----Kouki Arakawa Viewpoint


　During lunch time at the academy, Saito-kun, Alice-chan, and the other members of the group, including Aikawa-san, were having a meal recently, and Aikawa-san, as if remembering, said to me: "By the way, when will your 'research building' be completed, Arakawa-kun?

Speaking of which, when will Arakawa-kun's 'research building' be completed?

　Hey, I don't know anything about that. In the first place, I'm supposed to just take an ethics class in this academy, I don't need to have a lab. That's what I'm thinking.

'Rumor has it there's a lab in the basement as well, right?　It bothers me too.

　Even Alice asked me. What's going on without my knowledge?　I felt uneasy, so I checked with Saito-kun.

Saito-kun, what is my research building? I don't know anything about that.

'Huh?　I believe a summary was sent to everyone's devices before, but I believe it's a building under construction behind Lab 2 so that Arakawa-kun can be safe even if he does some dangerous research.

　I have no idea. I hurriedly operated my own device, but I couldn't find the reception history of such a thing.... I asked Saito-kun to forward the same thing to me, and it had something written on it that made my head hurt.



　A communication from the academy to the students currently enrolled in the school.

　We are currently building a new research building behind the Special Advanced Research Building in the Academy. There is also the possibility of possibly storing hazardous materials, so internal information will not be released for confidentiality purposes. Therefore, if you approach the building under construction without permission, you may be detained by the security guards, so we ask for your cooperation. In addition, Mr. Arakawa, who is enrolled in the school, will use the building after it is completed.


　Huh?　What's the matter with me, how special am I?　Speaking of which, I heard a rumor about a skinhead wandering around a building under construction, but could that guy be involved?　No, more importantly, why is this happening without notifying the person in question........ I think about it desperately, but I can't find an answer. I think we should consult with the headmaster for now, I've come to the conclusion that we should

I'm sorry, I'm just going to the headmaster's office. He probably won't be back today, so you can go ahead and go.

　I told everyone and then hurried to the dean's office.




　When I enter the dean's office, he's looking at me with a frightened look on his face for some reason. I don't remember doing anything, but I just smile and ask him a question.

What's that all about in my lab?　I hadn't heard anything about it.

'What?　I sent the contents to the terminal at Arakawa-kun's house. I even received a reply.

　Then he shows me a printout. I'm sure it was written to me, but I don't recall seeing or writing a reply. Something was wrong, I thought, and when I checked the address of the replyer, it said 'M-arakawa'...
　Hey!　Mom, what the hell are you doing?　Don't reply to that message that was sent to my son!　I can't help it, I'll complain to my mom about this when I get home and the rest is 'special treatment'. It doesn't make me happy to do that, and it only makes the other students feel bad. I'd complain to the headmaster, but

'You don't need to worry about that. There's a special budget in place, and most importantly, I don't want you to do dangerous research in the presence of other students.

　That's what I was told back. I don't do dangerous research....why do you think I'm so misunderstood, do you think I'm an abusive person? No, I can't say anything else, it will only break my heart. I gave up early and decided to go home to see my mother, the culprit.




Welcome home, Kou-chan.

　When I come home, my mother greets me with a smile, and I usually reply in a conciliatory manner, but that's not the case today.

"Mom, this is the thing. Why are you replying to the one that was addressed to me?

　Saying that, I show them the paper the dean gave me.

''Because, Kou-chan, you don't know what you need for research or safety standards.

　I don't know for sure, but I don't know if we need an isolation lab that's 30 meters underground, and besides this, it has a radiation room and even a decompression room. You don't need a lab building with a basement three stories above ground in the first place!　I tell my mom a little angrily, and she replies with more anger than that.

'What are you talking about!　This level of safety is normal. Ko-chan, a researcher has to think about the safety of other people. When conducting virus research, it's not just a matter of "I've been vaccinated, so it's safe", but it's also a matter of shutting down the entire building in case of an accident!　That's why your mother asked for a building that would meet the regulations.

