# Chapter 51
“It’s better to keep it hidden.”
“…Well, Peace wouldn’t use that ability for anything good. That’s a wise decision.”
Zenon gently stroked Alice’s silver hair, agreeing that it was a good choice. Zenon, who knew the true nature of Peace in detail, would empathize even more.
I thought being a superpower user would be better than being a test subject, but if Alice chose to be here, maybe that wasn’t the case.
“Keep hiding it well in the future—”
Zenon’s words of caution suddenly stopped. A faint vibration sound began to be heard in the silence.
Bzzzz— Bzzzz—
Zenon checked his vibrating phone from his pocket. It seemed to be a message, and as he quickly checked the notification, his expression gradually darkened. Had something bad happened?
“…I’ll be right back.”
Before I could ask why, he hurriedly left the lab as soon as he saw the message. I caught a glimpse of Zenon’s face, which was full of irritation. If I had to guess, the sender was probably a high-ranking official at Peace. They were almost the only ones who could make his face look like that.
The sound of Zenon’s shoes stomping the ground gradually faded away, and soon silence enveloped the room. I shifted my gaze back to Alice. Alice, who had been fiddling with her silver hair, made eye contact with me, perhaps sensing my gaze.
I knew her ability was mind reading. But there was still a lot I wanted to ask, enough to say this was just the beginning.
Being able to read others’ thoughts meant she could read my thoughts as well. Since she had been close to me, there was no way she couldn’t have read my thoughts.
“How much do you know?”
She must have already discovered that I’m Kay, not Kane.
“Everything.”
“You know everything?”
“Yes, I heard everything.”
Even so, she couldn’t possibly hear everything. The more a superpower is used, the more it drains one’s stamina. So even Alice couldn’t maintain mind reading continuously.
Moreover, her body had been weakened by experiments. Maintaining it for even a few minutes should be her limit. But Alice seemed to use her superpower naturally all the time, like breathing, not just using it selectively.
“You’ve been constantly hearing other people’s thoughts?”
“Yes, I hear them constantly.”
Thinking I might have misunderstood, I asked again, but the answer was the same. Then, does Alice have a unique restriction like my regeneration ability?
“Kane told me. I’m special.”
She spoke up while I was still pondering.
“He said superpower users usually have no limits as long as their stamina supports them. So the superpower is maintained even until death.”
“Once an ability manifests, it doesn’t disappear.”
Other superpowers could block an ability, but it couldn’t completely disappear. However, the fact that Alice brought this up meant she was different.
“I’m different. My superpower has a lifespan.”
“A lifespan?”
For a moment, I wondered if it was like my case, but Alice said her superpower had a lifespan. That meant there was something unusual about the superpower itself.
Alice seemed to recall what Kane had said and recited the sentences from her memory.
“Kane said my superpower is like it’s in a cup. So if I use up all the ability in the cup, it disappears.”
“So it’s powerful but finite?”
The superpowers normal superpower users have are like faucets, with a set amount that can come out at once. But a cup can release all its contents if tipped over, so the ability has no set limits. So the moment Alice exhausts her superpower, she returns to being an ordinary person.
“It could be a side effect of the experiments.”
My superpower has a natural limit and restriction, taking away lifespan in exchange for regeneration. But mind reading doesn’t have such characteristics. So the reason Alice’s superpower is abnormal must be due to the experiments. I can’t tell exactly how the superpower manifestation occurred, but the drugs couldn’t have had a positive effect.
“Do you… understand?”
“Yes, then you also knew about my identity?”
I nodded slightly toward Alice, who seemed ready to repeat everything Kane had said. I would have had to ask someday, so it was good to get it all out today.
“It’s been a while…”
“So you knew from the beginning. About Zenon’s identity as well.”
The reason Alice had said such things to us at first was because it truly had been a long time. In fact, no matter how well I acted as Kane, I couldn’t become him perfectly. So I thought it wouldn’t be strange if Alice became suspicious.
Until now, Alice hadn’t failed to notice; she had known and let it pass.
“I can know everything I hear.”
As she murmured in a firm voice, the guilt I had buried resurfaced. Having failed to rescue her, I had only given her false hope.
Moreover, since the target was Alice, Peace’s surveillance had probably intensified more than before. So it would have been natural for her to harbor hostility toward me.
But there was no trace of hostility in Alice’s demeanor. Not only did she not resent me, but she even gave advice to Zenon.
“…I’m sorry. For not being able to save you then.”
