look what I found under a leaf!

My name is Saber I like to look at things with my eyebarls

[scrumpster]

Updated cause my birthday passed again... ^ - ^

Hi! I'm Saber. 23 years old. he/they with an upside down and backwards gender. Expect to see lots of geology, No.6, general pictures of nature, and some Jewishposting. Thanks ...

[skyscrapersanddandelions]

kids of color, you’re allowed to get a bitey when a white friend does something racist. literally 0 percent of people of color are obligated to be nice and palatable for white people. holding your tongue in the name of kindness doesn’t really do much in regards to stuff like this because white people are going to see you calling out their own racism as unkind anyways. white people, if a person of color comes off as aggressive while calling you out for racism, just fucking listen to them. they’re not coming from nowhere, and believe it or not: they know more about racism than you do! shocker, i know. just thickskin it, because it’s really not about you.

[skyscrapersanddandelions]

white ppl can rb but keep your damn mouths shut

[thisisracism]

The notes on this post get a 0 for reading comprehension. There’s probably a pretty good reason OP deactivated, unfortunately.

[anglaised]

it smell wet asf outside

[mediumsizetex]

Hasbrooms by Mouseu

[lonelysummerbreeze]

2005

[joshlovesyou]

[salmonballer]

a masterlock? bro you are practically free-use

[phaeton-flier]

NTR doujin starring the Lockpicking Lawyer

[aowyn]

No.6 Reunion #4 promotional quote

The header image for the official No.6 promotional page has been updated with a pull quote from No.6 Reunion #4. The quote is Shion either thinking of or speaking to Nezumi. Here is a quick translation of it:

"That's right—you're here. Because of that, this world deserves to survive."

[aowyn]

No.6 Reunion #3 Chapter 4 Part 2 Summary

This is a summary of part 2 of chapter 4 of No.6 Reunion #3. Any errors are my own. Spoilers in abundance—beware! This is the final summary for volume 3, excluding the single side story. (Previous summaries: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 part 1, part 2, Chapter 4 part 1)

Chapter 4: In the Far Reaches of This Land - Part 2

Nezumi asks what Inukashi means about something being wrong with him, and they elaborate, saying it almost sounds like Nezumi is saying his last words, like he’s ill and going to die soon. Rikiga agrees, and says he actually knows how to put on an excellent funeral. He’ll make sure Nezumi has a top-tier coffin and will adorn it with fake flowers since real ones are expensive.

Nezumi retorts that he hasn’t lived even half as long as Rikiga yet—Rikiga’s gonna die way before Nezumi does. Inukashi complains that Nezumi’s got life in him again and that he shouldn’t have gotten their hopes up like that.

Inukashi says that they think Shion’s done a good job, and that they’ve even told him not to work too hard. Shion’s still the same airheaded kid to them, but if there are people trying to make trouble for the No.6 that that same airheaded kid is working so hard to rebuild, and Nezumi was the one that brought them here from No.4, then….

Nezumi interrupts, asking if they had listened to a word of what he had said. Nezumi didn’t bring anyone here—in fact, he had even thought that maybe that the group from No.4 hadn’t even made it here and instead turned back to No.4, considering their wagon was put out of commission. 

Shion says quietly that they hadn’t turned back.

Nezumi says that it may have been that they hadn’t been able to, especially because No.4 was soon going to wash their hands of the runaway bureaucrats and stolen gold. He says that Shion was planning on giving the bureaucrats two options—return to No.6 or die—but they had thought of a third one: force No.6 back to its original form so that they could lead it again and avoid punishment. 

Rikiga and Inukashi are surprised by the audacity of such a plan, but Shion says that it is a viable one. He turns towards the lamp, but what he’s looking at isn’t its flame.

Shion says that this isn’t a group of amateurs that they’re dealing with, but at least No.4 isn’t helping them, even if they may have been a group that originated in No.4. He speculates that the group had to have formed in the past three to six months because that’s when the bureaucrats started feeling threatened by No.6. Nezumi agrees with this reasoning, though he says it’s still just speculation.

Shion asks what needs to be done to prove it. Nezumi says the fastest method would be to ask Raiku about it directly. Shion asks if Raiku is the leader of his group, and Nezumi says there’s no evidence to leap to that conclusion.

Shion, illuminated in the red of the lamplight, shakes his head, then asks Nezumi if he’s known about Raiku all along. He presses, saying that he’s sure Nezumi did. Nezumi had said that when Maura’s company was attacked, he had seen Raiku run off into the darkness, but hadn’t shot at him, even though he had a rifle at the ready. Why, Shion asks? Because Nezumi had recognized Raiku. 

Nezumi asks if Shion thinks Nezumi to be a cold-blooded killer. Why would he just shoot at someone like that? Both practically and mentally, it wouldn’t have been easy to do.

Shion’s face twists for a moment, and Nezumi falls silent, realizing what he’s just said.

The scene of Rashi’s murder at Shion’s hands inside the Correctional Facility comes to life inside his head, and Nezumi grits his teeth.

Shion speaks. He says that he knows Nezumi would have been able to do it—not necessarily shoot to kill, but shoot in the leg or the shoulder to disable him. Nezumi protests, saying it’s not as easy as it looks, but Shion cuts him off, saying he’s seen how good Nezumi is in combat situations many times, and the specs of the specific gun he had this time would have made it easy.

Inukashi asks if Nezumi still has the gun, their eyes sparkling, and Nezumi says it’s hidden under the bed. Inukashi leaps to their feet and gets the gun, admiring how cool it is. They ask Rikiga how much he thinks they’d be able to hawk it for. Shion says that even if Inukashi wanted to, the buying and selling of weapons is illegal in all six cities, and if they tried to do so, they’d be arrested, prosecuted, and committed to five to ten years in prison.

Returning to the subject at hand, Shion asks Nezumi to tell him why he didn’t shoot Raiku. Nezumi says that Raiku hadn’t been trying to kill him—he had been running away. Nezumi had been in no personal danger, so there had been no need to take action.

Shion says, but you had been angry, hadn’t you?

Nezumi doesn’t understand. Shion elaborates: the shooters had been killing Maura’s group indiscriminately. Such an evil act is enough to make one feel sick. Nezumi himself had compared their actions to those of the old No.6. It only makes sense that Nezumi would have been livid—Shion knows just how much Nezumi abhorred No.6. So why did Nezumi suppress that anger in this case?

Nezumi leans back on the sofa and looks up at the ceiling. Without thinking, he lets out a sigh, then says, aren’t you the one who’s angry?

