10 August — Morning
The morning was unusually quiet.
Ai and Anna's grandfather, Kaiser, sat across from one another at the dining table. Ai had a book open in her hands, her attention completely absorbed by its pages. Across from her, Kaiser sat with his only remaining arm resting on the table, occasionally glancing toward her before quickly looking away. From the kitchen came the faint sounds of utensils and Anna moving about as she prepared breakfast.
After several moments of silence, Kaiser finally turned toward the kitchen and called out, "Anna! Are you sure you don't need my help?"
"Yeah, Grandpa!" Anna's voice came from the kitchen. "Kaiser, leave it to me!"
Kaiser nodded to himself before turning back toward Ai.
Silence.
He looked at her.
Ai continued reading.
Kaiser looked at her again.
She continued reading.
An awkwardness slowly settled over the room. Kaiser tried to think of something—anything—that might serve as a natural beginning to a conversation. He opened his mouth once, closed it again, and spent another few seconds searching his mind for a suitable topic.
Finally, he forced a small smile.
"So… uh, what are you reading?"
Ai looked up suddenly.
For a brief moment, her eyes met his. Then, without saying anything, her gaze slowly returned to the book.
"I am reading about Augustus Caesar."
"August—what?"
"Augustus Caesar. The first emperor of the Roman Empire."
"Oh…" Kaiser nodded slowly, as though he had just been given information he wasn't entirely sure what to do with. "Yeah… okay."
The silence returned almost immediately.
Kaiser shifted slightly in his seat.
"So…" he tried again. "What do you do in your free time?"
"I read," Ai replied.
Kaiser stared at her for a moment.
"…Anything else?"
"Not much."
That was enough.
Kaiser quietly gave up.
He leaned back slightly, studying the girl sitting across from him. There was something about Ai that he couldn't quite understand. She was quiet, reserved, and strangely difficult to read. Most children her age would have filled the room with questions, stories, complaints, or meaningless chatter. Ai seemed perfectly comfortable allowing silence to exist.
Kaiser began wondering how exactly one was supposed to understand what was going on inside the mind of someone like her.
Several minutes passed.
Then Ai finally lifted her eyes from the book.
She closed it carefully and placed it on the table before resting her elbows against its surface. Kaiser noticed the change immediately and looked toward her.
Ai stared at him for a moment before speaking.
"What was war like?"
Kaiser blinked.
"What?"
"I mean…" Ai paused briefly, choosing her words carefully. "You fought in the World War. If you're comfortable enough to talk about it… can you explain what it was like? Your experience?"
Kaiser didn't answer immediately.
For several seconds, he simply stared at the table.
Then he released a long, tired sigh and slowly nodded.
Ai's curiosity grew with every passing second.
Kaiser lowered his gaze.
"For starters," he said quietly, "I would say it was not much better than Hell."
His voice had changed. The awkwardness from earlier had disappeared completely.
"War may sound fascinating to some people," he continued, "but usually only to those who have never seen it or experienced it themselves. People imagine glory, bravery, pride… medals, victories, heroes returning home. But none of those things mean much when you're standing in front of the real thing."
Ai remained completely silent.
Kaiser continued.
"The real horror isn't simply that people are dying one after another. It's something much worse. A soldier eventually forgets just how many lives he has taken. At first, you remember every face. Every person. Every moment. But as the days pass and the fighting continues, the numbers become impossible to comprehend."
His fingers slowly tightened against the edge of the table.
"No matter how prepared you are for war, and no matter how cold-hearted you believe yourself to be… the more you kill, the more it feels as though every person you've killed is clinging to your shoulders. And eventually, you realize that you're carrying all of them."
He paused.
"For the rest of your life."
Ai's expression remained still, but she listened to every word.
"There is no such thing as redemption in this world," Kaiser said. "It's only about how well you carry the consequences of your deeds."
His eyes drifted toward the window.
"Soldiers may think about glory, bravery, or pride before entering a battlefield. But once they're standing in front of the actual thing, those ideals disappear almost immediately."
A faint bitterness entered his voice.
