare?
Alex Netorare.
Just hearing it, you'd picture a man who stole other people's lovers. The man himself, however, had lived a life that was the complete opposite of that name.
He had a fierce face and a somewhat rough demeanor, so people meeting him for the first time tended to assume he was someone to fear. His actual personality, though, was astonishingly pure-hearted and sensitive. He hated imposing on others, and when a friend was going through a hard time, he was the type to stay close while pretending nothing was wrong.
The problem was that his luck with romance was abysmal.
The first person he had ever truly fallen for was a childhood friend he'd been quietly in love with for eight years. She started dating another man, and after a messy incident of one kind or another, the whole thing fell apart.
The second was an upperclassman he'd met in a high school club. Alex had given her his whole heart — only to find out she already had a boyfriend, and had for the past ten years.
The third was in college. A younger student had been unusually warm toward him, and this time he let himself hope it might actually go somewhere. She, too, was already in a long-distance relationship.
Three unrequited loves. All three had ended in wreckage.
Strangely enough, his luck with men was the complete opposite — it overflowed. His friends all adored him. Whenever something happened, he was the first person they came looking for. Plenty of people knew that, looks aside, he was reliable and fiercely loyal. Alex, for his part, treasured those friends. He'd grumble — and then, without fail, he'd help anyway.
And so, once again, Alex Netorare found himself thinking:
"When the hell am I ever going to get to actually date someone…"
Well. That about covers who Alex is.
Rai and Orchi spent a good long while at his apartment, enjoying themselves to the fullest. Orchi picked her way happily through the delivery food Alex had stocked up in advance, while Rai and Alex sat in the living room, completely absorbed in a board game. Orchi didn't even properly understand the rules. She just watched their match from the side, and every time someone won, she clapped like it was the best thing she'd ever seen.
"Anyone want more skewers~!"
"Me~!"
Time slipped by, and before long it was time to sleep. Orchi burrowed into Rai's arms on the bed and closed her eyes almost at once. After a whole day of eating and playing, she dropped off with astonishing speed.
Rai looked down at her carefully, then spoke in a small voice.
"Sleep well…"
He glanced over at Alex, who was lying on a blanket spread out at the foot of the bed.
"Alex. Sorry for springing this on you out of nowhere. And thanks for taking us in."
Alex grinned, his head resting on the pillow.
"Don't mention it."
"Still. From your side of it, I just showed up and asked you to put up a kid for the night."
"I've got a little sister. I know how you feel."
Alex said it like it was nothing.
"So don't worry about it. Friends can do at least this much for each other."
Rai's expression softened.
I really lucked out with this friend.
And so the three of them spent a quiet night.
The next morning.
Rai packed his things and headed for the front door, and Alex called after him.
"What about today's lectures?"
"I'll just throw in a sick note. Cover for me, yeah?"
Alex scratched his head.
"So even you skip class sometimes. That's a first."
"I'm human too. I can skip once in a while."
Rai smiled lightly and slung on his backpack.
"Anyway. Thanks."
"Forget it. We'll call it even with the dishes~!"
Behind Rai, Orchi waved.
"Alex! Thanks for the food!"
A bright smile spread across Alex's face.
"Sure! Come again sometime, Orchi!"
"Okay!"
And with that, Rai and Orchi left Alex's house.
About thirty minutes later.
BANG——!!!
The front door shattered to pieces.
"Waaagh?!"
Alex, who had been pushing a vacuum cleaner, let out a scream and bolted into the living room.
THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD——!!!
Police officers stood in a line outside the door. Behind them, several Awakeners were waiting, and at the very front stood Shalla, her expression murderous.
Alex's eyes went wide.
"Wh-what?! What's going on?!"
Shalla didn't answer. She just strode toward him.
"Wait a second. Coming in with your shoes on is rude..!!!"
SLAM——!!
Shalla grabbed Alex by the collar and drove him into the wall.
"Where's Rai?"
"………?!"
The playfulness vanished from Alex's face in an instant.
"Rai."
Shalla's voice was low, but it carried enough killing intent to feel it on the skin.
"Where is he."
Alex swallowed. Then, unbidden, the image of Rai that morning rose in his mind — backpack already on, looking like a man about to run for a very long time.
Alex's eyes narrowed.
"Don't tell me…"
The police and Awakeners in front of him. And Shalla, hunting for Rai with that kind of urgency.
Is Rai being chased by these people?
But Alex knew Rai.
No…
Rai wasn't the type to run because he'd done something wrong.
The look in Alex's eyes slowly changed. And in that instant —
A grin.
The corners of his mouth curled up in a way that was distinctly not normal.
"Heeeeh~!"
Shalla's brow furrowed at the sight.
Alex suddenly stuck his tongue out as well, deliberately twisting his face into something vicious — the spitting image of a cartoon villain.
"Kyahahahahahaha——!! If that pathetic little loser showed up at my place, well~!!"
"What?"
"I'd have cleaned out his wallet first, obviously~!"
Alex cackled as he went on.
"Then I'd have stripped him naked and thrown him out on the street~!"