Shion starts. Nezumi continues, saying that when Shion is angry, he comes at his opponent not with weapons, but with words. He doesn’t let them escape. He’s been like this ever since Nezumi met him.

Shion says he’s only like that with Nezumi. He’s never been this angry at anyone else before. Nezumi asks what part of Nezumi that anger is directed towards.

Shion’s face suddenly flushes bright red, and his once-expressionless face flashes with confusion, shame, hesitation, and all sorts of complicated feelings. Shion says: first, you’re hiding something. You won’t tell me everything, and I don’t like it.

Shion’s words weren’t cool logic, but clumsy and full of deep feelings. Shion is like this, full of dichotomies—coolness giving way to passion, strength to weakness, anger to sorrow, wisdom to desire…. Shion has always been like this since Nezumi met him.

Shion, Nezumi says.

Yes? Shion replies.

I met Raiku at a small oasis, after parting with you and leaving No.6, but before I met Maura and his group. I won’t go into specifics, but he gave me the same impression as a con man. He was charismatic and had a superficial good-naturedness about him. He asked me insistently for information about No.6, which I wasn’t able to give him because I didn’t know anything about the current state of No.6. He had an unusual attachment to No.6.

Nezumi sees that Shion’s fist is clenched. He continues: Raiku had said that No.6 had a yet-undiscovered vein of gold. Nezumi doesn’t know if that statement had any basis in fact, but there was a possibility that there was truth to it. According to Raiku, the vein runs north to south and part of it is in the Mao Forest.

Shion says that nothing will come of it, then—they can’t mine in the Mao Forest due to the agreement that only Forest People can enter its deep reaches. He takes a hard stance on this—both Shion as Chairman and the city of No.6 itself have no power over the Mao Forest. Rikiga presses, asking Shion to imagine how amazing such an ore vein might be, but Shion continues to maintain his stance.

Raiku had been in No.4 to join forces with the escaped bureaucrats and plot to overthrow No.6.

All this new information about Raiku coming to light doesn’t match Rikiga’s impression of him—he had seemed friendly. But now that he thinks about it, what Rikiga had thought had been a serendipitous encounter with an old acquaintance might have been deliberately planned by Raiku—perhaps because he had known that Rikiga was close with Shion.

Nezumi shakes his head in disagreement—the group that had attacked Shion clearly already knew a lot about his routines, so they wouldn’t have needed to go through Rikiga to get to Shion. Nezumi doesn’t think that Raiku is related to the attack on Shion in the park, either. The person who attacked Shion in the park was likely a lone wolf with a vendetta, and they had failed, anyway—not the kind of person that this organized group would have used.

And that’s why they were taken out of the picture, Shion says. In the burned remains of part of the Anthill, an unidentifiable corpse with a knife of the type that was used to attack Shion was found. That was likely the park attacker, killed by the organization that Raiku is a part of to send a message.

Rikiga wonders why Raiku called out to him specifically, then. It couldn’t have been simple nostalgia. 

Nezumi says that actually, that may have been the case. Though Raiku is as cold and heartless as the old No.6, anyone would feel nostalgic if they happened across an old acquaintance. Raiku likely wasn’t putting on an act with Rikiga.

Raiku, the head of No.4, and others taking the stage right now, are all monsters in similar ways: they are cruel and unfeeling and can kill people without batting an eye, and yet can still smile brightly.

That’s the stage on which Shion must act right now.

Shion takes a drink of water from his mug and sets it carefully back on the table. The mug is one Shion had always used when they had lived in this room, and has a chipped rim that could cut your lip if you weren’t careful. When Nezumi had returned to this room after so long, he had seen how clean the room was down to the sheets on the bed, like no time had passed at all in this room. He had been thrown for a loop a little.

When he had seen Shion’s chipped mug next to Nezumi’s porcelain one by the water pitcher, Nezumi had felt like he had found something that he had always been searching for. He couldn’t put a name to what that something was, but he felt that it was here.

Hey, Nezumi, Shion says. Was the video you showed Mom the one of Raiku in No.4?

After a moment’s hesitation, Nezumi confirms this. Shion says: Did Mom tell you that he was her ex-husband?

Rikiga is taken completely by surprise—Inukashi comments that his eyeballs look like they’re about to pop out of his skull.

Shion’s voice is completely level as he asks Nezumi again about Raiku. Nezumi confirms that Raiku is indeed Karan’s ex-husband, then asks when Shion had cottoned on to Raiku being his father. 

Shion turns to face Nezumi and smiles—a soft, restrained, smile tinged with sadness, one particular to Shion.

Shion says that anyone would have figured it out. Nezumi had gone to the trouble of visiting Karan, and both Nezumi and Karan had been standoffish about it—it had been out of character for Nezumi. He had talked like he had something stuck in his teeth, like talking about Raiku had been painful in some way.

Nezumi says that it’s pointless to try and hide things from Shion, it seems. He explains that when he met Raiku, Raiku had used the name “Shion” as an alias, saying it was the name of the son he had left behind in No.6. Nezumi hadn’t been able to prove for certain that he was Shion’s father, but he got a bad vibe from him, like he would have been dangerous if left alive. It may have been better if he had killed him right then and there—it’s because Nezumi didn’t kill him that they’re all in this situation right now.

Shion says he’s glad he didn’t kill Raiku because it means that Nezumi came back. He then says he has one last question: when did Nezumi really come back to No.6? Was it one or two months ago?

Shion explains his reasoning: Gal had said that Nezumi could get back to No.6 in two days with the grey horse. But to Raiku, whose wagon was unusable and comrades were injured, the journey would have taken much longer, and once they had infiltrated the city, putting their plan in motion would have taken some time. There would necessarily have been a time gap between Nezumi returning and the men beginning to act. How long was that gap?

Nezumi says it was about a month. Shion asks him where he was during that month.

Nezumi asks if this is an interrogation. Shion says it is—where had Nezumi been hiding?

Nezumi says he had been in the Mao Forest—he needed to rest his horse, and his mice’s parents were now elderly, so he wanted them to live out their last days there. How is that for an answer, Inquisitor? Are you satisfied?

Shion is angry—this much, Nezumi can tell. Even though he’s angry, though, he’s still keeping his cool, almost as if the thought of his father isn’t on his mind at all.

Raiku isn’t on Inukashi’s mind either—they ask how much they’d be able to sell Nezumi’s horse for. Nezumi says he kept his promise with Boss and already set it free in the wilderness. 