　Why are we talking about the premise that I'm going to research something so dangerous!　It's crazy. I mean, that's what you said, and your mother was studying in her room, and that's not okay.

"She's got a lead frame over her room, you know?　If there's a problem, they're supposed to lock up the whole person inside.

　Really!　I've lived in this house for about 15 years and I've never heard of that before!　d*mn, it's frustrating to end up in a situation where I was supposed to be complaining, but I'm subtly lacking in common sense....
　I want to fight back at least in some way, I thought like a child and thought about what to say. And one thing that Mom couldn't say back to me came to mind.

「シャワールームは兎も角、仮眠室とか調理室まではいらないでしょ？　衛生面とかでも問題あるし」

　俺が少々勝ち誇った顔で言うと、更に勝ち誇った顔で母さんが俺に返してくる。

「そうね、必要ないかもしれない。でもねこうちゃん、それがあると研究棟に泊まれるわよね？　という事は『アリスちゃん』が徹夜で研究する時とかにシャワーが使えると喜ぶと思うし、調理室でご飯を作るかもしれないわね。まぁどうしても要らないって言うのなら、今からでも別の機材を搬入してもらうけど」

「申し訳ありませんでした母上、二度と口答えは致しません。ですので後生ですからそのままにして下さい」

　俺はそう言って何処かに通信を送ろうとする母さんを止めるために土下座をするしか無かった。




「という事があってさ、なんで僕が危険人物になってるんだよ」

「フヒヒ、荒川君も大変なんだね」

　翌日、早めに学院に来た俺は学食のテーブルで斉藤君に愚痴を漏らしていた。話を聞いている斉藤君はいつもの様に俺の心境を理解してくれる、親友が出来てよかったなとしみじみ感じているとある事を思い出した。

「斉藤君、僕たち親友だよね」

「うん、ボクはそう思っているよ」

　ふむ、俺と同じように考えてくれるならきっと大丈夫だと思う。断られたら不登校になりそうだけど頑張ってお願いしてみるか。

「じゃさ、これから信吾って呼んでいい？　僕の事も功樹でいいからさ」

「フヒ！？　良いの？」

　おう、勿論だよ！　むしろ俺はもっと早く言いたかったのだが切っ掛けが掴めなかった。アリスちゃんと付き合う事にもなったしそろそろ斉藤君とも名前で呼び合ったほうがいいだろ。

「そうだ荒……じゃなくて功樹が昨日帰ってから、学院長に研究棟のセキュリティーカードを渡してくれるように頼まれてたんだ。今日から入れるって」

　信吾は鞄の中から俺にカードを出して渡してくる。後から全員で見に行こうかなと考えていると、ちょうど良い時にアリスちゃんと相川さんが来た。

「今から僕の研究棟見に行かない？　信吾からセキュリティーカードも貰ったし、今日から入れるって」

　俺がそう言うと信吾も相川さんも賛成してくれたがアリスちゃんが黙っている。そして俺を振り返り

「私もアリスがいい」

と言い出した。なんの事だ？　理解が出来ずに質問すると脹れたようにジタバタしながら

「呼び方！　『アリスちゃん』じゃなくて私も斉藤君を呼ぶみたいに『アリス』って呼んで」

そんな事か……、俺は笑いながら『アリス』と呼ぶと嬉しそうにしてくれた。




「ここが、功樹君の研究棟なの？　凄い」

　アリスが驚いているようだが俺も驚いている。なんだよコレは、この前に行った次世代科学研究所と同じくらい凄いぞここ。正面の入り口は3重に保護され、内部の主要な部屋は全て網膜と静脈のスキャンを行わなければ入室出来ないシステムになっている。こんな所1人で使い切れんぞ……、俺が思わず口にすると