The police officers looked at each other, taken aback by that menacing face. Alex didn't stop. Tongue still out, he smiled even more wickedly.
"If that trash is who you're looking for, he's gotta be right over there~!"
He jabbed a finger toward the hallway outside.
"Go dig through the dumpster~!"
"…………"
The surroundings went quiet. A vein stood out on Shalla's forehead.
Alex thought to himself, with considerable satisfaction:
Nailed it. The lines were a little cheesy, but that was Best Actor-level performance…!!
There was, however, one problem.
Alex's villain acting was too good.
The moment he finished speaking, Shalla's eyebrows trembled.
"You…"
"Huh?"
"Are you… making fun of me right now?"
"Does it look like I'm making fun of you~?"
Alex stuck his tongue out and smiled even brighter.
"Not even a little~?"
THWACK——!!!
A fist slammed straight into Alex's face.
"Guhk——!!!"
His body lifted off the ground and dropped to the floor.
THUD…!!!
Shalla pulled her fist back, breathing hard.
"The CCTV clearly showed them coming this way…"
She looked around, grinding her teeth.
"Where the hell did they go…"
Sprawled on the floor, Alex played unconscious and thought:
Rai…. you're really gonna owe me big for this one.
Meanwhile, at that same moment.
The bus droned as it rolled along the road toward the outskirts of the city. Besides the driver, Rai and Orchi were the only ones on board. The spacious interior was strangely quiet, broken only by the low rumble of the engine and the occasional hiss of vehicles passing beyond the windows.
Rai sat by the window and let out a sigh.
"Man… I didn't think even finding the way would be this hard."
He'd left his phone at home while being chased by that unidentified robot. Without a map, he'd taken the wrong path from the station more times than he cared to count before finally locating this bus. Still — at least they'd made it on.
He looked out the window, his expression dark.
"For now, let's just keep running like this…"
His thoughts quietly carried on.
Once things are reasonably safe, I should meet Bat in person. If the police or anyone else finds out, even Orchi could be in danger.
A small voice came from the seat beside him.
"Whoa…"
Orchi. She had her face pressed close to the glass. As the mouth of a tunnel drew near, her eyes sparkled at the world outside.
"What's that?"
"A building."
"It's so big!"
"Yeah."
"What's that?"
"A car."
"That too?"
"A car."
"That too!"
"That's a car too."
Orchi didn't seem the least bit tired of it. Once they entered the tunnel, she marveled at the lights set at regular intervals along the ceiling.
"The lights are moving!"
"You're the one moving."
"Oh!"
A faint smile touched Rai's lips. She really didn't know a thing.
The smile didn't last. His gaze drifted past her, to something that wasn't there.
The bizarre robot that had attacked the house. That black body. That grotesque shape that looked like it had been built for the sole purpose of killing people. And the way it had attacked the instant it found them, without a shred of hesitation.
Shalla chasing us is one thing… but what the hell was that…?
His hand slowly clenched on his knee.
If it shows up again, what can I even do…
Rai wasn't that strong of an Awakener. He wasn't particularly good at fighting, either. Last time he'd gotten lucky — scooped Orchi up and run. But if the same situation happened again?
Can I protect Orchi?
The anxiety grew, bit by bit. Was running away with her really the right thing to do? Not telling Shalla. Not going to the police. Heading out of the city like this.
What if I'm doing the wrong thing?
The thought dug in. Rai lowered his head.
Then, suddenly—
SMACK——!!!
He slapped his own cheek, hard.
"Rai!"
Orchi spun around, startled. His cheek was flushed red.
"Why'd you hit yourself?"
"I was having some pathetic thoughts."
"Does it hurt?"
"A little."
Orchi looked at his cheek with a worried face. Rai slowly lifted his head.
"No."
His voice was firmer than it had been a moment ago.
"That dangerous robot tried to kill you."
Orchi looked at him without a word.
"And I'm supposed to think running away is wrong?"
Rai let out a short laugh.
"Of course we run."
In that instant, his cousin's words surfaced in his mind.
Rai looked at Orchi.
"At least for now…"
He gently stroked her head.
"Protecting you feels like what I'm supposed to do."
Orchi beamed.
"Rai!"
"Yeah."
"I'll protect Rai too!"
"……"
Rai froze for a moment. Then he chuckled.
"Yeah. Thanks."
The bus was just about to leave the tunnel. A faint light had begun to show from the exit ahead. Rai looked out the window and let out a small breath.
"Just a little farther and…"
KRA-BOOOOOOM——!!!
A massive explosion erupted right behind the bus.
KUUUUUUUUU——!!!
An enormous shockwave swallowed the road.
"Wooooaaaaah——!!!"
SCREEEEEEECH——!!!!
The driver yanked the wheel.
"Wh-what?!"
The bus shook like it had gone mad. A low rumble rolled through the chassis, and a moment later it came to a complete stop in the middle of the road.
"Rai?"
"Hah… hah…"
Rai pulled Orchi into his arms on instinct, and stared at the crater that had opened in the road.
"How the hell did they find us…!!"
And then, before them, a black shadow slowly revealed itself.