Shion interrupts. Nezumi, he says, why didn’t you tell me this earlier? 

His words are sharp, and Inukashi goes quiet. Shion continues: If you had told me this earlier, don’t you think we could have stopped these people earlier? We could have prevented the fire at the Anthill before it even happened.

Nezumi says that’s impossible. He hadn’t known anything about Raiku other than his face. It’s very likely that he has comrades very close to Shion, perhaps even in the inner circles of government. Even if Nezumi had warned Shion earlier, they wouldn’t have been able to act.

Shion asks him why he had Inukashi protect him. How did he know that he was going to be attacked?

Nezumi says he didn’t. He had just heard about the mysterious murders going on, and suspected they had been killed to silence them. It was the first sign of the group taking action, so he thought Shion might have been in danger. 

Shion is silent for a long while, then quietly says just a few words: you’re chatty, Nezumi. That’s unlike you.

Nezumi fires back that Shion was the one who told him to explain himself. Shion then says that Nezumi was the one who said that “One tends to talk excessively, it seems, when truth hides on the backside of the tongue.”

Nezumi asks Shion what he’s trying to say.

Shion says he’s saying that Nezumi’s still not speaking the truth.

Nezumi tells him to give him a break. He spoke the truth and reasoning based on the truth.

You’re lying, Shion says, standing up and forming his hand into a fist. You’re lying, he repeats. You didn’t know what to do, and so you couldn’t open up to me about everything.

I didn’t know what to do? Of all people? says Nezumi.

Yes, says Shion. You couldn’t tell me about my father. Were you worried I’d be hurt if you did? Is that why you didn’t tell me? Why you didn’t come to meet me and stayed in hiding, wondering what to do….

Shion, says Nezumi.

Cut the bullshit, Shion says. Just how much do you have to scorn me before you’re satisfied?

All of Shion’s anger hits Nezumi at once, like his skin’s been set on fire. Shion grabs Nezumi by the collar and shakes him. Shion says: I told you before, didn’t I? That I want to stand on equal footing with you. I want to face you as your equal. That’s all. No matter how much you protect me, or how much I hide behind you, that’ll never be what I actually desire.

I know, Nezumi says. I’m not so full of myself to think I can protect you.

You don’t know, Shion says. You don’t know anything.

Inukashi leaps to their feet and tugs Rikiga by the arm, saying that’s their cue to leave. The two dogs following, Inukashi and Rikiga leave the room, shutting the door behind them.

Shion doesn’t even glance at the door. Nezumi tells him to let go of him; he can’t breathe. Shion tells him to shake him off, then. Instead of doing this, though, Nezumi lets his body go limp. He says: You’re right. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know whether or not I should confirm that Raiku was your father. This might make you angry, but…I thought that you might be hurt by what I found out if I did. I didn’t want to see you suffering. That’s the truth.

Shion’s hand relaxes, but in nearly the same moment, he shoves Nezumi’s chest. He says Nezumi still doesn’t understand—why doesn’t he understand?

Shion’s fists strike Nezumi’s chest, hard enough to make his eyes water. Shion says: Just how much do you think I waited for you? How long I kept waiting? You’re not even trying to understand. The fact that you came back a month ago…. You thought I might be hurt? You didn’t want to see me suffer? Don’t fucking kid.

Shion looks up, and Nezumi sees that his lip is trembling.

You’re the only one who hurts me, who makes me suffer. No one else can do that. Only you can, Nezumi, says Shion.

Shion’s hand stops moving where it’s curled into a fist on Nezumi’s chest. He says: I don’t care about my father or what kind of person he is. The fact that you’ve been back for a month without coming to see me—that truth hurts me, hurts me so badly I can hardly stand it.

Nezumi steadies his breathing. Simply saying he’s sorry and apologizing would be easy. Opening up about who exactly he had been thinking of and what those feelings had been as he walked around the West Block and the city wouldn’t have been difficult either.

But what he needed to talk about right wasn’t apologies or the past. He says: Shion, you’re going to lose.

He continues: Your enemies are trying to break No.6 to pieces. If you don’t steel yourself, you’re going to lose. Do you get what that means? It means that No.6 is going to rear its ugly head again, and I won’t allow such a thing to happen. I’m going to fight with all I have, and win.

Shion is silent. His lip is no longer trembling or twisted.

That’s how I live my life, Nezumi says, but you need to follow your way of living as best you can. You’re the one who took on No.6’s rebirth. So don’t cry out in pain—bear it. That’s how you’ll avoid losing.

Nezumi opens up Shion’s fingers one by one, and twines his own fingers in them. He says: I’m not going to run away this time. I’m going to be at your side, always. By your side, I’ll fight my own fight. And when everything’s over….

We’ll go see the flowers, Shion says.

Without fail, Nezumi says.

Do you swear it? Shion says.

I swear it on your anger, Nezumi replies, squeezing Shion’s fingers, and the tension quietly goes out of Shion’s body.

The scene transitions to Inukashi and Rikiga inside the car that Rikiga is driving. It’s Inukashi’s POV. Rikiga wonders aloud if they’re going to be okay. Inukashi asks if he means Nezumi and Shion, and says to just leave them be. It’s not like they’re gonna kill each other. Half serious, they call them the worst pair ever, like the god of pestilence and the Grim Reaper got into a relationship. What was it like for the two of them? Happy? Unhappy?

Rikiga says anything could happen to Eve and he wouldn’t care, but he is worried about Karan and what might happen if Raiku tried to sneak over to her place. Rikiga wants to go over there and check on her.

Inukashi says that Mama Karan will be just fine and doesn’t need Rikiga to save her. Rikiga should just go home and go to bed alone.

Rikiga complains about Inukashi’s sharp tongue as the car comes to a stop in front of Inukashi’s hotel. Inukashi thanks him, but Rikiga calls out to them before they can go. Rikiga is wondering if there’s really no way out but through with this huge mess they’ve been caught up in. Inukashi says yes, but they don’t have to work for free.

Rikiga laughs, but is still thinking about how things might change going forward. Inukashi asks if he means No.6, but Rikiga says he means Shion. 

Inukashi says Shion’s still an airheaded kid and that won’t change. Rikiga says that’d be nice if that were the case, but he certainly doesn’t want to get on Shion’s bad side. Inukashi is confused, and Rikiga tells them to forget it and drives off with a wave.

Inukashi heads towards the hotel, and wonders if little Shion’s asleep. A dog comes out to greet them, and they ask if little Shion’s been good while they’ve been away. 