"On the battlefield, the hardest part wasn't survival."
He looked back at Ai.
"It was remaining sane."
The room fell silent again.
Kaiser took another breath.
"And in my case…" His voice became quieter. "I joined the military and participated in the war thinking that I had nothing to lose."
He stopped.
A long silence followed.
"I was wrong."
His eyes lowered.
"Very wrong."
Another pause.
"There was only one thing left."
His voice almost became a whisper.
"And I lost it."
Ai continued looking at him.
Kaiser finally raised his eyes.
"Myself."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Ai had listened to every detail without interrupting him even once. She seemed completely consumed by the conversation, as though she had forgotten everything else around her.
Then, suddenly—
"Grandpa!"
Anna's voice echoed from the kitchen.
Kaiser blinked and looked toward the doorway.
"There are no tomatoes or onions at all!" Anna shouted. "I can't make the dish without them!"
Kaiser sighed.
"I think I forgot to buy them. Sorry."
"Oh, Grandpa, come on!"
There was a mixture of frustration and amusement in Anna's voice.
"Now I think I have to go myself to buy them."
"Sorry, dear."
A moment later, Anna emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands before beginning to put on her shoes.
Ai watched her for a moment.
Then she looked toward Anna.
"Can I come along?"
Anna glanced at her and smiled.
"Of course. I've got no problem with that. But I thought you and Grandpa were having a conversation."
Ai turned toward Kaiser.
For a moment, the two exchanged a quiet look.
Then Ai closed her book and picked it up.
"I think we have to save it for next time."
Kaiser smiled softly.
He nodded.
"Yeah."
And just like that, their conversation came to an end.
But the words Kaiser had spoken remained behind in the quiet room long after they had left it.
A few minutes later, Ai and Anna were walking through the market, their eyes wandering from one side of the street to the other as they searched for a vegetable shop. The market was far from lively that morning. Although several people could be seen walking along the streets, hardly any of them seemed to be there for the purpose of shopping. Rows of shops stood on either side of the road, their entrances facing the steady trickle of passersby. There were bookstores, clothing stores, grocery shops, furniture houses, and various other establishments, each forming a small part of the otherwise quiet marketplace. The two girls continued walking, occasionally glancing at the shops they passed, until Anna finally broke the silence.
"So, what were you and Grandpa talking about?"
Ai turned her head slightly to look at her. "Nothing that might interest you."
Anna immediately shot her a sharp look. "Try me."
Ai let out a quiet sigh, already regretting the conversation before it had even begun. "We were discussing the psychological effects and the mental condition of a soldier before, during, and after a war—"
"Fine. Shut up."
Anna cut her off without the slightest hesitation.
Ai stared at her for a moment, her expression completely blank. Then she turned her attention back to the road, while Anna continued walking as though nothing had happened. For the next few minutes, neither of them said a word. Their footsteps echoed faintly against the street as they passed one shop after another, the search for vegetables continuing in comfortable silence. Or, at least, it might have remained comfortable had Anna not suddenly decided to open her mouth again.
"So…" she began, wearing a suspiciously innocent expression. "Any news regarding your boyfriend?"
Ai froze.
A crimson blush spread across her face almost immediately, and she turned toward Anna with an expression that betrayed far more than her words ever could. "W-what do you mean? M-my boyfriend? Who?"
Anna burst into laughter.
"Awww! Look at you!" she exclaimed, practically delighted by Ai's reaction. "Hahaha! Don't be embarrassed, okay? I'm just curious. Besides, you're smart enough to know exactly who I'm talking about."
Ai took a deep breath, forcing herself to regain her composure. She straightened her expression and looked away, determined not to give Anna the satisfaction of witnessing another reaction. After a few seconds, she finally answered in a calmer voice. "No. Actually, I don't have any news about him. Nothing at all."
She paused, thinking for a moment before continuing. "If I remember correctly, they didn't even have a landline. His mother used to do sewing and other wool-related work to make a living, so I doubt there was any easy way for them to stay in contact with anyone."
Anna listened without interrupting, a small smile gradually appearing on her face.
Ai noticed it almost immediately.
