Some time later, I left the Association building with the files in hand. Clutching them in a sealed folder, I brought them home carefully and placed them on my desk.
For hours, I just sat there, tense and silent, lost in thought.
What if the files say nothing? What if I can't find the answer I've been searching for?
Or worse—what if the truth shatters me completely?
If I uncover the mystery, will I still want to protect humanity? All I've ever wanted was to find out what really happened to my father… and how my mother died.
I'll kill whoever took her from me. But after that… what will be left?
Or… is there someone?
Her image rose in my mind—poised, graceful, and fierce. A woman who had grown close to me lately.
Hizumi. She saved me from becoming a monster. If not for her, I'd be dead—executed by a single order.
Everything that happened… began because of her.
But why? Why did she lie and tell everyone I was human?