Inukashi sniffs. There’s a strange scent—not a bad one, but one they’re not used to. They run upstairs to check on little Shion, and the scent gets stronger as they do. Someone’s inside their hotel.

Opening the door to the room Shion’s in, they see the electric lamp is on. Shion is asleep, and the large white dog in charge of watching him lies to his right. To his left, though, arms outstretched as if embracing Shion, is a sleeping person.

Huh? What is this? Inukashi thinks. The white dog looks up and wags its tail.

END OF VOLUME THREE

[aowyn]

No.6 Reunion #3 Chapter 4 Part 1 Summary

This is a summary of part 1 of chapter 4 of No.6 Reunion #3. Any errors are my own. Spoilers in abundance—beware! Chapter 4 part 2 summary coming soon. (Previous summaries: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 part 1, part 2)

Chapter 4: In the Far Reaches of This Land - Part 1

“Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.”

— 100 Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez. Trans. Gregory Rabassa

⁂

Nezumi’s story begins again.

Nezumi wakes up in the middle of the night. (Well, he hadn’t actually been sleeping. The closer he gets to No.6, the more on-edge he feels, but not because of his internal feelings; rather, it’s in response to external stimuli.)

Maura’s caravan, along with Nezumi, had arrived at a large, bountiful oasis that evening. The people they are escorting from No.4 have been highly cautious, keeping scarce from the rest of the company and not showing their faces for the entire journey. They are currently about four or five days from No.6, so it’s high time Maura started putting in place the plan for his company to ditch them and make their escape.

There is a scene break. Nezumi’s danger sense is going off majorly, and he gets up and leaves his one-person tent, a little farther from the rest of the tents—he can’t sleep peacefully surrounded by strangers. He approaches a large tent, opens it, and tells everyone to wake up and run as fast as they can, and not to light any lamps. 

Children start to flee the tent, but the adults are a little slower. One boy runs into another and falls over, and Nezumi picks him up and tells everyone to run again. A hot wind is blowing in the darkness outside. Putting the child down, Nezumi asks the boy if he can run. The boy says yes, and Nezumi tells him to run as fast as he can without looking back and get as far away as possible. The boy starts to run, and Nezumi heads towards the tent where Hekiseki, Shalameh, and the others are sleeping so he can wake them up and tell them to escape.

Before he can, though, there’s a large explosion at his back, lighting up the gloom of the night. Nezumi drops to the ground and protects his head as rubble and dirt hits him in the back. The sound dies down, and what he sees when he looks behind him causes his breath to catch: a tent has exploded, with no remains. The trees around it are broken and burning, and a fire is starting to spread rapidly to the other tents and trees. 

Nezumi had been too late.

Nezumi’s surroundings are too bright, now, to be called the dark of night. He can see the silhouettes of people fleeing around him. Gunshots start ringing out, and he sees people start to fall to the ground, blood spraying. People—not game animals like foxes or pheasants or deer—were being hunted and shot dead, and Nezumi loses his sense of where he is for a moment: is he in No.6? Was No.6’s destruction just a dream? Was No.6 still alive and thriving, devouring human beings?

The noise of a tent collapsing in on itself in flames draws him back to his senses. There’s no time for him to lose his head. He runs off into the darkness, concerned about Hekiseki and Shalameh, but he knows nothing will come of his worry. He focuses only on what he can do right now. 

Nezumi can tell from the trajectory of the bullets that there are two shooters, and it’s very likely there are others too. He thinks of what to do next, and remembers the caravan’s horses. Nezumi approaches one of the horses—Maura had called it Boss—and pets its neck soothingly. Nezumi asks Boss to do him a favor even though Nezumi doesn’t think he’ll be able to return it, and after untying all the horses, leads Boss out. Mounting Boss, Nezumi gives his flank a solid kick and he shoots off like a rocket, the other horses following.

The shooters attempt to aim at the horses, but the type of gun they’re using requires manual reload and can’t be fired many times in short succession. Taking advantage of this window, Boss kicks the first shooter with his hooves, and the shooter collapses to the ground with a cry. The other shooter takes off running, but trips and gets kicked by another horse, falling unconscious.

Nezumi’s next move is to take the rifle from the unconscious shooter and try to find the third individual—not a shooter, but someone giving orders from the shadows, watching this chaos from the best seat in the house.

His throat fills with bile, and he feels intensely angry—the same anger he felt towards No.6’s walls. 

Hunters versus prey. Those who kill without reason versus those who are killed without reason. Those who are treated like humans as if it were self-evident versus those who will never, ever be treated as such. Masters versus slaves. Inside the walls versus outside them. The 92% living within the six cities versus the 8% without.

Look, Shion, Nezumi thinks. This is our world. How has anything changed since the time of No.6?

Nezumi’s finger finds the trigger, and he takes aim at the fleeing figure’s back. He won’t allow this. He can’t. There’s no way, no world in which what this man did is forgivable.

If he fires right now, he can grind this worthless world into dust. He’s not so foolish as to actually do so, but he still can’t permit what this man has done.

The man looks back, putting his face’s profile in the light. Nezumi’s breath catches in the back of his throat, and though his wrath doesn’t dissipate, it cools and hardens in his chest, a cold, heavy weight.

Nezumi sees more armed men appear from beneath the canopy of the special wagon the group they were smuggling had been using, illuminated by the electric light set up next to it. They’re discussing the success of their plan to kill all of Maura’s party.

Nezumi pulls the trigger, shattering the light to pieces, and he knows that if he had fired it on a person, it would have killed them instantly. The men are in a panic, their eyes not adjusted to the dark, and Nezumi uses this moment to search the body of the unconscious man.

He finds small coin-type explosives, ostensibly the kind used to blow up the tent earlier. Nezumi takes one of them, removes its pin, and throws it at the wagon’s canopy. His aim is miraculously true, and the wagon topples to the side in the subsequent explosion. Nezumi gets low to the ground and runs back down the slope as gunshots ring out. Reaching the unconscious body of the first man that Boss had kicked, he takes all of his coin-type explosives and his gold.

Nezumi doesn’t want to kill him anymore—rather, he wants him to live so that he can feel the pain of the splitting headache he’s sure to have when he awakes. Nezumi wishes he’d feel that pain forever so that he can remember the crimes he’s committed every time it aches, but then nearly laughs at himself for being so naive. This man didn’t think anything of the murder he was committing—to him, he was simply taking down targets, not killing human beings.