"Why are you smiling?"
"Hehe." Anna brought a hand to her mouth, trying unsuccessfully to suppress her grin. "Because this is probably the first time you've actually told me something about him directly."
Ai said nothing.
She merely looked ahead and continued walking, hoping that her silence would discourage Anna from pursuing the subject any further. Unfortunately, she had severely underestimated her friend's determination.
"So…" Anna continued, moving a little closer to her. "Any chance you'll tell me his name?"
"Not at all."
"Awww, come on!" Anna protested. "Okay, fine! Just his surname, then."
Ai turned to look at her.
Anna immediately clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture, her eyes practically sparkling with anticipation. She looked less like someone asking a simple question and more like a devotee praying before a goddess.
Ai sighed.
"Fine."
Anna stopped walking for half a second.
"REALLY? REALLY?!" Her face lit up with an almost ridiculous amount of excitement. "Are you a goddess or something?!"
"Now shut up, or I won't tell you."
Anna immediately closed her mouth.
Unfortunately, her expression refused to cooperate. Her eyes remained wide with anticipation, and the enormous smile on her face made it abundantly clear that she was struggling to contain herself. Ai watched her for a moment, took another deep breath, and finally leaned slightly toward her.
"Kruger," she whispered.
Anna's smile grew even wider.
For a brief moment, she simply stared at Ai, as though she had just been entrusted with the greatest secret in human history. Then, with a dreamy expression on her face, she began murmuring to herself.
"Kruger weds Kurokawa…"
She paused, apparently considering the sound of the words.
"Wow. That sounds so good!"
Before Anna could continue her little fantasy, Ai placed a hand on her shoulder and slowly turned her toward her. Their eyes met. Ai wore a terrifyingly sweet smile, one that seemed to promise consequences far more unpleasant than anything her quiet voice could convey.
Anna's expression stiffened.
"Fine, fine!" she said hurriedly. "I won't say it again!"
Ai continued staring at her for another moment before finally releasing her shoulder.
"Good."
Anna rubbed her shoulder theatrically, though the grin on her face suggested that she wasn't particularly sorry about anything. Ai, meanwhile, resumed walking, hoping that the subject had finally been buried. For the time being, at least, Anna seemed willing to let it rest.
Then Ai noticed something unusual farther down the street.
A crowd had gathered around a wall.
Several people stood close together, their attention fixed on something displayed in front of them. Some appeared to be whispering among themselves, while others simply stared in silence. Their presence was conspicuous enough to draw attention even in the otherwise quiet market.
Anna noticed the gathering as well and slowed her pace.
"What are they doing over there?" she asked, tilting her head toward the crowd. "Why is everyone staring at a wall?"
Ai narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to see what had attracted so much attention from a distance. She couldn't make out anything clearly, but the number of people gathered around a single spot was enough to arouse her curiosity.
"Let's find out."
Without waiting for Anna's response, Ai began walking toward the crowd. Anna followed close behind, her earlier excitement gradually giving way to curiosity. As they approached, the gathering grew denser, forcing them to squeeze between people in order to get a better view. Neither girl spoke as they carefully made their way forward, occasionally glancing at the faces around them.
Finally, they reached the front.
And then—
Ai's eyes widened.
Anna's jaw dropped.
Fixed to the wall in front of them was a poster bearing a large photograph of a girl. Beneath the photograph, written in bold letters that could be read from a distance, was a single word.
MISSING.
The girl in the photograph was Kanna.
For a moment, the surrounding crowd seemed to disappear. Ai stood motionless, her eyes fixed on the poster, while Anna stared at the photograph in disbelief. Neither of them appeared capable of saying a single word. The ordinary morning they had stepped into only a few minutes earlier had suddenly taken an unexpected turn.
And neither girl knew that they were being watched.
From somewhere within the crowd, a pair of eyes remained fixed on them.
Arthur stood among the people, observing Ai and Anna in silence.
His gaze shifted between the two girls and the missing-person poster on the wall.
He had seen their reactions.
And he was watching closely.
Chapter ends
To be Continued