I couldn’t help feeling this way. That moment still remained a regret. I failed Boss’s mission and failed to save Alice. If I had been just a bit more careful, I might have succeeded.
Alice might have been somewhere bright outside, not in a laboratory. At least, if I had only had the regeneration ability.
No matter how I thought about it, the reason the mission failed was because of me.
“It’s okay.”
But Alice didn’t blame me. A warm sensation enveloped my hand, which was growing cold. She gently held my hand as if to comfort me.
“Kay didn’t do anything wrong.”
To think I’m receiving comfort in a situation where I should be offering it. But with those words, I could feel the guilt that had been festering slowly melting away. It’s strange. Even when I reassured myself that it was okay, nothing changed. To think I would really be okay with such simple words.
“Thank you for saying that.”
I conveyed the maximum gratitude I could as Kay, while erasing as much of Kane’s traces as possible. A gentle smile like a refined flower appeared on Alice’s lips. I couldn’t help but smile in return.
“Did you know it would fail?”
I immediately returned to Kane’s speech pattern, as using my original manner of speaking could pose unknown risks.
“No… It suddenly got noisy.”
“I see.”
Certainly, even she couldn’t know everything. The information she gave to Zenon this time must have been pushing her limits. I had thought it strange that she suddenly developed a fever. That must have been the cause.
“If you wait a little longer, someone else besides me will come to save you.”
I said what I could to give Alice hope. Boss wouldn’t let go of Alice. Even if it took some time, Alice would certainly be able to escape.
“Someone else?”
“Yes, you have an older brother.”
“Brother…”
“Is there a problem?”
Maybe it was too long ago and she had forgotten? Alice had a peculiar expression at the mention of having a brother. Seeing her reaction as if she had heard something unfamiliar, I considered telling her about Boss, but Alice shook her head.
“No.”
Alice’s expression returned to normal. She must have just momentarily forgotten about her brother’s existence.
“Your brother was my boss. The organization was even named ‘Alice’ to find you.”
I added more explanation, thinking some clarification might be necessary.
“Alice… my name?”
“Yes, that’s your name. Alice.”
It must be a name she couldn’t possibly not know, having said it to herself countless times, but hearing it directly must feel different. I too felt a strange sensation when Boss called my name for the first time.
“Alice… Alice.”
“Do you like it?”
“I like it.”
When I asked her as she kept murmuring her name, she nodded immediately. Does she like it that much? It’s not unreasonable, since until now she’s been called by the designation A-11.
“That’s good. Then Alice also knows about my circumstances?”
“Yes.”
Thinking it might help her, I wrote Alice’s name on a piece of paper and gave it to her. She hesitated for a moment, then hugged the paper close to her chest. Without letting go of the paper, Alice continued.
“Kane told me to hide it.”
“Your ability?”
“Yes, he said they would kill me if it disappeared.”
Of course, the purpose of the experiment is to create superpower users. Alice without superpowers would be useless to Peace and would be killed immediately. In that case, it was better to stay in the laboratory. Alice, who had the potential for superpowers to manifest, would still be necessary to Peace.
“Do you miss Kane?”
“He’s a good person.”
I could tell just by looking at his diary. That he was a clear and pure person who didn’t belong in this place. Being such a person, Alice would miss Kane.
“I’ll try my best to return to normal as soon as possible.”
Even if I try, there’s probably nothing I can immediately change, but maybe I can find something if I look through the data. But Alice, whom I expected to be happy, wasn’t so pleased. Rather, a sad expression formed on her face.
“…Then what about Kay?”
“Huh?”
Alice, who had been carefully folding the paper, raised her head and looked directly at me. Her blue eyes wavered anxiously.
“Kay will disappear.”
That was concern directed at me. Alice also knew that if Kane returned, I would die again. That’s why she could harbor such gentle anxiety.
“It’s okay. I’m bound to disappear anyway.”
But originally, I should have vanished long ago. So it was only natural that I would disappear when everything returned to normal.
“Kay is also a good person.”
I tried to brush it off, but Alice spoke to me once more. Her voice reached me clearly, filled with conviction, but this time I couldn’t agree with her words.
A good person? Isn’t that too much for me? Someone who kills people without a second thought can’t be a good person.
I was someone who could never be good.
“So you shouldn’t disappear.”
“…Thank you for saying that.”
But I couldn’t say that to Alice. Even if she was reading my thoughts, it would be the same. This is something I shouldn’t say to her.
So I could only say these meaningless words.