Someone calls out to Nezumi—it’s Gal, one of Maura’s company. Gal has no idea why any of this is happening, and Nezumi explains that they were attacked by the people they had been smuggling.

Nezumi asks if anyone else had managed to escape, and Gal says seven people including children. He doesn’t know the whereabouts of six people, and all the others are dead. Nezumi asks about Maura and the others, but Gal doesn’t know. 

Boss and the rest of the horses arrive, all alive. Boss stops in front of Nezumi, and Nezumi pets his bangs and kisses his neck. Nezumi thanks Boss for his hard work saving people, then asks him to take the survivors somewhere safe with Gal. Nezumi instructs Gal to take the children in the one remaining intact wagon and get as far away from here as possible, leaving behind anyone they’ve lost track of and any bodies of their companions. There’s an oasis nearby with permanent structures, so Gal and the survivors can lay low there for a while. 

Nezumi hands Gal the gold he took from the unconscious man, and says he should head for No.3 after. It’ll be safer for them than No.4 or No.6. Gal asks Nezumi what he’s going to do, and Nezumi says, hesitating for a moment, that he’s returning to No.6.

Gal asks if he’ll be safe there, and Nezumi is purposefully vague with his answer, saying there’s no such thing as a completely safe place, then says they should get a move-on before dawn. 

Nezumi then asks Boss for one more favor—the favor of taking him to No.6. Rather than Boss, though, a grey horse steps forward—perhaps Boss’s offspring. Nezumi kisses Boss’s neck once more. He then asks Gal how many children made it. Gal says four, though some have minor injuries, and that accounts for all of them except for Shalameh and Hekiseki. There were a total of six children in their company, so it means all of them survived except for Shalameh and Hekiseki, whose whereabouts are unknown.

Nezumi wonders what to call that sort of thing. Silver lining? Divine protection? He shakes his head—mulling over such thoughts is a bad habit and brings nothing more than temporary comfort.

He tells Gal to take a few of the horses and set the rest free, including the one belonging to the people who had attacked them. Gal gets angry, not understanding why they need to care about the horse belonging to those people, but Nezumi explains that they can’t move their wagon without a horse, so it’ll be harder for them to follow Gal and the survivors to the oasis.

Gal observes that Nezumi is a very cautious person indeed, and he’s able to think of possibilities that Gal isn’t. Nezumi privately reflects that that’s why he’s been able to survive thus far—Nezumi has always lived without ever letting his guard down. 

Only once has he ever been captured.

Shion, you’re the only one who’s ever managed to catch me, he thinks.

Helping Nezumi with his horse, Gal says he should be able to reach No.6 in just two days with the grey horse—it’s a straight shot south from here, with one small spring on the way.

Nezumi thanks Gal for all his help, and Gal thanks Nezumi likewise—it’s because of Nezumi that he’s able to see a clear path forward rather than succumbing to the mess of thoughts in his head. They make to part ways, and as a parting phrase, Gal says it would be nice to meet again someday, alive. Nezumi can’t return the sentiment because he knows how hard the road to survival always is, so he simply waves and spurs the grey horse on.

Back in the present in the underground room, Rikiga and Nezumi snipe back and forth about Nezumi always being right in the middle of trouble no matter where he goes.

Inukashi pipes up, asking Nezumi what happened to Hekiseki and Shalameh. Nezumi says he doesn’t know. Inukashi is surprised at this, and Nezumi says he didn’t have time to search the burnt remains of the tent, so he wasn’t able to confirm if there had been any dead bodies in it. Inukashi grimaces at the way his phrasing doesn’t beat around the bush. Nezumi pokes fun at them for being more worried about children they’ve never met before more than they are the gold the attackers had had. Inukashi’s expression grows even more sour, but says that Hekiseki and their little Shion are about the same age, so Hekiseki had made them think of him.

Nezumi says that Hekiseki would have made a fantastic singer had he grown to adulthood, and Inukashi scolds him for using past tense, and for being so lackadaisical about Hekiseki’s potential demise. Nezumi and Hekiseki had had a bond, for goodness sake.

Shion speaks up, saying that Hekiseki is alive. His voice draws everyone in the room to attention. He says that Nezumi thinks that Hekiseki is alive—of course he does.

Nezumi asks Shion what logic the Chairman is using here. Shion explains: he doesn’t think that Nezumi has a particular attachment to small children or that he acts based off of his feelings. He isn’t, however, so unfeeling that he would simply leave someone small and powerless to die, especially not someone who had loved singing and had looked up to him. It would have been one thing if Hekiseki had died in front of him, but seeing as that wasn’t the case, Shion knows that Nezumi would have checked to see if he had survived. Since he didn’t, Shion thinks that Nezumi knows both Hekiseki and Shalameh are alive. Which means…

Which means? Nezumi asks.

Which means you still haven’t told us everything, Shion says.

You’re sure? Nezumi asks.

I am, Shion replies.

Nezumi, still sitting, looks up at Shion. Shion’s hair is still damp, and so has even more of a lustre in the lamplight. For some reason, Nezumi feels a certain irritation prickle at him, sharp as needles. While it doesn’t hurt, it feels uncomfortable.

Nezumi says that Shion’s certainly gotten high-and-mighty. If Shion doesn’t have the last word on everything, the Restructural Committee just can’t get anything done, can it?

Shion says that that’s not the case at all. Nezumi simply hasn’t told them the whole story yet—that’s the only thing Shion’s saying, here. He knows he’s right.

Nezumi shoots to his feet and grabs Shion by the collar, telling him to not talk like he understands.

What do you understand, Nezumi says, angry. What about me do you really understand?

Shion says he understands nothing, and never has—Nezumi has always been a mystery to him. But he does know that Nezumi is keeping something from not just from the group, but from Shion specifically, and that’s why his story has holes in it. Hekiseki is just one example.

Nezumi chuckles, and says he’s being high-and-mighty again. What do you call someone who talks about others like they know them? Arrogant and cowardly, that’s what. 

What you call a person who gets angry when someone’s hit a sore spot, asks Shion, expressionless as he stares right at Nezumi.

Inukashi interrupts, asking Rikiga what the word is for this kind of situation. The word sounded like Labrador…or Corgi….

You mean a “lover’s quarrel?” Where’d you learn a word like that? Rikiga says. He tells Nezumi and Shion to quit it, saying this is no time for a lover’s…for a friendly quarrel, and if Nezumi’s hiding something, he should tell them what it is. It’s not like Nezumi and Shion are mortal enemies; it won’t make for a very uplifting story if they keep glaring at each other. Come on, he can barely tell if they get along or hate each other.