「じゃあ、このメンバーで使えば良くない？」

　信吾が名案でしょ？　とばかりに俺に言ってくる。それもそうだな、他のメンバーに聞いて賛成してくれるならそれが一番だと判断して聞いてみようとしたら

「じゃ、私は3階を使うね。アリスちゃんは2階でいい？」

「うん、私は薬品とか使うから頑丈な薬品棚がある方が良いしね。斉藤君は一番危険が少なそうだから1階の奥でいいと思う」

　女性陣がすでに使用する部屋を割り振り始めていた。そうかこの流れだと俺が『地下』になるのか、俺は信吾の方を泣きそうな顔で眺めるが速攻で目を逸らされる。

「信吾、僕は地下に行きたくない」

「無理だよ、ボク達が何か言っても恵美ちゃん達は絶対に聞いてくれないよ？」

　甘い！　甘すぎるぞ信吾、そんな事は最初から分かっている。俺が言いたいのは『一緒に1階を使おう』という事だ、俺の考えを教えると

「ボクは良いけど、功樹は良いの？　『友達』を家から持って来るつもりなんだけど」

こう返されてしまった。仕方ないが諦めるしかない、信吾の『友達』と仲良くするのは俺には無理だ。結局その後暫くして決まった部屋の割り振りは


3階と屋上にある高速通信設備……相川さんが担当。
2階と薬品関係の機材……アリスが担当。
1階奥と電子工学設備……信吾が担当。
地下にある隔離研究室……俺が担当。


　その他の設備、例えば仮眠室やシャワールーム等の共有部分は全員で担当することになった。皆はにこやかに自分の研究室から使っていた物を移動する準備をしていたが俺はどうも明るくなれない。
　It's because I ended up being quarantined to some unintelligible place like 30 meters underground or something. As I was fiddling with the idea of going to Shingo's place after all, Alice said with an embarrassed look on her face

''If you're underground, Conju-kun, we can be alone without anyone disturbing us.




Not surprisingly, I think we could go underground!





----Miki Arakawa Point of View


Yes, yes, I understand. I'll take care of that, then.

　I cut off the communication, a little tiredly, the person I was talking to until now is Gongju's security officer. In case something happens to Gongju, there will always be a security team on standby inside the 'secret room' in the walls of the research building in case something happens to him.
　In addition to security, if that girl gets lost in blood and tries to create an 'extremely dangerous object', they will stop her, or in the event of an 'accident', they will immediately rescue and guide her to evacuate. Well I forgot one more thing, I remembered the equipment that the guards need and sent the communication again.

''I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you another piece of equipment we need. Please make sure you have enough 'CBRNE Protective Clothing' for the number of people, if you don't have enough, I'll get it for you.

　I hear a reluctant voice on the other end of the comm, but I yell at the person in charge, irritated.

'You don't seem to understand the importance of this. Okay?　That boy even used chemical weapons in his own garden in the past, do you people dare to enter Gongju's lab without protective clothing?

　As I said this, the person in charge seemed to finally understand and hurriedly cut off the communication, saying he would prepare for it. The only thing left to do is the dean........

Mr. Yamamoto?　I'm Miki Arakawa, and my son is always there for me.

　When I send the communication, the dean replies as if a little flustered.

''As I recall, you have a close relationship with the Self-Defense Force, correct?　No......yes. I don't mean to blame you.

　Apparently, you're mistakenly thinking I'm angry about the request to dispatch the self-defense force to Gongju, and while I have some anger about that, that's not what I'm here for. But I hope you'll see more thorns in my words...

''Can't you ask that self-defense force's defense unit to perform 'heat attack treatment at all costs' in the event of an accident in Gongju's research building?

　I ask, adding that of course, it's only after Gongju and his friends get out safely. They seemed to be thinking about it for a while, but then they realized what it meant and said they would call up their own security forces.
　Okay, now they should be able to deal with whatever Gongju makes. As long as she doesn't make a nuclear weapon, we'll be fine.......but will she really not make one, won't she think, 'I'm annoyed and I'm going to make a nuclear weapon because I'm annoyed' at some point?　No, I think I'm overthinking it, and there's no way I'm going to violate an international treaty to make it.






Hello, Shuichi-san?　You know, in case Gongju makes a nuclear weapon....

　My sleep is going to be less today.