Inukashi concurs, saying they’re not sitting here to watch a lover’s spat, and after a short back-and-forth with Rikiga, makes to go home. 

Nezumi lets go of Shion’s collar, and the moment he does, Shion grabs his wrist, saying he has something he wants to ask him. Squeezing Nezumi’s wrist harder, Shion asks him when he came back to No.6.

Inukashi and Rikiga exchange a confused look. Hadn’t Nezumi just gotten back a few days ago?

With a shake of his head, Shion says that’s impossible. He explains: Very soon after Nezumi had said that destruction was trying to start up again, the Anthill and other places had suffered arson attacks in order to sow division between residents of the former West Block and the old city, so that No.6 would fracture and be destroyed—just like the hell that Nezumi and Rikiga had spoken of earlier. It had been the people that Maura’s company had smuggled who had been responsible for this. Right, Nezumi?

Nezumi says at the moment, it was nothing more than supposition. Rikiga and Inukashi start to panic, saying that if No.4 was making moves against No.6, then one wrong step could lead to outright war.

Nezumi sits on the sofa and crosses his legs, asking Shion if he’s worried about such a thing happening.

Shion says he’s not. He thinks the chance that No.4 is plotting war is low.

Nezumi asks why.

Shion explains: Just like all the other mayors, the mayor of No.4 understands well the risk to humanity’s continued existence that war threatens. He was around for the birth of the six cities, so he remembers what it was like when humanity teetered at the edge of extinction. He knows the dangers of war—especially the use of atomic weapons.

Nezumi asks Shion if he talked with No.4’s mayor.

Shion says that he got a request for a private phone call with him just this morning, and it looks like he’ll agree to the six-city summit being held in No.6.

Nezumi asks what magic he used to achieve such progress. Shion says that magic can’t hold a candle to reality—Nezumi was the one who taught him this.

Nezumi looks again at Shion, and sees that Shion is quietly very angry. He reflects on how Shion is always like this—his quietness belies a deep intensity. The feelings he doesn’t let show always begin to roil inside of him, becoming passionate—violent, deep blue waves.

Nezumi pretends he doesn’t notice Shion’s anger. He says, I’ll rephrase. Realistically, what measures did the Chairman of the Restructural Committee take to get No.4’s mayor to agree?

Shion says that via the Foreign Affairs Bureau, he sent a message to No.4 saying he would let them keep a third of the gold that was smuggled into No.4. That resulted in the request for a phone call from the mayor, and plans for formal relations between their two cities.

Inukashi and Rikiga wonder how much gold that third is, then Rikiga asks who it really is that has it out for No.6. Shion replies that it’s likely No.6 former bureaucrats and those with connections to them, and Nezumi confirms this.

In a voice that shows nothing of his deep anger, Shion continues: the bureaucrats that fled to No.6 are being monitored by No.4’s government, but it seems that there’s a certain elite class of bureaucrats that were receiving favorable treatment, likely because of the amount of gold and information about No.6 they brought with them.

Speaking the obvious on purpose, Nezumi says that regardless of the reason, laying hands on another state’s coffers or resources is a clear violation of international law. Shion gives a small nod.

Shion explains further that No.4 can’t simply let the escaped bureaucrats free, and all they’re doing right now is keeping an eye on them temporarily. As for the gold, No.6 has simply lent it to No.4 for a time, and once things have settled in No.6, they intend to go through the process of returning it. All in all, there is very, very little chance that No.4 as a state is directly involved in the unrest in No.6.

Rikiga disagrees, saying that Shion’s logic is trying to make a square peg fit in a round hole. If there’s one thing politicians can’t have, it’s a sense of shame—though he doesn’t mean Shion, of course. 

Inukashi calls Shion’s method of just smiling and letting No.4 have the gold stupidly idiotic. Shion agrees that sure, he may have given them a nice smile, but things are going to get much more difficult for the escaped bureaucrats going forward.

Looking away from Shion, Nezumi picks up his mug of water and takes a sip. The cool water helps his irritation dissipate, and he puts down the mug. He says things will get more difficult—for Shion, that is, and asks Shion if No.4 made clear that they intend to repatriate the bureaucrats to No.4. Shion says yes: No.4 intends to completely wash their hands of them and stop providing them with the life essentials they have been giving them thus far. No.4 doesn’t intend to put effort towards prosecuting them, but will demand that they return to No.6 as soon as possible, though No.4 wants a month of lead time.

Nezumi reasons that No.6 will owe No.4 a pretty substantial debt after this, and asks what the bureaucrats will do with their month of lead time. Shion says he’s going to have them make a choice—choose to return to No.6, or choose to be cast out of No.4 to wander the wastes. They’ll be free to pick either option.

Nezumi stares at the man staring in front of him. Inukashi and Rikiga also stare silently. Shion is essentially forcing the bureaucrats to return to No.6 for prosecution or face the death penalty—there’s no way they could survive in the wastes. Nezumi is shocked that Shion of all people could say such cruel words with a straight face. That speaks volumes about what Shion has experienced these past two years.

A chill runs up Nezumi’s spine, and he tries to think of ways that the cruel words coming out of Shion’s mouth are any different from the cruel things the old No.6 did to human beings. Were they completely different? Did they have deep similarities? Was their basis the same?

Rikiga speaks up, saying that those bureaucrats had it coming, though he looks away from Shion. Nezumi’s throat feels parched, and he touches a hand to his neck. He reaches for the mug of water, but it’s already empty.

Shion pours more water into it for him, and Nezumi gives a hesitant thanks. Shion says that the water here is delicious, and wonders if that’s why Nezumi’s soup had always tasted so good. Nezumi says it was because of the correct salt levels—he carefully modulated it based off of the soup ingredients. Shion says he wants to eat Nezumi’s soup again—won’t Nezumi make it for him? Nezumi asks why he’d want such slapdash soup when Karan makes such delicious food, but Shion says he wants to eat Nezumi’s soup.

Everyone in the room is quiet as Shion puts down the water pitcher. Then, Shion asks why Nezumi can say for certain that the people who have snuck into No.6 and are causing trouble are tied to the bureaucrats. Shion sits down at Nezumi’s side on the sofa.

Nezumi says that the question is better put the other way around—if not the bureaucrats, then who? Some criminal organization?

Shion says, voice neither tight nor soft, if that’s the judgement Nezumi has made, then he trusts him completely, but he wants to know the reason for Nezumi’s certainty.

Nezumi meets Shion’s eyes, and forces down a sigh. He flicks the switch on the robomouse to show the video of Rikiga and Raiku. He says that Raiku had been among the group that Maura had smuggled to No.6, and the feeling he had gotten from him had been identical to the old No.6.

Nezumi says that he’s sure that group isn’t among the eight percent of people who live outside the six cities—those who wander the wastes or who live in places like the West Block. Not just No.6, but all six cities clearly demarcated that eight percent as the bottom of the hierarchy. Not one city reached out with kindness to them.

Nezumi reaches out and places his hand on top of Shion’s where it rests on his knee. He says that Shion was different—he reached out with kindness. In the new No.6, the West Block, Lost Town, and Chronos had become nothing more than place names. Not one person was left behind, no matter where in No.6 they lived. What Shion had destroyed hadn’t just been No.6’s walls, but also the dividing lines between people. 

Those were Nezumi’s true feelings. Shion, what you did in No.6 these past two years was close to a miracle, he thinks, and has thought countless times, with a feeling close to reverence. He could not let this new and unfamiliar state, one not divided like the old one had been, one where individuals had the ability to speak their opinions freely, be destroyed. He needed to protect this imperfect, delicate, unstable world. His thoughts were a prayer.

Even so, he still felt a little bit in disarray right now. At odds within Shion were both the cruelty he had just shown and the kindness with which he had reached out to those who had needed it. 

Behind his closed eyes, Nezumi sees nameless white flowers in bloom, carpeting the land. He thinks, Shion, let’s go see the flowers. In some far-off land away from No.6, let’s wait for the flowers, wait for the rain, the two of us together. And then, let’s journey even farther, in search of unknown lands.

He slowly removes his hand from Shion’s, the palm of his hand still warm as he does.

Hey, Nezumi, says Inukashi. Is something wrong with you?

END CH 4 PART 1 SUMMARY

[aowyn]

No.6 Reunion #3 Summaries Masterpost

I have written detailed summaries of No.6 Reunion #3. I wrote these after carefully reading the novel in Japanese and taking extensive notes as I did so. Any mistakes are my own, and due to the nature of summaries, there are omissions from the original text. Here are my summaries for your reference:

Chapter 1: Here the Wind Shall Change entire chapter

Chapter 2: Beauty and Monstrosity entire chapter

Chapter 3: If I Try to Touch those Hidden Things part 1, part 2

Chapter 4: In the Far Reaches of this Land part 1, part 2

Side Story: To the One Waiting Far Away entire chapter

[qamar2026]

I write these words with a broken heart. To those who read this and choose to ignore it, you can simply scroll past, but I am living through the most difficult moments of my life. My husband is slowly dying before my eyes. Due to a severe head and jaw injury, he has been unable to eat or drink for over a week, his weight has dropped to just 39 kilograms, and he is suffering from severe, life-threatening malnutrition.

[qamar2026]

The doctors confirmed he needs urgent surgery, but we can't afford the operation and treatment. I feel helpless watching him weaken day by day, while time is running out.💔

chuffed - Vetted#53

[qamar2026]

I'm not asking for the impossible; I'm simply asking for a chance to save his life. Please, if you can't donate, don't hesitate to share our story. It might reach someone who can give him a new lease on life.💔🙏

[qamar2026]

Hashem’s condition is deteriorating, and we cannot face this alone. Every second counts now, as his health worsens without treatment. Please, do not ignore him; your support is his only chance to survive this nightmare.

[qamar2026]

Please donate now—every dollar and every share could save his life.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Came across this art installation, Liza Lou's Kitchen, at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC. It's a kitchen made of tiny glass beads, that artist Liza Lou did, taking 5 yrs. to complete, from 1991 - 1996.

My favorite part is the sink.

Details of a recipe book.

All the details in tiny glass beads.

Love the pie in the oven.

Love this so much.

No wonder it took 5 yrs.

https://whitney.org/collection/works/34855?

[tepkunset]

I feel like simply calling JK Rowling a transphobe isn't strong enough anymore. Like. This is not your grandpa calling you by your deadname at a restaurant kind of transphobic. This is her wanting to eradicate all trans people (with an extra special hatred towards trans women specifically). This is her trying just that by personally funding transphobic hate groups with millions to push around laws in the UK. It is not hyperbolic to call her a dangerous, genocidal maniac.

It's not about cancelling a problematic writer. It's about literally trying to save lives by denying her as much money and power as possible.

[puffydove]

All my haters become alligators when I enter the swamp of success

[scrumpster]

DAILY AFFIRMATIONS: 1. I'm so waterbed I feel like I am a waterbed under a waterbed

2. All my thoughts were surgically removed

3. I am a danger to myself and others

[aowyn]

No.6 Reunion #3 Chapter 3 Part 1 Summary

This is a summary of part 1 of chapter 3 of No.6 Reunion #3. Any errors are my own. Spoilers in abundance—beware! Chapter 3 part 2 and Chapter 4 coming soon. (Previous summaries: Chapter 1, Chapter 2)

Chapter 3: If I Try to Touch These Hidden Things - Part 1

“When the world was created, say the Fon, the snake gathered the earth together with its coils and gave men a place in which to live. It still sustains the world and its coils must not be loosened lest everything disintegrates. It is said that there are 3,500 snake coils above the earth and 3,500 below.”

-- African Mythology, by Geoffrey Parrinder

⁂

The chapter opens back in the underground room, in another break in Nezumi’s storytelling. Shion’s face is half in shadow, half in lamplight, and Nezumi can’t read his expression. Nezumi turns up the lamplight.

Shion asks if Nezumi had come back with Maura, then, but Nezumi says no. The world doesn’t always work out the way people want it to, and Nezumi had been too optimistic. Shion teases him for daring to be an optimist, then stands up from the bed and turns up all the lamps, bathing the room in light. Before coming here, Shion explains, he hadn’t known how to light a lamp—he hadn’t even seen one before. Nor had he been used to their low light, either, and he had strained his eyes while reading when he had first come here. But thanks to that experience, he had come to learn that light and darkness can coexist and intermingle in the same room. The light doesn't eradicate the darkness, and the darkness envelops the light.

Sitting down next to Nezumi again, he asks what Nezumi is hiding from him. Nezumi asks in return if he seems like he’s hiding something, and Shion replies, in a quiet but steady voice: very much so.

Still uncertain about opening up to Shion, Nezumi gives a showy shrug and says he’s not done with his story yet. Shion silently stares into the middle distance, where the light of the lamps doesn’t quite reach, then whispers that he wants to see those white flowers bloom out of the barren ground, so badly he can hardly stand it. He asks Nezumi if the sight was beautiful.

Very beautiful, almost like wandering into Wonderland, Nezumi replies.

Shion’s face lights up with a carefree smile, and he says he’s glad that Nezumi had been able to experience such beautiful sights. He laments how Nezumi has experienced so many horrors throughout his life that Shion couldn’t—no, didn’t even try to—imagine.

Nezumi quietly contemplates the horrible things he’s experienced: death, blood, all-consuming flames. Falling walls. A crowd beneath a balcony. And he’s witnessed new horrors he has yet to tell Shion about.

He tugs at Shion’s hair, eliciting an ow!, then says he’s seen a myriad of things in his life, and not all bad. Many have been beautiful as well.

Shion, leaning in closer, asks what kinds of beautiful things, and Nezumi thinks, six years ago, I saw you. He remembers Shion screaming out into the storm, window thrown open wide. Witnessing that miracle had made a feverish feeling bubble up inside Nezumi that he still doesn’t know what to call—not simple surprise or joy, but something else entirely. He had felt like he was being told that it was okay for him to live. It was so beautiful, Shion. I saw something so beautiful that day, he thinks.

Shion presses him for an answer again, and Nezumi stands up in front of him.

“Want to see it?” Nezumi asks. 

“What?” A momentary flash of confusion appears in Shion’s eyes.

“Want to go see beautiful, unfamiliar sights?” he asks again.

“You mean like all those white flowers blooming at once?”

“I do.”

Shion’s eyes sparkle. “I do want to go,” he says. “I want to see it for myself.”

“Let’s go then. It’s a promise.” Nezumi says.

“A real promise?”

“Of course. Completely real—pinky swear it,” says Nezumi. “Or instead….” He leans in and gives a little smile. “Does the lofty Chairman wish to seal it with a kiss?”

Shion looks up, gaze sharp. “You’ll grant my wishes, then?”

“Of course,” Nezumi agrees. “I’ll grant you anything you desire and obey anything you command. I am at your service, Your Excellency.” 

“I don’t need a kiss or a pinky swear,” Shion says, grabbing Nezumi’s arm. “I don’t need anything but your promise—that’s enough for me.”

Shion seeks assurance from Nezumi that it’s okay to trust him in this—trust that they’ll go see the flowers together. Nezumi grabs his wrist and pulls him in close, knowing that what Shion is really asking is if Nezumi has the resolve to follow through on what he’s promised. When he lets go of Shion’s wrist, warmth lingers on his fingers.

Nezumi explains that he knows very little about the conditions under which those white flowers bloom, and Shion says that’s fine—it means all they have to do is wait for them to bloom. To wait for a miracle, you mean? asks Nezumi, and Shion says yes. They can camp out by the spring until they bloom, no matter how long it takes. Shion’s confident it’ll all be just fine because Nezumi will be there with him. Nezumi jokes that his confidence is baseless, and Shion asks if he wasn’t actually serious about the invitation. Nezumi says no—he’s completely serious. Nezumi thinks privately: Let’s go, Shion, somewhere that isn’t No.6. I’m the only one who can set you free from everything that’s keeping you in bondage.

Shion and Nezumi joke back and forth, and Shion’s smile reminds Nezumi of Hekiseki’s. Shion tells Nezumi how excited he is to go see the flowers, and starts hatching travel plans. Once the playful banter is over, Shion asks Nezumi if he thinks anything else is going to happen like what’s been going on these past few days. Nezumi fires back, saying he knows Shion isn’t so naive to believe that nothing will—the events of the past few days are simply the prologue to more. Shion, bluntly and decisively, says he won’t let anything else happen—he’ll simply stop the disturbances and secret plotting before it escalates further. Nezumi, sitting down on the sofa, quips that that’s a lot more dangerous than a wasteland camping trip.

Shion asks him to continue his story, asking how long he had stayed in No.4. Nezumi explains that it had been just a few days while Maura and company prepared for the journey to No.6. They weren’t allowed to stay longer than that—though they used to stay for months—because for reasons intimately tied to No.6’s collapse, No.4 had started to become more strict about Maura’s group specifically, no longer allowing them to freely roam the city. 

Shion asks if he thinks if No.4 is planning to take a shot at No.6. Nezumi replies that he can't even begin to guess at the answer to that question, but he didn’t think No.4’s mayor was trying to land-grab. One wrong move and it’d end badly for him and the carefully maintained equilibrium between the six cities. If conflict, no matter how small, erupted between any of the cities, it would spell humanity’s extinction, and everyone knew this, citizens and leaders alike. This careful balance was also why the six cities had historically maintained a strict non-interference policy, even when another city collapsed like No.6 had. Thus, it was difficult to believe that No.4 would act so boldly against No.6—the other cities and No.4’s citizens would not allow it. No.4’s mayor, who had been in politics for a long time, had very little to gain by putting his city at risk by making moves on another.

Not even No.6 had ever done such a thing, only caring about controlling its own internal workings, not other cities. By closing itself off with walls, it had become a perfect totalitarian state, carefully and deliberately constructed—no one looking from outside could see in, while it did whatever it wanted inside. The rare few who fought back were simply taken out of the picture. 

Nezumi shifts his gaze to Shion, the man at the head of No.6. He wonders if people will be able to take back their silenced voices now that the walls are down. Is people being able to voice their opinions without fear what Shion wants? No.6 had stolen that away because people with opinions and desires can’t easily be forced into a cage of control. Shion, what will you do, he wonders. Will you make anew this mess of a world? Or will you go down the path of No.6’s former mayor, taking ultimate power into your own hands? Such a future was entirely possible, if unlikely, and yet it crosses his mind anyway. To be thinking of such things must mean Nezumi is more prone to flights of fancy than he thought he was.

Shion asks how many were in the group smuggled from No.4 and what their goal was, needing to confirm if they were involved in the recent fires and murders. He also asks what had happened to Maura’s group. Nezumi, lost in thought as he is, doesn’t answer immediately, and Shion asks what he was thinking about. 

Nezumi deflects the question, saying they should wait for their guests to arrive before he continues his story. Shion is surprised—guests? Nezumi turns up the lamplight as someone fussed with the other side of the unlocked door, and the little mice disappear into the darkness above the bookshelves.

(To be continued in Chapter 3 part 2.)

[mafuteru]